Ch.205Chapter 205: Date

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The quiet, a stillness so profound that I wondered if I myself had ceased to exist, imposed silence upon me.

But instead of maintaining that silence…

“Mmm…”

After letting out a soft moan to fully awaken my dimly returning consciousness.

“Nnngh…!!”

I immediately stretched my arms above my head.

Even as I turned my head slightly while stretching, looking toward the window, I saw darkness settling in, signaling the pre-dawn hours just before daybreak.

Though morning would soon begin with the rising sun, it was still far too early to start the day.

Normally, if I woke up lightly from sleep, I would close my eyes again and try to get even a little more rest, but…

Today, I don’t have that option.

What wind blew to make me resist my beloved sleep and get up?

Hehe, I have to spend the entire day with the precious person who fills my heart just by being in their presence.

So spending time with my eyes closed doing nothing would be a waste.

As I opened my half-lidded eyes clearly and shifted my gaze from the window to the wall clock, I could see there was still plenty of time until our appointment.

Two hours, to be exact.

If I had woken up two hours before work, I would have wailed in despair at wasting precious sleep time when I could have slept for another hour.

But not now.

Rather, I’m relieved that my eyes opened earlier than usual, giving me more time to prepare to meet Kal.

However, that feeling of relief was short-lived.

What filled my mind as I quickly got up, washed thoroughly, and dried my hair was…

“What should I wear today?”

Practical concerns like this muttered question dominated my thoughts.

Choosing clothes for a date with a precious person is certainly difficult, but…

Every time we meet, I face Kal in a different outfit.

And each time, he always mentions every little detail of my changed appearance, complimenting me with that gentle smile of his.

“…Fufu.”

The difficult moment of choosing clothes passes quickly.

…Oh dear, just thinking about him makes me miss Kal already.

The person I love.

The most precious person to me.

And the person who cherishes me the most.

The person who responds to my faint smile with an even brighter one.

The person who gives me something greater whenever I do even the smallest thing for him.

Just recalling his name brings forth endless tender thoughts about him.

I want to see him soon.

My hands moved faster in selecting clothes.

My eyes accelerated their examination of the outfits.

All while strengthening my resolve to give him even more today than I receive from him.

As I continued these thoughts, needless to say, I found myself holding the perfect outfit for today’s date.

“…Perfect.”

As I expressed satisfaction with my reflection in the mirror, time had passed, and only about 30 minutes remained until our appointment.

Even in this state, I could stay in my room for another 20 minutes and still arrive at the meeting place right on time, but…

Without hesitation, I opened the door and headed to our meeting place.

All while continuing to ponder how I could be a source of strength for Kal, who must be tired from his arduous duties and training.

I felt the outside weather was a bit chillier than expected, but I only thought about bringing a coat after arriving at the meeting place.

“…It’s cold.”

Strangely cold, actually. Not as cold as the northern winter I experienced while participating in the Subjugation Festival as a student of the Cradle, but…

Cold enough to cause discomfort to the citizens of the Isle, who are accustomed to subtle seasonal changes and weather that’s always close to spring.

Well, I have a well-trained body, so this level of cold…

Whoosh-!!

…Maybe I could run back and get my coat from my room?

As these idle thoughts were about to cycle through my mind…

I spotted the person I’d been waiting for in the distance.

“Kaaaal!!”

I raised one hand and happily called his name.

And as soon as he heard my voice and gladly walked toward me…

“Did you wait long?”

A warm question showing consideration for me, who had arrived excessively early at our meeting place.

“No, I just got here myself.”

I said, not wanting him to feel any guilt.

And as we exchanged these words and I carefully examined Kal’s appearance…

‘Ah….’

With a faint sigh escaping from within…

I realized that once again, I was about to receive something from him right at the start of our date.

“Are you cold? I thought you might be, so I brought this.”

It was a coat.

I had just been surprised by the cold I had underestimated, and the first thing I thought of was a coat.

Somehow sensing my thoughts, Kal handed me a coat he had prepared in advance, wearing a smile so warm it made me forget the seasons.

