Izayoi was sitting by the window, gazing at the sky as the curtain of night began to fall with the setting sun.
This world, untouched by light pollution and with clear air, allowed each star to shine brightly.
As Izayoi sat alone, admiring the starry sky, the room's door opened.
"Brr, it's cold! Maybe taking a bath at night was too much."
Yuka appeared, hugging her shivering body.
"You shouldn't have taken a bath then."
"But I was sweaty, I had no choice. Ah, it’s cold!"
Unable to bear the cold, Yuka jumped into the only bed in the room, wrapping herself in the blanket and curling up. Slightly bewildered by such odd behavior, Izayoi leaned out of the window.
"Going somewhere?"
"Just going to have a quick drink."
Yuka frowned noticeably at Izayoi, who mimicked drinking.
"You act like an old man."
"I'm age-appropriate. It’s one of my few pleasures. Let it go."
As Izayoi said this, Yuka reluctantly agreed.
"Alright, I guess it’ll be morning when you return, so lock the door and window."
"You’re just drinking, right?"
"That’s the plan."
"Fine, then."
Izayoi jumped out of the window, giving Yuka a suspicious look. For good measure, he put a protective barrier on the room. People were surprised as he landed on the street from the inn's second floor, but he ignored them and walked away.
He headed to a tavern not far from the inn, which he had noticed earlier. It should suffice.
After walking through the somewhat lesser daytime crowd, he arrived at the tavern.
The city was calming down compared to the day, but the festive mood still lingered, especially in the tavern.
The light and noise leaking from the gap in the door were reminiscent of an incident at the Adventurers Guild.
"I’m not fond of noise, but I guess it can't be helped."
Expecting silence in a tavern was a folly. The place was bustling, a sign of its prosperity.
As long as there was good liquor, Izayoi didn’t mind.
He stepped in, observing the hot and noisy atmosphere, and ordered a drink at the counter. The tavern keeper was surprised by his presence but prepared the drink quickly.
Izayoi was here not just to drink, but to gather information. Liquor loosens tongues, and there was no better place for information than a tavern, though eavesdropping wasn't exactly commendable.
Sipping his drink, he listened to the surrounding conversations, which were mainly about the defeat of the Demon Lord. Izayoi sighed; he couldn’t find the information he was looking for.
He was yet to achieve his main goal for the day. As he was tilting his glass, someone spoke,
"May I sit next to you?"
A silver-haired individual, appearing as a charming young man, asked with a smile. Izayoi, slightly narrowing his eyes, nodded.
The newcomer ordered the same drink as Izayoi and sat elegantly beside him. Izayoi observed him closely – a youth in his twenties, with transparent silver hair and deep blue eyes like the ocean. A handsome face, but something was off.
Izayoi noticed something peculiar about the chest area, covered by metal armor.
"Staring makes me blush."
"Sorry, but… are you a woman?"
The silver-haired person was surprised.
"You saw through me at first glance."
Indeed, Izayoi refocused on his glass.
"How did you realize?"
"Your gestures and frame are odd for a man. Plus, you weren’t hiding it seriously."
She smiled ambiguously, making even this gesture seem graceful.
"You've surprised me several times already."
Izayoi responded with a smile, "I was surprised by your tailing skills."
"I thought I was good at hiding my presence..."
When she raised both hands in defeat, there was a certain grace to her actions.
"If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t have been caught."
"Being praised by the one I tailed..."
As the tavern keeper brought her drink, they raised their glasses in unison. "I'm Lilis, a Rank A adventurer."
"And I'm Izayoi, a Rank F adventurer."
They clinked their glasses together and downed their drinks in one go.
"Ah… it really is better with company."
"Well, it's not bad."
Lilis, who was next to him, tilted her glass. Izayoi, having emptied his glass, placed it down and requested a refill from the shopkeeper.
"So, what does a Rank A adventurer like Lilis want with a novice adventurer like me?"
"Hmm, let's see. How should I put it…"
Lilis removed the glass from her lips and put on a thoughtful face. Even her gesture of placing a hand on her chin in thought was picturesque.
"To put it bluntly, it’s, well, love at first sight, I guess."
"Love at first sight, huh… Wait, love at first sight?"
"Yes, love at first sight."
Izayoi, almost convinced for a moment, immediately asked again to confirm, and was firmly affirmed.
"…For whom?"
Striking his almost-stalled thoughts into motion, Izayoi cautiously inquired.
"Ah, not for you, Izayoi. Unfortunately."
"I see, that’s a relief."
Relieved that he wasn't the object of love at first sight, Izayoi wondered who the subject of Lilis’s affection was. As he took a sip from the second glass the shopkeeper had poured, the answer was dropped by Lilis herself.
"I fell in love with the red-haired girl who was with you, Izayoi."
"What!?"
Izayoi choked, but who could blame him? It was a good thing he didn’t spit out his drink.
"The innocence of a small animal combined with an unapproachable strength. She embodies these seemingly contradictory qualities and her frolicking, fitting for her age, struck a chord in me."
Even Izayoi was taken aback by Lilis's passionate description of Yuka’s charm. There were numerous problematic statements, but for now, Izayoi addressed the immediate issue.
"You… you’re a woman, aren’t you?"
"Is there a problem?"
"The problem is that you don’t see a problem."
Izayoi was frustrated with Lilis, who tilted her head as if she didn’t understand.
"You are a woman. Yuka is also a woman. Do you understand?"
"So her name is Yuka."
"Damn it…"
Izayoi carelessly let the name slip. He was quite disturbed by this unprecedented interaction.
"…There's the issue of gender."
"If there’s love, we can overcome such gender barriers."
"No need to overcome, please stop."
Izayoi desperately tried to stop her. Although he wasn’t the direct victim, if he didn’t stop this now, Yuka’s chastity would certainly be in danger. If that happened, Yuka’s anger would definitely be directed at Izayoi, making him a victim in the end. He’d rather avoid that.
As Izayoi was contemplating how to explain the insurmountable gender difference to Lilis, she chuckled.
"I'm just kidding, don’t take it seriously."
"…Your jokes are frightening because they don’t sound like jokes."
"Is that so? Sorry about that."
Lilis apologized, but she didn’t seem remorseful. Rather, she seemed pleased that her prank was successful. This kind of opponent is troublesome, especially for one’s mental health.
Izayoi mentally marked Lilis as a person to watch out for.
He sighed deeply and was about to sip from his glass when,
"I do have an interest, though it's not affection."
Izayoi stopped at Lilis's unexpected words.
Lilis still had that friendly smile, but only her eyes weren’t smiling; they were scrutinizing Izayoi.
"A duo, who’s skilled enough to register as adventurers during this festival time. You two are more than intriguing."
With suspicion and curiosity in her eyes, Lilis spoke.
"Who are you guys, really?"
—Now, what to do?
Izayoi tilted his glass as he pondered on how to answer.