The next day, Al awoke to a surprisingly chilly morning despite summertime being so near. But he didn’t have time to complain. Last night, he had blasted through all the paperwork he’d had to do for the next day before going to sleep. After waking up, he went out to train with Sharon, then took a bath. To put it simply: he was sleepy, but he was ready!
“Al!”
Just as he was about to reach their meeting point—the gates—he heard someone call out to him. That someone was none other than...
“Luna!”
Al turned around to see Luna run toward him with her hair waving in the gentle morning breeze, only to watch her fall again. But using the same skill she displayed in the throne room, she pulled off a beautiful somersault and jumped up to her feet, safe and sound. Al had to give it to her, it was a feat of some sort.
“You got yourself all dirty before we even left! What are you gonna do now!?”
“Th-This will be my disguise!” she said with a lively smile, dusting herself off.
Well, that’s Luna for you, Al thought to himself.
“Are you ready?”
“Yep, let’s go!”
As they set out for town, Al felt her warm, gentle hand wrap around his.
Ah, crap! Heavenly—
It was dangerous to hold hands with a Diva without gloves on, so he tried his best to untangle their hands, but...
“Umm, I don’t want to trip, so...” The flushed girl beside him was hanging her head.
I guess she’s not a Diva after all. It’s a bit of a letdown, but it also means I get to hold hands with her!
All in all, it was a happy coincidence.
“Where should we start?” Luna’s gorgeous, brimming smile practically filled his peripheral vision. Al basked in her radiance.
“Al, Al! Where are you taking me next?” she asked in the middle of town while looking up at him. Their tour—or date, depending on how you looked at it—was going surprisingly smoothly. They had stuck together and walked through the city hand in hand, doing some shopping at general stores and stopping to eat at stalls. The sun had already started its slow dive from the sky, but he was still feeling calm and collected.
I managed to read her just fine, though I’ll have to do some work on my style. But maybe my social skills have improved thanks to them.
That calmness lulled him into a false sense of security as his mind ventured, thinking about how grateful he was to the girls. Suddenly, he felt an attack approaching, followed by a small thud.
“Hm? What is it?”
The ever-smiling girl was pouting, lightly hitting Al’s chest.
“Al, were you just... No, not just now. I know you’ve been thinking about other girls all day!”
Okay, she’s a Diva, confirmed. Never mind, I’m jumping to conclusions. The more likely scenario is that I’m too easy to read, but it’s fine! I’m already a master at dealing with women!
He mustered all his baseless confidence, turned toward Luna with a smile, and...
“Are you hungry?”
...ran straight into a wall.
“What!? Al, either get serious, or get on your knees and beg for my forgiveness. Your choice. What does food have anything to do with this!?”
He had made one crucial miscalculation: offering food was only a valid strategy against Sharon.
“I-I mean, isn’t begging for forgiveness a bit too much?” He wanted to play it off with a forced smile, but he only made the situation worse.
“I don’t get it...” she whispered under her breath. Al looked at her for explanation.
“I don’t get you!”
Luna stared back at him before burying her face into his chest.
Huh? It’s me who doesn’t get what’s going on! Al was completely lost.
“Ever since the day those assassins attacked us, and I had to leave you, breaking my promise...”
He couldn’t even look her in the eyes in search of a hint.
“I worked hard to be able to stand before you and apologize... And to say ‘thank you’ with a clear voice and a big, honest smile.”
Wait, what’s she talking about?
“All this time, I’ve wanted to thank you for protecting me back then, but life got in my way. I couldn’t return until I became a princess, but when I finally crossed the border, I was so happy and determined. Then I stepped into the castle and saw you being happy and enjoying yourself with those gorgeous Divas, and I...”
“Wait, what do you mean you wanted to thank me? Didn’t you run away, cowering in fear?” Their recollections of the events were grossly different. Al grabbed Luna’s shoulders and pulled her back a bit so he could see her face.
“‘Cowering in fear’? What? I rushed back for bandages after you protected me, but by the time I got back, you were nowhere to be found. Then I heard that our engagement was canceled.” Tears were welling up in her eyes.
“Wait a second! Then it wasn’t you who broke the engagement because you found out I was the vessel of the Demon King?”
“What? No, I heard you ran away because I had a bounty on my head.”
He couldn’t pinpoint why this had happened, but one thing was for sure...
“Could it be that we’ve misunderstood each other this whole time?”
“It seems that way. If only I’d realized it sooner.” She hung her head, blood rushing to her cheeks.
Give me back the ten years my crippling social anxiety robbed from me! Al wanted to scream, but he knew it wasn’t Luna’s fault. Plus...
“We were...” Al began.
“Indeed. We were forced apart due to a misunderstanding.” Luna finished his thought.
If not for that misunderstanding, we might have...
They stood in a quiet, peaceful corner of the bustling town, looking at each other as the orange rays of the setting sun washed their cheeks.