…Once again, I received something from him first.

Not just the coat, but nothing makes my heart flutter more than his smile as he casually downplays whatever he does for me.

That smile he shows while carefully handing me the coat…

It’s the greatest gift to me.

I wonder if he knows?

During these three years on the Isle…

I’ve received various gifts from him and built memories together.

But does he know that nothing fills my heart more than the smile he shows me, more than any gift?

Sometimes I desperately wish to peek into his mind, but…

I’ll set that aside for now.

Right now, I should focus on giving the best response to his gift.

An eye for an eye.

A tooth for a tooth.

And a smile for a smile.

Just as I treasure his smile as a gift…

I should offer Kal such a simple smile too.

Whoosh-!!

The cold wind made people bustling through the busy streets pull their collars tight, but…

With the warm gift I received from Kal, such cold will never find me again.

#

It was nothing more than handing over a coat, and yet…

“Hehee…”

The faint laughter from Shizu’s lips as she put on the coat I gave her filled my ears more sweetly than ever before.

Though faint, I could feel incomparable gratitude toward me infused in that laughter, which surely explained it.

“Thank you.”

Even just hearing her laugh clearly conveyed her gratitude to me, and yet she still expressed thanks.

Hearing that, the corners of my mouth turned up slightly.

“Ah, you smiled.”

Shizu’s expression brightened even more as she sensitively noticed this change in my expression.

To think we can brighten each other’s expressions just by seeing the other smile.

What could be better than this for her and me?

If time allowed, I would have liked to write an essay about the positive changes that occur in me just by looking at Shizu and submit it to the Imperial Knight forum, but…

This was hardly the time for that.

I was already busy spending a happy time with Shizu at the nice place I had thought of in advance for today.

“No need for thanks. I’m just glad the coat suits you well.”

So I gently deflected Shizu’s expression of gratitude for my small kindness and complimented her on how well the coat suited her.

“Hehe…”

I could observe a flush of red rising to Shizu’s face as she laughed lightly at my compliment.

I did think it might be because she was embarrassed by the compliment.

But I more strongly felt it could be that Shizu’s body wasn’t adapting well to the cold weather, which was reminiscent of the northern climate she was experiencing after a long time, with some exaggeration.

So I quickly took her left hand in my right and…

“Cold, right? Let’s go eat quickly.”

I headed toward the first destination for our successful date.

After graduating from the Cradle and becoming Imperial Knights side by side…

We made up for the regret of not being able to meet often during our busy work schedules with days like today, once every week or two.

Shizu and I always met in the early morning, not long after dawn.

And as if by mutual agreement, we always spent the first part of our date having breakfast together.

And not at the same place each time, but at different restaurants.

There was nothing more nerve-wracking than searching for places where we could enjoy delicious meals together, but…

Such troubles…

“Since Kal chose the place, I’m sure it will be delicious!”

Dissolved the moment I saw Shizu showing unlimited trust in the breakfast place as we walked.

Even though I hadn’t even told her what we would be eating yet, she showed such thick trust—how could any minor fatigue not disappear?

Life in this Isle, more crowded than any place I had ever lived, was once very difficult.

But now I was thoroughly satisfied with the vastness of this city.

After all, the enormity of this city was the driving force that gave us new experiences every time we met.

Whoosh-!!

As I continued both my thoughts and steps, a cold wind passed by my ears, strong enough to make people in the bustling streets pull their collars tight.

Though the weather was indeed cold enough to remind one of a northern winter, with no exaggeration…

“Thanks for the coat.”

As long as Shizu was there, transmitting warmth greater than my small kindness…

No chill would invade my body.

#

It’s cold.

Though I didn’t feel it myself, the people traversing the streets seemed quite troubled by this cold they were experiencing for the first time in their lives.

As I’ve been saying all along…

The weather was quite chilly, enough to make me wonder if such cold had ever visited Isle Solarium before.

Tomorrow’s newspaper headlines from the Isle’s prominent newspapers naturally came to mind, making further explanation unnecessary.

