Solria, Shopping District (Kyle POV)

A strange sense of deja vu blossomed in my head as I walked through the shopping district for the second time today. I turned to my side with a wry smile to see a blank-faced Aria as we followed behind Alain and Lillian. It felt like I was right back in Delhurst as I watched the crowd of people in front of us respectfully split down the middle to let us pass through unhindered. The sound of Lillian humming a happy tune was slightly drowned out by the noise of the people around us, but the smile on her face was apparent for all of us to see.

The four of us passed by dozens of shops and stores on our way to Lillian’s favorite restaurant while Alain tried to chat to Aria and me about Lucy before Lillian called out to us.

“It’s right around the corner here. Follow me!” (Lillian)

Lillian led the way as we all rounded the corner into a large alleyway that split off from the main road before stopping in front of a quaint looking tavern. A large wooden sign which had the words ‘Silver Dragon Tavern’ written below a picture of a silver-colored dragon silhouette was mounted above the doors. Lillian stared at the front of the tavern for a moment before turning around to us with a lively look in her eyes.

“Alright, everyone! Welcome to the Silver Dragon Tavern. It might not be the most high-class place in the capital, but it’s my own little hidden gem that I’ve found recently. Admittedly, I’m a bit of a self-proclaimed gourmet, and I’ve been to almost every restaurant here, so just trust me when I say it’s got some of the best food in the capital. There’s even a nice cozy ambiance to boot. So what do you think?” (Lillian)

Lillian stood there with her hands on her hips as she proudly smiled at us with twinkles in her eyes like she was waiting to be praised.

Hmm, I honestly expected something more... aristocratic. I thought for sure that she was gonna drag us to some super expensive restaurant reserved for the upper echelons of nobility when she mentioned it was her favorite one, but this is fine too. It might even be better to just enter a nice, simple tavern like this so I don’t have to deal with any stuck-up members of high-society. Besides, I can’t help but get a little bit nostalgic when seeing such a perfectly generic RPG-style tavern like this. And she said it even has some of the best food in the capital, right? Well, let’s see just how good it is then.

I smiled back at Lillian and gave her a thumbs up as a sense of anticipation bubbled up inside of me.

“Well, I’ve always had a soft spot for cozy aesthetics like this, so nice job, Lillian!” (Kyle)

“Yeah, me too. I always hated it whenever I had to dress formally and act like a snob for some dumb dinner party, so something like this is more of my style. If the food’s as good as you say, I might even bring my little angel, Lucy, next time.” (Alain)

“What about you, Captain Aria?” (Lillian)

“It looks good.” (Aria)

“Alright, let’s go, then!” (Lillian)

Lillian twirled around again and began to lead us in as we followed her into the tavern. The doors smoothly opened as the dozen or so customers sitting at the wooden tables looked over at us while we made our way through the entrance. People ranging from well-dressed merchants to lightly armored adventurers seemed to recognize Lillian as they laughed and called out cheerfully to her instead of avoiding us like the people on the street did, and Lillian waved to everyone with a smile on her face too.

“Looks like Miss Lillian’s back today!”

“Yep, how’s everyone doing today?” (Lillian)

“Oh, we’re all trudging along. Oi, Miss Ellie! Miss Lillian’s back and it seems like she brought some friends with her today too! Why don’t you come out and take her order like usual?”

One of the rough looking adventurers dressed in leather armor called out towards the kitchen area at the back of the tavern, and a moment later a female voice sounded out from the back as the curtains covering the entrance to the kitchen separated to reveal a young woman who looked like she was around Lillian’s age.

“Yeah, I’ll be right over.”

She was wearing a waitress outfit and ran over enthusiastically while holding a few menus in her hands.

“Hey, welcome back, Lillian. What can I do for you today?”

“Hi, Ellie. Get us a table for four, please.” (Lillian)

“Sure, no problem. Follow me.” (Ellie)

The waitress, Ellie, smiled at us before turning around and leading us to an empty table near the back. We took our seats and she handed us some menus, but right after we all settled in, the sound of the front door opening again caught her attention.

