Satisfied with her work, Lisbeth cast a serious yet nervous look toward Shido and said, "Give it a swing."
Shido nodded, grabbing the sword before performing a series of fluid swings making Lisbeth amazed as he could make those kind of movement with so much familiarity with the sword quickly.
She remained standing near Shido watching him execute sword techniques while a hand was placed on top of her chest. Her heart thumped nervously as she waited for Shido's response.
After doing some swings with the sword, Shido paused and fell silent for a moment causing Lisbeth to gulp anxiously and said "H-How is it?"
However, her worry quickly changed into happiness when Shido finally spoke.
Turning his head to face his with the <
Lisbeth's face lit up with relief and joy as she clasped her hands together and said, "Really? That's great!" It was as though all her effort on making the sword for Shido was worth it, especially when she saw him reveal that smile again causing Lisbeth to secretly pout.
Nevertheless, even though Shido know that Lisbeth was thinking of something weird again, he simply continued "I can tell you really poured your heart and emotion into this."
As Shido said that, he looked at Lisbeth, who nodded with a shy smile, her hands still clutching the fabric over her chest. She stayed silent, watching as he sheathed the sword and slung it across his back. Then, turning toward her once more, Shido asked, "Are you sure you want to give this to me? You could make a fortune selling it, you know."
Even though, Shido save her when she was about to be killed, giving him a weapon of this grade just to repay him for gratitude was a bit excessive, especially for someone she had just met.
Instead of giving it to him, it was much better to sell it since she could get a high price at this sword. Shido would have been perfectly fine with a decent, standard-grade weapon, but Lisbeth had insisted on forging him a custom, high-grade sword.
Still, somehow, Shido began to understand why she was so determined to give it to him. Just a glance at her slightly flushed face and the way she nervously clutched the fabric over her chest was enough to make things clear.
Shido couldn't help but sigh and shake his head inwardly, thinking that he'd somehow turned into a sinner who kept unintentionally seducing girls everywhere he go. Yet, he couldn't erase that bad habit of his since they are just too charming.
It was almost like being a fisherman. When a fisherman saw a fish, he would naturally cast his line to catch it. In Shido's case, however, the "fish" were girls. If there was a girl, Shido would win her over. Yet, Shido didn't just go after any girls, instead he go for the unique ones.
It wasn't as if he treated the girls around him like trophies, flaunting the fact that he had a harem. On the contrary, Shido genuinely treasured each and every one of them, caring for them sincerely.
Many girls fall for him whether it was in the world of Date Alive, Overlord or in the Neutral World. So, instead of going to the normal route of choosing just one girl and leaving the others behind to offer bittersweet congratulations,. Isn't it better to have them all so that no one would be sad.
Yet, even though it was unfair for them since they would be sharing his love and affection, it was the only way to make everyone happy. With that thought, he steeled his resolve and prepared to bear all the blame himself.
"Um, Setsuna."
"Hmm? What is it?" Shido was pulled back from his thoughts and replied naturally when Lisbeth called to him nervously. He could even see how her lips trembled due to the unease.
Watching Shido calmly look at her, even though Lisbeth had fallen for him, she couldn't stop the thought of smacking him even once since Shido played with her emotion in a matter of hours.
He let her experience various kinds emotions she thought she had lost after falling for the same man as her friend and ultimately losing.
But now, Shido was letting her experience those emotions once more, and this time, it was much warmer and enjoyable, so even though Shido was a bit annoying for teasing her, he still hade her laugh and have fun and that's what makes him attracted in her eyes. And this time she would definitely succeed.
"Setsuna, I..." Lisbeth took a step forward, closing the distance between them until only a meter remained. Shido didn't take a step back and remained on where he was as he know Lisbeth will say something and it was something he could already guess from the look in her eyes and the emotion written across her face.
Clutching the fabric over her chest, Lisbeth looked into Shido's eyes and said "It's strange, and I know you might think I'm and shallow but... remember when you suddenly appear and save me when I was about to be killed. I don't know why but my heart started racing all of the sudden."
She let out an awkward laugh, her cheeks tinged with pink, but continued softly, "I mean, we've only known each other for a short time, but… it feels different somehow."
Lisbeth smile softened, though her lips trembled slightly. Her gaze shimmered, and a faint pink hue bloomed across her cheeks. "Being with you is fun, but you're a little annoying sometimes… since you always tease me and play with my emotions."
Lisbeth shot Shido a half-hearted glare, though her flushed face made it lose all seriousness. Her expression soon softened again as she paused.
Shido, meanwhile, let out an awkward laugh, realizing he might've teased her a bit too much and gotten on her nerves. Still, he didn't interrupt her.
After shooting Shido a glare and seeing his awkward expression, Lisbeth couldn't help but let out a small chuckle before her shyness returned. When she looked directly into his eyes, she could tell that Shido already knew what she was about to say, yet the fact that he didn't say anything only made her want to roll her eyes.
Still, she had come this far, and there was no turning back now. Lisbeth parted her lips slightly, her soft pink mouth trembling as she prepared to speak when...
"Lisbeth, are you here? We're coming in!"
A familiar voice echoed through the shop as a group of three girls made their way to the back of the shop. Yet, the moment they entered, everything seemed to pause. Everyone stared at each other, caught completely off guard by the scene before them.
Their friend Lisbeth was alone with a man and the atmosphere between them was unmistakably ambiguous, judging by the flustered yet tender look Lisbeth was giving him.
And just like that, they had interrupted them.
Confusion, doubt, surprise, realization, embarrassment, and pure awkwardness.
Those were the emotions flooding the room as the girls realized they had just walked in on something important. Lisbeth stood frozen, her face turning bright red as she stare incredulously at her friends, looking as if she'd just been caught doing something incredibly embarrassing.
The three girls grew even more awkward looking at the scene before them. Yet two of them which was a tall, blonde-haired fairy dressed in green and a shorter fairy with cat ears, light brown hair, and a blue outfit, couldn't help but feel a little betrayed. Their friend clearly liked someone, and they hadn't known a thing about it. Even so, the awkwardness still lingered in the air as they knew they have come at the wrong time.
The last girl, with bright orange hair, looked just as flustered for interrupting, but beneath her embarrassment was genuine happiness. Lisbeth had finally found someone she loved. Still, curiosity sparked in her eyes as she studied the man before them as she have never seen or heard of him from Lisbeth.
The awkwardness in the air had reached its limit. The girls didn't know what to say, and Lisbeth, her entire face flushed red from embarrassment, wished she could just bury herself somewhere and disappear.
So, Shido decided to break the silence. Clearing his throat, he glanced at the three familiar-looking girls before turning to Lisbeth and said "Your friends?"
"..." Lisbeth