Morning…
"We will be heading out then," I announced as we headed out for our date.
According to Rihito's internal clock, the time should be around 10 o'clock, ten minutes give or take.
Shizuku, with a light blush, followed after him.
"Have a good time," Remia saw us off.
Shea and Tohru intently stared at Shizuku.
"Let's go." I pushed my right arm, indicating for her to hold it.
With blushing cheeks, she linked her arms with mine as we started our date.
We decided to head towards the area filled with shops.
"Want to try some food?" I pointed at the stalls.
She nods, "Sure."
I then bought some fish skewers, and we started our stroll.
"The taste is quite bland, isn't it?" I looked at Shizuku.
"Well, it can't be helped. The food in this world is rather lacking compared to our world," Shizuku sighed.
"You know how hard it was getting used to this world," she whined.
"Haha! I know, right? At least the food from the castle was pretty good." We laughed, and after that, we ate and explored the city.
Walking around the area, we decided to visit the fishing spot that Erisen was known for.
There were many Dagon men who went underwater and brought a variety of fish, which were then transported to other countries. And just like that, time flies…
…
..
.
It was late in the evening as the orange sunlight illuminated the sea and city. They were admiring the stunning view.
"Rihito," Shizuku called out.
"Hmm…" he hummed, watching the sun slowly set.
His attention went to Shizuku. "What is it?"
"How about you also call me Shizu from now on?" she says, twirling her ponytail.
My eyes widened for a second. "Oh? Why so suddenly?" I asked with a smirk.
With a blush hidden by the setting sun, she spoke, "You know… we are dating now. So, I thought it would be nice to call each other by nicknames…" She looked away in embarrassment.
"Why not… I like that. Shizu…" I looked at her with a smile.
"So, what will you call me then?" I asked, interested in what nickname she would call me.
With a serious frown, Shizu pondered.
"How about Rito?" She looked at me.
"Using the first two letters and the last two letters of my name, huh?" I contemplated the name, and for some reason, I disliked it. It reminds me of someone.
"How about something else?"
"You don't like it," Shizu stated.
"Then, how about…" She pondered again.
"How about Rio?"
"Hmmm… not bad, definitely better than the first one."
"So, Rio, is it?" She asked.
"For now, let's stick with my name," he rejected it.
"Fine," she sighed in a bit of disappointment.
I looked back and stared towards the peaks and got an idea.
"Let's go there," I said, pointing to the three peaks at the center of the city.
"Isn't that a restricted area?" She said dubiously.
"It will be fine." Dismissing her worries, I scooped her into my arms and leapt to the top of the peak.
"Kyaa"
"..."
"Now this view is even better, don't you think?" I said, seeing the magnificent view of the sunset over the sea.
"There is no stopping you, is there?" Shizuku sighed.
"Not really."
I took Shizu's hand and placed it on my cheeks. "If I ever go out of control. It's a big if; I have made many contingencies to prevent that. But still, if it happens, the only ones I might ever listen to might be you girls."
"So please, whatever you do, don't die. If it ever happens, I don't know what I will do." Or rather, what will he become? Rihito, for the first time in his life, opened up about his greatest fear.
Rihito still remembers the moment at Gruen Volcano when he was on the brink of losing control. The intense feelings of hatred and the urge to destroy and kill nearly overwhelmed him. In that critical instance, he managed to regain control, but he wonders: What would happen if he completely lost it? What would follow then?
Would he have had…
Before his thoughts went any further, Shizu stopped him.
"Dummy," Shizuku whispered, standing on her tiptoes to kiss him, her heart overflowing with emotion.
"I won't die; I can't leave you because I know how hopeless you can be. You act tough, but deep down, you are kind and always ready to help those in need. You keep your distance, afraid to make friends. If it meant taking the blame for someone you care about, you would do it. I don't know why you act this way, but I'm sure something happened in your past," she stated.
Rihito looked at her with shock, his mouth open.
Seeing his shocked expression, Shizuku smirked, "What? You thought you were the only one who was watching?"
"Yeah, my bad for underestimating you." Rihito apologised.
"You know, when you helped some random girls and the way they looked at you. It pissed me off." Shizuku's eyes darkened, remembering memories from the past.
"Huh? What do you mean?" He was clueless.
"Wait, do you mean those girls I helped a while back were into me or something? That can't be; I acted like a jackass back then. There is no way they like that."
