The Date at the Fountain
Diana sat on the bench right in front of the fountain in the plaza.
The academy’s martial arts tournament was in full swing, so the streets were empty of students. If they’d opened the gates to outsiders, this quiet street would be completely deserted right now.
Unlike the plain clothes she wore at the academy, Diana’s glamorous outfit hugged her figure—short skirt, bare legs, and a shiver running through her every time she rubbed her palms over her thighs.
“Aaah! Making me wait from the very first day of our date is too cruel.”
Rai sauntered over, and Diana shot up, pointing at him with both fingers.
“You get to play hooky all day, but I’m working. It’s impossible for an instructor to just slack off.”
“Ahahaha, yeah. So you snuck out?”
“Some people caught me, but I’ll bet they won’t say anything.”
“I’m so touched you slipped away just to go on a date with me.”
Diana grinned, looped her arm through Rai’s, and leaned against him.
“Where are we going?”
“E~ You took me on a date without any plans? I should’ve guessed you’d be the one to suggest it.”
Rai raised an eyebrow. Diana laughed brightly and rested her head on his shoulder.
“Hehe, I was joking! I’ve already booked everything—from the restaurant to the inn! Just follow me.”
“No inn, remember?”
“Why? I’m an adult.”
“Where would an instructor who sleeps with students even exist?”
“Everyone’s whispering, but they’re definitely out there. And you, Rai-kkang, are exactly the type.”
Diana looked up at him with sultry eyes, then giggled to herself and tugged him along at a brisk pace.
The two of them shared one big thing: social grace.
Even in the city, they knew everyone. Walking the streets, people spotted them, waved, and greeted them.
“Diana unnie, you’re on a date? The old man Rai’s fine, though.”
“Oh, oh… I didn’t think the pair of you would turn heads. The combination of Rai and Diana is quite something.”
“Hey, Rai, try this snack!”
Despite their easygoing nature, they hadn’t hung out together much before. The people around them stared, curious.
Diana pulled Rai into a high-end restaurant, the kind that cost more than most students earned in a month.
“Welcome, Miss Diana. And Rai, sir. Your reserved table is ready.”
Rai hadn’t been here often, but the owner recognized them both from street encounters and led them inside.
They reached a table with white tablecloths spotless, no dust anywhere. Diana started to sit, but Rai pulled out her chair first.
“What? If you’re this polite I’ll fall head over heels. Trying to seduce me already?”
“It’s a date. At least respect the other person.”
“Oooo… you really know how to treat a woman, huh?”
“Where’d you learn that?”
Diana smiled brightly, placed her order, and waited for the food.
Leaning forward, chin resting on her folded hands, she chatted with Rai about everything—new restaurant dishes, academy students’ stories, rumors about instructors. He answered in all the right places, but he never mentioned himself.
The bright, chatterbox girl from summer days never once brought up her own life.
When the dishes arrived, Diana sat up straight, cheeks glowing with happiness as she tasted the food.
“Hm~ It’s so tender.”
Her expression was full of emotion, but her body moved with perfect restraint and elegance. She knew every proper way to hold a knife and fork, the way she should hold herself when eating, even the posture that made her look refined. Yet that innocent smile made her utterly lovable.
Rai snorted. “So that’s how you do it.”
Diana’s eyebrows shot up, then she laughed and took another bite.
Her movements were slow yet graceful—exactly the kind of training she’d never had.
Polite, yet showing off her manners, she set the fork and knife down and patted her lips with the napkin.
“My stomach’s full enough. Ready for the next course? I’m dying to see what you prepared.”
“It’s our first date. Theater makes sense.”
“Eeeah— I got chills! How did you know?”
Diana faked surprise, then tilted her head at him, curious.
“You probably did some research. Among all the choices, a theater has the fewest variables and the easiest emotional connection. It’s your safe bet. You hate surprises.”
Diana pouted and nodded.
