A BOOKSHOP DATE?
“Mr. Cranell?”
On a warm and sunny afternoon, Lyu met Bell on a street corner while she was out stocking up for the tavern.
“Oh…Ms. Lyu…Er…Hi.”
It was clear that she had caught him at a bad time. While Lyu was dressed in her waitress outfit, Bell was in his casual clothes, so it was obvious he wasn’t on his way to or from the Dungeon.
Instead, he was carrying something with both arms—a big pile of thick books.
“What are those?” Lyu asked. “Are you taking them somewhere?”
She thought she might as well help the boy out, but Bell responded with nervous laughter.
“Ha…ha-ha-ha-ha…Well, erm…”
Sweat dripped from his face, and his cheeks reddened. He seemed to be trying to hide the books from Lyu’s sight while steadily backing away. The elf narrowed her sky-blue eyes. Judging by Bell’s reaction, she wondered if the books Bell possessed weren’t the kind of seedy literature some of the male gods tended to enjoy.
If they were, then that wasn’t something Lyu could ignore. Not only would it wound Syr’s heart, but as a purehearted elf, she couldn’t allow such immoral activity on her watch. With blinding speed, honed during her time as a second-tier adventurer, she closed in on Bell and snatched one of the books from his hands.
“Ack!!”
“What’s this? …A children’s book?”
Ignoring Bell’s odd cry, Lyu examined the book she had seized, which turned out to contain illustrations. The page Lyu turned to depicted an elven heroine commanding a powerful blizzard to freeze a colossal monster.
“It’s not what you think…! It’s just…I was going through the library at home, you see, and I came across these old books I used to read as a child. Once I read them, all these old memories came flooding back…”
“………”
“And…I’m not going into the Dungeon today, so I thought…maybe I’d go around town and…see if I can find any more…?”
Bell’s hasty defense only grew more and more flimsy as time went on. By the end, his voice was barely above a whisper.
His face was still bright red. Was he embarrassed to still be reading stories at his age? Lyu had been confused at first, but if this was Bell’s hobby, then it was quite a charming one. She didn’t think it embarrassing at all—in fact, it kind of suited him.
She suddenly felt a little guilty for having doubted him at first.
“…Did you not bring a bag?” she asked, meekly handing back the book she had snatched from him.
“I had one, but it tore open just a minute ago,” replied Bell with another embarrassed smile. Lyu replied immediately.
“In that case,” she said, “I shall accompany you.”
“You’ll what?”
“It must be difficult carrying so many books. Allow me to lend a hand.”
Lyu couldn’t forgive herself for casting aspersions no matter how suspiciously Bell had been acting. This was her way of atoning. Bell, however, was clearly reluctant to impose to that extent.
“I-I couldn’t ask you to do that, Ms. Lyu. Besides, aren’t you busy helping the tavern right now?”
“You don’t need to worry about that. So long as I finish up before nightfall, there’ll be no complaints. Besides…”
Lyu raised a finger.
“This shall surely be a dangerous quest. We shall wander the streets of the Labyrinth City together in search of the tales you seek.”
The elf’s ad-lib sounded just like a line from one of those stories itself. Having said it, she blushed awkwardly, and Bell blinked, not sure what to say. In the end, though, he couldn’t help but smile at her characteristic odd humor and grinned like a boy whose big sister had just agreed to read him a story.
“Thank you then, Ms. Lyu! Thank you for accompanying me on my troublesome quest!”
“Gladly.”
Lyu smiled as well, and the two set off together. First, they bought two sturdy shopping bags to hold the books Bell had already found before wandering around the east end of town.
The stories Bell was looking for were all rare tales, and no single shop sold them all. One place they went to was a bookstore run by an animal person, another was a man in an alley who displayed his wares on a spread-out cloak on the ground. Others they found at a flea market set up in the marketplace. Sometimes Bell stood on his tiptoes to reach the tallest shelves, and later, the two sat down on a bench to read the books they’d bought. Whenever Lyu spotted one of the titles Bell told her about, the young boy would squeal in delight. Before she knew it, her quest had turned into a pleasant afternoon exploring old bookshops.
As the pair were walking down the street, somebody called out to them.
“Oh, hello, Lyu!”
“Hmm?”
It was a friendly old woman Lyu often did business with when supplying the tavern. She was beckoning the elf girl over, so Lyu excused herself and went over to speak to her.
“I’m so happy to see you’ve found a nice boy at last!” she said.
“Hmm?”
“Oh, don’t be shy! You’re on a date, aren’t you?”
It took a few seconds for Lyu to process the cheerful old woman’s question.
