chapter_0220

“Let’s go on a date this weekend.”

“……”

The club room suddenly fell silent.

Clang! Leona dropped the dessert fork in her hand, and the fork left a mark on the table, smearing the cake. Rosalia’s plate tilted, and the piece of cake on it fell over.

No one paid attention to the mess. They all stared at Priscilla, who stood boldly in front of me. There were two reasons for this reaction.

The first was that someone was trying to break the delicate balance that had been surprisingly well-maintained, centered on me. The second was that the first person to do so was Priscilla.

Priscilla, who usually clung to me like a cat purring or a dog rubbing its face against mine, was the first to make a move.

“…… Why all of a sudden?”

I carefully modulated my expression and voice so as not to seem reluctant or annoyed, and asked the question. In reality, I didn’t feel that way at all. It was just a matter of time.

Rather, I was surprised that she had managed to survive the past seven years without me and had not fallen apart mentally. I had expected that Priscilla, with her clingy personality, would become even more dependent on me, and I was prepared for that.

“I like you. Do I need a reason?”

“Wow, that’s crazy…”

Rosalia mumbled, her mouth full of cake, not even bothering to chew. Elysier looked like she had seen some kind of alien creature, and Laura widened her eyes, as if questioning her own eyesight.

“…… Am I dreaming?”

Leona muttered softly, but it was loud enough to be heard in the quiet club room. Nika, who had been serving us, also stared at Priscilla with wide eyes.

Although this wasn’t the kind of reaction one would expect from someone who had just been asked on a date, it was understandable given that Priscilla was the first to make a move.

Of course, I was more concerned about how Priscilla would react to their responses than the reactions themselves, so I quickly took her wrist and led her out of the club room.

I didn’t care about the reactions of those around me, but just in case.

“Are you serious?”

I asked again after we had reached the very end of the corridor on the same floor as the club room, where I had cast a soundproof spell and a barrier.

“Do you dislike me?”

“No. I don’t dislike you at all.”

“Then it’s settled. Let’s go on a date. I like you, and you like me, so why hesitate?”

Was Priscilla always this straightforward?

I thought about it for a moment but quickly dismissed the idea. Among the people around me, Priscilla was the one who was the furthest from this kind of head-on approach.

So, why now?

‘Wait a minute.’

Eichenhart had mentioned that she had met with Priscilla and that I would soon find out the reason for her behavior. I decided to test the waters.

“Did Eichenhart tell you to do this?”

“……”

Priscilla flinched. Her unwavering gaze at me wavered, indicating that I was correct.

‘I guess so.’

Since Eichenhart had given her advice, she could be so confident in her words. I threw in another unlikely choice, just in case.

“Or did Rachel tell you… No, that can’t be right?”

“……”

Priscilla didn’t answer, but her fidgeting and hesitant lips indicated that I had hit the mark. I was quite surprised that she had sought advice from Rachel, as the two of them barely knew each other and, according to the novel’s setting, Rachel had never dated a man.

On the contrary, it meant that she was serious. Both of them barely knew each other and had rarely interacted, yet Priscilla had taken the initiative to ask for a date.

“You figured it out. Yes, Priscilla went to see them first.”

“…… So, what now?”

Priscilla’s face brightened again.

“Let’s go on a date.”

.

.

.

However, there was a big problem with hisconfident response.

‘…… How should I plan the course of the date?’

Neither Priscilla nor I had any experience in this area.

I went to an all-boys middle school and high school, and my path was set to become a magician. The only women I had ever been close to were my mother and my sister.

Priscilla had even less experience than me. She had been hit by her mother for wasting her good looks by staying indoors all the time. Of course, she didn’t go out even after being hit.

I couldn’t just wander around aimlessly, so I spent the whole night thinking about what I could do. It was fortunate that I had heard about Priscilla’s preferences from Eichenhart, even though I wasn’t sure if they would still apply.

And there were things I couldn’t do on my own, so I decided to ask for help.