“You stalking me, Rai-kkang? How do you figure that out so well?”
“It’s right there.”
“But no one sees me as the ‘hates surprises’ type. They say the opposite. ‘Diana, if you keep trying that you’ll get hurt!’, ‘Diana’s reckless sometimes.’ ‘Diana’s too brave!’ Everyone says she needs to be more reserved, but you’re different.”
Diana did a perfect impression, cocking her head like she was copying him.
Rai just shrugged. “Planned madness and real madness are different. Calling a gamble you can win ‘courage’ doesn’t make it courage.”
“Ugh… every time you talk I feel scolded. Please be kinder to your date partner.”
“Yeah? Then I’ll give you compliments.”
“Really? I want that! Praise me all you want!”
Diana’s eyes sparkled with anticipation. Rai glanced at her, then spoke.
“You’ve worked hard. Really hard.”
“… …”
The unexpected praise left Diana speechless. Her heart squeezed so tight she couldn’t breathe. She smiled anyway, afraid any moment she’d crack.
“Compliments are too weak. Next! The theater I predicted—your boring, ordinary theater. Let’s go.”
They entered the theater. The play was a simple hero story—defeating a dragon and saving a village—but it focused on the relationships between the characters rather than grand heroism. It showed every kind of human face.
It wasn’t a satisfying story, but watching each person’s emotions and beliefs play out was fun. The audience gasped, cried, and got lost in the characters.
Then the curtain rose on the moment everyone had been waiting for. The main characters in the middle of intimacy.
Most plays skipped the scene with narration. This theater wanted buzz, so they mixed it with sensual dance.
The actors were practically naked, running across the stage. The audience stared, refusing to miss even a single frame.
Two eyes wide open, a man. A woman covering her eyes but leaking with embarrassment between her fingers. Everyone was glued to the stage.
Diana leaned against Rai’s shoulder and whispered, “They didn’t ban underage viewers for nothing, huh.”
“You planned this too?”
“Hahaha, I’m not that perverted. This is exactly the kind of thing Rai-kkang likes.”
Her whole body shook with laughter. The vibration traveled through her shoulder to Rai.
“You’re standing, Rai-kkang?”
“… … I said I’m not perverted. Just a pervert?”
“No, no. There’s something weird about it. Everyone’s excited watching the stage right now.”
Diana looked around. “So all the men here are standing? This feels off, doesn’t it?”
“I don’t even want to imagine it.”
“But it’s instinct. This is reality.”
“At least I calmed down because you told me.”
Rai’s deadpan made Diana laugh so hard she buried her face in his shoulder and kicked her legs.
The guy next to them looked weird, but she couldn’t hold it in. Her whole body shook as she tried to quiet her giggles.
“Rai-kkang… hah… hah… this is so funny, Rai-kkang.”
Tears welled in her eyes. She wiped them away, still laughing.
When the play ended, Diana stepped outside and bumped her shoulder against Rai’s.
“It was really fun! Choosing the theater was the best decision. Especially your lines— I loved them.”
“I wasn’t even acting.”
She bumped him again, then pulled him toward the lighthouse.
It was locked, of course—used for military purposes—but Diana knew a back door and slipped through.
“It doesn’t look like a door at all.”
“Ehehe~ Inside it’s a door.”
She squeezed through the broken window and disappeared.
Rai glanced around, uneasy, then followed. They climbed the circular stairs.
“I don’t want to get caught while on a date.”
“It’s fine, it’s fine. Tell the guards we’re on a date and they’ll understand.”
“Are there people out here who sneak into lighthouses just to date?”
“Of course. This is Legandia, where the academy is. There are plenty of love-obsessed idiots.”
Diana pushed the door open. Cool wind rushed in. The sunset over Legandia spread out before them like a painting.
Diana smiled at the orange sky, then brushed her hair behind her ears.
“How is it? Pretty, right? This is the best spot to see the whole city.”
