Chapter 611: The Emotion I Felt from Within my Heart

I think the sea breeze has a unique atmosphere to it. However, I have heard that the sea breeze contains the saltiness of the sea, but I still couldn't exactly tell what's so different about it. The only change I could feel was that this feels more refreshing than the air in the cities.

With the wind blowing towards us, I walked alongside Fate-san through the crowded harbor.

[Hmmm. With all the people around here, it doesn't seem like there are that many large ships, isn't it?]

I muttered to myself as I gazed at the harbor, having regained my composure compared to when our date just started. A harbor in the royal capital of the Hydra Kingdom, where fishing is thriving…… The size and vibrancy of this place is truly amazing.

However, one thing that made me wonder was that most of the ships docked were not very large. No, of course, I understand that there are some differences in shipbuilding technology and such things from Earth, but even if we put such things aside, there seemed to be only small ships docked here.

[Unnn? Ahh, speaking of which…… There were no monsters in the world Kai-chan lived, right?]

[Ah, yes.]

[Most of the sea monsters live offshore. Of course, there are plenty of fish among those waters, but fishing offshore isn't very profitable for the average fishermen. Just so that a ship could fish along the offshore, they would have to hire adventurers to fight off the monsters and a ship that could handle attacks.]

[I see…… Since fishermen don't sail very far, they would only need small boats that's easy to maneuver?]

[Well, of course, there are also some fishing boats that catch monsters…… but the mainstream fishing method is to use small boats that allows them to easily move around and go to fishing points in the coastal waters. The fish often escapes from the monsters to the nearby waters anyway, so the fishermen can still catch a good amount of fish.]

I have often thought that if the world is different, common sense would also be different. In this world, there is a certain culture that has been cultivated through their history, and knowing the differences in culture is really interesting.

[Do monsters not chase after the fishes to the nearby waters?]

[It's not like such things don't happen, but monsters basically like living in places where the natural magic power is abundant. Magic power is found all over the world, but it can be more or less intense depending on the terrain and environment. When it comes to seas, the distant oceans and its deep waters tend to have denser magic power. That's why there aren't many monsters in the coastal waters.]

[Fumu, it seems like there are differences here huh.]

[Meanwhile, when it comes to lands, high mountains and deep forests tend to have denser magic power. Well, this is just a feature of the Human Realm. If you're interested in it, I think you might want to study a little bit about it.]

[Yes.]

How should I say this…… Fate-san seems to have lost some of her nervousness and her expression is becoming softer. Now that we chat like this, we can both relax and enjoy our date.

[Speaking of which, it's almost lunchtime, so what should we have?]

[……Ahh, you're right. I'm fine not eating, but it's hard for Kai-chan not to eat, right?]

For Fate-san, who is a God, eating and drinking is just a matter of preference, not something of necessity. She doesn't need to eat anything at all. However, that isn't the same case for me.

I was pretty hungry, especially since I was so nervous on this day, so I wanted to eat something.

[Errr, do you know any good restaurants, Kai-chan? Even though I eat sweets, I rarely eat those foods that you eat on meals, so I don't know of any good places to eat……]

[Let's see, I know some…… Ah, but wait……]

[Unnn?]

I'm also not very familiar with the Hydra Kingdom, but I've read Kuro's Eating Tour in its Entirety Guide, so I can think of a few restaurant candidates.

The problem here, however, is Fate-san's presence. This time, she seems to have manipulated fate so that the people around her would be unaware of her presence, so there won't be any commotion when she goes to the store.

But if I'm not mistaken…… Fate-san doesn't like places with a lot of people.

She didn't do anything like that today because we were on a date, but usually, when she goes out, Fate-san doesn't want people around to notice her, manipulating fate in a way that "no one comes near where she is".

This is the reason why there were no people around when I first met Fate-san. That means, in a situation like this……

[Fate-san, is there a beach near here?]

[There is, but why are you asking?]

[We can indeed eat at a restaurant, but why don't we just buy something from a food truck and eat at the beach, looking at the ocean?]

[……Kai-chan.]

When Fate-san heard my suggestion, she looked as if she was thinking about something for a moment, before she softly spoke.

[Unnn. I like that too.]

[It's decided then.]

[……Kai-chan. Thank you for thinking of me.]

[……It's a date after all, the both of us should be having fun together.]

I've been told by many people that I tend to wear my emotions on my face. That's why it was easy for them to know what I was thinking. Well, Fate-san seemed to be happy about it, so there's no problem at all.

Since the decision was made, I was about to head for the stall when Fate-san pinched on the hem of my shirt.

[Fate-san?]

[……Hey, Kai-chan. Ummm, errr…… can we…… hold…… our hands?]

[Yes, of course.]

[……Thanks.]

Responding to her request, I gently offered my hand…… and grasped her small hand that perfectly fits in mine. We just normally held hands though, not interlocking our fingers with one another.

However, the warmth being transmitted from Fate-san's hand, and the feeling of her grip on mine…… not only makes me feel embarrassed, but affection towards her.

Dear Mom, Dad———– One step after another, we began to enjoy our dates together. And I began to feel more composed to think…… that I noticed it. Her cheeks flushed with embarrassment as she also grasped my hand————– And the affection I felt from within my heart.

<Afterword>

? ? ? : [Sad news, even after all this flirting, "they still aren't lovers yet".]

Serious-senpai : [……So?]

? ? ? [It'll be even sweeter when they become lovers.]

Serious-senpai : [It's a lie! Say that it's a lie, ? ? ? !!!]

T/N: 37/181

Here's a cute Fate-chan fanart I found on Author-san's Activity Report.