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Chapter 204: Traitors (5)
After finishing our shopping at the clothing store.
Yurina and I decided to stop by a restaurant on the upper floors of a tall building to grab a bite and get a view of the bustling streets below.
As expected of a somewhat pricey restaurant, the atmosphere inside was pleasant, and the food tasted excellent.
But...
“…How long are you planning to hold that thing like it’s a treasure?”
I asked Yurina, who was tightly hugging a small shopping bag as if it contained a priceless artifact, even while eating.
“Huh, huh?!”
“Wouldn’t it be better to just set it down next to you while you eat?”
“N-no! It’s fine!”
Yurina hurriedly shook her head, clutching the shopping bag even tighter to her chest.
What kind of underwear did she buy to be reacting like this?
I was curious, but I decided not to press the issue.
“Anyway… There’s not even a hint of suspicious movement, let alone any demons.”
Clicking my tongue, I glanced out the window.
Though the streets below were bustling with activity, there wasn’t a single person acting suspicious.
“Should we consider changing our investigation location?”
“Well… For now, let’s just take Professor Elisha’s advice and enjoy the date.”
“Okay!”
After finishing our meal, Yurina and I stepped outside.
“Let’s see… Where should we go next?”
“I already chose a place earlier, so now it’s your turn to pick, Dale!”
Yurina smiled brightly, her eyes sparkling as she looked at me.
“Even if you say that… I can’t think of anywhere.”
Having little experience with this sort of thing, no places came to mind.
“Don’t overthink it. Just pick somewhere.”
“Hmm… Then how about a café?”
After much deliberation, I chose a destination that was, admittedly, rather bland and predictable.
But...
“Sure, sounds great!”
Even such a simple suggestion brought a radiant smile to Yurina’s face.
So, we headed to a nearby café.
Though we hadn’t researched it in advance, for some reason, the café was packed with couples.
“Look at this, Dale! If you order the special couple’s menu, you get a 30% discount, and if you succeed in the challenge, it’s completely free!”
“…So that’s why there are so many couples here.”
I let out a small laugh and asked,
“What kind of challenge is it?”
“Um… Let me see.”
Yurina slowly read through the words on the menu.
“So, apparently… you bite into a cookie soaked in coffee from both ends and, before it breaks in the middle, you… k-k-kiss?!”
Fire seemed to spark in Yurina’s eyes as she read the event details.
“Dale! Let’s do it right away!”
“…Seriously? You want to try that?”
“If we succeed, it’s free!”
Yurina coughed awkwardly before ordering the special couple’s menu.
Soon, the server brought out a long cookie soaked in coffee and placed it in a dish.
“Alright~! You two just need to bite the cookie from both ends and eat it before it breaks. Good luck!”
The cheerful server explained the challenge with a smile.
And then…
“……”
“……”
Yurina and I bit into the cookie from opposite ends and locked eyes.
As we carefully nibbled our way toward the center, drawing closer and closer to each other…
“Uhh… Uhhhhh!!!”
Was it the anticipation of a long-awaited dream about to come true?
Yurina tightly shut her eyes and began flailing her feet.
Huff, huff!
Her breathing grew heavier as her excitement reached its peak.
And then—
Snap.
The cookie broke without warning.
Perhaps because it was soaked in coffee, it snapped easily from the slightest pressure.
“Ah.”
A soft sigh escaped Yurina’s lips.
“Oh~ So close! You failed this time, but come back again for another chance!”
“…I’ll…”
“Pardon?”
“I’ll try again! One more time!”
“I’m sorry, but the event is limited to one try per day….”
“N-no way…!”
The server left with an apologetic smile, while Yurina hung her head in despair.
“Ughhh…”
I chuckled softly as I watched her let out a sigh so heavy it seemed it might sink the floor.
“Why are you so obsessed with kissing all of a sudden?”
“Well… It’s just… I’ve never done it before.”
Yurina muttered with a dejected look.
“Then should we just do it here and now?”
“R-right now?”
“Yeah. It doesn’t have to be part of an event, does it?”
If Yurina wanted to kiss that badly, I didn’t see any reason to refuse.
In the past, I hesitated because my feelings weren’t clear, but now, I had resolved myself.
“Uhh…”
Yurina glanced around nervously, biting her lip.
After a long, agonizing moment of deliberation, she lowered her head and spoke.
“…Not now. It’s okay.”
“Why not?”
“I want the first time… to be in a more romantic setting.”
She lightly touched her lips with a clenched fist and a determined expression.
Knowing her real “first,” I could only stifle a wry smile internally.
“Shall we head out now?”
“Yeah, let’s.”
