“Oh, just a bit of shopping.”
“I’m sorry for interrupting…”
“It’s fine. I didn’t find what I was looking for anyway.”
I answer with a smile as Leia bows her head. It’s unlikely that a spirit capable of countering Dreadnought would be sealed in a spirit stone, and even if there was one, it would have already been taken by someone else or be priced way out of my reach.
Come to think of it, Leia’s consideration and politeness have changed drastically compared to the beginning.
This is probably her normal attitude, but thinking about it that way, I must have been really disliked at first…
“Is something wrong?”
“No, I was just thinking it’s good.”
“?”
Leia tilts her head, puzzled by the meaning of my words. I point towards our destination to distract her.
“More importantly, the shop you’re looking for should be around here, I think?”
“Wow, it’s really amazing!”
Leia exclaims with a slightly excited look as she sees the bustling street ahead, which could be mistaken for a festival.
“Well, isn’t the royal capital about this lively too?”
“Is that so? I’m not sure.”
“You don’t know? Isn’t the Valhart family’s main residence in the royal capital?”
“Yes, but I basically never went out into the city and spent all my time training, so I don’t really know what the city is like.”
“……………”
I suddenly close my mouth, receiving a heavier response than I expected.
Wait, did I just step on a landmine?
“………”
I glance sideways to check Leia’s expression, but she doesn’t seem particularly bothered. Looks like I was overthinking it…
“I-I see. You’re really dedicated…”
“Yes, that’s why I was so frustrated when I lost in the new student welcoming battle.”
“…………”
It was a landmine after all.
“Ah, no! I’m not angry anymore! It would be a lie to say I have no thoughts about it, but…”
“Ah, yeah.”
Leia hurriedly tries to smooth things over, but it’s still hard to respond.
“But I was really frustrated. I never thought I’d lose to you without even summoning your contracted spirit. It felt like all my efforts up until then were denied.”
“Um, I’m really sorry.”
I didn’t mean to corner you that much. I’m truly sorry for not being able to contract with a spirit.
“No, there’s nothing to apologize for. I felt intense anger at that time, but in the end, it was due to my lack of ability. It’s just that my efforts weren’t enough. It would be wrong to blame you for that, senpai.”
“No, that’s…”
I try to deny it reflexively, but I can’t find the words to continue and fall silent.
Surely, anything I say now would only sound like mockery or provocation to her.
“It’s okay. I’m sure Rourke-senpai has his own reasons for not summoning his contracted spirit, right? I kind of understand that you’re not looking down on your opponent by not summoning.”
“…………”
It’s not that I’m not summoning, it’s that I can’t… or rather, I don’t have anyone to summon in the first place. There’s no deep reason behind it, but it seems Leia, like other students, has interpreted my not summoning a contracted spirit in a positive way.
Whether I can be genuinely happy about that is another story…
“But next time we fight, I intend to push you to a situation where you have no choice but to summon your contracted spirit, so be prepared!”
“Hahaha…”
‘If I’m cornered him that much, this senpai will surely surrender…’
“…Oh, isn’t that the shop over there?”
As I cower at Leia’s combative smile, a slight sweet scent wafts over. Looking in that direction, I spot a colorful shop. The sign clearly says “Happy Crepe,” so this must be the place.
“Ah, you’re right! Thank you so much!”
“I’m glad we found it.”
I unconsciously let out a sigh of relief at Leia’s joyful expression. To be honest, I didn’t know the exact location of the crepe shop either, so I’m really glad we found it safely.
“Well then, I’ll be—”
“Wait, Rourke-senpai! Since we’re here, would you like to join me?”
“Huh?”
I didn’t expect to be stopped. As I turn around, Leia points at the crepe shop with a bright smile.
“Do you dislike crepes?”
“No, that’s not it, but…”
“Then let’s eat together. I’ll treat you as thanks.”
“No, that would be—”
“No, it’s a motto of the Valhart family to properly repay favors received. Please, let’s go together.”
Saying that, Leia pushes me from behind, and I lose to her momentum, being half-forced to enter the crepe shop.
“Welcome!”
“Senpai, feel free to order whatever you like.”
“Then, I’ll gratefully…”
As I hear the staff’s voice, I turn my attention to the menu.
To be honest, as a senior, it’s somewhat embarrassing to be treated by a junior. However, it’s also true that I’m short on money. Since my junior is kindly offering to treat me, I might as well accept the offer and let them buy me a crepe.
“…So, Leia, which one are you getting?”
“I’ll have the limited-time special mix crepe I mentioned earlier.”
“Then I guess I’ll have the same…”
After pondering for a bit, I decided to order the same crepe as Leia. The menu was confusing, and I didn’t want to waste too much time deciding.
Leia said, “Understood,” and ordered two special mix crepes, paying for both.
“Thanks.”
“No, it’s me who should be grateful. Thanks to you showing me this shop, I get to enjoy these crepes.”
