Mirian knelt on the ground, crying as she apologized.
Even though she was an elf, collecting ten Limited Dessert Coupons had cost her over half a year’s salary.
Felyn sat on the street while a gentle breeze brushed by, carrying away that heart-racing sweetness from the dessert shop.
Viloti’s cheeks still held a faint blush, but the earlier panic was no longer there.
Walking down the stone streets of Homhot, neither of them brought up the awkward incident just now.
It was just too embarrassing.
The date continued.
Sunlight poured softly over the two of them.
“For you, Viloti,” Felyn broke the brief silence, “I’ll split the Limited Dessert Coupons with you. I’ll give you five.”
“No need, Felyn, I… well, thank you.”
Viloti lowered her head and looked at her toes, thinking—this gave her another excuse to go on dates with him.
Maybe it was the closeness from earlier, but she couldn’t help leaning a little closer to Felyn, and their hands brushed a few times.
As they passed by a crepe shop, Viloti’s steps slowed slightly.
She turned her head to sneak a glance at the long line outside the store.
When she saw Felyn keep walking forward, she only took a glance and quickly caught up with him.
“Do you want one?”
Viloti raised an eyebrow—clearly surprised that Felyn had been paying attention to her.
“Mm… Can I?”
“The question you should be asking is—what flavor do you want?”
After ten minutes of waiting, Viloti held the still-warm crepe in her hand and gave it a light sniff.
She had never eaten street food like this before.
One, because her family didn’t allow it.
Two, because she never had the chance to see a street stall.
Viloti held the steaming crepe in both hands and sat obediently next to Felyn.
Sunlight filtered through the leaves, falling onto the hem of her dress, which shimmered like Mist White Silk.
She cautiously took a bite. The sweet aroma bloomed between her lips and teeth, and Viloti couldn’t help but squint in delight, her legs swinging gently in the air.
“Is it good?”
“Mhm!”
The laughter of nearby couples caught her attention.
She watched them feed each other and remembered what had happened earlier in The Karine the Witch shop.
“Fe-Felyn… you try a bite too.”
Viloti mustered her courage, but her voice still carried a subtle tremble.
“Me?”
Her legs suddenly stopped swinging. She scooted closer to Felyn, her shoulder lightly brushing against his arm.
She held out the crepe with both hands, carefully bringing it to his lips.
Her amber eyes sparkled with anticipation, and there was a small dab of white cream on the tip of her nose.
Felyn noticed the part she was offering. It was exactly where she had taken a bite.
She probably didn’t do that on purpose, right? Viloti wasn’t that calculating, right?
It must be just to share something tasty. Probably.
Felyn convinced himself of that, but still chose to take a bite from the side Viloti hadn’t eaten yet.
“Is it good?” Viloti asked.
“Delicious, delicious.”
Felyn watched her bring the crepe back to her own lips.
Her gemstone-like eyes glanced at the two bite marks.
She pretended to casually turn the crepe around, but her trembling eyelashes betrayed her nerves.
Viloti’s lips gently touched the exact spot Felyn had just bitten.
She practically closed her eyes as she took a bite.
That spot he just ate from—now a beautiful girl had eaten it too.
Felyn hadn’t noticed, but his heartbeat quickened.
He quickly averted his gaze, trying not to look at Viloti.
The two continued walking along the stone roads of Homhot, in an ambiguous silence they couldn’t quite define.
With no particular destination, no set place to go, the journey itself became the scenery, because the one you like is right by your side.
“Felyn, can we stop by the bookstore?”
“Of course.”
While browsing in the bookstore, Felyn grabbed Viloti’s hand to stop her from entering a section marked For Adults Only.
“Felyn, why can’t I go in there?”
“Because that area sells books you can only read as an adult.”
“But I’m already an adult.”
Viloti puffed her cheeks and tugged at Felyn’s arm.
“Even so, adults shouldn’t read that stuff either.” Felyn didn’t want to open a new world for her.
If he did, Lord Silafiel might literally kill him.
“I know what it is—it’s just little yellow books, right?”
“Little yellow books?! I can’t believe you said that out loud.”
Felyn’s expression grew complicated.
“Didn’t expect that, Viloti. You actually read that kind of stuff?”
Since she already knew, Felyn figured he couldn’t say much, so he let go of her hand.
Viloti finally got to enter the adult world, but only dared to do so because Felyn was with her.
She opened a hardcover book, and the moment her eyes hit the page, it was like lightning struck, her whole body froze stiff.
