“Can Love Bloom on a Coach Bus?” (75.5) (Anastasia)

Somehow I was selected to go first for this. I still objected to even playing this stupid game, but once Sai was in I didn't really have a choice. They had an empty seat next to them, so Lillia got up to take that.

"Why are we moving seats now?" I asked.

"Because whoever your wingman lures over will sit by you! It makes perfect sense!" Iris said.

It didn't, and each passing second I wanted to get up and kick Iris' stupid hair buns off her head, but I somehow held myself back from doing that.

"Hey, it might be at least a little fun, right?" Sai said, reading my sour expression well.

"...maybe somewhat fun," I said.

"Fun enough that you kinda wanna try this?" Sai asked. "If it's too much, just say so." I knew Sai meant, "If it's too much this soon after Nikki," and was glad they didn't say that out loud in front of many people I was annoyed by, if not outright despised.

"I'll be fine," I said.

"OK, so..." Sai looked around the bus. "Maybe let's start with the dating game, did you click with anyone in that?"

"It was a satisfying click hearing my boot against Thadley's face," I said.

"You kicked Thadley?" Zeta frowned, like that was an objectively cruel act. I thought about how satisfying it'd be to kick her face, too.

"We're still not entirely sure that was him or if it was a void imp, or if he was a void imp all along," Lillia said. "But yes, she did."

"Other than that..." I said. "I didn't really feel anything for anyone. Friendship with the other devils, I guess."

The only person I'd really felt anything for lately in any remotely romantic sense was that girl at the concert, the singer with the pink and green hair. But it wasn't like I could just make her show up in front of me.

"So maybe explore something with the devils?" Sai suggested. "We're already going as friends, so maybe one of us is your soulmate..." They giggled at their delivery of that line.

I hadn't really considered the other devils that way, which was surprising given how I could fairly easily get a crush on someone. At least, fairly easy to get that fleeting kind of crush, where I become obsessed with someone giving me a warm and fuzzy feeling for a few weeks, then it fizzles out. If I never ran into that pink haired girl again, maybe I'd see if my attraction to her was just fleeting, too.

"If you had to pick just one of the devils, who would you pick?" Sai's tone was teasing, but still came across as a genuine question in their tone.

"You, I suppose," I answered easily. The other devils were already close friends, but the only one I could picture myself ever feeling past that for was Sai.

I wasn't looking their way at that moment, but with how long they paused after I said that, maybe I should have been.

"Well, I'm the wingman here so let's think outside the box, maybe...how about a different angle?" Sai asked. "Who was there that wasn't one of the devils?"

"I was paired with Lillia, and that was a non-starter, no offense," I said.

"None taken, I'm in full agreement there," Lillia said.

"And I was there as well!" Tay said. "Along with the love trio, Michi..."

I followed the gazes of the others toward the back of the bus, where Michi and Amara sat together, with KJ and Rain staring at the two with a laser focus that felt unsettling even from behind. I focused enough to hear a strange hum.

"Yep, that's the note we all hit," Rain said. "Can you hit that note humming, Michi?"

"I..." Michi said.

"Like this!" KJ said, then hummed more.

"It's important," Amara said. "But if you need time to practice, that's OK too."

"I can hum, I guess, I mean..."

"It's not just humming, it's a particular note," Rain said. That particular note was somehow like nails on a chalkboard to me once I realized I was hearing it, and they just wouldn't stop.

"OK, guess they're...doing their own thing," Sai said. "A bus is really not a great place to get people together."

"Pweh!" Iris popped up, shaking dust out of her hair as she sat back down after going...somewhere. "Kay, I snuck around and got some people."

"What do you mean you snuck around?" Oka asked.

"Crawled around under the chairs," Iris said. "Told people who'd be interested the whole deal. They're gonna come one at a time."

"How'd you avoid Junea?" Maia asked.

"I'm really good at sneaking!" Iris said.

"Well, that makes my job easier, I guess." Sai said.

First was...I groaned loudly.

"No," I said as Chumbler approached. She had a skip in her step that was somehow more obnoxious than the love trio's humming. Why did most of my social interactions have to be with people I wanted to punt across the room?

"Maybe I just wanted to check with Lillia," Chumbler said.

"Also no," Lillia said.

"Maybe I just wanted to check with...Tay?" Chumbler said.

"I'm admittedly curious, but I think that's more down to me wanting to spend a day with you and just see where we end up," Tay said.

"Like...end up romantically or end up in some bizarre shenanigans?" Chumbler said.

"More the latter, but I guess the former too?" Tay said. "I guess I'd go to the dance with you."

"Point! For Iris and Maia!" Iris cheered.

Chumbler and Tay exchanged numbers before Chumbler returned to her seat.

"I thought we were doing me first," I said.

"Doing you first, heh," Iris said.

"Shut the hell up, seriously, I'll end you," I said. At least I was able to intimidate her with glares still, though that only shut her up for a few minutes.

"Maybe don't immediately reject someone before they can even sit down if you want it to be your turn," Sai said.

"Tch, it's Chumbler! I'm not gonna date Chumbler! I'm not going to a dance with Chumbler," I said.

"That kind of attitude means your team is probably staying at zero points," Iris said.

"It's! Chumbler!" I said.

"We gotta get some points, Ana," Sai said.

Even though I was angry, Sai still managed to make me laugh in the midst of it with that dry delivery. Even if this was a silly and pointless game, at least I could laugh through it.