Chuckling at his attitude, Cocoa jogged after him. “Kent, wait up.” When she caught up to him, she took Kent’s hand in hers. “Don’t leave without me,” she scolded him with a smile.
Just for a moment, Kent seemed to freeze, like a bolt of electricity had run through him when their hands had connected. “Stay close. I don’t want any other weirdos accosting you.”
“I will.”
His face even redder than before, Kent began walking with Cocoa’s hand in his. I caught a glimpse of their budding relationship as they walked off toward the city to continue their date. I was smiling wide as I witnessed this young love. “I don’t want any boyfriends of my own after everything that went down... I think I’ll be their cheerleader.” There was a chance my family would present another suitor, but I was never going to take anyone like Ignacia for a fiancé again. I was the type of person meant for freedom and adventure. “Oh, I need to look at the cacti too!” I reminded myself. I’d been too preoccupied with Kent and Cocoa.
As I wove through the wild cacti, I noticed that they actually came in all sizes—some of them even small enough to fit in my palm. It was a great sightseeing spot, but the heat was getting to me after walking for a little while. I blew out a breath. “This isn’t a spot to spend the whole day in.”
So, I did a quick lap and returned to the city.
Toward the center of the city, I found a café on the main street and didn’t hesitate to go in. I wanted to relax inside before I became drenched in sweat...even if I was already sweating quite a lot.
As I sat down, I sighed in relief at the cool air. “I like walking around outside, but there’s nothing I can do about the heat...” I couldn’t help but wish for a car to drive around in. Even if I rode a Dragon and felt the wind on my face, the glaring sun would still be there, beating down on me with its rays.
“Your fruit soda,” the waitress announced as she placed the cup on the table.
“Thank you,” I said, my eyes locked on my order. There was no better feeling than having a cold drink in a cool café, sheltered from the desert heat. With the first sip of fruit soda, I finally felt my body relax.
I gazed out the window and watched pedestrians go by. Just taking in the locals in their traditional outfits was interesting to me. Soon, I spotted a familiar pair—Tarte and L’lyeh. They were chatting and strolling down the main street, exploring its array of street vendors. While L’lyeh got in line for some kind of food stall, Tarte browsed a trinket stand nearby. After that, they joined up again, snacking and laughing as they walked.
I smiled as I watched them. “It’s great to see you two get along so well,” I murmured.
It soon became clear that they were not exercising any self-control. They seemed to be buying anything that caught their eye and shoving it into their Bags. “Lulu’s buying a lot more than Tarte, though.” That was mostly because Lulu was buying food—both raw foods and premade dishes. L’lyeh must have had more food in her Bag than anyone else in the party. “She is also buying ingredients, though.” L’lyeh mostly stuck to fruit and other foods that could be eaten without cooking. She used to buy ingredients separately until she’d figured out that she could just buy the finished product and keep it fresh in her Bag until she wanted to eat it at the inn or in a dungeon. “Maybe she’s interested in cooking... She did ask my head chef for advice. Will we eat your cooking someday, L’lyeh?” That was something to look forward to.
Before I knew it, I’d finished my fruit soda...so I called over the waitress.
“Excuse me, can I get another fruit soda...and a fruit salad?”
“Coming right up!”
After walking through that heat, I’d downed the soda in no time. Thank goodness for cold drinks. Speaking of heat, the two girls outside didn’t seem bothered by it at all. “Of course, kids usually don’t mind the heat as much...” I said, then realized that L’lyeh—while she looked like a child—was a goddess who’d lived a long time.
Then, I noticed that the aforementioned Goddess of Darkness was looking at a trinket stand with Tarte for once. Maybe she’d visited all of the food stalls in the area already. “We need to find you a good restaurant, Lulu.” Of course, I’d greatly enjoy a good restaurant myself.
Watching the girls pick out some trinkets, I relished my second fruit soda and fruit salad consisting of banana, mango, and kiwi. While I was distracted with my food and drink, the girls disappeared. They must have moved on to the next block. “I’m glad everyone’s having fun.”
After relaxing at the café for a while longer, I decided to go back to the inn.