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It was a typical uneventful day in the kingdom of Shibuya. Yet for the castle servants working for the royal family, there was no time for rest. They lived to serve, waiting on hand and foot for orders. And for one particular servant, she was no exception.
"You are to escort the princess into town."
That was the order Shiki Misaki was given. And thus, much like all the other times, she got dress according to her assignment. It wasn't much. Just her usual green dress and tan slippers with her favorite brown pouch tied to her waist. And since she was a servant, she kept her long hair tied up. Yet as much as she wanted to wear her hair down, she knew doing so might hinder with her work.
So once she was finished getting dressed for the day, Shiki left the servant quarters to meet up with the young princess, Raimu 'Rhyme' Bito. She was already waiting in the throne room, dressed in her usual peach-colored dress and dark yellow ankle boots with her long hair tied up in a braided bun. She waited ever-so patiently, although her smile brightened when she turned to see who was approaching her.
"Shiki!" Rhyme happily greeted. "I was hoping you would be my escort."
"I'm only acting on orders," Shiki replied.
"You do not have to treat me as such," Rhyme pointed out. "We are friends, after all."
"My apologies, your highness," Shiki spoke with a slight bow. "Now, where do you wish to go?"
Rhyme let out a slight sigh. "The Cadoi Marketplace," she answered. "But please, call me Rhyme."
"Right," Shiki said. "Sorry."
A short while later, Shiki was able to bring Rhyme to the Cadoi Marketplace. Much like what happened during the Devil's Game, the young princess was in awe over the clothes on display.
"My goodness!" Rhyme exclaimed, looking at a pink Natural Puppy dress. "These clothes are beautiful! I must get some!"
Shiki couldn't help but smile upon seeing the young princess' bright smile. She had a similar reaction back in the Underground. Her excited outburst, her shy apology for being so loud... It was all so cute and endearing. Luckily she was given a large handful of coins, so she could purchase whatever clothing Rhyme wanted.
Yet while the castle servant was so busy watching over the princess, Shiki was unaware of her surroundings, causing her to bump into a random passerby. She nearly fell to the ground, but her caught her hand and pulled her close to him. She gasped upon seeing a family familiar bright blue eyes and bright orange hair. Glancing downward, she saw a familiar outfit as well. A black long-sleeved shirt underneath a dark purple tunic, white pants, and black boots, complete with a leather belt strapped around his waist.
"Are you okay?" Neku Sakuraba asked.
"H-Huh?" Shiki stammered. Realizing how close she and Neku were, she pushed back. "Wh-What are you doing here?!"
"Shopping," Neku stated. "What else would I be doing at a marketplace?"
"Right..." Shiki muttered, her face turning red. "Shopping..."
For a while, things were quiet. Neku and Shiki were looking at one another, too shy to say or do anything. Yet for Shiki, she couldn't help but admire Neku. He was quite cute, especially with how bright his eyes were. She was secretly grateful he got his hair trimmed a while ago, since she can now see them without interference.
And yet...why was she thinking about those beautiful blue eyes when she was supposed to be watching over a certain blonde princess?
"Sorry," Shiki apologized as she averted her gaze. "I should really get back to Rhyme." She decided to change topics to make things less awkward. "She has been looking forward to her arranged marriage."
"I heard about that from Beat," Neku said. "Is she really set to marry a prince from Shinjuku?"
"That's correct," Shiki confirmed. "Her betrothed is Jiro Matsunae, the third child of the family and sole heir to the throne. While I don't know much about the Matsunaes, I heard they have been unlucky when it comes to their children."
"How so?" Neku asked.
"They have all died so young," Shiki explained. "Their firstborn son, Hisao, died from illness so long ago. Their only daughter, Tsugumi, was killed by a bandit just two years ago. It was those tragedies that made them push an arranged marriage onto King and Queen Bito, fearing a disaster might fall upon Jiro as well. The wedding will take place three years from now, once Rhyme is of legal age. So to make sure she is comfortable with arrangements, frequent visits are needed."
"Is Rhyme really okay with this?" Neku checked.
"She doesn't have a choice," Shiki answered, looking a bit sad. "In all the twelve years I have known Rhyme, she has been raised as if she was a living doll. She never questions any of it because..." She sighed. "...she doesn't know how else to live. I'm not even sure if she truly loves Jiro."
"What, like you know what love is?" Neku joked with a slight chuckle.
"Not really," Shiki admitted. "My only experience comes from Beat talking about Ai, but I'm not quite sure if the two are more than friends. What about you?"
"Me?" Neku asked in response. He averted his gaze from Shiki and scratched the back of his head. "I don't know anything about love. I spent a good number of years feeling sorry for myself." He lowered his hand, subconscious grabbing a waist pouch that is no longer present. "But after finally opening my world, I think I finally have an idea on what love is."
"You do?" Shiki asked. "Then what is it?"
Instead of answering in words, Neku responded by gently grabbing Shiki's hand, intertwining their fingers. And just like when they first reunited in the Realground, he had a soft smile on his face. She blushed upon realizing what that meant, wishing she didn't leave Mr. Mew back at the castle's servant quarters.
Shiki was about to say something in response, but she noticed Neku's face had turn red as well. The hand holding hers twitched slightly before he abruptly pulled back. "S-Sorry..." he stammered. "That was stupid..." he slowly walked backwards. "I-I should-"
"Wait!" Shiki called out. She stopped Neku in his place by walking towards him and intertwining their fingers once more. "I kind of like this." She tightened her grasp ever so slightly. "It feels nice."
"Really?" Neku checked.
"Uh-huh," Shiki replied as she nodded in response. She looked a bit shy. "And...if this is your idea of love, I kind of want to experience it some more."
"Shiki..." Neku muttered. "I-"
"Shiki!" Rhyme called out, causing the two to snap out of their trance. "I request your immediate assistance!"
"Sorry," Shiki apologized. "What were you going to say?"
Neku smiled in response. "Hachi Fest is next week," he replied. "Meet me there and I'll finish my thought."
"Like a date?" Shiki checked.
"Sure," Neku agreed. "See you there?"
If Shiki's face was blushing before, this sudden invite made her blush even harder. "Right..." she muttered, slowly walking towards Rhyme. "See you at the festival."
The rest of the day was uneventful. Shiki spent the day keeping track of clothes and various other items that Rhyme wanted. When they returned to the castle, Rhyme requested Shiki's assistance for storing her new purchases.
"So, you wish to attend Hachi Fest with Neku," Rhyme blurted out. At the moment, she was sitting by her vanity to look at her jewelry and makeup.
Shiki froze up. "No," she lied. "You're mistaken. I could never leave the palace on my own."
"Oh, do not be like that," Rhyme reassured. "I shall ask mother and father to let you have the day off. You have been working hard at the castle, so you deserve it."
"Is it really that easy?" Shiki asked. She looked at the pink Natural Puppy dress before hanging it up. If only she were allowed to wear clothes this nice...
"Of course," Rhyme insisted. "But just to make it official..." She stood up from her seat and turned to face Shiki. "As the crowned princess of Shibuya, I hereby order you to attend Hachi Fest with Neku Sakuraba and have fun."
"Well, if you say so..." Shiki sighed.
"Splendid!" Rhyme cheered. She stood in front of her full-body mirror. "Now then, I request your assistance with formal attire for the upcoming ball."
As Shiki went to work on taking notes as Rhyme described her ideal ballgown, she thought about what she would wear for Hachi Fest next week. She only had two outfits: her green dress whenever she was out on errands and her servant uniform for work inside the castle. But neither of those outfits would be suited for a day of festivities.
Maybe she could ask Eri for fashion pointers...