After leaving the clothing store, Yurina and I decided to fill our stomachs and take a break at a restaurant located on the upper floors of a tall building. It was a place where we could overlook the people walking through the busy streets below.
As expected of a restaurant on the pricier side, the interior was elegant, and the food tasted excellent. But Yurina was acting weird even as she ate. She had kept a small shopping bag clutched tightly to her chest from the moment we sat down, as if it contained some sacred relic.
“How long are you planning to hold that like a treasure?” I asked.
She was flustered. “H-huh?”
“Wouldn’t it be easier to put it beside you?”
She shook her head vigorously, hugging the bag even tighter. “N-no! It’s fine like this!”
Just what kind of underwear had she bought to react like that? Curiosity bubbled up inside me, but I didn’t voice it.
I clicked my tongue as I looked out the window. “Anyway, I don’t even see a suspicious person, let alone a demon.”
The streets below were full of people going about their business, but not a single one of them behaved suspiciously.
“Maybe we should change the area we’re searching?” she suggested.
“Well, at least for today, let’s not think too much about it. Professor Baldwin said to enjoy the date, remember?”
“Yeah.”
After finishing our meal, we stepped back outside.
“Alright. Where should we go next?” I asked.
Yurina looked up at me with bright, expectant eyes. “We went to the place I wanted to visit, so this time let’s go somewhere you want to!”
“Somewhere I want? Nothing really comes to mind.”
I didn’t have much experience with dates, so I had no idea where we were supposed to go.
“Don’t overthink it. Just choose whatever,” she said.
“Hmm, then how about a cafe?”
That was the best I could come up with after deliberating far too long. It was a safe, ordinary, and predictable choice.
But Yurina smiled so brightly. “Mm, I’d love that!”
It seemed like even if I said the most cliché idea, it would sound perfect to her.
We headed to a cafe nearby. It was a cafe we had chosen at random, without even looking it up, but for some reason, the cafe was completely filled with couples.
Yurina pointed to a screen. “Oh! Look, Dale! If we order the special couple’s menu, we get a thirty percent discount, and if we complete the challenge mission, we get it entirely free!”
I let out a short laugh. “Ah! That’s why this place is overflowing with couples. What’s the challenge?”
“Hmm, let me see.”
She read through the event description written on the menu, then said, “So, uh, we each bite the ends of a biscuit soaked in coffee, eat toward the middle without breaking it, and then... k-k-kiss?”
As the meaning sank in, sparks practically ignited in Yurina’s eyes. “Dale! Let’s do it! Let’s try right now!”
“Seriously? You actually want to do this?”
“I-it becomes free if we succeed!”
With an embarrassed cough, she ordered the special couple’s menu. Soon after, a staff member arrived with a long biscuit soaked in coffee.
The staff member cheerfully explained the rules. “Alright! Just place your lips on each end and eat toward the middle without letting it break!”
Yurina and I immediately held the biscuit between our lips from opposite ends and stared at each other. We slowly nibbled our way inward, the distance between us shrinking, and the long-awaited moment arrived.
“Mm-mmm! Mmmmmm!”
Maybe because the moment she had been dreaming of was finally within reach, Yurina suddenly squeezed her eyes shut and flapped her feet in excitement. Her breathing grew heavier, her excitement level skyrocketing. However, with the sound of a snap, the biscuit broke off pathetically. It was probably too soaked, as the slightest pressure made it crumble.
A tiny sigh escaped Yurina’s lips. “Ah!”
“Ahh, that’s unfortunate! Looks like you failed! But if you come back another time, you might get another chance!” said the staff member.
Yurina stuttered. “I-I...”
The staff member looked at her. “Yes?”
“R-redo! I want a redo!”
“S-sorry, but the event is limited to once per day.”
“Nooo!”
The staff member walked away with an awkward smile, leaving Yurina staring down in despair.
She let out a sigh deep enough to crack the earth. “Uuuu!”
I couldn’t help but chuckle. “What’s got you so obsessed with kissing all of a sudden?”
She murmured with a defeated look, “Well, it’s b-because I’m the only one who hasn’t experienced it yet.”
“Then, do you want to do it now?”
“H-here?”
“Yeah. We don’t need a silly event to do it.”
If Yurina wanted it that badly, I had no reason to refuse. In the past, I wasn’t confident enough, as my feelings were a mess. But now, I had already made up my mind.
She glanced around nervously, swallowing hard. “Uuhhh!”
After what felt like a very long hesitation, her shoulders slumped, and she whispered, “No. Not now.”
“Why not?”
She clenched her fists, brushing her lips lightly with her thumb. “For my first time, I want it to be in a better, more romantic atmosphere.”