“The church spire at Luteria Church is also nice.”
“What? You told me I couldn’t climb the lighthouse, and now you’re up here freely.”
Diana laughed at his answer and leaned against the railing.
“You know… I love being praised.”
“More than before?”
“No, no. You already praised me. No one has ever…”
Her voice trailed off as she replayed the words from the restaurant.
Her eyes looked sad as she stared at the beautiful city lights.
“I got my first compliments when I was five. I was swinging a sword no one taught me. The masters praised me. ‘Despela is a genius! We should teach her instead of the useless brother!’”
Rai lit a cigarette and leaned against the wall beside her. Diana glanced over, then kept talking.
“Actually, I watched him practice it several times. I practiced in my room. Over and over… If the nanny saw, she’d scold me for getting hurt, so I snuck around swinging the sword.”
“… …”
“I even showed it to the masters who were training him. I wanted to say I was just practicing, but they were so happy I couldn’t speak. That’s how the lie of ‘lazy genius’ was born.”
Diana stared at him. She bit her lip, hesitated, then spoke again.
“It was all excuses. At five, Diana was drunk on praise, admiration, and respect. I chased that sweetness without anyone noticing. Don’t smoke?”
“I only smoke when no one’s around.”
The way Rai said it made Diana’s eyes curve into happy crescents.
“Don’t say it like you’re falling for me. I’m obsessed with effort, and I’m manipulative. If I get attached to you, you’ll get tired.”
“Tell me more about you.”
She tried to lighten the mood, but Rai met her eyes. His gaze was calm, yet it saw straight through her. Diana smiled softly and looked back at the city.
“It’s not that interesting. No funny stories. I just worked hard, and I worked hard to hide it from everyone.”
“… …”
“Everyone says kids who sweat their guts out under the sun are cool. But the kids who do nothing and still succeed are cool too. I wanted to be one of those. I was free and lazy in front of people, but I kept working hard where no one could see. Ah! Thanks for telling me to sleep.”
Diana smiled faintly, remembering the advice from tactical training.
“You’re greedy and lecherous. Anyway… last year I worked harder than anyone. I thought if I made the tournament I’d face Violet or Sozeta. I had to win.”
She stared at the city, lost in memory.
“I worked harder than anyone. When I beat Violet I wanted to jump around. I beat the Genius of a Thousand Years! I actually did it! But… but… Violet was too happy about it, wasn’t she?”
Tears welled in Diana’s eyes.
“I clearly won… but Violet congratulated me with the brightest smile, hugged me, and asked me about the sword with pure eyes… It wasn’t the dirty Diana at all. I realized then. Ah, I lost to Violet as a human.”
Tears spilled down her cheeks. She forced the words out, voice shaking.
“And this year… I lost. I expected… I expected to lose… Whether it was skill or humanity… I’m just a naive fool compared to Violet.”
The confident, proud Diana was gone. Now she was just a sobbing child. She wiped her nose, head bowed.
The once-bright blue hair on her shoulders drooped.
Rai watched her in silence, then gently stroked her hair.
“You worked hard.”
“… …”
“Now you don’t have to be reserved anymore.”
Diana looked up at him.
“You lost, so do what you want. Don’t care about anyone else’s eyes. Train how you like, ignore requests, focus on yourself. No one can stop you. You don’t have to force tough skin.”
“… …”
“I don’t know how many years it’ll take, but I’ll come back and win. When I do, I’ll praise you.”
Diana stared silently, then let out a watery laugh and wiped her tears.
Her voice came out cracked.
“I’ve worked hard so far… and now you’re telling me to work even harder?”
“You’re the best at it.”
“Yeah… that’s true.”
She wiped under her nose, nodded, and held out both arms.
“Hug me. And keep stroking my hair.”
“Bossy today.”
“I’m a spoiled brat. I’ll die of sadness if you stop praising me.”
Diana buried her face in Rai’s chest. She didn’t show her expression.