Meanwhile, back in Kreisfeld…

The merciless summer heat is slowly dying down, as the sun descends to the horizon. Cycelia pulls Straf into a few more stores, some selling various useful tools, some peddling household goods indispensable to the city-dweller.

Straf and Cycelia are still going from one store to the next, browsing through their goods before leaving again. Their spree of leaving without buying anything only breaks when they reach a pastry shop, and Straf buys Cycelia a croissant for the road.

「Straf, would you like to take a little break?」

Cycelia asks, breathing heavily as she leans forward and looks at Straf with a gentle, content smile.

「What, tired already?」

His brows rise above his bored eyes in response.

「What do you mean already, Straf? It's been an hour or two, a normal human would be a little tired after all this walking.」

「Yeah? I guess I am not really feeling it since I have monster stamina. We can take a seat somewhere if you really want.」

Straf shrugs, taking his bored eyes off of her. Cycelia bashfully looks aside as well.

《Endless stamina…》

She fiddles with her medallion while thinking about Straf's words. They walk further ahead down the road, and they come across a large fountain with a few benches to sit on around it.

「Ah. Finally!」

Cycelia exclaims when she walks up to one of the benches close to the fountain, and sits down with a relieved sigh. She turns her head to the fountain spraying weak streams of water into the air, pressurized presumably by the tall aqueducts delivering water here and there across the city. Straf sits down next to her on the bench, leaning back and placing his elbows on the backrest.

「Aren't fountains nice, Straf?」

She asks, glancing at Straf before turning her head back to the spurting fountain. A few separate groups of people have gathered around the fountain as well, discussing something amongst themselves, and enjoying the soothing tinkles and splatters of the water nearby. Despite a prolonged silence, Straf doesn't reply.

「…Straf?」

Cycelia turns her head back to Straf again, who's rolling a gold coin across his knuckles back and forth, staring at the sky with a serious face, and with his mind elsewhere.

「Straf. Are you worried about tomorrow's match?」

She asks with concern in her voice. Straf appears to snap back to conscious thoughts.

「Hm? Not really. I'm just thinking about something, and still haven't figured it out.」

He straightens out, and flicks the gold coin towards the fountain with his thumb.

「Eh? Straf, is it really okay for you to literally throw money away like that?」

Despite her royalty sensibilities, Straf treating gold coins like they're disposable is too much for Cycelia. As it spins rapidly, she tracks the coin in the air with her eyes in shocked disbelief… And it clinks on the cobblestones, a couple steps away from the water.

「Tsk. Perception, huh?…」

Straf clicks his tongue and pulls out another gold coin from his pocket. He aims with his hand at the fountain, and flicks another coin at it. It completes hundreds of revolutions in the air wildly spinning as it flies, before landing in the fountain's waters.

Plunk!

The coin finds its mark, the people around the fountain stop their chattering and turn their head to the fountain, but are unsure what made the loud noise. They soon forget about the sound, and return to their discussion. A young boy walks up to the fountain's rim and peeks in, as Straf aims another coin. Cycelia is watching Straf in awkward silence with a tight-lipped grimace.

「Momma! Look!」

The boy reaches into the water for the yellow glitter on the bottom and pulls out a wet, shiny gold coin, with an imprinted profile of some long-dead old man on it. He holds it up and shouts out to his mother, whose eyes immediately enlarge in shock. She snatches the gold coin out of his tiny fingers and hides it, looking around to see if anybody saw her do it.

The small crowd looks at her and the boy with suspicion. Some of them whisper something to each other, and the others shrug their arms. Another gold coin flies in.

Plunk!

The woman and the rest of the people glare daggers at each other. She takes one small step towards the fountain, cautiously, and a man from the other side of the fountain starts sprinting at it. The woman responds by grabbing her long dress in her hands, pulling it up a little, and running to the fountain as well. The rest of the crowd joins in, albeit walking up slowly, as they realize they will never make it in time anyway.

Splash!

