74. Well, That Could Happen
74. Well, That Could Happen
There were several things that bugged me about this, but in the end, Airi had given her permission.
Figuring it was fine to go with the flow for now, I relaxed and made my way toward the meeting spot.
I headed toward Marilyn, who was waiting for me there in the same outfit as before.
"You came, Hyosung."
"Sorry, it took me a little while."
"No, it's fine. It's been so long since I've seen you — waiting a little bit is nothing."
As she said that, Marilyn's gaze swept over me.
The more she looked, the more distinct the smile on her lips became — that much was plain to see.
"Your outfit's different from earlier... Fufu, maybe it's because you're the one wearing it, but what you have on now looks wonderful too~"
A compliment focused on me, not the clothes.
Just as I started to feel embarrassed by it, she looked down at her own black cloak and began voicing her regret.
"As for me, I didn't even think to change clothes... Would it have been better to come wearing something nicer?"
"Ah, no. It's fine. We just met up for a light meal today, anyway."
"A light meal? Don't tell me you plan to end today's meeting with just that?"
"Huh?"
"I mean, we haven't seen each other in so long. I wanted to spend more meaningful time together, to celebrate our reunion. Something like..."
Marilyn trailed off and brought her lips close to my ear.
What she whispered next made me so flustered that I blurted out my bewilderment before I could stop myself.
"...Marilyn."
I'd forgotten for a moment.
This was a woman who knew how to make bold jokes about this sort of thing.
"Fufu, it's a joke~"
Joke or not, making a risqué joke like that wasn't the best look.
But I didn't feel right complaining about it, so I held my tongue. She smoothly turned her back to me and began leading the way down the street.
"There. No sense dragging things out, so let's start with the meal... Do you happen to have a place you'd recommend, Hyosung?"
"Is it okay for me to decide?"
"As it happens, I'm not from the Empire. I'm used to visiting unfamiliar places, but since I only stopped by briefly last time before leaving, I'm rather unfamiliar with the lay of the land here."
Well, that made sense. Even a traveler couldn't know everything about a place they'd just visited.
So I figured I should take the lead today. Spotting a familiar sign beyond her, I started following behind.
"There's a decent restaurant nearby. It's a little pricey, but I should be able to cover it."
"Oh my~ You're treating me to a meal, Hyosung?"
"Of course I'm treating you, it's been so long. Airi was really satisfied when I went with her last time, so I'm sure you'll like it too, Marilyn."
It was pricey, but worth the cost. Or so I said.
Just as I was smiling, imagining how happy Marilyn would be, I noticed her footsteps come to a brief halt on the street.
"With Airi...?"
"...Marilyn?"
"Who is Airi?"
"Ah, well, that's..."
My answer cut off abruptly.
The chill I glimpsed on her face as she turned back to look at me made me feel, for a second, as if my heart had stopped.
No, not stopped. It beat sluggishly.
Because in that brief moment, the look in her eyes burned itself into my memory with terrifying clarity.
"Hyosung."
But it seemed even that short silence bothered her.
As time flowed on, she spoke to me again.
"Who is Airi?"
The moment I belatedly came to my senses at the repeated question.
I shook off the inexplicable tension that had seized me and barely managed to answer her.
"Sh-she's a houseguest."
I didn't know why.
But that was probably the best answer I could give in this situation.
"A houseguest? Does that mean she's staying with you at your residence, Hyosung?"
"Ah, yes. That's right, but..."
Why?
Why was Marilyn suddenly looking at me with those eyes, and why was my whole body going rigid just from meeting her gaze?
Had I stepped on a landmine without realizing it?
"Hmm, is that so?"
Just as my anxiety was peaking, Marilyn finally spoke her piece.
Then she averted her gaze from me and drew a smile onto her lips.
"Well, it could happen."
A voice so light it was a stark contrast to the earlier chill.
There was no trace of her usual playfulness or suggestive tone.
It was as if, just for this moment, she had become a different person.
"Marilyn? What did you just..."
"Hup!"
