Ch.43The End of That Date (2)

[“I like that about you, Nepy. Perhaps, from a very long time ago.”]

Irefi’s honest confession approached warmly like a gentle spring breeze. Her boldness was so powerful that even passersby glanced at us with unconscious delight.

For me, holding her hand, an awkward emotion without harmony quickly closed the distance between us.

“Irefi, what do you mean by…”

“Yes?”

“Never mind.”

“Hmm, I’d appreciate it if you’d be honest with me.”

“It’s really nothing. Let’s go look at the street stalls.”

“Will you tell me later, for sure?”

“Yes, yes.”

[From a very long time ago.]

This single phrase left a deep impression that bothered me.

It hadn’t even been a few months since Irefi had opened her heart to me, yet her words suggested she had been watching me for a very long time.

‘It was probably just a figure of speech. People don’t plan every word they say with precision.’

I quickly set aside my unsettling thoughts and resolved to focus on my day with Irefi.

“Nepy! Look at this. It’s a dart game stall.”

“Prizes for the winner… and the better your score, the better the prize?”

“What do you think?”

“I’m guessing you want to try this?”

“What else would I want?”

“I have my conscience to consider.”

If it were Irefi, she would undoubtedly finish the game with a perfect score. And the merchant before us would instantly lose his most valuable prize and be reduced to tears.

I found it difficult to ignore the certain misfortune of this small business owner.

“So, you don’t want to play?”

She seemed displeased that our very first activity had been stopped.

“Umm… no, it’s just that I’m so good at this that my conscience is bothering me, but if you insist, I’ll play along.”

A lie that punched a hole in my conscience.

I deliberately slipped the merchant a sum far exceeding the participation fee while giving him a knowing look. Being experienced, the merchant understood the situation perfectly and nodded.

“Hmm, since Nepy is so confident, I’ll let you go first.”

Meanwhile, the source of my concern was calmly burning with competitive spirit.

“If that’s how it is. Don’t regret it, okay?”

I gripped the dart with an awkward posture full of bravado. My hunched back and sharp eyes like those of a bird of prey created a strange contrast.

Whoosh!

Finally, my first dart was thrown!

“Wow! What a surprise! You really are good at this.”

“Oh, oh yeah. I am good, aren’t I?”

My dart had stuck precisely in the center, scoring maximum points. Who knew beginner’s luck could be so real even here.

Next was Irefi’s turn. Contrary to expectations, her awkward stance made me doubt my eyes.

“Now it’s my turn… Hiyah!”

Fwoosh-!

‘…Fwoosh?’

What kind of dart makes a sound like that?

“Ah… Ahhh…!”

The beginning of a shrill cry circled around us. The stall owner clutched his head and directed a resentful gaze in our direction.

“My stall… my merchandise…!”

The dart Irefi had thrown flew in a straight line, literally piercing through the target. What’s worse, behind the target were all the prizes lined up in a row.

All those prizes had become victims of the dart that left Irefi’s hand.

“Holy! I hope there wasn’t anyone behind the stall?!”

I quickly moved away to check behind the stall. Fortunately, there was only the dart, now in pieces, having created a crack in the wall.

After confirming there were no human casualties, I politely called the stall owner over to reassure him.

“Um… I’m sorry. We’ll compensate you properly for the damage, so please calm down.”

“Ahem, I apologize. I’ll pay the compensation right away.”

Irefi scratched her head in embarrassment and took out a shiny coin, placing it in the vendor’s hand. Upon receiving the coin, the vendor’s eyebrows shot up as if they might reach the clouds.

“A blessing! This is a blessing…! Oh my, thank you, noble ones. Please visit again anytime!”

“Yes… well… sure.”

We turned away from the man who kept bowing repeatedly.

We created an awkward atmosphere as we walked away from our first stall visit that had ended in spectacular failure.

After a while of walking in silence, each of us checking the other’s reaction, I found the situation so ridiculous that I burst out laughing.

“Pfft, hahaha! Irefi, you’re really something else.”

“W-what do you mean?! It was just a mistake from concentrating too hard!”

“Yikes! One more mistake like that and you’ll tunnel all the way to the imperial palace with a dart.”

“Ugh, stop teasing me! You always do this when you catch me making a mistake…”

Yes, this is normal. The me who was being toyed with from last night until this morning must have been a mirage.

…Or perhaps she’s just different during the day versus night.

“It’s all clumsy Nepy’s fault. I naturally thought you wouldn’t be good at this either. I suggested it because I thought it would be a good match between beginners like us…”

“So you were a beginner.”

I’ll keep it a secret that my perfect score was purely accidental. No need to diminish my reputation by revealing that.

“Well, it’s nice to find something you’re not good at besides cooking. Makes you more human.”

“I don’t accept that. Just wait and see. Someday I’ll beat you at both cooking and darts.”

“By the way, how do you plan to beat me at cooking? I don’t even cook.”

“I’ll keep making you taste my food until you say it’s delicious. If you say it’s delicious, I win; if not, I lose.”

“Either way, I lose!”

This Irefi, coming up with such an unfair proposal. Why am I the one eating in both scenarios?

I might as well eat rice soup with cyanide. At least that would smell like almonds, damn it.

“Nepy, you’re such a picky eater. How fitting for your age.”