「A-ha! You got one too, lady! I saw it! One is enough for you!」

The man says as he backs himself out of the water on his hands, after he almost entirely fell into the water off the rim of the fountain. He shoves his still wet gold coin into his pocket of his dirty, old, ragged pants. He happily pats it, with a toothy grin that's missing a few teeth.

「I have a small child! You can always work for some gold, or steal some!」

「Ye, I bet I have some small children too! I just don't know where!」

The ragged man and the mother argue loudly next to the somewhat disappointed crowd. Cycelia peels her eyes off the scene and looks with concerned gaze at Straf.

「…Straf, are you doing this for luck? Or making a wish? You only need one-」

「Huh? No, I don't think I need any more luck. And it's a little too late for me to make a wish.」

Straf says, and flicks another coin into the fountain.

Plunk!

「…You are poor, because you are of a poor heart!-」

The sound of the coin interrupts the woman's melodramatic argument. The crowd once again glares daggers at each other, before one of the men in the crowd outright dives into the water. Other people follow suit almost the same instant he does so, and a large wrestling match begins in the fountain.

「…Then, Straf, why are you doing this?」

Cycelia asks again, deeply confused and slightly concerned, her attention split between the fight in the fountain and Straf's bored face, as he aims another coin.

「Mostly to help me think better. But depending on your political views, you may see this as either a terrible exploitation of the poor for my amusement, a magnanimous display of charity, or a social welfare program.」

Clink. Plunk!

「It's mine, you fucker!」

「I got my hands on it fiiirst-!」

The men pull at each other's clothes, hair, some even apply strangleholds and joint-locks as they splash around violently in the fountain's waters. More people arrive, alerted by the racket at a normally quiet and serene place, and they jump into the fountain as well when they see the coins chaotically change hands.

「Straf, I think you should stop. You're going to cause an unrest at this point.」

Though not explicitly demanding, the tone is there in Cycelia's voice, as she stares at Straf pensively. He glances at her, rolls his eyes, then sighs deeply and flicks the coin from his thumb back into his hand.

「…Fine. I just need something to do while I think.」

He says, as he throws the coin up and catches it with a snap of his arm, like a snake striking at its prey. Cycelia sighs in relief as the fighting rabble starts to calm down.

「By the way Straf, aren't you a little hungry? All that fighting in the arena sure must have worn you out a little, right?」

「Yeah, it did. Just not in the way you think. We can go look for some place to eat, I guess. I'm mildly peckish, I suppose.」

Straf responds, without pausing the throwing and catching of his coin for even a moment, as he's leaning back on the bench.

「Well, let's find one, then… Before someone starts harassing you for money…」

Cycelia stands up. Straf catches his coin and pockets it, then stands up as well. They continue along the street, avoiding the people wringing their clothes of water onto the hot cobblestones.

…

It takes a moment of searching, but eventually Cycelia comes across an eatery.

「How about here?」

Cycelia turns to Straf, after stopping in front of what presents itself as a somewhat modern restaurant.

「Sure. Can't be that bad, unless it kills me with a rotten lobster.」

Straf shrugs, and pushes the door open. Cycelia slinks in behind Straf through the door, just before it closes. A waitress wearing a black apron over a neat, clean, white shirt with contrasting black pants immediately approaches them.

「Welcome. A table for two?」

「Yes.」

The waitress asks, and Cycelia responds with along with a nod.

「Right over here.」

She leads Straf and Cycelia just a few steps away from the entrance, to a table with white linen cloth on it. Notably, it only has two chairs from the get-go. They sit down, and Straf looks around the restaurant.

「Let me know when you're ready to order.」

The pony-tailed waitress nods her head politely, and waits by the table in silence. There are only a few tables occupied, and all of them seem to be seated by the higher strata of people. The decorations in the restaurant are not barren, but they are sparse and minimalist, perhaps to evoke a feeling of subtlety, or not overpower senses.

A plant in a clay pot here, a painting there, it all amounts to a very muted style, though some could call it tasteful.

「What will you have, Straf?」

Cycelia's eyes peek out from over her menu.

