Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Balsam Village.
March 14, x792.
"There must be a lot of hot springs in this village." Maria said while walking shoulder to shoulder with Alfonzo through Balsam Village. "The scent of sulfur, though not overwhelming, is quite noticeable."
Currently, Alfonzo and Maria were walking through Balsam Village on the date Alfonzo mentioned a few days ago. And just like with Grayfia, Alfonzo found himself captivated with Maria in casual clothng.
While Alfonzo was dressed casually in a black jacket, a grey t-shirt, and black pants, Maria wore a tan cardigan, a white tank top, and a pair blue jeans with a brown purse slung over her left shoulder. {Pic}
"Well, that is what this village is known for." Alfonzo replied with a smile. "There's one more thing it's known for, too, though."
"Is it that restaurant you talked about before?" Maria asked as she turned to look up at Alfonzo.
"Yeah, the Super Express Restaurant." Alfonzo nodded in response. "The chef there is really good, too."
"Surely, not better than you, though." Maria said with a smile.
"Nah, I beat him in a cooking contest last time I was here with Lici and Marin." Alfonzo said while smiling proudly. "But he might be able to give you and Grayfia a run for your money."
Maria's first reaction to hearing that was to smile. A moment later, however, she furrowed her brow and lowered her head.
"It's not that big a hit to hear that he might be better than you, is it?" Alfonzo asked with a smile.
"No…" Maria replied while shaking her head. "I was just thinking about Grayfia."
"Is something wrong with Grayfia?" Alfonzo asked in a concerned tone.
"I don't think so…" Maria said. "But… She wasn't feeling well this morning. She said she was feeling nausea. She threw up a couple of times, too."
Hearing that, Alfonzo came to a sudden stop. And when he did, Maria stopped a couple steps later. She then looked back at him with concern.
"Master Alfonzo?" Maria asked. "Is everything alright?"
"You're not on duty, don't call me master." Alfonzo said absent-mindedly while he was lost in thought.
'Those symptoms, they sound kinda familiar.' Alfonzo thought to himself. 'Lici, Mira, and Shizuka went through the same thing when they were---'
["It's morning sickness, isn't it?"] Bedlam asked from Alfonzo's inner world. ["Looks like all your effort has finally paid off, huh?"]
Bedlam's words immediately jolted Alfonzo out of his daze. And when Maria saw him come back to himself, she let out a sigh of relief. Still, she could not help showing a bit of concern.
"Is… everything alright?" Maria asked. Though, after thinking about what she said before Alfonzo went into a daze, she figured she knew what happened.
"Yeah. Just give me a second." Alfonzo said as he reached into his pocket and pulled out his lPhone.
Then, Alfonzo scrolled through his contact list until he found Grayfia's contact. However, just as his thumb hovered over the call button, it froze. Then, after a few seconds of contemplation, he sighed before putting his lPhone away.
"No, this isn't the kinda thing I wanna discuss over the phone." Alfonzo muttered. A moment later, he returned to normal, a smile spreading across his face. "Besides, I know better than to be thinking about another woman while I'm already with one."
Alfonzo then turned to Maria and held out his hand.
"Come on, Maria." Alfonzo said. "Let's go to a hot spring. After that, we'll head to the Super Express Restaurant for a late lunch, and I'll discuss something with the chef there."
Surprised at how quickly Alfonzo changed emotions, Maria just stared at him for a moment. Then, she shifted her gaze down to his hand and back to his face several times. Eventually, she smiled, as well. Then, she reached out and placed her slender hand into his and allowed herself to be led towards a hot spring inn run by Sixth Sense Holdings.
However, that was wear they ran into their first issue on this trip. After arriving at the hot spring inn, Maria found herself unsure of what to do. This particular inn had three hot spring baths. Like all inn's there were male and female baths. And the third option was for mixed bathing.
Normally, just being on a date would not even cause her to think about it. But after being present for the "Sword Handling Competition," Maria found herself torn between being prudent and heading into the female bath or giving into her desires and heading into the mixed bath. As a result, her gaze shifted from Alfonzo to the female bath curtain to the mixed bath curtain, and back again. {Pic}
"You know, it's not that big a deal." Alfonzo said, amusement evident in his tone. "It's only our first date. You don't have to think so hard. We can just take separate baths."
"Huh? What are you---" Maria, pulled out of her thoughts, said, trying to deny Alfonzo's words immediately. Yet, before she could finish, she slammed her mouth shut. After replaying the actions she took over the last few minutes, she realized that her thoughts were obvious. Then, she finally spoke in a small voice with a blush tinting her face. "I… I understand."
