Sae Agrees to a Date?!

The crystal shimmered in Sae's palm, catching the room light in a way that made it hypnotic. I couldn't help but wonder how much it would fetch if we pawned it. Enough to pad my Tokyo funds, or maybe even more?

"When I brought up these crystals to command, everyone acted like they didn't exist," Sae said, her voice barely above a whisper. "Even the Colonel changed the subject. He never changes the subject."

"Hmmm." Haruka stroked his chin. "I could analyze its composition. But... how about we make this interesting?"

"Interesting?"

"If I figure out what this crystal is... you have to go on a date with me."

I nearly choked. Was my pervert cousin seriously trying to score a date with the ice queen herself?

But to my shock, Sae didn't immediately shut him down. She actually seemed to be considering it, her eyes fixed on the crystal like it held all the secrets of the universe.

After what felt like forever, she nodded. "Deal."

Wait, what? Sae "I'd Rather Die Than Show Emotion" Himuro had just agreed to a potential date? The world really was ending... or maybe she only agreed because she thought the crystal was impossible to crack. Kind of cruel but that's the Balloon Lady for you.

"HELL YEAH!" Haruka pumped his fist in the air. "I mean, excellent. I'll get started right away."

He snatched the crystal from Sae's hand, his eyes lighting up behind those dorky glasses like he'd just won the pervert lottery.

"Now then, let's see what secrets you're hiding..." Haruka dug through his messenger bag, pulling out what looked like the contents of a mad scientist's yard sale. A magnifying glass with extra lenses. Some kind of metal probe thing.

"Is all this really necessary?" I asked, but he was already lost in his own world.

"Mohs hardness scale test!" He scratched the crystal against different surfaces, muttering numbers under his breath. "Opacity!" He held it up to various lights, including his phone flashlight. The crystal caught the light in ways that made my eyes hurt.

Just when I thought his bag couldn't hold anything else, Haruka whipped out a laptop from... somewhere? Seriously, was his bag secretly connected to a pocket dimension?

I tried leaning in to peek at his screen but he twisted away dramatically.

"No peeking at classified material!" Haruka said as he typed in what had to be the longest password ever. "Top secret KQ Division stuff!"

"It's literally just the login screen."

"TOP! SECRET!"

The laptop screen reflected off his glasses as he hunched over the keyboard like a gremlin. The tapping of keys mixed with his excited muttering created a weird symphony of nerdy enthusiasm.

Suddenly, Haruka's manic laughter filled the room, making me jump.

"Sae-chan~" He stretched out her name in a way that made my skin crawl. "I hope you like Italian food! Because I'll be treating you to some very soon."

Sae marched over, her face mask of disbelief. She leaned in close to the screen, eyes narrowing as she read whatever had gotten my cousin so worked up.

"This composition..." she muttered.

"Matches perfectly with samples KQ collected from that S-grade kaiju!" Haruka's glasses fogged up as he bounced in his chair.

"Wait, isn't the Shibue Daikaiju the only S-grade out there?" I frowned, remembering the kaiju that had dumped Little Shit on me with its world-ending ultimatum.

"As far as I know, there's only two in existence. The folks at KQ are being super secretive about it, so that's pretty much all I've got."

"Now about that date..." Haruka turned to Sae with a grin. "I know this amazing little place in-"

"I require time to verify your findings." Sae straightened up, but I caught the faintest hint of pink on her cheeks.

"So cold! But that's what makes Sae-chan so cute~"

A sharp knock at the door made me jump. My blood ran cold as Gran Gran's voice carried through.

"Who's cute?"

I shot Sae a panicked look. The crystal was still out on the desk, gleaming like evidence of our conspiracy.

"We were discussing Ryūka's progress with differential equations, Tatsuhara-sama. Her grasp of the concepts is... quite cute," Sae answered.

I nearly snorted. Calling my math skills 'cute' was definitely stretching the truth to its breaking point.

"You still studying? Good, good! But cannot study well with empty stomach. I put rice crackers and tea in living room. Come eat!

"Nice save," I whispered to Sae as we filed out of the room. She gave me the tiniest of nods.

In the living room, Gran Gran had laid out enough food to feed a small army. Or one growing kaiju, I thought, watching Little Shit eye the snacks.

I sank into the plushiest chair I could find, trying not to wince at how the springs groaned under my weight. Sae perched on the edge of a couch like she was ready to sprint into action at any moment, while Haruka sprawled across the floor, already reaching for the snacks.

"Haruka-kun," Gran Gran's voice took on that tone she used when fishing for information. "You know any festivals nearby for Golden Week?"

I had to bite my tongue to keep from laughing. Less than an hour ago, she'd been ready to disown Haruka for choosing geology over engineering. Now she was acting like nothing had happened. Classic Gran Gran, selective memory when it suited her.

"Ah, not really." Haruka scratched his head, carefully avoiding eye contact. "Since the Daimen incident, everything's kind of dead around here. Everyone who can afford it is traveling, trying to tick off their bucket list before..." He trailed off, stuffing a rice cracker in his mouth.

Before the world ends, I finished silently. He wasn't wrong. Who wanted to spend their potential last days in this ghost town? I sure didn't.

Then I noticed Haruka fidgeting with something in his pocket, his eyes darting between Gran Gran and whatever he was holding. At first I thought he'd pocketed Sae's crystal, which would've been a spectacularly stupid move if Gran Gran caught him. But when Gran Gran had her back turned, Haruka flashed me something else entirely.

That was definitely not an official release of Super Bash Sisters. The bootleg's label was coming off at the corners, but I'd recognize it anywhere.

I gave him a subtle nod. Message received, cousin. You're going down.

"Actually, Gran Gran, I just remembered. Haruka promised to help me with some... geology homework" The lie felt clunky on my tongue.

"Geology homework?"

"Yup! Very complex stuff." Haruka jumped in, already backing toward the door.

We bolted before Gran Gran could interrogate us further, leaving behind a very confused Sae and a spread of untouched snacks. Haruka dug out an ancient TV and gaming system while I settled into a spot on the floor.

"Ready to get destroyed, little cousin?" He tossed me a controller.

"In your dreams, you pervert."

The familiar character select screen lit up, accompanied by that signature theme song - slightly off-key in this bootleg version, but nostalgic all the same. I picked my main without hesitation, muscle memory from countless matches with Dad taking over.

This would be my last Golden Week ever, but kicking Haruka's ass at bootleg Super Bash Sisters... I couldn't think of a better way to spend it.