Chapter 364 My Thing
If the hunting tournament is a festival for nobles, then the snow festival is a festival for commoners. In the square at the center of the capital, various snow sculptures are made, and around the square, there are many food stalls.
Actually, the exact dates for the snow festival are not fixed. The people of Grandchester start preparing snow sculptures and stalls when the first snow falls, and slowly the square becomes lively. However, the last day of the festival is set for the winter solstice, and on the night of the winter solstice, paper lanterns are released into the sky.
When Sara heard about this festival, she remembered the Thai Loy Krathong she saw in her previous life. It was probably Kazuya or another reincarnated person who started this in this world too.
By the way, the night market is a year-round event held on full moon nights, but it becomes especially lively during the snow festival season. Because of this, many people come to the capital of Grandchester not just from nearby towns and villages, but also from other territories.
At the night market, a wide variety of things are sold. Old clothes and scraps of fabric are popular among commoners, but there are also suspicious magical tools and dishes that were used by fallen noble families.
Scott dismounted near an inn at the entrance of the capital and helped Sara down from the horse. This inn also offers a service to take care of travelers' horses, and Scott paid a little extra to leave Dimna there.
"Sara, aren't you cold?"
"I'm fine. You're such a worrywart, Scott."
"It's about a 10-minute walk to where the stalls are. There will be a lot of people, so let's hold hands so we don't get separated."
"That makes me feel safer."
Scott took Sara's outstretched hand, gripping it with a nervous expression. Even though it was through gloves, they were holding hands like a couple.
"How about we grab something to eat at the stall first? My recommendation is the Tavku skewers. The sauce at my favorite place is really delicious."
"I definitely have to try that!"
Tavku is the chicken in this world. It's probably one of the creatures that Marcato stole from another world. Many families, not just farmers, raise Tavku because they lay eggs every day. In short, Tavku skewers are like yakitori in this world.
"Hey, mister, 2 skewers, please."
"Oh, Scott! Do you want sauce or salt?"
"Of course, sauce!"
"Alright, 2 with sauce. That'll be 100 Dal. I'll throw in one for your cute girlfriend since she's the first girl you've brought here."
"Thanks! I finally managed to ask her out."
"Good for you! Do your best!"
"I will!"
Scott grinned as he took the two skewers from the stall owner and paid with a big coin. Sara had been imagining regular yakitori from her past life, but the skewers Scott had were alternating pieces of meat and vegetables, more like barbecue skewers. As he handed one to Sara, Scott suddenly looked worried.
"Oh no. Was it bad to give a girl a skewer? You'll have to bite into it directly; is that okay?"
"Of course! I was living as a regular commoner until recently, you know."
"I see. I couldn't imagine that since you were already such a lovely lady when I met you."
Before Scott could finish, Sara took a big bite out of the skewer as they walked.
"Ah, it's delicious! It's a bit spicy!"
"Right? This sauce is a secret recipe, and only that uncle and his son know how to make it."
"That's a tradition that should be passed down for a long time."
'Wow, this makes me want a beer.'
Even though this was supposed to be a date, Sara wonders why her thoughts keep sounding so old-fashioned.
"Scott, I think I want a drink."
"I thought you might say that. There's a place up ahead that sells chilled mint tea."
"That sounds refreshing and delicious!"
"This way."
Scott took my hand and started walking. He walked slowly to match her pace, showing that he was used to escorting someone. Even though a knight's child isn't a noble, they're not just regular commoners either. They learn some manners, so they often get the chance to escort wealthy girls.
In front of the mint tea shop we were aiming for, there was a cute space with several small tables set up. It looked like a shared area with other stalls, and there were other couples sitting around, probably on dates too.
Scott found an empty table, pulled out a chair for her, and sat her down. Then he hurried off to buy the mint tea. After a little while, he came back holding 2 large wooden mugs and a basket filled with lots of small snacks.
"This is the mint tea. I also bought some snacks from a nearby stall."
"Thank you, Scott. I see now what you meant by chilled!"
The mint tea poured into the mug was warm, not cold. Since it was a winter festival, people didn't really want cold drinks, but with so much rich food around, the tea was at a temperature that satisfied the need to gulp it down.
"Sara, you have a bit of sauce on the side of your lips."
Scott took off his gloves and gently wiped the corner of Sara's mouth, then licked his fingertip. For a moment, Sara was taken aback by his action. But when she remembered it was Scott, she calmed down.
"Come on, if you just told me, I could wipe it myself. I'm not a kid anymore, so stop treating me like one."
"You're not a kid, that's why I did it. My knight senior said this is a must-do action on a date. Maybe I was tricked by him."
