Chapter 103: A Date With The Wolf

"Wow, look at this. There're wings drawn on the wall."

We strolled through the streets. However, what bothered me was that spending time with Findenai didn't actually feel all that bad.

Whenever Findenai glanced around her surroundings and found something even slightly unusual, she would call for my attention and laugh at it, finding it amusing.

Seeing an adult woman behave so honestly and innocently for her age gave me a peculiar feeling.

"Ta-da! Isn't it super dope? It's so pretty, right?"

Findenai went and stood in front of the wall with wings painted on it.

She stretched out her hand with a big smile. Upon looking at that, I couldn't help but think it wasn't a bad sight.

It is giving me a weird feeling.

Therefore, I had found it quite strange. A vague, inexplicable emotion welled up in my chest, prompting me to crane my neck.

If I were to pick someone I would never have expected to have such feelings for while living in this world, it would be Findenai.

However, her innocent and naive expressions right now didn't look bad at all.

"Oh my, you've got a pretty girlfriend!"

At that moment, a man with a mustache approached us from the side. He had a magic camera hanging around his neck and it seemed like he was taking pictures for tourists in exchange for money.

"Shall I take a picture of your pretty girlfriend for you?"

"Geez, my mood's ruined now."

Why did she think that the peddler had interrupted our time? Findenai immediately put on a stern expression and removed her back from the wall with the painting on it.

"Alright, I will have one picture."

I readily took a gold coin from my pocket and handed it to the photographer. However, Findenai simply looked at me with a dumbfounded expression, her mouth hanging open.

The photographer smiled broadly as he lifted his camera. Findenai stood in place for a moment before awkwardly glancing at me, she then moved closer to the wall painting.

The painting behind her gave an illusion of white wings spreading behind her back.

The photographer adjusted his camera's focus a few times, and then he carefully pressed the shutter button.

A click sound followed as a single picture emerged from the camera.

The magic camera was similar to one of those instant cameras like a Polaroid, which produced photographs immediately. It must have been quite expensive; this indicated how serious the man was about his work.

The picture he handed over to me was also remarkably beautiful.

Thinking it came out quite well, I intended to give it to Findenai, but the photographer glanced at me before speaking up.

"Hey, I can take another picture for you if you'd like. How about one with your girlfriend?"

The gold coin I gave him earlier seemed to exceed the cost for a single shot. So, he offered to take another picture because he found it bothersome to give change.

"No thanks."

"Bleh!"

However, since both Findenai and I refused simultaneously, the photographer reluctantly took out some change for me while wearing a disappointed expression.

"You should also take one alone. Why am I the only one getting a picture taken and not you?"

Findenai immediately approached me, grabbed my wrist, and pulled me along.

Though I was alone when I stood in front of the wall painting, the photographer didn't miss the chance to focus his camera on me.

"Sigh."

Click.

My picture came out as I sighed.

A buzzing noise accompanied the picture as it emerged from the magic camera. The photographer smiled delightedly and nodded.

"Both pictures came out so well. Perhaps it's because you two are such good-looking people!"

It was clear from his expression that he wasn't just saying it out of politeness, but it didn't really matter.

As I walked towards the two of them, Findenai took the picture from the photographer's hand. She whistled and put it in her pocket.

"Why are you taking that?"

I asked her immediately, wondering why Findenai took the initiative to keep my picture. But she replied confidently.

"Didn't you also keep my picture, Master Bastard?"

"Master... Bastard?"

Hearing that, the photographer's expression froze instantly. His eyes, which had just been admiring the somewhat unique but attractive couple, changed to a look one might give to a crazy couple who liked to engage in some maniacal public play on the streets.

"I-I'll be leaving now."

He left in fright, probably thinking we were into some kind of bizarre intimate dalliance.

"Sigh."

"Stop overreacting like that. So, what should I call you? You didn't like it when I called you 'honey' earlier, did you?"

"...Just call me Deus."

"Okay! Deus!"

Having her call me 'Master bastard' when she wasn't wearing her maid outfit could lead to strange misunderstandings.

Anyway, since we had already faced plenty of misunderstandings because of her maid outfit's high exposure, why did she suddenly dislike it?

I didn't know why, either.

Honestly, I was already so used to Findenai wearing that uniform that it no longer bothered me.

However, it was still annoying to be misunderstood just because she came in such ordinary clothes.

"Let's go, Deus!"

"Try not to call me like that if you can."

"Geez, you're playing so fucking hard to get."

Findenai pettily clicked her tongue and strutted down the street, feeling even more excited than before.

I mindlessly put my hand in my jacket pocket and found Findenai's picture, which the photographer had taken just a moment before.

She looked awkward in the photo.

I intended to give it to her, but Findenai had already gone elsewhere, so I missed the timing.

"Wow, what's this?"

Findenai stopped at a place in the city with a giant bulletin board. There was a small bundle of paper, a pen, and palm-sized pieces of paper stuck by thumbtacks, resembling post-it notes on the bulletin board.

"What should we do for this year's Artist Day? Let's gather citizens' opinions."

Findenai started to read the various contents of the papers on the bulletin board with interest.

"Drawing contest, big clean-up, fireworks, concert? Bleh! They're all so lame."

Then, she immediately took a paper and a pen, scribbled something, and stuck her paper right in the center.

"Done! Let's go!"

After doing that, Findenai left the area as if she had lost interest. I was curious about what she had written, so I sneakily looked and saw.

- Arena.

