"Well... I was just wondering if..." She paused, then squared her shoulders. "Do you want to go out with ?"
Tasora, who was seated beside , leaned over with an exaggerated grin."Congratulations," she said cheerfully. "I already knew from your weirdly high-pitched voice, but I didn’t realize you were actually gay."
I let out a long, defeated sigh.
I turned my gaze back to Nagi and raised a finger at her.
"Phrasing," I emphasized carefully. "Learn how to do it, or else this unhinged girl will take advantage of everything you say and twist it completely out of context."
"Oh." Nagi blinked, clearly startled.
"I just ant that... um..." She hesitated, then spoke more carefully. "I’ve noticed I’ve been hanging out with a lot of people lately. And I kind of get the feeling you don’t like large groups very much. So I thought maybe it would be nicer and it would work for you if it were just the two of us."
Behind , Tasora made a sharp little sound.
Her ears perked up.
I did not even turn around. I simply reached back and covered her mouth with my hand like this was a practiced maneuver.
"Mmmph!"
Nagi continued, unaware of the ergency being actively contained behind her.
"And... you looked really down this morning. I thought maybe hanging out would cheer you up."
So that was the main reason, huh.
I looked at her, and sothing warm settled in my chest. Other than my family, she might have been the first person here who openly expressed concern about how I was doing.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
"Phwa!"
"Are you trying to kill ?" Tasora shouted, clutching her chest.
"Oh." I glanced at her. "My bad."
"I guess no practice for today, huh?" Tasora stood up, stretching.
"Works for . Honestly, every practice we do is just an experint I skip to those nerds anyway. But if I skip too often, I get reprimanded."
She headed toward the door, then suddenly stopped.
"Oh. Before I go."
She turned around and waved at us, smiling far too widely. Sothing about it made my skin crawl.
That smile.
That awful, mischievous smile.
She’s going to do sothing impulsive again, isn’t she?
"Hehe. Try using lube to loosen it up, works best for first tirs," she said cheerfully, before slamming the door shut.
I ripped my notebook off the desk and hurled it at the door with everything I had.
"Never co back!"
Silence followed.
"Hah..." I slumped forward.
Nagi hesitated, then turned toward slowly. "Um... lube?... what’s lube??"
Smack!
I facepald hard enough to see stars. This was no longer embarrassing. This was a full existential crisis.
"I swear, soday, I’ll return this favor tenfold, Tasora," I muttered into my hand.
Nagi moved closer, clearly worried now. "A-are you sure you’re okay? You don’t look okay."
"No, no. I’m fine." I straightened up far too quickly.
"Completely fine. Nothing is wrong with . Where were we? Oh yes! Hanging out. Yes! Let’s go hang out."
Her face lit up imdiately. "Really? Alright! Then why don’t we head back to the dorms, change, and go out?"
"Gladly," I replied with desperation.
Nagi looked genuinely happy about spending ti with .
As for , honestly, I just wanted to escape whatever nightmare Tasora had dragged us into.
After a quick stop at the dorms, I changed into sothing suitable for the cold. A dark coat lined with soft fabric, a scarf wrapped snugly around my neck, practical but still presentable.
Nagi was already dressed when I ca out, also in cold wear, though hers leaned unmistakably toward neutral tones. Clean lines, simple layers, nothing flashy. It suited her in a quiet, confident way.
We passed through the school gate together. The guard checked our class IDs, gave us a brief glance, then waved us through without comnt.
As soon as we were outside, I cleared my throat.
"Just so you know, I didn’t bring a single valis with ."
She stopped walking and proudly looked at .
"Not because I chose not to, but I invested all of it into Maku’s company." But I kept that comnt to myself.
Nagi puffed out her chest proudly and slapped a hand against it.
"No worries. This big brother will take care of everything for you."
I returned a warm smile at her.
"Anywhere you want to go? Anything you want to eat? Any place you want to visit?" she asked cheerfully.
For a mont, I rembered the novel. An entire Chapter is dedicated to characters doing nothing but eating. Pages and pages of lovingly described food. Back then, it felt excessive.
Now I wondered how it would taste in reality.
