Not far from the adventurer’s guild, there’s a spot in Ebrilyon where shady business gets done. A kind of plaza, hidden inside a block of buildings only accessible through a couple alleyways.

  Each entrance is guarded by two burly men. Inside, there are many shady-looking people gathered into small groups hanging around. Nothing illegal is done out in the open. At most, the plaza has a place to get drinks, a pawnshop, and a few other places that function in the grey area of what’s legal.

  One person that’s allowed entry is a mysterious girl who wears a cloak over her head in the shape of a cat. At least that’s the shape it takes when propped up by her ears. She moves like she knows her way around and like she’s looking for someone in particular. And she was.

  Leaning against the railing of a short flight of stairs was a blonde young man with his hair swept back and a smug look on his face.

  “There you are, Molt! You bastard… You lied to me!” She quickened her pace while balling her fists. Causing a commotion wouldn’t be great, so she called out to him with a quiet outburst.

  “Lied? Me? Please… What are you talking about…” The girl got up in his face, but he only scoffed at her. “You had something you wanted to find, and I told you where it was. What’s the problem? Was it not there?”

  “Yeah, it was… And you even said I’d have to steal the quest from another adventurer. But you left out the most important part! The adventurer in question was the fucking heroine!”

  “So? What are you complaining about? Didn’t you get what you wanted?”

  “I did, but… I almost fucking died! I would have done things differently if I had known she’d be the one coming after my ass!”

  The young man scoffed again. “But you didn’t die… And now you’re here nagging me. Aren’t you a veteran of sorts? You should know how this world works by now. Information is never completely reliable, and everything you do comes with a risk. Deal with it.”

  “I know, and I’m fine with it, but not when you set me up on purpose, you bastard! Give me my money back!” The girl wasn’t really expecting anything, but the guy was quick to toss a coin pouch into her hands.

  Most information brokers lived and died by the coin. If someone didn’t receive the full picture from them, that meant they hadn’t paid them enough. Everyone got what they paid for. Therefore, they would never reimburse anyone for faulty information.

  The girl was never under the delusion that this man, Molt, was like other information brokers. He moved and looked like a fighter. To him, this sale was an exception rather than the rule. He was not the honorable type, so him giving the money back so easily raised some red flags. He hadn’t sold that info to her for the money. He had other goals in mind…

  “How much did you know about this quest? Were you using me to get the heroine killed?” Naturally, she wasn’t going to win against her, but the monster they accidentally freed… “Who are you? Are you working with the demons?”

  The man shook his head and walked past her. “What a ridiculous accusation. I knew something you wanted to know, and I tried to make some money out of it. Everything else doesn’t matter to me.”

  The girl pocketed the pouch and turned to leave. “Well… Whatever. What you get up to is none of my business, and I’d rather never see your face again. Bye, see you never.”

  Curiosity. One of the many forces driving people to action since time immemorial. Sometimes it manifests as a slow, nervous push forward, taking small steps at a time, sometimes as an impulsive plunge into the unknown.

  Everything beyond the reach of one’s hands or thoughts has a draw to it. A strong pull that no one who’s caught can escape. It’s all the same. Whether we seek answers about the universe or life itself, or about what the hand of the girl next to you feels like and the softness of her skin. Hehehe… And I gotta say…

  “Your hand feels so nice, Hecate…This must be what paradise feels like, right?”

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  “Paradise? While I’m happy to hear that, I’m not quite sure that’s right… The concept of paradise in its purest form is said to be impossible for mortals to understand. You probably haven’t reached enlightenment from holding hands.” Hecate giggled as she walked with a smile.

  We moved side by side through the streets of Three Records with our fingers interlaced. Our goal is to buy some groceries and enjoy ourselves until we get there. We were holding hands, and Hecate seemed happy, but at some point, a troubled look appeared on her face.

  “Uhmm… Iroha… It’s a bit weird when you wiggle your fingers like that. Can’t you just hold my hand normally?”

  “Sorry… It’s just that… Your hand’s really soft… I can’t help it.” But she’s right… I can’t push my luck too much… A little more, and I’ll stop!

  In the meantime, I wanna give my thanks to the streets of Three Records for being as empty as always! So many places in the world where every street in a city is filled to the brim with people, but here, we can walk around without a care in the world!

  I hadn’t realized how nice it is just to walk around like this with one of my girls. I hope she’s also enjoying it. I also hope she isn’t too hot. The weather’s been getting really hot lately. Is she alright in a dress like this? Not that I want her to change. I’ve gotten used to this by now, and it looks great on her. It’s sophisticated and elegant, but also intense enough to still give me chills every once in a while.

  “Your dress is really pretty.”

  “You mean it?” I couldn’t hold back my thoughts, and her face really brightened up. “Thanks, I’m so glad you like it.”

  “Your dresses are all really expensive, right? Is the fabric, like, really high quality or something? Is it soft? What does it feel like?” Yeah… What does it feel like? What does she feel like? “Can we escape into an alley? I wanna touch you!”

