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Today was Valentine's Day. The district was bustling to sell Valentine's products and decorated everything in pink or red. It was a business opportunity for others to rip couples off with overpriced charges or to gain more profits.
Sinclair stood alone outside the bus and sighed. Everyone was busy going out or had their own plan. Vergilius and Charon went out for a fancy dinner. Heathcliff and Ishmael dragged Meursault off to the shopping. Ryoshu was going out to create 'art'. Gregor and Rodion pretended to be a couple to get a discount at a restaurant. Yi Sang and Faust spoke with the head of the company. Outis won a free buffet for two and invited Dante to join her.
Unfortunately, Dante did not have a mouth. In the end, Hong Lu replaced the clock.
Sinclair exhaled another long breath. It was not like he wanted a girlfriend or anything. It was impossible to get one, considering the circumstances of his job. The Limbus Company Bus moved from one district to another. Even if Sinclair did get a girlfriend, he would not be able to maintain the relationship. The distance would be a problem. He did not even know when he could return to his lover.
For many years, Valentine's Day passed like any other day. Sinclair was a coward in his youth. He did not dare invite Demian to his house. Not to mention asking a girl out on a date. Besides, Sinclair did not need a lover. He just wanted to create a good memory for once.
He reminisced about his childhood when his family was around. His parents would have a romantic date on Valentine's Day. Sinclair and his sister would stay in the house. On that particular day, they found an old gramophone. His sister played a song on it and asked him to dance with her. They spent the night dancing silly and laughing. His body still remembered the dance lessons he had had before. First, he took a back step with his left foot. Then he swayed to the right and...
“Nice movement, Sinclair!”
Sinclair screamed. Loudly. He had not expected Don Quixote to be watching him. “Why are you here? I thought you were going to the Fixer Fans community meeting!"
Her face turned gloomy, and tears welled up in her eyes. "Heard mine tragic story, Sinclair! The meeting has been postponed because lots of members aren't coming. Everyone has a date but me!"
"Ouch…" Sinclair could even feel the emotional damage.
"Forget mine sorrow. I did not know thee could dance so well!"
Sinclair scratched his head. “My family hired a private dancing teacher for me before."
“Sounds delightful. I've never had the chance to dance before."
Sinclair looked at her. "Do you know how to dance, Don Quixote?"
She nodded proudly. "I do! A knight must be talented in it to bid a lady for a dance!"
Sinclair and Don Quixote were sitting on the ground. She hugged her knees with both arms. Don Quixote must have been so disappointed about the cancelled event that she remained silent. As they sat in silence, they heard music playing in the distance. Someone out there had turned up their speaker to full volume. The sound even reached the place where Charon had parked the bus.
Don Quixote turned her head and stared at Sinclair. "Does thou recognise this song?"
He was startled by her question. Sinclair was not aware that he had been humming the song. "Yes, I used to dance to it with my sister."
Don suddenly stood up with a cheerful face. A strange idea popped up in her mind. “This song is familiar to mine ear as well! Shall we dance?”
Sinclair was perplexed by her suggestion. “In here?”
“No one passes this place at night. Nobody will see us!”
Sinclair looked around at his surroundings. Don Quixote was right. No one walked down this street at night. Everyone was in the city. Only the bus members would return to the place to rest. Don Quixote bowed to him and offered her hand as if she were a gentleman in a ballroom.
"May I have this dance, My Lady?"
Sinclair chuckled and accepted her charming offer. “Sure.”
Don Quixote touched his hand and was a bit surprised. Sinclair noticed how sweaty his hands were because he was nervous. He panicked and apologised to her. "I-I am sorry! My hand must be wet! Let me put my gloves on first!"
"That's fine! I see no problem in it!" Don Quixote put her hand on Sinclair's and compared their hand sizes. “Man’s hand truly big, huh?”
Sinclair's heart skipped a beat when their hands touched. He reacted like a teenage girl rather than a young man in his twenties. He shook his head and tried to focus on the music.
Their dancing movement was slow and clumsy. Either Don Quixote or Sinclair would step on their partner's feet. They stumbled and almost fell several times. Sinclair finally noticed something strange. “Uuuh, Don Quixote? Why did you do the male step?”
Don Quixote was just as surprised. She just realised her dance steps were wrong. “Pardon mine mistake. I had never received formal training and had merely copied what I saw from others. Therefore, I only knew the male step.” Her expression became a bit sad. “Perhaps we should quit…”
“Oh, it’s all right! I memorised both steps from the dancing lesson. You can do the male steps. I'll do the female steps. Can you lead me, please?"
Sinclair smiled gently at her. Her cheek flushed when she saw his sweet face. Don Quixote replied with another bright smile across her round face. “All right! Leave it to me!”
They swapped roles and resumed the dance. Their movements were better than before. Sinclair twirled gracefully and followed Don Quixote's lead. She caught him in her arms as he bent his back. Don Quixote held his body tightly against hers to ensure she could support him. Sinclair stared into her eyes when their faces were close together. They chuckled and continued their slow dance for a few more rounds.
Sinclair finally had a memorable Valentine's Day.