Across the large windows, into the open streets, the populace busied themselves with their daily lives as the children ran around and played with bright smiles blooming on their innocent faces.
Inside the restaurant a savory and aromatic smell drew the attention of many as the dishes were served one after another. Just the aesthetics of the dishes alone were fulfilling to the eyes. One could only look forward to what they like.
"Enjoy your meal~." [Waiter]
After serving Grey and Yuana's meals, the waiter bowed his head slightly and left the two to their own devices. It was just not just him, other staff also helped out because of how much they ordered, making them stand out like a sore thumb.
There were just four or five dishes, and there were dozens of dishes served to Grey and Yuna. It was to the point that they needed to leave the trays near them as there was no space left in the table.
Of course, it went without saying that with the number of dishes they ordered, the amount they paid was also astronomical. Well, not that it left a dent on their finances. They still have quite the amount to spare.
"Grey, what are you waiting for? Let's eat!" [Yuna]
Yuna said calmly whilst slicing an expensive steak skillfully in biteable pieces and then feeding it to her mouth gracefully. Her face then brightened up as she savored the exquisite flavors of the steak.
"Thank you for the meal!" [Grey]
"A-Ah! T-Thank you for the meal!" [Yuna]
Yuna was so excited to eat that she forgot to give her gratitude for the food she had just eaten. She quickly corrected herself in a hurry as soon as she saw Grey doing what she forgot to do.
"Alright, let's dig in!" [Grey]
"Un!" [Yuna]
After saying those words, Grey also partook in the meal and sliced his own piece of steak skillfully. Anticipating the taste of the steak, he fed it to himself. When he did, an unexplainable burst of flavor exploded in his mouth.
There was a tinge of sourness and sweetness along with the natural savoriness of the meat. The juiciness and tenderness of the meat was to the point that you would even doubt you were eating meat. It was very delicious!
Other than when he was in the Landevar or Aldridge mansions, it was the first time Grey had eaten such high-class dishes. If it weren't for a fact that they were expensive, he would have loved to eat them daily.
One after another, Grey delivered a bite into his mouth and enjoyed the flavors rushing in in his tongue continuously. But of course, he didn't forget to mind his manners. The same also went for Yuna.
'Oh, right...' [Grey]
Just as he enjoyed his meal, Grey remembered something couples often do on their dates. He then gently sliced a piece of his steak. With its juices spilling out with each slice, he used a spoon and...
"Yuna, ahh~" [Grey]
... he offered it to Yuna, asking her to open her mouth so that he could feed it to her. It made Yuna's eyes widen in shock a little as she wasn't expecting Grey to do such a thing.
Yuna looked at Grey and the spoon back and forth for a little while, hesitant whether she should open her mouth or not. Just thinking about being spoon fed by Grey made her face show a reddish tint.
"G-Grey... that... that's a little embarrassing..." [Yuna]
"But we're on a date, aren't we?" [Grey]
"Bu... But..." [Yuna]
Yuna wanted to decline Grey's offer as there were a lot of eyes in the restaurant but couldn't find the courage to do so. It was a rare opportunity for Grey to feed her and she didn't want to miss it.
"O... Okay..." [Yuna]
"Then, ahh~" [Grey]
"U... Un..." [Yuna]
Ignoring the embarrassment, Yuna closed her eyes and slowly opened her mouth in a meek manner, allowing Grey to feed her with the steak he just cut recently. Her face became redder by the moment.
"So, how was it?" [Grey]
"It... It tastes the same as mine, but it made my heart race fasteー Geez, what are you making me say?!" [Yuna]
Yuna tried to hide her flustered face with her hands, but it was useless. Her adorable pointy ears betrayed her and showed the world how red she was. It was one of her cute sides Grey wanted to keep for himself.
It took a little while for Yuna to calm down. When she lowered down her hands, a still red pouting face was revealed as she looked at Grey as if she was sulking. She then cut her steak just like Grey did.