  “Y- you mean my dress?” Hecate was startled, then firmly denied it. “Either way, that’s out of the question. My dress would get dirty.”

  “Huh? Is the dress more important than me? Do you care more about your dress than me?” Maybe that’s mean to say, but I want to see more of her reactions… Sorry…

  “Foolish Iroha… The fact I’m even willing to let you touch it should tell you everything you need to know.” Hecate giggled. “If you really insist, you can feel the fabric right here. Just don’t go too overboard.”

  Hecate bent her elbow and extended her arm toward me. It’s nice… It’s soft but also firm… Her arm is surprisingly thin… She stood still while I walked around her. The frills and stitches were subtle but added some nice contrast to the touch. Maybe clothes are meant to be enjoyed from both sides. Hecate eventually let out a small squeal when I suddenly hugged her from behind.

  “A- are you satisfied?” I let go and was back in front of her.

  “I’m in heaven.”

  …

  Back to walking. We held hands and returned to our reasonably normal conversations. “You’re being a bit weird today, Iroha. Not in a bad way, but…” Wait, was ‘reasonably normal’ an overstatement?

  “Huh? Why? Is it because I can’t stop looking at you? Because I can’t stop thinking about you? That’s weird? Now that you mention it, maybe you’re right… I wonder what’s up.”

  “No… If you put it like that, then maybe I’m the one who’s wrong. If there’s someone you like, it’s only natural to be curious about them. In that sense, it’d be weird to call you weird.”

  “Someone you like…? D- does that mean you’re also curious about me?”

  “Of course.” She nodded without hesitation. Wowww! That’s really embarrassing somehow…

  “So, if it’s normal, can I ask you a bit of a weird question?” She nodded, and I took a deep breath. “D- do you know anything about games or anime…?” Asking something like this feels more like opening up about myself than anything else, but I have a certain theory.

  “That’s more Narumi’s thing, but I’m not completely clueless. Why do you ask?”

  “Uhmm… It’s just… Your style is kinda common in stuff like that. There are some characters who wear clothes like yours. That was probably my first contact with your style…”

  Hecate giggled in response. Her cheek got just a bit red as she felt a little exposed. “Truthfully, that may have been my first point of contact as well when I was younger. Even nowadays, if I see an aesthetic that catches my eye, I might take a look into it. With Narumi’s company sometimes.”

  “Ehhh… That’s nice…” We have more in common than I thought! We might be able to play and watch stuff together at some point. “Did you start dressing like that because of a character you liked? What about your eyes? Is the yellow one a lens?”

  Hecate was feeling a bit overwhelmed. “Ahahaha… That’s right… The yellow lens is just for the image I want to maintain. As for why I started dressing like this…” She paused to think of where she should start. “Are you aware of how kids work? With their limited life experience, when they want something, it’s not always clear how they can achieve it. Since they don’t know any better, sometimes they decide to just copy someone who has what they want and hope that works.”

  “Huh… Is that why you dress like that? You didn’t know how to get what you wanted, so you started dressing like someone who had it?” Goth-loli… What is it that characters who dress like that have?

  “In my case, I wasn’t copying anyone in particular.” This is where things became particularly embarrassing for her, and she had to wonder if she even wanted to continue. “After I met Katja and Narumi, I felt like I had to become strong as soon as possible. At that time, the strongest thing I knew was vampires, so I wanted to become one. That’s why I started dressing like this. And it kinda stuck with me.”

  Hearing that made me freeze. Tha- that’s just… “That’s so adorable! Are you serious? Is that really the reason why? You must have been so adorable when you were younger!” My heart was pounding so fast I had to let go of her hand and hold it so it didn’t escape.

  “Don’t tease me! I told you about myself, so now it’s your turn. What’s your life like outside of the dorm and the other world? What’s some embarrassing thing that you like?”

  “Uhmm… Isn’t that a bit too direct? We have shopping to do, remember? Let’s go!” I tried to get us back on track, but Hecate grabbed my hand and prevented an escape.

  “Tell me… I told you about myself… Don’t try to wiggle out of this… I won’t judge.” She leaned in closer, putting a lot of pressure on me.

  “I… Uhhhh…” What do I do? What can I do? T- there’s no escape anymore, is there? “I- I like playing games or watching anime when I have time… But I haven’t had as much time lately…” My face was bright red, but Hecate still wanted more. “And the girls… I’ve always liked looking at cute girls…” Kill me…

  “Really…?” Hecate grinned. “Considering the relationship we’re in, I’m not even surprised.” That’s very true… Wanting this kind of relationship reveals a lot about my preferences by itself. Hecate was very amused with my answer. “You know… You teased me about my younger self being adorable, but you’re not that different. It’s funny to see how embarrassed you are. I may have been adorable, but you’re still very much so!”

  “What’s with that smug tone? I don’t like it. What’s that supposed to mean? Is this payback? Are you making fun of me?” She turned away to hide the huge grin on her face and started walking. Oh no… You’re not getting away… “Hecate!”