That’s why, while walking toward the first destination of our rare date…

“Hooh.”

I unconsciously blew out a breath.

Having trained my body to the extreme over three years, to the point where I couldn’t even feel ordinary cold on my skin…

I chose the most intuitive method available to sense this cold with my five senses.

Then, a rather intuitive sight unfolded before my eyes, making me realize the cold.

The hot breath from my mouth, upon meeting the cold outside air, turned foggy, reminiscent of mist.

“Even in winter, I never thought we’d encounter such weather on the Isle.”

Such a concerned soliloquy came out naturally.

The cold air covering Solarium’s sky right now was alarmingly intense.

The Isle Solarium, located at the very center of the central continent, is generally insensitive to seasonal changes, with seasonal variations being faint…

Yet this cold, which one might not experience even once a year, was enough to thin out the foot traffic in the bustling streets that normally become busy as soon as the sun rises.

Had such cold ever visited the Isle before my regression?

Though my body wasn’t on the Isle at that time, I had a strange interest in information gathering, so I recalled newspaper articles I had read diligently.

【Isle experiences unprecedented cold wave since weather observations began.】

【Is the current cold related to the ominous movements of the Demon Realm that are gradually being triggered? Academic circles show interest.】

After recalling such bold headlines…

I also remembered that after the cold wave temporarily subsided, prominent institutions including the Imperial Academic Society…

Busily sought the cause of the cold but ended with the regretful conclusion that they couldn’t find it.

Feeling my nerves on edge at the thought that this cold, unknown to anyone, might be related to the Demon Realm…

‘It never hurts to be careful.’

I spread my ki-sense to survey the surroundings, to an extent that wouldn’t interfere with my date with Shizu.

Fortunately, no trace of ominous energy from Demon Realm creatures secretly infiltrating the Isle was felt.

Though it was a situation where a sigh of relief would naturally escape, instead of such a sigh…

‘I hope it stays this way, just for today.’

I harbored a wish close to a prayer.

If it were the northern Knight Haven, it would be different.

But if creatures secretly infiltrating from the Demon Realm suddenly caused trouble in the middle of the Isle, disrupting my date with Shizu while we were having a good time…

I don’t know what would become of me.

[Young one… Think only good thoughts. The fighting energy around your body is boiling madly right now.]

‘…Thank you for the advice.’

Ah, I got too excited just thinking about such an infuriating situation.

Since we’re having a good time, I should think only good thoughts.

“Ahem…”

As I cleared my throat once to lightly dispel negative thoughts…

“…? What’s wrong?”

Hearing the cough, Shizu, who was close beside me, spoke with a voice filled with concern.

“The air is cold, making my throat dry, so I just cleared it a bit.”

As I gave a suitable reason…

“…Should I take off my coat and give it to you?”

Hearing my words, Shizu suddenly entered overprotection mode, and her deepened concerned voice penetrated my ears.

I turned my gaze from our destination to where Shizu was.

“I-I’m not cold, so I think it’s better if Kal wears it.”

I saw Shizu’s worried expression, looking as if she would take off her coat and put it on me at any moment.

Though I thought she might be worrying about me a bit too much…

Her warm heart, so clearly filling my heart with concern for me…

I tried to ease her worry with a slight smile.

“…Kal? Seeing you suddenly smile, are you really not sick? It’s not about the date being important, but should we go to the ho-hospital?”

…Though I tried hard to completely ease Shizu’s anxiety, who misinterpreted my smile in a strange direction.

As Shizu and I exchanged pleasant banter while walking, we eventually reached our first date destination.

The best restaurant to alleviate bodies shrunk from cold and satisfy moderate hunger.

I had made reservations for this day, visited in advance to taste the food, and perfectly arranged a menu composition that Shizu would like.

Now we just needed to enter…

“We apologize!”

At the entrance of the restaurant, with an expression of indescribable solemnity and regret…

The restaurant manager was blocking our way, disrupting the first button of this joyful date.