Are You Ready?
“You should be able to meet her at this address. As for your phone—”
“I have it.”
Raichen pulled out his phone from his coat pocket. I'd heard he was a stubborn archmage's disciple, so I figured he might not even carry one, but apparently not. For the record, he didn't pay the membership fee with a card—he just slapped down five million won in cash, premium tier and all.
I sent the address to his phone, then bowed my head calmly.
“I hope you two have a wonderful meeting.”
“Thank you for your help.”
With that, Raichen wrapped things up neatly—no more, no less—and headed straight out. Strangely, the office felt a little warmer the moment he left.
“Whew.”
Was this really okay? I'd explained the situation to the woman I introduced him to, and she'd agreed, but my worries didn't settle easily.
“B-Boss.”
Kim Yang approached from behind. Her trembling hand held out five million won.
“I-I've n-never seen this m-much cash b-before.”
“Everyone uses cards these days.”
Card payments, chip payments, and all that. Cash was a rare sight in this era.
“H-He's awesome.”
Watching Kim Yang count the bills in awe, fanning them like a fan, I momentarily forgot my concerns about Raichen.
* * *
Huayeong Flower Shop.
That was the sign Raichen saw the moment he arrived at the address on his phone. A woman with brown hair was watering flowers out front. Her hair was neatly tied back, she wore a green apron, and she had a gentle vibe. Not strikingly beautiful, but averagely pretty—the kind you see everywhere.
'D-rank, was it?'
The shop was small but tidy. Cozy, not shabby.
Without a hint of hesitation, he approached, and the owner, Kim Da Jeong, greeted him with a bright smile.
“Welcome! Here to look at some flowers?”
“I'm from the matchmaking agency Meracle.”
“Ah...!”
She hurriedly wiped the water from her apron and offered a cheerful handshake.
“Hi! I'm Kim Da Jeong!”
Her greeting was lively and fresh, just like a flower shop girl.
“Raichen Spilcold. From the 4th floor, direct disciple of Archmage Gellawind.”
“Oh, wow...”
Raichen had wanted to cut to the chase, so he'd introduced himself quickly. But it suddenly hit him that it might come off as boasting to her.
“No need to feel burdened. I'm proud to be his disciple, but I don't intend to use it for any psychological advantage.”
“No, it's fine. Honestly, I'm not that interested in floors beyond the 3rd... I don't even know who the archmages are or how many there are.”
“...”
“But you're a mage, huh? That's cool. Can you do stuff like... this watering can?”
“Not my specialty, but yes, I can.”
“Whoa, really?”
“Hm.”
He spread his palm flat, and a water droplet formed above it. Kim Da Jeong clapped in delight.
“Wow! First time seeing real magic!”
“Glad you liked it.”
Raichen clenched his fist, shattering the droplet, then lowered his hand and made a straightforward proposal.
“In that case, will you marry me?”
“...Pardon?”
* * *
“You're running a café too.”
Right next to the flower shop was a tiny café, barely big enough for two tables. Adorned with potted plants, it was Kim Da Jeong's second venture. She poured coffee into a mug and sat across from him with a smile.
“It belongs to a grandma I know. She's not well, so I'm helping out. Like good neighbors.”
Good neighbors? Helping out?
“And your income from it—?”
“Huh? Oh, come on, I don't take money. It's just brewing coffee.”
“...”
She did the work but took no pay. Raichen's mind struggled to process it. And he recalled she was D-rank.
“You can't have much financial leeway.”
“Eek!”
Kim Da Jeong clutched her chest dramatically, laughing.
“True enough. The flower shop barely makes ends meet, and the café's just me being nosy.”
But.
“Isn't it nice? This is what life's about, right?”
He sipped his coffee. The soft slurp was his reply. It meant he didn't get it, and she knew, so she just took a sip without a word.
“That makes marrying me even better for you.”
“Pfft?!”
Kim Da Jeong nearly spat out her coffee again and dabbed her mouth with a napkin.
“Whoa, you seem super nervous? I heard you're not that old.”
“Twenty-eight.”
“Y-You're younger than me. A bit—”
She stopped short of saying he looked older, figuring it'd be rude.
“Let's get to the point.”
Raichen felt a faint headache. It was like a tug-of-war over conversation control. He took a short breath and spoke again.
“I have ample finances. You won't need to sell the flower shop or café right away.”
“Whoa, straight out of a drama.”
“For living arrangements, I'd prefer the 4th floor if possible, but we can live separately if you wish.”
“I want to stay on the 3rd.”
“No need for children.”
“Really? I want kids after marriage.”
“And the wedding as soon as possible. This week, ideally.”
“Oh...”