The moment that caught my attention, Marilyn rushed right at me.
I was flustered by the sudden action, but Marilyn had already grabbed my arm and was clinging to it.
"Fufu, shall we go, then?"
"M-Marilyn. The arm, all of a sudden..."
"What's the matter? We haven't seen each other in ages — this much is fine, isn't it?"
As she said that, Marilyn leaned her head against my arm as well.
I could feel various soft things pressing against me as she pressed her body close, but I pretended it didn't bother me and started moving my halted feet.
"Yes, well... let's go."
"Fufu, thank you~"
As she gave her little thanks and walked along with me, the earlier menace in Marilyn had vanished like an illusion.
As if the feeling itself had been an illusion.
As if she were silently emphasizing exactly that.
****
No, it couldn't have just been my imagination.
I might not have a ton of experience with women, but I wasn't so clueless that I couldn't tell what kind of feelings Marilyn had for me.
She'd left behind a letter like that, and now she was back.
Wouldn't it be stranger to assume she felt nothing for me?
"This restaurant is called the Storm of Spacetime. That's pretty unique."
"Ahaha, yes. Incredibly unique name."
The more it weighed on my mind, the more complicated my feelings became as I sat across from her in the restaurant, watching her beam at me.
Back when I received her letter, I'd dreamed of having a special relationship with her, but now... I'd sorted out my feelings and was dreaming of a new connection.
Yeah, there'd been a whole uproar before I actually met Marilyn face-to-face. So I had no choice but to be wary about this sort of thing.
The look in her eyes earlier was more than enough to put me on high alert.
"Hmm, just eating feels a bit dull... Should we order some drinks, too?"
Just as I was steeling my resolve, Marilyn quietly asked while looking at the menu.
I pulled myself together and met her eyes, and saw her smiling with a fufu laugh, unaware of what was going on in my head.
"Drinks, you mean?"
"Today's a celebration of our reunion, after all. I think having a drink to commemorate it would be nice."
"Ah, well, drinks might be tough today."
A disappointing answer delivered to her expectant face.
But it couldn't be helped.
Before I came here, Airi had fretted about what might happen if I got drunk and caused some kind of incident.
"Do you dislike alcohol?"
"It's not that. It's just... today seems like it'll be hard to drink."
"...Then it can't be helped."
Marilyn voiced her disappointment but reluctantly accepted it.
Relieved it passed without incident, I placed our orders with the waiter who came by and spent some time chatting with Marilyn.
Mostly, it was about how each of us had been doing lately.
In my case, the achievements I'd made working as an Adventurer. Marilyn, briefly, about the journey she'd taken after safely submitting her resignation to her liege and returning to the Empire.
"It's a chaotic world, so my return ended up being delayed."
She left out a lot of details, so I couldn't know exactly what happened, but she must have gone through a lot of hardship.
That worry was faintly visible in the words that followed as she wrapped up her story.
"...Ahaha. Still, I'm glad you made it back safely."
"Yes, that's true. It was a little late, but I can just start fresh from now on, right?"
A bright smile and a question full of hope.
I couldn't give her any answer. All I could do was brush it off with an ambiguous smile.
Start fresh from now on?
I'd already sorted out my feelings for her and was moving on to a new encounter.
If she ever learned about my situation, would she still be able to smile at me like this?
"Your order is served."
Just as the worry was setting in, luxurious dishes were gradually laid out on the table.
Marilyn stopped talking, picked up her fork and knife as if she'd been waiting, and turned her attention to the food.
"Fufu, we've shared our news, so shall we eat now?"
Marilyn cut into the tender veal steak with the knife in her hand.
Then she carefully speared a piece with her fork, brought the end to her lips, and opened her mouth.
As naturally as water flowing — not toward her own mouth, but toward mine.
"Here, Hyosung. Say aaah~"
Marilyn then opened her mouth and made the sound, as if telling me to follow her lead.
Feeling my face flush, I unconsciously glanced around at our surroundings.
"Marilyn. I-I told you last time, too. Doing this in public is a bit..."
