While Isis finished breakfast and went to take a shower, Altaïr, still harboring a few doubts, sought out the young Guild receptionist to ask her some questions.
When she heard that they were planning to see the stage play Mountain God, the young receptionist responded with such enthusiasm that she was almost giddy.
"It's wonderful! I can't recommend it highly enough! That play has been popular here in Grom-Baum for nearly twenty years. All the major theater troupes have performed it, and it's been adapted into picture books, puppet shows, musicals, and all sorts of other forms! I've seen every one!
"It's considered one of Grom-Baum's modern classics, and it's popular throughout the Old World!
"A couple of years ago, I heard that merchants were selling picture-book editions as far away as the New World, but for some reason, shipments were later banned. Apparently, there was some issue with the information they contained. Such a shame."
Her excitement dimmed with a trace of regret.
Everything before that had sounded fine, but her last remark unsettled Altaïr again. "What do you mean by 'some issue with the information'?"
The young receptionist glanced furtively from side to side. When she saw no one nearby, she leaned a little closer to Altaïr and whispered, "You're a High Rank Hunter, so it should be all right to tell you.
"The so-called 'Mountain God' in the play supposedly refers to a real Elder Dragon, so... you understand."
That left Altaïr with several new questions.
A story involving an Elder Dragon? That would explain the ban. It was probably also why Master Amos had forbidden Isis to read it.
But why ban it in the New World, where settlement and exploration were still underway and information remained relatively open, while leaving it unrestricted in the Old World, where information about Elder Dragons was kept strictly confidential?
Still, they were only going to see a stage play. There was no need to overthink every detail.
All that mattered was confirming that the play contained nothing too... strange, nothing that would make their first official date end in awkwardness.
He really was overthinking it. Nadia, a senior who knew Isis's parents well, had given them the tickets. She certainly would not put them in an awkward situation on purpose.
Reassured, Altaïr quickly finished the rest of his breakfast and returned to his room to make a few simple preparations.
—--
Truth be told, there was not much to prepare.
They had come to Grom-Baum for a mission, and on short notice at that. Other than the shirts and trousers they wore beneath their armor, which could barely pass for casual clothes, they had brought nothing else to wear.
Wear armor to a play? Ridiculous. There might be a saying that "armor is a Hunter's formal attire," but neither of their sets belonged in a crowd.
Spines jutted from the joints of the Brute Tigrex Armor Set. One careless swing of an elbow could kill someone outright...
Isis's Kuarusepu Armor Set might look less threatening, but its weight was another matter... Every step would leave a crater in the theater's polished wooden floor. What if an audience seat collapsed beneath her? Would that be appropriate?
As for accessories... did a Talisman count?
All he could do was shower, tame his hair, shave, and generally tidy himself up enough not to look disheveled.
Sajji, however, seemed more invested in the matter than he was. He scrambled around looking for a comb, much to Altaïr's exasperation.
"I'm not a long-haired Felyne. What is there to comb when my hair is barely two or three centimeters long?"
"That's different, meow!" Sajji stared at Altaïr's short white hair. "How about I lick it into shape, Boss, meow? That's how Felynes groom their fur, meow. It'll make your hair shine, meow!"
"...No, thank you." Altaïr plucked Sajji off as he tried to climb onto his shoulder. "None of that matters."
Sajji smacked one paw into the other. "Boss, you're right, meow! None of that matters. What matters is keeping Clawdia away, meow! Leave that to me, meow..." With that, Sajji dashed out of the room.
"Uh..." Altaïr opened his mouth, but ultimately did not stop him.
That did seem more important.
—--
At the appointed time, Altaïr met Isis at the entrance to the Guild Hall. She, too, had clearly made an effort with her appearance.
Instead of leaving her hair loose and untidy as usual, she had tied it into a high ponytail.
Sajji had also somehow managed to lure away Clawdia, who usually clung to Isis like a shadow. Altaïr had no idea how he had done it.
"Did you bring the tickets?" Isis ran over happily when she saw Altaïr.
Her mind was clearly focused far more on the stage play they were about to see than on the concept of a "date."
Her perfectly ordinary behavior let Altaïr breathe a small, quiet sigh of relief.
Honestly, if Isis had actually found the time to buy a pretty dress, had someone arrange her hair and makeup, and then gazed at him bashfully, he would have frozen on the spot.
—--
Sunlight filtered through the tree shadows and scattered across the streets. The roadside buildings were draped in emerald vines and flowering creepers, while unfamiliar wildflowers pushed up through cracks in the flagstone paths.
Brilliantly colored butterflies flitted among them, dancing to the lively tunes improvised by the street musicians.
Walking beside Altaïr, Isis watched the street musicians and exclaimed, "Wow!" They exchanged smiling glances, then shifted into a romantic melody that unmistakably celebrated love.
Without Vespoids or other pests buzzing about, Grom-Baum, woven deep into the forest, truly was an artistic city full of romantic charm.
"That huge instrument we just passed, that's called a cello, right?" In high spirits, Isis looked this way and that as they walked. "Lambert studied that too, didn't she? She loves music. Next time we see her, we should recommend this place to her!"
Altaïr pictured Lambert charging into the city like a sandstorm with her Hunting Horn hoisted over her shoulder, and shook his head decisively. "Please, absolutely do not. She would destroy this city."
"Ehh... she wouldn't go that far, would she?"
They chatted and asked for directions as they went, eventually arriving outside their destination.
—--
Unlike the grand, luxurious theaters of Dundorma, Grom-Baum lay deep in the Jungle, where transporting large blocks of stone was difficult. Its buildings could not be too extravagant in scale.
Still, that was only relative. Compared with the other buildings in Grom-Baum, the theater was enormous, even larger than the Guild Hall.
Looking at the theater's tightly shut doors and the small, scattered crowd waiting outside, Altaïr glanced uncertainly at Isis. "Are we a little early?"
Isis took out the tickets and checked them. "It should be fine, right? The performance starts at eleven. Aren't people supposed to enter two hours early? When I was little, Grandpa Amos took me to see orchestra performances twice, and we always went in two hours early."
"Mm."
Altaïr sank into thought.
As far as he knew, audiences were indeed expected to enter performance venues early. When the Great Arena in Loc Lac held an Arena Challenge, spectators had to arrive three or even four hours beforehand, and a huge number of Loc Lac Rangers had to be deployed to maintain order and prevent overcrowding.
Then something occurred to him.
The Great Arena in Loc Lac could hold tens of thousands of spectators, and Dundorma's Grand Theater could hold several thousand, so getting everyone inside and seated took a very long time.
But this theater in Grom-Baum... could it hold more than a few hundred people?
If so, there really was no need to enter that early.
"It looks like we need to kill some time. How about taking a walk around the area first?" Altaïr suggested.
"Sure."
Just as they were about to leave, a short man who looked to be in his fifties or sixties burst through the theater's side door, sprinted over, and blocked their path.
His eyes lit up as he looked at them. "Please wait! Excuse me, are you two... Hunters?"
Altaïr frowned slightly, plainly displeased with the old man who had rushed over to interrupt them.
Isis thought nothing of it. She nodded and replied, "That's right."
At that, the man grew even more excited. He grabbed a hand from each of them and bowed deeply.
"I beg you! Please help us!"