Date~2!

"So, where are we going?"

Under the lazy sunlight, a couple consisting of a stunning woman and a handsome Nobel-looking youth strolled on the stone-paved path near the Academy Library.

Austin was having quite a hard time keeping his gaze straight because of Luna's current appearance.

Her silver-platinum hair was tied in a ponytail, which gave her a sense of peculiar charm and made her look a little younger than her usual self. 

There was a frilly floral top on her upper body, which exposed a lot of her finely shaped moon-white arms. Her lower body was dangerously exposed up to her lower thighs as above; she wore a coffee-brown skirt which defined her perfect figure exceptionally.

The light make-up on her face, with a very thin redness adorning her supple lips, made Luna look like a doll from fairy tales, whom Austin couldn't help but gawk from time to time.

And not only Austin, but the other students and even faculties, upon witnessing Luna's current appearance, which was far more youthful and fluffy than her usual attire, became speechless for several seconds.

It would be a huge understatement to say that Austin was nervous, walking with such a beautiful girl whom he could have only dreamt of even talking to once in his previous life.

"Hmm...how about we go to the market in the nearby town?"

Austin suggested as any place he knew inside the Eden Academy wasn't entertaining, nor any place nearby, as the whole school was surrounded by jungles and lairs.

"Hmm, if it's like that, then I can take us to a place. Although it's not near, but I think you might like it."

Since the whole school was barricaded and leaving the perimeters of the safety line was prohibited entirely, Austin was planning to use levitation to escape, but he nearly forgot that Luna was proficient with space magic too.

"Please lead the way, my lady."

Austin wanted to take charge of the date, but he wasn't a stubborn idiot who would get reluctant to let his woman handle some of the things.

A small smile formed on Luna's lips before she closed her eyes, only to open them when a huge pale blue magic circle enveloped the couple.

**SWISSH** 

The wind howled as the magic circle swallowed the two, only to transfer them to a place where Luna undoubtedly visited enough to get that place embedded in her memory.

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The next place, the duo opened their eyes after a concise journey, was a dark alley.

Austin looked around quite curiously as he studied the place, but since it was only an alley, he wasn't able to discern anything.

"Here, Austin. Eat this."

Austin saw the algae-colored herb, which looked similar to what he gave to Kyouki when he was leaving for Aurora with him.

"This...?"

As Austin asked, he saw Luna already ate one of those herbs which she gave him before her hair shade drastically shifted to a darker tone.

"Don't worry; it won't change your facial features but only your hair color. Since we both have a peculiar shade which might raise suspicion, we better not take the chance."

Austin understood her intentions before he nodded and gulped down the bitter herb, which tasted like raw coffee powder.

Same as Luna, Austin's hair also took a darker shade and only halted before converting his blond hair into a midnight raven.

Luna, who saw the change, was smiling quite happily before Austin asked her the reason for such.

"We have something in common now."

A slightly shy smile formed on Austin's lips, too, as he heard something which he also noticed but was embarrassed to point out.

"Shall we go?"

Luna extended her hand toward her beloved as she smiled brightly. 

Austin, without making her wait, joined hands before he muttered softly.

"Yeah, let's go."

Intervening his fingers with hers, they both walked out of the alley before an incredible sight greeted them both.

"Woah..."

Austin's eyes sparkled as he saw the town they had just walked in, which was so colorful and filled with joy that he felt he had just entered a new world.

There were a lot of markets arrangely working on either side of a wide stone path. Since it seemed that this place was indeed quite far, the current time of the place was also nesting dawn.

Under the slight reddish-orange hue of the drowning sun, the place looked even more cozy and best for a date.

Luna, upon seeing Austin's reaction, smiled heartily as she felt satisfied with inviting Austin to this place.

"Let's go. We aren't here just to stare, right?"

Luna dragged the dazed Austin, as the latter one responded in a flustered as he let himself get pulled by the cheerful Luna.

The people around had slightly foreign facial features, with most of them having the same raven hair, as they seemed to be busy in their business.

Some were selling jewelry, some short weapons and other stuff. The smell of live barbecue, along with the richness of alcohol from the nearby bars, made the market quite engaging.

Austin's earlobes sparkled for a second, before an artifact that helped him interpret language appeared in the shape of ear studs. The relic came with a non-visible device that allowed him to speak the language he would be hearing.

"I like them on you."

Luna, upon seeing the black stud-designed Artifacts, commented with a shy smile, as the studs made Austin look really badass.

"Well, if it's like that, then I might get piercings real soon."

Luna didn't comment on it, as a blush came up to her face before she heard Austin asking her.

"How did you find this epic place? I mean, I have gone to different markets while I was at my adventurer jobs, but those places majorly felt dull and lifeless."

Luna inhaled deeply as she remembered something from the distant past before she replied in a longing tone.

"When I was a kid, I used to come here with my grandma. After I turned ten, we stopped hanging out. So you can say, it's been a long time since I came here. And I am glad you are the person I returned to this place with."

Seeing her slightly sorrowful smile mixed with genuine satisfaction, Austin became lost with words as he stared at Luna's face for quite some moments.

It wasn't the first time Austin heard Luna mentioning her grandma, and seeing her current expression; he really wanted to ask about her.

But considering the place and time, he felt it would be better to take things slow as it seemed this person(grandma) matters a lot to Luna.

Squeezing her hand slightly, Austin also smiled back as he muttered sweetly under his breath.

"Thank you for bringing me here."

Soon the duo, who, despite being dyed in the native shade of the place, was gathering quite a lot of attention, started strolling around the area.

Enjoying the delicacies and buying some random things once in a while, Luna and Austin proceeded to the market, before suddenly, Austin's feet came to an abrupt halt as he saw a specific store around the corner.

"Eh? What happened, Austin?"

Luna, after seeing Austin's wide eyes, followed his line of sight before she saw a store with a black and white label boldly written over the store.

It wasn't the store that made Austin freeze in shock; instead, the name of the place...

[Ramen and Miso Corner]

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A/N:- This kind of leisure chapter would be relatively short, but I will try to maintain the quality.

Anyway, drop a comment.

Editor : Zenon #4120