Date 3

Night had fallen before they knew it.

The time to wrap up the date was approaching.

“Senior.”

If one wants to conclude a memorable first date, naturally one should prepare a suitable venue.

“For the last item on the agenda, can we go where I want?”

“I don’t mind.”

Han Seoyeon moved her steps with an excited heart.

Where her feet led her was a restaurant in a high-rise building that seemed unconnected to a girl who had been eating only bean sprouts all day.

“…Is this really the place?”

“Today’s me is serious.”

Han Seoyeon answered with her chest puffed out to Michaela, who asked in a doubtful tone.

“We bought the wig and cosmetics with your money, senior. So, at least let me pay for dinner.”

“…Alright.”

Feeling somewhat reluctant, Michaela followed Han Seoyeon inside.

The interior was splendid.

The chandeliers sparkled uniquely.

Neatly dressed waiters guided them to their seats with gentle attitudes.

The place where Han Seoyeon and Michaela sat facing each other was a romantic window seat where the wall itself was made of glass, offering a dazzling night view.

“Is there any menu you like?”

“No. Anything is sufficient.”

As long as she got the minimum nutritional supplement, that was enough.

Michaela rarely indulged in luxurious food.

Han Seoyeon called a waiter and whispered.

Not long after, the menu arrived.

“This is─”

Michaela trailed off as she saw it.

Grayish caviar from sturgeon.

Below it, crackers spread with shower cream were neatly arranged.

She couldn’t remember if that was the exact name of the dish.

Michaela wasn’t a gourmet.

“Let me ask once again.”

However, she knew enough that it was expensive.

She also knew that this was just the appetizer of the course.

“Are you sure this won’t be a burden on you?”

Han Seoyeon usually lived on bean sprouts alone.

Wouldn’t this be too much?

Michaela was worried about that.

“Not at all!”

Han Seoyeon answered sharply.

“It’s been two months since I started at the Academy. I’ve even gone to hunting grounds occasionally. Treating you to a nice meal won’t make me starve to death tomorrow.”

It wasn’t wrong in any way.

It just meant she’d have to be a bit more frugal with her bean sprouts.

Han Seoyeon had quite a few places to spend money.

For example, remittances.

“Besides.”

After all, the money she was spending now was just surplus, excess funds.

“If I think I’m spending money for you, senior, it’s not a waste.”

“That’s an excessive evaluation.”

“It’s not. For you, senior, I can push myself as much as needed, you know?”

Even if she had no money, there was nothing Han Seoyeon wouldn’t do for Michaela.

“I’m not a human of such worth.”

“No. You are of sufficient worth.”

Why?

Why can this girl named Han Seoyeon be so kind to Michaela?

“Is there a reason why I could become important to you?”

“There is. Because I like you.”

A smooth answer, as if it were obvious.

“Is there a reason why you like me?”

“Hmm, I guess it’s your face after all?”

That can’t be a reason for such excessive love.

That’s what Michaela thought.

“…Isn’t that just a preference for appearance?”

“Well, at first, I did confess after seeing your face.”

Despite pointing that out, Han Seoyeon didn’t waver.

“Because I had never seen someone so beautiful before.”

“…”

If there was something Michaela hadn’t realized.

It was the fact that she didn’t really understand what love was.

“But now, it’s a bit different, isn’t it?”

“How is it different?”

“I like you. Everything. All of you, senior.”

An emotion she had never felt even through two lives.

“Was there some kind of trigger?”

“Well. I can’t say for sure.”

She doesn’t know that if she were truly indifferent to love, she wouldn’t need to ask like this.

“That’s sophistry.”

“It might be sophistry. But I can’t help it, senior.”

Han Seoyeon gently shook her head.

After shaking it, she smiled brightly.

“Love doesn’t need a reason, you know?”

“─.”

If one were to look for triggers, there would surely be some.

When she first saw that face.

When she offered to become friends.

When they went out together for the first time in this life.

When she patted her head.

When she saved her like a munchkin protagonist.

When she gently comforted her twice when she was mentally struggling.

“Liking someone is just because you like them. There’s no other reason besides that.”

Conversely, Han Seoyeon had no reason not to love.

“Did that answer your question somewhat?”

“…I still don’t quite understand.”

A scabbard born only with a sword.

Her hands were stained with blood.

Could she be loved?

Should she be loved?

Michaela still couldn’t give a clear answer.

“That’s enough for now! I told you before, that I’d seduce you someday.”

They say there’s no tree that won’t fall after ten strikes.

As long as Michaela doesn’t truly dislike Han Seoyeon and try to push her away, Han Seoyeon will always do her best to win Michaela over, without limit.

“Let’s eat for now. We’ve come out for this course meal, it’ll get cold at this rate.”

She picked up the knife and fork.

Being of noble birth, she should at least be familiar with dining etiquette.

She took a bite.

Han Seoyeon, without touching her food, just smiled and watched Michaela.

“Is it delicious?”

“…It’s delicious.”

“I’m glad!”

It was a dish that anyone would think cost a considerable amount.

The taste was sufficient.

Above all, there was no way she could say otherwise.

Not while looking at that face.

