Chapter 200 - Day Out

Today's the 8th of January, 2117, the following day after that Mission with those strange Mutants. The Monke I captured was currently being experimented on, and in the meantime, all X-Warriors had been recalled back to the Sanctuary. 

Moreover, all Missions had been put on hold, at least until we understand exactly what's happening with the Mutants. 

Today's a Sunday, and I was currently in the X-Warrior Zone, specifically, at Hebi's place. I hadn't seen him in a while, and he called me yesterday to ask if I was free...so I figured I might as well hang out with him for a couple of hours. 

After all, he doesn't really have any friends besides me, being a Wight and all. It's kind of a pain, but I don't exactly dislike him, so I guess I don't mind doing this once in a while. 

"Aw, man, you win again," He sighed in defeat, as he put down the controller. 

"It's still a hundred years too soon for you to stand a chance against me," I responded triumphantly. 

"...you just wanted to say that, didn't you?" He replied wryly. 

"Maybe. Still, I don't really game that much anymore, and I'm guessing that you probably do so everyday, right?" I remarked with a smirk.

"Hey, you don't have to rub it in, man. And besides, I only play games on most days, not everyday!" He protested in reply. 

"That's...I have nothing to say to that," I replied in bemusement. 

"Seriously, it's not like I spend all my time gaming! I also watch movies, shows and anime...and train a bit every couple of days too. Ooh, speaking of which, I finally got the hang of Manifestation Surge!" He exclaimed with a grin. 

Okay, that piques my interest... 

"Oh, yeah? That's impressive, barely anyone's mastered that form," I responded in surprise. 

"Heh, yeah, I'm pretty awesome, aren't I?" He replied smugly. 

"Yeah, you were, right up until the moment when you called yourself awesome."

"Come on, no need to be so cold!" He grinned sheepishly. 

"Yeah, yeah. Anyway, what kind of power is it?" I inquired curiously. 

"Not telling, I'm keeping the specifics a secret until I've fully gotten the hang of it! Oh, by the way, why haven't I been sent out on any real Missions?" He asked me, before adding, "Not that I'm complaining or anything, but I thought I'd be worked really hard once I got the hang of the boost to my powers after the Awakening Procedure." 

"Well, things in the Sanctuary are kinda messy right now, politically speaking. The X-Warrior Zone will probably see a change in leadership soon," I informed him. 

"Seriously? Uh-oh...if that does happen, hope the new leadership will treat me the same way," He frowned with a look of concern. 

Yeah, it's a very real possibility that whoever takes over from Director Silva might try to use him as a tool instead of treating him like a person... 

"If...if you're mistreated or whatever, just make sure to let me know, okay? I'll, uh...I'll take care of it," I muttered awkwardly.

"Kil...dude, you're the freaking best! You ol' tsundere, you!" He grinned, as he punched my shoulder cheerfully. 

"Ow, that hurt...and who are you calling a tsundere, I'm nothing of the sort," I huffed in response. 

"Suuure, you're not," He chuckled sarcastically. 

"On second thought, I retract my earlier statement."

"Hehe, yeah, I'm sure you do!" He laughed with a broad smile on his face. 

"...okay, stop that, it's annoying."

... 

About an hour later, I was on my way back home, but only to get changed and head out again. Specifically, I've got a date with Katie. Since yesterday's Mission was called off thanks to the unusual Mutants we encountered, we had plenty of stamina and energy to spare, so instead of today ending up as a rest day, we were going ahead with the plans we'd made before. 

This time, she was coming to the North Quadrant, and we were going to a zoo in the Agricultural District. You'd think that a zoo would be in the Entertainment District or the Recreation District, but it actually makes sense when you think about it. 

Livestock, vegetables and fruits were all grown and stored in the Agricultural District, and it made sense to have the zoo built close by to those, for supplies to keep the animals fed and whatnot. The zoos in the other quadrants were also built near such areas. 

I'd never been to any of the zoos in the Sanctuary before, so I'm looking forward to this. I like animals, and the only reason I've never been to a zoo before is because I never really considered it, since I was pretty busy most of the time after I was disowned. 

And I'm also looking forward to going out with Katie again, I had to admit that I was kinda nervous...that said, I still hadn't figured out how I feel or how I should respond to her confession. 

I do feel kinda bad about the fact that I'm taking so long to sort through my thoughts and feelings, but at the same time, I don't want to give her an uncertain or half-assed response. She deserves better than that. I need to figure this out for myself first, only then can I respond to her. 

Once I got home, I took a quick shower, before putting on a light grey t-shirt under a sleeveless black vest that I left unbuttoned, along with a pair of dark blue jeans and red shoes. 

It was currently a little bit past 12 PM in the afternoon, I'm supposed to meet up with her in the Entertainment District at around 1 PM, have lunch and then head to the Agricultural District afterwards. Hm, if I leave around 12:30 PM, I should still be a bit early. 

Not by much though, so yeah, I think I'll leave around then. I looked at myself in the mirror, feeling a bit self-conscious...does this outfit suit me? Does it look like I'm trying too hard? Should I do something different with my hair?

"What am I doing?" I sighed to myself with a wry smile...I've never really worried over stuff like this before, I'm probably just overthinking things. 

I then headed into the kitchen and opened up one of the cupboards and took out a tub of Nutella, before picking up a spoon, opening the lid and scooping out a chunk of the hazelnutty goodness, and then putting it in my mouth, in order to try and calm my nerves. 

Okay, yeah, it's working, I can feel my concerns and worries just melting away, as the rich sweetness ran across my tastebuds, causing the sides of my mouth to tingle and tense up, before I let out a content sigh. 

It took all my willpower to keep myself from going on for another scoop, as I forced myself to put the tub and spoon away...it was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. 

Once the clock hit 12:30 PM, I began heading out, making my way to the bus stop and taking a bus to the nearest Teleportation Point. I then teleported to a spot close to where I was supposed to meet Katie, before walking over there. 

It's 12:50 PM now, and I'm less than a five minute walk from the meeting place, so well on time. I don't know why, but the idea of being late stresses me out for some reason. And once I'm all but certain that I'm going to be on time, that stress just melts away. 

Before long, the spot where we agreed to meet came into sight, and as I looked around, I spotted Katie, standing by a lamp post in the shade...and the first thought I had was how cute she looked. She'd tied her hair up in short, fluffy twintails, which looked insanely adorable. Looks like she hasn't noticed me yet. 

Without really thinking about it, I slipped around out of her line of sight until I was behind her, before quietly sneaking up to her and lightly blowing on the back of her neck, eliciting a quiet gasp of surprise from her as I startled her. She spun around with wide-eyes, before relaxing as she saw that it was just me. 

"Sorry about that, but I just couldn't resist," I apologized with a sheepish grin, before asking her, "Have you been waiting long?" 

"No, um, I just got here...and hey, that was really mean," She pouted as she gave my chest a light punch. 

"Guess I get to see all those vivid expressions of yours again, huh? Lucky me," I grinned, as I stroked the top of her head, "But don't get me wrong, you're cute as hell either way."

"Wha-...h-hey, are you trying to give me a heart attack or something? No more sneak attacks," She responded indignantly, before softly headbutting my chin. 

"W-well, right back at you, your sneak attacks are deadly as hell, you know," I countered with a smirk, before adding, "Alright, shall we go find a place to eat?" 

"Yeah, sure, sounds good," She nodded in response. 

"Cool...oh, and don't argue with me on this; it's my treat today," I declared firmly. 

"Huh? No, I can't let you do th-." 

"Like I just said...don't argue with me on this," I interrupted her with a smile. 

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