"I dunno, there's not a whole lot that can top a story about pizza and Pepsi," Bina laughed, giving me a wink. "Ya got me beat there!"

"It was the first thing that came to mind," I muttered, shamefully setting my elbows on the counter and resting my chin on my palms. A wave of heat washed over me as I realized I hadn't answered her question correctly. I wanted to look away and hide my embarrassment, yet I forced myself to meet her gaze. "... I promise I'll do better next time."

"Don't worry 'bout it," she assured me, slapping me on the back. "Just givin' ya shit."

I cleared my throat, eager to progress the conversation. I had almost forgotten how quickly I could become flustered on dates or situations like this when I misstep. Anxiety could be pretty overwhelming at times, even when I was with a girl who I knew was fond of me. As long as I had maintained the same momentum as earlier, I was sure things would be fine.

Alright, buddy, she said; there's nothing to worry about. So why don't you trust her and move on, alright?

"I'm honestly quite disappointed if you don't have any stories that can top that," I said, forcing a smile on my face. If I change the topic and act more positively, I'll start feeling better. It always works.

Either Bina didn't notice or was pretending not to. I wasn't sure which I'd be least happy about. "Ooh, them's fightin' words, especially after all that," Bina jabbed. "Alright then, hotshot. A few years ago, back when we were still fightin' Enkidu, we'd just busted a camp waaaaay up north in Canada, me and three others. It was the last one in North America, so I decided to treat 'em all to a good time with a shit ton of booze I'd looted from those Enkidu fuckers."

"Ah, a booze story," I nodded sagely. "I like where this is going already. So who were the three others?"

"One of 'em was a werewolf; his name was...." Bina petered off, her brow twisting in thought before she quickly shrugged. "Eh, don't remember. Helluva tracker, though."

"Okay," I sighed.

"Hey, my memory ain't always the best!" she protested. "Anyway, another was an orc dude. I remember his name since he was one of, like, two decent male orcs I've ever met. He called himself Cobber. Maybe I can remember him so easily 'cause his name is so simple!" She laughed at that, though her expression eventually turned pensive. "He'd seen a lot of shit. He was on the team that took out every Enkidu holding on Africa's west coast. He even helped that huge raid that freed a thousand lamias."

"Oh, Almighty God," I gasped, my eyes widening. If Bina's words were true, Cobber must have been one of the most courageous and heroic figures in the battle against Enkidu. Remarkably, he had never been mentioned in any of the literature I had read about the war.

"No shit, right?" Bina said, giving me a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "He was one of the best. Kinda like the Captain, he always thought he wasn't doin' enough. He constantly fussed over the enslaved people we freed and even his teammates. Hell, he even sewed me up a couple of times!"

"He... He sounds like a great man," I said, unsure what else to say.

"Best damn orc I've ever met, that's for fuckin' sure," Bina replied, tapping her fingers against the wood. "Anyway, the last member of my squad was Cici, a... friend? I guess?"

"You guess?" I asked, quirking an eyebrow. "Not usually what you say when calling someone your friend."

"She's kinda really fuckin' weird," Bina explained. "She's a jiang shi if that helps."

"Kind of?" Honestly, the only reason I had even heard of the Chinese hopping vampire, or 'jiang shi,' was because it was listed as one of the zombie subspecies on an end card for the anime. Even then, all the additional materials the Cultural Exchange had on hand were just a brief description, leaving me with more questions than answers. Not to mention, I had very little knowledge of Chinese mythology before this, which didn't help me understand this creature.

Bina groaned. "Well, she's a zombie like me, except not really, 'cause... Ugh, y'know what? Not important. All ya need to know is that she's weird as fuck, her joints lock up like crazy, and she likes blades."

"Interesting combo," I commented.

"Anyways, we were camped out in the wild fer the night since liminals weren't exactly public knowledge yet," Bina continued, leaning forward. The jade that dangled from her neck danced in the air at the movement, drawing my eyes to it, and then promptly, my gaze wandered a little lower... Oy, reel it in, three-second rule, buddy.

