It was a serene morning, and birds chirped lively as the wind carried fresh air from the cold mountains. The still lake had a surface so clear, mirroring the fluffy blue sky. Occasionally, water creatures broke through the surface, leaving ripples behind.
There were cafés nearby where couples and families gathered, chatting and having a good time. There were also small boats for rent at the harbor, and some fishing rods for rent too—whatever you catch with them, they'd cook it for you.
Of course, there were some rules attached to that—it was limited to one catch per person, and the fish had to be a certain size based on species.
"Oh… are we fishing?" Amethely asked, her eyes sparkling as she gazed at the boats.
"If you want," Alum replied, his voice soothing as always.
Amethely pondered for a moment. The wind carrying the fresh air caressed her skin as the tails of her bows fluttered, and the strands of her hair danced along the breeze.
"Nnnmh, I've never fished before—nor been on a small boat like that either. Al, will you teach me?" she requested, looking up innocently at his face.
"I've never rowed a boat either," Alum replied, returning an innocent smile.
"…" Amethely's eyes widen for a moment before a soft giggle escaped her lips. "I see, then it's a first for us both!" she added, her smile did not waver a bit.
"Mm. I've fished before, back in my world and in this world too," he said, leaving out the fact that he basically caused a vapor explosion in a river to blow fish out of the water.
Although he'd planned for them to row into the middle of the lake with some snacks to watch the serene view, just to relax and be alone with her in such a setting, he hadn't anticipated she'd be interested in fishing.
Rather…
—Amethely's a great cook. Is she perhaps interested because of it? Mm, there are also the farms not too far from here. She might like to pick the fresh ingredients, too, he mused to himself.
"But are you sure? You have a nice dress and all."
"I don't mind."
"I see," Alum said, squeezing her hand. "Then, would you like to go pick fresh vegetables too?"
At his inquiry, Amethely blushed and giggled a little awkwardly. "E-ehehe… I was considering it—and was about to ask if you wanted to. Great minds think alike, huh?" she teasingly flashed him a grin.
"Is that so? Well, from where I'm from, the whole saying has an additional part. It was meant to be more… sardonic," Alum said, chuckling in amusement.
"Really?" Amethely tilted her head. "And what's that?" she curiously asked.
"Well… 'Though fools seldom differ,'" he added with a playful grin.
"…?" Amethely didn't get it at first, but then pouted. "Hm… the one who came up with such a quote must've been quite the skeptic. I think I like ours more, the continuation being 'Through research and extrapolations, our path eventually converges.'"
"Mm, I see. In the end, everything leads to a singularity."
"Hehe," Amethely smugly smiled. "Exactly, in the end, no matter what path we chose, we'll meet at the origin of all things—isn't it exciting?"
"How philosophical," Alum mused.
…For someone as intelligent as her. I'm genuinely surprised at the lack of existential nihilism. But I don't think I disagree with that splash of color.
..
When they arrived at the café to rent a boat and a fishing rod along with some snacks, there was a commotion as everyone at the harbor looked their way. The waiters were left wide-eyed, wondering why The Saint was at their café.
Amethely just smiled and hid behind Alum a little, looking all shy as she elegantly greeted them. Flustered, the clerk returned the greeting and then turned to Alum, who calmly observed what was behind the counter.
"Hello, we would like to rent a boat and a fishing rod," Alum said, indifferent to all the gazes around him.
"Yes… Right away, Sir," the clerk said, as a waiter went to prepare the oars and rod. "Anything more you would like to add?" she inquired.
"…" Alum noted a hat and that it was quite sunny. "Mm, additionally, tea, coffee, and whichever treat you recommend."
"I see! In that case, how about Ujim Tart?"
"My, Al, they look fresh and delicious. Oh, right, they're in season too," Amethely voiced, peeking from behind.
"We'll take all of it," Alum said, deadpan.
"…" The clerk went quiet, clearly troubled by the request.
"A-Al, you can't!" Amethely protested. "Jeez—I'm sorry, he was only joking, right?"
"I wonder," Alum teased.
"…you two get along, haha," the clerk chuckled, finally relaxing. "Tea, coffee, and two Ujim Tarts, right?"
"Mm, could you add a hat too?"
"A hat? Got it—that will be 236 Lech, Sir. And as for the boat and fishing rod, we charge 200 Lech an hour for both."
"Mm," Alum said, and tapped the manaslate with the same ring to authenticate his entry into the room.
"Well then, this way!" the clerk said with a smile as she was about to lead the way.
"—Chea, you're supposed to be at the register, leave them to me!" another clerk stepped in.
"Ugh…" the clerk named Chea grimaced at the voice of her co-worker.
Meanwhile, Alum and Amethely exchanged a glance, both letting an amused chuckle escape as the other guests also watched over the scene with warmth.
Just like that, they found themselves in the middle of the lake. Amethely held a fishing rod for the first time while Alum leaned on his palm, watching as she threw and reeled. Eventually, she caught a fish, but the hat got in the way and covered her eyes.
