“We’ll be going now.”
“Well, have fun and see you later this evening.”
As we had previously discussed, Yuli and Selian both excused themselves, each having their own personal engagements.
It’s a little disappointing that we can’t all hang out together, but since the Celestial Festival isn’t just for today, I gave them a smile and waved them off.
“Well, with those two gone… Should we get moving as well?”
“Umm… Sure!”
Anne couldn’t really spend the entire day with us since she has a tournament starting tomorrow.
Though the competition isn’t all-day, she’s busy with other activities, making her schedule rather tight.
“By the way, since I haven’t asked yet, what is our class planning to do?”
The classmates were considerate of me, understanding that as a Hero, I was busy with preparations for the opening ceremony and other small tasks. They’ve allowed me to opt-out of class preparations.
Although I’m grateful for their understanding, as a result, I had no clue what our class was preparing for the Celestial Festival.
“Hmm… Then we should check with Selian and Yuli later when they’re back in class! They mentioned keeping it a surprise until the Celestial Festival.”
They’re likely not going to tell until we see it for ourselves.
Well… Even if it’s just something on a class level, it’s not going to be overly grand, but visiting without knowing feels like it would be quite a surprise — not that that’s bad.
“So, where should we head first?”
Gurgle
Hardly had I finished my question when the sound of an alarm from somewhere reached my ears.
Even though I only ate one sandwich — which I had shared with Mariel — I wasn’t starving enough to make that kind of sound.
In that case, who does this stomach belong to?
Glancing quickly at Anne, I could see her face had turned bright red, and she had her head bowed.
Probably because of the early schedule for the opening ceremony, Anne woke up earlier than usual and hasn’t eaten in quite some time, making her hungrier than normal.
And since Yuli had hastily made just the one sandwich for me…
Anne, with her red hair and red aura, is now blushing red, which just makes her all the cuter.
Though teasing her now might be fun, it also seems silly as a guy to tease a girl like this.
“Hmm… One sandwich isn’t enough for me either. How about we go to the café nearby and grab some brunch?”
I casually suggested to Anne.
This was, of course, out of consideration for Anne, but it wasn’t entirely untrue.
To explain, I’m feeling peckish but not enough to justify going for a full meal, and I’m confident I wouldn’t finish it all anyway.
Anne quietly nodded, agreeing with my plan while keeping her head bowed.
She must realize that I brought it up to take care of her too.
Gently taking Anne’s hand since she was still standing there, I led her toward a brunch café that I thought she’d like.
—
“I think pancakes would do me fine, how about you, Anne?”
Fortunately, by the time we reached the café, Anne’s shyness had subsided somewhat. Seated now, she was staring intently at the menu with a focus that could pierce through it.
“Well, I want pancakes… No, wait, waffles!”
Anne finally decided on her meal after spending a long moment mulling over it without responding to me.
“What would you like to drink?”
“Chocolate shake!”
Of course. Anne’s love for sweets is well-known, so her choice of beverage wasn’t surprising.
In fact, there’s little point in even asking; as long as it contains chocolate, Anne will happily consume it without complaint.
I stood up to order what we’d decided and grabbed Anne’s chocolate shake to bring it back to the table.
My order: a vanilla latte, hers: a chocolate shake.
Placing each drink in front of us, we sucked on the straws together, and the sweet scent of vanilla filled the air.
I was already pretty exhausted from the opening ceremony, the escape from the crowded area, and the events in the alley with Selian.
With every sip of the sugary drink, I could feel my tired body rejuvenating almost instantly.
“Finally, I feel like myself again.”
Anne, for her part, was holding her chocolate shake with both hands, sipping it enthusiastically.
Watching her happily consume her chocolate shake with that radiant expression made me inexplicably want to sip her drink too.
“Hey, Anne?”
“Hmm?”
Anne immediately responded to my call, but she didn’t lower her chocolate shake.
Such behavior is so very Anne-like.
“Can I have a sip of your drink? In exchange, you can have a sip of my latte.”