I nodded.
"I want to try grilled frul boar. Mint ice cream. Roasted seeds of limit. And the olet rice everyone keeps buzzing about."
Nagi snapped her fingers.
"Your wish is my command, master."
We grabbed a cab, and the ride was short. When we arrived at the comrcial district and stepped out, I stopped dead.
The view was overwhelming.
I had seen it before while traveling with Kaye toward the training grounds, but seeing it up close was completely different.
If I had to describe it, it looked like Switzerland stitched together with a futuristic city, layered over dieval foundations.
Alpine-style stone buildings lined the streets, their slanted rooftops glowing under floating screens filled with neon advertisents. Sleek tal reinforcents and luminous cables ran along the old architecture, and the air humd with magic and technology working in perfect harmony.
It felt unreal.
Nagi glanced at and smirked.
"Are you actually a country boy?"
"Not really," I replied honestly. "I’m just... sheltered. This feels like a whole new world to ."
"Well then," she said brightly, grabbing my sleeve, "let’s explore this new world together. Oh, look over there."
She was already dragging .
A food stall with a crackling grill sat on the corner, thick smoke curling into the air. A sign read: Grilled Frul Boar.
Before I could say anything, Nagi ran toward it.
"Twenty portions, please," she said without hesitation, handing over the money.
I walked up beside her, stunned.
"Isn’t that a bit much?"
"We haven’t eaten lunch yet," she replied casually. "No big deal."
The vendor laughed and handed us a large paper bag, grease already soaking through the bottom. The sll was incredible. Sweet and savory, with a hint of the rich aroma of roasted at.
We moved aside, and Nagi passed a skewer.
I stared at it.
Fantasy at.
For so reason, biting into this made nervous.
I took a careful bite.
The texture was tender, almost buttery, but with a satisfying chew. The outer layer was crisp, lightly charred, while the inside burst with juices that tasted faintly sweet, like roasted fruit blended into rich pork. Heat spread through my mouth, followed by a subtle tang that made imdiately want another bite.
My eyes widened. I had just discovered a new flavor and added it to my "must-learn" recipe list.
"Oh," I said quietly.
Nagi grinned. "Good, right?"
I nodded, already chewing again. "Very."
We stood there eating, steam rising from the skewers, my earlier tension slowly lting away with each bite.
We kept eating as we walked, the street alive with noise and movent.
Nagi suddenly slowed down, her eyes lighting up.
"Oh, there it is," she said, pointing excitedly.
Another stall stood just ahead, its display glowing a soft green. Mint ice cream. It radiated a sharp and refreshing scent even from a distance.
She did not hesitate and ordered four cups.
We found an empty bench nearby and sat down.
Or at least, it looked empty at first.
Only after sitting did I realize the truth. Every bench around us was occupied by couples. Leaning close. Sharing food. Laughing softly. So were openly holding hands, others whispering things that were definitely not ant for public hearing.
I stiffened. "Are they out of their minds?"
Nagi, on the other hand, was completely unfazed. She happily dug her spoon into the ice cream, eyes sparkling as she took a bite.
"Oh wow, this is actually so good. This is my first ti trying this flavor," she expressed.
I followed suit, cautiously tasting my own and doing my best to ignore the environnt.
"nom....mmmhnnnn!!!"
The cold hit first, sharp and clean, then blood into a smooth sweetness that spread across my tongue. It was refreshing in a way I had never experienced before, almost calming, like a breeze through my head.
Another new "must-learn" recipe has just been added to the list.
I was just starting to relax when a scream cut through the air.
"Help! A burglar!"
I saw a middle-aged runing explosively fast and was trying to escape in the alleyway.
I set my cup down carefully on the bench, the spoon clinking softly against the rim.
I stood and rubbed my ring on my index finger.
"Laedingr," I muttered.
The ring responded instantly. Light particles spilled out, spiraling around my arm like glowing dust. They gathered, solidified, and ford the familiar glove, followed by chains that wrapped snugly around my forearms.
I flexed my fingers once, feeling the weight settle into place.
I sighed.
"Finally, sothing that is actually romantic."
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