Jalter’s footsteps were light, though a lingering stiffness betrayed her nerves.
Her fingers unconsciously gathered the hem of her skirt as she took in her surroundings.
Her clear eyes reflected the warm glow of the storefronts, wide with an excitement she rarely let show.
She drifted past rows of boutique displays, soft gasps escaping her lips before she could catch them.
“E-E-E-Eh—!
So this is what it is like here.” She tilted her chin, her gaze tracing the carved archways and elegant corridors lining the indoor street.
A quiet murmur slipped out.
“Building streets inside buildings…
that is what they call European style, right?” A vivid, bright smile broke across her face, her eyes curving into delicate crescents.
She peered up at the painted dome stretching over the commercial plaza, letting out a haughty, teasing laugh.
“Ah, a fake sky!
Going out of their way to invent such strange things…
modern people really are idiots!” The word hung in the air.
She froze.
A faint crimson rushed to her cheeks, and her eyes darted away in sudden panic.
Her hands flew up, waving frantically to dispel the tension.
“E-Eh, was idiot rude?
No, I did not mean idiot…” She lowered her gaze, her fingers curling inward.
Her voice dropped into a helpless, flustered scramble.
“I-I mean, I did say idiot, but that is not what I meant!
It is not like that!” Desperate to escape the awkwardness, she whipped her head around, scanning the vibrant storefronts.
A brightly lit ice cream parlor caught her eye like a lifeline.
Her posture straightened, and she marched toward it with sudden, urgent purpose.
“Ice cream!
Forget all that, let us eat ice cream!” She forced her chin up, projecting an aura of absolute composure, but her chest tightened with a chaotic swirl of nerves.
‘A date.”We have been alone together before, but a situation exactly like this…
I have never experienced this.’She slowed her pace to match Fujimaru Ritsuka, letting her gaze drift aimlessly over the passing crowds and dazzling window displays.
Her steps, usually heavy with the weight of armor, were exceptionally gentle.’I have been to so many Singularities.
Places choked with ash or completely barren.
Being here in the bustling heart of Odaiba, strolling side by side on a leisurely date…
it feels unreal.’She turned her head just a fraction, catching Ritsuka in her peripheral vision.
Her pace slowed even further.
Her fingers curled tightly against her palms.’When we first met, we were enemies.’She stared at the tips of her shoes.
The usual sharp, aggressive edge in her golden eyes softened into a quiet melancholy.’As the Dragon Witch, all I thought about was burning you.
Impaling you.
Tearing you apart.
I treated you like a bothersome pebble on the side of the road.’She peeked up through her lashes, stealing a quick glance at his profile before hurriedly looking down again.
A soft, unfamiliar warmth tugged at the corners of her mouth.’And now, we are actually on a date in Odaiba?’She paused, letting the flow of pedestrians wash past them.
A sense of dazed disbelief washed over her.’I never imagined this.
Back then, I did not possess even a single shred of imagination for a future like this.’She resumed walking, the distance between their shoulders closing to a hairsbreadth.
A faint breeze swept through the indoor plaza, carrying the sugary scent of waffle cones.’But…
recently, I have thought about it.
Just a little bit.”Looking through all that electronic data in Chaldea.
Flipping through those modern fashion magazines Da Vinci left lying around.’A thin layer of heat spread across her cheeks.
She kept her eyes fixed straight ahead, hiding the shy flicker in her gaze.’I would look at the pages and think, this place is quite good, that place is also quite nice.
I fantasized about so many different scenes.
Including Odaiba.
But…’ The cold weight of the gelato cup grounded her.
Her fingertips trembled slightly against the cardboard.
She turned to Ritsuka, her expression carefully neutral but her eyes betraying a subtle, nervous testing.
“How does the gelato taste?” she asked softly.
“Is it good?” Ritsuka turned to her, a gentle smile on his face, and smoothly threw the question right back.
She jolted.
Her grip on the little plastic spoon faltered.
Panic flared in her chest, but she quickly masked it with a forced, casual smirk.
“E-Eh?
You are asking me?” She cleared her throat, her eyes darting toward a nearby display window.
“Well, it is fine.
Not bad.
It is very sweet.” Realizing how hollow that sounded, she scrambled to add more, her voice pitching up slightly.
“It is cold and sweet, is it not?
That is what it is!” She ducked her head and took a tiny bite.
The icy cream melted instantly on her tongue, but her taste buds registered absolutely nothing.
‘Ah, this will not do.’She lowered her eyes, her long lashes fluttering to conceal the rising panic.’To be completely honest, my head is so full of static that just acting normal has drained all my energy.
I have no idea what I am eating.
I do not feel anything at all.
When you asked me, I just blurted out the first thing that came to mind.’Her brow furrowed.
She rubbed her thumb anxiously against the side of the cup, frustration gnawing at her.’I studied those magazines so many times.
I ran the simulations in my head over and over.
None of it works.
None of it is useful.’She cast a miserable glance at the calm, composed boy walking beside her.’Trends do not work.
Strategies do not work.
How exactly do you go on a proper date?
I have no idea.’She discreetly checked her reflection in a shop window, smoothing down her clothes, then quickly looked away.’Am I performing well?
Do I look like a girl enjoying a date?
Am I properly playing the role of a normal modern girl?…Ah, this is too difficult.’A soft sigh escaped her lips.
The ruthless efficiency she wielded on the battlefield was entirely useless here.’Fighting in a Singularity is so much easier.
At least there, I know exactly what I am supposed to do.
How to burn, how to pierce, how to kill.
To ensure you survive and win, I know exactly what steps to take.
I never hesitate.
But here…
I do not know anything.’ She stopped walking.
Slowly, she turned her head, fixing her gaze entirely on Ritsuka.
The frantic helplessness melted away, leaving behind a quiet, vulnerable clarity.
Her lips parted, but she swallowed the words before they could form.
Her chest ached with a sudden, overwhelming surge of emotion.
‘But…
if I get to be with you like this, then I will definitely…’She watched him, the corners of her mouth lifting into a genuine, unguarded smile.
All the jagged edges of the Dragon Witch smoothed out into pure, unadulterated affection.’Whether it is eating gelato together, or looking at clothes, or just wandering around aimlessly.
Whether it is fighting desperately in a Singularity, or just watching that shy expression on your face.’A deep blush settled permanently on her cheeks.
Her golden eyes shone with unmistakable joy.’I will definitely…
be in love with all of it.’ [Akarin’s Note: Enjoying the story?