「Huh? Oh yeah, food…」

Straf picks the menu up and skims through it.

《Of course they'd have it.》

He sighs, as he reads one of the dishes on the list.

「I will have spaghetti, with meat.」

Straf drops the menu back on the table, and lazily throws his hands up with a grimace.

「Sure thing. How about you, miss?」

The waitress turns her head to Cycelia and smiles softly.

「Ah, the same thing, I suppose…」

Cycelia hesitantly puts her menu down as well.

「Mhm. Drinks?」

The waitress nods and asks, glancing at both Straf and Cycelia. Cycelia looks at Straf for answers.

「Give me a bottle of wine, since I have an excuse to drink.」

Straf says as he pulls a golden coin out, and starts playing with it in his hand.

「Sure thing. That will be three silvers. I'll bring you your wine now.」

She nods, and walks off through a doorway with no door. Straf starts throwing the coin up and catching it again.

「…I wonder why Hamburg is good enough to be recognized with a hamburger, but Bologna isn't with spaghetti.」

Straf mumbles under his breath, his eyes locked onto his coin as it flies up and down.

「Huh? What were you saying?」

Cycelia tilts her head, as she can only hear individual words. Straf's head perks up from its lazy slump, and he catches his coin before turning his gaze to Cycelia.

「What?- No, nothing. Just thinking out loud.」

His eyes turn back to his hand, and he resumes his coin-catching. Flustered, Cycelia looks aside.

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《What is going on with Straf?》

She thinks, as she taps her fingers together underneath the table. Inadvertently, her breasts are squeezed together by her arms. A few moments of awkward silence later, the waitress returns, and places the large wine bottle with a thunk on the table, and adds two wide wine glasses.

「Here. Keep the change for yourself.」

Straf catches the coin and pushes it into the woman's hand.

「Ah- Are you sure, sir? That's a lot of money-」

「Yeah, not to me.」

Straf's bored eyes drift up the waitress, stopping at her eyes. She hesitates for a moment, but nods. As she's about to walk away…

「Huh. You're pretty cute.」

「Eh!?」

Straf delivers an offhand comment, or a compliment, while maintaining his bored expression. Cycelia's eyes snap open in shock, and a smile forces its way to the face of the waitress. She tries to cover it with her hand to maintain professionalism, and she waves her other hand in front of her face, looking away and trying to regain composure after the surprise remark.

《He- H- He's just being nice, right?》

Cycelia blinks rapidly, staring at Straf and the waitress with huge eyes, and a tight-lipped grimace.

「Ahahaha… Ahem. Don't let my boyfriend hear you say that, he's in with some bad people.」

「Tsk.」

《Yeah, no. I'm not cucking a guy, unless it's a trope. Like a villain, and fixable villainess duo.》

The waitress giggles softly, and exaggerates clearing her throat. Straf clicks his tongue and turns his gaze away, his face turns from bored to displeased in the blink of an eye. He looks at the unopened bottle of wine.

「…Can we get this opened, or do I need to pay extra?」

He lifts his head off his hand and points the palm at the wine.

「Ah, sorry. Let me do that for you…」

The waitress takes the bottle in her hand by the neck, and pokes the cork with an opener. She gives the opener a few twists. Though her chest is covered by an apron and a tasteful shirt, that doesn't stop it from swaying heavily in front of Straf's face. Part-way into the opening of the bottle, she becomes aware of the view Straf is receiving, and blushes a little.

She glances at Straf, who is staring at her hands with his bored eyes, she then glances at Cycelia. Cycelia is glaring at her. If stares could kill, this would be it.

《Uwa… I thought they were just acquaintances having a dinner… He'd say stuff like this in front of his girlfriend? What a scumbag. Thinks he can get away with anything, because he's good looking. Filth.》

The waitress becomes disconcerted, and looks in Straf's eyes with shocked contempt on her face. Straf's eyebrows rise a little.

Crreak. Pop!

She pulls the cork out of the bottle, and pours the wine into the glasses.

