Chapter 390: Play

The first few minutes of the date were extremely tense. Though, most of the tension came from Malakai constantly scanning the densely packed streets. Anyone who even so much as stared at them funny received the full intensity of his glare.

Fortunately, his glare made anyone who looked like they might approach them quickly think better of it. To Malakai, that was good. The last thing he wanted was someone recognizing him as a Vein and causing some sort of commotion.

The guard, Rena, trailed them from a distance.

Donna had been excited the moment they stepped into the streets, gawking at every open stall and street performance they passed. But now her excitement had waned, and she'd settled for throwing him increasingly expectant glances as they walked.

'What does she want?' he thought. 'Am I supposed to be doing something?'

He could practically hear Valentine smacking his forehead in his mind.

'…Malakai, you're on a date, not escorting a target through hostile territory. You do realize you're eventually going to have to stop glaring at everyone and actually talk to the girl, right?'

Malakai frowned, not exactly a fan of the idea. But Donna's expectant glances were becoming increasingly difficult to ignore as they walked. Eventually, he inwardly sighed.

"…You look nice."

'There you go! Look at you!'

Malakai almost winced at Valentine's excited shout.

"R-really…?" Donna tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, blushing furiously. "T-thank you, M-Malakai."

A brief moment of silence passed before Malakai glanced at her.

"What about me?"

"Oh! You look good! Really, really good. Your clothes look nice, and your face…" Donna trailed off, her gaze lingering on him as she suddenly seemed to lose her train of thought.

Malakai frowned.

"…My face?"

Donna blinked, snapping out of whatever daze she'd fallen into. Realizing she'd been staring at his eyes, she blushed furiously and quickly looked away.

"Y-yes… your face is… really nice."

'Nice?'

'Oh, don't complain. I'd consider this a blessing, Malakai. At least you're both equally hopeless.'

Malakai wanted to argue that he seriously doubted the man himself was anything but a virgin, but Donna's excited voice suddenly cut in.

"We're here!"

Malakai looked ahead. The crowded street opened up before a large building, with a steady stream of people making their way inside. Above the entrance, a large sign displayed the name of the night's play alongside its stars.

Malakai nodded at Donna.

"Let's go."

…

Entry into the theater was swift, and after paying a small sum, Malakai managed to secure good seats close to the front of the stage.

"Halt, foul creature of darkness! Your reign of terror ends here!"

"Grrr! Fool! I exist only to destroy and multiply! You cannot stop me!"

"Then come! I am the Eternal Blood Sovereign! Even darkness shall bow before my blade!"

Malakai struggled to keep his expression from twisting at the tomfoolery unfolding before him. A man dressed in regal clothing stood with his chest puffed out, trying his best to look cold and imposing as he pointed a crimson sword at another man dressed from head to toe in a pitch-black bodysuit.

They were clearly depicting one of the Blood Sovereign's battles, which only made the whole thing more ridiculous.

The actor didn't have even the slightest resemblance to the cold stone that was Othric. In fact, considering how no-nonsense his father was, Malakai was honestly a little surprised people could put on something like this and remain alive afterward.

'If you actually think about it, this makes sense,' Valentine said. 'As long as they don't show your precious Blood Sovereign doing anything embarrassing or make the Sanguine clan look bad, they're basically spreading your clan's glory for free.'

Malakai considered his words for a moment and found that, annoyingly enough, they made sense.

'Still, loosen up a little, will you? Look at the girl. She's having the time of her life while you're sitting here looking like someone murdered your dog. You're already using her, Malakai. The least you can do is let her enjoy the night.'

Malakai glanced at Donna. Truthfully, she was staring at the stage like an excited little girl, completely absorbed in everything happening before her.

'…I guess it won't hurt.'

He sighed, ignored Valentine's immediate cheer, and finally decided to pay attention to the play.

As the minutes passed, the frown on his face gradually eased. Then, at some point, it disappeared entirely. Malakai didn't even notice when a small smile replaced it.

"So this is a play…" he murmured.

"Huh?" Donna turned to him and blinked. "Wait… you've never been to a play before?"

"No."

Donna stared at him in disbelief. "H-how? My father took me to my first one when I was eight! It's practically a tradition in the west. Didn't your father ever…"

She froze, eyes widening as she suddenly realized what she'd said.

"I-I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking—"

"It's fine." Malakai forced a small smile. "Let's just watch the play. We're missing it."

Malakai turned his attention back to the play. Donna stared at him for a moment before lowering her eyes and nodding.

"O-okay…"

'Malakai, I—'

'Valentine.'

Malakai cut the ghost off before he could continue, his fingers tightening around the armrest of his chair.

'…Yes?'

'Please shut up.'

Valentine fell silent. He could feel the emotions churning within Malakai, and after a moment, whatever he'd wanted to say died on his tongue.

'…Alright.'

…

The play ended on a somewhat sour note, but thankfully, a chance to lighten the mood came soon after.

"Here you go! One perfectly grilled skewer for the handsome young gentleman."

Malakai took the skewer of meat from the stall owner, only to notice the man squinting at his face.

"Hmm… you know, you look awfully familiar. Where have I seen you befo—"

"You haven't."

The intensity of Malakai's glare made the man stiffen. He quickly nodded and took a step back, whatever curiosity he'd had disappearing remarkably fast.

Donna couldn't help but chuckle at the sight.

After receiving her own skewer, the two left the stall and continued down the busy street. Before long, Malakai noticed Donna stealing glances at him again, clearly having something on her mind. She hesitated several times before finally seeming to gather her courage.

"I-I'm sorry about earlier. I really didn't mean to bring up something like that. I just forgot for a second and—"

"It's fine."

"But—"

"Donna." Malakai met her eyes. "You made a mistake. It happens. Stop worrying about it and just enjoy the date, okay?"

"O-okay."

Donna slowly nodded, lowering her eyes. Then, after a brief moment of silence, she muttered,

"You know… you're a lot nicer than I thought."

"Hm?"

"I mean…" Donna tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Whenever I saw you on the screen, you always looked so cold and serious. I thought you were really handsome, but I also thought you'd be… well, scary to talk to."

'Ha! Don't let him fool you, little lady. He's a demon wearing a pretty face!'

Malakai ignored Valentine's remark.

"And now?"

"Now?" Donna smiled shyly. "You agreed to come out with me even though you didn't have to, and you've been nice to me all night. So… I think I was wrong about you.

A pang of guilt struck Malakai, but he squashed it almost as quickly as it came. He glanced away and gave a small nod.

"…Yeah."