Ch.119Afternoon Date

“Well then, shall we go out for some serious shopping?”

“The most urgent things are Seti’s shoes and the mushrooms that can extract color dye, right?”

“Ah, wait a moment.”

After finishing a luxurious lunch and just before heading out to buy supplies needed for the journey ahead, Jessica stopped everyone, positioned Seti and Mina beside her, and pushed Phyllis toward me.

“The three of us will go around shopping for travel necessities, so Will and Phyllis, why don’t you go sightseeing around Atelier?”

“Huh?”

“Everyone’s preparing for the journey, so for just the two of us to go out having fun…”

“That’s enough, listen to me. Phyllis confessed to Will today and got an OK, but you two haven’t done anything couple-like yet, right?”

“W-well… that’s true.”

“We can’t stay in this city for too long, for Seti’s sake. Since you’ve finally become a couple, you should enjoy your time together while you can. You’ll regret it if you just waste this opportunity doing travel preparations.”

“Ugh…!”

“So spend today having fun together, and we’ll all meet up again around 7 for dinner. Mina and Seti, are you okay with that?”

“I don’t… really mind.”

“I’m fine with it too.”

“Then it’s settled. See you later~”

“Oh, o-okay. Got it.”

Jessica quickly settled the matter and left the inn with Seti and Mina.

Left behind in the lobby, Phyllis and I could only exchange awkward smiles, not quite grasping how things had unfolded so quickly.

“Hmm, I feel like we’ve been somewhat railroaded… but I guess it doesn’t matter.”

“Is this really okay?”

“It would be rude to refuse after she went to such lengths for us. Since things turned out this way, let’s enjoy it.”

“Um, hmm.”

“By the way, are you going to keep up that character?”

“I don’t want to show my vulnerable side in front of others. If it bothers Will, I could change it… though.”

Phyllis blushed slightly, revealing a glimpse of her original speech pattern.

If that’s her wish, I should respect it.

“You can act however you feel comfortable. I like the cute original Phyllis, but I also like the confident version of you.”

“C-cute… hauu.”

“Anyway, let’s get going. Since this is my first time in this city too, I can’t really escort you properly.”

“That’s not a problem. Just being together with you is enough to make me happy…”

As she said this, Phyllis averted her gaze shyly.

I took her hand and left the inn. Though she fidgeted a bit, she made no attempt to pull away and walked quietly beside me.

As we wandered along Atelier’s main street, peering into various places, I could feel people’s gazes gathering on us.

I’d occasionally attracted attention when walking with Jessica or Seti, but with Phyllis—tall, slender, with her lustrous golden hair swaying—we seemed to stand out even more.

At first, Phyllis was uncomfortable with the attention, but as we visited street vendors, flower shops, and bookstores, she gradually stopped worrying about our surroundings and focused on our date.

“What’s that? A child carrying and eating a cloud!”

“Oh, that’s cotton candy! I haven’t seen it elsewhere. Should we buy one?”

“There’s a man over there playing a flute with jars arranged around him. Is it some kind of ritual?”

“Looks like a snake show! Let’s go closer and take a look.”

Walking through the alleys with Phyllis, I realized anew that this city had more entertainment options than other places.

Perhaps the entertainment culture had developed particularly well here to relieve the stress caused by the harsh environment of the toxic swamp and the acrid air outside the city.

Among them was a shop with an advertisement for “experiencing a good feeling” by inhaling suspicious water pipes… but it seemed to be walking a fine line between legal and illegal, so we quickly passed by.

As we enjoyed Atelier’s entertainment culture, we unexpectedly arrived at a certain place.

“A cinema…? What is this place for?”

“A movie theater? Oh wow, it really is!”

“Does Will know what this ‘movie’ thing is?”

“Hmm~ To explain simply, it’s like people acting out the contents of a novel.”

“Hooh, that sounds interesting.”

The explanation I just gave seems closer to theater or musical than film, but as long as the meaning gets across, it should be fine.

Since I was also curious about a movie made in the Wild West era—and in another world at that—I decided to watch it with Phyllis.

The size of the screening room was nowhere near comparable to modern Earth’s theaters, and they weren’t selling snacks like popcorn or cola.

It was just a hall about the size of an auditorium that could seat around 100 people, with blackout curtains and a classic projector casting images onto the opposite wall.

But true to this other world, it seemed to incorporate magical technology, boasting impressive resolution that couldn’t possibly be mistaken for a black and white screen.

The content was a standard romance film, with elements of a success story where the poor male protagonist overcomes societal prejudice to become a self-made businessman in order to be with the heroine, a rich man’s daughter.

Phyllis seemed to enjoy this simple yet somewhat exaggerated plot, unable to take her eyes off the screen throughout the screening, but…

“Ah! Pierre! Even in this cold winter wind, your embrace is so warm!”

“Oh, Catherine! Not even the stars in the night sky could be as beautiful as you are right now!!”

The overall dialogue and acting were quite old-fashioned and exaggerated, giving the impression of a B-grade romance film that somehow managed to be both sophisticated and tacky.

That was fine, but the problem started in the latter part of the film, from the scene where the male protagonist returns on a white horse and shares a passionate kiss with the heroine.

“Pierre! Ah, Pierre!!”

“Catherine! Oh, my love Catherine!!”

“Ah… Pieeeerre!!”