“Ah, please wait right there. I’ll be over in a second. Sorry, I guess you all can just look at the menu for now. I’ll be right back.” (Ellie)

Ellie turned to us with an apologetic smile on her face before running back to the front counter and grabbing another menu to go help the person that just came in. I opened up the menu in my hands and gave it a quick glance as Lillian called out to us with a proud smile on her face.

“Alright. Don’t worry, I’ve already had every dish here, so since Ellie’s busy right now, just ask me if you have any questions.” (Lillian)

“Ok, will do.” (Kyle)

The Silver Dragon’s menu matched the cozy, rustic atmosphere, and most of the dishes looked like they were just simple, home-style cooking that even I could make. There wasn’t too much on the menu and there was no sight of any flashy entrees with rare, premium ingredients or anything like that, but all the dishes were neatly lined up with a few pictures here and there, and the names were straightforward enough that you could tell what the food would be like just by reading it. A few moments passed as everyone except Lillian scanned the menu before Ellie returned to our table and pulled out a notepad as she got ready to take our orders.

“Alright, sorry for the wait. What can I get you all?” (Ellie)

“I’ll just have the usual, Ellie.” (Lillian)

“Sure, no problem, Lillian. What about the rest of you?” (Ellie)

“Give me the porkchop skewers with a side of pasta.” (Alain)

“Ok, and what about you two?” (Ellie)

Ellie stared at me and Aria after taking Alain and Lillian’s orders. A moment passed by as I thought about what I should have before pointing to the menu.

“Hmm, let me get the roast chicken over rice then.” (Kyle)

“Ok. And you, Miss?” (Ellie)

Ellie turned to Aria, who was still reading through the menu, but it seemed like she didn’t notice Ellie until Lillian tried to get her attention.

“Would you like some more time, Captain Aria?” (Lillian)

Lillian’s voice seemed to surprise Aria a bit as she stopped staring blankly at the menu and cleared her throat before placing her order.

“Ahem. No, it’s alright. Just give me the beef and potatoes.” (Aria)

“Ok, no problem. I’ll put your orders in right now. Your food should be ready in a few minutes.” (Ellie)

Ellie finished writing in her notepad with a smile and returned to the kitchen as I took another look around at the decor. The tables were spread out a bit sparsely, but the lively background noise and occasional prop weapon hung up on the walls made me feel like I really was sitting in a genuine RPG tavern. Sunlight shone in through the windows by the entrance and I propped my chin up on my hand as I stared across the tavern and out the window to see a few people walk by the storefront. A faint smile crept its way onto my face as I took in the scenery before I heard Lillian talk to me in a gentle voice.

“It’s a nice atmosphere isn’t it?” (Lillian)

“Yeah. You know, I think it’s nice to just have some ordinary peaceful days like this.” (Kyle)

“We should come here more often then. This tavern just opened about two months ago, so not many people know about it right now, but I’m pretty sure it’ll be packed every day by the end of the year.” (Lillian)

“Really now? Well, guess we should enjoy the atmosphere while we still can then.” (Kyle)

I turned back to everyone else with a smile as Alain cheerfully asked about possibly meeting up next week too.

“Yeah, we should all go out together next week too. There’s this famous pastry shop that my little Lucy always goes to, so we can get dessert there afterward.” (Alain)

“Yeah, that sounds great. How about it, Captain Aria?” (Lillian)

“... It’s fine to relax every once in a while, but as knights of the Empire, we should devote ourselves to training instead of slacking off.” (Aria)

“...Understood, Captain Aria.” (Lillian)

Alain and Lillian leaned back in their seats with disappointed faces and I stared at them moping for a second before letting out a sigh as I turned to Aria with a defeated look on my face.

