Lisa said the gift was for Stelle, yet she didn't hand it over right away.
She claimed she was waiting for the perfect moment.
Stelle couldn't help muttering inside: when exactly is "perfect"... Lisa clearly came prepared; her intentions were obvious.
Stelle glanced again at Lisa, still chatting with Miss Marjorie, and rubbed her chin.
Frankly, Lisa finding her attractive was normal—she felt the same about Lisa.
But she wouldn't let Lisa take the lead; if those "pumpkin pants" were anything indecent, she'd find a way to make Lisa wear them instead.
With Lisa's curvy figure, certain outfits would look stunning—like the one Lumine had worn before... A pink gleam flashed in Stelle's eyes and her heart beat faster.
"Hmph, getting on top of me won't be so easy."
Thinking that, Stelle stepped forward to join Lisa and Marjorie.
"Sorry, Miss Lisa, I'll be more careful next time." Marjorie clasped her hands apologetically.
Besides buying souvenirs, Lisa had come to retrieve a book from Marjorie.
The Legend of Vennessa had been overdue in Marjori's hands for many days.
"Since you admire Lady Vennessa, I'll let it slide this once—mind the deadline from now on." Lisa tucked the book away with a helpless smile.
"Yes, yes!" Marjorie nodded hurriedly.
Collecting an overdue book was just a side errand; Lisa didn't want to waste more time here—the date came first.
"All right, where to next, Little Cutie?" Lisa turned to Stelle.
She'd promised to let Stelle lead the date, so the destination had to respect her opinion.
"Mm, how about we check out the florist?" Stelle suggested after a moment.
The shop sat near Mondstadt's gate; drifting scents often caught Stelle's attention.
She knew of it, but had never entered—she'd never needed to give flowers—until now.
A date, however, made the florist a perfect choice.
"Hmm... 'A date without fresh flowers is a date without romance'—which book was that?" Lisa smiled at the recollection.
"Since Lisa's giving me a gift, I'll give Lisa a flower too."
"Really? Looks like Little Cutie's finally in date-mode—then I'll leave it to you." Lisa sounded as casual as ever, yet Stelle could tell she was clearly delighted.
—
"Hello there! What flowers would you like?" Miss Donna greeted the two warmly.
She glanced at Stelle in surprise, then attended to her customers dutifully.
Stelle often entered Mondstadt through the gate; the florist nearby made this cute girl hard to forget.
Whenever she saw the girl pass, Donna automatically observed her.
She noticed the girl seemed extraordinarily popular.
She always arrived with companions—sometimes the Outrider, sometimes the last Lawrence—today even the usually reclusive Miss Lisa.
Not only was the girl popular, her friends were all big names in Mondstadt.
Yet with such cuteness, perhaps it was only natural.
"Let me see..." Stelle bent to survey the blooms.
She couldn't name most and had no idea of their meanings; picking blindly might backfire.
"Um, what flowers would Miss Lisa like?" Stelle whispered to Donna.
"Miss Lisa..." Donna glanced at Lisa behind Stelle, puzzled.
She didn't know Lisa well; ordinary bouquets would do, yet the Grey-haired girl wanted the perfect choice.
"I'm no expert, but have you noticed? The blossom on Miss Lisa's hat looks like a rose." Donna hinted.
"A rose?" Stelle glanced discreetly backward and nodded.
It did look like one—but did Mondstadt even grow roses?
"We happen to have a Sumeru Rose, bought from a travelling merchant days ago." Donna added, sensing her doubt.
"That one, then!" Stelle decided without hesitation.
Pricey, but a date deserved the splurge.
"Right away, I'll wrap it." Donna beamed.
The bloom was indeed costly, yet only one stem, so the damage was bearable... "Hmm~ I can see you put thought into it. Or have you heard of the Rose Witch?" Lisa accepted the Sumeru Rose, a flicker of reminiscence in her eyes.
"Rose Witch? You mean Lisa?" Stelle blinked; she'd never heard the title. Donna's hint about the hat rose had simply steered her choice.
"Sigh, I thought once I returned to Mond I'd never see a fresh rose again." Lisa only smiled, evading the question and changing the topic.
"Looks like a good omen. All right, Little Cutie, thank you for the gift—I love it."
What followed next happened to fit perfectly; she could settle her work along the way.
"Miss Donna, do you remember *the white princess and the six dwarfs*?" Lisa tucked the rose away and turned to Donna.
"Ah?!" Donna flustered as though a parent had caught her red-handed.
"Surely you're not treating books… casually, are you?" Lisa's tone turned unmistakably dangerous.
"I, um, th-that…" Donna's eyes darted toward Stelle, silently begging for rescue.
"Did something happen?" Stelle had no choice but to step in.
After all, she'd helped pick the flower; she figured she might as well help again.
"I… I lost the book…"
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