Alum got up and fixed the hat for her. The moment they locked eyes and laughed, the fish got away, which caused her to sulk and try again.
"…"
The moment was still and serene—he wanted to capture it in anything other than his memories. He, who usually wasn't so sentimental or attached to physical objects, desired a picture.
He traced the void storage bracelet and materialized a pen and a notebook. It had caught Amethely's attention, and a smile surfaced as she saw him draw. And while it was black and white, it was filled with life.
"I didn't know you had a talent for the arts," Amethely said, having put away the fishing rod.
The sound of lead grinding against paper came to a stop as Alum looked up to meet her eyes.
"It's nothing original. I've just traced what's on my mind."
"Even so, I think it's pretty," Amethely smiled adorably.
"…" Alum pondered for a moment before softly chuckling. "Well, it's you. But… I didn't think you were the type to say that about yourself," he teased.
"Wh-wha—I didn't mean it like that! Al, you meanie!"
"Mmhmm. There's nothing wrong with the truth, is there?"
"Ugh… Al, you… You're quite the mean person, aren't you?"
"Am I? Perhaps," he shrugged.
"Hmhp!" Amethely crossed her arms and turned her head, though she glanced at him with the corner of her eyes.
"Pffts… hahahaha, cute," Alum said as he took her hand, pulling her into an embrace.
"!?—Ehehe~ That surprised me…" Amethely softly spoke as she nuzzled into his chest.
But then suddenly, Alum removed his boots—Amethely stared at him, curious what he was up to, and—splash. There was a small splash as he jumped into the lake, standing on the water surface.
"Huh…?" Amethely's eyes widened at the sight before her—since when did he learn [Water Walk]?
Seeing what was on her mind, Alum said, "The city is restrictive with magic, but it found this useful," he said, bashfully scratching his cheek.
"…" Amethely still hasn't uttered a word, but… "Pfft… Liar, someone with so much raw elemental control would never really find a use for a spell like [Water Walk] inside the city," she giggled. "Unless you're planning to walk across a large body of water," she teasingly pointed out.
"…" Alum didn't say a word as he reached a hand out.
Amethely took his hand, and before she stepped out of the boat, she said, "If I get wet, you'd better have learned a drying spell too," she lightly teased with a smile.
"Oh? Good idea, I'll perfect that later—" and before even finishing his sentence, he pulled her out of the boat.
"H-hyaaa~" whimpered at the slightly cold but refreshing feeling beneath her feet. "Jeez…" she murmured, then tapped his chest with her forehead.
"Don't let go of my hand. You haven't recovered yet, so…"
"…Hmmm," Amethely mused. "You truly are a mean person. This is entrapment," she said, looking up, her cheeks puffed.
"In that case, you're enjoying it a bit too much for a captive. You even took my hand and jumped in yourself when I pulled."
"…!?" turning beet red, Amethely sheepishly smiled. "Hehe, I got caught~" she said, sticking out her tongue a little.
"…" Alum couldn't help but groan on the inside. "How do I even respond?" he said, not even hiding his embarrassment.
And so, the morning passed in the blink of an eye. After the lake view, they headed to pick some vegetables—Alum had initially planned for them to visit the flower fields instead, but Amethely wanted to cook something for them instead of buying lunch—besides, she managed to catch a fish.
While he waited for her, watching her happily chat, laugh, or get shy when teased by the others in the rented kitchen, the warm affection in his chest pounded at his ribs, trying to explode out into the world.
"Ha-haha… I'm glad Lady Saint has found someone to share her happiness with," an elderly man said as he took a seat beside Alum.
Looking at the blond older man, he could tell he was a veteran.
"..."
"Not talkative, are you? Well… there's no need for words—you ooze affection toward her, and that's enough."
"Sorry. I didn't know what to say. But are my emotions really leaking that much?"
"Hm. Not especially. But no matter how indifferent you appear, the way you look at her is all one needs to see to tell, haha," he said, nudging Alum a few times with his elbow.
"The lady who's talking to her… is she your wife?"
"…" The veteran smiled. "See, it's easy to tell."
"…" Alum lowered his shoulders, his expression relaxed a little as a soft smile crept up on him. "Perhaps."
After their little exchange, Amethely and another woman emerged from the kitchen. The elderly couple shared some of their food with them, and they did in return before heading out to have their meal under a large tree in the flower field.
..
When they finished the meal, Alum had fallen asleep, leaning on the tree and resting his head on hers. Amethely clasped his hand and looked at his sleeping face. The warmth, the ticklish feeling in her chest, and the throbbing of her heart.
"…"
Under a large tree, where the wind rustled the leaves, birds chirped melodies as a young woman hummed alongside them. The pleasant scent of flowers enveloped them. It was a peaceful day; nothing out of the ordinary happened. Neither had to think about their duties and just spent time together quietly.
I wish a moment like this could last forever… Al, do you wish that as well? Amethely wondered, then closed her eyes, relaxing as his scent, his warmth lulled her to sleep.