Finding maria's reaction cute, Alfonzo leaned down to whisper in her ear.
"Besides, there might be other people in the mixed bath." Alfonzo said in a teasing tone. "So, how about we wait until we're back home before we think about taking a bath together? Then, we'll be free to RELAX however we want."
Alfonzo's following words, especially the emphasis on the word, "relax," made Maria's blush intensify by several levels. Yet, before Alfonzo could laugh at the cute reaction, he was completely dumbfounded when steam… actual steam… shot out of the top of maria's head and her eyes rolled back before she fainted from excess embarrassment.
"The fuck?" Alfonzo muttered dumbfoundedly as he quickly stepped forward to catch Maria before she could fall to the floor. "She teases people all the time, I didn't think she would pass out after a little teasing from me."
["You forgot something."] Bedlam said while trying to stifle his uncontrollable laughter. ["Maria is still pure. Sure, she was quite interested in doing more. But after all of this, it was just too much for her."]
"Right." Alfonzo muttered while picking up Maria in a princess carry. "I actually forgot about that. Then again, but can you blame me? Other than Maria and Mey-Rin, I've tainted everyone else who lives in the mansion."
["Everyone?"] Bedlam asked with an eyebrow raised. ["What about Ikaruga? Did you forget about her?"]
"Nope." Alfonzo replied. "But let's be real. That chick was tainted a long time ago. I mean, I don't know if she's ever been with a man. But surviving in the underworld as long as she did leaves its own mark on people."
["fair enough."] Bedlam replied with a shrug.
["Hmph!"] Riot snorted. ["And this is why Lici is the best. She would have never fainted after a little teasing like that."]
["Simp."] Bedlam said uncaringly.
Before his two [Armament Spirits] could get into their usual argument, Alfonzo cut off his connection to his inner world. At the same time, he carried Maria to the inn's front desk and booked a room so she could rest.
About twenty minutes later, Maria slowly opened her eyes. Feeling the softness under her back and the warmth that covered her body, she quickly realized that she was lying in a bed.
"Where am I?" Maria muttered to herself.
Staring at an unfamiliar ceiling, she tried to remember what happened and how she ended up here. And without much effort, the memories came rushing back quickly. Then, her face reddened again. Luckily, it was not to such a worrying degree.
"I actually fainted." Maria said as she raised her hands from under the covers and covered her face. "And I can't believe I was having such shameless thoughts. Even worse, Master Alfonzo saw through them so easily."
"Didn't I tell you not to call me master when you're not on duty?"
That voice, one she was vividly familiar with, broke Maria out of her thoughts. She then slowly turned her head in the direction of the voice. While her fingers, which were covering her eyes, widened just enough for her to see between them. {Pic}
At the end of Maria's line of sight, Alfonzo was sitting on the tatami floor at a low table while pouring himself a cup of sake.
"I'm glad you didn't sleep for too long." Alfonzo said as he finished filling his cup. "Otherwise, we wouldn't have been able to relax in the hot springs today. Then again, after fainting, I wouldn't be surprised if you wanted to skip the hot springs altogether."
It took a few seconds for maria's brain to process what she just heard. But when she did, she reacted quickly, and explosively.
Sitting straight up, the blankets were almost completely thrown off Maria's body. She did not really register that, though. Then, she lowered her head in a polite bow.
"Please forgive me for ruining our outing." Maria said in an apologetic tone.
"Don't worry about it.' Alfonzo said while waving off Maria's apology. "It's kinda my fault, too. I shouldn't have teased you like that. I'm just too used to acting like that after so many years. Anyway, do you wanna try the hot springs? Or would you rather head straight to the Super Express Restaurant?'"
Maria did not respond for a few seconds. During that time, she tried to get her embarrassment in order. And as she did, and the flush on her cheeks faded, she slowly lowered her hands. Then, while looking into Alfonzo's eyes, she answered his question.
"I would like to take a dip in the hot springs." Maria said in a much calmer voice than she expected. "It will give me a chance to get my thoughts in order. Plus, I think I could use a little relaxation after how badly I embarrassed myself earlier."
Hearing that, Alfonzo smiled. Then, he lifted his sake cup and drained it in one go before smacking his lips.
"Ugh… I don't' get how Retsu can drink this stuff." Alfonzo muttered. "Sure, it's strong enough. But there's next to no flavor at all."
Maria could not help but giggle at Alfonzo's complaint. Then, shortly afterwards, she and Alfonzo left the room and headed to the hot springs where they soaked for close to an hour.
After joining back up outside of the changing rooms, the two left the inn and headed towards the Super Express Restaurant. Along the way, they were able to chat as though none of the events at the inn ever happened.