"I don't do this for just anyone. It's because it's you, Hyosung."
"..."
"...We finally met again. Doing this much should be okay, right?"
Despite my obvious discomfort, Marilyn just smiled bashfully and thrust the fork in her hand forward even more insistently.
During our first meeting, her gestures hadn't gone as far as outright insistence. Now, they were markedly more forward.
As if to show that what she'd felt during our time together hadn't faded, even after more than three months apart.
"...Just for today."
I couldn't bring myself to refuse those feelings and ate the steak. Watching my reaction, she let out a fufu laugh and speared a new piece with her fork.
"Alright then, Hyosung. One more bite... Mmph?"
But did she think I'd just sit there and take it?
I took the opening when she opened her mouth, cut a piece of steak, and popped it into her mouth. Her eyes went wide with surprise, and she stared straight at me.
"I was the one who brought you here in the first place. I came to treat you to the food here, Marilyn. It'd be a problem if you didn't eat any."
I let out a small laugh and smoothly withdrew the fork from her mouth.
As I stared at her like that, Marilyn swallowed the meat in her mouth and kept staring back at me.
"Is it good?"
"...Y-yes."
Had she not expected me to turn the tables on her?
Her voice trembled — uncharacteristically for her — and then she lowered her head and answered quietly.
"It's very... delicious. Maybe because you fed it to me, Hyosung. Even more..."
Her voice was practically a whisper, but even so, she couldn't completely hide her feelings.
That more than when I ate what she offered me...
...the fact that I had fed her held far more special meaning to her.
"...That's good. I'm glad you liked it."
The fact that just seeing her like this filled me with satisfaction... It definitely meant that I hadn't completely let go of my lingering regrets about her.
Even if I couldn't put the her sitting in front of me first, the desire for her to be happy...
Whatever ended up happening with our relationship from now on, that wish for her happiness was genuine.
"Excuse me, pardon the interruption."
Right as we were sitting face-to-face, having a cozy meal, the waiter intruded between Marilyn and me.
He placed something on the table, then smoothly gestured toward a secluded corner of the restaurant.
"The gentleman seated over there asked me to deliver this to you."
"...This?"
I turned to look, puzzled, and saw a middle-aged man in a fedora.
Sweeping back his distinctive long hair, he pulled his coat tightly around himself, rose from his seat, and began walking toward the restaurant exit.
His retreating figure felt strangely familiar... No, no way.
I laughed to myself — why would that Vampire show up here out of the blue? — and opened the envelope on the table. Inside, along with two tickets, a familiar handwriting greeted me.
[Young man, as thanks for the good show you gave me at my regular breakfast spot, I've prepared a small gift. I do hope you have a splendid time with that young lady.]
Ah, hell.
Using the word "breakfast" during the evening — that's a dead giveaway.
"Ah, haha. It seems someone's taken a liking to us."
The moment the shock hit me — that the Vampire really was a regular here and that he'd spotted me with Marilyn instead of Airi — I was flustered.
I tried not to let it show, answering with an awkward laugh. But Marilyn's gaze wasn't on the tickets in my hand. It was fixed on the restaurant exit.
The smile had vanished from her lips as she tracked his retreating back with the same amber eyes she'd once revealed to me.
"...He doesn't seem hostile. Should we let it slide for now?"
"Marilyn?"
"Ah, sorry. The person who extended us this goodwill caught my attention."
Marilyn shifted the mood back and let out a fufu laugh.
I'd be lying if I said the sudden shift didn't bother me, but I decided to let it go for now.
Whatever happened next, Airi had sent me off trusting that I would return safely.
"Hmm, looking at the tickets, they seem to be for an opera being held nearby. Speaking of which, you did say you had time until tonight, right?"
"Yes. If you're okay with it, Marilyn, we could go together..."
Right, Airi had given her permission. It should be fine for now.
She'd said that unless the "whims of a Transcendent being" she'd warned me about repeatedly occurred, the foretold future wouldn't go awry...