'So this is the Crawford Shopping Center,' Kate mused. 'It's bigger than I thought.'
Stella told me that she would be sleeping and won't bother me for a few days. I received the good news happily. Without her, I would be able to spend some time alone with Ciel. It was a very rare opportunity to have some privacy since Stella was always around.
I glanced at the many shops that were lined up together. Some were selling bags, shoes, hats, jewelry, accessories, book supplies, food, and many other interesting things. Mama Andrea held our hands as we browsed the different stores along the way.
She said that we were going to shop for clothes, but it seemed that she was not in a hurry to go to the clothing store. When something grabbed her attention, she immediately bought it. Her 'no questions asked' buying style made me realize that she was indeed very wealthy. Being rich feels nice. I want to be rich too someday.
When you were rich, you would not worry about clothes. Would not worry about food. Would not worry about finding a place to sleep at night. How nice, I also wanted to be rich when I grew up.
We spent at least an hour visiting different stores before we finally arrived at the store called Lapis Lazuli. The salesladies eagerly greeted us and showed us around. They tried to be discreet about it, but they kept on sneaking glances at Ciel.
'Heh~ even other adults couldn't resist his charms.' I smiled and felt proud at the same time. For some reason, I felt like I wanted to brag. I wanted to tell them that Ciel and I were good friends. I wondered why?
While I was in the middle of my thoughts, Mama Andrea passed me a dress. Lapis Lazuli, the brand name looks familiar.
"Ah!" I exclaimed when I finally realized that the name of the brand was similar to the brand name of the clothes in my closet. Is this where Mama Andrea buys my clothes?
I immediately covered my lips, but it was too late. The salesladies, Mama Andrea, Ciel, Heinz, and some of the customers in the store—they were staring at me.
'Not good!'
I immediately hid behind Ciel who was standing beside me. I could feel my cheeks warming up. This was so embarrassing!
Ciel turned around and patted my head. He was showing me the familiar 'you're-so-cute-Kate' expression, complete with a teasing smile plastered on his face.
No! Even Ciel was bullying me now!
"How about you try on that dress in the dressing room?" Ciel suggested. "I'm sure that it would look good on you."
That's it! Ciel really understood me. He even found me a place to hide!
I looked around for the dressing room, but I wasn't able to find it. As if reading my thoughts, Ciel waved at one of the salesladies and respectfully asked where the dressing rooms were.
The saleslady led us to one of the dressing booths and I immediately went inside.
I wore the dress that Mama Andrea gave me. I liked the color and the design. It was simple, yet elegant. I excitedly gazed at my appearance in the mirror. The girl looking back at me was wearing a beige sundress, which gave off an innocent and feminine air. The skirt fluttered around her knees, and the thin straps provided a nice contrast to her pale shoulders. A pretty, silk ribbon pulled the dress tight around her waist and flowed against her back.
"So pretty." I cooed in delight. I turned around and looked back at the mirror. As expected of Mama Andrea, she has good taste.
"I wonder if Ciel would tell me that I look pretty in this dress?" I smiled wryly. "Ciel always tells me that I'm pretty regardless of what I wear."
When I left the dressing room, I saw Mama Andrea taking photos of Ciel. He was wearing jeans and an unzipped fitting black jacket with silver fastenings over a clean white shirt. He was even wearing shades! The way he looked right now wouldn't lose to those models I saw on T.V.
So cool! Un, Ciel looks really cool right now. So dreamy…
Ciel kept on striking poses and Mama Andrea kept on clicking the camera. The salesladies and the aunties were looking at him as if they wanted to bring him home. There were also some girls who were staring at Ciel with starry eyes.
Um? Why are those girls looking at my Ciel like that? I don't like the way they look at him. For some reason, they make my teeth ache.
"I'm done changing," I said as I stepped forward. I was determined to put an end to those girl's lovestruck gazes. Their gazes made me feel uncomfortable.
Ciel stopped making poses and glanced at me. A grin appeared on his face and his eyes turned into crescents.
"You look great Kate," Ciel said approvingly and gave me a thumbs up
I smiled sweetly in return and sneaked a peek at the girls who were staring at him a while ago. Some of them were glaring in my direction.
Hmp! You think I'm scared? O-ok maybe I am a bit scared, but just a little bit. Anyway, I won't hand Ciel over to any of you. Stick and stones may break my bones, but glares would never hurt me!
