Night fell, and bustling Orario came alive with noise.
Laborers chatted and laughed as they headed home, while adventurers struck up conversations with the demi-human girls at the flower shop.
On the lively street, there was an especially dazzling sight.
Syr wore a white dress and walked in the middle, linking arms with the two people beside her.
Ryuu wore a rare pale green long dress. The cute style was far removed from her usual casual clothes, so it was clearly a gift from Syr.
On the other side, Bell, who had been the subject of plenty of gossip lately, also drew the gazes of passing girls.
"Syr, you didn't prepare four baskets on purpose because you knew this would happen, did you?"
Bell ignored the stares around them and asked.
Ryuu was clearly unhappy with their current posture.
But both of her hands were carrying wicker baskets, leaving her completely unable to escape Syr's clutches.
"It's just a coincidence."
Syr smiled softly, showing no intention of letting go.
Normally, a girl walking with a man and a woman on either side would not attract much attention.
But with the two girls' beauty, plus the well-known boy pursuing a harem, the group took on a strange atmosphere.
From time to time, adventurers whistled and made envious guesses.
"That's the elf girl from the tavern. I've never seen her on a date with anyone before. Did she become part of the Little Rookie's harem too?"
"Ugh..."
Every time Ryuu heard the adventurers gossip, she frowned, ready to answer with icy hostility.
But Syr held tightly onto her arm and kept walking as if nothing had happened, giving Ryuu no chance to respond.
"Keep acting like this, Syr, and the children really will start calling you a witch."
Bell muttered under his breath.
He had already figured it out. Syr was deliberately using the wicker baskets as weapons to restrain Ryuu's movements, forcing this dignified elf girl to suffer one wave of embarrassment after another.
"I have no idea what you mean."
Syr blinked, seeming to think of another good idea.
"Do you think this is wrong of me, Bell? I understand. Then switch places with me."
Syr slowly withdrew her hands.
Her attitude seemed to say it plainly.
Since he was the boy pursuing a harem, it was only natural that he should stand in the middle.
"N-no, this is fine!"
Before Bell could answer, Ryuu pinned Syr's arm in place with her own and hurriedly replied.
If the boy were to link arms with her in Syr's place, Ryuu would absolutely throw down the wicker baskets and flee in a panic.
The only thing Ryuu did not want to break was her promise with Syr.
"If Ryuu wants to be in the middle, that's fine too."
Syr spoke with a wicked smile.
"N-no need..."
Ryuu answered, her face red.
For some reason, she felt as though her friend's words carried a suggestive undertone.
Ryuu blamed herself for it.
Her once pure friend had already crossed that line and formed a romantic relationship with the boy.
Ryuu felt that her imagination was running wild precisely because she cared about that too much.
"Aww, but I really wanted to try a scene from a novel."
Syr sighed regretfully.
"A novel?"
Bell knew Syr had all sorts of strange reading material, so he asked curiously.
"Yes, the romance novel I lent Ryuu. The male lead had both arms around..."
"S-Syr!"
Ryuu's shout cut Syr off.
"Sorry, sorry. That was supposed to be a secret, wasn't it?"
Syr brushed it off with a bright smile. "That's how it is, so I can't tell Bell the details."
"Mm, I understand."
Bell did not press further.
Judging from Ryuu's flustered tone, it definitely was not a proper novel.
Syr had probably used some kind of clever persuasion to make Ryuu read it...
"Ugh..."
Ryuu did not know what to say.
Originally, she had only gone to Syr for advice because she wanted to express her gratitude to the boy.
After all, Ryuu was not very good with gifts, and since Syr and the boy were lovers, Syr would surely understand what he liked.
But in the end, Syr had simply given Ryuu a novel and told her to look through it for inspiration.
Ryuu had lain on her bed reading until late at night, and in the end, she chose to weave a bracelet by hand.
Thanks to that, the plot of the novel was still vivid in her mind.
"..."
Even with Syr between them, Bell could feel Ryuu's embarrassment.
At this rate, the elf girl would surely become completely useless, just like before.
So Bell considerately changed the subject for Ryuu.
"Syr, what's inside these baskets?"
Syr stopped humming and asked softly, "You should be able to smell it, shouldn't you?"
"That's exactly why I'm asking."
Bell smiled helplessly.
Inside the wicker baskets was the storm of blood and terror he had to face tonight.
The problem was that the dangerous smell drifting from three of the baskets was the scent of burning and badly balanced seasoning.
The wicker basket in Bell's right hand, however, radiated the terrifying aura of Witch's Soup.
To put it in terms of combat, the first few were difficult Floors. If he gritted his teeth and endured, he could overcome that adventure.
But the last one was already the kind of pitch-black subspecies. No, it was probably even more terrifying than an enhanced Floor Boss.
"That's a special dish I made just for Bell. It's packed full of love, so you absolutely can't peek at it early."
Syr answered with a smile.
"Cranel-san... I didn't see the process myself, but after Chloe taste-tested it, she fainted..."
Ryuu's voice carried a trace of fear.
Without a doubt, what the boy was carrying was a path straight into the abyss of hell.
Ryuu had happened to be out during the taste test, which was how she escaped disaster.
She made up her mind.
If what was inside the basket really was something terribly dangerous, then even if she had to stand against Syr, she would stop this tragedy for the boy's safety.
"Don't worry. Chloe must have been joking."
There was not a trace of gloom on Syr's face.
She puffed out her cheeks and added.
"It was all Chloe's fault for taking the wrong dish when she went to visit Bell, so I punished her by making her taste-test my cooking. And then she actually said..."
"I really can't take it anymore. Please spare me. My tongue is going numb. If I eat any more, I might not live to see tomorrow's sun, nya..."
Syr mimicked Chloe's tone, making cold sweat bead on both Ryuu's and Bell's foreheads.
"In the end, Chloe kept calling Bell's name while pretending to faint. Hmph, she really was awful."
Syr puffed up her cheeks as she described the Cat girl's final moments.
It had all started because Chloe had taken the wrong dish, so she had ended up receiving Syr's "punishment."
Bell looked out at the bustling crowd, and the wicker basket in his right hand somehow felt even heavier.
What was waiting for him?
Had Chloe's fainting really been an act?
When he had time, he should go check on that Cat girl...
In the night, Bell silently sent his blessings to Chloe.
***
...
...
If you'd like to support my work and unlock advanced chapters, you can follow me on p-@-treon.
[email protected]/PinkSnake (70 Chapters Ahead).
You can also follow as a free member to read a few advanced chapters.
***