“Lighten up a bit, would you?” (Kyle)

“I think I’ve lightened up a bit too much already. As a knight captain, I should be a hardworking role model for my subordinates, not goofing off with them.” (Aria)

Role model? Well, you know what they say, never meet your heroes, because they're sure to disappoint you. I don’t get it. It’s not like they’re gonna lose all respect for you just for opening up to them a little more.

“Again with this? Look, your subordinates are literally trying to get to know their role model better, and their role model is rejecting them.” (Kyle)

“Getting to know me better won’t change our relationship. I’ll still be their captain, and they’ll still be my subordinates. If anything, they’re wasting time that could be spent training.” (Aria)

Aria crossed her arms with a slight frown on her face as she leaned back in her chair. I sighed before slamming my head into the table once I saw how stubborn she was gonna be.

I don’t know what I expected. I figured that she wouldn’t budge so easily, but come on, at least try. Should I just tell her the truth? Well, knowing her, she probably won’t let up unless I’m blunt about it, and I feel like just letting this go on is only going to make it worse, so I might as well go all in.

“What, you think that they won’t accept you if you’re not a ‘serious knight captain?’ Well, they already know about your fake personality, and even after they found out they were being lied to all this time, they still tried to get to know you. So just be honest with them for once and be yourself. I’m trying to help here, and you’re making it really hard.” (Kyle)

“...Eh? Wait, what?” (Aria)

Aria sat there and stared blankly at me for a moment as she tried to process everything my muffled voice just said before turning her head mechanically to Alain and Lillian who had guilty looks on their faces. Lillian gave out a dry chuckle as she looked out the windows for a moment to try and avoid eye contact before telling Aria about our conversation earlier.

“Haha, about that… sorry, Captain Aria! Ky already told us the truth. It’s ok if you’re not serious all the time, you’re still our Captain, and we wouldn’t think any less of you if you weren’t serious. We’ve heard about what you’ve been through, and neither of us can deny that you’re someone who’s experienced a lot. You’re definitely a strong knight who’s completely worthy of our respect, but we don’t want to just know ‘Knight Captain Irisveil’... we want to know our real Captain Aria too. So if you’re ok with it, please be the real you.” (Lillian)

“Yeah, honestly, it always kind of felt awkward when you were like that anyway. We’d much rather have a captain that we can talk to and have fun with.” (Alain)

Alain and Lillian stared at Aria with determined glints in their eyes as they finally let out their thoughts. Aria stared back at them for a moment before an embarrassed fluster crept up on her face. She dropped her arms and lowered her head as I sat back up again before turning to her.

“See, they don’t care if you’re super serious or not. They genuinely just want to get to know you for who you really are.” (Kyle)

“...Wh-...Wh-...” (Aria)

“What?” (Kyle)

“Why did you tell them!?” (Aria)

Aria sprung towards me angrily as she grabbed me by the collar and violently shook me back and forth.

“Didn’t I specifically tell you to keep quiet about it!?” (Aria)

“Argh! Stop! I just wanted to help!” (Kyle)

“Wait! Captain Aria, it’s not his fault! We were the ones who asked in the first place!” (Lillian)

After a moment, Aria finally stopped shaking me and I collapsed on the table while she covered her face with her hands and muttered to herself before Lillian guiltily called out to her.

“...Um, Captain Aria, if it means anything to you, we’re really sorry. If you don’t want us to know, then we can just leave right now and forget any of this ever happened.” (Lillian)

An awkward silence surrounded the table for a moment before Aria let out a sigh and finally put her hands down to reveal a defeated look on her face.

“It’s fine. You two already know the truth anyway…” (Aria)

“Yeah, I already told you two the truth, so don’t let up and keep trying, otherwise she’ll never come out of her shell and all this pain I’ve suffered through will be in vain.” (Kyle)

“This is your damn fault in the first place!” (Aria)

Aria started whacking me as I was trying to get back up and I helplessly reached out to Alain and Lillian with tears in my eyes.