"No, no, I think it was fine. It surprised me for a second. You look so much like Sir Jeffrey. By the way, Scott, you're on your way to becoming an adult, huh?"
"Sara is still as hard to get as ever. I want to climb the adult stairs with you."
"That's quite a deep statement."
Scott leaned back in his chair, looking up at the sky, and let out a big sigh.
"Ugh, I want to grow up fast. You seem so relaxed, but I'm the only one feeling all nervous."
"You know I'm just pretending to look good, right? You don't need to rush; you'll definitely become a wonderful man."
"That's exactly it! It's so frustrating because you're so calm. I want to see you make a nervous face in front of me, like when my dad carried you like a princess. Speaking of which, when Blaze became an adult, you had a similar expression. It feels like I'm the only one being ignored, and it's annoying."
"Even if you say that, it's not something I can control myself."
Scott quickly drank the remaining mint tea in his mug, then took Sara's hand, removed her gloves, and kissed her: first on the back of her hand, then on her palm, and finally on her wrist. After that, he gently put the gloves back on and held her hand tightly with both of his.
"Sara, I really like you. I feel like I realized that especially today."
"Is it because of this form?"
"I can't deny that. I was so used to seeing the usual Sara that I thought I had plenty of time. Even after you became Sophia, I felt a bit superior because I knew the real Sara."
"Is that how it is?"
"I felt like you were a special presence, like I was inside your world. The only real rivals are Mister Thomas, Blaze, and Mr. Daniel, right? I think the other guys are just in the guardian category."
"Really? What about Sir Jeffrey?"
"My father only has eyes for my mother. Plus, I don't think he believes you are really in love with him."
"Oh, you never know, right?"
"I do know. I've only been looking at you, Sara."
Scott held Sara's hand tightly. It wasn't painful, but it felt like it would take a lot of strength to break free.
"Today, seeing Sara like this again made me think. Once I start at the Academy, I probably won't come back here much. During that time, Sara will keep growing into a more beautiful girl. The Sophia Merchant Guild is going to get bigger and bigger, so Sara will meet a lot of people in a wider world than now. If that happens, Sara might easily forget about me and go far away. That really scares me."
"You think I would forget about you, Scott?"
"But you might end up in a place that's out of reach."
"It's true that I'll be flying around everywhere. But I think it's more important to enjoy this moment than to worry about the future. Today is our first date, right?"
Sara smiled softly and tossed a piece of candy from the basket into Scott's mouth. Since Scott had already finished his mint tea, Sara used water magic to pour hot water into his mug.
"That baked good is delicious, but it really dries out your mouth, doesn't it?"
While eating the same baked good, Sara slowly sipped her mint tea. She noticed it was more cold than warm now, so she used magic to raise the temperature of the tea a little.
After finishing their snacks, they returned their mugs and baskets to their respective stalls and started wandering around the night market again. They enjoyed eating delicious-looking food and teasing the shops selling strange magical tools. Of course, there were many snow sculptures at the night market, including one that looked just like a golem from the Sophia Merchant Guild. Looking up at the life-sized golem shining in the light of the bonfire, Sophia and Scott exchanged glances and burst out laughing.
From a little distance away, they could hear lively music. As they got closer, they saw people of all ages dancing and laughing.
"Sara, let's dance too!"
"Uh, can you really dance?"
"It's fine, just go with the flow!"
The cheerful music reminded them of folk dances from their past lives.
'The music feels like a Virginia Reel, but everyone is dancing however they want.'
Escorted by Scott, Sara began to dance with the lively crowd. As they danced, they started to have more fun and soon realized they were in the center of the venue, getting applause from a large group of people.
"Hey, it seems like we're getting a lot of attention."
"Yeah, this is the perfect situation to show everyone that you're mine, Sara."
"When did I become yours, Scott?"
Feeling a bit annoyed, Sara slightly pulled away from Scott's lead. However, it seemed that Scott had expected this, as he supported her waist and smoothly turned her back into his arms.
"Since we met, of course."
"You're so full of yourself."
As Scott teased her, Sara began to step into a more complicated dance, and Scott, finding it amusing, started to tap his heels in rhythm with her.
Looking around, only Sara and Scott were still dancing, while the band kept increasing the tempo to match them. Since they practiced Dance lessons together regularly, Scott and Sara were perfectly in sync.
"I hate to admit it, but you might really be the best dance partners."
"See? Sara is mine."
As the music ended, they both struck the same pose together.
They received a big round of applause from the audience, so they greeted the crowd. After shaking hands with the band members who played for them, they ran away, still holding hands, escaping from the crowd of people calling out to them.
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