The idea of this date was to have fun. But in a destroyed world, there were no places left to have fun. Rin and Reina and they decided to hit the mall first.
It was filled with people trying to grab anything valuable. Food and other essentials were the first things people grabbed and once they looted one place, they moved to another until their inventories were full.
Rin had expected this to happen, but since Reina wanted to come here, he decided not to tell her about the chaos.
He expected her to be disappointed, but Reina looked excited instead. Her eyes glanced over a few displays that had somehow survived the chaos and she headed straight for a hair supply shop.
Since people's first priority in the apocalypse was to survive, shops selling non-essential items had been left untouched so Reina quickly grabbed and packed the supplies. She packed some hair dyes and some clean-up supplies to take back.
He had never been someone who cared much about specialized products once they started caring more about personal hygiene. But it was not a bad idea to start early.
Rin looked at a few products but he was not an expert on what to buy. He had never been a huge specialized product guy before being reborn and after rebirth, he used whatever he was given to maintain his appearance.
Shelly used to call him hopeless for not even knowing the difference between products for normal hair and products for curly hair.
He was busy looking between the two two nearly identical bottles and he almost gave up before another bottle appeared in front of him.
"Here, use this one. This will go better for your hair texture."
Reina extended the purple bottle toward him with full confidence. Rin had not expected her to be the type of girl who had an interest in makeup and specialized care. That surprise showed on his face and Reina immediately got defensive.
"What? Just because I don't like to dress up does not mean I'm completely uninterested in this stuff. You might not believe me, but I am a big romantic at heart. I even had my first date outfit and location planned. But I guess it no longer matters…"
Reina's voice slowly got lower and lower and her mood was dropping fast as well which made Rin feel sorry for her.
He suddenly wanted to ask Reina if she regretted coming to this date with him, but he wasn't sure he wanted to hear the answer. Still, he wanted to make Reina's first date at least a little special.
"What did you plan for your first date?"
Rin asked and Reina thought for a moment before replying.
"It was nothing special. It was a standard date—go to a restaurant to eat and the amusement park to enjoy some time. Sounds normal, right? Well, perhaps not so normal anymore…"
Reina's ideal date was still possible. The restaurant in the mall had no staff and likely no food, but Rin had packed some for himself and Reina.
He gently grabbed her hand and led her to the top floor. It had been abandoned after being completely looted. Rin found a table and a couple of chairs before leading Reina to the balcony.
"What's this? Are you taking pity on me?"
Reina did not sound angry at Rin's audacity. In fact, she looked amused and followed his lead.
Rin pulled the chair for her and helped her sit down before he took out the food.
"Your ideal date might still be possible but only if you don't mind improvising a bit."
Rin passed Reina a cup of noodles and she grabbed it before letting out a small laugh. Once she started laughing, she couldn't stop and she continued to laugh until she could not physically do it anymore.
Once she calmed down, her face showed the happiest smile Rin had ever seen on her face till now.
"Let's do it. Let's finish this date properly. I'll leave the planning up to you. So tell me- what are we doing next?"
…
The park near the mall was still standing. The zombies had not been enough to cause any major damage.
Rin and Reina spent most of their time looking for rides that still worked and trying to get them running.
Luckily for them, most of the power supply was still running and the rides started up normally..
Rin vetoed any ride that looked too dangerous and needed specialized operation but it still turned out to be a decent outing.
It was an exhausting day that finally ended when they decided to head back. But Reina's gaze went toward the Ferris wheel in the center of the park.
"Do you want to go on the Ferris wheel as well?"
Rin asked her but Reina quickly shook her head.
"I don't think it's a good idea. We might not be able to get off if we get on now."
That was a concern, but Rin had a feeling they would be fine if they didn't make it run too fast. At a slow speed, it would be possible for both of them to get in and out just fine.
He explained that to Reina but she still looked hesitant. But she gave in and followed him.
The Ferris wheel spun slowly and Rin grabbed the railing and climbed in. It was too late for Reina to get in as well so he pulled her in on the next rotation.
It was a magnificent view from the top, but the lack of lights made the world look darker and more desolate. somewhat-normal date and looked at Reina instead. But she was already looking at him at that moment.
"Is there something on my face?"
Rin asked but instead of answering his question, Reina sighed and smiled. But this time, it was not a happy smile, but one filled with sadness.
"I'm delighted that I got to experience this. But at the same time, I cannot help but feel slightly bitter that this will be my only experience at a somewhat-normal date."
Reina was surprising Rin a lot today, but he did understand her troubles well. Still, seeing her this down did make him feel bad.
"We both might not get normal dates in the future, but as long as our life is not over, the chance is not zero. The system did say that there is an end to this, so let's both survive that long."