First Date

Today was the weekend of my first date with Luna. Maybe it’s because it’s a first date, but I’m more nervous than usual. Today, I slicked my bangs back with the remaining pomade.

I arrived at the academy’s main gate earlier than our agreed time and waited, and before long, I saw Luna walking towards me from afar.

She looked a little tired, and I wondered if she, like me, had trouble sleeping.

,Hello, Ross…! You look, look nice today.”

Except for the tiredness, Luna looked even more lovely today, and I couldn’t help but give her a faint smile and wave.

,Hi, Luna. You look pretty as always. But you seem a little tired, are you okay?”

Worried about her, I asked, and Luna quickly shook her head, erasing her tired look.

,No! I’m fine!”

She puffed out her cheeks as if saying she could play hard, and it was so cute.

I stared at Luna, thinking something seemed different, and then I realized that, unlike usual, she had nothing in her left hand.

,You’re not carrying anything today?”

Usually, she would be holding a book or a water bottle in her left hand, but today, she had nothing and was clenching her fist tightly.

,Huh…? Th, that’s….”

Luna fidgeted with her fingers as if she was embarrassed, and I wondered, ,What is it…?” Then, I realized the meaning.

,Ah, is it because I’m going to be holding it from now on?”

I said that with a sly voice and reached out to hold Luna’s left hand tightly. Luna lowered her head, embarrassed.

Luna’s left hand was still the same as before, gripping my hand so hard that it hurt.

But rather than the pain, I was only concerned about the warmth from Luna’s hand.

Holding Luna’s hand, I headed straight to the capital city. It was lunchtime, so I headed to the restaurant that Roel had booked for me.

A restaurant run by a chef who graduated from Transcendence Academy. It was a famous place that had even appeared in novels.

As if boasting that it was a high-end restaurant from the building’s exterior, the color of the walls changed using magic, and a pig wearing a chef’s uniform, which seemed to be the mascot, shook its body diligently in the painting.

As Luna and I approached the entrance, a man in a fancy suit stood in front of us.

,Do you have a reservation?”

,Yes. It’s Ross.”

After confirming the reservation, the man guided us inside.

,Wow….”

Luna looked at the inside of the restaurant and was stunned with admiration. It was my first time in a place like this too.

The interior of the restaurant was decorated with magic as much as the exterior, and it was so full of all sorts of things that you had to move your eyes busily.

There were living paintings on the walls, decorations that seemed to have been handcrafted by artisans, and pink clouds and cherry blossom petals fluttering here and there on the ceiling.

Feeling the melody of classical music flowing from somewhere, we sat down at the seat we were guided to. It was a window seat, but what we saw outside the window was not the capital city, but the blue sea.

,I will prepare the food soon.”

Because it was a reservation, the chef had to prepare the food in advance, so there was no need to look at the menu separately.

,Ross, thank you… for bringing me to such a wonderful place….”

Luna, who had been looking around, looked at me with admiring eyes. I was sincerely grateful to Roel and smiled.

,It’s our first date. I went a little overboard.”

,I’ll go overboard next time! And you don’t have to go overboard in the future. I just… like being together, I like it….”

Isn’t it cheating to be so pretty and say such pretty things? If it weren’t for the waiter passing by, I would have impulsively kissed Luna.

With a feeling of regret, I reached out and fiddled with Luna’s hand on the table. Then, the appetizer came out.

The appetizer was a dish that lightly whetted the appetite to make the main course stand out.

Therefore, the dish that came up on the table was only bite-sized compared to the large bowl.

,It’s ravioli and potato soup.”

The waiter placed the ravioli and potato soup on the table. The waiter who came next placed elegant glasses mixed with cutlery, sparkling water, and lemon in front of each of us.

,Shall we eat?”

,Yeah!”

We looked forward to it and took a bite of the potato soup. Luna and I exclaimed at the same time.

The rich flavor of bacon filled our mouths, and as if to bring out the original meaning of the appetizer, it instantly stimulated our appetite.

Luna shuddered, looking like she was beyond admiration and thrilled.

Luna silently moved her hand to the ravioli and shuddered again after eating it.

The best reaction you can show to the person who bought you the meal. The waiter who passed by also smiled with a proud expression at Luna’s appearance.

Looking at Luna, I also looked forward to it and ate the ravioli.

The rich cheese scent lingered in my mouth the moment I put it in. The potato soup and ravioli stimulated my dormant appetite.

As soon as we emptied the appetizer bowls, the waiter came and cleared the empty bowls and immediately placed the main dish on the table.

,Today’s main dish is Keller’s salmon steak, the main chef of our Blue Rose. The one next to it is trout roe.”

As soon as the waiter finished explaining and left, I cut the salmon into thumb-sized pieces with a knife and fork and exchanged plates with Luna.

Luna was still uncomfortable moving her left hand, so I did the knife work for her instead.

I was worried that Luna might be upset that I stepped in without saying anything, but fortunately, Luna understood the sincerity in my actions and was grateful.

,Thank you, Ross. I’ll enjoy the meal!”

I was cutting the salmon when I looked at Luna, who was bringing the salmon to her mouth.

