Ch. 256
“Ugh.”
The moment I looked away, I saw Akia stuck in a crowd of peddlers.
With large packs on their backs, the peddlers were blocking the path with their sheer presence, completely unaware they were pressing down on someone.
“Are you okay, Akia?”
“Yes!”
My worry turned out to be unnecessary. Akia slipped free on her own and marched forward without hesitation.
As if she was used to crowds, she deftly weaved through the gaps—then even grabbed and tugged me along when I lagged behind.
It had been a while since I’d worn a skirt, and my bare legs felt both cool and exposed, which kept distracting me.
The ribbon Akia had used to loosely braid my hair felt awkward, too. I kept fiddling with it, and that wasn’t helping.
I felt a little too dressed up, and it was embarrassing.
Sure, the streets were full of men and women dressed to the nines, so it wasn’t like I stood out—but this was my first time dressing up like this since Elan’s founding anniversary party, so I wasn’t used to it.
Since becoming an adult, this was only my second time. Rare, to say the least.
“Akia?”
Jostled by the crowd, I lost sight of her.
And when I twisted aside to avoid a peddler’s pack swinging toward my face, I couldn’t even tell which direction I’d been heading.
‘This is why I hate crowded places.’
[Rai?]
[This way, Master Clutz!]
I turned toward Rai’s voice.
‘Right. Since you want it so badly, I’ll make you bald…’
“……Hm?”
At first, I assumed it was unavoidable—just someone bumping into me.
But then a hand came up from behind and touched my shoulder. No, not touched—caressed.
Maybe it was a mistake. I was about to dismiss it as coincidence, but then both shoulders were grabbed at once. And the hot breath against the nape of my neck was clearly intentional.
I had no choice but to stop.
When I turned with a scowl, a complete stranger—reeking of alcohol—was clinging to my back. His face was flushed bright red, far too close. I felt disgust rise instantly.
“Kuh, this must be fate. To meet such a beauty on a street like this.”
“……Get your hands off.”
“I like blondes. They look like nobility.”
I glared with a growl caught in my throat, but his greasy hands slid slowly down my arms.
“It’s dangerous to be alone! I’ll protect you!”
‘Protect me, my ass.’
Just from how needlessly loud he was, it was obvious he was heavily drunk. That didn’t excuse anything.
“You must be on your way to get a flower crown! How about it? Ditch that childish thing and have a drink with me…….”
“Undine.”
Some people don’t know this, but you can send a person flying with a water cannon.
Far.
At that.
[Ugh, Master!]
“……Miss Geenie!”
‘Bang!’
With a deafening roar—like an underground water pipe bursting—the man went sailing in a neat arc over people’s heads.
I’d originally wanted to slam him into a wall, but my aim was a little off. He crashed into a tree instead, and luckily, he was knocked out cold.
“That startled me.”
I swept my hair back where the spray had dotted it, then patted my shoulders, trying to steady my racing heart.
Rai came running in and started barking like he had to add commentary.
[You’re one to talk! You scared me!]
‘This is why I hate crowds.’
“Wh-what happened? Miss Geenie? Are you okay?”
Akia had rushed back, and the people around us couldn’t process what had happened so quickly. Their eyes shook.
The sudden silence didn’t fit the festive atmosphere at all.
“It’s nothing. A drunk latched onto me. I got startled, so I threw him off.”
[Undine! You cheapskate! How dare you steal my chance to shine! Master! Why did you call Undine when I was here!]
“You were far away, and I wanted the bug off me quickly.”
And I couldn’t exactly cause a bloodbath in a crowd.
If Rai had stepped in, there would’ve been limbs rolling on the ground.
Because when I get angry, Rai’s bites don’t hold back.
“Whew. I handled it peacefully.”
Ash would probably be moved by this.
“Where… is that… peaceful…?”
[I agree. That was super peaceful.]
When I looked down, the hem of my skirt was splattered with water, too.
With a gesture, I had Undine remove the moisture, then checked around again. Just as I suspected, people nearby had been hit by the water blast as well.
Their faces, their clothes—even their flower crowns.
Water is surprisingly hard to control precisely.
It’s not as bad as a Fire Spirit, but it’s on the tricky side. I had Undine flit around and dry everyone off completely.
Undine looked cute and harmless—as if it had nothing to do with sending a man flying—but the people weren’t idiots. They flinched and squeezed their eyes shut whenever it came close.
I looked farther out to see if anyone else had been splashed, but every single person avoided my gaze and hurried away.
In no time, a wide space had formed around me.
“Perfect. Let’s go, Akia.”
The path to the square was wide open.
‘This is the miracle of the Saintess!’
“……Will that man be okay?”
“Who knows. I sent him flying thinking I wouldn’t care if he died. Someone will probably take care of him.”
It wasn’t my problem.
Just as there can be drunkards in a crowd, there can be people who die.
