Chapter 62: The Worst Date in the World (II)
Kael tucked the torn pieces of the manual into one of his jacket pockets.
"Sorry, Luna.
You must have worked hard on it."
Seraphina walked beside him with her hands behind her back.
"We can glue it back together later."
Kael let out a small laugh.
"I don’t think that would help much."
"Probably not."
For the first time since the date had begun...
The silence was no longer uncomfortable.
It was just a quiet silence.
One that neither of them felt the need to break.
They walked for a few minutes without a fixed direction until a small stone building caught Kael’s attention.
Above the door hung an old wooden sign.
Arcane Eldrin Bookstore.
Kael’s eyes lit up.
"Should we go in?"
Seraphina immediately nodded.
"Yes."
---
As they opened the door, the smell of old paper and ink filled the air.
The shelves reached almost to the ceiling.
There were books on history.
Magic.
Beasts.
Botany.
Alchemy.
Even adventure novels.
Kael practically disappeared among the shelves.
Seraphina walked calmly through another section.
Five minutes later...
They both ran into each other almost at the same time.
Kael was holding a huge book in his hands.
The cover showed a monster with seven legs and a ridiculously elegant hat.
"Look at this!"
Seraphina looked at the cover.
The Hundred Most Ridiculous Creatures Ever Recorded.
Kael opened a random page.
"Listen to this.
’The Explosive Tin Rabbit.’"
He read for a few seconds before starting to laugh.
"It says it explodes every time it sneezes."
"How does it stay alive?"
Seraphina also read the text.
"It says here it usually doesn’t survive."
Kael laughed again.
"That explains a lot."
She lifted another book.
Its cover showed different magical felines.
"I found this one."
History of the Mystical Felines of the North.
Kael smiled.
"I knew you’d end up in the cat section."
"Yes.
It was pretty predictable."
She flipped through some pages.
"There’s one that sleeps twenty hours a day."
Kael raised an eyebrow.
"Reminds me of someone."
They both slowly turned their heads.
Very close to the window...
The Little Fat King was fast asleep on an armchair that clearly wasn’t his.
No one knew when he had arrived.
Or how he had found such a comfortable spot.
He was just there.
Snoring.
Kael sighed.
"I take it back.
Twenty-four hours."
Seraphina smiled.
"Reminds me of someone too."
---
Behind another shelf...
Luna peeked just one eye out.
She had a new notebook.
The previous one had become unusable after Kael tore it up.
She was writing frantically.
"Unexpected route change."
"Target off the itinerary."
"Both seem happy."
Beside her, Aurelion calmly flipped through a book.
"I think you should stop taking notes."
"Why?"
"Because none of this depends on your plan anymore."
Luna frowned.
"But..."
She observed them again.
Kael and Seraphina were seriously discussing which monster was more absurd.
Neither looked uncomfortable.
Neither was pretending.
They were just talking.
As always.
Aurelion closed his book.
"That was exactly what they needed."
---
Meanwhile...
In another part of the city.
"COME BACK!!"
Darius ran completely exhausted.
In front of him...
Sir Dogerino was chasing a huge group of pigeons.
"Woof!!"
The birds took flight.
The dog ran after them, completely happy.
To him, it was the best game in the world.
"That’s not training!!"
Shouted Darius.
Sir Dogerino didn’t even turn around.
He kept running.
A piece of bread fell to the ground.
The dog immediately changed his target.
Now he was chasing the bread.
A child screamed.
"My food!!"
Sir Dogerino immediately dropped the bread.
He wagged his tail.
He thought the child wanted to play.
The kid ran off.
The dog ran after him.
Darius felt like he was going to faint.
"Why does this always happen to me!?"
---
Luna slowly closed her notebook.
"..."
"Where’s Darius?"
Aurelion looked at his watch.
"I hope he’s still alive."
---
After buying a couple of books...
Kael and Seraphina kept walking.
They reached a small park.
There was a lake.
Ducks.
Children playing.
And huge trees providing shade.
They found an empty bench.
Sat down.
Silence appeared again.
But this time...
It was pleasant.
Kael rested both arms on the backrest.
"I like this."
"Me too."
Seraphina looked at the lake.
"It’s peaceful."
Kael nodded.
"Much better than that café."
"Yes."
They were quiet for a few seconds.
Then Kael pointed at the book she was carrying.
"Do you really like cats that much?"
Seraphina answered without taking her eyes off the lake.
"Very much."
"Even the Fat King?"
She smiled just a little.
"Especially him.
Even if he tries to hit me."
Kael let out a small laugh.
"That explains a lot."
Seraphina tilted her head slightly.
"Like what?"
"Like the absurd number of photos you have of him."
She answered completely seriously.
"I have one hundred and forty-eight."
Kael’s eyes went wide.
"..."
"You counted them?"
"Yes."
"That’s a little scary."
"Luna says the same."
They both laughed.
A completely natural laugh.
Without realizing it...
They had been talking for several minutes without needing to consult any manual.
---
A few meters away...
The Fat King was still sleeping on the bench where he had decided to settle.
An old man walked by.
Looked at him.
"What an adorable cat."
He tried to pet him.
The Fat King opened one eye.
Looked at him.
The old man slowly withdrew his hand.
"..."
"I don’t think he wants to."
The cat went back to sleep.
As if nothing had happened.
---
Suddenly...
A loud noise caught everyone’s attention.
"I CAUGHT HIM!!"
Darius appeared completely covered in dirt.
He had Sir Dogerino hugged around the waist.
He was breathing heavily.
The dog was still wagging his tail.
As if he had thoroughly enjoyed the walk.
Luna looked at them.
Then at the state of Darius’s uniform.
Then at the dog.
"..."
"I’m sorry."
Darius let out a tired laugh.
"I thought it would be easy too."
Sir Dogerino licked his face.
"Woof!"
"No.
Don’t thank me.
Just... please...
Stay still for five minutes."
The dog obeyed.
Exactly five seconds.
Then he saw a squirrel.
"WOOF!"
And he shot off again.
Darius fell to his knees.
"..."
"I quit."
Aurelion burst out laughing so loudly that several people turned to look at him.
Luna dropped onto a bench.
"I think organizing a date was much simpler than I thought..."
Aurelion shook his head with a smile.
"No.
Organizing the date was easy.
The hard part...
Was controlling Kael’s summons."
They both looked toward the park.
Kael and Seraphina were still talking calmly.
Laughing.
Discussing magical creatures.
Sharing book recommendations.
Without realizing it...
The worst date in the world...
Had slowly become...
A very good afternoon.
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