Bina must've noticed my wandering eyes since she smirked and rested her cheek against her palm. "See somethin' ya like?" she asked playfully.

"I certainly see someone I like," I blurted out without thinking, then immediately regretted it because, holy shit was that cheesy.

Bina laughed, slapping her knee as she did, but thank god she didn't sound mean-spirited about it. There was even a slight blush on her cheeks, so yay! "Hot damn was that line cheesy," she said between laughs, raising a hand to cover her mouth. "Haven't heard someone be this blunt about diggin' me in a long ass time."

"I never had a knack for playing it cool," I said, my chuckle laced with nervousness as I nervously scratched the back of my neck. "There's no use in pretending not to have feelings for someone when you do."

"On that, I agree!" Bina beamed at me, making all sorts of warm butterflies flutter in my chest. Our gazes met and held there for a while, a few moments passing by in silence between us. I tugged at my collar, suddenly feeling like the ramen stand had gone up a couple of degrees or a hundred.

"So," I said, clearing my throat. "Out in the wild."

"Bingo," Bina confirmed, pointing a finger at me and giving a thumbs up. "We were mostly shootin' the shit at first, but then..." She giggled. "Cici froze."

I quirked an eyebrow. "How do you mean?"

"Jiang shi are a little different from other zombies," Bina elaborated. "One of the main differences is that they have rigor mortis." She shrugged. "Dunno why or how. They usually have to do tai chi or yoga or whatever the fuck it is jus' to move around."

"So Cici'd simply forgotten to do that while you were out there?"

"Kinda. She's usually pretty good 'bout that, but that was her first time somewhere really cold." Bina snickered. "Which bit her in the ass."

"Another quick question," I said, raising my hand like I was in a classroom.

"Another quick answer."

I rolled my eyes but otherwise ignored her. "Did you not freeze up in the cold? I know Jiang shi are different, but I can't imagine you had a much better time of it."

"Eh, it wasn't exactly a cakewalk for me either," she admitted. "But I ain't gonna freeze into a zombicicle so long as I got layers on, and ya don't dump me in super cold water."

"Got it," I nodded. More details to add to my notes. "So Cici froze."

"Yeah, it was great," Bina laughed. "Looked like a blue popsicle, hoppin' 'round on her feet! She was too hammered to get grumpy 'bout it, too, which was nice. But it was 'round that time we arguin' 'bout who was strongest. Well, me and the werewolf were since Cobber could flatten both of us if he tried. So, of course, Cici had this brilliant idea where we use her to prove who's strongest!"

"Uh-huh," I grunted warily.

"She was all like, "Whoever can throw me the farthest wins!"," Bina exclaimed, pitching her voice higher when "Cici" spoke. "So, like the drunk assholes we were, we did just that. Cobber just had this resigned look and said he'd ref and retrieve Cici from wherever we tossed her, bless 'im.

"Anyway, werewolf dude goes first, 'cause I'm a gentlelady and had difficulty standin' up," Bina continued. "We didn't measure it or nothin', but it was deece, I'll give 'im that. Did the whole javelin throw thing, which was pretty cool, so I copied him without a second thought."

"Good ideas all around, I see," I snorted.

"Oh, ya know it." Bina winked. "The thing was, I was more a bit more worried 'bout distance than aimin'. So I kinda threw her straight through a tree."

I tilted my head. "Through a tree," I repeated.

"Yup-yup."

"She didn't..." I scratched my hair as I thought more about it. "She didn't just smash into it?"

"Straight through," Bina said, pumping a flat hand forward for emphasis. "Well, halfway through, I guess, since she got stuck."

I blew a raspberry and laughed uproariously at the completely absurd image that came to mind. "What the hell?!" I exclaimed, pounding the counter with my fist in an outburst of laughter. "How is that even possible?!"