“Don’t look away! These are Aria’s true colors! Are you sure this is the person you two want to know!? Go on, you can still run!” (Kyle)

A few minutes later, Aria sat there with her head held in her arms after she finally stopped beating me up. She was in the middle of talking with Alain and Lillian when Ellie finally came back holding a large tray with our meals.

“Sorry for the wait, you guys. If there’s anything else you need, just let me know.” (Ellie)

I stared at the plates of food as Ellie laid them out on the table, and a delicious fragrance permeated the air as we all grabbed our respective meals before Lillian’s voice rang out.

“Alright everyone, let’s dig in!” (Lillian)

Alain and Lillian began to wolf down their food while I poked at the roast chicken on my plate with my fork before taking a small bite. The chicken was crispy on the outside while still maintaining a tender juiciness on the inside indicating that it was cooked at the perfect temperature. The taste was a little bland for me, but that was probably because of the light seasoning. However, other than that, I had to admit, Lillian was right when she said the food was good. After all, whoever cooked this probably didn’t have the time to get as much experience as me in cooking, so being this good was already beyond my expectations.

A slight smile showed itself on my face as I thought about a few ways this recipe could be improved while taking small bites of my meal, but after a moment, I was brought back to my senses by Lillian’s voice.

“How is it? The food’s great, right?” (Lillian)

“Yeah, it’s fantastic! I’m definitely gonna bring Lucy next time.” (Alain)

“Well, I gotta admit, this is probably the best restaurant I’ve ever been to. Nice find, Lillian.” (Kyle)

I replied to Lillian cheerfully before taking a sip of water from my cup. However, as I put my cup down, I saw Alain turn to Aria and ask her what was wrong.

“Is there something wrong with your food, Captain Aria?” (Alain)

I looked to my side to see that Aria was just staring at her plate after taking just a few bites.

“No, nothing’s wrong. It’s just that I can’t get used to the flavor.” (Aria)

“Is the taste weird? Let me ask Ellie to remake it then.” (Lillian)

“Eh? It’s alright, it still tastes good. It’s just that it’s a bit different compared to what I’m used to.” (Aria)

“Different? Did they put in some seasoning or something? Here, let me see.” (Kyle)

I reached over to Aria’s plate and stabbed a piece of beef with my fork before popping it into my mouth. The juices spread out as I chewed on the beef and the consistency and texture were almost the same as how mine usually turned out, but Aria was right, the taste was slightly different compared to how I usually made it. I sat there for a second thinking about what the difference was when Aria turned to me after taking another bite of her food.

“See, it’s not as sweet compared to what you usually make.” (Aria)

“Ah, you’re right. Why didn’t I think of that? Anyway, I’m impressed you could even tell there was such a minute difference compared to mine.” (Kyle)

“Of course. How many times do you think I’ve had your cooking, especially your beef and potatoes?” (Aria)

Aria crossed her arms with a proud look on her face as Lillian stared at us with a slightly flushed face.

“Eh? Wait, Captain Aria, what do you mean by that? Ky cooks for you?” (Lillian)

“Yeah, he does every day. In fact, I think you’ve seen his cooking before.” (Aria)

“I have?” (Lillian)

“He’s the one who makes all of my lunchboxes.” (Aria)

Aria pointed at me as Alain put down his fork and butted into the conversation.

“Wait, I always thought a chef from your household made them, or maybe even you yourself, Captain Aria.” (Alain)

“I’m only good at chopping vegetables and I can’t cook at all, but at this point, Ky is basically my chef, so I guess you’re sort of right. Anyway, back to the point. Like I said, the food’s still good, just a little more bitter than I’m used to.” (Aria)

“Well, they do say that the taste of love makes everything a little sweeter.” (Lillian)

Lillian giggled a little bit as Aria coughed in surprise before covering the lower half of her face with her hand, but I ignored my surroundings for a moment as a serious glint shined in my eyes while my chef’s soul got riled up from what Lillian said.

