"...That concludes our report on the events surrounding the alien wreckage."

Finally! Just hearing 2B explain the whole incident we encountered to our Commander was getting so boring...I hate reports, why do we always have to do them?

9S thought as he tried hard not to fall on the ground and sleep. He and 2B had just came back from examining the underground tunnels, where they thought the aliens were hiding...but they were not. There weren't even ANY aliens that existed as of now. They have been gone for YEARS and no one in YoRHa knew about it until today.
The Commander hummed in response to the report, putting a hand to her chin as she closed her eyes, deep in thought. She then opens them, intensely staring at the two androids.

"Then they were dead this whole time...The Council of Humanity needs time to formulate a plan. Until then, this information must be kept confidential. Speak of it to no one."

Confidential? Why can't we tell anyone about this?! T-This is supposed to be good news! Well, for the humans that is. We still have to figure out how to get rid of the other machines...and Adam and Eve for that matter.

The Commander then gives the two androids another mission and that was to look into Pascal.

Pascal? The one from the village? Hmm...maybe he could've know something about the aliens being dead. We'll have to ask him...

After 9S and 2B leave, 9S sighs.

"Man, the Commander sure is a slave driver, huh? And now we have to go back to the city ruins."

All he wanted was just a short nap.

***

All (Y/n) wanted was to just be left alone for some time.

The family members didn't come back till the next day, to which they were shocked to find their home filled with several dead bodies of government officials. Nines had confessed to them that it was all of his doing and that he was forced to do it, for they were after (Y/n).

(Y/n) never came out of her room since the terrifying incident.

And Nines never felt so lonely till now.

It had been a long week and Lolita and the rest of the gang had enough. They wanted to see Nines and (Y/n) smiling again. What kind of family would they be if they never try to make their best friends happy? So one day, Lolita approaches Nines from behind, pinching his cheek while his eyes were focused on a book he was reading.

"Hey Nines? You doing alright?"

"Yeah...I'm fine."

Nines mutters as he glances at the door to (Y/n)'s room, hoping that she would come out and give him a hug.

She never did.

He sighed as he puts the book down, rubbing his head as he felt very foolish for getting his hopes up. Pod, who was sitting next to him, just silently watched as Lolita pats his shoulder.

"Hey man, listen, (Y/n) is traumatized from this whole government hunting thing. She needs time to recover, you know?"

"Yeah, I know...I've read from somewhere that states this sort of thing is known as PTSD."

"Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. It is a condition that can develop after a person has been exposed to a traumatic event. In this case, (Y/n) is traumatized from almost dying."

Pod states as Nines pats it's head.

"It may take months or even years to get through...but it is a strong mental disorder that anyone can have, anytime and anywhere."

"Is there any cure for it?"

Nines asked Lolita, who shrugged her shoulders in response.

"I may not be a doctor, but I am a hacker and I am (Y/n)'s best friend. I think I know what can do the trick..."

Lolita then winks to Rocco and Russell, who were having a donut eating contest. She then cups her mouth and shouts out loud.

"COME OUT LOSER, WE'RE GOING SHOPPING!"

"E-Eh?! S-Shopping?!"

Nines gasped as (Y/n) unexpectedly bursts through the door, smiling.

"I DECLARE BANKRUPTCY!"

"...What's bankruptcy?"

Nines asked Lolita, who just smiled at him in response.

***

"What is this place?"

Nines asked (Y/n) as the whole gang parked in front of a giant building, where loads of people were going in and coming out with bags in their hands.

"This here is a shopping mall! It's where us humans go whenever we feel like shopping! Which is like, everyday..."

"Huh...you humans have such weird hobbies..."

"It's going to be so much fun! I know you're going to like it! We're going to spend so much money just so we could stimulate the economy..."

"Then we go to the bank to steal back from the economy~"

Rocco smirked as he rubbed his hands together. Nines didn't seem to hear him though, for he was more interested in entering the shopping mall. He shuddered at the sight of it, for it was quite an enormous place for humans to shop at. Once they enter through the sliding glass doors, Nines gasped, for he saw many shops lined up all over. From fancy clothing shops to gaming shops, Nines couldn't believe how many there are!

"W-Whoa! T-This is amazing! I-I thought this would be like a prison!"

"Yeah, a prison for clothes~"

(Y/n) giggles as she watched Nines look around, examining the different things behind the front shop windows. Nines then spots the giant water fountain that was in the center of the mall, where he saw many couples sitting at, tossing coins in. His eyes sparkled as he puts both of his hands on his cheeks.