“First of all, I’m older than you, aren’t I?”

“Didn’t you say you were twenty-six? We’re the same age.”

“You should include the years I was trapped in the Great Cavern. I don’t know the exact time, but it’s definitely measured in years.”

“If you don’t know, then it doesn’t count. But it’s strange. How could someone else’s soul enter so perfectly? I wonder what method was used?”

Irefi’s eyes flashed with a dark light. A chill ran through me, and a prickling sensation stung my skin.

“Hah, that’s what I’d like to know.”

In truth, I’m the one who hasn’t asked, but I held my tongue.

She believes that I, who had been living as a wild person, suddenly entered Nepy’s body.

It was the next best explanation I could offer, as explaining the concept of possession to Irefi seemed too unrealistic.

“Oh?”

“Irefi, what’s wrong?”

“I just remembered. A chef who made a name for himself abroad is opening a pastry shop, and it happens to be in this area.”

“That’s great. You like sweet things, don’t you? Let’s go check it out.”

“But you don’t like sweet things, Nepy?”

“They probably don’t sell only sweet things, so it’s fine.”

“You’re not just forcing yourself, are you? Hehe! Thank you. I really wanted to go.”

Even if they only had sweets, what does it matter if Irefi enjoys it? That’s all that counts.

Holding Irefi’s hand, we arrived at a pastry shop that had a somehow familiar structure. I didn’t know such establishments existed in this world…

‘This is exactly like a café!’

The structure was remarkably similar to cafés from my previous life, which brought back a sense of nostalgia. The only difference was the several staff members who constantly went around taking orders.

I thought there would be a long line since it was a famous chef’s pastry shop, but surprisingly, there were even seats available.

As soon as we sat down, Irefi quickly requested to order, but the staff member looked quite perplexed and asked for confirmation several times.

After finishing her order, she said:

“Are you surprised? It is an unusual structure, isn’t it?”

‘On the contrary, it’s familiar…’

I couldn’t tell her the truth, of course.

“It’s refreshing! Now I understand why you wanted to come.”

“I knew it! I knew you’d appreciate it, Nepy.”

“Haha.”

Irefi’s eyes sparkled with vitality. Thanks to her, I felt reassured that coming here was the right decision.

‘Hmm…’

While conversing with Irefi, I also listened to the conversations around us. It wasn’t so much listening as my good hearing forcing me to overhear.

Among them, a conversation between two women caught my attention.

“Have you heard that rumor? About the Arlan Kingdom and the nomadic tribes forming an alliance.”

“Ah! I heard about that too. From what I know, rather than an alliance, the nomadic tribes have been integrated as citizens of the kingdom.”

“Isn’t it strange? Two forces that were even at war suddenly getting along. I wonder what circumstances…”

“My brother is stationed at Chester’s border, and he told me something.”

The woman lowered her voice considerably and spoke secretively.

“All the soldiers who were fighting in the war died. Both sides suffered such enormous losses that they reached an agreement to survive?”

“My goodness! There should be limits even to that. Both sides’ soldiers completely annihilated in war? Did the Chainlich Phenomenon occur?”

“Even my brother is skeptical about this, but… according to intelligence reports, a third party intervened.”

“Are you sure you’re not mistaken? Not a third force but a third party?”

“Yes, that’s right. In the midst of battle, a knight suddenly fell from the sky and killed everyone without distinguishing friend from foe. Of course, it’s still just a rumor.”

“That’s frightening…”

“And they say after the massacre, the knight laughed terribly.”

“That’s impossible! How could one person do such a thing?”

“That’s why it’s just a rumor. Since the kingdom hasn’t issued an official statement, these unsettling stories are spreading.”

“Ugh, if such a monster really exists, it would be too terrifying. I might run away screaming.”

After listening to the two women’s conversation, I looked at Irefi. A world-destroying monster was right before my eyes.

‘Here’s one monster that would make people run away screaming.’

“Nepy? I appreciate you staring at me, but… it’s a bit burdensome. It’s embarrassing too.”

“Umm! Sorry.”

“There’s nothing to be sorry about.”

‘No, I’m sorry for the thoughts I had, Irefi.’

She smiled slightly and focused on the mountain of sweet-smelling food piled before her. As far as I knew, only half of her order had arrived.

‘Where does it all go? Her stomach isn’t a black hole. Anyway, a third party intervening in the battlefield…’

And both forces were annihilated? That’s impossible without the involvement of an asymmetric power.

For instance, a certain female knight who goes crazy for sweets.

‘Zikharun would be capable too, but Bartlant is questionable.’

They would have no reason to commit such a massacre. The rumor is probably just a rumor.

I decided to clear my mind of distractions and enjoy watching Irefi’s sweet-inhaling show.

“Irefi.”

“Yes?”

“You look good.”

“W-what are you suddenly saying!”

Watching her transparent skin turn red like an apple was fascinating. It made me appreciate the wonders of the human body.

“You’re probably saying I look silly eating so much.”

“Not at all. I like that about you, Irefi. Perhaps, from a very long time ago.”

“N-Nepy?!”

Well, I was just returning the exact words she had said to me earlier.

A little praise like this should be fine occasionally.

“Really, you always come out of nowhere with these things…”

For some reason, Irefi lowered her gaze and continued eating in small bites.