「Your food should be ready, I'll go fetch it.」

The woman says, and bows towards Cycelia, shooting Straf one more disdainful glare as she leaves.

《…Did he really mean that, though?》

She pouts a little, and walks through the doorless door frame. Straf pulls out another gold coin and begins throwing it, while Cycelia silently stares at him with giant eyes, like a cat that is about to attack.

The waitress returns, and places two plates of spaghetti on the table, then two paper napkin-wrapped set of utensils. They seem to be pre-wrapped, as Straf and Cycelia receive a knife and a spoon as well.

「Here's your spaghetti with meat-」

「Bolognese.」

「Pardon?」

The waitress blinks in confusion as Straf interrupts her. The waitress glances at Cycelia, and she's glaring at her again.

「Forget it, I guess Italy is so forgettable it can even switch sides.」

Straf shrugs, and takes his fork from the set of utensils.

「Eh?…」

The waitress grins, trying to smile politely, but she's too confused for it to come out right. She glances at Cycelia again, and she's still glaring. The waitress performs a low bow towards Cycelia.

「Ah… I hope you enjoy the chef's cooking, miss. I will come back in a while, to check if you need anything… But do let me know if you- Um…」

She backs away without finishing her thought, conveniently leaving Straf out of the equation. She takes more than a few steps backwards, without turning away, and when she does, she leaves for the kitchen in a hasty step.

Cycelia takes the glass of wine, and quickly pours half of it into her mouth with very little regard for etiquette or taste. Straf's eyes are drawn away from his spool of pasta on his fork when she forcefully sets it back down on the table. Straf and Cycelia quietly eat their food, not exchanging any words until Straf nearly finishes his plate, and Cycelia is out of wine in her glass.

「Straf. May I have a refill?」

Cycelia asks in a serious tone, with a serious face, pointing the opening of her glass to him.

「…Yes. You may.」

Straf lifts his brows in mild surprise at the choice of words and tone, but he takes the bottle, and fills the glass to brim. Cycelia immediately drinks half while Straf is refilling his own glass. He notices another buff, or perhaps debuff icon appear in the corner of his vision. He focuses his sight on it as he sets the bottle down.

[Poison: Alcohol]

[Intensity: 15%] [Beneficial] [Status effect]

Target is poisoned by alcohol. Provides minor beneficial effects, as well as detrimental ones. Effects worsen with higher intensity.

[1+ CHA] [-2 INT]

When intensity reaches 100%, target will lose consciousness.

Intensity of 200% results in death.

《Yyyyup, alcohol is a poison. But I don't need that fact rubbed in my face, thanks.》

Straf grimaces as he swirls the wine in his glass, and takes a big gulp out of it. Cycelia points the empty glass his way again.

「Shtraf.」

She slurs a little, leaning onto the table with her elbows, and throwing her royal princess etiquette out the window.

「Uh, Lia, I think you've had enough for now.」

「Nuh.」

Cycelia says, or so she thinks. Straf's eyebrows rise in concern as her familiar-but-eloquent speech is reduced to sighful cavewoman vocalizations.

「…Okay, maybe just a little bit.」

Straf carefully tips the bottleneck on Cycelia's glass, and pours in only enough for a small sip. He quickly drinks the rest of his wine, and re-fills his own glass, emptying the bottle.

《There. I better get rid of this before she demands more.》

Cycelia drinks the sip of the wine, and lays down on her arms, staring at Straf from across the table with half-open eyes.

「Shtraf.」

She calls out to Straf, slurring.

「…Yeah?」

He hesitantly asks, and takes his coin off the table to throw it again.

「What kindof girls like.」

「What?」

Straf furrows his brows, trying to decipher what Cycelia is slurring at him.

Clink! Clinknknknk…

「Shit.」

Straf curses out as he drops his coin on the table, failing to catch it in time, or perhaps failing to move his hand in the way he wanted to. Cycelia takes a deep breath, and heavily exhales out of her nose.

