Saki grabbed Koya's hand, dragging him across the neon-lit streets of Keropolis Supercity.

Pedestrians wearing different kinds of clothing ranging from work suits to even casual wear glanced at them left and right but the two ignored the metropolitan foot traffic entirely weaving through it with reckless momentum.

The cool afternoon breeze whipped past and Koya could smell many things as he walked on the street… This was a much busier area of the city that he was used to walking.

Saki blinked with her heart hammering frantically against her ribcage.

'I can't believe that this is actually happening.'

A furious blush covered her cheeks as she walked, the rosy tint standing out starkly in the glow of the holographic billboards.

Saki didn't believe she was actually going on a date… and with her student, too. It was an incredibly scandalous thought.

It absolutely wasn't allowed for students and professors to date under the strict regulations of the academy, the committee of Professors would likely have a field day if they ever found out but in her mind, this was just a small outing she had carefully planned out.

Even though he was supposed to be diligently preparing for the intense exams happening tomorrow… she selfishly figured she could take a little bit of his time. Just a few hours wouldn't hurt his pristine academic standing, right?

"So, what do you have planned?" Koya asked with his calm voice cutting through her spiraling internal monologue.

She had texted him earlier claiming she had the whole thing meticulously planned, so he didn't need to waste any energy doing it on his own.

Koya was genuinely interested in what she had in mind… He only hoped it wasn't some generic anime or manga date where they would sit in awkward silence at the movies, or where he would help her sort out clothes for hours while carrying a mountain of shopping bags.

It's not that he would mind seeing Saki try on different outfits… she was undeniably attractive but he wanted to see what she had uniquely conceptualized for them.

Saki rolled her eyes playfully, tossing a lock of her raven-black hair over her shoulder.

"I have a lot planned, actually. But first, tell me... do you like horror movies?"

Koya pondered for a moment, dodging a businessman rushing past them.

"I usually read manga or watch anime in my free time. Horror movies are something I haven't really tried out before, so I wouldn't mind it. It could be an interesting experience."

Saki flashed a bright mischievous smile. "Hehe~ alright then."

She suddenly stopped walking with her shoes clicking sharply against the polished pavement.

Koya blinked, looking upward at the massive flashing facade they had stopped in front of. Bright LED lights spelled out 'GALAXY ARCADE' and the heavy bass of electronic music thumped through the automatic glass doors.

"This isn't a movie theater," Koya pointed out, raising an eyebrow.

Saki chuckled. "The movie doesn't start right now and I don't want to waste time waiting. I want to play some games in the arcade instead so are you ready?"

Koya scratched the back of his neck, looking at the sheer volume of people packed inside. "I haven't actually been to an arcade before. There are always a whole lot of people in these places..."

Saki adjusted her sleek black hair leaning in slightly. "If you keep talking like that, then I'll start to think that you're just a total introvert."

Koya sweatdropped at the teasing remark. Before he could mount a defense, Saki confidently pulled him forward, dragging him right into the vibrant belly of the arcade.

The door opened with a cheerful electronic chime… instantly drowning them in a lot of sound.

They looked around; the place was massive. Rows upon rows of brightly lit consoles and racing simulators stretched out like a glowing labyrinth.

Toward the corner, there was a massive dancing game setup with blinding strobe lights, where several teenagers were aggressively breaking it out on a lit-up dance floor with their feet moving in a blur as the crowd cheered.

"There are a lot of people here…" Koya let out, slightly overwhelmed by the sensory overload.

"Actually, this one has less games than the central hub, or else people would have stormed it as well," Saki explained, raising her voice over the din. "But this is good! There are enough consoles for us to play without waiting in ridiculous lines."

She locked arms with him and her soft warmth pressed against his side then she dragged him over to a ticket exchange table.