The world is dangerous, so I decided to keep Undine with me a little longer.
—
The moment we reached the entrance of the square where the Flower Crown Festival was being held, the atmosphere changed completely.
Colorful garlands hung everywhere. A mobile decorated the entrance, long enough to brush the ground, with bird feathers woven between small transparent beads—so tempting I wanted to touch it at least once.
Hearing music, I looked around and spotted a fairly decent-looking band.
Even though I don’t particularly like things like this, the place was so lively it felt exciting.
“This is nice, too.”
“Right? I knew you’d like it.”
“It feels a bit like a birthday party.”
The square was already packed with couples. Women wore bright flower crowns, and men had their hair uncharacteristically slicked back and neat.
Large and small candles burned near the fountain, and buckets for fire safety sat here and there. Besides that, there was food, and people handing out drinks.
A line of stalls catered to couples, too—enough that I figured I wouldn’t get bored.
Akia and I paused at a flower stall, and even to my eyes—someone who doesn’t know market prices—everything looked absurdly expensive.
“I think it’s about ten times the price elsewhere.”
“Look there. Akia, they’re selling a ton of bracelets. And only for men.”
Don’t places like this usually sell women’s accessories?
Every bracelet had a different design.
“It’s a trend to gift a bracelet to your lover!”
“There’s a trend like that?”
“They say if the bracelet a woman gives breaks, it means the man’s heart has changed.”
What a ridiculous trend.
My face made it clear I didn’t understand.
“Bracelets break easily anyway. If you don’t want it to break, wouldn’t a necklace be better?”
“That’s why you have to treat it even more carefully. The moment a man stops treasuring it, it’ll break.”
“I think I get what you mean. Why don’t you buy one for Chad?”
“Umm… he might feel burdened. And I don’t really like this kind of thing—it feels like I’m testing the other person.”
So she was indifferent, too.
As I looked toward another stall, Akia stayed close, linked her arm with mine, and whispered.
She seemed to think she was being discreet, but her voice was loud.
“More importantly! Miss Geenie, do you feel it?”
“Feel what?”
“Everyone’s been looking at you for a while. They’re stealing glances! Look. That man over there, even though he has his lover next to him…….”
“Isn’t it because I sent a drunk flying?”
Undine was currently sitting on my shoulder.
And it was right out front that I’d had this small, cute Undine slam a drunk into a tree and knock him out.
“Ah… is that it!”
“See? He’s running away with the woman.”
“You’re right…?”
“What did you think it was?”
“That you’re the most eye-catching beauty here… so I thought that’s why they were staring.”
Akia had put more effort into dressing me up than she had into braiding her own hair.
The one-piece dress she’d brought to lend me had been freshly ironed and crisp, and the shoes were polished to a shine. I couldn’t wear them in the end because they didn’t fit, but the gesture still mattered.
It took an entire hour to get ready. If I’d been alone, I would’ve done everything lazily and halfheartedly.
I think she helped because she knew that.
“Akia!”
I turned at the familiar voice.
As always, Chad’s voice boomed loud enough to shake the air. And somehow, spotting the two men standing beyond the fountain was absurdly easy even in this huge crowd.
They’d left after us, and at first I couldn’t understand why they’d bother.
But the moment I saw Ash smiling shyly at me, I understood.
“Geenie.”
He held a flower crown he’d made for me with both hands, careful as if it might crumble. The sunset burned behind him, and he stood in front of me without even meeting my eyes, so embarrassed he looked like he might melt.
The way his face was flushed all the way to the tips of his ears probably wasn’t entirely because of the sunset.
“I’m sorry for making you wait.”
“It’s fine.”
“There were so many people, so we came slowly.”
I knew how hard it must’ve been to push through that crowd while protecting a fragile flower crown. I’d nearly killed someone passing through there.
“That’s a new shirt.”
Without hesitation, I reached out and touched Ash’s collar.
The fabric was stiff, like something meant for formal occasions. Silver leaf embroidery lined the collar—a mass-produced detail trying very hard to look luxurious.
He’d clearly bought it nearby in a hurry.
How praiseworthy. Dressing up for what was, nominally, a date.
“It looks good on you.”
“Really? That’s a relief. I bought it in a hurry, so it’s a little small… I was worried it would look strange.”
Ash has a better physique than he seems. He only looks small because he’s always next to Chad, but he’s about a handspan taller than average—and if you undress him, he’s surprisingly muscular, with broad shoulders. Mass-produced clothes don’t fit that kind of body well.
Glancing aside, I saw that for once, Chad was neat, too.
His short hair had been forcibly slicked back, and it was especially hilarious.
Watching him and Akia fumble in front of each other was cute, but even so, he wasn’t as admirable as my Ash.
“That flower crown—when are you going to give it to me?”
‘My head is empty, you know.’