A Glamorous Outing
...Here again.
You didn't deliberately choose to pass through here, did you?
O-of course not.
It was a rare day out together with Gille.
But of all places... we were passing through the very spot where we'd first met.
She claimed not to care, but it couldn't have been a pleasant memory.
...It doesn't matter whether you meant to or not.
More importantly, explain why you replaced a perfectly good training session with an outing.
If you've decided I no longer need training, then I'd be willing to reconsider the rest of our schedule—
Um, no? That's not it.
...
I was a fool to expect anything from you.
I don't care what we do, but I want to leave this place as soon as possible.
I can't bear the racket those insects are making.
I looked around and noticed people frowning or whispering as they passed Gille and me.
Gille was right... We had no reason to linger here.
Welcome!
Oh! You're that handsome customer from the other day!
Is the flower you bought last time growing well?
Ah, I see! So the person you were buying a gift for was...
...Hmm. Your little sister? No... You don't really look alike...
Who are you calling this fool's little sister?
My master is the only one above me—
Ah! She's my... cousin! My cousin!
Oh, your cousin!
I thought there was something like that about you two!
I barely managed to cut Gille off.
That could have become awkward in all sorts of ways...
I should've known something was wrong when you suggested an outing.
You made such a fuss that I thought you were taking me somewhere extraordinary. And it's just this place?
It's so cramped and full of flowers. Even a prison would be preferable.
Mm-hmm, you're right... I've been worried that my shop might be too cramped too...
Please don't take everything she says to heart...
Hehe, it's just that your little cousin is so adorable.
...Adorable?
You there. You see these wings, yet you truly don't know who I am?
You must know I'm an Executor, and you still call me adorable? Where does that confidence come from?
...An Executor?
Hmm... I feel like I've heard that word somewhere...
But whether you're an Executor or not, why should I be afraid of you or dislike you for no reason?
You've never harmed me. I don't think I have any reason to hate you.
...
Never harmed you, you say.
Maybe another version of me... wasn't so merciful.
Pardon?
Hmph. Forget it. Don't pick apart everything I mutter to myself.
...The more I see of NOA, the more I realize this city is full of strange people.
Come again, handsome customer! And bring your little cousin!
That woman... She kept it up to the very end.
Of course, the shopkeeper had said she was giving us the freebie because Gille was adorable...
I never asked you to buy anything. You decided on your own to call it a gift.
...And I can't stand that woman's personality either.
Dealing with her is exhausting.
Hah! Cheerful?
Apparently you don't realize that labeling other people's emotions is one of your worst habits.
...
Even when I regain my power, I'll make a special exception and destroy that flower shop last.
Coming from Gille, that was the highest compliment possible.
Judging by how tightly she was clutching the shopping bag... she must have liked the visit.
...Since we're already out, I wouldn't mind stopping by one more place.
If there's a library nearby, that is.
Huh? A library?
Why are you so surprised? There's simply something I need.
Don't delude yourself into thinking I want to spend more time with you.
I wasn't thinking that!
Hmph. Good.
Then lead the way to the library.
...Why must books be so heavy?
I really don't understand you primitive humans.
They're all things that would disappear if you burned them anyway.
As soon as we reached the library, Gille began searching for books in the catalog.
In the end, she found three.
Easy Steps to Balcony Gardening!
Raising Your First Houseplant from Scratch
A Beginner's Guide to Indoor Plants
You don't need to read the titles so carefully.
...Every time I see that idiotic expression of yours, my head starts to ache.
You're going to read all of these?
Knowledge cannot be gained through shortcuts or wishful thinking.
Even as my master's Executor, how else am I to learn about the lives of you dull-witted creatures?
You should be honored that I, my master's representative, am personally making an effort to understand your kind.
Apparently, Gille was more studious than I'd imagined.
Hmm... That was a little surprising. It wasn't what I'd expected.
Anyway, I'm taking these books.
Don't just stand there staring. Carry at least one.
She'd met someone unlike the people she knew and begun putting real care into something.
Maybe Gille really was changing, little by little.