Since it's a city that places a strong emphasis on tourism, not only are the streets well-maintained, but there are also rows of undeniably stylish shops. It seems like the majority are miscellaneous goods stores, but of course, there are plenty of other options as well.
For instance, the bakery housed in a red-brick building exudes such a charming atmosphere that everything there looks delicious. Well, it’s not the kind of place we’ll stop at just now, though......
[Shall we start by visiting a safe option, like a general store?]
[Understood.]
[U- Unn. That works for me too.]
There was something a little off about that response———– Kaori-san seemed more nervous than I’d expected. I had thought Olivia-san might be the one excessively tense, but while Olivia-san was clearly nervous, her actions still felt relatively composed. There was no awkwardness in her demeanor.
In contrast, Kaori-san’s movements felt stiff and awkward, as if her nerves were getting the better of her.
[......Kaori-san, are you nervous by any chance?]
[It’s alright. I also have a lover who has been inexperienced in romance for, like, hundreds of millions of years, so much so that she really claims herself an Expert Sh*tty Noob when it comes to love......]
Now then, much like Kaori-san, I was faced with an exceedingly difficult question to answer. The term Sh*tty Noob is something Alice uses to describe herself, generally referring to how she had a low tolerance to romantic events.
As for whether Olivia-san fits this description...... to be honest, I think she might qualify to some extent. She’s pure, serious, and somewhat ignorant of the ways of the world. For instance, she gets extremely flustered about exposing skin, or gets overwhelmingly nervous about holding hands. These traits do make her somewhat aligned with the term.
However, in this situation, there’s no way I couldn't exactly outright say "Yes, that’s correct. You’re a Sh*tty Noob.". I might be able to joke about it with Alice, but that’s only because she understands and accepts such jokes.
With Olivia-san though, she’d probably take my words seriously. So, I had to be careful with what I said.
[That’s not true at all. Olivia-san, it’s just that you have little experience with romance right now, so it’s natural to feel uncertain about various things. As I’ve mentioned before, there’s a difference between knowing something as knowledge and actually experiencing it..... You’ll learn gradually as you go.]
[Ahh...... y-yes...... Ah, umm...... I humbly ask for your continued guidance and support moving forward.]
I said this as gently as I could, with a reassuring smile, and Olivia-san nodded, her face flushing red. H- Hmmm, arehh? Is this coming off like I’m making advances with her? W- Well, I couldn’t think of a better way to phrase it, and I suppose this will do for now......
<Afterword>
Serious-senpai : [As expected from someone who has built countless flags, he's on another level...... But seriously, stop it! Stop recklessly spreading romance flags! That careless behavior of yours will lead to sweet developments later on!!!]