86TH GEAR - AN EMERGENCY FIRST DATE

“Congratulations, my foolish son.” My father offered his hand to me. “I am so proud of you.”

This is the very first time my father said that he was proud of me, and it is enough to bring me to tears. But I have to keep my face as an aloof cool guy and swallowed all my emotions. I just gave him a simple smile and shook his hand.

“Thank you, father. I mean, foolish father.” I said.

Both of us scoffed and it turned into a chuckle. I find it awkward and weird that my father is proud of me for being a coach. Out of eighteen years of my existence, all I felt from my family are their plastic smiles. I know that they are disappointed for me being born as a mutant who cannot use any magic, but they kept on smiling whenever I’m with them.

This time for sure, I can safely say that my father’s smile is true.

“So, what are you planning to do in your future?” My father asked.

“Huh?” I tilted my head and frowned in confusion.

“I mean yes, you have your mercantile course ongoing here in this school. But now that you discovered your talent in coaching, you might consider being a professional once you graduate.” My father said.

My father is a professional coach right now, working on different Speedmage companies to promote big houses. Speed Battles are booming for their entertainment value, and this is his sideline aside from being a Professor at Saint Crusade Academy.

I looked at the ground and smiled. “I don’t know yet. For now, my main goal is to make Flu the National Speedmage Champion. Of course, I will balance my academics and extracurriculars, but I am not thinking that far in the future right now.”

"That's a great answer. I'm sure a lot of doors will open for you once Fluonessia Asahime becomes the National Speedmage Champion."

My father gently tapped on my shoulder, and then he started to walk away to meet with Professor Azure. Meanwhile, the most beautiful girl in the world waved her hand at me, her long pink hair dancing as she sprint closer.

“Jonathaaan!”

“Flu!”

Flu stopped right in front of me and projected a cute dumb smile. “We won! Tehehehe!”

“Yeah. Congratulations on beating the legendary Speedmage.” I started to pat Flu’s head.

“Hey, can we join too?” Cruzo and Ericka asked as they approached us.

“Sure,” I said.

Both Cruzo and Ericka petted Flu’s top head.

“Congratulations, Flu! I am so proud that you are the ace of the Merry Knights!” Ericka cried with joy. "You are the best member the Guild ever had!"

“Uwooooooogh! You are the goddess of determination, guts, and love! I will call you Queen Flu from now on!” Cruzo hollered out loud.

“Tahaha! Thanks, Prez! Thanks, Sir Cruzo!” Flu grinned ear to ear.

Ericka then stopped patting my girlfriend’s hair and then jumped in front of me. “Hey, Coach! Don’t you think Flu is so adorable and gorgeous?”

“W-Well, yeah.” I blushed and turned away. I find it incredibly embarrassing to talk about my girlfriend in front of our Useless President.

Meanwhile, Cruzo beamed a smile at Flu and gave her a thumbs up. “Hey, Flu! Don’t you think Coach is cool and handsome?”

“Ah! U-Ummm, yes…” Flu fidgeted due to embarrassment, and her face was strawberry red.

What are these two senior dumbasses planning?

Suddenly, Ericka blocked my view of Flu and then gave me a teasing grin. “What about you reward Flu for winning against Big Sis? Maybe ask her out for a date?”

“Ack!” I choked my saliva.

Ericka hit a nerve inside me. Flu and I have been in a romantic relationship for almost two weeks, and we never really had a proper date! I have not taken her to any places! Most, if not all of the time we spent together is spent on practice!

“What, you haven’t taken her out for a date?” Ericka frowned as if she can perfectly read me like a book.

“Y-Yes.”

"Haaaah." Ericka sighed and slowly shook her head in disappointment. “What a sloppy boyfriend you are, Jon. You may be a genius in Speed Battles, but you are a complete newbie in romantic relationships.”

“Look who’s talking,” I muttered.

“Well, since you two have been working hard lately, I shall give you a vacation leave tomorrow. This upcoming Saturday, you can take Flu anywhere you want. Take a break from practice, and refrain from talking about Speed Battles!”

“You guys are just feeling lazy to practice tomorrow,” I said.

“That’s part of it!” Ericka smiled. “But having you two let off some steam is part of the practice too. We can’t have you two overworking like a robot. Speedmage Tournament is just a sport, so you can relax once in a while.”