Shizuku looked at him with a deadpan expression and shook her head. A prince comes out of nowhere and helps a girl in need, combined with his gentle, caring look. He had no idea how many girls were into it, including her; otherwise, she wouldn't have fallen so easily for him.
Also, those who appeared to help others out of kindness often acted like jerks to make people dislike them. This was a common trope in shojo manga. Many had recognised this and saw through the facade to his cluelessness.
"On the topic of dying. In the first place, who was the one who disappeared? Not saying a thing? Do you think I've forgiven you for that? Do you know how I felt?" Shizuku glared at him.
"..."
"Ah? I am sorry about that." Rihito immediately apologised.
"Huff…" Shizu, feeling grumpy, turned around.
[She still remembers that.] He inwardly sighed, thinking of a way to cool her down.
"Hey, how about as a sorry, I'll take you to dinner at the best place I know? There will be rice there, too."
Shizu, interested in hearing about rice, looked back, "What place?"
I then grabbed her by her waist and pulled her closer. "Let me show you."
With those words, both of them teleported.
…
City of Ull
In front of the Water's Fairy Inn.
Shizuku, finding herself in this unknown place, looked around. "Where are we?"
"We are currently in a city called Ull." He looked around the area with a bit of nostalgia.
The city of Ull. Wasn't this the place where Aiko Sensei and others were sent to help the farmers? Shizuku remembered.
While Shizuku was lost in thought, I guided her inside and was greeted by the same waiter from back when we first came.
His eyes widened in recognition. "Ah! The esteemed goddess's sword, Lord Rihito, I welcome you back to our inn."
The waiter at first shouted in shock, but controlling himself, he welcomed him.
Hearing the sudden commotion from the waiter, everyone inside the inn gathers around the entrance in hopes of seeing the so-called goddess's apostle, the one known as the goddess's sword.
"Hey, is that really the goddess's sword?"
"Where is the other apostle, the one known as the demon shield?"
"Has Goddess Aiko come back?"
"..."
Shizuku, seeing this sudden commotion, stared at him with confusion. "Rihito, what's going on?"
With a groan, he looked at Shizu. "Well, it's a long story."
The waiter, seeing the commotion, apologised and then guided me to the best room they had.
"So, what would you like to order?" the waiter asked.
We looked through the menu.
"I will have the curry rice, the fish curry, the wild chicken, and for dessert, the tender fruitcake." After finishing my order, I looked at Shizu.
She looked through the menu and ended up choosing the same items as I did.
"I will be back soon…" he said, and then the waiter left the room.
"So, what's with the goddess's apostle thing? Those people seemed to be almost worshipping you," She asked.
"Well, as I said, it's a long story."
Shizu looked at him with an unimpressed look.
"Fine, I will talk…" I sighed.
I explained what had happened back then: how we came here to complete a quest, how I met Tohru, and Shimizu's plan to destroy the city. I described our use of a little plagiarism involving Aiko's name—a flashy attack meant to persuade the crowd, which led them to revere us. I then recounted Shimizu's death and my last words to Aiko.
"..."
Shizuku was silent throughout the explanation; she then put her palm over Rihito's clenched fist and intertwined her fingers with his.
"I see, it must have been a hard decision to make."
Just then, the waiter came back with the order.
The waiter, noticing the subdued mood, quietly placed the dishes on the table and left with an elegant bow.
"Please enjoy."
We then proceeded to enjoy the food.
"Mmhhhh… This is delicious." Shizu ate the food with delight.
"I told you so?"
Halfway through those dishes, Shizu stopped. She insisted she was full and couldn't eat anymore.
"Well, I guess we ordered too much," I say with a shrug as I finish the remaining food without hitting my limit. Even if I did, with little use of Metamorphosis Magic, I could eat as much as I want.
Again, just as I finished eating, the waiter entered.
"Please tell the chef the food was fantastic.
"I'm sure the chef will be happy to hear that." With a smile, he responded.
I pulled out five gold coins and was about to give them to the waiter. But the waiter offered that the food would be on the inn as an apology for the earlier inconvenience.
"No, it's fine. I like to pay for it." I tried to convince them.
The waiter denied it, pointing out that this city is standing because of me and my friends' help; they couldn't possibly take it.
With a sigh, I end up not paying.
After that, we left the inn.
"So, I guess our date ends here?" I said, and was about to teleport us back to Erisen.
Before I could do that, Shizu stopped me.
"Wait!"
…
Chapter end
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==Insert IMG of Something Awesome==
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