Knowing how her true first time had gone, I couldn’t help but let out a bitter smile internally.
“So, should we head out?” I asked.
“Yeah, let’s go.”
When we stepped outside, the sky had already turned orange, and the blazing sunset painted everything in warm hues. Hand in hand, we walked down the street soaked in evening light.
When we reached the fountain at the center of the plaza, Yurina stopped. “Dale.”
“Yeah?”
She tightened her grip on my hand. “Sorry.”
“Huh? Sorry for what all of a sudden?”
“Well, the truth is... going on a date like this has always been a dream of mine.” Yurina lifted her gaze toward the sky, a faint smile resting at the corner of her lips. “Thanks to you, Dale, I feel like I fulfilled so many of those dreams today. Back when I was Yuren... I never even imagined things like this.”
Her silver hair shimmered faintly under the glow of the setting sun. The moment our eyes met, my mind went blank. She looked gorgeous, as if she belonged to an entirely different world.
She continued, “I know I shouldn’t think this way, but earlier, I kind of wished we wouldn’t find the demons.”
“That’s why you apologized?”
Yurina scratched her head, smiling awkwardly. “Yeah. Because if we find them, I feel like this happy moment would end right then.”
I let out a soft laugh and nodded. “I felt the same.”
“You too, Dale?”
“Mm.”
Demons or whatever, being with her was so enjoyable that I, too, couldn’t help thinking that way for a moment.
Yurina smiled shyly. “Hehe. I’m glad.”
Without thinking, I reached out and gently stroked her head. Her soft hair flowed between my fingers. Slowly, my hand drifted down to caress her cheek.
“Dale...”
Our eyes locked again. Maybe it was the sunset, but her face was burning red like fire.
Yurina let out a forced cough and turned her head away. “Come to think of it, we’re supposed to pretend to be a couple today, right?”
“Well, yeah.”
Of course, since we were already a couple, not much pretending was needed.
She pointed somewhere. “Um, l-look over there, Dale.”
Several couples stood gathered around the fountain, holding each other, kissing, absorbed in their own little worlds.
Yurina said, “So, I guess this place is, um, kind of like that cafe earlier. A popular spot for couples.”
That made sense. The clean streets, the wide open plaza, and the beautiful fountain at the center—it was the perfect date spot.
She fidgeted, stumbling over her words. “If it’s here... The atmosphere is even nicer than before.”
The sunset sky, the cool winter breeze, and the pleasant sound of the fountain created a romantic ambience. While plenty of other people were around us, the mood was so good it was impossible to notice anything else.
“Dale.”
“Yeah.”
Our eyes met once more. A strange stillness settled between us, as if time itself had paused.
Yurina squeezed her eyes shut and leaned forward, lips gently pursed. “Nngh.”
People always said I was slow on the uptake, but even I wasn’t clueless enough to miss what she wanted now. I swallowed hard and leaned in toward her waiting lips.
But suddenly, a boy with messy brown hair bumped straight into Yurina.
Yurina let out a shocked groan. “Eek!”
He bowed his head repeatedly. “S-sorry! There are so many people, I didn’t see you!”
In a crowd like this, bumping into someone wasn’t all that strange, but the issue was something else entirely.
Yurina’s eyes sharpened, staring not at the boy, but at the shopping bag now in his hand. “You!”
He had been so quick with his hands that most people wouldn’t have noticed a thing, but Yurina was an awakened soul stigmata user, a powerhouse ranked among the strongest. Even if she had been distracted by the kiss we almost had, she wasn’t dull enough to miss a little thief’s petty trick.
The boy realized he had been caught. “Damn it!”
He spun around and sprinted away. Yurina reached out to grab him, but I caught her wrist.
“Hold on, Yurina,” I said.
She turned back to me with wide, questioning eyes. “Dale?”
I narrowed mine as I watched the boy weave through the crowd, disappearing into the distance. Pickpockets lurked around the bustling parts of Valhalla City, always searching for an easy target. The boy could know something useful.
Pickpocketing, if one could even call it a profession, required sharp eyes and expertise at reading people’s movements. Judging by that boy’s skill, I could tell this wasn’t his first day on the job. He probably knew the streets of Valhalla City better than either of us.
“Let’s follow him. See where he runs,” I said.
Yurina glanced at the shopping bag in his hand, her expression crumpling. “B-but...!”
As if missing the golden chance for her romantic first kiss wasn’t bad enough, her secret weapon had been stolen too. “W-why is the world doing this to me?”
Full of resentment, Yurina stomped after the fleeing boy.

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