"Huh? You want to ask her out on a date?" I said with a curious tone drawing out a flustered response from the young man now in front of me.

"Please, lower your voice a little,"

I said that at an appropriate volume, though.

After Amanda had left, Keith had struck up a conversation with me, bearing a request. From what I could gather, even asking her out on a date was going to be a tall order for the introvert. And I once more had been roped into another request. I breathed out a sigh as I considered his proposition.

"Could you be bothered by our relationship?" Keith asked as he put his cup up to his face to hide his anxiousness.

"Well, no. What happened then stays in the past. And as of right now, all I'm here for is to ensure Amanda ends up with a suitable partner and a happy relationship." I said with a committed smile.

I'm not like an overprotective father for her, man. Although, her dad is really nice so tell him I said hi when you two meet.

I recalled as I looked at Keith, who now had the same intrigued face as before,

"You have the same look in your eyes as they did," He muttered under his breath, but I couldn't hear all of it as he once more faced me.

"Please, Mister Blaithe, may I ask for your assistance?"

I let out a Hmm as I considered it. Keith, while awkward, did seem set on wanting to continue this relationship. I didn't know the exact reason as to why, but I knew that the promise I had made to Amanda was more than enough of a motivation to aid him in his endeavor.

"Alright, I'll help you. But, reading up on your file. What brought this on, anyway?" I asked as a waitress took away the cups from our table.

"W-well, for now, I don't know if I can tell you..." He replied with a shy tone, once again looking away from me.

C'mon, man, I won't judge. I only do that to people I argue with on the internet.

"Alright, we can talk more about this tomorrow. Just message me the details and-" I was cut off as I stood up from my chair.

"Wait, I'd like to ask one last thing," I raised my eyebrow at that statement and slowly sat back down.

"I want to hear more about why you're so intent on helping Amanda find a new partner. I'm sorry if it sounds selfish given the circumstances." He stated in a subdued tone of voice.

"Well, I told you earlier, right? I just want to make sure she gets a good relationship this time. I thought that it was the company's fault at first since we were a match made a while back too. But looking back on it, I probably had more of a hand than they ever did."

They didn't really do much, though, so it's not like they even had a pinkie's worth of a hand in it.

I recalled with a hint of nostalgia on my expression. As I was pondering on it, however, a timid yet sweet smile appeared on Keith's face. Once he had caught me looking at him, he shook his head and composed himself.

Don't fall in love with me. I don't need this to be any more complicated than it already is.

"Excuse that. I just prefer listening to stories rather than telling them," Keith said with a more anxious smile. From this conversation of ours, I could tell that he wasn't just listening to me but also observing. The young man may have been poor at speaking, but he seemed very intent on listening. I let out a quiet snicker at that thought before standing up.

"Alright, I'll help you since you're so eager to hear the advice of a divorced 24-year-old. We can meet up tomorrow. Just send me the time and place."

"Really? Thank you." He said with for once a smile more befitting of someone in love.

I think that he and Amanda will be fine.

As I carried that thought within me, I exited the café bar, the wave of heat from the sun's rays hitting my cool skin.

It's already noon, huh.

I began walking to where the car was parked as I pondered on a few lingering thoughts. Keith's exact reason why he wanted to do this in the first place was still a mystery to me. But seeing as he seemed so eager to ask for my help, I knew at least he was determined to make the relationship work. Not only that, their personalities did seem to be compatible, at least on the surface level - to truly make sure that they can create a healthy and enjoyable relationship - having them interact more was the right call. And Keith was ready to create those opportunities.

Determination counts for something, I guess. But, there's a reason why teachers don't grade effort at school. For now, we had to make results.

I swallowed the last of those thoughts as I found the car and opened the passenger seat to enter.

"Sorry about that. Keith had some things to talk about," I said, buckling in my seatbelt.

"Is that so? Care to inform me about them?" Myla said as she began leaving the parking space, beginning our drive.

"Nope,"

"Don't act like a child,"

"Says the one who thought I'd actually not say anything," I said in a teasing manner as she let out a sigh.

"So, what was it?"

"Well, he wants to ask Amanda out on a date but wants my help. Other than that, he just wanted to find some things out about my past, I guess."

She let out a short Mhm in response before continuing.

"I see. I presume you've already scheduled a meeting for tomorrow then. We have ample time seeing as we don't have too many clients an-"

"Actually, well..." I cut her off with an anxious tone. The car slowed down, her gaze leaving the road and facing me with a curious expression.

I get that you have questions but put our safety first, woman.

"Can you leave me to handle this one? I know it's a bit of a strange thing to ask since I kind of left you in the dark about Hunter a few days back, too," I said with a subdued tone, uncommon to our conversations.