“Taste of love? Well, I admit I do love cooking a lot, but let me tell you, Lillian, there’s no such thing as nonsense like the taste of love. Cooking is a series of purely physical interactions between ingredients that’s guided by a chef’s hand. For example, the slight decrease in sweetness was probably due to the chef not cooking the onions enough. You see, when onions are heated up they turn brownish in a process called caramelization, which makes the large, complex sugars inside the onion break down into smaller, simpler ones, releasing a sweet flavor, which is then usually absorbed by the meat in dishes like beef and potatoes. It’s a complicated chemical reaction, and it’s reactions like this that are usually attributed to some fake, immaterial factors like the taste of love by people who know nothing about cooking. Well, since you probably don’t cook, I can’t blame you this time, but it irks my chef’s soul whenever people think that the art of cooking is so easy.” (Kyle)

“...Eh?” (Lillian)

Alain and Lillian stared at me in utter confusion as I relaxed before starting to eat my food slowly again with a smile on my face.

A while later, a table full of empty plates filled my field of vision and Aria was talking with Alain and Lillian when Lillian finally asked Ellie for the bill.

“Ellie, we’re all finished, so could we get the bill?” (Lillian)

“Yeah, sure.” (Ellie)

“Thanks!” (Lillian)

Ellie started making her way towards the front counter while Lillian turned back to us all with a smile.

“I think it was really fun having lunch together like this, and I promise that we won’t slack off even a bit in training, so if you don’t mind me asking again... Captain Aria, would you like to come out for lunch with us again next week?” (Lillian)

“Yeah, we won’t tell anyone else about your act if you don’t want us to, but at least come out with us for lunch every once in a while so we can actually talk.” (Alain)

Lillian gave Aria a gentle smile while Alain looked towards her with an expectant look in his eyes as Aria sat there for a second with her arms crossed. After a moment, a slight fluster crept up on her face as she looked away in embarrassment before replying with a quiet voice.

“Well... as long as you two don’t slack off, I guess I can put aside a little time next week.” (Aria)

“Alright!” (Lillian)

“We did it!” (Alain)

Alain and Lillian started celebrating as Aria’s face got a little bit redder and I looked to my side before nudging her lightly with my elbow as I couldn’t resist teasing her a bit about it.

“Wow, it must be tough being this popular. I wonder what your secret is?” (Kyle)

“S-Shut up!” (Aria)

I laughed at Aria a bit as Alain and Lillian finished their little celebration and Ellie came back with the bill.

“Alright, here you go. Just bring it up to the counter whenever you’re ready.” (Ellie)

“Sure, no problem, Ellie. Don’t worry guys, I said I would pay for lunch today, and I’m a knight of my word.” (Lillian)

Ellie walked back to the counter as Lillian cheerfully reached into her right pocket and rummaged around.

“...eh?...” (Lillian)

She pulled out her hand out of her pocket and stared at her empty palm for a moment before rummaging through her left pocket with a panicked look on her face.

“...Eh!?...” (Lillian)

Lillian pulled out her empty hand again and the cycle repeated itself as she checked the inner pockets of her jacket to no avail before she finally stared back at us with a nervous smile plastered on her face.

“...U-Um, it seems that I left my wallet back at the barracks…” (Lillian)

We all sat there at a loss for words before Alain stood up with a determined look on his face.

“It’s alright, Lillian. I was the one who suggested we go out for lunch in the first place, so let me pay for it this time.” (Alain)

Alain smiled at us all before tears burst out of Lillian’s eyes as she started apologizing.

“I’m sorry, Alain! I even promised to pay and everything! I’m a failure as a knight and a noblewoman!” (Lillian)

“Err, calm down. You’re not a failure, you just forgot your wallet this time. Look if it makes you feel any better I was going to try and pay for next week’s meal anyway, so you can just pay for it next week instead.” (Alain)

Alain picked up the bill and started making his way towards the counter as we all got up after him and followed. I gave a dry laugh and Aria sighed as Lillian’s wailing finally died down right before we reached the counter. Alain placed the bill down on the countertop as he called Ellie over.

