(TL Notes: I recommend listening to Fate/Stay Night OST, bro reminded me of Heaven's feel Shirou.)
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[You still remember that your agreed meeting time with Arthur was at noon, not now.]
[Logically speaking, he shouldn't be here yet.]
[His act of arriving early made you realize how much this meeting meant to him.]
[However, you didn't trust this conclusion immediately and continued observing from the shadows for a while.]
Arthur was standing at the inn's entrance, waiting.
From his appearance, it seemed he had deliberately freshened up, and he was wearing a much nicer outfit compared to yesterday.
A small cloth pouch was tied around his waist, filled with the gold coins he had earned from selling apples.
Arthur's golden hair was gathered into a small bun at the back of his head, making him look much more energetic.
Honestly, if he hadn't personally confirmed it himself, Rei was certain he would have mistaken Arthur for some village girl.
After all, Arthur's features were simply too delicate.
Despite waiting for a long time, Arthur showed no signs of impatience.
On the contrary, he seemed to be in a good mood.
When a few mischievous children passed by and called him "big sister" out of ignorance, he merely patted their heads and laughed it off.
[You observed in secret for half an hour, confirming that Arthur had no suspicious behavior.]
[Feigning nonchalance, you finally stepped out of the shadows.]
[Upon meeting him, you complimented Arthur on his early arrival.]
"Arthur, you're really early."
Rei walked up to him.
"I remember we agreed on noon, yet here you are already."
"Well, I'm staying just upstairs," Arthur explained. "It wouldn't be right if someone who traveled farther arrived before me while I was so close by."
"That would be far too rude."
"Besides—"
Arthur smiled at Rei, like a delicate white flower blooming in the fields.
"Sir Rei, didn't you also arrive early?"
When you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes back into you.
Rei had no real argument against Arthur's reasoning.
"Alright, at least for now, we seem to be the same kind of people."
"But, isn't it a bit too early for a meal? I know you can eat for a long time, but watching you eat all day would be quite the ordeal for me."
Rei had no intention of letting Arthur pay.
After all, judging by yesterday's appetite, the coins he had earned from selling apples wouldn't be enough to cover it.
Arthur's face flushed instantly, clearly embarrassed.
He quickly tried to defend himself:
"It's not like that! I… I never intended to make Sir Rei watch me eat all day."
"I was thinking…"
Seeing Arthur hesitate, Rei crossed his arms, looking quite relaxed.
"There's no need to beat around the bush. Just say what you want to say."
"I already came here as promised. Do you think I'd mind now?"
"Then—"
Arthur looked around.
Everything here seemed incredibly novel to him.
"Sir Rei, would it be too much trouble… to show me around the city?"
"..."
Rei's silence made Arthur tense up immediately.
"Is… is that a difficult request? If so, please allow me to apologize for my rudeness."
"It's far from difficult."
Rei reached out and ruffled Arthur's hair.
"Rather, I just wasn't expecting such a simple request from you."
"If you wanted to go sightseeing, you could've just said so earlier."
"Ah—"
Arthur's emerald-green eyes sparkled with gratitude.
"Then I'll be in your care!"
[Per Arthur's request, you took him on a tour around the city.]
[Because of his strikingly delicate features and today's androgynous outfit, it wasn't long before he started attracting attention.]
[The capital, distant from the front lines, lacked exciting topics of conversation, so you and Arthur quickly became the center of gossip.]
—
"My god, that knight who always serves the princess finally has some romantic sense?"
"Who is that? So many girls have tried to get Captain Rei's attention, and he ignored them all. But now, he's making an exception for this one?"
"Who knows? But honestly, Captain Rei barely looks his age. If they walked together as a couple, no one would bat an eye."
—
More and more strange murmurs filled the air.
Arthur, clearly uncomfortable, looked visibly flustered—he probably never expected such a simple request to stir up this much attention.
He was starting to realize that the knight who had been patting his head was far more respected than he had imagined.
Rei, on the other hand, had the opposite reaction.
—
Without the slightest shift in his expression, he reassured Arthur, "It's fine. Don't let it bother you."
Then, under Arthur's watchful gaze, he smoothly unsheathed his sword and raised it toward the sky.
The sunlight reflected off the silver-white blade, its surface shining brilliantly.
Anyone with common sense knew what this meant—"If any of you keep spewing nonsense, don't blame me for taking action right here and now."
Silence blanketed the street instantly.
Everyone knew Rei was a good-natured man.
But when a good-natured man lost his temper, it was terrifying.
No one dared to test his patience.
In this newfound quiet, Rei turned to Arthur and said,
"Let's go. They won't be saying anything else now."
"Um… alright."
[You weren't entirely sure why you did that.]
[You just felt that, as a knight, you should draw your sword—so you did.]
[But judging by the results, it didn't seem like a bad decision.]
—
[You wandered the city with Arthur for quite a while.]
[Though he was the one who invited you, in the end, you were the one footing the bill.]
[Arthur's arms were steadily filling up with the things you bought for him.]
[His gaze toward you also seemed to change ever so slightly.]
—
"Not bad, huh?"
Rei, walking ahead, glanced back at Arthur following behind him.
"Anything else you want?"
"N-No! I've got more than enough!" Arthur hurriedly shook his head.
His arms were already overloaded with everything Rei had purchased.
"Sir Rei, this is way too much!"
"It's fine. It's just a little money." Rei dismissed the concern lightly.
"But rather than worrying about that—"
"Is there anything else you'd like to do?"
—
Arthur's gaze drifted toward the distant city walls.
Despite the passage of time, they still stood tall, steadfastly protecting the capital in their simplest, most unembellished form.
"Sir Rei."
"If possible… could you take me up there for a look?"