She had clearly written complete nonsense. And since they would never agree to this suggestion anyway, I ignored it and moved on.

"It is now time for us to head to Furcheni's rooftop."

"Ah, that's right. We're supposed to watch some kiddo's performance, right?"

Although she didn't like it, she didn't object to my words and followed along, so thanks to that, we were able to get to Furcheni's rooftop in time.

"I was wondering what kind of place it is, but it turns out it's just a coffee shop?"

Although Findenai found it uninteresting, the building itself was quite impressive.

A performance was unfolding on the rooftop of the blue building called Furcheni.

A blue piano was placed in the center of the rooftop terrace, allowing guests to naturally enjoy the music.

It was a place that was well suited for the summer, which had arrived alongside the blue sky.

After finding seating a little away from the piano, Findenai and I ordered our drinks.

"Bleh! It's bitter!"

Findenai, who had ordered a random coffee from the menu, immediately complained after taking a sip.

I thought that Findenai, who at most only knew how to smoke cigarettes, wouldn't know about the different types of coffee.

Perhaps since the coffee's bitterness was shocking, Findenai immediately sought water to soothe her mouth.

I gently pushed the tea I ordered towards Findenai.

Even though it must have been hot, she immediately drank it without hesitation, smiling happily.

"Oh! This one's delicious."

"Give me your coffee. Do not waste it."

"Oh?"

I quickly took her coffee and sipped it. Despite Findenai's protest, the coffee had actually tasted better than expected. So, it wasn't a bad exchange.

"Deus is flirting with me!"

"..."

Even if I told her not to call me by my name anymore, I simply ignored her because I knew she wouldn't listen.

But apparently, she didn't like my reaction, so Findenai crossed her legs, sipped her tea, and kept teasing me.

"But Deus, you used to be a playboy back in the day, right? Have you ever gone on dates with girls like this?"

"Do not ask."

"Tsk, I'm just curious because I've never experienced such things."

"..."

I'm sorry, but neither had I.

Because that Deus wasn't me, but the original owner of this body.

When I placed the coffee cup to my lips to signal that I didn't want to talk about this topic anymore, Findenai laughed amusingly.

"But actually, I've been with several men in the bedroom before."

Could it be that she had taken a liking to some of the Resistance members? Did she date some of the resistance members?

This could serve as a decent conversation until the performer, Owen, arrived.

"For disguises, I've played the role of a high-class prostitute in the red light district a few times."

"You?"

To my unexpected reaction, Findenai chuckled and replied.

"Yep. It's a perfect way to assassinate high-ranking members in the Clark Republic. Plus, I look pretty, don't I?"

"..."

I couldn't react; if I responded to all of these, Findenai would become even bolder than before. However, despite my lack of reaction, she continued talking.

She looked like a drunken man reminiscing about the past as her voice grew louder. Everything she told me was just some of her past heroic stories.

"Listen. You know, I went into the bedroom with those mutts, right? Then they pulled down their pants like horny dogs, drooling and proudly showing off something belonging to them, probably only the size of a finger? So I'd take the opportunity to grab the axe I had prepared under the bed and cut off the bastards' balls."

From a man's perspective, it was truly a terrifying story.

However, Findenai was dead serious.

"Every guy who went into the bedroom with me met the same ending. They ended up pissing themselves without even being able to touch me."

"..."

Then, with a rather serious expression, Findenai propped her chin on top of her hand and looked at me.

"When I first became your maid, if you had demanded such a thing from me, I would have done the same to you."

"I would never give you such commands."

When I rebuked her for stating the obvious, Findenai laughed amusingly.

"You never know... Perhaps you could be the only man to come out alive after going into the bedroom with me."

Instead of a cigarette, Findenai chewed on a citron she had taken out of the teacup. She was smiling softly without waiting for a response from me.

"Well, it's just a hypothetical scenario."

"It is a useless hypothetical."

"Yeah, yeah. I know."

Silence filled the air for a moment.

We didn't continue talking to each other. The cool breeze blew on the rooftop, signaling the arrival of summer.

Sometimes, even without conversing, it was enough for people to understand each other when they simply experienced the same thing.

Perhaps I had started to understand the woman named Findenai a little bit now.

Especially today.

It was even more so after she showed a slightly different side than usual, just like today.

At that moment.

[You seem to be having a lot of fun right now.]

The Dark Spiritualist suddenly appeared with her arms folded, glaring at me with dissatisfaction.

I had instructed her to keep an eye on Owen, but she was now here. Did it mean that Owen had also arrived already?

As I looked around, the Dark Spiritualist, who had been upset just moments ago, suddenly made a fuss.

[O-Owen has been kidnapped! We need to go save him!]

"Sigh."

[It seems that he owed some debts. And because he couldn't pay the money back, loan sharks took him, but I know where he is.]

I got up from my seat, sighing. Findenai, who had been looking at me absentmindedly, seemed to realize something and grinned.

"Aha, the ghost who usually accompanies you is telling you something, right?"

[......]

The Dark Spiritualist looked bewildered. How did Findenai know about her, who should not be visible to her? However, Findenai added.

"You're a Dark Mage who keeps muttering to himself all day long. How could I not know? So, what's the problem here?"

Findenai chuckled at what she perceived as ridiculous. However, I then gave Findenai a command.

"It is time to get back to work."

With a hearty laugh, she gulped down the rest of her tea and slammed the empty cup on the table, replying.

"It's a fight, isn't it? Let's go, hurry up, Master Bastard!"