The highlight of a festival is dating.
The lively and bustling atmosphere, the laughter echoing from everywhere—it naturally excites anyone.
This is the perfect moment to narrow the distance between men and women.
I’ve never been on a date at a festival, but regardless… I planned for Kalian, Lumia, and Serena to go on dates during this festival.
Even though the play plan failed, the festival isn’t over yet.
If I actively support Kalian and the heroine of destiny for a good date during this time, the outcome could improve significantly.
Isn’t that why I even found an assistant?
“You weren’t joking when you said that before, huh?”
Evelyn frowned.
After hearing my plan again at the meeting place, she looked a little dissatisfied.
“At such a good time, we’re watching someone else’s romance? Wouldn’t it be better for the two of us to spend quality time together instead?”
“Don’t be too disappointed. Once we get started, it might unexpectedly be fun.”
“Fun… Well, maybe. But spending time with you does sound nice. Fine, I’ll go along with it. By the way, who’s that?”
She pointed at the Demon King standing beside me.
The Demon King stood there blankly, looking around.
It’s risky to bring the Demon King along, but it would be even more dangerous if she wandered out of my sight, so I decided to keep her with me.
“Someone I ran into at the festival.”
“Another girl, huh… You never tire of bringing new women into your life.”
“Anyone listening would misunderstand. It’s not like that. She mentioned it had been a long time since she went out, so I’m just showing her around the festival.”
“For someone who’s usually indifferent to most people, you showing a stranger around a festival is even weirder.”
Evelyn shifted her gaze to the Demon King.
If I think about it, her discontent might be because of the Demon King. Her expression soured a bit after noticing her.
The Demon King asked Evelyn, “Who are you?”
“If you’re curious about who I am, isn’t it polite to introduce yourself first?”
“Are you this man’s lover?”
“What?”
Evelyn flinched at the Demon King’s casual question.
Though the question seemed meaningless, Evelyn barely suppressed her laughter.
Her twitching lips were notable.
“Lover? Do I look like that to you?”
“It doesn’t seem far-fetched.”
“Ahem, well… Not ‘yet,’ but… maybe someday.”
Evelyn’s expression brightened instantly.
She had been looking at the Demon King like some dubious character earlier, but now she seemed to think of her as a ‘good person.’
It feels like she fell into the trap, but that works better for me.
I decided to proceed with my plan for Kalian’s date while accompanied by Evelyn and the Demon King.
Before officially starting the date, I called Kalian ahead of time.
There were a few things he needed to be briefed on regarding the date:
The route based on the other person’s reactions, the timing for physical contact, and other important precautions.
I also handed him a communication device.
It’s called a resonance stone, which is exactly what it sounds like—a stone that resonates.
These stones transmit sound between ones with matching frequencies.
In this world, they’re often trimmed down to function like wireless earbuds.
With this, I planned to guide Kalian throughout his date.
Kalian asked nervously, “Is it okay to go this far?”
“What do you mean?”
“A date is supposed to be a natural process where two people exchange feelings. Doesn’t this feel too artificial?”
“It would be great if you could handle it yourself without my help. Can you?”
“No.”
“Then just follow my instructions. It’s not that hard. You’ve already gotten used to Lumia and Serena, haven’t you? A date isn’t that different from usual.”
Lumia, his first date partner, hadn’t even arrived yet, but he was already tense.
It’s not about being nervous because she’s a beautiful woman—it’s the act of dating itself that’s making him uneasy.
Moreover, I’ll be giving instructions from behind the scenes during this date…
It won’t be easy for him.
“By the way, Wade, who’s that person?”
After the conversation about the date ended, Kalian finally asked about the Demon King standing behind me.
Oh, her? She’s your nemesis.
The reason you entered the academy and the final boss you must defeat someday.
“I met her by chance at the festival. She couldn’t even buy food properly, so I helped her out.”
“Of course.”
“What do you mean, ‘of course’?”
“The women around you are always unusual. Seeing her odd vibe, I figured you brought her along.”
Kalian studied the Demon King closely.
“How should I put this… She gives off a strange feeling. It’s like seeing a mirage, or something surreal.”
“Did you finally find your type? If you like her, let me know. I can introduce you.”
“No, no! It’s not like that. Don’t say things like that. Besides, didn’t you say you just met her today?”
“For a friend, I’m willing to do anything.”
Just joking.
The strange feeling Kalian gets from the Demon King is probably because he’s subconsciously sensing her illusion magic.
As Kalian and I were talking, the Demon King approached and tugged at my sleeve.
“Why?”
“Who is that?”
“My friend.”
“Friend? I naturally assumed he was your master. Aren’t you this person’s slave? You certainly look the part.”
“What does someone who looks like a slave even look like?”
The Demon King stared at Kalian’s face intently.
In the original story, even the Demon King eventually shows affection for Kalian.
However, that’s an event that happens after a series of incidents, so it’s not something to worry about just yet.
…Right?
