“Look, Ryuji, it’s a ranturko!”

“Yes, I see haha…”

“They’re so cute! I want to pat it!”

Walking alongside Shizu through the bustling marketplace of Lunaris, the streets were coming alive once again. Rumours of the impending invasion from the Vasily Empire had started to fade into the background. It had been a week since we left the Grand Castle of Lunaris under the care of Innis. However, I couldn't fully immerse myself in the festivities surrounding us. The knowledge of the looming invasion lingered in the back of my mind, preventing me from truly relaxing.

Despite my concerns, the people of Lunaris seemed determined to celebrate. The city was adorned with colourful banners and decorations, and the air was filled with a sense of joy and anticipation. It was a special day, a public holiday celebrated across the entire Mideron Empire.

Today was the annual Festival of Ascendancy, a day commemorating the rise of King Alaric, the founder of the Mideron Empire over a millennia ago. It marked the victory of the Mideron people over their adversaries, symbolizing their strength and resilience.

Throughout the city, various activities and events were taking place. Street performers entertained the crowds with music, acrobatics, and magic tricks. Stalls were filled with delectable treats, from sweet pastries to savoury pies, enticing the senses of passerbys. People wore vibrant attire, with feathers and ribbons adorning their hair and garments, adding to the festive atmosphere.

Now, to the question: What the hell was I doing here?

In a bid to build a stronger influence over Shizu, I had committed myself to a ludicrous promise. And that promise was... to accompany her on a date.

I watched the carefree joy on Shizu's face as she led me from stall to stall, expressing excitement and awe at the array of items on display.

“You really like shopping, huh?” I asked, “Even though we have no money to buy any of the stuff here.”

"It's not shopping that I like," Shizu replied. "It's because you're here with me that I'm so happy. And besides..." She reached for something strapped to her thigh underneath her skirt and pulled it out nonchalantly. Her knife. "Ryuji already bought me the best gift a girl could ever ask for!"

"Hey, hey, don't just pull something dangerous like that out in the open!" I said, grabbing her hand that held the knife and trying to sheath it back into her strap. I glanced around anxiously at the crowd, but fortunately, there was too much commotion happening all around for anyone to pay us any heed.

Shizu laughed blithely at my reaction.

I was already starting to doubt whether buying Shizu a new knife was a wise decision after Innis had shattered her old one into a snow cone. However, the advantages of having Shizu's frightening strength at my disposal far outweighed the drawbacks, particularly in light of the looming invasion of Lunaris.

Due to that, I had invested a significant chunk of our money in a high-quality knife for Shizu, one with some anti-magic properties and enhanced durability. It seemed like a good idea at the time considering that Shizu was our strongest party member.

"...Ryuji..." Shizu whispered, breaking me from my thoughts. Her voice carried a hint of pain, which caught me off guard. "...You're touching me in a weird place..."

"What?" I said, confused, and glanced down at my hand.

To my astonishment, my hand was resting on her upper thigh, unintentionally lifting her skirt slightly. I had fumbled and failed miserably in my attempt to re-sheath the knife. From this angle, I could catch a glimpse of the side of her black lace panties.

“…”

I froze and stared for a moment before quickly releasing my hold on Shizu's hand and turning away.

"Do it yourself," I sighed. "I don't understand why you would hide your knife in a place like that."

"It's convenient," Shizu giggled, deftly sheathing the knife back into the strap. I turned back to face her. "Besides, where else would I hide a knife?" she asked, then did a little spin, showcasing the gothic lolita-styled black dress she was wearing. Although fancy, it was purposely light to allow for combat and agile movements.

That was the other thing we had spent our money on, which left us broke. Unfortunately, Shizu insisted it was crucial for her to wear cute clothing. Well, considering the meagre earnings from our Adventurer jobs so far, it wasn't like there was much to spend anyway.

"I don't know. The side of your waist on a belt like everyone else?" I suggested, pointing my finger at the short sword on my belt.

