After paying an amount that is hard to believe that the two of us just went to eat at a yakiniku restaurant together, I walked alongside Alice in the town.

  [Even so, that restaurant was pretty good.]

  [Yep, I randomly chose it because it was nearby, but the quality of their meat was good.]

  [Personally, I enjoyed their chicken.]

  [Ahh~~ Their chicken seasoned with salt and pepper was superb, right?]

  [Right, right. Their sauce was very thick, so it was nice to have food that only had a little bit of salt and pepper in between every now and then.]

  Not going anywhere in particular, us lovers just walked hand in hand, exchanging idle chatter. It was a moment of leisure and relaxation, a time that somehow calms me.

  [But still, you know, the time after the Duke-rank certification sure flew by so quickly.]

  [Well, we did finish the Duke-rank certification just before dusk , and the sun was already setting when we were playing in the plaza and went to eat yakiniku. Well, you did eat a lot, so I think we spent quite a long time at the yakiniku restaurant.]

  [You’re mistaken, Kaito-san. I did try to stop, but you see, Kaito-san’s wallet just kept on whispering in my ears, “It’s alright, you can go on……”, so in a way, what happened there was approved by Kaito-san.]

  [Like hell I’m gonna whisper such a convenient thing to you……]

  It’s true that, financially, there isn’t any problem with that. It may have been a good restaurant, but they aren’t super expensive or anything like that, so even if she had really devoured all the food in the restaurant, I would still be able to afford the payment.

  Well…… In the end, the amount of food we ate was so large that it was about the same amount of money as if we had eaten at a very expensive restaurant…… I gave up on that area when I invited Alice to dinner.

  However, I felt annoyed at that smug look she had on her face, so I decided to get back at her a bit. As Alice happily looked towards me, I surprised her with a kiss.

  [Hrrnnnn!?!?]

  I’m not sure if she really hadn’t expected that kiss or not, but Alice looked flustered when my face came close to her…… Well, she didn’t avoid me, and just as my lips would overlap with hers, she closed her eyes and waited for me to kiss her.

  Just like that, we put our lips together for a while…… and after some time, our lips parted and I smiled at Alice.

  [……Tastes like yakiniku sauce.]

  [Well, we just ate that, didn’t we!!!? I mean, w- w- w-what are you suddenly doing!?]

  [No, I just somehow felt like it……]

  [You felt like it!? Like I said, aren’t you being too much of an S around me, Kaito-san!? I was so surprised that I felt like my life span, which shouldn’t have existed, was shortened! Heck, my face feels so hot that I feel like it’s burning……]

  [Ahaha, sorry, sorry.]

  [Why the heck are you laughing like you’re having fun!?]

  I couldn’t help but smile at her cute reaction, which went just as I had expected, and Alice, her face bright red, softly pounded on my chest in protest.

  Well, her pounds were really light, so I think she was just joking around, and even though I said I surprised her…… If it’s Alice, the speed of which I move my face close to her would have been really slow for her, and since she could see it. evading me would have been very easy, so I’m hesitating if I could really say I surprised her.

  [……Then, should I have told you first before I did that?]

  [Ughhh, t- t- that is…… No, well, I’m Kaito-san’s lover, so I obviously wouldn’t reject it…… but you see, my heart still needs some preparation…… It’s simply embarrassing……]

  [By the way, can I kiss you again?]

  [Hwoeehh!? U- Uuuuuu…… K- Kaito-san! That’s mean! You completely have a teasing look on your face…… Do you find it fun playing with my heart that much!!!?]

  [Is that a no then?]

  [N- No, like I said…… It’s not that I’m saying it’s a no, I just want you to give me some time to———- Hyaahh!? Wait!? Why are you holding on to my shoulders!? This is completely leading to that, awawawa……]

  At any rate, it seemed that she neither disliked it nor was she refusing me, so I held on to Alice’s shoulders and positioned myself so that we were facing each other head-on.

  Then, when I gently bent down and brought my body close to hers, Alice looked flustered…… but eventually, she closed her eyes and seemed to wait for my kiss.

  Feeling how adorable and lovable she is, I kissed her lips and at the same time, I moved my hands, which were on her shoulders, behind her back and hugged Alice’s body.

  Alice’s body jerked her for a moment, but soon after, she shyly moved her hands behind my back and reciprocated my hug.

  [……Although it’s a spur of the moment, since we’re already on our date, why don’t walk around for a while longer before heading home?]

  [You’re right…… I’m really in the mood to bask in the night breeze! Ahh~~ geez! My face is so hot…… Seriously, what is with that…… I feel like I’d never be able to defeat you……]

  [Well, to be honest, I also can’t see a future when Alice can beat when it comes to this kind of thing……]

  [Of course, you can’t. After all, I myself don’t see a future where I can win……]

  Saying this, Alice let out a sigh, but she didn’t seem to dislike it. Rather, it somehow felt like…… she was somewhat happy.

  While reaffirming my love for Alice, who, as always, was so innocent and shows a refreshing response when it comes to matters related to love, we enjoyed a short walk together, happily holding hands.

  Serious-senpai : [Ghaaak……]

  Makina : [Serious-senpai…… has fallen? Unnn? She’s holding some kind of sign…… Let’s see, “Here lies the Great Seriousness Incarnate”…… Hmmm, mental fatigue, perhaps? I guess it would be better If I just let her sleep it off.]

  Serious-senpai : [………………..]

  Makina : [No, for further healing effect, I think it would be better if she listens to the story of my beloved child as a lullaby!!!]

  Serious-senpai : [Wait right there, oi, stop dealing the final blow already……]