Kim Da Jeong nodded, then asked back.
“So, what's the actual point?”
“Pardon?”
“We're meeting to get to know each other, right? Not just conditions—the real point should be something else.”
Raichen adjusted his glasses, looking at her pouting lips. They weren't connecting.
“This is the point. We state conditions and see if they match. I'll accommodate yours as much as possible.”
“Oh?”
Kim Da Jeong smiled, holding her coffee mug with both hands.
“Then let's talk. My point is this: What's your hobby?”
“...Magic.”
“Specialty?”
“Magic.”
“Dream?”
“Magic.”
“Name?”
“Raichen.”
“Not magic this time.”
What was so funny? Kim Da Jeong laughed, tapping the table. Easy laugher. Raichen added it to her profile in his mind.
“I love plants. Flowers, trees, the smell of grass.”
“...”
“One day, this pink-haired elf kid comes in and goes, 'Oh! The children are singing!' Ever since, these kids feel even more precious. She gets it too.”
Children? Raichen glanced at the flowers decorating the café. Plants were just plants.
“Truth is, I joined the agency because of Dad. I'm turning thirty, and he nagged me into it.”
“...”
“Hmm, but you seem troubled.”
She fetched a small pot with pretty white flowers blooming from the flower shop.
“Here. It's called Polenia. Grows on your home continent, the 4th floor.”
“A gift? I'm not really into—”
“Polenia's meaning is 'protected love.' Because it dies easily.”
“...”
“One week! Keep it alive for a week and bring it back, and I'll marry you.”
“...Is that really all?”
Raichen knew he was being unreasonable. Her decision could be a major turning point in his life.
“What? You looked troubled, so I gotta help.”
She shrugged lightly. Nosy woman. Raichen added another trait to her profile.
* * *
“I'll come again tomorrow.”
With that, Raichen returned to the Lazesta Continent on the 4th floor, flower pot in hand. Riding the Tower Elevator back and forth between floors cost a hefty ticket fee, but his vault overflowed with gold coins, so it was no issue.
Back at the mage tower, he knocked on Archmage Gellawind's door.
“Master, I'm back.”
“Come in.”
Inside, the archmage sat in a rocking chair, his white hair and beard neatly groomed. The chair was a rehab tool, helping the frail mage circulate mana in place to maintain his feel for it.
“How was it?”
“I went on a date with the woman today.”
Gellawind chuckled like he'd exhaled wrong at his disciple's flat tone.
“Heh, was it good?”
“Yes, it went well. We clicked, and she gave me this gift.”
“... Polenia. A fine flower.”
Raichen approached slowly and placed a hand on his master's. He checked the mana flow briefly.
'It's gotten worse.'
His expression darkened. Gellawind smiled.
“Even mages are human in the end. Can't beat time.”
“...We've decided to wed soon.”
“Hm?”
Gellawind stared at him. Raichen met his gaze evenly.
“We clicked well. Could you officiate?”
“Ha—you always find uses for this old master. Fine, if that's your wish, I'll do it.”
“Thank you.”
* * *
“Yaaawn.”
Running a matchmaking agency means these slow periods hit often.
“Ugh, so damn boring.”
Boring as hell. Especially for a small outfit like ours—more flies than customers some days.
“L-Lately, th-things were g-going well.”
Kim Yang's words irked me into a snappy reply.
“Gotta keep it steady.”
“I-If it k-keeps going well, th-that's b-bad.”
“Hey.”
“M-Moonroo. Y-Yangkkul.”
Calling herself “Yang honey” instead of dog honey? Was that the new trend? Renea was off filling in at her convenience store gig. Boring as hell.
'Hope Raichen's doing okay.'
Two days passed with no updates, so probably fine. I'd sent Renea to scout the café now and then—Kim Da Jeong was just carrying on as usual.
While killing time with Kim Yang's pointless chatter...
Knock... knock.
A hesitant, off-beat knock. Note: We have a sign, and only one person in my memory ever knocks before entering.
“Huh?”
“N-No way.”
Kim Yang looked as shocked as me, thinking the same. I flung open the door, and a musty scent of old books wafted in. Faded blonde hair that hadn't seen sunlight in ages, dark circles under her eyes. She clutched her books not like treasures, but like lifelines. The petite woman looked up at me.
“H-Hello... boss.”
Her timid voice was barely audible. She was one of our agency's problem inventory: Beloah of the Infinite Library.
“Beloah? What brings you here? You hate leaving the library.”
“I had... business. First time out in a year. A bit early, huh.”
She'd joined last year and hadn't stepped out once? Stubborn.
“Figured I'd wrap up everything while I'm out.”
“...”
“Is the... introduction ready?”