"Grey, your turn." [Yuna]
"Eh? You'll feed me too?" [Grey]
"We're on a date, aren't we?" [Yuna]
Using Grey's words against him, Yuna offered to feed him with the same steak she ate from and asked Grey to open his mouth. It was worth noting that her face was still red when she was doing so.
Unlike Yuna, Grey closed his eyes and opened his mouth widely without any speck of hesitation. But even after a few seconds had passed, there still wasn't any food delivered to his mouth.
Curious about what's wrong, Grey opened one of his eyes and peeked at Yuna, only to see her giggling mischievously to herself. It was only then that Grey realized he had been had.
"That's payback for all the times you've teased me." [Yuna]
Yuna said as she continued giggling at the thought of having got her revenge on such a silly topic. She then ate the steak she offered to Grey and yet another bright smile bloomed on her face.
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As for Grey, he wasn't mad or anything. Rather, being pranked by Yuna made him chuckle a little as he looked at the happy expression his girlfriend was wearing. He then continued with his meal with the same warm expression.
After their early lunch in that expensive restaurant, Yuna and Grey then headed out to the market place and shop for the things that took our interest, be it food, accessories, or anything at all.
"Grey, Grey, I found Kiria candy!" [Yuna]
Yuna squealed excitedly as she pointed at a certain candy in a sweets stand filled with all sorts of fruits and candies. It was a candy that Grey wasn't familiar with. All he knew was that it looked like a lollipop.
"What is it again?" [Grey]
"It's Kiria candy! It's really delicious!" [Yuna]
"Oh, so you know about it, missy?" [Vendor]
The vendor asked when he saw Yuna excitedly talking about it. Who wouldn't be interested? After all, Yuna looked like one of those excited grade schoolers on a field trip Grey saw in his past life.
"Un! I've tasted it once back at Moterno." [Yuna]
"Hahaha, I see... Well, if that's the case, then I'll treat you to two for 35 kiels only for two Kiria candies, instead of 40." [Vendor]
"Really!?" [Yuna]
"Of course! It's a gift for you two lovebirds!" [Vendor]
"Th-Thank you!" [Yuna]
Although she was a little embarrassed by the vendor's words, she still accepted his offer nonetheless. After they handed the payment to the vendor, he then gave them a pair of Kiria candies.
Seeing how excited Yuna's face was when she unwrapped the candy, Grey couldn't himself but be intrigued about it. They then sat on a nearby bench, unwrapping and tasting it at the same time.
""Sour!"" [Grey and Yuna]
The moment the candy touched their tongues, an intense sour taste pierced their taste buds making them subconsciously scream. It was so sour that tears almost formed in their eyes.
But like what Yuna had previously experienced, the candies' taste changed from extremely sour to a pleasant citric taste, then into a sweeter taste, leaving Grey surprised and curious at the same time.
"It's delicious, isn't it?" [Yuna]
"It is. And its flavor keeps on changing." [Grey]
"I had the same reaction when I had it the first time, too! I even thought that Miss Aria was just making fun of us at first." [Yuna]
"Miss Aira was the one who treated you to this?" [Grey]
"A-Ah... Un..." [Yuna]
For reasons unknown to Grey, when he asked Yuna about it, her face slowly turned beet red. Yuna had just remembered about the time when she and Aria were talking about romance and giving her advice.
At that time Yuna thought about taking it slowly like Aria had said, but who would have thought Grey would confess to her just a few days after. Now that they are a couple, remembering the not so distant past made her a little flustered.
"Is something on your mind?" [Grey]
"Um, I just remembered the time when Miss Aria advised me to take things at my own pace when it comes to love. I was so anxious about confessing to you back then. Miss Aria lectured me because of it... It was the same day when you cooked pizza for Liz..." [Yuna]
Hearing her words, Grey also recalled the past when Kris also advised him. He had never thought that Yuna would have experienced the same thing, and from Kris' fiancée, no less.