"But then everyone would know where my weapon is," Shizu replied, hurrying over to cling to my arm again. "Also, and most importantly, if Ryuji wants to take away my knife, he will have to touch me down there himself."

“So, that’s the reason…” I sighed as we continued walking through the marketplace.

Shizu giggled, hugging my arm tightly. “Ryuji, you didn’t get embarrassed when you touched my leg. I thought you would get all flustered and tongue-tied.”

That’s because I know you’re a psycho.

"Maybe because I already have experience with other girls in my past life," I said casually. "You don't know that."

"You don't," Shizu said firmly. "You've never been with any other girls."

"..."

"I'm the only girl you've ever been with," Shizu smiled, pulling me closer. "And I will be the only one you will ever be with for all of eternity. Forever and ever. Past, future, and present."

"Hah," I chuckled, pretending not to be intimidated by her words. "I have to admit, Shizu, you have a lot of confidence. That's all I can say."

“I do, because I truly believe Ryuji and I will be together forever,” Shizu leaned her head down on my shoulder. I could smell the soap she used on her hair, as well as the different fragrances she used as perfume. She smelled really good. “Also, you were staring at me for a moment when you lifted my skirt, weren’t you?”

“Well, I am a guy…” I said.

“That means that you don’t think that I’m completely crazy,” Shizu reasoned, her voice soft. “If that is the reason why you’re still wary of me.”

“Tch,” I glanced away.

I was completely beat. It was almost like she could read my mind. I really needed to keep my head steady if I didn’t want to be swept away by her madness. Especially if I intended to use this isekai world as a second chance to live life the way I wanted.

“…Hey…what would you do if you saw me naked…?” Shizu whispered into my ear. “Would that make you flustered, or…?”

My heart paused for a second before I caught myself.

“Shizu, seriously—” I started.

"Oh! Look at that, Ryuji!" Shizu ran ahead to a stall selling accessories and gemstones, acting as if nothing had happened. She turned back to me, her face filled with excitement, holding a shiny ring in her hand. "It's so pretty!"

I walked over, inspecting the ring with a doubtful expression. I already knew we couldn't afford it. "Haha, yeah, it is..."

"That's a sapphire ring," the shopkeeper behind the stall said. "A splendid engagement ring, symbolizing honesty, sincerity, and faithfulness. It's also said to bring good fortune to marriages, keeping them strong and healthy."

“Yeah, cool,” I said, ignoring his salesman spiel. “It looks quite expensive though.”

"We source all our gemstones from the highest quality and most trusted suppliers across the Mideron Empire, so naturally there is a premium for that," the shopkeeper laughed heartily. "But you can't put a price on love!"

I resisted cursing at the shopkeeper.

“Isn’t that great, Ryuji?” Shizu said enthusiastically. “Your dad said we are supposed to be engaged, after all.”

“My ‘dad’ is just some dude I barely knew for less than a month in this isekai world,” I said. "Didn't I already tell you to ignore what that old fool said?"

“But my family approved it too,” Shizu pouted with a depressed look.

"Your 'family' are also strangers we met by chance when we got isekai'd," I sighed. "Enough already, Shizu. Let it go."

Shizu fell silent at my words, her gaze fixed on the ground as a deep sadness settled upon her face. "...S, so what is our relationship then...?" she muttered.

"I..." I hesitated, observing the growing darkness in Shizu's expression. Left with no other option, I gently took the sapphire ring from her hand and turned to the shopkeeper, speaking in a hushed tone. "So, how much does the ring cost...?"

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

"Hmm," the shopkeeper pondered, casting a glance at the two of us. "Seeing as you both seem like a promising young couple, I'll offer you the best deal from our stall. How about 70 silver coins?"

“7-70 silver coins…?!” I almost fell off my feet. “That’s like completing 50 Iron-ranked jobs!”

“Haah, so you two are Adventurers, huh? And not even high ranked ones at that…” the shopkeeper’s friendly face fell. He snatched the ring from my hand and scowled. “Get lost, I don’t have time for time wasters.”

