That Day, Those Two
We had pretty much finished everything we needed to do in Aiden.
The travel funds that had been our original goal were more than sufficient—overflowing, even—and we'd handled all the essential requests from the Adventurers' Guild.
With various unexpected side incomes piled on top of that, the results were thoroughly satisfying.
Now all that's left is this.
I looked over at the man and woman sitting far off in the distance.
Dressed more lightly than usual and out for a stroll—a man and a woman. Kyle and Emily.
They sat across from each other at a street-side restaurant, their conversation blooming.
A street date like this… Affinity Level 4, maybe?
They would insist it wasn't a date, of course, but that was the charm of a pure, budding pure-love couple.
Last night.
I'd felt the need to soothe my body and mind, left in tatters by a string of unexpected situations lately. So I'd handed Kyle some money and told him:
"Go on a date with Emily."
"W-What are you talking about…!"
Kyle had panicked and spouted nonsense about how he and Emily weren't like that, but I'd given him some serious advice.
"Peaceful moments pass in a flash. From here on out, you're only going to see more and more shitty situations. Don't wait until then to regret it—go enjoy yourselves now."
In reality, while the rear lines were still peaceful, the front lines were a continuous war every single day. Monsters poured in day after day, and people died. Even so, the front lines were places where people gathered to live, so they were relatively better. Once you entered the Demon Realm, you'd have to march for your life across empty wastelands with nothing at all. That was why we had to enjoy the peaceful present as much as possible.
Sensing something in my words, Kyle had nodded and taken the money. Then he'd added some of his own and handed it back to me.
"In that case, why don't you spend some time with the other companions too?"
I'd grinned at Kyle's words. I'd been planning to do just that anyway.
We've made a ton of money, so I should try everything I can.
Back when I'd played the game, there had been so many events I'd missed out on because I was strapped for cash—it had been a real shame. With my luck with money looking good, I'd resolved to check out events whenever the opportunity arose from now on.
Of course, after I connect you two first.
Raising affinity with Layla or Mela was important, but raising Kyle and Emily's Affinity Level quickly was even more so.
I handed a coin to a passing waiter boy and said:
"Hey, see that couple over there? Send a couple's special drink to their table. If they say they didn't order it, just tell them it's on the house."
"I asked them earlier and they said they weren't a couple, though?"
The kid looked up at me with bright, sparkling eyes. Hearing a comeback like that after becoming this face was a first—it was actually refreshing.
"Adults always say the opposite. Your dad probably pretends to be a couple with the lady next door when they go out too."
I pressed another coin into his hand, and the boy nodded and scampered off to the kitchen.
A short while later, the boy headed toward Kyle's table carrying a tray with a drink on it.
That drink on the tray was important. The contents were ordinary juice, but the straw stuck in the cup turned the drink into something special. It was none other than a couple's straw—tied into a heart shape, the kind that advertised to everyone around, "We're a lovey-dovey couple."
Once they received it, Kyle and Emily would blush, but they wouldn't be able to ignore the gesture and would put the straw to their mouths. That would bring their faces closer, and distracted by their breaths mingling, they'd forget to even drink and just gaze at each other. That sweet moment would become eternal, remaining in their memories.
"Kuuuh!"
The pure-love high was rising!
I watched expectantly—but something was off.
What the?
The couple's straw on the drink I'd sent had been swapped out for an ordinary one. Wondering what was going on, I looked over—and someone was walking toward me from that direction.
It was Mela.
"What are you doing here?"
She was avoiding my gaze, looking embarrassed. I was about to say something about that when I spotted something and my face hardened.
"You… that's…"
In Mela's hand was the couple's straw. Droplets clinging to the end suggested it had been pulled out not long ago.
"Was this your doing?"
At my question, Mela nodded, flustered. Come to think of it, right before the straw changed, something had seemed to pass by the waiter. So it had been this little one. I hadn't recognized her because her clothes were different from usual.
"Why would you do something like this…"
I was about to press her when—
"You, that's enough!"
A familiar voice rang out as someone appeared. Confirming who it was, I couldn't help but scowl.
"So it was your scheme, you bitch!"
To hide her identity, Layla was wearing clothes I'd never seen before, plus sunglasses and a mask. Not that it mattered—those massive breasts of hers still made her unmistakable, but there was no need to point that out.
She took off the sunglasses and glared at me.
"What are you plotting this time?"
"Plotting…"
I was about to argue back when a sudden thought struck me.
Wait! Our Affinity Level's gone up, so is there any need to hide it anymore?
Before, she wouldn't have believed anything I said, so it had been pointless—but now that she listened to me to some degree, I could probably speak my true intentions. Besides, these two were the only duo in this world who supported Kyle and Emily's love!
So I decided not to hide my purpose and just come clean. We'd built up some trust, so she'd believe me!
"I'm just trying to bring those two together."
"Don't give me that obvious lie…"
Of course she didn't believe me. She must have thought I'd only gotten close to her alone. With no choice, I pointed to the straw Mela was holding.
"See that?"
"A couple's straw?"
"Why do you think I sent that?"
"…So you could barge in after bringing those two together?"
"That's Hitomi's specialty."
After all that bickering, Layla admitted we were aiming for the same thing. But our methods differed.
"Don't interfere and just leave them alone! They'll figure it out on their own! Doesn't love only have value if they achieve it themselves?"
