The Nightmare Fighter and the Vagrant of Love

-UNKNOWN PLANET, FLOREM-

  The first thing she thought when she got here was, Wow, this place is swanky!

 Her manager was rather insistant on them visiting Florem first, as they caught wind that a certain group of individuals would make home in Vegas soon enough. A certain group that was a magnet for trouble and danger. There was no doubt that something would come up, and he wanted Kogasa prepared for anything. And what better place than Florem, where demons and humans and fey alike visit and partake in festivals and beauty contests? 

 Not that Kogasa minded much. She was used to odd things happening. How could she not, since Orion is home to kingdoms devoted to food and sports and other weird things? The only things she found truly odd was that people dyed their hair with the blood of eight-headed snakes and wore the wings shed by fairies. That, and the fact that everything she found cute was so expensive! And she kept getting weird stares and comments about her outfit, like how it was out of style and...

 "My dear?" asked a voice, smooth and slick. She snapped out of her own thoughts and turned her attention to her guest. How long had he been waiting? How long did she space out? Oh, he was staring at her like she stares at cute puppies! 

 "Oh, sorry," she said, blushing as she glanced around. Flower themed everything seemed to be everywhere in Florem, and this restaurant was no different. Flower chandeliers, flower wallpaper, flower art, waitresses with flower-themed dresses... Thankfully, she had choices other than flowers to eat on the menu. After staring at the price of a "D'gon Steak" for a little too long, Kogasa finally paid attention to her blonde haired guest. "I kinda space out at times, ehehe~"

  He chuckled alongside her before he said, "No need to worry, dear. There must be so much going on in your mind, especially since you're rather new here." A smile crossed his lips before he took her hand and kissed it, like a prince courting a princess. "Although I must say, for you to allow me in your wonderous presence is a blessing in and of itself, one I must thank you for!"

 "W-well, it's really because you offered me food..." she admitted meekly, her cheeks turning a darker shade of red. "I wanted to try the food here, and you were kind enough to offer... I'll be sure to help pay the bill afterwards!"

 "No, no, no! One as beautiful as yourself must not worry about the bill!"

 "But I can't let you pay all of it! The food's expensive-"

 "Don't worry, my wallet can take quite a beating-"

 "But-"

 "Excuse me?" said a soft voice. The blonde man and the blue haired magicial girl turned towards the waitress, who stared at them rather awkwardly. "Sorry to interupt, but would you like to order now?"

 The growl of their stomachs were more than sufficient for an answer.

 As they waited for their food,  the man calmly sipped at his drink and smiled as he asked, "So, what do you do for a living?"

 "I do a lot of nightmare and monster fighting!" came the hasty reply. "It's a lot of hard work, but it's really worth it, you know? I get to fight all sorts of weird stuff and it's really fun! And it's always better with my friends!"

 "Ha, I hardly ever hear that it was fun fighting monsters. Especially with the types of demons that lurk here in Luxendarc... Oh, those succubi and Liliths could steal my heart any day~"

 Kogasa noticed the tint of red on his cheeks and smiled. "I'd be careful~ I heard that they seduce men and hypnotize them to be their slaves before slowly sapping away their life, making them age a hundred years in only one year!"

 Her smile could only become a little wider as the color drained from her guest's face. "Y-you jest, surely?" he sputtered. "Such beautiful women are capable of that?!?"

 "Some are, some don't. Depends on the region! There are definently benevolent succubi, though. You see them all the time, where I'm from! The bigger meanies are the Killer Hares, though; they look so cute, but they won't hesitate to rip a few fingers off and eat them. And then there are Nekomatas, which take a whole lot of forms, from a teeny kitty to a woman with catlike features!"

 "My, my, quite the beastiary you are!" the man noted with a smile. "Smart and beautiful... Ah, any man would die to have you at their side!"

 Kogasa's cheeks burned with embarassment. "Y-you're just flattering me, aren't you?"

 "Flattery would imply that I'm lying, my dear."

 That only made her as red as a tomato. Goodness, she wasn't used to complements like this. At least, not from normal guys. Usually, kids were the ones who made sure to make her feel loved and shower her with complements. There were other guys who did the same, but they were rather... awkward? Smelly, too. And pushing kids out of the way. And calling her their "waifu."Okay, maybe a little more than awkward, honestly. Then there were her friends, sometimes her manager... But even so, she often refused to believe it as anything other than flattery.

  But here she was, in a nice restaurant in a nice place with a handsome man giving the highest complements he could give without hesitation. A stranger. Goodness, what to do? What to say?

 Kogasa decided that a change of subject was needed and asked, "Well, how about you? What do you do for a living?"

 "Ah, me?" he said. "I am a vagrant, my dear. A wanderer who seeks memories long since past, yearning for someone to share his heart with." He then sighed dramatically as their food arrived and said, "Well, I suppose another way to say it is that I am a monster slayer, working for a pitance. And not a woman here would pay attention to me unless I have more than a million pg!"

 "That's about the cost of one of those pins, right?" Kogasa asked as she scarfed down her D'gon Steak in under two minutes, all without leaving a smear of steak sauce on her face or on her costume. "They're really expensive, yet everybody here seems to have one!"

 "They are too focused on appearances to care much about finances, it seems."

 The duo continued eating in silence, although Kogasa always noticed that when her guest looked up, it was always into her eyes. Always with a smile. 

 When the plates were finally cleared, he asked her, "Well, would you care for a bit of dessert?"

 "No, but thanks anyway!" she said. "In fact, thanks a lot for the meal! It was really nice, and, well, it was nice to meet you like this and all!"

 "Not a problem, especially not for you!" he replied with a chuckle. "In this garden, you stand out as the most wonderful flower, one who would win the Sacred Flower Festival with ease! A stunning bluebell in this city's sea of tulips! A bright star in the night sky! A-"

 "Th-that's enough flattery for one day," Kogasa said with a nervous laugh. This guy was really amped, and she had to deflate that in a second. "But thank you! I have to go, though... I might end up fighting some big, bad monsters for practice, since I'm going to this place called Vegas, and I heard that really tough enemies might be around there! So maybe I'll see you later?"

 She saw the shock on his face before he composed himself rapidly and said, "Of course! But, if I may, may I know your name?"

 She contemplated for a moment. Stage name or real name? Eh, Stage should be fine for now. "Kogasa Yamamoto, nightmare fighter and magical girl~! And what about you?"

 "Oh, me?"

 A grin played upon his lips before he took a bow.

 "Ringabel, at your service~! May our paths cross again, lovely one~"

 And as she put money on the table to help pay the bill and left, she could only wonder if he was truly sincere about what he said about her.

That, and wonder if this Sacred Flower Festival is the real reason her manager brought her here, rather than to practice fighting against monsters.