I glanced back at Shizu anxiously, then back to the shopkeeper. “Come on, boss, I’m really in a bind here. Can’t you do anything lower?” I insisted, pulling my coin pouch from my belt and peering into the darkness. “Surely that stupid sapphire on the ring can’t really cost that much, right? I mean, you probably found it lying on the sidewalk, right?"

"Just go away if you don't have any money," the shopkeeper scowled again, inspecting and rubbing at the sapphire ring with a small towel, as if our mere touch had somehow dirtied it. "Goddamn youngsters these days, thinking everything in the world is free..."

Desperation washed over me as I emptied my coin pouch, counting the meagre amount of currency in my hand. The sound of coins caught the shopkeeper's attention, although there weren't many.

“How much do you have?” the shopkeeper asked.

I counted the coins in my hand, treating them carefully as I knew that it was all the money we had left. “5 bronze coins, and 12 iron.” I said.

The shopkeeper grabbed a broom from his side and started waving it at me, as if trying to shoo me away. “Get the hell away from my stall, you broke bastard!”

“Hey, what are you doing to Ryuji?!” Shizu stepped forward angrily, seeing the scene. I saw her reaching for her knife and I grabbed her hand, stopping her. It was almost like reflex at this point.

“Sorry to inform you, missy, but your boyfriend over here is broke as hell,” the shopkeeper said, brushing with his broom at the spot that I was previously standing. “A cute gal like you ought to find a wealthier guy to date. Especially if you intend to buy a ring that’s not made of garbage.”

“Y-you…!” Shizu bit her lips, trembling all over with rage. “I will rip out your intestines and tie that around my finger as a ring, how about that—"

“C-calm down, Shizu,” I said, holding her back from doing anything crazy. We were still in the streets of the marketplace and there were crowds everywhere. I turned to the shopkeeper. “Listen, I just want to buy a gift for her, that's all. Don’t you have anything cheaper in the stall that we could afford?”

The shopkeeper huffed and glanced around his store. "Hmph, not much to be honest," he said. “With what you have, the only thing I could offer you is…” his gaze stopped and he grabbed something from his stall and offered it to us. “Eh, how about these two shabby bracelets?”

Matching metal bracelets that looked more like chains than anything else if I was being totally honest. I glanced over at Shizu and saw her smiling which meant it had her seal of approval.

"There's no gemstones on them," the shopkeeper said. "But they're still made out of metal, so I spose they ain't too bad."

"Fine, we'll take them," I said, raising the coins in my hand and counting them carefully. "How much are they?"

The shopkeeper handed the bracelets to Shizu, then swiftly snatched everything in my hand.

"H-hey!" I said. "We didn't even negotiate a price yet!"

“That’s the price,” the shopkeeper grumbled, walking back to his stall with all of my money. “Usually I would charge more, but since you’re so broke I will make an exception this time. Consider yourself lucky!”

“B, but…” I trailed off, staring at his back.

“Yay!” Shizu jumped and showed me the bracelets cheerfully. “Aren’t they pretty, Ryuji? And there’s one for the both of us as well! It’s much more unique than a ring that every other couple wears.”

“Yeah…” I forced a smile, trying not to ruin Shizu’s mood. “Nice…”

“Put mine on for me,” Shizu said, extending her left wrist towards me.

Absent-mindedly and still thinking about the money, I grabbed one of the bracelets from Shizu’s other hand then helped her put the bracelet on her left wrist.

"Now, it's your turn," she declared.

"Okay..." I nodded, and she reached for my right wrist, gently sliding the bracelet into place.

Stepping back, Shizu waved her bracelet in the air, her face filled with elation and happiness. "Look, Ryuji! Doesn't it look nice? And they match!"

Caught off guard by the genuine joy radiating from her, I was momentarily taken aback. I hadn't expected her to be so happy over a simple and cheap bracelet.

She came back to me, wrapping her arms around me in a tight embrace. "Thank you, Ryuji... I love you sooo much!"