Standing behind the counter was a middle-aged woman with thick spectacles and incredibly embarrassing clothes. She was wearing a bulky, full-body foam costume that looked exactly like a giant gamepad, complete with awkwardly positioned armholes sticking out of the bumper buttons. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

'I hope she gets paid enough for this,' Klaus thought with a twitching eye, feeling an immense wave of secondhand embarrassment for the poor worker.

The gamepad woman adjusted her glasses and plastered on a robotic retail smile. "Welcome to Galaxy Arcade! What kind of games do you want to play today? If you want to play, you'll need to purchase tickets!"

Saki didn't hesitate.

She pointed directly toward a row of imposing, dual-seated fighting game cabinets glowing with fierce lights. "I want to play Iron Fist Legends."

The gamepad woman clapped her foam-covered hands together. "Wonderful choice! You'll need to put the tickets directly into the machines to start gaming."

"I'm aware, thank you," Saki said politely then she then turned to Koya with a competitive glint. "How about five rounds before we continue?"

"That's fine by me…" Koya replied, cracking his knuckles out of pure habit.

Saki bought ten golden physical tickets for 100 crowns. She handed five to Koya, and they marched over to one of the Iron Fist Legends machines with the gamepad woman awkwardly waving her foam arms at them as they left.

The machines were designed in a classic competitive layout with two seats situated together on opposite sides of a central divider.

Koya sat on his side, the plush leather stool sinking slightly.

Saki did the same on the opposite side, aggressively cracking her neck from side to side. Each of them slid a singular golden ticket into the glowing slots and instantly, their screens flicked open with a thunderous sound effect.

Saki leaned over the console slightly, pointing out the colored buttons and the heavy metallic joystick.

"Okay, so the joystick moves you. Top row is light punch, heavy punch, and block. Bottom row is light kick, heavy kick, and your special gauge activator. Got it?"

Koya looked at the complex array of buttons and sighed. "Isn't it a bit unfair that you know all about the game, but I don't?"

Saki grinned wickedly. "That is exactly why we are playing five rounds! You'll learn by losing."

Their screens finished loading, blaring an aggressive announcer's voice telling them to choose characters. The roster was massive and Saki immediately began to proudly tell him a bit about her favorite characters and their deep backstories.

"Okay, so this is Kaori. She's a fallen shrine maiden who uses cursed blood arts…" Saki explained enthusiastically. "And this is Takeshi, he's a cybernetic samurai seeking revenge against the mega-corporations."

"You know them a bit well." Koya noted.

Saki jabbed a proud finger at her chest. "Of course I do! I have been playing this game since my childhood."

Koya scanned the screen.

Since all of them had Japanese names and he didn't know the meta, he relied on visual appeal. He picked one called Jin, a stoic-looking fighter wearing a simple martial gi.

The screen flashed brilliantly, transitioning to show a detailed, rain-slicked arena. Saki had locked in her favorite female character, Kaori.

"Round one. Fight!" the digital announcer roared.

Instantly, Saki's hands moved in a terrifying blur.

The rhythmic, aggressive clack-clack-clack of her mashing the buttons echoed rapidly. On the screen, Kaori dashed forward, unleashing a barrage of fiery kicks. Koya immediately went on the defensive.

He pulled the joystick back, blocking the flurry of blows. Saki tried to mix him up with a low sweep, but Koya instinctively flicked the joystick down, blocked it, and punished her with a simple but devastating heavy punch-kick combo.

Jin's fist connected, sending Kaori flying across the screen.

Saki gasped, her hands moving even faster, desperately trying to trigger her special move. "Take this…"

But Koya calmly sidestepped the flashy ultimate attack, positioned Jin right behind her character, and unleashed a seamless chain of standard attacks that drained at her health bar.

Two minutes later, Kaori laid completely flat on the ground. Jin stood victorious in the digital wind.

"H-how?" Saki stammered, staring at her screen in disbelief.

She abruptly stood up from her stool, peering over the top of the cabinet to look directly at him. "Are you cheating somehow?!"

Koya just shrugged casually, leaning back in his chair. "I'm just that good. Or maybe Jin is just a really strong character."

