Shade woke up quite early in the morning. He wasn't usually an early riser, as his mornings typically started around ten o'clock.
But today there was an exception, and that was Asia.
After what had happened the previous night with the crazy priest, Shade had a very bad feeling about leaving Asia alone, so he brought her with him.
Maybe it was kidnapping?
But he really didn't care. He had a boss who paid him well and could clean up his messes.
Heading to the bathroom, he opened the door and froze. He saw Asia. The girl was only using a towel to cover the lower part of her body, leaving her fairly sized breasts exposed.
Shade immediately closed the door, leaving the girl's face as red as a tomato from embarrassment.
Shade leaned against the door and sighed.
"What a way to start the morning."
---
A few hours later, Shade watched amused as Asia had an intense expression, trying to figure out how to start eating french fries and a hamburger.
"Excuse me, aren't there any forks or knives around here...?"
"To eat it, you have to use your hands," Shade said.
"Really! Is that how you eat it?" Asia had an expression of amazement on her face.
She quickly took out her bag and pulled out a bottle of holy water.
"Hey, wait. Better use this," Shade said quickly, pulling out a wet wipe.
Asia put away the holy water, took the wipe, and cleaned her hands until they shone.
"So now, I have to pray before the meal... Lord."
Shade listened to the prayer in silence.
Once Asia finished, she grabbed the hamburger and took the first bite. Her eyes lit up at the delicious taste. Her mouth quickly filled with crumbs.
She looks like she's never tasted a hamburger before. Maybe she's not used to going out? I suppose so. She seems somewhat scared, so I'll have to do something to help her relax, Shade thought.
"Shade, what is that place?" Asia asked.
Shade looked through the window and saw a video game center.
"It's an arcade," he said, eating a french fry.
"Arcade?"
"Yes... do you want to go there?" Shade asked, pointing toward the center.
Asia's eyes sparkled as she nodded quickly.
After eating and paying, Shade took Asia to the arcade. The girl stopped in surprise when she saw the claw machines.
"Shade, look! There are lots of bears!"
"Do you want one?"
"Haa... uu... no."
Shade smiled, looking at Asia.
"Don't you like stuffed teddy bears?"
"Yes... no... ahh..."
"You're adorable, Asia. Wait here a moment."
Taking out a coin, Shade inserted it into the machine. After pressing a button, he used darkness to give the machine a better grip, and in a single attempt, he pulled out a hugging teddy bear.
"Here you go." Shade extended the bear to Asia, who hugged it.
"Thank you so much! I'll take care of it forever!"
"It's no big deal. If you want, I can get you more of those plushies."
"That's not necessary. This doll is the best gift we've created during our meeting today. I want to keep it as a treasure of our friendship."
Shade looked at Asia with a tender expression.
This girl is so sweet, Shade thought, feeling on cloud nine because of Asia's attitude.
Looking around, he smiled when he saw a photo booth.
"Alright! How about some pictures?!"
"In that place?" Asia asked.
"Yes, it's a photo booth, Asia. Two people go in and make funny faces. Kids around our age do this all the time. It's super normal."
Hearing this, Asia brightened up.
"I would like that."
Shade and Asia watched curiously as a girl in cosplay approached Asia.
"Wah! That outfit is actually pretty!"
The girl grabbed Asia by the hand.
"You've been wearing this outfit all this time, don't you think it's someone else's turn?"
"Ah... this is..." Asia couldn't finish speaking as she was dragged to the dressing room by the girl.
Shade heard fragments of cut-off words.
After a few minutes, he saw Asia in a small outfit. It was a mix between a doctor, a cat girl, and a swimsuit mixed with a magical girl, giving her a new and exotic look.
Asia's face was red.
"They took my clothes..."
Shade turned his face to hide his laughter.
"You really look good in that outfit, Asia," Shade said, looking down shamelessly.
Asia quickly covered herself while puffing out her cheeks.
"Come on, come on, don't worry about the outfit. I'll make sure they give it back to you, but first, let's take some good pictures."
"No, wait! Shade!"
Shade led Asia inside the photo booth, taking several funny pictures and some embarrassing ones.
After the photos, Shade retrieved Asia's outfit, which she quickly put back on. They both went to another area full of video games, spending most of the day in that place.
As evening began to fall, they were walking through the empty park.
"Ah—we've been playing too much," Shade said with a satisfied tone. He had really made the most of their outing and helped Asia take her mind off what had happened the previous night.
"Yes... it's been exhausting."
"Let's sit down," Shade said, sitting down before making a slight grimace.
"Are you okay?"
"Yes, it's just a slight pain in my shoulder," he replied.
Asia put on a worried look, placing her hands on Shade's shoulder. He noticed a greenish light, feeling how the pain in his shoulder vanished.
After a minute, he felt as good as new.
"It doesn't bother me anymore. What was that you did?"
"It's my power. Given by God, I can heal people," Asia said.
"That's amazing, Asia. Can you heal anyone, even someone like me?"
Shade looked at Asia and noticed that the girl had a downcast expression before she began to shed tears.
Shade immediately became concerned.
"Asia..."
"Ah, I'm sorry..." she said, wiping away her tears.
"Did I say something wrong?"
"No... it's just that sometimes I remember things..."
"Things?"
"Yes."
Asia looked at her hands. Her golden hair hid her face.
"After I was born, my parents abandoned me at a church orphanage. They took me in. When I received this power, I had just turned eight," Asia said.
"When I healed an injured child, the father of the orphanage discovered my power. I began to be treated like a saint and started to be worshipped. I used this power to help a lot of sick people, and many more were healed because of it. Rumors began to spread everywhere, so people started coming asking for help, and the church kept me under close care and treated me well.
I am truly grateful for the power God gave me, to be able to help others. Because of this, my heart is full of gratitude. But since they started calling me a saint, I began to feel lonely.
But one day, I met a wounded demon at the hands of an exorcist, and I used my power to save him.
That was a big mistake. The demon I saved killed the exorcist. The people who called me a saint started calling me the demon girl. After that, I was expelled from the church.
Later, a fallen angel found me and took me. All this..." Asia paused, wiping away her tears.
"Shade... I've always had a dream. To have friends and go shopping together like normal people... to talk normally... to be with friends so I can..."
Shade looked at Asia.
"Asia," he called softly, making the girl look at him.
"Aren't we already friends?"
"Friends?"
"Yes, we've talked, we've eaten, and we've played together... even going shopping doesn't matter, as long as we do it together as friends. You don't have to be alone anymore, after all, you and I are already friends."
Asia began to cry, hugging Shade, who returned the hug.
"Well, what a saccharine scene," said a female voice.
Shade put on a serious face, looking at the figure on top of a pole.
She was a young woman with long black hair. Her attire consisted of a short blouse and a dark purple dress hanging down to her thighs. On her back were two black wings, and the wind shook her clothes, revealing white panties that distracted Shade for an instant.
"Who are you?" Shade asked.
"Just a mere human?"
"No. You don't smell like a human. What are you?" asked the fallen angel, doubt in her voice.
"You smell like a demon, but different. That doesn't matter. I just came for that object, so let's make this quick."
"R-Raynare..." Asia said fearfully.