"…I'm not wearing this."
Elric stood completely still.
Because moving might make it worse.
Mii stood in front of him, hands on her hips, inspecting him like a fashion critic with a personal grudge.
"Yes, you are."
"No, I'm not."
"Yes."
"No."
Pix leaned against the wall, barely holding in laughter.
"Oh wow," she wheezed, "they gave you the rich boy starter pack."
Elric looked down.
Sleek black jacket.
Clean lines.
No dirt.
No damage.
No personality.
"…I look like I own something expensive," he said.
Mii clapped. "Exactly! That's the point!"
Lyra stood nearby, already dressed in something far more subtle... dark, elegant, blending in perfectly.
"…You'll stand out less if you stop complaining," she said flatly.
"I am standing out," Elric replied. "I look like I wandered into the wrong save file."
Kaida-9 adjusted something on her arm. "…Clothing is functional."
Pix snorted. "You literally look like a bodyguard."
"…Correct."
Sera observed quietly from the side, gaze scanning the area beyond the entrance.
"…Everything here is controlled."
Elen stood beside Elric, adjusting his collar gently.
"…There," she said softly. "Now you look natural."
He glanced at her.
"…I don't feel natural."
She smiled faintly.
"…You never do."
The elevator doors opened.
Light poured in.
Clean.
Bright.
Perfect.
Upper Meridian.
The transition hit instantly.
Noise disappeared.
The chaotic hum of the lower city... gone.
Replaced by...
Soft music.
Distant, controlled.
Air that didn't smell like anything.
No smoke.
No rust.
No decay.
Elric stepped out slowly.
"…Okay," he muttered.
"…this is fake."
The street stretched wide and open.
Glass towers rose into the sky... impossibly smooth, reflecting a sky that looked too blue to be real.
People walked past them.
Well-dressed.
Calm.
Smiling just enough.
Not too much.
Never too little.
Pix stepped out behind him, eyes wide.
"…Ew."
Mii gasped. "Ew?! This is beautiful!"
Pix pointed at a passing couple. "They're walking in sync."
Mii squinted.
They were.
Exactly in sync.
Step for step.
"…Okay that's a little weird," Mii admitted.
Lyra stepped forward, scanning everything.
"…Stay close."
Kaida-9 nodded. "…High surveillance confirmed."
Sera murmured, "…Cameras everywhere."
Elric looked up.
At first...
Nothing.
Then...
A flicker.
A reflection in the glass.
Tiny drones.
Watching.
"…Yeah," he said quietly. "…definitely not a casual date spot."
Mii grabbed his arm suddenly.
"Focus!"
He blinked. "…On what?"
She stepped in front of him.
Straightened her posture.
Took a breath.
Then...
Smiled.
Different this time.
Polished.
Controlled.
Perfect.
"Welcome," she said smoothly, "to your ideal date experience."
Elric froze.
"…Who are you."
Pix choked in the background.
"OH NO... SHE'S ACTING."
Mii ignored her.
She looped her arm through Elric's, guiding him forward.
"First," she said, voice light and practiced, "we walk casually through the district, enjoying the atmosphere."
Elric leaned slightly toward her.
"…You sound like a tutorial."
She elbowed him... lightly, but with intent.
"Don't break the immersion."
They walked.
Everything responded.
Lights adjusted subtly as they passed.
Displays shifted to reflect luxury items.
Music aligned with their pace.
Elric frowned.
"…Okay, that's actually creepy."
Mii kept smiling.
"Second," she continued, "we engage in light conversation."
He glanced at her.
"…You're serious."
"Very."
He thought for a moment.
"…Nice weather."
She nodded.
"Yes. The atmospheric regulators are performing optimally."
Silence.
Pix collapsed onto a nearby bench, laughing uncontrollably.
"I can't... this is so bad..."
Lyra pinched the bridge of her nose.
"…This is painful."
Kaida-9 simply watched.
"…Interaction inefficient."
Sera tilted her head.
"…She is imitating observed behavior."
Elen watched quietly.
"…It doesn't suit her."
Mii's smile faltered.
Just slightly.
But enough.
Elric noticed.
Of course he did.
"…Hey," he said, quieter now.
She didn't look at him.
"Third," she continued, voice a little tighter, "we proceed to a dining location..."
"Mii."
She stopped.
The perfect posture dropped.
Just a little.
"…What," she said.
Not annoyed.
Not dramatic.
Just… unsure.
Elric looked at her.
Really looked.
"…You don't have to do that."
A pause.
"…Do what?"
He gestured vaguely.
"All this."
She hesitated.
"…It's what people do."
"Yeah," he said. "…people here."
He glanced around.
At the perfect buildings.
The perfect people.
The perfect rhythm.
"…You don't feel like this place," he added.
Silence.
Mii's fingers tightened slightly around his sleeve.
"…Then what do I feel like?"
Before he could answer...
A flicker.
Lights above them glitched.
Just for a second.
Pix froze.
Then grinned slowly.
"…Oops."
Lyra's head snapped toward her.
"…What did you do."
Pix raised her hands innocently.
"…Nothing yet."
The lights flickered again.
Longer this time.
A nearby screen distorted.
Perfect advertisement...
Warped.
For just a frame...
Something else appeared.
Unreadable.
Broken.
Sera's voice dropped.
"…It's starting."
Elric blinked.
"…That's new."
Mii looked up.
The illusion around them...
Still perfect.
But cracking.
Just slightly.
"…I didn't plan that," she said quietly.
Elric smiled faintly.
"…Yeah."
"…I figured."
Above them...
A drone paused mid-air.
Just for a second.
Then turned...
Directly toward them.
Lyra's voice cut sharp.
"…We've been flagged."
Pix grinned wider.
"…Now it's a real date."