She slammed the book shut with a loud thump, rushed over to Felyn, opened her mouth to say something, but couldn’t find the words, her eyes pleading silently for help.
Felyn noticed her flushed ears and found it strange.
“Didn’t you say you knew what little yellow books were? Why are you so flustered now?”
“Little yellow books just mean kissing and hugging! But the ones here… they’re not like that.”
Viloti was on the verge of tears, struggling to explain.
Felyn sighed again. Even in this world, sex education was this lacking? To her, kissing and hugging already counted as ‘adult content.’
To Felyn, reproduction was a fundamental part of humanity. There was nothing shameful about it.
“Just think of it as a kind of reproductive study material. It’s okay.”
“I-I didn’t see anything!”
Viloti realized something was wrong and quickly bailed out, she had only gotten a vague sense of what was inside.
And in this world, since there were no photos, all the “little yellow books” were hand-drawn.
…
“Felyn, which one do you like?”
Passing by the plushie shop where she had once spied on Felyn and Bernice, Viloti couldn’t resist stepping in.
Last time, she snuck around.
This time, she wanted to go in openly—together with Felyn.
“If it were up to me, I think that Pea Monster is kinda nice.”
“That’s not a Pea Monster! It’s a Spirit Bloom Puff!”
Viloti puffed out her cheeks, seriously defending Miss Spirit Bloom Puff.
“Sorry, Miss Spirit Bloom Puff. I mistook you for a monster.”
Felyn apologized to the plushie.
Viloti gently picked up the plush toy, hugging it close to her chest.
“Viloti, do you have a lot of plushies at home?”
She shook her head. “Only one.”
It was the Caterpillar Plushie Felyn had originally planned to give her.
“It’s lonely all by itself, so I wanted to buy a plushie to keep it company.”
Viloti’s fingers softly stroked the Spirit Bloom Puff’s fluffy fur.
Watching her cling to the plushie like that, Felyn offered gentle comfort:
“As long as Viloti is there, even if it’s alone, it won’t be lonely.”
“Is that so… but… but I still get lonely too…”
Viloti’s voice grew smaller, her feelings drifting away on the breeze.
She lowered her head slightly, letting her pink hair fall forward to hide her flushed cheeks, afraid Felyn would catch that flicker of vulnerability in her eyes.
The evening sun began to climb across the sky, as if a whole jar of honey had spilled over, its golden glow flowing gently across the streets.
After walking all afternoon, Felyn felt a bit tired. He and Viloti sat on a bench by the river.
Now and then, waterfowl skimmed the surface, rippling the water and breaking the reflection of the clouds.
Viloti set the plushie gently on her lap, carefully adjusting its flower crown.
“Viloti, did you have fun on today’s date?”
“I did. This is the happiest day of my life.”
Felyn smiled too. “That’s good.”
A light breeze passed by. Viloti swayed her aching feet gently.
She quietly rubbed her heel, trying to soothe the pain.
But that small movement didn’t escape Felyn’s notice.
“Viloti, your heel hurts a bit?”
Viloti hurried to pull her feet back, but it was too late.
Felyn had already seen the worn spot on her stockings, the skin underneath flushed red and sore.
“That must hurt. Why didn’t you say anything earlier?”
Viloti lowered her head, nervously gripping the hem of her dress, “It’s fine… it doesn’t hurt at all…”
These new leather shoes didn’t quite fit yet. After walking for so long, they had rubbed her tender heels raw.
But she hadn’t said anything, she didn’t want Felyn to worry, and she didn’t want to ruin the perfect date.
“Getting hurt on a date with me… I guess I’m still not a very good pro.”
Felyn crouched in front of the bench, gently lifting Viloti’s ankle.
“Let me take a look.”
Viloti reflexively tried to pull her foot back, but Felyn held her in place.
“I’ll take off your stocking and apply a Healing Inscription Spell. Then I’ll go buy you a pair of sandals, something that won’t hurt to walk in.”
“But… but…”
“You don’t want me to touch your feet?”
“No! It’s not like that at all!” Viloti quickly denied it.
“Then there’s no problem.”
Felyn carefully rolled down the edge of her stocking, gradually sliding it off.
The smooth curve of her slender leg slowly came into view, the setting sun’s glow spilling across her delicate ankle.
Seeing those perfect feet up close for the first time, Felyn suddenly remembered the mousse dessert they had earlier.
It was the first time he’d ever seen Viloti’s flawless feet so closely.
The arch was high, her toes slender, the skin snowy white, and her pink nail polish looked incredibly cute.
Even more tempting than that dessert.
(End of Chapter)