Chapter 119

 

“Shall we go home soon?”

 

A lot of time had passed for it to be a walk. As soon as lunch passed, clouds began to increase in the sky, and the air became colder than before.

 

Thinking that we had already seen all the places to see in this area, I stopped walking ahead and turned my head to look at Dante.

 

Dante, who looked like he was thinking about something, made direct eye contact with me. He stared blankly at me without saying anything, and after receiving that gaze for a moment, I turned around completely.

 

“Are you tired? Did we move around too much today?”

 

Although I asked because the atmosphere seemed to have calmed down unknowingly, Dante quietly shook his head at my words. As if he wasn’t tired.

 

Then why? At least he looked fine until now. As I narrowed my eyes and looked, Dante erased his calm expression and took my hand.

 

“Are we going home?”

 

“Well, if you want to go?”

 

I searched my memory to see if there were any more places worth visiting nearby. It was still lunchtime so there was no place we couldn’t go if we wanted to, but I didn’t want to forcefully drag a tired person around.

 

If we really want to go out again, wouldn’t it be okay to rest at home for a while and then come out? Because there is a lot of time.

 

“Ah.”

 

I frowned at the thought that suddenly occurred to me. Dante stared at me with a slightly surprised expression upon seeing my sudden frown.

 

“What’s wrong?”

 

“No, um… Nothing. I just suddenly remembered something.”

 

To be more precise, I remembered something I had persistently ignored since I came here. But I didn’t want to think about it any more, so I quickly looked the other way, and Dante looked at my face and sighed softly.

 

“Even if I ask you what it is, you won’t tell me, right?”

 

“I’ll tell you in advance, if it was important, I would have told you before you even asked.”

 

“In the end, you’re saying you won’t tell me because it’s not important.”

 

That’s right. I smiled slightly and pulled Dante to a cafe that caught my eye just in time.

 

“If you’re not tired, let’s have lunch and then go in.”

 

Since we weren’t hungry because we ate a lot of this and that, I thought we’d just put together a rough assortment. If it was a type of sandwich, it existed in that world as well, so even Dante would be able to eat it with ease.

 

Dante followed me along obediently, then stretched out his arm before me and opened the cafe door.

 

A clear bell rang from above the door.

 

The cafe we entered without thinking about it because it was visible to the eye was quiet because there were almost no people there. As I passed the first floor with a few tables and went up to the second floor, I immediately made eye contact with a person who appeared to be the owner of the cafe.

 

Well, I’m trying to get used to that surprised face now.

 

“…”

 

From the beginning, I thought about coming forward and explaining that he wasn’t a celebrity, but it was quickly scrapped as I didn’t want to do that. Why would I do something so shameful just by thinking about it?

 

So I just dragged Dante and sat him in a corner seat on the second floor.

 

“You stay where you are for a moment. I will place the order.”

 

“Aren’t we going together?”

 

“Hmm…”

 

Considering that curious expression from earlier, I don’t want to do that. Dante must have sensed that I was speaking in an awkward manner, and immediately sat down obediently.

 

“Alright, hurry up and come back.”

 

“You can’t suddenly go somewhere while I’m away, okay?”

 

“What are you doing when I don’t even have nowhere to go?”

 

But you’re a magician who can suddenly disappear from this spot. I deliberately didn’t say anything and went downstairs, telling the guy to wait patiently.

 

And while I was ordering, I returned after ignoring the cafe owner who subtly asked me about Dante.

 

How long has it been since I was away? There were people next to Dante who I hadn’t seen before.

 

“…”

 

It’s even so fast. I feel like less than 5 minutes have passed.

 

I stopped in the same position as I was about to return to my seat holding the vibrating bell. There was quite a distance between the stairs and the table, so people, including Dante, didn’t seem to notice me, but at least I could clearly see the situation on the other side from here

 

I had guessed that something like this would happen someday.

 

For some reason, a mischievous feeling filled me, so I leaned against the staircase railing and started looking over. I felt like the person passing by me going down the stairs was looking at me strangely, but I pretended not to see him. If anyone were in this situation, they would have just watched/

 

It was two girls who spoke to Dante, and judging by their tense and flushed expressions, it seemed like they were asking for his number.