“Excuse me, Miss Ellie. We’re ready to pay.” (Alain)

“Sure, no problem.” (Ellie)

Ellie smiled at Alain, and he smiled back for a moment before taking a step back and grabbing the front of his uniform with both hands. A passionate flame lit up in his eyes as he pulled open his uniform jacket with gusto to reveal the horrifying sight of hundreds of pictures of Lucy lining the inside.

“Alright. You can have any picture of my little angel, Lucy, so take your pick. Personally, I recommend this one right here. It’s one of my favorites.” (Alain)

Crap! I knew I forgot about something! He was acting so normal before that I actually believed he was a good person for a second there! Should I call the city guard over? No, wait, even if he's a lunatic, he's still a knight, so they probably can't do much to him.

Ellie stared at Alain with a dumbfounded expression and a slightly frightened look in her eyes as he pointed to a picture of Lucy standing by a lake. We all stood there at a loss for words before Aria immediately whacked him in the head and sent him flying to the floor.

“Who the hell tries to pay for a meal with a picture of their sister!” (Aria)

“I didn’t want to part with one of my most precious belongings either! Every one of these pictures is priceless, but I also left my wallet at the barracks!” (Alain)

“Then why try to pay!?” (Aria)

An awkwardness pervaded the atmosphere as Alain’s muffled and indignant voice from the floor was drowned out by Aria’s yell before she cleared her throat and apologized to Ellie.

“Ahem. I would like to formally apologize for my subordinate’s behavior, Miss Ellie. It seems that he’s currently not right in the head. I’ll make sure that he’s a bit more disciplined next time, so please just ignore what you just saw.” (Aria)

“Sorry about that Ellie. Alain’s a little… abnormal sometimes, but usually he’s a nice guy…” (Lillian)

“...O-Ok… Well then, I’m, uh... ready whenever you are…” (Ellie)

I let out a sigh as I watched Aria kick Alain a bit while he was on the ground before stepping past him on the ground.

“It’s ok, I’ll just pay for it this time, and don't worry, I have actual money on me.” (Kyle)

“I-I’m sorry, Ky! Making the guest I invited out for lunch pay for my meal, I really am a failure! Not just as a knight and a noblewoman, but as a person! I can’t, no, I won’t let you do this!” (Lillian)

“Lillian, it’s ok! You’re not a failure! You just forgot your wallet! It happens to everyone! So, get off of me already!” (Kyle)

Lillian clung to me as she started crying her eyes out about how she was a failure and Aria had to help me wedge her off before holding her back while I walked over to the counter. I pulled out my wallet and put some actual money onto the counter as I let out a sigh.

“Alright, that should cover it. Sorry about this whole fiasco…” (Kyle)

“... No, it’s alright. Haha…” (Ellie)

Ellie gave me a dry laugh while she handed me back my change to the sound of Lillian’s unintelligible cries in the background and I thanked her before Aria and I dragged Alain and Lillian out the door.

“Thank you.” (Kyle)

“...Uh, sure, no problem. Hope to see you all again... I guess...” (Ellie)

Solria, Middle District (Aria POV)

The beautiful purple sunset behind me filled the sky as the sound of steady footsteps mixed in with the light breeze. It was now early evening, and I was currently walking home with Ky following right behind me.

After eating lunch, we returned to the barracks so Alain and Lillian could pick up their wallets before going off to explore the city together. We visited a few historical landmarks and even the castle before returning to the shopping district to check out the market, where we parted ways once the sun began to set.

Well, I guess I didn’t get to spend the day with Ky the exact way I wanted to... but today was still pretty fun. And anyway, it’s not like it was a complete waste of time. I got this at least, didn’t I?

