Noonday in Bucharest. In the two weeks since Novia had returned, his impression was that the sun always poured into every corner of the city. The buildings along the streets looked just a little more splendid under the light, and the kind of damp, misty weather he was used to was rarely seen here.
Originally, he had planned to leave today. But then Sajo Hiroki had called, asking to meet one more time, which delayed his plans.
Now, he was stepping into the restaurant they had agreed upon. The moment he entered, a wide and elegant lobby greeted him. A towering ceiling hung with ornate chandeliers cast soft light over the space. Expensive-looking oil paintings lined the walls.
With a glance, Novia located the seat described on the phone. And there, looking quite leisurely, sat a blonde-haired girl.
Just as he suspected, Sajo Hiroki had arranged for him to go on a blind date with this so-called "beautiful girl" Manaka Sajo—who was, despite appearances, already thirty-seven. Clearly, the parents were anxious about their daughter, who was nearing forty and still going around stirring up trouble.
However, just as Novia walked closer, Manaka Sajo spotted him too—but strangely, she didn't greet him. Instead, she stood up and walked swiftly yet gracefully toward the restroom.
Was that a flustered retreat? Or had she eaten something bad? Or was it something else entirely?
Novia, slightly confused, took his seat and glanced out the window. Outside the thick pane of glass, people bustled through the street. Originally, he'd been hoping to participate in a Subspecies Holy Grail War today—to try summoning Nero or Melusine.
After all, the American Holy Grail War was still some time away. He had to prioritize the Subspecies events.
The location in mind was a section of the Koback Labyrinth, more precisely, the part occupied by the vampire being known as "Wolfgang Faust"—not a Dead Apostle, but a bloodsucker of another sort. In the world of magecraft, this was known as the Seventh Labyrinth of Alcatraz, famed as "that which devours all who enter."
Why such a grim title? Because the ancient vampire residing there had been continuously conducting Subspecies Holy Grail Wars. He used the Saint Graphs of the summoned Servants—four at a time—as the basis for experiments, hoping to evolve himself into a spiritual entity: a "Fairy Kind," the embodiment of nature itself—a tangible fragment of the stars.
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"...Was that magecraft? What kind of charm spell could that possibly have been—to actually charm me?"
At that very moment, in front of the restroom mirror, Manaka Sajo was gently touching her own cheeks, as if trying to detect whether her skin had been coated with some unknown magical force.
Otherwise—
How else could she explain blushing in front of someone she was meeting for the first time, just because she had acted rudely? Her heart was wracked with guilt, and she wanted nothing more than to crawl into a hole.
What should she do, what should she do...?
No matter how she thought about it, something had happened—right? Maybe not? Uwah, uwah, she had no idea anymore...
Now, whenever she thought about the mischievous little plan she'd made before coming here, her guilt only deepened.
She had, after all, ordered the entire menu just for fun, intending to refuse him afterward and have a laugh about it with her friend Cerené. Her father had told her this guy fell for her at first sight—but... now it wasn't looking so bad.
Honestly, this man her father introduced to her was completely different from what she imagined. It wasn't about his looks or the aura of magical power he carried—it was a mindset, something that welled up from within.
What kind of feeling was it?
Manaka didn't think it was that hazy thing people call "love." No, she understood that sort of emotion very clearly now.
If she ever had children, she'd only let this man be their teacher.
And—if he could be the one to kill her, that would be perfect.
...What!?
Had she really, at first meeting, become like those crazy people on the internet—instantly imagining childbirth, future education, and even how their story would end?
She didn't have time to think it through. Right now, Manaka Sajo had only one thought in mind:
She wanted the man her father said had "fallen for her at first sight"... to fall for her even more.
Novia. Novia. What a wonderful name. Such a beautiful name. That name suited him so well. Just saying it was fun. Even if she had to listen to his religion's annoying—no, holy—Scriptures every day, it would still be interesting.
"No, no, I can't let it end like this. I have to make up for it. Not just make up for it—make it perfect! Novia. Novia..."
She inhaled deeply to calm her flustered mind. Her right hand reached into the air with a gentle grasping gesture.
And then, at her fingertips, a shimmer of magical light flickered—only visible to a true magus. In less than a second, a glowing crystal roughly the size of a dinner plate appeared in her palm. It wasn't conjured from nothing, but rather condensed from the ambient mana in the air—a high-density magical crystal.
In the world of magic, even highly skilled mages would need days to craft a crystal of this scale. For Manaka, it took but an instant.
Her purpose? Simply to patch up the exhausted, disheveled appearance that came from ten sleepless nights and days of unkempt hair...
After about thirty seconds of hurried grooming, Manaka Sajo gracefully stepped back toward her seat. She even paid the bill herself, though she had originally planned to make Novia foot it.
To be honest, if she'd had any plausible excuse, she would've rather cooked for him herself than let him eat this restaurant's bland food. She wished he could just eat her cooking—only her cooking—forever.
"Hello, Novia. I'm Manaka Sajo."
She spoke while facing the midday sun. At that moment, her voice sounded sweeter than it ever did on ordinary days. Her movements were a little shy. Her carefully combed hair shimmered as the sunlight passed through it, and her jade-green dress made her look like a flower blooming in the light.
If Novia hadn't already known from Hiroki Sajo that Manaka Sajo was thirty-seven, he might've mistaken her for a teenager. Her appearance was just too deceiving.
"Um..." Manaka gave a bashful smile. "I didn't know what you liked, so I ordered one of everything... It might be a bit too much, but don't worry about it. You don't have to stress. This is just something I wanted to do. Please, eat as much as you want. It's okay if you can't finish it."
Then she lowered her head and murmured in a small voice:
"And... after we finish eating here, would it be alright if I invited you to my home for dinner tonight? I'll cook for you personally."