"Pfft." [Grey]
"Don't laugh! I'm already embarrassed just by remembering it!" [Yuna]
"Ah, it's not because of that. It's because Mister Kris also gave me advice during that time. But rather than taking things at my own pace, he told me to confess as soon as I could. I just found it funny that their advice contradicted each other's." [Grey]
Grey explained as he continued to chuckle. He then gently caressed Yuna's cheeks with his big, warm hand. His eyes full of affection and his heart racing as he touched his beloved.
"Well, I'm really grateful for Mister Kris' advice. Because of it, I managed to make myself confess my feelings for you." [Grey]
As he said those words, Yuna also reciprocated his feelings and also held the hand caressing her cheeks with with own hand and closed her eyes as she felt his warmth. Just like Grey's, her heart also raced like crazy.
If it weren't for the fact that they were still in public, Grey would have embraced Yuna tightly and kissed her like there was no tomorrow. Luckily, he was able to suppress his desires with great self-control.
"Oh, I just finished my candy." [Grey]
"Mine's finished too..." [Yuna]
"Then why don't we continue our date?" [Grey]
"Un!" [Yuna]
With their hands intertwined with each other's, Yuna and Grey continued shopping in the marketplace. They bought clothes, new ingredients, and of course tried out new foods, and at some point in time...
"Hey, Grey, let's just pretend we didn't see this place." [Yuna]
"I agree. We don't have any good memories in this place, anyways." [Grey]
... they arrived in front of a stable where you can rent a horse for a limited amount of time, but after remembering what happened when they tried it out back in Galderia, they just acted like the place didn't exist and continued on with their date.
Since there weren't as many entertainment oriented establishments on Merusia compared to the ones on Earth, Grey and Yuna's date became very similar to their previous dates back on Galderia and Moterno.
They headed to a theater and watched a play, headed to the city garden and enjoyed our time there, and went to the library and read some books. They also explored a portion of the capital which took quite some time.
It was almost 4 in the afternoon, and Yuna and Grey were about to conclude their date, when they met a funny looking man handing out flyers in the open. It was a clown who was very eye-catching.
"A carnival?" [Yuna]
"They seem to be here for the founding festival, and look like they just opened recently... Do you want to go there?" [Grey]
"I'd love to but it's already this late. Missus Veronica and the children might get worried about us." [Yuna]
Receiving a flier from the clown, Grey and Yuna learnt about a new place just a couple hundred meters away. Both of them wanted to go but wondered if they should be doing so.
The problem was going home late. If they did, they might get scolded. They would also like to avoid the children worrying for them. However, they wanted to enjoy their date as much as possible. They were stuck in a dilemma.
"Ah! Then how about we only check it out today and then we'll come back the next time we have free time. That way, we could have a little fun!" [Grey]
"I-Is that really alright...?" [Yuna]
"Don't worry too much about it, let's go!" [Grey]
Grabbing Yuna's hand, Grey followed the flyers' directions and headed to where the carnival was. Yuna's hands held his tighter as they ran excitedly towards the carnival at a relaxed pace.
It only took them a few minutes to finally arrive in front of the carnival. They didn't even break a single sweat even with how much they ran. To them, it wasn't even considered a jog.
Compared to the carnivals back on Earth, the carnival in front of them was fairly similar, only differing in the theme. As for the structures, it was pretty similar save for the mechanical ones like a ferris wheel or a merry-go-round.
And since amusement parks don't exist in Merusia, even though it was the opening day, It was easy to see that there were hundreds of people already there, lining up neatly for their turn.
"Waah~" [Yuna]
"It's your first time in one, right?" [Grey]
"t is, and it's really amazing... There are so many strange things here. Do you know what that thing is?" [Yuna]
Yuna pointed at a bunch of vibrant spherical objects which were filled with air and tied with strings. They floated in the air with only a thin string preventing them from flying freely into the vast sky.
"Ah, those are balloonsー" [Grey]
Grey suddenly stopped his words as he realized the absurdity of his words. After all, according to God, Merusia was supposed to be a medieval-themed fantasy world. It bothered him why there were balloons in the carnival.
