E-Rantel, Gourmet Street.
"Naohara, this is really good."
The girl named Clem held up a skewer of deep-fried, unidentifiable meat and looked at Naohara with bright excitement.
Her cheeks were puffed out with food, making her look like a hamster. The sight immediately reminded Naohara of the adorable Hamsuke.
"So this is why you dragged me out shopping?"
Naohara gave her a speechless look, then quietly pulled out his wallet. He took a few copper coins and paid for her portion.
Ever since they arrived, she had been eating nonstop, as if she'd been reincarnated as a starving ghost. The key point? She hadn't brought a single coin.
Naohara had every reason to suspect that Clem had come looking for him today just to secure a mobile wallet.
"Hmph. You're not happy about paying for this lady?"
Clem lifted her chin proudly, as if to say it was his honor.
"The more I think about it, the more I feel cheated. I need compensation."
"Ah! Wait, my skewer!"
"Mmm. Not bad at all. Figures, since I'm the one who paid for it."
The more he thought about it, the more unfair it felt. Taking advantage of her distraction, Naohara snatched the fried skewer straight from Clem's hand and ate it in front of her shocked cry.
By the time she reacted, only a bare bamboo stick remained.
"Naohara, you're too much! Stealing food from a weak girl like me!"
Clem puffed up her cheeks in indignation.
Naohara nearly laughed. If she counted as a weak girl, then what were the other women in E-Rantel? Born disabled?
Still, Clementine felt different today. The madness that used to flicker in her eyes was gone. She no longer stared at the adventurer's plate on his chest. It was as if she had truly become an ordinary girl.
'That's fine by me. I hope you stay Clem… not Clementine.'
Naohara smiled at her. Seeing her puffed-up expression, he slowly reached out and gently ruffled her hair.
The touch was familiar. He stroked her short golden hair with obvious satisfaction.
"Sorry, sorry. I'm sure the adorable Clem-san will forgive me, right?"
The moment she felt his hand on her head, Clem froze.
She lowered her head, her thoughts briefly in chaos. Instinctively, she wanted to cut off the hand resting there. After hesitating for a moment, she ultimately chose not to act.
"Naohara, you really are terrible. Patting someone's head out of nowhere and saying things like that."
After calming herself, she looked at him helplessly as he stood there, clearly enjoying himself.
"That's just how I am."
Naohara shrugged. His head-patting habit was like a reflex. Sometimes he would be talking, and before he knew it, his hand was already reaching out. It wasn't something he could simply fix by deciding to.
"You really are strange. But I don't hate it."
Seeing his completely unbothered expression, Clem let out a soft laugh. Maybe meeting him wasn't such a bad thing after all.
Her once dull and numb life now felt unexpectedly interesting.
Clem suddenly crouched down, slipping neatly out from under his hand.
Then she pushed off with her calves and broke into a light run down the street.
"Hey, hey, be careful."
Naohara shook his head and followed after her.
The two of them weaved through the crowded street, their figures gradually disappearing into the flow of people.
Behind them, the skewer vendor watched their fading backs with a satisfied smile, unable to resist sighing that youth truly was wonderful.
...
Time slipped by quickly, and before they knew it, evening had fallen.
Along the way, the two of them ran into plenty of amusing incidents.
At one point, they were stopped in a narrow alley by a mugger. The man's eyes lit up the moment he saw them. Not only did he want their money, he boldly declared he wanted their "beauty" as well. Both of them.
Naohara's face darkened instantly at the look on the man's face. Without hesitation, he turned the tables and robbed the would-be robber instead.
Before leaving, he even kindly added a final punch, sending the man off to meet his ancestors.
Clem watched the entire thing with a bright smile. When Naohara made his move, she didn't stop him. On the contrary, her smile only widened.
Later, they went to a restaurant for dinner. After finishing the meal, Clem suddenly declared it tasted awful. Then she marched straight up to the owner. Faced with the man's infatuated expression, she casually threw a punch.
Grabbing a completely bewildered Naohara, she bolted out of the restaurant in high spirits, ignoring the owner's furious roaring behind them.
They continued weaving through the streets and alleys of E-Rantel, leaving their traces almost everywhere.
By the time the sun finally dipped below the horizon, they had made their way to a patch of grass outside the city gates.
"Naohara, you know… today is the happiest day of my life."
Lying on the grass, Clem gazed at the stars overhead. She reached up toward the sky, speaking as if to herself.
"If you want, every day from now on can be like this."
Naohara lay with his hands behind his head and answered calmly.
"No. Even if I like it… I can't go back to living like this."
A flicker of longing crossed Clem's face, but it quickly turned into a bitter smile as if she had remembered something.
From the moment she chose to defect, she had been destined to live in hiding. And now that she had joined a terrifying organization, there was no turning back.
"I'm really glad I met you that night. You gave me a time I never would have dared to imagine."
Clem turned onto her side and looked at Naohara without blinking.
Being with him made her feel happy. It was light and unrestrained. For the first time in a long while, her heart felt calm. It was something she had never experienced before.
Naohara didn't reply. He simply reached out and gently patted her head.
They stayed like that, quietly gazing at the stars, until their eyes gradually closed and they drifted off to sleep.
The wind rustled softly. Insects chirped in waves.
After an unknown amount of time, Clem's eyes moved slightly, breaking the stillness.
She watched Naohara's peacefully closed eyes for a moment before carefully getting to her feet.
"Leaving?"
Just as she was about to go, Naohara's voice sounded, though he still appeared to be asleep.
"…Yeah. I have something to take care of."
"These next few nights might get a little chaotic. You… be careful."
Her figure, nearly swallowed by the darkness, paused briefly before continuing forward. Only her soft words lingered in the air.
Naohara didn't say anything else. He quietly watched her leave, then let out a faint sigh.
[Dragonic Will]
A flash of light passed over his body, soothing the subtle ripples in his heart.
"What a troublesome friend."