Feeling a sudden sense of unease, I hurriedly sent Kalian off to the date location.
After separating Kalian from us, Evelyn, the Demon King, and I put on the resonance stones and positioned ourselves at a distance.
“Ready?”
「I want to go home.」
“Sounds like you’re ready. Look, Lumia’s coming from the 3 o’clock direction. Don’t get too nervous; we’ll back you up from here.”
Hearing my words, Kalian turned to look at Lumia.
Kalian waved at her with a bright smile, and Lumia responded by waving back.
From a distance, it looked like a warm meeting between a handsome man and a beautiful woman, but through the resonance stone, all I could hear was his flustered voice.
「Uh, uh… What do I do now?」
“Don’t overthink the whole dating thing. Just act natural. Talk about something you’d normally chat about when you run into each other.”
「What’s something normal to talk about?」
“Things like, ‘The weather’s nice,’ or ‘Are you enjoying the festival?’ Just start with a light topic.”
「Got it.」
Kalian turned to Lumia and said, “Are you enjoying the weather, Lumia?”
“Huh?”
No, you mixed the two up!
Lumia paused at his question, then nodded slightly.
“Yeah, the sunlight is warm today. The clouds are floating just right, and the blue sky is beautiful. What about you?”
“I feel the same. Everyone else seems to be having fun too, don’t they?”
“It’s a perfect day for the festival.”
Well, that worked somehow.
She glanced around.
“By the way, where’s Wade? He said we’d all meet here today.”
“Wade is… um… something came up suddenly, so he couldn’t make it.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, uh…”
Kalian glanced in my direction, struggling to maintain his lie.
Lumia’s face darkened slightly.
“I see… I thought for sure Wade would be here. Well, if he’s busy, there’s nothing we can do.”
“Don’t be too disappointed. There’s still plenty of time left during the festival, so you’ll get to spend time with Wade later.”
“Huh? Oh, no! It’s not like I want to meet Wade or anything… I just mean, you know, the person who made the plans didn’t show up.”
“For someone who doesn’t care, you sure seemed disappointed.”
“Urk.”
This time, Lumia stuttered.
What are you two doing? I set you up for a date, but all you’re doing is talking about me.
I gave Kalian further instructions.
“Stop talking about me and try having a casual conversation. Think about the kind of topics you two usually talk about when you meet.”
「We already are. These days, when Lumia and I meet, all we talk about is you.」
“Ah… Then just start walking. While you walk, try some festival food.”
There didn’t seem to be much point in continuing small talk, so I shifted the focus to food.
When people eat together, they naturally become more open toward each other.
That’s precisely why dates often revolve around meals.
Now, the question is—what should they eat?
The first thing that caught my eye was spicy octopus balls.
I asked Evelyn for her opinion.
“What do you think about spicy octopus balls as their first meal together?”
Evelyn, who previously said, “What’s the point of watching someone else’s romance,” was now intently observing Kalian’s date.
“It doesn’t seem like a good choice to me. Eating something hot and spicy could ruin their composure.”
“That’s true, but wouldn’t it also create a lighthearted topic of conversation? Imagine me eating the hot octopus balls and you watching me struggle with it.”
“Hmm…”
Typically, you’d avoid messy, spicy, or overly hot food on a date.
However, experts know how to use that to their advantage.
Spicy or hot food can become a fun topic of conversation depending on the situation.
Evelyn smiled as she imagined it.
“Now that I think about it, it might work.”
“Exactly.”
“You’d eat the hot octopus ball and look flustered, so I’d ask if you’re okay. Then I’d blow on the next one to cool it down and feed it to you.”
“Something like that.”
“You’d give me a thumbs-up, saying it’s delicious, and then you’d blow on a piece to cool it for me. I’d happily eat it, only to cry from the spiciness. Then you’d pull out a handkerchief to wipe my tears…”
“Alright, let’s calm down now.”
I halted Evelyn’s imagination and instructed Kalian to buy the octopus balls.
They didn’t need a large portion—just enough for the two of them to have a taste, as they’d be sampling more food throughout the festival.
“It’s delicious.”
“Yeah, it is.”
But Kalian and Lumia ate the spicy octopus balls without any issues.
There was no scene of blowing on hot food or laughing at the spiciness.
As it turned out, the pre-made octopus balls they were served had already cooled down to an enjoyable temperature.
On top of that, Lumia seemed very tolerant of spicy food.
She suddenly asked Kalian, “Do you think Wade would like it if we got some of these for him? I know he likes cake, but I’m not sure what other food he enjoys.”
“Wade eats pretty much everything. It’s a little spicy, but if you give it to him, he’ll definitely be happy.”
“Really?”
“If we buy it now, it’ll get cold. Let’s wait and see if we find something better later. It’s a festival, so there might be other great food.”
“True. Let’s check out some other places then.”
These two are talking about me again.
I feel like there’s some misunderstanding here—you’re not on this date to figure out what food to bring back for me.
This date isn’t going to be easy.
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