Chapter 24: The Angel and the Mysterious Date – Part 2
The next place she took me to was a weapon shop.
Rows upon rows of polished swords and gleaming spears lined the walls, each one catching the morning light that poured through the window. The faint tang of metal and oil hung in the air, and the rhythmic sound of a whetstone scraping against steel echoed from the back of the shop.
Beside me, Shifa-san stood perfectly still, her blue eyes fixed intently on the weapons as though each blade whispered a secret only she could hear.
“Geo, are you having fun?” she asked softly, her voice almost drowned out by the distant clatter.
“Eh? Oh, yes… I am,” I replied, a bit startled by the sudden question.
“That’s good,” she said with a small nod, her expression unreadable as always.
Next, she led me to an armor shop.
Helmets, breastplates, and gauntlets of every size and make gleamed beneath the lamplight. The faint smell of leather mixed with the cool scent of polished steel. Again, Shifa-san quietly observed the armor displays, her eyes serious and unwavering, as if evaluating a set for battle rather than window shopping.
“Geo, are you having fun?”
“Eh? Ah, yes…”
“I’m glad.”
When we left the armor shop, she brought me to a familiar place — the apothecary.
The moment we stepped inside, the gentle chime of the doorbell rang, and a bright voice greeted us.
“Ah! Shifa-san, Geo-san! Welcome!”
It was Denis, dressed as always in his crisp maid uniform, his face lighting up when he saw us together.
“It’s rare to see the two of you together. What brings you in today?”
“It’s fine,” Shifa said simply. “Just looking today.”
“O-Oh, I see! Please, take your time then!”
And as promised, she walked slowly through the aisles, examining each potion and herb bottle with a quiet fascination, her expression never changing.
“Geo, are you having fun?”
“Eh? Oh, yes…”
“Good.”
…This is a date, right?
I couldn’t make sense of her intentions at all. Then again, I’ve never been on a date before, so maybe this is how they go?
When we finally left the apothecary, the sun had climbed high — it was nearly lunchtime.
“It’s about time for lunch,” Shifa said.
“Yes, it is.”
“This way.”
Her tone was matter-of-fact as ever, but I couldn’t help imagining she’d take me to some charming little café, maybe one with an open terrace and the aroma of freshly baked bread.
Instead, she led me to… Lulukas-tei.
A cozy family diner run by Anii’s older sister, Alicia.
“Here?” I asked, blinking in surprise.
“Mm-hm.”
“Well, that’s fine, I guess…”
The food there was delicious, after all — Alicia’s cooking never disappointed. Most of the ingredients came straight from my own crops, though.
Still, if this was supposed to be a date, maybe something a little more… romantic would’ve fit the mood better.
Inside, the lunchtime rush had begun. The chatter of adventurers filled the air, and the clatter of dishes and laughter made the place lively but not unpleasant.
“Welcome— oh, if it isn’t Shifa! And Geo too,” Alicia greeted with a grin.
“Yes. We came to eat,” Shifa said plainly.
“Just the two of you?”
“Yes.”
“…Huh.”
Alicia gave her a look that could only be described as suspiciously intrigued, but Shifa remained completely unfazed, her calm expression unbroken.
“Geo, order whatever you like. My treat today.”
“Ah, thank you very much.”
And so, the day continued in much the same way.
She took me to several more places — but none of them were what one would call “date spots.”
A blacksmith’s, a materials market, even the adventurer’s guild again…
And at every stop, the same routine repeated.
“Geo, are you having fun?”
“Eh? Oh, yes…”
“I’m glad.”
I began to lose count of how many times she’d asked that question.
At last, as the afternoon sun began to fade, she turned to me and said,
“This is the last place.”
“Ah, I see.”
“Geo, did you have fun today?”
“Yes, of course.”
“Truly?”
“O-of course!”
“But… you looked a little confused.”
Her words hit home, and for a moment, her expression softened into something almost apologetic.
“Ah—no, it’s not that,” I hurried to explain. “I just thought the choice of places was a bit… unexpected.”
“I see…”
Her eyes dimmed a little, and she nodded with a small sigh.
“Today was meant as thanks. I wanted to make you happy. But I don’t know how to do that… so I decided to take you to the places I like. I thought, maybe if I enjoyed them, you would too.”
Oh… so that’s why.
It all made sense now — the guild, the weapon shops, the apothecary… they were all part of her world, her comfort zone.
I’d been so fixated on what a “proper date” should be that I’d missed what she was really trying to do.
“I actually wanted to go to a dungeon too,” she added, “but it seemed dangerous, so I decided not to.”
“That was definitely the right call!” I said quickly, my heart skipping at the thought.
That could’ve ended very, very badly.
She gave a small laugh — quiet and short, but genuine.
“Fufu.”
“…?”
I found myself smiling too. For someone who was so strong and composed, Shifa could be adorably clumsy when it came to things like this.
“Don’t worry,” I said softly. “I really did have fun. Truly.”
“Really?”
“Really. As long as I’m with you, Shifa-san, I’d enjoy going anywhere.”
…Wait.
Did I just—?
That sounded dangerously close to a confession!
“So?” she said simply, nodding once. “That’s good.”
She didn’t blush, didn’t react, didn’t even blink.
Saved… I think? Or maybe that was worse—did that mean I had zero chance to begin with?
I groaned quietly into my hands.
“…?”
She tilted her head, clearly not understanding what was going on in my mind.
And then, for the final stop, she led me somewhere completely unexpected.
“Wait… this place is…”
“My house.”
“I thought so.”
For a second, I panicked—was she about to introduce me to her parents? No, that couldn’t be it. I already knew them; they were our neighbors.
Still… I’d never been inside her room before.
Could it be—?
No, no, don’t even think about that, Geo!
I was halfway through scolding myself for having weird thoughts when—
“Wooooo! It’s done at last!”
A loud, triumphant yell echoed from the back of the house.
“That’s the workshop,” Shifa said simply, walking briskly toward the garden.
I followed her, curiosity piqued.
The building behind the house was a full-fledged forge — the family workshop. Shifa’s home doubled as a blacksmith’s, and the rhythmic clang of hammers striking metal filled the air.
Inside, the workers were in a state of cheerful uproar, exchanging high-fives and laughter. Something big must have just happened.
“Father, what’s going on?” Shifa asked.
“Oh! Shifa, you’re back!”
The man who turned toward us was large and broad-shouldered, his thick beard and wild hair a striking contrast to his daughter’s calm composure.
“We just finished a huge commission! Barely made the deadline, but it’s done at last!”
“That’s amazing, Master! Now we can finally pay off our debts!” one of the apprentices cheered.
“Gahaha! That’s what happens when you put your heart into honest work! The gods of the forge always reward sincerity!” her father bellowed, his laughter booming through the workshop.
But then—
“B-bad news, Master!”
A young smith burst in, face pale and dripping with sweat.
“What’s wrong? Why the panic?”
“I went to tell the client’s guild that the order was complete, but they said… they said no such merchant exists!”
“Wh-what!?”
The sound of his father’s roar shook the forge.
And just like that, the lively air turned heavy with dread.