「Shraf. Whatkinda girls you like?」

Cycelia tries asking again, this time putting more effort into being intelligible. Straf takes his coin in hand and glances at her. Her face is difficult to decipher, being something akin to a serious expression mixed with severe boredom or drowsiness, and perhaps a hint of sadness.

「I like-」

《Hold on.》

Straf stops himself. Literally. The gold coin freezes in mid-air at its highest point as Straf activates [Contextual Time Perception] to afford himself some time to think.

《Hold on, this is a one big landmine. If I say I like all of them to be inclusive, it'll look like I am the slut. And that is not true, I have standards. I also don't want to make Lia self-conscious. Guess I'll just tell her a portion of the truth, and leave it at that.》

Straf considers the question for a blink, and lowers the factor until the coin is falling at a speed comfortable to him at the time. When in hand, he restores it to normal.

「Uhhh, I just don't like glasses. And fatties.」

Straf shrugs, and throws the coin up again. He activates [Contextual Time Perception] again, until the coin is moving at a comfortably slow speed. While the coin is following its trajectory, Cycelia lifts her head off her arms, and looks at her chest with a slight frown. Straf catches the coin, and glances at her.

「So, basically, I'd say you get a pretty decent amount of points with me.」

Straf says, and throws the coin in the same manner again.

「Uhuhuhuhuu…」

Cycelia smiles and looks away, letting out a suppressed and awkward drunken laughter as she covers her face from Straf with her hand.

「Wait! I fucking got it!」

「Eh?」

Straf exclaims, clutching his gold coin after catching it, grinning. Cycelia blinks, staring at him with a slack jaw as she supports her head on her hand.

「I figured the thing I was thinking about out.」

「Heh?」

「Forget it, you're too drunk to get it anyway.」

「Ahm nawt drank.」

Cycelia stares at her utensils, taking the knife in hand and spinning it in her fingers with its tip on the table.

「You really shouldn't play with that after drinking, Lia…」

「Ay nawt.」

Cycelia asks? Spinning the knife on its tip with an amused smile. Her smile evaporates and turns into a scornful grimace when the waitress returns.

「Ah, I see you've finished your plates. I'll take them. How was it?-」

Thunk. Crrrrrrk.

Likewise, the waitress's smile into a troubled grimace when she sees Cycelia drive her knife into the table, and drags it towards herself, glaring at the waitress and shredding the tablecloth. Even Straf's eyebrows rise in a show of concern.

「Bluhd.」

「H- Huh?」

The waitress blinks, nervously smiling at Cycelia in an attempt to disarm her

「Gud.」

Cycelia mumbles out, exhaling heavily out of her nose.

「Ah… Ha- Haha… That's gud. Ha… I thought I heard something diffe-」

Thunk. Crrrrrrk.

「…」

The waitress takes the plates in silence, bows towards Cycelia, and walks away from the table into the kitchen area without turning her back on her. All while looking at her with a tight-lipped nervous grimace.

「Lia, can you put down the knife? Please?」

Straf pleads, with a similar expression as the waitress. Cycelia lets go of the knife by simply opening her hand, and it clatters loudly as its handle bounces on the table. The nervous waitress peeks out cautiously from the doorless doorway, looking at Straf and Cycelia.

「Lia, how about we go back to the inn, okay?」

Straf gets up, walking to Cycelia's side of the table and standing beside her chair.

「Mmmm.」

She nods and vocalizes in a rather confusing manner, then gets up from her chair. Cycelia stumbles out of the table, with Straf aiding her by pulling the chair away. The waitress returns as she sees they are preparing to leave, though she cautiously watches Cycelia the whole time.

「Please come again.」

The waitress bows. Cycelia partially turns around to face her, and points her finger at her.

「Ahm gonna remember you.」

Cycelia says with a grave tone and expression, glaring at the woman in disdain.

「Um… Thank… You?」

The waitress warily thanks Cycelia for the drunken complithreat.

「Yes, that's nice Lia, we both had a tasty meal and a great time, come.」

Straf guides Cycelia to the door, she pulls it open, and they leave. The waitress lets out a heavy sigh of relief.