I held my hand out in front of me and opened it up to reveal a small hair ornament as the edges of my mouth curved upwards into a gentle smile. The simple-looking hair clip had the design of a small white flower on it and I stared at it before closing my eyes.

While we were shopping at the market before, Lillian dragged us into an accessory shop. Since I never really wore any accessories, Lillian told me I should try a few, but I didn’t really like the showy ones made of jewels or precious metals that Lillian said would look nice on me. So once everyone split up on their own in the store, I just waited by the entrance for them to be finished. But after a few minutes, Ky walked over and handed me a small gift bag. And inside was the hair clip I was holding in my hands right now.

After a few moments, I finished running through my memories. Ky and I continued to walk along the road for a bit while I was deep in my thoughts when suddenly, the sound of his voice brought me back to my senses.

“Today was pretty nice, wasn’t it?” (Kyle)

“Even though all we did was waste time today, I have to admit, it wasn’t too bad.” (Aria)

“Well, did you enjoy yourself at all?” (Kyle)

“...Yeah, a bit.” (Aria)

“Then you had fun. And honestly, that’s all that matters. Look, people are emotional, and sometimes the most trivial reasons will drive them to do the stupidest things. That’s just the way we are, and nothing can change that. So, I think that as long as something nice happened, even something as insignificant as the fact that you had some fun... then today wasn’t a waste of time at all.” (Kyle)

“Really?” (Aria)

“Yeah.” (Kyle)

The most trivial reasons drive people to do the stupidest things, huh?

The slight warmth from the waning sunlight enveloped me and the noise from my surroundings slowly disappeared as I held the hair clip close to my chest. I could feel my heartbeat as a fuzzy feeling spread out from deep inside of me and circulated through my body. I stopped in my tracks as Ky stopped behind me too and a moment passed while I silently gathered my courage. And then, the warmth from that fuzzy feeling overtook the sunlight’s warmth.

“...Hey, Ky... Can I ask you something?” (Aria)

“Sure, what is it?” (Kyle)

“Why did you give me this hair clip?” (Aria)

“... What kind of dumb question is that?” (Kyle)

Eh?

I heard Ky let out a disappointed sigh and I gripped the hair clip in my hands before twirling around with an angry face. I was about to yell at him, but before I could even finish a single word, he cut me off.

“Wha-” (Aria)

“Are you stupid? Of course it’s because I thought it would look good on you.” (Kyle)

The scene that met my eyes was Ky with a beaming smile as the brilliant colors from the gentle sunset behind him streaked across the evening sky. The street was illuminated with a faint purple glow and I could just barely make out the beautiful city skyline slightly downhill as a breeze blew by and made his hair flutter a bit in the wind. But despite the stunning backdrop to this scene, I couldn’t help but stare at Ky.

I immediately shut my mouth and felt blood rush to my head as a deep blush covered my whole face, even to the tips of my ears. One of my hands shot up to cover my uncontrollable, shaky smile while the other one held the hair clip. And I turned right back around before responding in a quiet voice.

“R-Really?... T-Thanks, then…” (Aria)

I stood still for a moment as I tried to calm my nerves before Ky called out to me again.

“Hey, are you ok?” (Kyle)

“Y-Yeah, I’m fine. Let’s go home and have dinner.” (Aria)

I started walking as fast as I could, almost like I was running away from Ky, but a few unsteady steps later, I let out a short squeal as he caught up with me and swept me off my feet into a princess carry. I unconsciously curled up a bit in surprise and I could feel his heartbeat at my side as any remaining blood I had left rushed to my face making my blush turn a brilliant crimson red. I tried to open my mouth and say something, but the only thing that came out was some faint gibberish as Ky let out a sigh and began to slowly walk back home while carrying me.

“Alright, you’re obviously not well, so just go back home and rest for a bit. Look, you have to start telling me when there’s something wrong, otherwise, it’ll be like the whole practice sword situation all over again!” (Kyle)