-Hey

-? What’s up at this hour?

-Help me pick out some clothes

-What clothes? Just wear your usual sweats

-I’m going on a date

-Mm

The single letter ‘m’ was the last thing I heard before my phone started ringing nonstop.

“Hello?”

“Date?! Dateeeee?! Oh my God, you finally woke up! Good job, Kang Sung-ah! You’ve made it this far, well done! I’ll help you pick out some clothes for your date with your sister, so just wait!”

As soon as I picked up the phone, his excited voice rang out like a rapid-fire cannon. Every now and then, I heard an exclamation, as if she’d had a one-shot of beer.

I listened, dumbfounded, and then shot back.

“So, are you going to help or not?”

“Of course I’ll help! This noona is going to take a vacation right now and rush over, so just wait! If you move on your own, your back will break!”

Thanks to my sister’s position, Gang Yuna had been receiving various considerations without attracting attention. She was so excited that she approved the vacation and rushed me to the department store.

To be honest, I don’t remember much of what happened after that. I tried on so many clothes that they all started to look the same to me, but my sister insisted that they were different.

“Little brother, you know the current meta, right? As long as the other person isn’t an A-grade hunter or something, no one will care if you break the speed limit. If you feel the vibe, just go for it!”

“What are you talking about? You’re the one who should be breaking the speed limit. You’ll be turning 30 next year, so what are you talking about?”

“……”

Gang Yuna was hit hard by that one statement and sank.

I didn’t feel sorry for her. This crazy woman was urging me to break the speed limit on my first date with Priscilla, who she knew I was dating for the first time.

She even suggested that I get her pregnant on the first date. I was turning 30 next year, and she still didn’t have a boyfriend, so she must be out of her mind.

“Thanks for helping me pick out the clothes. I’ll find a suitable guy for you later.”

“…… Do you think smearing a wound with a sword and then applying a healing ointment will make it better, little brother?”

Well, that’s sad.

“……”

“……”

The next day, I arrived at the meeting place to find Priscilla, awkwardly smiling and wearing casual clothes.

To be precise, she was disguised as someone else with a necklace of transformation. I didn’t care, but since Priscilla was so famous, we had to do this to avoid a scandal.

I cast a spell to distort the perception of those around us and set up a barrier. Realizing my intention, Priscilla removed the necklace, and her true appearance was revealed.

She wore an off-shoulder sweater that showed off her shoulders, and her arms were covered with a sweater that started from her wrists, although it couldn’t be called a glove since it started from her wrists. A crossbody bag strap crossed her chest, and she wore a tight black skirt that ended at a very delicate length. Her thighs were covered with stockings, and her feet shone in black shoes.

It was a meticulously planned outfit. The makeup, accessories, and fashion all showed the work of a master, and it was obvious whose masterpiece it was.

“Was it your mother?”

“Yes. What about you?”

“My sister.”

“I see.”

We smiled at each other. Although we had physically transformed with the necklace, we felt like completely different people in a metaphorical sense.

“It suits you well.”

“Thank you. It suits you too, Mira.”

Priscilla blushed shyly and took my hand. I squeezed her hand, and she flinched, surprised.

“Where are we going?”

“…… That’s.”

“If you don’t have a reservation somewhere right now, do you want to go to the movies first?”

This time, it was my turn to be surprised. Going to the movies was the first thing that came to my mind with my limited imagination.

Did she know that I would suggest going to the movies and was being considerate, or did she really want to go herself? What was this?

As we wandered aimlessly, I took out my smartphone.

“I have a reservation for tickets, so we can go in after about 30 minutes—”

“I want to watch that one.”

Priscilla tugged at my sleeve and pointed to a poster. It was a poster for a melodramatic movie.

-You could play a porn movie instead of this, and no one would notice.

-It seems like the director is testing how many sex scenes he can include now that he’s 19.

“……”

When I saw the title, I vaguely remembered some reviews, and I cautiously asked, “Are you sure you want to watch that?”

“Yes.”