I, Fiona Soleil, have my first date arranged on the 13th day of the Crimson Flame Moon.
I have no romantic feelings for Chrono, but there is no reason to decline the invitation for a date, as this is merely an opportunity to express my gratitude.
After seeing him off, as it seems he has some matters to attend to, I immediately return to my room and flip over my hat enchanted with spatial magic to inspect its contents.
“There’s nothing good here…”
My belongings include everything necessary for living as an adventurer, but I can’t find anything suitable for a young woman to wear on a date in town.
All of my spare clothing prioritizes functionality; even if they have magical defensive properties, not a single one enhances my feminine charm.
“This is unfortunate.”
Even I understand that I shouldn’t go on a date in a witch robe meant for quests; I have common sense enough to know I should dress appropriately for such an occasion.
However, I have no idea what constitutes ‘appropriate attire’ since I have only observed romantic affairs from the sidelines.
“Well, worrying won’t get me anywhere.”
Fortunately, there are still a few hours until our noon meeting.
And if I have money, there should be plenty of shops in Spada that sell clothing and accessories that can make a woman look beautiful.
So, it’s simple; I just need to prepare for the date before noon.
With that conclusion, I dashed out of my room.
“Excuse me, Lily, I’ll apologize just in case.”
Though she can’t hear me, I throw those words toward Lily, who is sleeping in the next room.
This situation is indeed a date, but it doesn’t necessarily lead anywhere with Chrono, and I have no impure feelings at all—really, I’m not lying; please believe me.
Wrestling with a slight guilt for leaving Lily behind and a rising excitement for my first date, I quickly departed the scene.
After a considerable expenditure, I was able to obtain an outfit worthy of perfectly executing the date quest.
What envelopes my body is a pure white blouse, contrasting sharply with a dark witch robe.
I would have preferred a heavenly satin fabric that balances beauty and defense, but in the lower district shops, the finest material available was just ordinary silk; it cannot be helped.
For the pleated skirt, I chose a light blue one to match my hair color; it should probably suit me, as the shop assistant complimented me.
From the knees down, instead of my usual black long boots, I wore white thigh-high socks and loafers.
When I look at the overall outfit, it somewhat resembles a school uniform; however, instead of trying to win with extravagance, it’s wiser for a love rank 1 novice like me to keep it safe, which I heard from the shop assistant.
Moreover, I’ve heard during my studies that men love uniforms, so surely Chrono will feel a surge of desire from my uniform-like appearance.
Hoping for that to be true, I stand before the obelisk in the plaza, the meeting spot.
The plaza is quite desolate at night, but during the day, many people are bustling about, showcasing the grandeur of Spada’s large city.
As I keenly observe the flow of people, I am startled each time I spot a man in a black robe.
I feel my face heating up; surely it is because I’m not wearing a hat under this clear blue sky.
There’s no way I can wear that triangular hat with this outfit; it would ruin my carefully coordinated look.
Since I don’t have that hat, I moved my necessary belongings into a small black shoulder bag with another spatial magic applied to it.
This simple, smaller black bag shouldn’t stand out too much even if I carry it.
“I may have arrived a little too early…”
Looking up, the sun has yet to reach its zenith, and it feels like I have an hour left before the bells signaling noon resonate through the town of Spada.
Rationally thinking, I could sit on a cool bench in the shade and pass the time eating fruit from a vendor, but for some reason, my feet refuse to move from this meeting spot, as if I’ve been cursed by petrification.
No, it’s not my feet that are at fault; it’s my mind that simply doesn’t want to take a single step away from this place.
Even knowing that, I cannot bring myself to move from here, waiting for Chrono.
As I absentmindedly watch the passing clouds, my mind races with thoughts about today’s events, and I continue to stand still, waiting.
How many minutes have passed? Suddenly, from the wave of people passing by, two shadows approach me.
Both are male, wearing the royal Spada Academy uniform, familiar to me in Spada, and the red capes they wear indicate they are the executive candidates that Chrono had mentioned.
“Hey there, hello! You don’t look familiar around here, are you possibly visiting Spada for the first time?”
A blonde male student, smiling and overly familiar, blocks my path.