"Hell, if I know," Bina giggled, though whether it was at the memory or my reaction was anyone's guess. "All I know is that she was pissed after that. Kept tryin' to cut me after and even got me good right here." She raised her left arm, tracing a stitch that wrapped around where her bicep was.

"Damn," I breathed, starting to calm down. "You guys go hard."

"Kinda had to, back then," Bina told me with a shrug. "It was the best way to deal with all the shit we saw."

"Fair enough," I said, finding her words quite thought-provoking. After a few moments of silence, I leaned forward and called out to the man at the back of the stand. "Excuse me, sir?"

Nakamura must have been tuning us out while he worked in the back because he looked up at me with a start when I called out to him. "Yes?"

"Could we have our bill, please?" I asked.

After a brief debate over who would pay, I eventually let Bina cover the expenses that time, promising I would take care of it next time. After bidding Nakamura farewell, we began to walk idly through the city. The streets were noticeably quieter now that it was well past dinnertime, with us being the only ones on the sidewalk sometimes. The ever-present hum of the city still lingered around us, something that couldn't be avoided even back at the Kurusu house, yet there was a certain sense of peace and solitude that was truly appreciated.

As the car passed us, its headlights temporarily blinding me, a thought crossed my mind - "I miss driving." I uttered quietly.

"Mm?" Bina hummed, leaning the back of her head against her hands as we walked.

"Oh, I just realized that I haven't been behind the wheel for quite some time," I said, rubbing the back of my neck. "It's nothing serious."

"You drive much back home?" Bina asked.

"I finally got my driver's license recently," I told her, taking a deep breath. "After an accident, I had when I was younger, I put off getting it for too long. But once I got it, it was relatively easy, and I enjoyed it. Unfortunately, I haven't had much time to drive or a reason to do so since then."

A pleasant surprise coursed through me as I felt Bina's warm hand grasp mine and pull me along. I was suddenly excited as I heard her exclaim, "I got an idea!"

I shouted, "Whoa!" as I almost tripped. "What would that be?" No, I wasn't blushing from something as innocent as holding hands. I couldn't believe why someone would even suggest such a thing!

"You'll see!" Bina called back, looking briefly at me with a wide, devil-may-care grin before increasing her pace.

It didn't take us very long to reach our destination, the Cultural Exchange building, which appeared empty; there were no lights on, which I thought was strange as I assumed they would be open late. However, as Bina showed her ID card at the entrance, we were allowed in, but there still wasn't any sign of life.

I was utterly clueless about why she had brought us to this place, but as soon as she led me to the basement and flicked the light switch on, it all made sense. The garage was full of black cars, a range of sedans, vans, and limousines that looked strikingly similar to the cars I was accustomed to taking for my counseling appointments.

"Take yer pick!" Bina declared, letting go of my hand and making a grand gesture.

I blinked, not quite believing it. All I did was make an idle comment, nothing worth making a big deal over.

"C'mon, don't worry 'bout it," Bina assured me, gently nudging me in the ribs with her elbow. "I'll take the heat fer it if they find out."

"... Uh, I don't know what to say," I eloquently said.

"Usually 'Thank you' is what ya say when someone gives ya somethin'," Bina snickered.

"Thank you, Bina," I said, allowing a slight smile on my face. "But you didn't have to go this far..."

"Bah, I don't have to do anythin'!" she dismissed, resting a hand on my shoulder. The same shoulder with the scar on it, Her features softened, and her voice lowered. "'Sides, it ain't 'bout what I have to do. It's 'bout what I wanna do."

My smile widened even more for no particular reason. I couldn't help myself; I leaned in and kissed her cheek. "Thank you," I said, feeling rather proud of myself for taking the initiative. She seemed taken aback, which was understandable, considering I'd never done something like this before. "Now, let's have a look at what we got."

A few minutes later, I had selected our ride - one of the many identical black sedans. After collecting the keys, I automatically opened the door on the left side before realizing my error.