"That dress suits you nicely." Mama Andrea came closer and inspected my dress. Finding no fault in it, she prepared the camera and aimed the lenses at me. "Kate, please strike a pose."
Although it was embarrassing, I decided to comply with Mama Andrea's request. I placed a hand on my waist, turned sideways, and faced the camera with a smile. Mama Andrea happily took my photo from different angles. I thought that it would be over after one pose, but I was greatly mistaken. She handpicked other clothes for us to wear. Ciel and I helplessly accepted our fate and did our best to satisfy Mama Andrea's request.
I don't know how long this went on, but we finally left the clothing store. The bodyguards who accompanied us became Mama Andrea's bag carriers. None of them complained. It seemed that they were used to this already.
Our next stop was the cinema. Mama Andrea pleaded that we accompany her to watch the movie Final Destination. Oh no! It was a horror film. I'm not good with horror films.
"Don't worry, I'll sit right next to you." Ciel reassured me and took my hand, placing it over his chest. "If it gets too scary, just close your eyes and hug me."
Mmm, I liked the sound of that. Alright, I agree. Ciel really understands me. Um? Heinz, why are you looking at me like that?
Heinz had a cramped expression on his face. Maybe he's constipated? I should tell Mama Andrea to buy him some medicine for constipation. It's not good to hold it in.
After we arrived at the cinema, the staff asked about our age. They were worried that no adults were accompanying us. Since we had Mama Andrea and Heinz, they allowed us to enter the theatre room. We only waited for a few minutes before the movie finally began. In order to prepare myself both mentally and physically, I decided to eat some popcorn.
The movie was not scary at the beginning. I was even wondering if this was really a horror film. Then, a man reading a magazine appeared. Um? Why is the girl not wearing anything on her upper body? Um? Ciel, why are you covering my eyes? Shouldn't you cover yours instead? I'm a girl you know. Even though they're small, I have breasts too!
A few minutes later, I wasn't able to retain my calmness after I saw the following scenes. I had no choice but to bury my head on Ciel's shoulders to seek comfort. The death scenes were not scary, but they were disturbing to watch. The kitchen scene was the worst of all. It was simply terrible. There was so much blood! If Ciel wasn't here beside me, I'm afraid I would have done something stupid.
Without any other options. I decided to stay in this position until the movie ended. Although it might inconvenience Ciel, I can't really stand watching it anymore. He didn't remain idle and patted my head. He also held my hand and whispered words of encouragement. With him by my side, I was able to endure until the movie ended.
The tortuous viewing experience finally ended after an hour and a half. When we left the movie theatre, I was finally able to breathe a sigh of relief. I will never watch a horror film again!
Ciel looked composed as usual and Mama Andrea seemed disappointed.
"I heard they're going to do a sequel. The next one better be good." Mama Andrea muttered under her breath, but I was able to hear it.
Oh no! I don't want to watch the sequel.
"Come with me. There's a place I want to go," Ciel said as his eyes glittered with excitement.
"Go to where?"
"The arcade."
'Arcade? What's an arcade?' This was the first time I've heard of an arcade, but Ciel didn't explain anything to me. He only said "You might like it."
I might like it? Alright. I'll trust you.
-------
After arriving at the Arcade...
What a noisy place.
This was my first impression of the arcade. Everyone was playing different games, and the mismatched background noises grated on my ears.
Endure, endure. I must endure. Since Ciel wanted to go here, I must endure.
I eyed the arcade machines with curiosity because it was my first time seeing one. The arcade machine looked like a rectangular box with buttons, joysticks, and a T.V screen. Ciel held my hand and the two of us explored the arcade. Mama Andrea and Heinz followed us from behind.
As we were doing our exploration, we noticed a crowd of people. We got curious and decided to check it out. When we came closer, we saw two people standing on top of a machine. An upbeat music started to play and both of them jumped at the same time. No, they were not jumping. They were dancing. Upon closer observation, I noticed that their feet were stepping on the arrows under their feet. These arrows matched the ones who were appearing on the arcade screen.
The song has a very catchy tune. Ciel and I watched with great interest. The two dancers did their best to step on the arrows as they followed the beat of the music. When the song ended, we clapped along with the crowd to cheer for the two people who were dancing a while ago.
They waved back at us before stepping down from the machine. My eyes landed on the name of this game.
Dancing Stage.
A very appropriate name.
"Do you want to try it?" Ciel whispered beside me.
I nodded my head in reply.