Saki's eyes narrowed into competitive slits and she sat back down heavily. "Put your ticket in again!"

Koya did, and they played again… and again… and again.

…

They exited the arcade a short while later with the cool afternoon air hitting them in a refreshing wave. Saki was puffing out her cheeks cutely, her pride thoroughly wounded, though she instinctively locked arms with Koya again as they walked down the pavement.

"I can't believe it," Saki grumbled. "I have played that game all through my childhood. I know the combos, I know the frame traps! And you managed to beat me at it five times in a row! You were probably using some kind of magic to cheat!"

Koya chuckled softly. "If I was using magic to win a fighting game, you would have definitely known. My mana signature would have spiked."

"Then explain how you perfectly parried my unblockable setup in round four!" Saki demanded, shaking her head stubbornly.

Koya slowly lifted his free hand. Without overthinking it, he gently reached out and touched her cheek with his index finger, pressing softly against the puffed-out skin.

The sudden, intimate contact made the professor freeze. She slowly turned her head to look up at him as a massive burning blush rapidly overtook her cheeks.

The bustling noise of Keropolis Supercity seemed to fade away.

"W-why did you do that?" Saki asked with her voice trembling slightly, suddenly hyper-aware of the fact that they were standing incredibly close to one another in public.

"You looked cute when you were doing that," Koya said honestly, dropping his hand back to his side. "And your cheeks were soft."

Saki immediately averted her head, clearing her throat to desperately regain her authoritative composure. "I will take ten of your Individual Points for touching your Professor's cheek without explicit permission."

"That is completely unfair," Koya said, a small, amused smile playing on his lips. "We aren't even in the classroom."

They stood at the edge of the sidewalk amongst other pedestrians.

Several sleek, levitating cars passed by. Once the holographic crosswalk light glowed red to stop traffic, Saki and Koya walked to the other side of the avenue.

Looming directly in front of them was a surprisingly massive, incredibly opulent movie theater built with sleek glass architecture.

Koya looked back at the tacky arcade, then up at the luxurious cinema. "Why the hell is a high-end movie theater directly opposite a loud arcade?"

Saki raised an elegant eyebrow, finally recovered from her flustered state. "That is just how these entertainment districts are zoned… It brings in diverse foot traffic."

They entered the theater, instantly greeted by the blast of heavy air conditioning and the buttery scent of premium popcorn.

Saki confidently walked past the automated kiosks and went directly to the VIP concierge counter.

She pulled out her phone and showed her screen to the sharply dressed attendant. "I have two tickets to personally watch The Grinning Entity."

The woman behind the counter verified the glowing QR code with a scanning machine.

"Perfect… Verified for a private viewing." She bowed deeply, then tapped an earpiece. "Assistant, please come to the front."

A young man in a pristine uniform came out.

"Please lead our esteemed guests to Private Room #48 upstairs." The concierge said.

The young man nodded sharply and bowed. "Right this way, please. I will lead you to the way."

After taking the glass elevator and walking down a dimly lit corridor, they finally stopped outside a heavy, reinforced door labeled '48'. Unlike the main floor downstairs, there was absolutely no noise coming from the other rooms.

The man opened the heavy door for them.

"The movie will start shortly. Please enjoy," he said politely, firmly closing the room door behind them with a soft click.

Saki immediately let out a sigh of relief.

"I absolutely don't like watching movies with a lot of people." They passed by rows of empty, ultra-plush leather recliners. "People do a lot of annoying things, like cheer loudly when they are supposed to be quiet, or aggressively crunch their food. It pisses me off so much."

Koya nodded. "That is completely understandable… It ruins the immersion."

He then looked toward the front of the room. "Wait, we didn't get popcorn or drinks downstairs."

As they reached the front row and sat down next to each other, Saki smiled smugly. "Hold on."

She clapped her hands twice. Almost immediately, a pair of futuristic robot cubes on tiny, silent wheels rolled out from hidden compartments in the walls, stopping perfectly in front of them.

