Staring at Takumi and Syr, Ais's brain fully blue-screened.
Takumi, at least, stayed composed and greeted her like nothing was weird.
"Yo, Ais. You're here too?"
Ais didn't answer right away—she just stared at them, hard.
She didn't really understand romance, but she could tell something was different.
Why was he walking with that waitress from the tavern?
And… it was just the two of them.
And they were holding hands.
Like… like a couple.
A couple?
The moment that word clicked, Ais's brows knit together.
She didn't know why—she just suddenly hated it.
Syr, like she was staking her claim, tightened her hold on Takumi's right arm and smiled brightly.
"Hello, Sword Princess. I didn't expect to run into you here. And as you can see… we're on a date."
"?!"
Ais's eyes widened.
Syr's cheerful smile didn't waver as she leaned closer, pressing her body lightly against Takumi like she was daring Ais to say something.
Then she pushed harder, grabbing Takumi's hand and tugging him forward.
"Come on, darling—let's hurry. I want to cover this whole area tonight."
"How did we jump to 'darling'? That's too much."
Takumi couldn't hold it in.
Even if Ais was airheaded, you couldn't do her like this.
"Ais, it's just… a small situation. Don't overthink it, okay? I'll catch you later."
He had no way to explain, so he tossed out a quick brush-off—only for Syr to drag him away before he could say anything else.
"???!"
Ais stood there with a fried potato ball still in her mouth, shocked out of her mind.
As she watched them leave, something sharp and heavy slammed into her chest.
If she had to describe it, it felt like the kind of hollow ache you'd get if the people who raised you suddenly decided to leave you behind—lonely, miserable, like the ground had dropped out from under you.
Without thinking, Ais lifted a hand to her breasts, feeling her heartbeat hammering beneath her palm.
And with it came a fierce, uncontrollable urge.
Go after them.
She stood frozen for several long minutes—until a voice yelled from behind her.
"Hey! You there—Wallen-something!"
"Hestia… Goddess?"
Ais turned and saw Hestia wobbling toward her on trembling legs.
And behind Hestia… was a whole crowd.
"Alise, Kaguya, Ryuu… Astraea Familia's all here. What are you guys doing?"
Ais stared at the group, completely confused.
For a moment, everyone went silent.
Because nobody was about to admit, Yeah, we're a bunch of pathetic stalkers tailing Takumi's date while being too chicken to interrupt.
"Uh… we… we…"
Alise started to speak—and immediately got stuck.
Hestia, meanwhile, exploded.
"My handsome—my—my cutest boy Takumi got kidnapped by that tavern girl Syr-something! I'm dragging him back!"
Hearing Hestia's rapid-fire string of my best this, my cutest that, Ais nodded seriously.
"Master… is really handsome."
"?!"
Hestia froze for half a second, like she'd short-circuited.
But she didn't have time to care about yet another fox stealing her man. The priority was catching up.
"Move out, Wallen-something! And you lot too—let's snatch Takumi back from Syr-something!"
Hestia yelled with everything she had.
"Yes!"
Haruhime answered instantly, way too enthusiastic.
Then she realized she was basically the only one that hyped, and the moment everyone looked at her, her tail drooped in embarrassment.
Still—no matter how awkward it was, the group surged forward toward Takumi.
Ais, still dazed, got swept into the tail squad like she'd been drafted.
"Another one, Takumin…"
High above on a rooftop, Alfia muttered as she watched the chaos roll in the same direction.
Up ahead, Takumi was already sweating.
"This is insane—there are way too many of you!"
Sensing the growing crowd behind them, Takumi grabbed Syr's hand first.
Syr flushed and blinked at him, startled—and delighted.
"Takumi-san… what—"
"You're not calling me darling anymore, huh? Don't talk—if we keep strolling like this, they're going to catch us."
"Eep?!"
Before Syr could process it, Takumi pulled her into a run.
They slipped through the festival crowd like they were eloping.
The thrill hit Syr right in the chest—her heart went light and giddy, her smile blooming like she was drunk on it.
They sprinted, weaving between people, then vanished down a side street.
Eventually, they ended up on a small bridge built over a canal.
Syr stopped and bent slightly, breathing hard, cheeks flushed, one hand pressed to her chest.
Without her tavern uniform to hide it, her breasts looked even more impressive—full, heavy, and impossible to ignore as they rose and fell with every breath.
Takumi realized his own breathing had roughened too.
Syr brushed her messy hair back into place and smiled, satisfied.
"Do you know… Takumi-san… I feel like I'm floating. I'm really—really happy right now."
"Then, Syr… want to keep walking with me a little longer?"
Takumi pointed ahead to a massive cathedral.
Syr's pale-gray eyes brightened. She placed her hand into his with quiet joy.
"Of course I do, Takumi-san."
They walked toward the church together, taking in the architecture as they went.
This was one of Orario's famous landmarks: Saint Fulland Grand Basilica.
Normally it wasn't open to the public, but the festival made it a special exception.
They passed beneath the great doors—watched over by a carved relief of a spirit and a knight—and the interior was even more breathtaking.
Murals. Sculptures. Reliefs—everywhere you looked, the motif was the same: the spirit and the knight.
But in the paintings, there was also a saintess.
In one mural, the knight knelt beside the saintess, clutching the spirit's remains with a grief-stricken face.
They sat in front of that mural, eyes drawn to the chapel's centerpiece: a crystal coffin, its exterior carefully framed in blue-toned metalwork.
Syr turned to Takumi, voice soft.
"Takumi-san… do you know the story of this place?"
"Yeah. It's a date—so I picked a few spots worth seeing. This one's my choice… and the one I thought fit us best."
Takumi smiled brightly, then began telling the story behind the basilica.
"This church started with a vow. Knight Fulland met a spirit and swore he'd love her forever."
"But later, he was drawn to a saintess—someone who admired him, supported him… stayed by his side."
"And in the end, he chose the saintess."
Hearing that, Syr's curiosity sharpened.
"So what happened next?"
"The spirit was devastated. She cried so much they say her tears could've turned the land into a lake."
"And then love curdled into hatred. She decided she would kill Fulland."
Syr leaned in slightly.
"Then… how did it end?"
"I don't know the 'true' ending," Takumi admitted. "But in the storybook I read…"
He paused, then continued.
"The spirit who wanted to kill the knight… ended up protecting the person she loved."
"Protecting?"
"When monsters came for him—claws out, fangs bared—she threw herself in front of him and saved his life."
"..."
Syr went quiet.