"Uh, ya did wanna drive, right?" Bina asked me with a smirk.

"Yeah, yeah," I grumbled, kicking myself internally. "Not my fault everyone else makes cars wrong."

"Yeah, okay," Bina laughed, rolling her eyes. "Whatever ya say, weirdo."

It took some time to adjust to the new environment. Not only was the driver's seat on the right side, but the street signs were unfamiliar. I had to remember to drive on the right side of the road, and my driving skills were a bit rusty from lack of practice. However, with time and effort, I could adjust and continue our drive safely.

Therefore, when we left the Cultural Exchange building and locked up, I drove us across the bridge to the east side of the river. Here, there were more fields and country roads, which meant fewer people and more peace, something I much preferred. We could have passed by the Kuramoto residence, but I decided not to since it was late and I had only seen them earlier that day.

That said, it was an incredibly tranquil and calming drive through the countryside. At times, the pavement gave way to gravel, causing us both to chuckle as the car vibrated excitedly. But aside from that, the only real excitement was 'looting,' as Bina called it, a car from the Exchange. As for Bina herself, she seemed to be in a state of contentment. We opened the windows, allowing her vibrant red hair to blow in the wind, floating around her head like a living thing. Her white skirt fluttered, twisting around her body in a way that was too captivating for someone trying to keep their eyes on the road.

And, of course, she had been smiling for a long time too. I'm sure I had been doing the same if I had to guess.

I stopped the car, and as soon as we reached the beach, I pulled us up next to a rocky outcropping that offered a breathtaking view of the waves crashing into the shore. Taking in a deep breath of the familiar sea air, I felt mixed emotions as I gazed out at the dark ocean. We stood there in silence, both of us lost in thought, struggling to process the reality of the situation. It still hadn't sunk in for me, even now.

Here I was, on a date with Zombina, the formidable zombie commando who spearheaded an elite task force and had a pivotal role in eradicating one of the most nefarious organizations in history. Zombina, who had led a much more exciting life than I had, had battled and slain countless enemies and worked with individuals far more interesting than me. She had died and then risen from the dead.

Here she was, with a guy from the southeast who had none of the same experiences. Despite this, she chose to be with him, but, thanks to that fickle mistress named Doubt, I couldn't help but wonder if this was an unrealistic decision.

"You know, I'm kinda surprised," I said.

"Hm?" Bina gave me a questioning look from beside me.

I slowly made my way to the front of the car and perched myself atop the hood, my hands resting on my lap. I looked at her with amazement, unable to believe this moment was happening. "It's quite unbelievable, don't you think?" I said softly as she settled in beside me.

"What, the whole bein' in another dimension thing?" she guessed.

I shook my head. "No, I mean this, right here, right now."

"Oh." Bina's brows furrowed. "Well, that's silly."

"Maybe," I said with a sardonic smile. "I'm probably just overthinking it. I do that a lot."

"Lucky fer you, I usually under-think things!" Bina laughed. "Between us, we can both think like normal people!"

"Heh, I guess you're right," I agreed, though my smile didn't go far. "I dunno, I guess I just-"

"Oi, I know that look," Bina cut me off, leaning closer to me sternly. "Yer a pretty cool guy, y'know that?"

I blinked. "Um, thank you?"

"Not many people would put up with what ya do," Bina continued, folding her arms under her chest. "Ya get dropped in an alternate dimension that's crazy compared to where you're from, away from friends and fam, and get wrapped in all our business. But you... accept the crazy but still try to make things better? I mean... Ugh," she groaned, shaking her head and looking away. "I ain't any good at this kinda talk."

I couldn't help but chuckle - her flustered state was surprisingly adorable. "I think I understand what you mean," I reassured her.

"Then I don't see what's so unbelievable 'bout this," Bina stated, swinging her feet. "The fact that ya'd even go on a date with a zombie in the first place speaks fer itself."