Luna slowly put the salmon in her mouth with an excited face. Luna, who was moving her small mouth, groaned.

,Haa… It’s, it’s really delicious.”

Looking at Luna, who was looking at the salmon left in the bowl with a surprised face, I smiled and brought the salmon to my mouth.

Is this what it means to melt in your mouth? The salmon melted softly like ice cream.

The taste was so great that I forgot the tension of the first date.

While Luna and I were having a casual conversation, I suddenly noticed a couple at the table behind us feeding each other.

,Ahem….”

With a dry cough, I subtly took a piece of salmon from my plate, pierced it with a fork, and held it out to Luna.

,Huh…?”

Luna looked at me with a bewildered expression.

Luna looked at the salmon and me, not knowing what to do. When I made an ,Ah~’ sound, Luna finally blushed and opened her mouth slightly like a baby bird to receive it.

Luna’s small lips were moving diligently, and she looked so lovely.

I wondered if embarrassment was contagious, because I felt my face heat up at Luna’s face, which was red for no reason, so I lowered my gaze to the plate in front of me.

,Ah, the grade test starts next week-“

Something thick touched my forehead. At first, I thought Luna had kissed me, but it felt like something thick, not soft lips.

When I raised my lowered gaze, I could see that what touched my forehead was salmon.

Luna had closed her eyes in embarrassment and held out the fork, so the salmon that was pierced on the fork touched my forehead.

As I stared blankly at it, Luna carefully opened her eyes, checked my appearance, and was startled and trembled.

,Ro, Ross… Th, that’s…!”

I grabbed Luna’s receding hand and ate the salmon.

,It’s more delicious because Luna gave it to me. Thank you.”

When I said that with a casual smile, Luna nodded with a happy expression and took out a pretty handkerchief, got up from her seat, and wiped my forehead.

,Sorry… I didn’t mean to.”

Looking at Luna, who was apologizing, I playfully narrowed my eyes and asked mischievously.

,I think you just wanted to touch my forehead on purpose~?”

When I said that teasingly, Luna, who was wiping my forehead, pouted her lips and looked at me, and suddenly her blue eyes drew a deep arc.

,It wasn’t on purpose. But it’s nice.”

,Huh…?”

When I asked back with a stupid voice at Luna’s counterattack, Luna lightly kissed my forehead and returned to her seat.

After giving me a taste of her own medicine, Luna’s ears turned bright red, and I smiled so hard that my cheeks hurt.

However, after that, we were so embarrassed to even make eye contact with each other, our faces red, that we silently stabbed the innocent salmon with our forks.

***

After finishing our meal full of embarrassment, we held hands and looked around, then headed to the cafe as planned.

It was the most popular cafe for couples in the capital, recommended by Roel.

The cafe, which we entered without much thought, had an incredibly large interior, as if it had space expansion magic.

Like a manga cafe, there were bookshelves filled with novels and manga, various things like chairs, sofas, and hammocks for people to sit on, and even cave rooms where you could be alone.

,Welcome. This is Nortione Shelter! Have you ever used our shelter before?”

The employee who approached us asked in a friendly voice.

,No. It’s my first time.”

,Ah, then I’ll explain how to use the shelter! You can use the shelter for 3 hours after entering, and there are many artifacts operating inside the shelter. The use of magic or artifacts is strictly prohibited! If you have any artifacts that are always applied, you must leave them with us before entering!”

At the employee’s words, I looked at Luna and said.

,I don’t have any.”

Luna nodded as if agreeing with my words.

,Yes. And you can use unlimited drinks and desserts for an additional 20 silver. Food can only be eaten in the cave room because of the smell. Please read the instructions inside for how to use the cave room! If you go up to the second floor via the central stairs, there are various animals that you can touch directly. Buying snacks separately costs 5 silver!”

Listening to the employee’s kind explanation, I thought I had done well to get Roel’s recommendation.

This was a good enough place to spend time with a lover.

Luna, who had promised to pay since we left the restaurant, paid the shelter entrance fee this time.

We entered the shelter and decided to take a seat in an empty cave room first.

The cave room was up a small ladder, and inside there was a mattress where two people could lie down, a folding desk, a blanket, and a pillow.

There was no separate door, but it was structured so that you couldn’t see inside from the outside if you closed the curtain.

Reading the cave room instructions, it said that when you close the curtain, a hidden artifact on the wall is activated to automatically prevent noise and odors from escaping.

,It’s, it’s amazing….”

Looking at Luna, who was looking around with interested eyes, I suddenly remembered what Roel had told me and swallowed hard.

,Hey, do you know why hyung recommended that place? Try sticking together in the cave. You read some books, drink some drinks, and if you accidentally make eye contact, that’s it! It’s a sense of tension that you enjoy in a public place, unlike usual? There’s no risk of getting caught, but the subtle atmosphere of having people right outside….”

,Ross?”

I came to my senses at Luna’s voice calling me. I didn’t know when she had laid down, but Luna’s skirt, who was lying on the floor looking up at me, was slightly rolled up, and her snow-white thighs came into view.

I ran a hand over my face at the sight of Luna looking up at me with an innocent expression and a lovely smile.

Now was the time when I needed indomitable courage to avoid succumbing to temptation.