While waiting for our order on the shop’s bench, I couldn’t help but smile at Leia’s excited expression.
“You look happy.”
“Yes, I once read a book where the main character would eat sweets with friends after school. I’ve always dreamed of doing something like that.”
As Leia happily explained, it seemed she had a strong desire for typical youthful experiences, perhaps as a reaction to her usually strict lifestyle.
“I see.”
“So, thank you very much for coming with me.”
“No problem. I’m glad your wish came true.”
Despite her grand title as the “Shrine Maiden of the Flame Dragon,” seeing her like this reminded me that Leia is just a normal girl after all.
“Sorry for the wait! Here are your special mix crepes!”
“Thank you very much!”
“Whoa…”
I was stunned by the sight of the crepes.
They were mountains of whipped cream, topped with bananas, strawberries, kiwi, and other fruits, plus chocolate, vanilla ice cream, and cookies. It was like an avalanche of sugar.
“Rourke-senpai, this is delicious!”
“Is it?”
Before I knew it, Leia had taken a big bite, her cheeks puffed out as she expressed her delight. Could it really be that good? I was a bit scared, but since she bought it for me, I had no choice but to eat it. I steeled myself and took a bite.
“!?”
Wow, it’s delicious!
Despite its appearance, it wasn’t as sweet as I expected. The cream wasn’t overly sweet, and the tartness of the fruits balanced it well, creating a refreshing taste.
“You’re right, it is good!”
“See? No wonder everyone’s been talking about it.”
Leia said this while devouring her crepe at an incredible speed. Looking at her crepe, I noticed that more than half of the mountain of ice cream and fruits had already disappeared.
Wait, isn’t she eating too fast?
While I was dumbfounded, Leia continued to munch away, finishing her crepe in no time.
“I’d like another special mix crepe, please.”
“Seriously?”
I didn’t know you were such a big eater.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT LOCALIZERMEERKAT.PAGES.DEV
“That was delicious, wasn’t it?”
“Yeah…”
I nodded, slightly taken aback, as Leia walked ahead of me, humming happily.
After that, she ordered a second crepe and then added a third, finishing at the same time as me. I’ve heard that there’s always room for dessert, but still, eating three was impressive…
“By the way, Rourke-senpai, you said you came shopping. What did you buy?”
“Hm? Oh, this.”
Figuring there was no need to hide it, I took out the spirit-sealing stone I had bought earlier and showed it to her.
“A spirit-sealing stone…”
“Yeah, I lost a few spirits during the last ruin exploration. I’m restocking.”
“Is this… for your rank advancement battle?”
“…That’s right.”
It seemed Leia was aware that my rank advancement battle was approaching. When I nodded, she looked like she wanted to say something but ultimately remained silent.
“…”
She probably realized I wasn’t planning to summon contracted spirits for the battle and wanted to comment on that.
“…I’ll come watch your rank advancement battle, senpai.”
“You don’t have to. It won’t be that interesting to watch, you know?”
I haven’t come up with any great strategies, and even if she comes, she’ll only see a rough, unrefined match. I really wish she wouldn’t come.
“That’s not true. I’ll learn from it.”
Learn what?
“No, what exactly do you plan to learn…?”
“Wow! What’s happening?”
As I was about to press further, I heard children’s excited voices. Looking over, I saw kids gathered around a man who seemed to be a shop owner, watching something.
“Is that… a puppet show?”
“Looks like it.”
The shop owner appeared to be a spirit mage, skillfully manipulating small golem puppets made from earth-attribute lesser-spirits. He moved human-like and beast-like golems according to the story.
“Could this be a scene from the Arthur Chronicles?”
“You know it?”
“Yes, to some extent…”
“Huh, that’s unexpected…”
I was a bit surprised by Leia’s words. The current scene depicted the battle between Caspalig, known as the Evil Spirit, and Arthur, who had just become a spirit mage. It’s a rather minor scene compared to others in the story.
While the Arthur Chronicles is a very famous and popular story based on historical facts, it’s generally considered more appealing to male readers, with a predominantly male readership. I never expected Leia to recognize this scene.
“My father used to read it to me when I was little.”
“Ah, I see.”
So it was her father’s influence. That makes sense.
“Still, that shop owner is quite skilled. The golems move so smoothly.”
“It’s not that difficult. Even you could do it easily with some practice, Leia.”
Maybe she feels intimidated because it’s a different attribute of spirit magic, but it’s not particularly challenging. I could do it without problem, and I might even be able to control them a bit better than that shop owner—
“…Hmm.”
“Is something wrong?”
“No… I just realized I forgot to buy something. Sorry, but I’ll have to leave you here.”
“I see. I understand. Thank you for accompanying me today.”
“Thank you for the crepe. It was delicious.”
After thanking Leia one last time for the crepe, I said goodbye and headed back toward the spirit-sealing stone shop.
And so, the day of the rank battle arrived.
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