Eventually, the couple reached the restaurant. And as they stepped inside, maria was caught off guard by the Nodding Chef's unique appearance as he cooked a dish. {Pic}
"Does he have frequent neckaches?" Maria asked absent-mindedly while staring at the Nodding Chef's rather tall forehead.
"I have no idea." Alfonzo replied with a chuckle as he walked towards the counter. "But he's a damn good chef. And that's all that matters for a restaurant owner like him."
Nodding in agreement, Maria tried not to stare at the nodding Chef's head as she followed Alfonzo to the counter.
"Hey, Chef." Alfonzo said when he was standing in front of the counter. "Long time, no see. Have you given any thought to my offer from last time I was here?"
The Nodding Chef did not respond to Alfonzo's question. Though, he did raise his head to look at Alfonzo, acknowledging that he heard him.
When Alfonzo saw that, he did not speak any further. Instead, he gestured for maria to take a seat. Then, after she was seated, Alfonzo took a seat next to her.
For the next few minutes, Alfonzo and maria watched the Nodding Chef work. And Maria was genuinely impressed by what she saw. The way the Chef used his magic to improve the quality of his cooking was truly masterful.
Eventually, the Nodding Chef finished preparing all the outstanding orders. Then, after washing his hands, he stepped in front of Alfonzo and maria before nodding his head heavily. A moment later, he pointed at Alfonzo, then himself, and finally to the cooking stations behind the counter.
"So, you wanna have another cook off?" Alfonzo asked as he rested his elbows on the counter and crossed his fingers in front of him.
The Nodding Chef nodded in response.
"And if I win, you'll accept my offer?" Alfonzo asked.
Once again, the Nodding Chef… well… nodded.
"Alright, that's fine with me." Alfonzo said with a shrug. "And to keep things fair, how about using the next three people to walk through those doors as our judges?"
Nodding for a third time, the Nodding Chef then turned away from the counter and began picking ingredients. Meanwhile, Alfonzo smiled as he turned to address Maria.
"Maria, would you mind informing the next three guests about what's going on?" Alfonzo asked.
"Of course." Mria replied with a smile.
Smiling back in return, Alfonzo stood up. However, before he headed behind the counter to start his own preparations for the cooking contest, he frowned.
"If anyone from Fairy Tail shows up, don't let them be judges." Alfonzo said solemnly. "I'm trying to keep things fair. And my guild mates have a knack for just showing up outta the blue when shit is going down."
"I understand.' Maria replied with a giggle. "But I doubt they'll show up. That would be too much of a coincidence.
Half an hour later, ten guests had entered the Super Express Restaurant. And the last three to enter would be acting as the judges for the cooking contest between Alfonzo and the Nodding Chef. As for the first seven…
"Come on, Alfonzo, I wanna eat your cooking!" Natsu shouted indignantly.
*Bang!* *Bang!*
"Stop making a fuss, Natsu." Erza said sternly as she punched Natsu in the head hard enough that he slammed face first into the counter. "If we were to be the judges for this cooking contest, it wouldn't be fair."
"Flame-brained idiot." Gray snarked with schadenfreude after seeing Natsu get hit.
"Hey, Alfonzo, can you make me some fish?" Happy asked cheerfully. "Oh, and an order of Chicken Cordon Bleu for Carla."
"*Sigh* You're just as bad as Natsu, Happy."
"At least he's thinking about you, Carla.' Wendy said with a smile.
"I don't even know why we're here." Lucy said while covering her face with exasperation. "The quest we took was nowhere near Balsam Village."
… just as Alfonzo said, wizards from Fairy Tail, Team Natsu to be exact, were the next guests to walk through the door after Alfonzo joined the Nodding Chef behind the counter.
Even so, the members of Fairy Tail did not interrupt the cooking contest. Though, Natsu and Happy were hellbent on getting Alfonzo to cook for them without having to spend their guild points. naturally, they did not succeed.
Eventually, Alfonzo and the Nodding Chef finished cooking. Then, after presenting their dishes to the three judges, Alfonzo was unanimously declared the winner.
Not long afterwards, all the guests, other than Alfonzo, Maria, and Team Natsu left the restaurant. Then, when the restaurant was practically empty, the Nodding Chef nodded to Alfonzo and stretched out his hand for a handshake.
"You made the right decision." Alfonzo said with a smile as he took the Nodding Chef's hand. "Welcome to Sixth Sense Holdings. And as we discussed, we won't be interfering in the way you run your business. Though, we will be taking the agreed upon split of the profits. But in exchange, we'll get you access to better ingredients."