“Umm… Sure?! Well, it’s just that…”
Anne isn’t averse to vanilla latte, but considering her immense love for chocolate, my offer wasn’t exactly enticing.
“But if you don’t want to, it’s okay. I’m not desperate enough to take your drink away from you.”
“No, it’s fine! I don’t dislike it!”
I scrutinized her face closely while she protested — trying to see if she really didn’t want to share but was doing so reluctantly.
But she didn’t seem unwilling.
On the contrary, it seemed like she was somewhat looking forward to it.
Soon enough, she pushed her chocolate shake toward me with both of her hands.
“Alright, I’ll just take a sip.”
I replaced my straw into Anne’s chocolate shake after pulling it out of my vanilla latte.
“Eh?”
“Is something wrong?”
Anne had suddenly sounded flustered, so I asked her what was up.
“You could use my straw to drink…”
“Oh, really?”
For a moment, I thought she had changed her mind and didn’t want to share the shake anymore, but it turned out to be something insignificant.
Before she could reconsider, I brought the straw to my lips.
Taking a small sip, I first detected the lingering vanilla flavor from the straw before the rich sweetness of the chocolate filled my mouth.
It was a flavor storm so strong it could wake up the dead.
Ding Dong
Before I could savor the full extent of the flavor, a bell rang indicating that our waffle and pancakes had arrived.
“I’ll go grab them. Hang on.”
Setting my chocolate shake aside, still with the borrowed straw sticking out, I stood up.
Leaving Anne sitting there quietly without a response, I walked toward the counter.
“Here’s the pancake and waffle you ordered. Enjoy your meal!”
With a bright smile from the waitress, I picked up our food on a tray and headed back to our table.
I placed the pancake and waffle in front of each of us and sat back down.
“Indeed, it seems like a brunch café, so despite the fact that we just ordered pancakes and waffles, the quality looks quite good. Should we give it a try? Let’s start with a sip of this vanilla latte first…”
Noticing the straw still sticking out of my vanilla latte, it seems Anne had returned the favor and placed my straw back where it belonged after deciding not to let me take any more sips.
After serving myself by cutting up the pancake with the provided fork and knife, I took a light sip of the vanilla latte, coating my mouth again before diving into the main course.
Because I had sipped Anne’s chocolate shake earlier, this time, when I tasted the vanilla latte, the chocolate flavor lingered momentarily before giving way.
“Mmmm…”
The soft, fluffy texture and rich sweetness of the pancake filled my mouth.
Unable to resist its inviting taste, I began earnestly eating the pancake, finishing an entire layer with just a couple of cuts from my fork and knife.
I sliced the remaining piece into smaller bits and placed it on Anne’s plate intending to share.
But when I looked at Anne’s plate, something was odd.
Lifting my head to see Anne, her waffle had remained untouched from the moment I placed it on the table.
She had been completely lost in the chocolate shake, holding her straw and quietly sucking on it, appearing somewhat absent-minded.
However, despite her obvious focus, the shake seemed to be hardly diminishing.
“Anne? Aren’t you hungry? Or do you suddenly not feel like eating waffles anymore?”
Curious if she had already satisfied her hunger with the half-finished chocolate shake, I asked.
Slowly shaking her head, Anne didn’t respond verbally, still with the straw in her mouth.
“Well… Maybe you just want to savor it slowly, right? Since we have all the time in the world today, let’s move at our own pace. Can I grab a piece of your waffle?”
It’s customary to share when you’re together in such a spot.
Anne silently nodded, her lips still pressed around her straw.
Still, even after I consumed the piece of waffle I’d taken from her, and after eating my own leftover pancake, Anne continued to suck on her straw without interruption for an extended period.
It seems Anne will need a while to finish both her chocolate shake and the waffle.
Watching her chocolate shake slowly decrease by little bits, I couldn’t help but smile quietly and turned my attention to the beautifully landscaped garden outside the café.
Indeed. Who cares about the Celestial Festival right now?
It’s already enough to have this relaxing time with a good friend.