“No problem…” I said, a sense of relief washing over me to see how much Shizu liked the present. Perhaps with this gift and our date, Shizu would be a little less... unpredictable and easier to handle. Or so I hoped.

~x~

"There's one last place I want to take you, Ryuji.”

"And where’s that?”

“Just follow me, it’s this way!”

I trailed behind Shizu as she led the way, her laughter echoing through the narrow alleyways of the city of Lunaris while she darted ahead.

“Hold on, Shizu, you’re going too fast,” I tried to tell her, but she disappeared around the corner at the end. “Wait up!”

“It’s just a little further ahead,” Shizu’s voice beckoned to me. “Try to catch me!”

"Shizu!" I shouted, reaching the end of the corner only to find her gone once again. "Seriously..."

Guided by her laughter and distant calls, I continued my pursuit until finally, I found myself in a small clearing amidst the maze-like alleyways. I scanned the area, searching for any sign of Shizu, but she was nowhere to be seen. The place felt strangely familiar...

“Shizu?” I called out, walking ahead. “Where are you?”

It was like a ghetto of sorts except that it was eerily quiet, I could see laundry hung out, house-like apartments packed together like brick walls, and signs that people lived here. Everything was jam packed together here. This was probably the outskirts of Lunaris, a bit further away from the marketplace. Still, that told me nothing about why Shizu had brought me here.

"Shiz—"

Before I could finish calling out her name, something caught my attention. Movement from a makeshift playground nearby drew my gaze, and I watched with caution.

“R-Ryuji…?”

It was a young boy's voice. A face appeared from within a rabbit-shaped dome structure on the playground. He blinked at me with his black eyes for a few seconds, before crawling out from under the dome.

“You…” I managed to utter.

“Ryuji, it’s you, isn't it?” the boy queried.

It was Takeshi. The same boy who had led me to Kaito for that thieving capture quest. The horrifying image of Kaito's brutal demise flashed in my mind, momentarily taking my breath away. The vivid memory of blood splattering from his exploded head still haunted me.

That’s right. His death was all because of me. Because I was too weak at that time, and needed Shizu to save me.

Takeshi gestured towards the dome he had just exited, and soon, two other child emerged as well. It was the other boy and girl who had been with Takeshi on that ill-fated day.

Seeing them only further triggered my trauma from that day.

“I…” I breathed out, trying to turn away. “Sorry, I think you’ve got the wrong person…”

“Wait, Ryuji!” Takeshi cried out and ran over to me.

“What is it…?” I said, purposefully averting my face to avoid being recognized.

Takeshi circled around me, ensuring that I couldn't avoid his gaze. And then I saw it...

Not hatred. Not betrayal. Not anger. None of the emotions I had braced myself for. Instead, I was met with a peculiar expression—a mix of reluctance, understanding, and forgiveness.

"I... I wanted to talk to you, Ryuji," Takeshi began, as his two friends joined him, standing behind him. "...About Kaito and what happened that day..."

"Yeah, we wanted to talk to you too," the other boy chimed in.

“What is it…?” I asked hesitantly.

“Well, um…” Takeshi scratched the back of his head, casting a sidelong glance.

The other boy shared his hesitation, leaving both of them at a loss for words.

“We wanted to apologise to you,” the girl finally spoke up, voicing what the two boys couldn't. “That day, you were only trying to stop Kaito from stealing, right? That’s why you asked for our help to look for him. But he wouldn’t listen, and instead, tried to fight you. Even though you told him to stop.”

I fell silent, listening to their words.

“W-we blamed you for killing Kaito that time…” the other boy said. “But we know it’s not really your fault.”

The girl nodded. “You did the right thing, Ryuji. Even though it didn’t end the way it should had.”

“So, that’s why we wanted to apologise to you, Ryuji…” Takeshi added, his gaze still fixed sideways. “Sorry for blaming you.”

I didn’t know what to say. I was so surprised by their reaction that I was still trying to processing it.

