Staring at Solis in silence, I waited patiently for her explanation.
However, instead of answering, she gently placed the photograph back down and picked up the flower pots from earlier. With a bright smile, she turned towards me.
"Since you're already here, why don't we go for a walk?" Her words were laced with a hint of playfulness.
I blinked in surprise at the sudden change of topic. "A walk?"
She nodded, her smile turning mischievous. "Consider it a date~" Solis winked.
A date in the black market, of all places? Well, it wasn't like it could harm me in any way. Plus, I needed to ensure she got home safely and inquire further about what she had mentioned earlier...
I sighed and shook my head before falling into step behind her.
...
..
.
Moments later.
"Let's go over there," Solis suggested, using her lips to point toward one of the food stalls that was selling snake skewers.
I purchased two skewers using my pocket money and offered one to Solis. She grinned mischievously and replied, "I'm holding something. Feed me."
I blinked my eyes for a moment and glanced at the pots she was holding. I tried to ask earlier if needed help, but insisted that she didn't. So, in the end, I complied, feeding her a piece of the snake skewer. It had a slightly fishy taste, likely from being a type of water snake.
"Mmm~" Solis seemed to be enjoying her snack, despite its unique flavor.
As I took a bite from my own skewer, I couldn't help but observe Solis. It was surprising that she could eat such unusual food without being disgusted. Then again, she had lived in this area for years, so I supposed it was only natural.
Noticing my gaze, Solis paused her eating and turned to me, tilting her head innocently. "Is there something wrong with my face?"
I shook my head gently, offering a warm smile. "It's nothing. I was just a bit surprised that you eat stuff like this... Are snakes your favorite?"
Solis pondered for a moment, her eyes closed in thought. When she opened them, she replied, "No, they're not my favorite. But someone once told me that we need to eat to survive. So, even if the food tastes terrible, I'll still eat it because I don't want it to go to waste."
...Her life must've been a tough one, indeed.
Solis seemed to sense my thoughts and chuckled.
"It's tough, but not as tough as you might think."
She finished the last bite of her skewer, then looked around and spotted another exotic food in the distance.
"Let's go there next!"
***
An hour had passed since our "date".
Solis had led me to various places that were unfamiliar to me. We explored numerous shops, and I ended up buying her some accessories at discounted prices, thanks to her ability to influence the shopkeepers. Our adventure also took us to a casino, where we nearly got into trouble with a cliché scenario involving a guy approaching Solis. I reacted instinctively, which led to a confrontation, but we managed to escape the situation in haste after beating some sense to that guy.
Once we were safely away from the casino and its patrons, we found a bench to rest on. Solis placed the flower pots on the ground beside her and leaned back comfortably.
"Ah..." She let out a contented sigh.
I sat down next to her, feeling relieved that we had evaded any further conflict.
"Contractor, wanna hear my story?" Solis asked, her words drawing my attention.
Finally...!
I immediately perked up, genuinely curious to hear her story.
Chuckling, Solis looks at me and spoke, "My sister and I used to be traveling philosophers before we encountered the others. She was our leader, the one who founded what would later become the Nameless Squad... Originally, she wanted to call it the 'Philosophical Bunch,' but..."
She stopped abruptly.
"Anyway, due to some twist of fate, my sister and I crossed paths with the three who were living in the slums back then," she continued, her expression growing nostalgic as she spoke.
"My sister was always the helpless one... She insisted on adopting those three and bringing them along on our adventures."
Solis pinched the bridge of her nose in embarrassment, her cheeks slightly flushed. "I, too, was enthusiastic about her idea back then and suggested we take a photograph."
I guess that's the story behind that photograph, huh...
After clearing her throat and regaining her composure, Solis let out a deep sigh. "Everything was going well. The three of them joined us, and we traveled together, enjoying our adventures as a team."
She paused, her gaze drifting downward.
"It was until during one of our journeys, we stumbled upon a Ruin, much like the one we visited the other day. There, we discovered strange symbols, almost similar to those we found with you."
Solis picked up a nearby stick and began to draw symbols on the ground while explaining.
'No hero has come across no sacrifice. Life has been beneath the PARADISE, death is above the world.'
These symbols... They're also english.
I watched her draw these English symbols in awe. How could she remember something she didn't understand, especially after so many years?
She continued, 'Heed no words from above for it held no truths. The prophet of—'
Suddenly, she stopped and rose to her feet.
"That's all I can remember," she concluded.
Rather than feeling disappointed, I was impressed by her ability to recall a language she didn't understand, especially one she had seen many years ago.
"It was because of this symbol that my sister started to change," she explained, her eyes taking on a sharp edge. "She became desperate to rid herself of Occiditis' Blessings."
"Blessings?"
Does that mean Occiditis was a chosen hero!!?
She seemed surprised by my reaction. "Surprising, isn't it? Who would want to remove the blessings given by a goddess? That person must be an idiot..."
The side of my lips flinched in annoyance, but I recovered quickly... That's not what I'm surprised about... Plus, I'm not an idiot!
I almost wanted to correct her, but I held my tongue.
I see... Her sister must've realized about what the stupid Goddess had been doing thanks to the message, and did everything in order to remove Occiditis from being a hero... Wait, does that mean she could understand English?
Before I could even ask something, Solis continued to speak.