As we stepped out of the café, the sky had already been painted with the fiery hues of sunset, a vivid orange resembling flames.
Walking along the sunset-drenched streets, I held Yurina's hand.
“…Dale.”
“Yeah?”
Yurina stopped in front of the fountain at the plaza's center.
Tightening her grip on my hand slightly, she spoke.
“…I’m sorry.”
“Huh? Sorry for what, all of a sudden?”
“Well, the truth is… this kind of date was always a dream of mine.”
A faint smile graced Yurina’s lips as she gazed up at the sky.
“Thanks to you, Dale, I feel like I’ve been able to fulfill so many dreams today. Dreams I never even dared to think of back when I was just ‘Yuren.’”
“……”
The silver of Yurina’s hair sparkled under the sunset’s glow.
The moment her eyes met mine, my mind went blank.
She was so breathtakingly beautiful that she seemed like a being entirely detached from this world.
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“I know I shouldn’t think like this, but earlier… I kind of wished we wouldn’t find the demon.”
“…So that’s why you said sorry?”
“Yeah. Because if we find the demon… this happy time might come to an end.”
Scratching her head and flashing an awkward smile, Yurina looked at me.
I let out a small laugh and nodded.
“I felt the same way.”
“…You did, Dale?”
“Yeah.”
To hell with demons or anything else.
I was enjoying my time with her so much that I found myself wishing it would never end.
“Hehe. That’s a relief.”
Yurina laughed shyly.
Without realizing it, I reached out and gently stroked her hair.
Her soft strands slipped through my fingers like silk.
Lowering my hand, I brushed her cheek gently.
“Dale….”
Our eyes met again.
Perhaps it was because of the sunset, but her face glowed a fiery red.
“Ahem.”
Yurina cleared her throat awkwardly and turned her head slightly.
“By the way, we’re supposed to act like a couple today, right?”
“Well, yeah.”
In truth, Yurina and I were already a couple, so there was no need for any “acting.”
“Th-there, look, Dale.”
Yurina pointed toward the fountain, where several couples were embracing or sharing kisses.
“…So this place is like that café earlier—some kind of popular spot for couples, huh?”
“……”
Fair enough.
A clean street, an open plaza, and a beautiful fountain at its center—it certainly seemed like a place couples would flock to.
“This place… seems even more romantic than earlier.”
Yurina hesitated, stammering her words.
With the sun dipping below the horizon, a cool winter breeze in the air, and the soothing sound of the fountain nearby, the atmosphere was perfect.
“…Dale.”
“Yeah.”
Our gazes met again.
It was as if time had stopped, a peculiar stillness enveloping the space between us.
“Mm.”
Yurina closed her eyes tightly and puckered her lips slightly.
“……”
I often get teased for being dense, but even I wasn’t oblivious enough to miss what she wanted in a moment like this.
Swallowing hard, I leaned toward Yurina and her expectant lips.
At that moment—
Thud!
“Eek!”
A boy with tousled brown hair bumped into Yurina.
“S-sorry! There are so many people I didn’t see you!”
The boy quickly bowed his head, apologizing.
In a crowd this dense, it wasn’t surprising for someone to fail to notice others ahead.
“You…!”
Yurina’s eyes flared as she glared at the boy—or more precisely, at the shopping bag he was now holding.
The boy’s nimble fingers had moved so fast they were almost imperceptible, but Yurina wasn’t just anyone.
She was an awakened hero, one of the strongest in her class.
Even if she had been distracted by the prospect of a kiss with Dale, she wasn’t so careless as to miss the actions of such a petty thief.
“Damn it!”
The boy, realizing he had been caught, turned and bolted.
Yurina reached out to grab him but was stopped.
“Yurina, wait.”
“Dale?”
She turned to me with a questioning, almost indignant look.
I narrowed my eyes, focusing on the retreating figure of the boy as he weaved through the crowd.
“A pickpocket, huh?”
Pickpockets were common in the bustling streets of Valhalla City, preying on easy targets.
‘Maybe he knows something.’
By nature of their “job” (if you could call it that), they needed sharp eyes and an ability to observe the movements of others.
Judging by his skills, he was no novice either.
He likely knew Valhalla City better than Yurina or I ever could.
“Let’s follow him and see where he’s headed.”
“B-but…!”
Yurina glanced at the shopping bag in the boy’s hand, her expression turning gloomy.
Not only had she missed a chance for a romantic first kiss with Dale, but now the thief had stolen the shopping bag containing her secret “weapon.”
“Why… why does everything bad always happen to me…!”
Filled with frustration, Yurina reluctantly followed after the boy, her face set in determined anger.
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