Without another word, he half dragged me as we went to exchange some tokens from the token booth. When we returned to the Dancing Stage machine, the crowd was no longer there. Only a few people remained, including Mama Andrea and Heinz.
Ciel carefully observed the two people who danced before us. From his observation, he understood the mechanics of the game. Each song has a different difficulty level. He tapped his foot on the 'dance pad' as I waited beside him. Both of us were beginners so we decided to choose a song with a low difficulty level.
The title of the song we chose was 'Kung-fu Fighting.'
A lively and upbeat music started to play. I lightly stepped on the dance pad to match the arrows on the screen. My first attempt was a miss, followed by another miss. Ciel was doing better than me and managed to step on the dance pad with precision. It took me a while to adjust before I finally got the hang of it. It was quite embarrassing at first, but it started to become fun. I then decided to throw caution to the wind and let go of my inhibitions. Ciel and I hopped, stepped, and jumped, along with the music and it was a very enjoyable experience.
****
Everybody was Kung Fu fighting, (C'mon, hua whoo-ha)
those kids were fast as lightning. (Ha, whoo-cha)
In fact it was a little bit frightening, (Hua, hua-hua)
but they fought with expert timing. (Ha)
****
Ciel and I were making less mistakes and managed to finish the song. I felt proud and glanced at Mama Andrea and Heinz. I was surprised when I saw a crowd had gathered to watch us dance. I could feel my face burning from embarrassment.
Did I embarrass myself? Did I look clumsy while I was dancing?
While I was having misgivings, the applause and cheer of the crowd brought me out of my stupor. I also saw Mama Andrea and Heinz clapping. I turned my head to the side and saw Ciel's confident smile. He gave me a nod before tapping on the dance pad to pick another song.
W-Wait, my heart is not ready yet!
I only had enough time to see the title of the song "Boom Boom Dollar."
[A/N: *cough* This is a special Dancing Stage Machine. It has all the songs that I liked and more! ]
The music mercilessly played without caring about my feelings. Since there was no turning back, I gritted my teeth and tapped my foot on the dance pad to hide my frustration.
****
Hey Cinderella!
Darlin's Such a Wonderful Lover, Baby
Aye-ee-aye-ee-aye-ee-aye
July December always keep ya inside my mind, Tell me
Why-ee-aye-ee-aye-ee-aye
(Why? Why? Why Ciel? Why didn't you wait for me to recover from my embarrassment? You can be mean at times you know that?)
Boom Boom
Boom Boom
Shiftin' like a number
Boom Boom
Boom Boom
That you are now
Boom Boom
Boom Boom
Pushin all the buttons,
More..,Time…
****
A minute and a half passed by swiftly and the word CLEARED appeared on the screen. I glanced at Ciel with a face brimming with injustice. He just smiled and winked at me in return. Hum, you think that I will forgive you because you smiled and winked at me?
I tapped my foot on the dance pad and chose a song with a high difficulty level. Ciel didn't stop me. He just crossed his arms over his chest, and waited for the song to load.
The song that I chose was called "Hero." I saw the previous dancers tried this song and I wanted to experience it as well. When the words READY appeared on the screen I gave the song my full attention.
The lovely tune played slowly, but the steps that we need to follow were more difficult compared to the two previous songs we tried.
****
In the middle of the night my hero comes to rescue.
He's so fine, I'm gonna make him mine.
He's sincere, I know his heart is beating
just for me, only for me.
But at the break of dawn he is gone.
The wind has carried him away.
And like a comet on the sky he will return someday.
You are my hero, I love you,
and all I want to know is if you love me too.
You are my hero, I like you.
Oh won't you take me away and make my dreams come true?
****
I barely managed to stay on top of the dancing stage. My reaction speed wasn't fast enough and I made a lot of mistakes. If it were not for Ciel, we would have already failed the song long ago. He was confidently stepping on the dance pad as if this was not enough to faze him. I then glanced at his screen and almost staggered when I saw his performance. He was already in his eighty fifth combo.
W-What?! How?! Impossible!
The song ended with me barely hanging on. I knew that Ciel worked hard to clear the final song for the both of us. The crowd cheered and gave us another round of applause. Ciel gratefully waved at them before gently pulling my hand. The two of us stepped down from the Dancing Stage.
Next time I will do better! Next time, I will not drag him down.
Little did I know that I would have plenty of opportunity to play the Dancing Stage at the manor. It was all thanks to Heinz's proposal. However, this was a story that will be told at a later time.
[End of Kate's POV]