<>

Flu and I took Prez’s advice and had the next day dedicated to our very first date.

We met at the Eastern Beachfront at ten in the morning. It is partly cloudy and there is no hint of rain whatsoever so it is generally good weather. Flu was already waiting for me when I got there even though I am thirty minutes early.

“Good morning, Jonathan!” Flu waved her hand.

Flu is wearing a pure white frilly summer dress that emphasizes her milky white shoulders and legs. She is also wearing a floppy hat with Spellbloom flower ornaments on it. Unlike most of our meetups, she is wearing cute white and pink sandals to match her summer outfit even though it is autumn already.

It’s not that I am complaining though. Flu looks cute in every outfit she wears, whether it may be a school uniform, a Speedmage Suit, or her casual summer outfit.

“Good morning, Flu.” I greeted back with a smile.

As for my outfit, I am wearing a black polo shirt, green shorts, and topsider shoes. It’s just plain casual wear for every man in the world.

I started to sweat when Flu approached me with a smile on her face. She must be expecting me to take her to different sorts of places but in reality… I have no idea where should I take her.

I know that it is a man’s job to take a lead. I have searched the magicnet for good places to take your girlfriend on your very first date, but we seem to have exhausted it already. Back when Flu and I are not yet in love with each other, we already visited the fanciest of restaurants.

If we’re looking for entertainment, we can go visit the arena and watch for… Speed Battles. Useless Prez specifically forbids us to talk, watch, and participate in Speed Battles for this day. We need a breath of fresh air away from our normal day-to-day activities.

I would love to take Flu home and do some cuddling and kissing while illegally streaming anime from pirate magic sites, but since it’s Saturday, my parents are at home. I do think that’s the issue at Flu’s house either, so spooning is out of the question.

That just means we have to try out something we have not tried before… And I am all out of ideas! I am blaming this thing on myself for being too apathetic and antisocial!

Maybe I should ask Flu where she wanted to go.

“S-So, where do you want to go?” I asked with a dry smile.

“Hmmm…” Flu crossed her arms below her bosoms. Then her face brightened. “Ah, I know! Let’s go to the Eastern Island Plateau and let’s have a Speed Battle! I want to try out my new speed spells against you! Of course, we will set up the Mana Link Synchron spell so that you can be my opponent once again!”

“Uh, Flu? I appreciate the idea, but didn’t Prez forbid us to talk about Speed Battles for this day?” I said.

“Ah! I’m so sorry I forgot! Tahahaha!” Flu scratched her head.

I would be glad already if I get to fight Flu once again in a Speed Battle by borrowing her magical circuits and mana. I want to accept her proposal too, but I can feel a sharp glare behind my back as if I am being watched by our useless President. Who knows what she will do to me if we violate the only rule she gave to us?

Now we are back to square one. I do not know where to take my girlfriend.

“Oh, right! I almost forgot!” Flu searched her pouch and then revealed two blue tickets. “Tadaaa!”

“Dragon Festival Tickets?” I read the tickets out loud. “Where did you get these?”

“Sir Cruzo gave me this. He said he will no longer need it, so we have to put this to good use. Neat, huh?” Flu said happily.

The back of my mind went grim. I looked at the date of the Festival Tickets, and it was bought almost three weeks ago, back when he was planning to confess to that paparazzi girl whose name I already forgot. It is entirely possible that he planned to have a date after the confession on the Legendary Cherry Blossom Tree, but we all saw how it turned out.

“Oh, oh! Today will be the last day of the Dragon Festival! We are so lucky for having these!” Flu added.

“Your sacrifice will never be in vain, Cruzo. Your wings of love may have been broken, but you are the best wingman ever.” I muttered in respect.

“Huh? Are you saying something?” Flu tilted her head.

“N-Nothing.” I started to walk and grabbed Flu’s hand and we started to walk together. “Let’s go catch the train.”

“Eeeeeeh? But I can take you there much faster than the train.” Flu pouted.

“You’re not on your Speedmage Shoes, let alone normal shoes. If you run with your sandals, you might get injured, and you might not be able to fight Vincent. Worst case scenario, your feet might swell like an elephant’s and you will never be able to participate in the National Speedmage Tournament.”

“Hnnnnnngh!” Flu squealed in frustration and pumped her fists. Then she clung to my arm with a sweet smile. “Okay! I want to spend more time with you on the train anyway!”