The presence of refrigerators, stoves, and faucets are understandable because of the presence of mana crystals, but balloons, which were made with synthetic materials, didn't make sense whatsoever.
The more Grey thought about the existence of balloons, the more his head hurted. In the end, he decided to forget the topic and never touch that topic ever again. He just left it to the fact that magic existed.
"Young man, missy, want to try out our shooting range? It's 5 kiels for three shots! If you get a perfect score, you can get a special prize!" [Stall owner]
While Grey and Yuna were still admiring the carnival, one of the stall owners suddenly called out to them and asked them to try out his game. Yuna in particular looked like she wanted to play it.
"Do you want to try?" [Grey]
"Eh? But didn't you say we're just going to look around?" [Yuna]
"Well, it's still about 4:30, a single game wouldn't hurt, and... you looked like you really wanted to play it. But just one try, okay?" [Grey]
"T-That's fine!" [Yuna]
Hearing that she could play, Yuna's mood immediately brightened to the point where even her ears were flapping up and down from happiness and excitement. Her eyes were even sparkling.
"Alright, then Mister, we'll have one try. It's 5 kiels, right?" [Grey]
"That's right, 3 shots for 5 kiels." [Stall Owner]
After paying the stall owner 5 copper coins, he then gave Grey and Yuna a decently-sturdy bow and three light arrows which had their tips blunted so that they can't hurt people.
The rules of the game were simple. There are 15 targets, each varying in distance and points, with the highest being 10 and the lowest being 1. The more points you score, the better the price you can get. It was just like the ones back on Earth.
"Hm? Missy's going ro be the one shooting?" [Stall owner]
"Ah, yeah... Is there a problem?" [Grey]
"No, nothing at all..." [Stall owner]
Or so the stall owner said, but in reality he was still baffled that Yuna was going to be the one shooting. He had initially expected that it would be Grey so that he could show off to Yuna, like all other couples do. He didn't expect the woman to be the one to do it.
As for Yuna, who was subject to the stall owner's curiosity, she was testing out the bow and approximated the distance between her and the targets. It only took her a few seconds to do so.
"Alright, you can start whenever you want." [Stall owner]
"Un!" [Yuna]
With the permission from the stall owner, Yuna then focused her attention at the farthest target which gives 10 points if hit successfully. Without any hesitation, she fired arrow after arrow, hitting the target three times in less than a second.
Since Yuna has been training with other classes and attributes with Grey, such a simple task is as easy as breathing for her. She could even hit a target that is a kilometer away as long as she can see it.
But of course, that wasn't something the stall owner knew. In fact, his mouth is wide open in agape and his eyes almost fell out of their sockets in awe after witnessing Yuna's quick performance.
"A... Amazing... Missy... You've earned perfect points in your first try. You must be quite skilled to use the bow like that!" [Stall owner]
"Ah, thank you." [Yuna]
"Well, since you've scored a perfect 30, you can pick out any price you want." [Stall owner]
"Then... I'll have... that!" [Yuna]
There were large stuffed toys, beautiful accessories, and other enchanting prices which many ladies would easily pick, but what Yuna picked was a simple yet elegant looking bracelet.
"Are you sure, that's not worth as much as the other prices, you know?" [Stall owner]
"Um... Then can I have two of those...?" [Yuna]
"Alright, if that's what you want." [Stall owner]
After Yuna and the stall owner agreed on the prize, the stall owner then headed to where the prizes were and picked out two of the bracelets Yuna picked, giving it to her soon after.
"Here you go, missy." [Stall owner]
"Thank you." [Yuna]
"Haha, it's my pleasure." [Stall Owner]
Upon receiving the bracelets, Yuna slightly bowed her head to the stall owner and she then continued strolling in the carnival with Grey. They were about to leave after some time of strolling, when suddenly...
"Whoa, did you see that?!"
"She's so good at it, she didn't even get hit once!"
"Is she a student from the Royal Academy?!"
... a large gathering of crowds by the carnival's entrance managed to catch their attention.
CHAPTER 76 END