“Catheriiine!! Mmmmm…!!”

The male protagonist passionately kissing and undressing the heroine… even for a romance film, it was quite risqué.

Doesn’t Grantis have film ratings? The couple sitting in front of us looks like teenagers no matter how you look at them???

“Pierre! Ah Pierre! Hold me… hold me tighter!”

“Oh! Catherine! My love Catherine! Tonight, I will never let you go!”

“I love you, Pierre!”

“I love you too, Catherine!”

“Pieeeerre!!”

“Catheriiiiine!!”

The latter third of the film was filled with explicit love scenes between the protagonists, and by the time we finished watching, all that remained in my head were the names Pierre and Catherine.

“……”

“Um… so, what did you think? Of the movie.”

When I cautiously asked Phyllis, who was walking beside me with a somewhat shocked expression, she answered with her head bowed and face flushed.

“It was… shocking in many ways… and in a way, moving.”

“Moving?”

“Human couples… they… they love each other so passionately… calling out each other’s names…”

“No, that’s just exaggerated for the film. Even the most passionate couples wouldn’t go that far… probably.”

“I-is that so.”

They wouldn’t, right? They wouldn’t. I want to believe they wouldn’t.

If Phyllis wanted me to act out a scene where we face each other going “William! Phyllis! Ah, William! Oh, Phyllis!”… I might not be entirely unwilling to oblige, after practicing how to keep a straight face.

The awkwardness from the latter part of the movie didn’t last long. After regaining our composure during a short break at a coffee shop, Phyllis and I headed to our final date destination.

The large clock on the barrier tower in the center of the city showed 6:30 PM. In 30 minutes, our time alone would end, and we would join everyone for dinner before preparing for tomorrow’s journey.

The place that would mark the end of this momentous first date for us as a new couple was the rooftop lounge of Hotel Romansia, where we were staying.

“Is it okay to come back already? We still have about 30 minutes.”

“There are still many people on the streets. For the end, I wanted to be alone with you, anywhere would do.”

Confirming that we were the only ones on the rooftop lounge, Phyllis spoke in the modest tone she reserved only for me.

“Today was truly enjoyable. For me, human cities were just places to sleep, eat, and buy supplies for the next journey… I never knew they could be this fun.”

“Actually, I feel the same way. I’ve never really sought out entertainment unrelated to our adventure in the western cities we’ve visited before.”

“That’s surprising. I thought you would have enjoyed dates like this at least once with Jessica or Seti.”

“You’re right. It makes me reflect on that now.”

Since becoming involved with Jessica and Seti, we’ve passed through four western cities, but apart from staying in our rooms and being intimate, we haven’t really spent much time as proper couples.

Of course, we’ve gone shopping together or grilled quesadillas, but those are things that could happen between just friends, or rather, adventure companions.

Perhaps Jessica’s intention in arranging this date for Phyllis and me was her own way of protesting, wondering if I only saw them as bedmates?

If so, I should take today’s lesson to heart and pay more attention to those two as well.

“What’s past is past. Make sure to spend time like this with Jessica and Seti soon.”

“I should… I’m sorry, Phyllis. This was supposed to be our private date, and here I am bringing this up at the end.”

“It’s alright. I was planning to put a period on my own views on romance anyway.”

“A period?”

Leaning against the railing of the rooftop lounge, Phyllis gazed at the setting sun and spoke in a calm tone.

“Will, you said you would cherish me for a lifetime, right?”

“Yes, to the point where being with other women wouldn’t bother you.”

“How many years are you thinking of when you say ‘lifetime’?”

“Huh? Well…”

I was about to ask what she meant, but the words caught in my throat when I saw Phyllis’s long ears.

I belatedly realized that the promise to cherish her for a lifetime—words that could be exchanged between any couple in love—held a different meaning for her.

“The average lifespan of elves is over 300 years, or let’s say 200 years excluding the period of merging with the sacred realm. Even so, your ‘lifetime’ of loving me won’t even be half of that.”

“I… suppose so.”

“That’s also why I couldn’t accept polyamory. The thought of sharing a love that wouldn’t even fill half my life with other women… but after watching that movie with you today, my thinking changed.”

“Because of the movie?”

“Yes.”

Was there some philosophy in that B-grade romance film that could change Phyllis’s view on relationships? All I remember is the scenes with Pierre and Catherine.

“You said the scenes in the movie were exaggerated, but even accounting for that, I’m convinced that human love is far more intense than elven love. No, actually I knew it all along. I’ve been listening from the next room when you made love with Jessica and Seti.”

“Um… sorry.”

“No need to apologize. Rather, I’m looking forward to it. If your love is several times, tens of times stronger and hotter than an elven man’s, then even if shared among several women, it will more than fill my 300 years.”

Having said that, Phyllis slowly approached me, wrapped her delicate arms around my neck, and stared at me intently with emerald-green eyes.

“If you can meet that expectation, I won’t hesitate anymore. Whether it’s Jessica, Seti, perhaps Mina, or other women who might come along, I’ll be one of those who stays by your side with them.”

“Phyllis…”

“Let me take that first step with the sweetest kiss in the world…”

With those words, Phyllis’s eyes gently closed, and until the time we were supposed to meet everyone again, we explored each other’s lips over and over on the rooftop lounge of Hotel Romansia.