Her words made me frown, causing me to ask, "Wait, what do you mean now?" I tried to push aside my doubts for the moment.

"People tend to avoid people with toxic blood and bites that can make 'em undead," Bina laughed, but this time it felt... bitter. "I made my peace with what I am a long time ago, but not many others did. The last person I expected to be okay with that was you."

"Because I'm from a place where there aren't any zombies?" I guessed.

"Bingo. Yet... here you are, humorin' a dead chick."

"You're not dead," I shot back instantly. "Christ, do you know how often I forget you're a zombie?!"

I wasn't used to seeing Bina so introspective. I couldn't recall if she had ever been this way with me; it was pretty unexpected. She had always been so confident and sure of herself, but this was throwing me off. It was a bit unnerving.

... No, of course, she wasn't. No one was precisely the same in every situation and moment. People, regardless of species, didn't work like that.

"At first, I had doubts about dating a zombie," I admitted after taking a deep breath. I wanted to be honest with her and reassure her that I wasn't just "humoring" her. The thought of it made me sick to my stomach. "I was scared of what it would be like, even if it meant I would be labeled a necrophiliac." I shuddered at the thought. "But as I got to know you better, I realized how ridiculous that fear was."

"Why?" I couldn't place her tone at all.

"Because you're still alive," I firmly repeated, making sure to lock eyes with her. "You're not a corpse; you're not decaying; you're not buried. You're a vibrant, intelligent, emotional woman who can do whatever she pleases!" Taking a deep breath first, I went on. "As I see it, it's just dating someone with a contagious bite and dangerous blood. There are probably conditions that even 'living' humans have that are very similar."

Bina stared at me momentarily, letting a pregnant pause hang in the air that made me a little uneasy. Just as I was about to ask her what she was thinking, she suddenly burst out into a thunderous laughter that startled me and made me jump in my seat.

She erupted into uncontrollable laughter, her body shaking with amusement as she clutched her stomach. Tears of joy streamed down her face as she tried to contain her mirth, rocking back and forth in her seat. "Hahahaha, that's, wow!" she exclaimed in between breaths, unable to contain her joy.

"Take your time," I muttered, feeling embarrassed and awkward.

Bina slowly spoke, calming down and wiping away a few tears from her eyes. She beamed at me and said with a soft laugh, "I'm sorry; I was just surprised at how serious you sounded!"

"But you were-!" I was about to protest, but then someone soft and warm pressed herself against my side.

"And that's why I believed you," she continued softly as if I hadn't spoken. "And I couldn't believe I believed you, which made me laugh 'cause that makes no sense." Her arm snaked around my back, and her hand rested against my hip. "Feelings are fuckin' weird."

"A-Agreed," was about all I could imagine. Logically I was starting to make sense of what had happened, but my heart and my voice had yet to catch up, it seemed. "S-So... are we good on the whole zombie dating thing? I could rant about it a little more if you like."

"Mm," Bina hummed, and now I could feel her body reverberating against mine. It was oddly intoxicating. "Maybe later." I could feel more than see her smile.

"You got it, Bina."

She stared up at me, her emerald and honey-hued eyes locked with mine. Our faces were almost touching, and I could feel her breath caressing my cheeks. The ocean's crashing waves became a distant memory. All I could focus on was her. A hint of uncertainty flickered in her gaze, but it vanished instantly as she uttered the single word that changed everything.

"Zoe."

My head tilted a fraction.

"My name," she uttered. "My real name, from before. It's Zoe."

"Zoe," I echoed, testing the word out. I smiled and nodded. "I like it."

A moment later, I spoke again.

"Antonio."

"Antonio," she echoed, smiling as well.

"My real name, from before." I must've looked like quite the dork if my silly smile was as big as it felt.

"I like it," Zoe murmured, leaning her face closer and closer. I found myself doing the same.

Our lips met, and, well, nothing else really mattered at that point.

To be continued...