"Whoa..."

"I know, right? That's a fountain!"

"I'm going to swim in it!"

"Yeah-WAIT, WHAT?! NO NINES DON'T-"

Nines jumped into the fountain, splashing water all over the other humans as he laughed, his hair and clothes getting completely soaked. He squirts water out of his mouth, then smiling at (Y/n).

"Hey Rocco! I'm squirting!"

"I'm so proud of you, Nines!"

Rocco laughed as he was about to jump
in with Nines, before (Y/n) pulls him by the collar. She glares at him as the man shuddered.

Guess he won't be joining in on the fun.

(Y/n) quickly gets in the water fountain, pulling Nines out of it. She held the android in her arms, for he was very light to carry. She stared at him, shaking her head.

"Nines, this isn't a bathtub, this is a water fountain! See all the pennies in the water? Those are people's wishes!"

"Wishes?"

"Yes!"

"Oh!"

Nines said before grabbing a handful of coins out from the water, giving them to (Y/n). (Y/n) then slaps the coins out of his hands, spilling them.

"No Nines! You can't just take other people's wishes! You have to make a wish of your own!"

"Oh? Really?"

"Yes..."

(Y/n) said before placing him on a nearby bench, helping him take off his sweater, which was now wet. He was now in his white shirt, that was also wet but not too wet. She knew that he didn't have to worry about his body temperature, but she didn't want him dripping water everywhere they went at least. She then reaches into her wallet and pulls out a silver coin, putting it in the android's hands.

"See? So now, you make a wish and then throw the coin into the water! Then you just wait for your dream to come true!"

"Oh! Sounds easy enough! Let me try!"

Nines said before approaching the fountain, then staring at the silver coin in his hands before he smiled.

"I wish that me and (Y/n) would be together forever~"

(Y/n) blushed as the android threw the coin into the water, while all the other gang members clapped and cheered for him.

"Yo, great answer! Great answer!"

"What an amazing wish you made, Nines~"

"We support your wish all the way!"

"Alright alright! You guys are making a scene! Let's get out of here before the mall police show up!"

(Y/n) advises before Nines grabs her hand, smiling at her before the group runs off to hide in another store.

Unfortunately, (Y/n)'s wish compared to Nines was completely different...

***

"This must be the commercial structure Pascal was talking about. The records say it was once a facility known as a shopping center."

9S explains to 2B as the two YoRHa androids enter an unknown building, which was now crumbling due to its old age. Green trees and shrubs have grown all around here, it was like Earth was taking back its territory once again.
9S looked around, spotting some old shop signs and escalators that haven't been in use for centuries. It was quite sad how these places used to be so much fun to be in...and they all were now in ruins.

"If we were human, we probably would have done shopping and such here, right?"

"More meaningless conjecture."

9S chuckled at 2B's response.

"Ha ha! You're so serious, 2B. You know that?"

But really...what if...?

While 2B was looking for a way through the facility, 9S just looked through the small shops, finding nothing but rubble inside.

And that's when he saw it.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw something glinting through one of the shops windows, calling to him.

9S then slowly approaches the window, tilting his head to the side as he realized what he was looking at...

A t-shirt, that he felt like he had seen somewhere before.

***

"Hey (Y/n), what's this?"

Nines asked (Y/n) as he pointed at the item in the window. It was a black t-shirt that had an arrow pointing to the right and it was labeled:

Return to my hacker lover ♡
——————>

And next to the t-shirt was another t-shirt that said:

I'm his hacker lover ♡
<——————

(Y/n) blushed while Lolita giggles from behind.

"Hey Nines, I think it'll look nice on you~"

"Really?! Can I get it?!"

"You have to ask (Y/n) here~"

"(Y/n)! (Y/n)! Can I get it?! Can I get it?! Please!"

"W-What?! N-Nines, you don't understand...it's a couple shirt..."

"Oh...can we get the couple shirts?!"

Nines begged (Y/n), in which she kept objecting.

"N-Nines, we can only wear those shirts if we're a couple!"

"Aww..."

Nines said as he lowered his head, avoiding (Y/n)'s gaze. He then lifts his head up, smiling.

"Can we be a couple?"

"NINES!"

"Oh my god (Y/n), just stop whining and wear the god damn shirt or I'm never taking you guys shopping ever again!"

In the end, (Y/n) and Nines wore the couple shirts, holding hands as Nines nibbles on a popsicle.

"Thank you (Y/n)!"

"Yeah yeah...AND STOP TAKING PICTURES OF US LOLITA!"