“You’re every bit as pretty as that Syr girl, so I was wondering when you’d find somebody. I was starting to think you’d become a spinster, but it looks like I needn’t have worried!”
Lyu looked back at Bell, tactfully waiting out of earshot.
Then she looked at the matching bags the two of them were carrying.
Then she thought back to just a moment ago when the two of them were walking side by side, chatting pleasantly, after an enjoyable afternoon together.
Indeed, it was easy to see how, if one didn’t know any better, such behavior could very much resemble a date.
Hmm. Hmmmm. This could not stand.
“And oh, isn’t that the boy from the War Game? Little Rookie? You certainly are aiming high!”
“It’s not a date.”
“Oh? But—”
“It’s not a date.”
“L-Lyu…?”
“It’s not a date. And don’t tell Syr about this, okay?”
“O-okay…”
The little old lady could do nothing but nod when Lyu insisted so intensely.
As Lyu turned and made her way back to Bell, a conundrum emerged in her mind.
It’s definitely not a date, and I never meant to betray Syr, but I still feel so guilty about it. Perhaps I should leave for tonight…Oh, but I can’t just abandon Mr. Cranell after I was so rude to him earlier. That would be the height of shame!
Torn between the prospects of ungratefully abandoning her duty or continuing to guiltily enjoy her supposed repentance, Lyu’s face grew grim.
“Ms. Lyu?” Bell asked. “Is something the matter?”
“Nothing, Mr. Cranell. Let us move on.”
In the end, she decided to continue helping with Bell’s quest, even though a small part of her sensed that Syr wouldn’t like it.
After walking around town some more, the pair sat on a bench in the eastern side of Central Park.
“I think that should be enough,” said Bell. “Thank you for your help today, Ms. Lyu.”
“I’m happy I could be of help,” Lyu replied.
The bags at their feet were completely full, and Bell had a big smile on his face after finding such a haul. It was enough to make Lyu smile as well.
“Did you read these kinds of stories when you were young, Ms. Lyu?”
“No,” Lyu replied. “My family were hunters who protected the village for generations. I wasn’t given many chances to read, even after I came here…If you’d like, perhaps you could read one to me?”
The sunlight scattered off the fountain beside them. Lyu’s words caused Bell’s face to light up like an excited bunny rabbit, and he eagerly bent over to fish through his bags.
“I’d love to!” he said. “What would be good, I wonder? Dungeon Oratoria’s a classic, but there’s also The Legend of St. Giorgio. That’s not as well-known. Hmm…”
Lyu was a little taken aback by how talkative Bell suddenly became as he pulled books out of his bag. At the same time, it felt new, like she was seeing a side of him she hadn’t seen before—one far more appropriate for a young boy his age.
“Then there’s Argonaut. That was always Grandpa’s favorite…”
Bell knew many stories Lyu didn’t. He talked about them at length. As he did, his red eyes seemed to sparkle like gems—like rubellites.
Lyu was meant to be listening, but instead, she found herself drawn into his eyes. A gentle wave of calmness washed over her, bathing her soul in a sweet, tingling sensation. Before she knew it, she was smiling.
“I think…I like it when you talk about those stories you enjoy so much.”
She hadn’t really meant to say it out loud, but her words reached Bell’s ear.
“What…?”
Bell blushed, and Lyu felt her own cheeks fire up as well.
“Um…please don’t take that the wrong way,” she said, panicking. “I just think it’s nice. It’s a very innocent hobby. Very childish or…”
“Ch-childish…? Yeah, I guess you’re right…”
Lyu awkwardly tried to rephrase, but Bell was already slumping over, dejected. She knew she’d said the wrong thing, but she couldn’t think of what to say instead. Her cheeks were on fire, and her heart wouldn’t stop racing. Her lips gently parted and closed, over and over, without forming any words.
It’s not a lie.
She closed her eyes, listening to the voice of her heart.
I love seeing those eyes…that glitter with the life of a hundred tales.
Realizing how she truly felt, Lyu lifted her head.
“Mr. Cranell…What I just said…I meant it.”
Without turning to face Bell on the bench, Lyu gazed off at the waters of the fountain.
“So…Please…If we get another chance…I’d like to hear another of your stories.”
I want to see those beautiful eyes of yours.
Taking her innermost thoughts, Lyu poured them into the few words she managed to get out. She took the book from Bell’s hands and placed it in her lap, which immediately cheered the boy up.
“Of course!”
Bell’s carefree voice tickled her slender ears. Lovingly stroking the book’s cover, Lyu closed her eyes and smiled.
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