"Anyways! She successfully removed the Blessings, but did something really stupid that pissed me off. In the end, it was because of this that I decided to push her off a cliff to kill her." She says while laughing, but I could somehow feel an amalgam of emotions.
One thing that I noticed was the lingering Regret.
"There's no need for you to feel sad about my backstory since it's not worth it."
Solis tried to use her influence over me, but I resisted her power.
I knew that her ability was dangerous, and I couldn't afford to let her continue on influencing me, especially given the unpredictable nature of the situation I was in.
I mean... Who knows? All of them might become my enemy tomorrow.
Unless I defeat the demoness, I couldn't completely let my guard down when it comes to them.
As she stood up and moved to the handrails, I kept a watchful eye on her. Her hair danced in the wind as she leaned forward, her arms resting on the railing. Her gaze seemed to fixate on something below.
"I wonder what it feels like to fall from such a high place..." she mused, her voice carrying an eerie tone.
Her words sent a shiver down my spine... Was she thinking about something suicidal again?
I was on the verge of speaking when Solis turned her head to face me.
"Contractor, if you know that everything will eventually lead to the inevitable, would you still fight till the end?"
For a moment, I remained silent, my thoughts churning. Solis looked at the sky while waiting for my response.
I finally took a deep breath before replying.
"No."
"...Eh?"
Why would I waste my life on that in the first place? For a reward...?
Hell, no!
Her reaction was one of surprise. "I thought you'd say something like, 'Of course! Even if I fail, at least I tried, right?' or something similar."
I cringed at her words and shook my head. "You see, Solis, there comes a time when giving up is necessary. But that doesn't mean you should give up on life itself."
I paused, choosing my words carefully. "Believing that hard work alone can solve everything is a fallacy. Sometimes, it's essential to accept the reality we're faced with."
If you think you can solve everything just by working hard, you really need to wake up to reality.... And I'd be happy to help you with that.
Sighing, I rose from the bench and moved to stand beside her, both of us gazing at the sky.
"Someday, you guys will eventually face the inevitable... That's what life is all about, to suffer is to improve. We don't know what may happen since none of us know anything about the future."
Because of my interference in this story, I wonder how long will it take for the butterfly effect to show.
While I was thinking deeply, Solis suddenly turned her head towards my direction..
"I'm sorry for Reaper's attitude back then."
Scratching her cheeks, Solis revealed an awkward smile on her face. "She's a good girl. Just typically like that to other people she don't trust... Well, she have trust issues because of her past."
Trust issues, eh?
Curiosity piqued, I couldn't resist asking, "What do you mean by trust issues?"
Solis hesitated, her expression brightening as she continued, "I can't say much more, Contractor. But try to build a friendly relationship with her; I'm sure she'll open up to you over time...."
I guess this should be fine. It's clear that I can't just force her to reveal something that she don't want to say.
With that, she took a few steps forward, then turned around, leaning in until our faces were inches apart.
"You know, as an apology for her past behavior, I'll let you take my first kiss."
"....?"
I stood there completely silent for a moment. In front of me, she was showing a teasing smile with her eyes closed.
Instead of feeling motivated or happy about her sudden statement, I felt rather... Annoyed?
I took a step back and flicked her forehead, causing her to exclaim, "Ow!" as she rubbed her forehead and pouted.
"What did you do that for?" she asked.
Pinching the middle of my brows, I sighed deeply. "You know, your actions are annoying me."
Solis retorted with mock offense, "What?! Don't you want to kiss a pretty girl like me? Are you perhaps gay?"
"Of course not, idiot!" I flicked her forehead again, harder this time, and she winced.
"Ow... Boo!"
Honestly, what am I supposed to do with her.... Eh?
Her pouting demeanor somehow struck me as cute, and I ended up leaning closer to her ear, whispering, "You know, you..."
...Kinda reminds me of someone.
"Seem more precious than any princess in my eyes."
...What the f*ck did I just said?
Although I wanted to die from embarrassment, I decided to keep it inside and go with the flow.
Of course, out of everyone in the group, I consider her ability to be more useful. If not for the demoness, I would have tried to make her stronger faster than original by using some cheat consumable items that was mentioned on the novel.
"!!!?"
Her smile froze upon hearing this, and she attempted to push me away. "W-what are you saying!?"
I held both of her hands and leaned in, bringing our faces close again.
"Honestly, seeing this new side of you is kind of cute... I might tease you for an hobby."
"!!!?"
As the clouds began to slowly clear out of the sun's way, the sunlight began to hit both our face.
Upon observing her current expression up close, I found that her face was on full blush mode.
"Y-You..."
I egged her on, "You...?"
"Pervert, ecchi, lewd!!!"
...what?
She immediately pulled back her hands and turned around, walking away in a grumpy manner.
This girl...No, you don't!
"H-hey..." I grabbed her collar from behind, pulling her towards me.
"Kyaa~!?"
Clang-!
I pushed her towards the railings, lifted her chin and looks at her straight in the eyes.
"C-c-contractor....? I'm...."
I stopped her from continuing by placing the thumb of my right hand that I was using to lift her chin.
Her back was hitting the railings and both her hands were clutching to her chest. With my right foot stepping on the railings to prevent her escape, I grinned teasingly.
"When did I say anything about refusing your apologies, Princess~?"
With that, I leaned in and stole her first kiss.