"I-it's alright..." I finally responded. "There's no need for any of you to apologise. If anyone failed, it was me."

Takeshi shook his head. "That's not true. You did everything you could to stop him. We saw what happened.”

"Please don't carry the guilt, Ryuji," the girl said encouragingly.

"Yeah, you were awesome during that fight, Ryuji!" the other boy chimed in.

"I... I'm not sure about that..." I replied with a weak chuckle, faced with their earnest expressions.

“You really were!” Takeshi affirmed.

“Oh, and we didn’t introduce ourselves last time!” the girl exclaimed. “My name is Mieko! And this is—”

“You don’t have to introduce me for me! Anyway, my name is Norio,” the other boy interjected, his cheeks flushing. “Geez, Mieko, you’re always like that once you’re not scared of someone. Even though the first time you met Ryuji, you didn’t say a word…”

"T-that's not true!" Mieko retorted, her face equally flushed. "I did talk! I-I just thought last time I should let Takeshi do all the talking!"

Norio and Mieko started arguing with one another over who was more shy, whilst Takeshi and I laughed light-heartedly from the sidelines. Eventually, Norio and Mieko joined in the laughter too, and for a while, we all laughed together. That's when another voice suddenly entered into the conversation.

“Isn’t it wonderful?” Shizu appeared, smiling brightly as she emerged from one of the surrounding alleyways. “You’ve made up with the children again, Ryuji!”

“S-Shizu…?” I said, glancing at her with a surprised face. “Were you hiding there the entire time?”

"Yep!" Shizu skipped over with a cheerful stride. “I brought you here so that you could reconcile with the children. That was what made you really upset last time, wasn't it?”

The children glanced over at Shizu and excited smiles began to spread over their faces. "Ryuji, Shizu was the one that told us the full story and made us understand," Takeshi said.

"Yeah, she's a really nice and kind person!" Mieko added. "She taught me how to make flowers out of paper!"

"She's also really pretty!" Norio grinned. "Is she your girlfriend, Ryuji?"

The children laughed together jokingly, whilst I stared at Shizu as she approached, feeling a bit unsettled about something with her. But I decided to push it down, considering how happy everything was working out. “Thanks, Shizu…” I said. “I really apprecia—”

Before I could finish my sentence, Shizu ran up to Takeshi and snatched him up from the ground, holding a knife to his throat. I could see the bracelet I gave her, shimmering on her wrist under the waning sunlight.

I froze. Everyone froze. For a few seconds, no one could register what was going on. It was simply beyond comprehension.

"W-what are you doing to Takeshi, big sister Shizu?!" Mieko shrieked, snapping us out of our stunned silence. "You're hurting him!"

“L-let him go, big sister Shizu!” Norio demanded.

"Shizu, what the hell..." I muttered, staring in disbelief. I attempted to step forward. "Have you completely lost your—"

“If you try to cast a spell, I will slit his throat,” Shizu said. “I mean it.”

"W-why is big sister Shizu doing something like this, Ryuji...?" Norio asked me in a scared voice.

"R-Ryuji, you have to help Takeshi...!" Mieko pleaded, clinging to my leg. "Please...!"

I tried to remain calm and rationalise the situation. But nothing about the situation was rational. As the evening sky grew darker, the night slowly enveloped us in its embrace. I watched as Takeshi cried in tears as Shizu held him firmly within her grasp, refusing to let him go from her knife.

“Why are you doing this, Shizu?” I asked.

“Why?” Shizu blinked, confused. “Because I want to keep you alive, Ryuji.”

“H-how the hell is slaughtering these kids going to achieve that?” I said, frustration seeping into my words.

"Because," Shizu explained, her voice filled with a chilling certainty. "The invasion of Lunaris is happening now."

At that moment, an explosion rocked the distant background of the city behind her, its shockwave pounding through the narrow alleyways and rattling our bones. The cacophony of screams and the acrid scent of smoke filled the air, a haunting symphony of war that sent shivers down our spines.