“H-Hey, Viola.”
“Hello...?”
A few days after, I visited House Lawrenson’s manor and was immediately greeted by Phil, who wasn’t exactly acting like himself. As far as I could remember, this was the first time that he had ever greeted me in such a way.
“I made some of the snacks you said you like, Phil. I practiced many times with the head chef and had him taste test for me, so they should be all right.”
Lately, I’d been working hard on both my embroidery and dessert-making skills so that I could see him happy. Granted, he seemed to enjoy whatever I gave him, no matter how badly I failed.
“Thank you, I’m truly delighted. This shall be an heirloom to be passed through my family for generations to come.”
“Make sure you finish eating that within the day.”
As we conversed, we made our way to his room as usual. I sat down on the sofa after he invited me in, and his maids immediately began to prepare tea. The misshapen dessert I’d made was carefully placed upon a lovely plate and set upon the table. Though it was just as ugly as all the previous desserts I’d made, it definitely tasted normal. In fact, I’d even go as far as to say it was pretty good. I even wanted to give some to Jamie, who had a tendency to treat my cooking like it was pig food.
Just as the maids finished setting the table for tea, Phil was called away for an emergency.
“I’m sorry, but please wait here a little. You can make yourself at home.”
“All right.”
After I saw him off, I immediately stood up and made my way toward Little Vio, who I had brought snacks for as well. But when I peeked inside her spacious and elaborate cage, she’d twisted her body into a bizarre position with her eyes closed. It looked like she was taking a nap. I’d been looking forward to chatting with her, but there was nothing I could do about it if she was sleeping.
I’d just have to speak with her after she woke up. For a little while, I stared at her cute little body. As I was about to return to the sofa, something caught my eye and I stopped.
“Huh?”
To my surprise, the shelf at the very bottom of the bookcase—the one that had previously been covered by a piece of cloth because it contained books that were never meant for my eyes—was laid bare. It seemed like Phil forgot to put the cloth back on.
I knew I shouldn’t look, but I couldn’t tear my eyes away. I noticed a new book that I didn’t recognize had been placed on the shelf.
“The Dater’s... Almanac...?”
What a simple yet suspicious title. Like the others, there were page markers sticking out of the book, and it looked like it was read many times. I carefully pulled it out of the shelf and started flipping through it. The book was a lot more normal than I’d imagined.
It focused mainly on teaching one what to say to girls to make them happy, and there were also suggestions for date spots. Some of the contents were so corny that I wanted to have a word with the author, but this was the first time I’d ever read a book like this. It was so interesting that I lost myself in the pages.
Eventually, I flipped to a page with a strange timeline. There was a space for the reader to fill in themselves, and familiar handwriting on the page. Phil was as weirdly serious as ever. I started to read through his notes.
“Wow...”
To my surprise, the timeline showed how long it took the average couple to meet certain romantic milestones. He must’ve been taken aback by how slow we were taking it, because he stopped writing where the chart said couples on average spent a month together before their first kiss. The page was weirdly rumpled. It was clear that reading this must’ve been a shock to him.
Yeah, I really shouldn’t have seen this, I thought as I carefully placed the book back on the shelf.
He must’ve been acting strange earlier thanks to both this book and Rex’s words. But it made me happy that he was thinking about me and worrying about us in his own way.
“I apologize for the wait.”
“Don’t worry, it wasn’t long.”
That was when Phil returned and sat down next to me. He must’ve rushed whatever he had been called away for. I probably wasn’t imagining the fact he was closer than usual to me on the sofa.
“This is my first time seeing Little Vio’s face all relaxed in sleep, but she’s so cute.”
“Yes.”
He was still acting a little strange, but we had a nice conversation all the same. Then, curious as to what Rex said to him, I steered the conversation toward him as casually as possible.
“Oh, that reminds me, Rex told me that the two of you had a meal together. Where did you go?”
“We went to a restaurant owned by one of Rex’s acquaintances. The view at night was nice, and the food was delicious.”
“That sounds like a lovely restaurant.”
“We should go together next time.”
“Yes, please. I’m looking forward to it.”
“I’m glad. And Rex told me that such stores are...”
Midway through his sentence, Phil suddenly stopped talking and covered his mouth. For some reason, his face was so red that even his ears were flushed.
“Phil...?”
I wondered what happened and peered into his face, but he hurriedly tried to put some distance between us. He lost his balance as a result, and to my shock, he ended up falling on top of me, pinning me down on the couch.
Neither of us could say anything from the shock. Phil’s too-beautiful face was so close to mine that the tips of our noses were brushing against each other. Though part of me thought that this was a cliché moment, my heart was beating loud and fast in my chest.
At this rate...maybe...just maybe...
As soon as the thought came into my mind, Phil jumped backward and off of me.
“Th-The atmosphere...”
“What?”
“I heard that the atmosphere for the first time is really important.”
I tilted my head to the side. What was he talking about? After a few seconds, I realized that all this stuff about the atmosphere was probably something that Rex told him. It was very like Phil to come clean to me about all this.
The air between us was indescribably awkward, and I could feel my face grow hotter and hotter at the embarrassment. Even my heart was starting to pick up speed again at the reminder of our new relationship status. It had been so long since there was such a long silence between us that it felt nostalgic until, eventually, Phil opened his mouth.
“Would it be possible...” he began, trailing off briefly, “for us to meet next weekend?”
“Y-Yes.”
“I’d like to try this again then.”
As far as I knew, even if it was a first kiss, it wasn’t something one planned in advance. But he said it with such a serious expression that I unconsciously nodded in response.