Saber came out of the shop with the bag in hand.

"You both sure talked a lot, huh," Chloe remarked.

"Indeed. Are you jealous?" Saber teased.

"No, it's alright, I guess," Chloe replied, giving him a stare. "You don’t have much talking experience with girls, do you?"

"Was it THAT obvious?" Saber asked, feeling a bit self-conscious.

"Yup," Chloe confirmed with a devious smile.

Chloe then led Saber to a small café, where they took a seat outside, enjoying the warm daylight sun.

"Ahh, it’s been so long since I had this place’s sweets," Chloe sighed contentedly.

"Good for you," Saber replied.

"Alright, we’ve got armor, weapons, and potions. Anything else you need before we head out?" Chloe asked.

"Not something I can think of," Saber said.

"You really are boring, like a strict grandpa, to be honest," Chloe teased.

"I’m the same age as you, ma'am," Saber retorted.

"Let’s grab some food. Can’t go raiding on an empty stomach. OH! Have you tried these? I’m definitely trying it," Chloe said excitedly.

"You sure have a soft spot for sweets, don’t you?" Saber observed.

"What? Afraid of diabetes, grandpa?" Chloe shot back playfully.

"Excuse me!" Saber called out, and the sweets were brought to the table. Chloe was staring at him coldly.

"Something’s bothering you?" Saber asked.

"Noo, what could bother me, huh?" Chloe replied, her tone slightly irritated.

Did she just sound irritated? Saber wondered.

"No wonder you’re single," Chloe said suddenly, as if shooting an arrow straight into his chest.

What was that for? Saber thought, feeling a bit hurt.

"I don’t know?" Chloe responded nonchalantly.

Alright, let’s see if this works, Saber thought as he moved a spoon towards her. Chloe noticed it.

"What now?" she asked.

"I don’t know, why don’t you figure it out?" Saber said with a smirk.

Is he trying to make fun of me? Chloe thought, slightly puzzled.

"You sure bully the weak ones, but look at you now," Saber teased.

"You blushing?" Saber teased.

Well then, he’s the one who challenged me in the first place, Chloe thought. She grabbed the spoon while blushing, surprising everyone, including Saber, who also blushed.

Love what you're reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.

As expected from a shameless opponent, Saber thought.

Chloe, panting, said, "Now my turn."

"I think that’s enough," Saber protested.

"NO it’s not," Chloe insisted. Not after that scene, she thought, her smile devious as she spooned some cream.

"Say Aa," she instructed.

How did this even come down to this? Well, now or never, Saber thought. "Kap!" he said, eating with blushing, teary eyes.

Chloe watched him. Has he always been this cute, or am I noticing it now? she wondered. "So cute!" she exclaimed, coming closer to him.

Saber blushed really hard as Chloe poked his cheek. "I can finally tease you all I want, right?"

"You’re teasing me so much on purpose, aren’t you?" Saber asked.

"Can you do anything about it? I can’t stop teasing that cute face of yours. So show me each and every emotion from that cute face!" Chloe declared.

"How can you say that with a straight face?" Saber asked.

"I don’t know but I don’t mind!" Chloe declared.

"But I do," Saber retorted.

"Too bad, so sad," Chloe said, grabbing his hand and running. "You can keep the change!" she called out as they left the café.

"Hey! Where to now?" Saber asked, trying to keep up.

"Come on, we have more shopping to do," Chloe replied, her energy seemingly boundless.

"You’re suddenly full of energy, aren’t you?" Saber noted.

"Sure am! HAHAHAHAHA…" Chloe laughed as they approached a mall.

I never thought that I would find a freaking mall, especially in a town, Saber thought in amazement.

"Surprised, right? You didn’t think of finding a mall in a town, right?" Chloe asked, reading his mind.

"Yeah," Saber admitted, still a bit in shock.

"Our next mission is to buy some clothes," Chloe announced.

"Huh? Can you repeat it?" Saber asked, thinking he misheard.

"I said shopping for clothes. Which means you have a chance to peek when I change," Chloe teased.

Saber blushed. "So cute!" Chloe exclaimed.

I don’t mind but what’s the time? Saber thought.

"Huh?" he said aloud.

"What’s wrong?" Chloe asked.

"Nothing," Saber replied quickly.

"Fantasizing about me already?" Chloe teased.

"NO!" Saber protested.

It looks like the clock adjusted the time by itself, Saber realized. Since I do have some time, I guess this won’t harm anything. On the other side, I can see Chloe in cute dresses all I want! Cute pictures of Chloe... Saber’s mind wandered, and he started drooling while dreaming.

"You’re not even hiding your intentions now, I see," Chloe said with a smirk.

"Yeah… NO! Of course not," Saber stammered, quickly wiping his mouth. "Now, shall we go?" he asked with high enthusiasm.

"LOOK AT THAT ENERGY!" Chloe exclaimed.

They entered the mall, and Saber couldn't help but be amazed. "Wow!" he said, taking in the sight.

This exactly looks like the mall from that magazine, Saber thought.

"Ah! The mall really didn’t change much in 3 years," Chloe remarked.

"Wo Wo Wo! Wait a minute. When you said 3 years, you were only 12. So why do you sound like an old granny?" Saber asked, shocked.

Chloe gave him a death stare. "WHAT WAS THAT?" she demanded.

Saber stepped back, scared. "I think I didn’t hear it correctly, so do the honors of repeating it for me?" Chloe's eyes seemed to glow with a draconic red intensity.

That day I learned that I should be cautious of my words, Saber thought, feeling the heat from the slap mark on his face. Damn, I wasted 1000 copper on that ‘How to tame a girl’ book. This sucks!

Chloe was filled with angry markings all over her face. "So umm," Saber began.

"Soldier!" Chloe commanded.

Saber knelt down. "Yes, ma'am!"

"Will this act happen again?" Chloe asked sternly.

"NO, MA'AM!" Saber replied.

"HAVE YOU LEARNED YOUR LESSON?" Chloe's pitch gradually increased.

"NO, MA'AM!" Saber repeated, offering his hand to stand up.

Chloe smiled. "You shouldn’t say this to a girl, okay?"

An actual angel is in front of me, Saber thought.

"What’s wrong?" Chloe asked.

"I think I’m falling for you really hard," Saber admitted.

Chloe blushed hard, and everyone in the mall looked at them. Saber was shocked. "Huh? HUUUUUUUUUUUUUUH!!!"

"WHY ARE YOU SHOUTING! I’M THE ONE WHO IS SUPPOSED TO REACT LIKE THAT!" Chloe yelled.

"SORRY, MY THOUGHTS SLIPPED OUT!" Saber apologized.

"JUST SHUT UP!" Chloe slapped him and took him up the floor.

Chloe slammed Saber against the wall. "I’m-I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make a scene," he said, looking down.

Even in another world, I just keep messing up somehow, Saber thought, tears welling up in his eyes. If only I didn’t talk to her, then…

Chloe gently placed her hand on the wall near his face. He looked up, and she placed her other hand on his cheek.

"Words like this…" Chloe began, touching her forehead to his. "You can only talk to me, alright?"

Both stared at each other, blushing.

"It would’ve been worse," Saber admitted.

Chapter 6- IF ONLY I …