After all, if I showed any form of weakness towards her, she might prey on me like a Hyena watching an injured Gazelle.

After considering that, I saw that her face was a strange mix of irritation and anxiety. It's hard to explain, but seeing her like that made me consider my following words wisely.

"W-well, it's cau-" I tried to plead with her, but she cut me off, her gaze becoming emotionless and focusing on the road ahead.

"This isn't a job we're supposed to take lightly. Even a meeting like this could decide many things for this pairing. First impressions are important. And since this will be their first actual date, we have to be considerate and prepared. Not only that, I am obligated to aid not only in their relationship but in whatever you may be planning. There isn't a single logical or sound reason as to why I should allow you to plan this out on your own without my supervision. If you must be reminded, the last time we worked with Amanda, your emotions almost got the better of you. You are also still fairly new to this job and have very little experience in these types of requests. Do not let your experience in romance nor your age fuel your confidence. There is no telling what could happen." She said without stuttering once. Her massive information dump, while impressive and also sound, was uncharacteristic. Normally, she'd simply brush off my proposition and give a short response that amounted to a roundabout way of rejecting my idea and telling me I was stupid. But this time, it seemed there was more weight behind her reasoning. However, as much as I appreciated her strange willingness to help me, I would not let that outshine my resolve.

"Those are all good points, but I wanna take responsibility for this one," I said with a warm tone as I faced her with a determined expression. She gave me a short Hmm in response, curious to hear the rest of my reasoning.

"I know it's selfish, and I know that you could help me out a lot here. But, I want to keep a promise of mine, and I want to be sure that I can proudly say that I did more good for Amanda than bad on my own. Call it selfishness, pride, or downright stupidity. I just want to own up. So please, let me handle this request." I stated, mustering as much resolution in my voice as I could.

"Alright. I understand." My dear partner said, her cold voice for once drawing a genuine smile from my face.

"Well, damn! I didn't think you'd-" I was interrupted,

"Please, don't make me reconsider."

"Right, sorry."

I'm pushing my luck here. Maybe I should get a lottery ticket or get back into playing Gacha Games.

"But," My thoughts were cut off by her voice.

"If things do not go as planned, you are fully responsible for it." She said, her exasperated tone familiar to me.

"I'll keep it in mind."

"And also,"

"Hmm?" I looked at her face as the bright sun shone on it. The warm hues contrasted with her cold tone and expression as she opened her lips to speak.

"I am still your partner. If the need arises, I will aid you on this task." She said in an almost kind manner, her gaze never once leaving the road.

"What's that about? I complimented you earlier, and you tell me you'll actually help me out? Maybe the world will end tomorrow." I said with a short snicker as she let out a sigh.

"Perhaps, it might've been best to get a drink after all," She said with a tiny smirk on her tired expression.

So we can act like a team. Crap, the world might really end after all.

Still, it was strange for her to be in this mood. Earlier this morning, Myla seemed more irritated than usual. But now, she was eager to help me with Amanda and Keith's relationship. And while I didn't have a full grasp of her intentions. I knew they were good, and for once, I saw her in a positive light.

"Oh, we're here." I heard her voice state, as the car suddenly stopped, jolting me forward.

"Hopefully, you've read on our client's file," She said, opening the door and leaving her wounded partner.

Never mind, she's still rotten.

Those thoughts stuck with me for the rest of the day as we continued our familiar routine.

A day had passed, and I was currently waiting outside of a mall. The sun dipped behind the horizon as the clouds began to change their color. The brilliant oranges and yellows slowly turn into blues and indigos. The bustling outside was no surprise as those looking to relax after a day's work found respite in the mall's confines, their tired smiles as bright as the light emanating from the lamps outside the building. I sat on a bench near one of these lamps, awaiting the arrival of a young man, currently communicating with my dear partner on the situation.

"He's still not here, but it's still fairly early anyway. Btw do you want me to get you anything?"

"I see. For now, try to consider suitable locations to hold the date."

"You can pay me back tomorrow. No biggie."

"Fine, I'm looking for the next volume of the book I purchased at the convention. If you have the time, please ask around."

"Okidoki"

I snickered to myself as I put away my phone, a few footsteps making their way towards me.

"Ah, Mister Blaithe, you're quite early," Keith said as he sat down next to me.

"And so are you, keep this up, and you'll be ready for an actual date," I said with a warm smile towards the introvert.

"O-oh? Is that so?" He said as he began writing something down in a small notebook.

Just write it down on your phone. Maybe I should've brought Myla after all.

I swallowed that thought as we both stood up and headed inside the castle of commerce.