Compared to usual, Liang Yue—who had rarely taken a day off for himself—walked along the streets of Orario with a noticeably relaxed air.
There were plenty of adventurers heading into the dungeon early in the morning, fueling the city's prosperity.
Shops lining both sides of the street and food stalls selling various snacks were bustling with business in the early hours.
". . ."
He casually bought himself some fried potato balls for breakfast and made his way straight toward the Guild's headquarters.
Back when they arranged this, they had only decided on the time—not the meeting place.
But since their relationship had begun at the Adventurers' Guild, it made perfect sense to meet there.
And sure enough, things went just as expected.
On the road directly in front of the Guild's palace-like building, he looked up and spotted a familiar figure standing at the entrance.
Her short brown hair fell naturally over her shoulders. Without the glasses she usually wore, her expression seemed far less stern than usual.
In fact, today she looked particularly girlish.
A fitted white V-neck blouse hugged Eina's figure, accentuating her impressive curves. A gray ribbon adorned the bottom of her neckline.
Paired with that was a vibrant red pleated skirt, brimming with youthful energy.
But what really caught Liang Yue's eyes were her long, flawless legs—subtly outlined by black thigh-high socks.
As one of the Guild's most popular employees, it was rare to see Eina in casual clothes like this. And dressed like she was waiting for a date...
She was drawing quite the attention from passing adventurers.
But most of their chatter revolved around one thing:
"Who the hell is lucky enough to be going on a date with Eina today?!"
". . ."
Pushing his way through the crowd wasn't easy. Liang Yue had no intention of becoming a public spectacle, but clearly, that was inevitable.
As curious gazes turned toward him, he didn't flinch. With a calm face and relaxed smile, he walked straight up to Eina.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, Miss Eina."
Eina ignored the others' stares and kept her gaze on Liang Yue. Unlike his usual practical adventuring gear, he'd dressed neatly today.
But she didn't think he was being disrespectful.
If the mood was too stiff and formal, she wouldn't even know how to act around him. Watching him stride toward her without hesitation—
Eina tilted her head slightly, her soft smile brimming with warmth.
"I just got here myself. I thought maybe you wouldn't figure out where to meet…"
"But I guess we're on the same wavelength!"
Though the actual "date" hadn't officially started, Eina already felt confident that spending the day with Liang Yue was going to be enjoyable.
Standing quietly beside him, curiosity bubbling up, she turned and asked softly:
"Liang Yue-kun, did you plan out the day?"
He didn't try to talk himself up. But faced with her gentle and expectant gaze, he did feel a little guilty.
Every task needed to be handled one at a time, or things would become messy.
Planning was a skill—and luckily, it was one he wasn't too bad at. So despite feeling a bit nervous inside, he kept a calm expression.
"I did."
Back when they were getting to know each other, Eina had always thought Liang Yue had a maturity beyond his age.
Her lips curled into a faint smile as she guessed how the day might go. A walk through town, maybe lunch at her favorite restaurant?
It was her first time going on a date with a guy, and that's all she could imagine. Though secretly, she was hoping for some unexpected surprises.
"Need me to help you brainstorm a few ideas?"
With a teasing glint in her eyes, she smiled and reached out—gently brushing aside a lock of hair that had fallen against his cheek.
Once his appearance looked clean and proper again, she withdrew her hand.
But when she met Liang Yue's clear, sincere gaze, her head quickly turned away. Her long, pointed elven ears were tinged with red.
"Your hair… was a little messy."
"Miss Eina really is incredibly gentle."
Liang Yue's tone was serious as he mustered his courage to share today's itinerary:
"First, I need to stop by the Guild and exchange the loot from yesterday's dungeon run."
"Then…"
"I'm heading to the Hephaestus Familia's main shop at Babel Tower to pick up my repaired weapon. After that, I figured we could just stroll around."
"I may have to trouble you, Miss Eina, to help me choose a good, reliable new weapon."
"…?"
The anticipation in her eyes gradually faded—replaced by an unmistakable question mark in her mind.
This itinerary was… certainly unconventional.
In fact, Eina was starting to seriously suspect—
This isn't a date at all! This guy's just using me as a tour guide and errand runner at Babel Tower!!
Her lips twitched slightly, betraying how absurd she felt the whole situation was.
But seeing Liang Yue's cautious expression as he tentatively floated his plans, Eina didn't get angry.
In fact, she found it kind of charming. It showed a surprising contrast in him.
"This is exactly the kind of plan Liang Yue-kun would come up with."
She nodded with a blank expression and turned away—not to leave, but to follow the schedule he had laid out.
Noticing he hadn't followed, she turned back, speaking with firm conviction:
"Actually… it doesn't matter what we do."
"If it's with you…"
"Then I'll be happy."
"…Thank you."
It was hard to stay objective. Eina's gentle and considerate nature was unlike anyone else's—and she was surprisingly bold with her honesty.
Especially after hearing those words.
All Liang Yue could feel was the genuine kindness of the half-elf girl, and that subtle, elegant aura that felt both like a big sister and… maybe more.
In response, his smile faded slightly as his tone grew more sincere:
"I really hope we can have a great day together, Miss Eina."
Thanks to yesterday's monster feast and the massive pile of magic stones he'd collected, he exchanged them at the Guild for 50,000 valis.
Adding that to his savings and extra income—
Liang Yue now had 400,000 valis in hand. By adventurer standards, that was a solid amount of cash. For the time being, he had no urgent gear needs.
That should be more than enough for a solid second-tier weapon.
Walking alongside Eina down West Main Street, Liang Yue was starting to feel like a bit of a celebrity adventurer. Many passersby gave them curious looks.
There was no ill intent—just curiosity about who they were.
Soon, they arrived at Babel Tower. With Eina leading the way as a guide, they reached the Hephaestus Familia weapon shop in no time.
"This is the place."
Standing outside, Eina didn't know the details of Hestia's relationship with Hephaestus. She was curious why Liang Yue chose to have his weapon repaired here…
But decided not to pry into personal matters.
"Shouldn't take long."
The shop did offer repairs, but if someone wanted to buy a second-tier weapon from here?
What he had on him definitely wouldn't cover the cost.
Liang Yue pulled out the two short swords Tsubaki had loaned him, stepped into the shop, and looked around. Soon—
His eyes locked on the tall, dark-skinned onee-san waiting for him near the counter.
Tsubaki had not only helped repair his weapon but also lent him gear, so Liang Yue greeted her with respect:
"Tsubaki-senpai, I've come to return the weapons."
"Mm."
"Just leave them wherever."
Normally, returned weapons would just go to a store clerk. The only reason Tsubaki herself was waiting for Liang Yue—
Was because of that seemingly ordinary short sword that contained traces of sword aura!
She stood up and stretched with a lazy yawn, but her tone quickly turned serious:
"I asked you to return it in person because…"
"There's something I need to tell you."
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