Date (2)

And then, the next morning.

After somehow finishing breakfast, Ethan and I stepped outside the annex just in time for our morning outing.

Agnes, who had said she had no intention of interfering with our date, was nowhere to be seen, having apparently left the annex early in the morning. Probably preparing for her trip alone as she mentioned.

To be honest, I was a bit uneasy about leaving her alone, but since she was someone who could take care of herself, I didn’t worry too much.

‘She’s a walking time bomb-anyone who messes with her will only end up getting hurt.’

If some pickpocket approached her thinking she looked easy, they’d be lucky to escape with just severe burns.

Lately, her temper seemed to have mellowed a bit, but you never know.

Of course, since Agnes would inevitably forget some essentials while preparing for her trip alone, I planned to pack some extra necessities for her. Things like bug repellent spray, for example.

‘Honestly, now’s not the time for me to be worrying about Agnes.’

For some reason, my chest felt tense-probably because it had been a while since I’d been on a date.

In fact, this was our first date since becoming lovers. Well, technically, we were only temporary lovers, but still.

Lately, I’d been feeling oddly flustered around Ethan, so it was only natural to feel nervous about this date.

I owed him so much in various ways recently. All that accumulated debt of gratitude must be weighing on me.

Especially regarding the matter with Machart-his help had been irreplaceable. From planning to execution, everything.

‘A wish is a wish, but I should still find some way to properly thank Ethan.’

Suggesting something lewd would make me seem too indecent, so I thought about giving him a modest gift that could convey my gratitude. I hadn’t decided what yet, though.

Fortunately, I didn’t have too little money on hand. I hadn’t brought it anticipating this situation, but I had saved up about ten gold coins just in case we had to stay in the imperial capital for a while. I’d heard the cost of living in the imperial capital was higher than in other towns or cities.

Of course, even if we splurged, we wouldn’t need to spend all ten gold coins, but having extra security wasn’t a bad thing.

With those thoughts in mind, I headed down to the first-floor lobby of the annex where we’d agreed to meet after breakfast and found Ethan already waiting in formal attire. The moment our eyes met, I quickened my pace slightly and approached him.

“Were you waiting long, Ethan?”

“No, I haven’t been waiting that long.”

“Well, of course. We just had breakfast together not too long ago.”

“…That’s true, but why did you ask if I was waiting, then?”

“It’s just a polite greeting. Normally, on a date, the person who arrives late says something like that to the one who’s been waiting.”

“…Really? How do you know that, Lilith?”

“……I just heard it somewhere.”

If that’s how it is, then just accept it. No need to pry.

Ethan was great in many ways, but he had a tendency to fixate on strange details. It wasn’t exactly a bad habit, but his excessive attention could sometimes feel a little burdensome.

“It’s not knowledge I gained from dating other men, so don’t worry, Ethan.”

“…No, that’s not what I meant.”

“Then what did you mean?”

“……”

“Never mind. Let’s just go. Freshness is the most important thing when it comes to food for long trips. Whether it’s smoked or pickled, we need fresh ingredients to avoid problems later. And if we don’t manage to get everything today, we might have to come back tomorrow.”

“…Yeah, you’re right.”

Our date started off a little awkward. Seriously, why focus on such trivial things?

This was our first date since becoming ‘temporary lovers,’ and this kind of atmosphere wasn’t good for either of us. And since we’d likely be stuck together for at least half the day, if this mood continued into the afternoon, my sanity might not survive.

I felt the need to lighten the mood a bit, and just then, Ethan’s empty left hand walking beside me caught my eye.

-Snap.

“Li, Lilith?”

“It’s a date, Ethan. Holding hands while walking is fine, right?”

“Ah, yeah. Of course…”

I didn’t bother adding unnecessary comments like how the guy should be the one to initiate hand-holding.

After all, I was half a guy myself, so there was no real issue with me taking the initiative.

If we were just going to wander around the market half-heartedly, barely talking, then calling this a date would be meaningless.

If it’s a date, we should at least start with a somewhat decent atmosphere…

‘Wait, hold on. The original purpose wasn’t even a date, was it?’

This was just an outing to buy supplies for a long trip-there was no real need to create this kind of atmosphere, right?

Thinking that, I suddenly felt a strange warmth from Ethan’s hand in mine-along with a belated realization of what I’d just casually done.

After all, Ethan was the one who liked me, while I didn’t have any romantic feelings for him. Maybe I shouldn’t have been the one to set this mood.

‘…But letting go now would just make things weirder.’

It seemed I’d have to continue the date like this, hand in hand.

At some point while walking around, an opportunity to let go would surely arise.

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

The shopping district of the imperial capital was, in many ways, a lively place.

With a wide road as its center, lined with shops on both sides, the scenery was reminiscent of a traditional market in my home country.

Of course, there were minor differences-the architecture was Western-style, and the goods sold were things you’d find in medieval or early modern Europe-but that was just the arrangement of the buildings.

An actual medieval European market probably wouldn’t have been this vibrant. The developers of 『Luminor Academy』 likely just wanted to create this kind of atmosphere. Recreating the smelly, cramped, and unsanitary reality of medieval markets would have been pointless.

The audience of 『Luminor Academy』 wanted to see the protagonist and heroines strolling through clean shopping streets, holding hands and chatting on dates-not squeezing through crowds, losing the heroine in the process, or getting into fights with thugs while pickpockets stole their wallets.

Naturally, to avoid unnecessary trouble, I chose the most plain and inconspicuous dress I could find. Even the simplest dress from the annex guest room still had a noble air, but among them, this pastel pink one was relatively modest.

“That dress looks nice on you, Lilith.”

“…Thanks, Ethan.”

I hadn’t worn it expecting compliments, but it didn’t feel bad to receive one.

After walking hand in hand into the shopping district for a while, Ethan quietly called out to me from my right.

“…Lili.”

“Yes. ……Huh?”

I was a little taken aback by the sudden use of the nickname without warning. Hadn’t we usually agreed on these things beforehand?

The nickname we’d used to emphasize our closeness in noble gatherings felt oddly unfamiliar in this unexpected situation.

“What? Can’t I call you Lili?”

“It’s not that you can’t, but… why so suddenly?”

“It’s a date. On dates, nicknames are fine, right? And since we’re lovers, nicknames are usually used more between lovers-not for show, but for each other.”

“…That’s true.”

“……”

“…Ed.”

A slight tension returned through our joined hands.

I’d been a little flustered by how casually he called me “Lili,” but it seemed Ethan wasn’t as calm as he appeared either.

In a normal romantic relationship, this would be the natural way to address each other. Nicknames were more about confirming affection than putting on a show.

So, calling each other like this wasn’t really strange… but still.

“Lili, want to go over there? There seems to be some kind of stall.”

“…Sure, Ed. A quick look should be fine.”

Every time I used the nickname I wasn’t accustomed to, my face burned-something I couldn’t control.