 

Even though Dante doesn’t have a cell phone himself. If they need to contact someone, it would be me, though. What a pity.

 

Normally, people become wary when someone shows interest in their partner, but strangely enough, I found this situation just as exciting. It would be a lie if I said I didn’t care at all, but I thought it was more fun to watch rather than negative feelings.

 

I don’t even know why I’m doing this. I don’t usually trust Dante to a grandiose degree, nor do I have a lot of confidence in myself. Is it simply because I remember that Dante went crazy when I was away?

 

As I leaned crookedly on the railing and thought about it, I realized that the reason had to do with the children’s ages.

 

Unless they’re like me and Dante, people’s faces usually reveal their approximate age. And those kids only looked like they were in their early or mid-20s at best.

 

My actual age means that I don’t think it’s enough for those kids to call me by any other title beyond sister…

 

Well, because I’m that age. When I see children much younger than me, they just feel cute, and there’s no way I’m jealous. If there is someone who feels petty despite the overwhelming age difference, that makes them less of a human being.

 

Perhaps he knew that I was observing the situation with interest, but soon I noticed Dante shaking his head and refusing something. The kids hesitated, circling around until I was wondering what was so disappointing, and eventually returned to their seats.

 

Only after the glances had subsided to the end did I quietly appear in front of Dante.

 

I felt strange inside because I saw that his expressionless face cleared up as soon as he saw me.

 

“You’re here?”

 

“Yeah.I ordered it, so we can bring it later.”

 

I used the interlude to teach Dante about the vibrating bell. It’s an item to let customers know that the food they ordered has arrived.

 

Dante sat quietly and seemed to listen to my explanation, then suddenly opened his mouth.

 

“A while ago, people I didn’t know came here.”

 

“Uh, really?”

 

I thought he was going to pretend nothing happened, yet he ended up saying this? I, who had planned to secretly think about it on the way home, looked at Dante curiously. I didn’t think Dante would say this first, you know?

 

“What did those people say?”

 

“They asked if I had a girlfriend, and if I didn’t, whether they could ask for my number.”

 

It’s exactly what I expected, so I’m not really surprised. I let out a small laugh without realizing it, but then Dante’s intense gaze turned towards me and I cleared my throat slightly.

 

“Um, so. Did you answer you have?”

 

“Mmhm.”

 

Yeah, there’s no other answer there. To me who didn’t think it was that big of a deal, Dante added another comment.

 

“And I said we were planning to get married soon.”

 

“…Why did you say that?”

 

“I can’t say we’re married, so I want to at least say we’re on the verge of getting married.”

 

I was the one left speechless by Dante’s shamelessness. For a moment, his tone was so calm that I wondered if he had decided to get married twice without my knowledge.

 

“I guess there is such a thing as an engagement culture here, right?”

 

The way he softly smiles while saying that is ridiculously pretty. I was about to check to see if the kids who had just returned were looking this way again, but I stopped because I thought I’d do something about it.

 

“There is, but it will mostly remain as a formality… Usually, lovers get married right away.”

 

“Like we did?”

 

Why do you think I keep trying to get confirmation that we’re married? I looked at Dante with a suspicious eye, then sighed and answered.

 

“Yeah, just like we did.”

 

When I obediently said yes, Dante smiled happily, clasped his hands and kissed the back of my hand.

 

At that moment, a sound that sounded like regret was heard from afar. When I turned my head and looked towards where the sound came from, I saw the kids hurriedly avoiding my gaze.

 

The way I kept glancing and observing people’s eyes made it seem like I had no intention of showing off like this. It looks weak and restless.

 

“What else did you say to them?”

 

When I asked in a whisper, barely moving my mouth, Dante, who had been watching in amazement, lowered his voice and spoke.

 

“When I said there was someone I was going to marry, it seemed like they didn’t believe it.”

 

“They are so needlessly suspicious…”

 

Or maybe they just think it’s such a shame for you. As I added these words, Dante lightly shook my hand and said playfully.

 

“There would be nothing to be ashamed of.”

 

“Why? It may seem to be a shame to others.”

 

Dante blinked for a moment at my words.

 

“If I were to say that I lived like a wreck for 10 years because my wife died, that wouldn’t be the case, you know?”

 

…It was a truly refreshing form of self-objectification.