"Don't spout nonsense when you don't know a thing. If we don't make it a done deal soon, who knows what bastard might come sniffing around!"
"Are you talking about someone like yourself?"
"You little—!"
Mela, who'd been listening to our argument, looked up.
"Ah, they're heading outside."
I turned at her words and saw Kyle and Emily leaving the shop. Layla and I glared at each other, then agreed to follow those two for now.
Kyle and Emily headed to a clothing store. Seeing that, my eyes widened.
"That idiot has that kind of sense?"
"Heh heh, I gave them a tip before they set out. I heard new arrivals came in today."
I was about to snap, Is that something the girl who said to leave them alone should be doing?—but held my tongue.
Emily was still a girl in her prime. During adventures, the clothes she could wear were limited, so she always wore the same things—but of course she'd want to wear pretty clothes. Layla would be the same, so I didn't bother saying it.
A short while later, Emily emerged from the shop in a bright, cheerful dress. Emily in a pure white dress smiled brightly, and at the sight, Kyle blushed and stared blankly.
"This is it."
"This is it."
Layla and I let out admiring sighs at the same time and looked at each other.
"You've got a decent eye."
"You too."
And so we followed Kyle and Emily, who walked a bit out of the city to a field with a large tree.
In that moment, something suddenly occurred to me. I urgently called out to Layla.
"Rain! Make it rain!"
A girl in a pure white dress, and a sudden downpour! The scene that would follow didn't need words—it floated vividly before my eyes. The two would head somewhere to escape the rain. Under the shelter they'd barely found, they'd face each other and smile. Then the boy would notice the rain-soaked dress clinging and revealing her skin underneath, and panic…
"No time to hesitate!"
This was the perfect setup! Even Layla, who'd been advocating non-interference, seemed to picture the situation and began drawing up her mana.
"Tch! Just this once!"
An enormous amount of mana erupted from her hands and shot into the sky. Weather-manipulation magic that could dominate a battlefield. That large-scale magic was being used for a single couple's event.
Whoooosh—
At the sudden rain, Kyle and Emily panicked and ran under the tree. With their good physical abilities, they reached the tree quickly, but they still couldn't avoid getting wet entirely. As the dress soaked through and revealed her skin underneath, Kyle and Emily both blushed and grew flustered.
Nice.
I wanted to smile contentedly at the sight, but the situation wasn't so kind. Rain was falling on our side too. The heavy downpour made it hard to see the two of them clearly. We shouted at each other through the pouring rain.
"You stupid bitch! You should've made it fall only over there!"
"Say something that makes sense! Do you think that's even possible?"
I was about to yell something back when I clicked my tongue and turned my head. Layla's rain-soaked clothes were clinging tightly to her, and the view was extremely nice. Layla seemed to realize it too—she shut her mouth and turned away.
"…Achoo!"
Mela was shivering. Probably from getting caught in the rain in thin clothes.
And so, without getting to finish watching Kyle and Emily's event, we had to return to the city.
Our contribution to the city was so high that the residents treated us with the utmost courtesy. Even the lord had requested that we stay at the lord's mansion while in the city. But none of our party wanted that, so we were staying at an inn.
"Your food is ready."
I sipped the warm drink the waiter boy brought out and gazed at the rainy street. Raindrops fell onto the roofs of the fantasy-style buildings, making a pleasant sound. I took a sip of the warm drink while looking at the rainy scenery.
This wasn't bad either.
"Ahem."
Looking awkward, Layla cleared her throat and walked over with Mela. They were wearing clothes suitable for young ladies their age. Since their clothes had been soaked through by the rain, they'd stopped by a clothing store on the way and bought new ones.
Layla looked down at her clothes and said:
"Isn't this expensive?"
"A few outfits like this are no problem."
When I'd played the game, they weren't essential adventure items and were expensive, so I couldn't buy them—but now money was rotting away in excess. Our city contribution was maxed out, so we got big discounts too. I hadn't really had anywhere good to spend money anyway, so I was glad to find a use for it.
"…Thanks."
Since I'd bought them with my personal funds rather than the party pot, Layla honestly thanked me. As a mage, she had a lot of things to buy, so she was always strapped for cash. She'd probably wanted to buy things like this before but couldn't, and felt regretful. They'd probably exploited that angle during the blackmail route too.
As an awkward atmosphere hung, the waiter boy approached.
"If it's now, couple sets are on discount."
"We're not a couple!"
"Get lost, kid."
The boy pouted and went back.
"You said adults always say the opposite…"
No. Don't ruin the good mood.
"Couple…"
Mela was looking this way with a somehow dissatisfied expression. Mentioning couples made me suddenly think of Kyle and Emily, who were still outside, so I asked Layla:
"So when does the rain stop?"
Layla averted her gaze and answered in a shrinking voice.
"…Tomorrow morning?"
"…."
Is she insane?
I was so dumbfounded I pressed her.
"Then making it stop again?"
"I used too much mana today, and if you use weather-manipulation magic consecutively, the mana overload causes a storm…"
"You absolute idiot!"
"Your words are too harsh!"
We even pointed fingers at each other as we fought, but there was no particularly good solution.
And so, the next morning.
Kyle and Emily returned, carrying a subtle atmosphere about them.