Saki tapped a few buttons on the digital interface. "I want a big cup of popcorn and a can of drink. Citrus Volt, please."

A mechanical whirring filled the air, and a small panel on top of the robot popped open.

A steaming bucket of perfectly popped popcorn and an ice-cold can of Citrus Volt popped out on a small tray. Saki took it with a satisfied smile, putting the drink into the cupholder to her left.

"You can order however much popcorn you want, and also that same drink," Saki told him. "It's all included in the VIP package."

Koya tapped the interface, asking for the exact same order. He kept his drink securely on his cupholder as well, then took a handful of the warm popcorn.

He cleared his throat. "Familiars are allowed here, right?"

Saki nodded, taking a sip of her drink. "Of course. It's a private room, we can do whatever we want."

Koya smiled. "Come."

Two brilliant beams of gold light shot directly out of his chest. The magical particles solidified, bringing out his two Familiars.

The first was the feline familiar, Riffi, who clung to his leg instantly. The next was Cinder, the beautiful, small fox cub with shimmering silver fur who looked around with wide curious eyes.

Koya leaned down and gently patted Cinder's head. "Relax, girls. There is no fight or training today. We are just going to watch a movie."

Riffi nimbly climbed up his clothes, perching herself comfortably onto his broad shoulders. "Movie?"

Koya nodded. "Yes, we are going to watch a horror movie. It is supposedly very scary."

Cinder hopped up onto the massive recliner and patted Koya's lap, clearly making space there for herself. Once satisfied, she lay down comfortably, curling into a small silver ball of warmth over his legs.

Koya dipped his hand deep into the warm bucket and he looked up at the cat on his shoulder. "Do you want some popcorn?"

Riffi eagerly extended her front paws and took some directly from his hand. She put it in her mouth, chewing rapidly, and then tossed her head around in sheer delight. "It's soo sweet~!"

Chuckling, Koya dropped some of the popcorn onto his lap directly in front of the fox. Cinder sniffed it carefully before finally eating it. As she chewed, her face completely lit up as well, letting out a happy sound.

"Is it really that good?" Koya asked. He tossed a handful into his own mouth. "Yeah... this is actually really good."

Before Saki could speak again, the lights in the room suddenly dimmed to pitch black and a loud, mechanical shutter sound echoed from the projector room behind them, and a massive flash of stark white light hit the giant screen as the movie began ticking down.

5... 4... 3...

The retro-style countdown timer was accompanied by a low frequency. Cinder, Koya, and Riffi were all expectantly looking at the screen.

2... 1... 0.

The timer completely stopped. With a heavy, echoing thud, the whole screen turned entirely black. Absolute suffocating silence filled Private Room #48.

Koya squinted.

"Is something not supposed to happ—"

BAM!

Immediately, someone… or something violently hit the screen from the other side. It looked hyper-realistic. It was a very ugly human creature with an unnaturally wide face.

Its skin was sickly, pale grayish-white, stretched so thin over its skull that the dark veins underneath were completely visible. It lacked a nose entirely, and its bulbous, bloodshot eyes were bulging completely out of their sockets, staring directly into the theater with a look of pure malice.

Riffi let out a terrified screech and lost her balance, falling backward onto the ground in sheer panic. Cinder aggressively flinched, burying her silver face deep into Koya's shirt to hide.

Saki was so profoundly shocked by the deafening jumpscare that she let out a sharp gasp and fell completely sideways, burying her face into Koya's shoulder.

Koya looked at the shaking girls and the trembling familiars, he sighed. "Why are you guys so scared? It's just an augmented visual eff—"

On the massive screen, the creature's wide face suddenly and violently parted apart right down the middle with a sickening, wet tearing sound.

The skull split open like a blooming, rotting flower, revealing a massive, pulsating nest of very grotesque, slimy tentacles dripping with black ichor that lunged forward as if trying to burst through the glass of the screen itself.

And all of them screamed afterward.