Confirmation

"Issei, please reconsider!"

Brainy begs as she puts her hands on top of her head and starts flying around our table, erratically. I've never seen her panic like this before.

"No, I've made up my mind already." Issei crosses his arms over his chest. Brainy then glances at me with a pleading look in her eyes. What's this all about?

"Hey! Don't look at me!" I put my hands up in defeat. "That's his decision, and I respect it."

If he wants to end the date here, then why should I stop him? I even thought our date was going great until now; I don't know what happened.

"Come on, Issei! You still have ten minutes left to reconsider." The tiny humanoid then flies over to Issei.

"Now why should I reconsider?" Issei replies before he chuckles.

"I already know Airi is the one for me!" He declares, staring straight into my eyes, and my heart skips a beat.

"Say what now?" I blurt out, shocked by his declaration.

"You can't be serious!"

"Yes, you heard that right." He chuckles at my reaction. I blink rapidly, trying to make sense of this situation. Then he flashes me one of his smug smiles. It's like he enjoys my confusion.

This guy...

How can he be so certain anyway? Is he that desperate to win? Probably.

And I can't say I blame him either. After all, everyone says he spent a lot of Humanity Points on my brain. Maybe he's into gambling just like my father. 

Now that would be funny.

"I have one question," I say as I look into Issei's eyes. "How many points did my revival cost?"

And just like that, Issei's smirk disappeared.

He then quickly readjusted his collar and looked up at Brainy. "Am I allowed to answer that?" The tiny humanoid nods back before she flies upwards, probably resting above the light equipment again.

"You don't have to concern yourself with such trivial matters, Airi." He says, avoiding eye contact. "Besides, I didn't pay actual money, after all." He then glances towards the flashy neon sign with the TV show's name on it. "As for the cost," he smirks. "I believe some things in life are simply priceless." His words hang in the air, leaving me intrigued.

"That might be true," I say, watching his expression closely, "but your answer will help me decide if I want to go on more dates with you or not." I nod.

He looked deep in thought for a moment before he began to speak again.

"Hmm, how about this?" His eyes lock with mine. "The number of Humanity Points is not important. Pretend I've done humanity a favor by bringing you back here." He winks.

"Nice try!" I chuckle, rolling my eyes, "But I'm not falling for that one. Next!" I can't help but laugh at his attempt to charm his way out of a clear answer.

"Fine, fine!" He says, still smiling. "Then how about this one?"

"Your revival is an investment towards my future." He winks once again.

"Oh? Does this mean you were after the big prize from the start?" I tease him, unable to hide my amusement.

"No! No! It's nothing like that at all!" He quickly responds. 

"I really do want to get to know you better." He says, his cheeks reddening a bit.

"Really? But what if I want to win the grand prize after all?" I chuckle, studying his reaction. "What if I want to use those points to pay you back?"

"Because, if it weren't for your generosity, I would still be just a brain right now." I pause to look into his eyes. "So thank you."

"Airi..." he whispers.

"Don't think for a second that you're in my debt." He then places his hand over mine on the table. "I've used my Humanity Points because I wanted to. No one forced me to do it in the first place." I smile back, feeling a bit embarrassed by his confession.

"But if you insist on paying me back," Issei sighs, "then let's keep seeing each other." He then glances at our joined hands. 'We'll start slow. No pressure."

"How does that sound?" He looks back up at me with a gentle smile.

"Ding! Ding! Ding! Your time is up!" 

Brainy announces as she arrives on stage again. "Naomi, can you bring the audience back?"

The blonde woman nods as she emerges from the left corner of the stage. "Audience!" she shouts, and after that, the empty crimson seats begin to fill up once again with holograms. The crowd is cheering and applauding.

"Aaaannnnd we're back, everyone! It's now time for Airi and Issei's verdicts!" Brainy says in a cheerful voice before she gestures towards us.

"I think my answer is very clear." Issei turns to the crowd, his hand still resting over mine. The audience starts to cheer even louder.

"Yes, well, it only took him 20 minutes to get to that conclusion." Brainy, she says, rolling her eyes. "Must be a world record." Issei blushes slightly.

"That's a yes from Issei in case you were wondering." The tiny humanoid announces as the audience continues to cheer and clap.

"Now what about you, Airi?" Brainy's gaze then shifts to me. "Is there a chance for a second date?" The audience then goes silent, as everyone is waiting for my answer. My heart races as all eyes fall upon me. I look at Issei, his smile unwavering, and I feel like I know my answer now.

"Yes," I reply, my voice clear and confident. "I'd like to continue seeing Issei."

Cheers and applause fill the basement once again. Issei's smile widens as he squeezes my hand in gratitude. I can't help but blush at his gesture. It's not like me to make important decisions like this on the spot. However, this time I'm going to listen to my own intuition. Because even though I've known Issei for just half an hour, I have a feeling this is the beginning of something special.