The meal continued.

Soup following the appetizer, and bread for cleansing the palate.

After a light fish dish, a refreshing sherbet was served.

And then.

“…What is this purple liquid?”

“What do you mean, it’s obviously wine.”

Next to the meat dish served as the main course, a glass of wine was elegantly placed.

“…I thought this country prohibited minors from drinking.”

“Hehe.”

It was a valid point.

In fact, Han Seoyeon didn’t know why wine was served either.

The two women, fully made up with cosmetics, looked more like fresh college students who had just become adults rather than girls.

“Worrying about such things, you’re still a child too, senior?”

“Your words are incomprehensible.”

It was a valid point, but Han Seoyeon didn’t mind.

“As they say, a main dish can’t be without a glass of wine.”

“…Well, that’s not wrong, but.”

Han Seoyeon was a sweet girl.

She was a classy woman who observed dining etiquette.

Of course, this was knowledge obtained purely from internet searches.

Han Seoyeon’s wallet situation wasn’t exactly comfortable enough to frequently visit expensive places like high-end restaurants.

More than that, Han Seoyeon focused on the wine in front of her.

It had been a really long time since she’d seen visible alcohol.

In her past life, Han Seoyeon was a heavy drinker.

There was nothing as sweet as alcohol.

“…Will you be alright? You might get drunk. If we’re caught, it’ll be difficult to return to the dormitory.”

“Senior, no matter what, that’s an exaggeration.”

The pure concern of someone who has never encountered alcohol.

Even such concern is lovely.

“It’s fine. It’s just one glass, right?”

It was an exaggerated worry.

It’s just, at most, one glass of wine.

Han Seoyeon didn’t intend to drink any more than that.

Moreover, Han Seoyeon had no intention of trying to win Michaela’s heart through the dirty and vulgar method of relying on the power of alcohol.

This was simply for the mood.

“Now, cheers.”

“Cheers.”

The glasses clinked.

The grape-scented alcohol flowed down her throat.

Her body tingled involuntarily at the alcohol she was savoring after a long time.

Even though it was just a glass of wine.

It’s an amount that wouldn’t make one drunk even after savoring it several times.

In her past life, Han Seoyeon often enjoyed much stronger drinks than this.

“─Huh?”

Logically speaking, would there be any lightweight in the world who would get drunk on just this much alcohol?

“Ah, hic. See, sen, ior…”

She feels good.

Like she could fly.

“With just th, is much, I’m not drunk, you know?”

“…”

“Huh? Somehow, my words are coming out slowly.”

She feels like her mind is floating.

“How about you, seniooor? Are you drunk at aaall?”

Han Seoyeon patted her chest.

“Trust me! Even if you’re drunk, I’ll protect youuu!”

Right after, her vision goes dark.

Just as Han Seoyeon’s face was about to fall to the floor─.

“─Huh?”

Michaela catches her chin, preventing it.

Their eyes meet.

She feels her senior’s hand on her chin.

“Heeung.”

Han Seoyeon.

Miserably defeated.

The night streets were shining with numerous neon sign billboards, but they certainly weren’t as bright as under the blue sky with radiant sunshine.

Therefore, even though two people with appearances far surpassing celebrities were walking around, with one of them in a drunken state, they didn’t attract much attention.

Occasionally, thugs trying to hit on them were disposed of with pure killing intent, without even needing to use abilities.

“Senior’s back… It’s warm…”

The girl whose memory had been cut off was even more honest with her desires than usual.

Han Seoyeon, being carried on Michaela’s back, savored the sensation of her back.

“Being carried like a princess is the best, but this isn’t bad either…”

Michaela indulged the girl’s whims.

It was just a small thing compared to the love she received from the girl named Han Seoyeon.

“Senior, thank you always.”

Thank you, she says.

That’s what Michaela should be saying instead.

Giving excessive love to a scabbard that merely took human form.

Even though she had refused, saying she couldn’t accept those feelings.

“And I’m sorry.”

For the same reason as before, there was no need to apologize either.

“For forcing you to play with me today.”

After all, it was Michaela herself who had said they could go out together anytime.

“─If it wasn’t today, it wouldn’t work.”

A pause.

Michaela couldn’t walk for a moment.

“If it wasn’t today.”

She could instinctively understand.

That it was related to Han Seoyeon’s secret.

Drunken truth.

Michaela didn’t want to learn Han Seoyeon’s secret in this way.

“Enough. Don’t say any more,”

“─Everyone might die. My precious siblings.”

Carrying the girl on her back, she couldn’t cover her ears.

Michaela ended up hearing Han Seoyeon’s story.

“There’s only a few days left, because a Gate will open. In the slums. No one cares about the slums, right? So I have to go. I have to save my precious siblings…”

As if she knew the future, Han Seoyeon muttered.

“Ehehe. Come to think of it, this was a secret from you, senior.”

“…”

Perhaps it’s just ordinary drunken rambling.

Maybe she’s just spouting nonsense while drunk.

“…A secret, huh.”

Michaela couldn’t ignore it, even if there was only a small possibility.

Because the girl was someone more precious than anything else in the world.