Though both are not as tall as Chrono, they possess a physique capable of wielding heavy great swords.
Despite their handsome features and smiles, for an ordinary woman to be confronted by men who stand about a head taller could be somewhat intimidating.
Of course, this is nothing compared to facing huge monsters as an adventurer.
By the way, Chrono is definitely way more handsome; even when he stands before me, the intimidation is on another level.
“No.”
I respond to their question with just a single word while quietly observing their appearances.
This is undoubtedly a case of pick-up.
During my time at Elysion Magical Academy, I received no such advances, but in town, I have been approached a few times.
Of course, as a witch, I have no interest in men, no matter how handsome they may be, and I’ve politely declined or made them depart with a flick of my fingers just gracefully enough.
For that reason, I have no intention of indulging their invitation, especially since I have a major event ahead of me: the date with Chrono, so even the normally gentle me feels my anger rising.
“I see, ah, then could it be that a noble young lady is secretly visiting here? You’re way too cute to be an ordinary girl; you also have an air of elegance, right? How about it, am I right?”
The blonde student who spoke first begins to spout what seems to be an amusing misunderstanding.
“If you’d like, I could show you around. You know, we’re students of the God School, so we’re pretty familiar with the area.”
And the other student, with green hair, starts offering things I never asked for.
“No, thank you, but could you please just leave?”
I candidly let out the words that come from my heart without hiding them.
The slightly prickly tone reflects just how angry I am.
“Oh, come on, don’t be so on guard! How about we introduce ourselves first? I’m—”
However, this student seems to have the intelligence of a monster, not understanding words or feelings.
Why don’t they get it? It’s Chrono I have been eagerly waiting for, not them.
“—Oh, right, I’m sure you’d recognize my name if I told you; both me and this guy here are nobles, so even if you’re a young lady, we’d be a matching pair.”
“Well, you could tell without needing to introduce yourselves; your red capes make it obvious.”
The two continue their annoying banter, laughing at each other’s jokes, which is painfully grating on my ears.
“Well, standing here chatting isn’t exactly ideal, so let’s just—”
As if intending to put a hand on my shoulder, the blonde’s hand reaches out carelessly.
The hand of a man, any man other than Chrono, oh, how—
“Disgusting, could you please not touch me?”
Like a knight drawing a saber, I retrieved my Custom Fireball from my bag and struck that vile man’s hand.
I feel like I should commend myself for refraining from unleashing flames charged with magical power.
“Ouch—hey, hey, isn’t that reaction a bit much?”
“Ahh, you really did it, lady. Raising a hand against a noble might just lead to your execution, you know?”
Though they aren’t yelling like gangsters, the anger embedded in their words is quite apparent.
To threaten with execution, with such a cliché line, it becomes clear to me what their despicable intentions are.
“Well, if you just admit your mistake, we won’t make a huge deal out of this. All you need to do is apologize for ‘a night or so,’ and we’ll call it good, okay?”
It seems they don’t realize their own position; whether they’re nobles of Spada or not, I am just a wandering adventurer, and I could escape anywhere I desire.
Moreover, if I choose to go on the offensive, before they even pull out their splendid Saint Silver Rapier, I can turn them into a fiery spectacle much quicker with my short staff in hand.
“If you’d kindly disappear right now, I might let you off the hook.”
“Ah, if that’s the attitude you’re taking, then we—”
The two of them suddenly exude a menacing vibe, but this is getting tedious; with one punch to their faces, they should settle down.
With that decision, I prepared to channel magical power into my short staff when—
“Hey, why don’t you just leave it at that?”
Reacting to that sudden voice, I glanced over in its direction.
Standing there was a man clad in a black robe, looking like an apprentice mage.
Chrono—I tried to judge, but immediately dismissed it.
He isn’t that tall, around the same height as these pick-up noble boys, and his slim figure makes it clear he’s different from Chrono; indeed, the voice is different too.
Who is this person?
March 9, 2012
I have finally completed a work to submit for the Electric Prize. After reviewing, I plan to submit it next week.
With this, I can finally resume writing “The Black Demon King,” but please wait until next month for the update pace to return as I try to stockpile more (laughs).