<h4>Chapter 21: First Date</h4>


    "So? Will you be my girlfriend for this hour and let me taste a little of adult life before I fully bloom?" Reylin smirked.


    He went ''Oh, and added, "I hope you don''t mind polygamy. That''smon here, I suppose?"


    "Scoundrel," La red at Reylin, then she gave up.


    She put her hand on the desk and asked, "Which one would look good?"


    Reylin''s eyes went down, and he immediately grasped the ring with red jewelry on it. He put it on La''s finger and said, "With this, you are my girlfriend... Unfortunately, just for one hour, but let''s make this hour memorable."


    The red stone on the golden ring was one of the most expensive presents La had received in her whole life.


    She didn''t need to question Reylin about his choice.


    Of all colors, red and orange were probably his favorites. In the scattered jewelry, this one-piece looked the closest to mes, which represented Reylin the best.


    Just one piece of jewelry brought such an image!


    One could think it was intentional from Reylin, but what was the truth?


    He smiled and said, "This one is chosen by me. Take another one for yourself, and that will be my present."


    [Your friendship with La has increased by 100.]


    "You don''t have to spoil me so much," La said, but urged by Reylin''s smile, she took a ne for herself, "As I said before, those are definitely stolen. That''s why I will only wear those in my shop and for this one hour."


    "Good choice. It makes these two jewels more remarkable," Reylin replied, then stood up.


    He tried to, but Monica clung to his thighs, and she didn''t let him go. It looked like his patting and body were a perfect nap spot for thiszydy! She even purred in dissatisfaction, which made Reylin look at her with odd eyes.


    Atst, Monica let him go and returned to her desk, which was her usual sleeping spot.


    "Have fun," She said before returning to her sleep.


    Reylin checked her head to see whether no cat ears hid within her hair, then turned his eyes to La, "Where did you find her?"


    "It''s a long story," La replied, not hinting at anything.


    It was fine since it was a unique hour for both of them.


    La packed the other jewels. A few of them went directly to her room while the other unfortunately had to be sold in the underground market.


    The underground market was in every kingdom, and it was an inseparable part of it.


    It was visited mainly by criminals and people who didn''t want to rely on the kingdom. One could find people from various backgrounds here.


    Reylin smiled, "How about we split our date into two parts? I am not really fond of the idea of our first date in the underground."


    "First part is on you, then," La replied.


    She went to get changed, but Reylin stopped her and said, "I am here wearing some armor from a monster. You think I will let you bully me?


    "We will stand out, either way," La retorted, but Reylin didn''t give in.


    Atst, the duo left the magic shop in their everyday clothes.


    La wore her mage robes, covering her whole body, while Reylin just kept the armor he''d dropped before. His whole equipment wascking, and he nned to buy a more serious one ahead of his level.


    With his EXP Bonus Item, he would level up like crazy soon, so Reylin nned ahead.


    The beginner city was actually The Blue Rose Kingdom''s capital.


    Even without the sudden influx of yers, it would have bustled with people. Of course, the yers added a different charm, and most of them did things that no citizen would have done before.


    Really.


    It was particrly amusing looking at the yers indulging in the new food and cuisine. Some of them were inviting residents, primarilydies, in the hope of tasting a little more of that thrilling life.


    Reylin and La walked around the city with thedy holding onto his arm.


    He was tall for his age, and Reylin didn''t look young. His personality and crazy outburst exposed his age better than his overall appearance.


    They walked, looking for a restaurant that would be romantic and not so flooded by others.


    It was akin to something impossible in such a big city, and the couple settled on just a walk beneath the stars.


    Reylin asked, "Why independent route? I''ve heard about the benefits the new yers receive from the Mage''s Union. A few of them kept jumping from joy."


    "I was the same... Jumping from joy, I mean," La replied, hinting at the sad past.


    Since it was his first date, Reylin took some time to form his following words. In the end, he decided to be the honest man he''d swore to be, "So, what''s the ideal first date like? Should we touch the sensitive topics?"


    "Why did you think I went independent? The Mage''s Union is a great source of knowledge and resources, but I ended up separating myself from them. Now that you''ve touched this topic, you must bear with me and listen." La said without stopping.


    Her story was miserable.


    From a rural vige, she came to the big city and learned magic under the eyes of the powerful mage. That mage always praised her, and he became the fatherly figure for La. However, that was all lies, and La had learned about it after conducting the most important research in her life.


    That man backstabbed her, took La''s research as his own, and created the grand spell!


    "You aren''t the first one to suffer such a fate, La," Reylin said.


    For the first time, he intertwined his hand with hers and didn''t let her distance herself from himself. His words were also unexpected, and La stared at him. She momentarily stopped, but Reylin drew her closer, and their walk continued.


    After exining just a little about his background, Reylin said, "People will do everything to improve or to keep their self-esteem high. They will hurt even those the closest to them. I have heard, and I even saw a lot of people wounded by their closest ones." His eyes looked back to the past.


    And Reylin repeated the words of his father, "Not many could return to their feet, but you did. You haven''t let the pain get into you, and you haven''t given up on your dreams as the mage. You tread on your path with the crown in your hands."


    "..."


    "I might have slipped up since I haven''t visited my father''s office in a long time. Anyway, you have started your magic shop in the same capital as that man. You have galls, La. Haha," Reylinughed and raised her chin, "You want revenge, don''t you?"


    "All I think about is my business... But... What''s your name? Rey mes Lin... It''s not your name, is it?" La asked, no longer staring but still allowing this youngster to hold her chin.


    Reylin snickered, "Well, you must have seen a lot of weird nicknames. It''s Reylin for you."


    "So you just have put mes in between your name..." La didn''t know how to answer that, but her lips curved up into a charming smile.


    Their walk beneath the stars continued, "It felt good to let it out."


    "Lazy woman is a bad listener?"


    "It''s different. I see Monica every day, and she also has her own burden."


    "All of you need a man. We can only wish the best for thezy woman," Reylin snickered, then looked at the clock.


    It was exactly midnight, so he whispered, "I guess that''s it for the first part of our date."


    "Disappointed that instead of tasting adult life, you have tasted a little grief from this olderdy?" La asked while wearing a faint smile.


    Reylin shrugged, "I never expected that, to be honest. I said it to make you conscious about it, and that''s it."


    "And you did. I wasn''t sure what you would think of, you know? It ended up as a pleasant walk, and the sky is strangely too starry today. It seems they all aligned for us." La looked up and whispered slowly.


    "Ever thought about blowing up the stars?" Reylin asked.


    "Who would? But... Star Explosion Skill sounds cool, I guess?" La tilted her head, seriously pondering about the grand skill.


    She had never done it because her teacher snatched her chance away, but such a name sounded indeed epic for the first skill.


    Reylin chuckled, "Do I have to tell the ingredients for that spell?"


    "No need."


    He was inwardly pleased with the date as well.


    For this whole hour, Reylin didn''t think of mes. He did it at the end after he became conscious of his inward calmness.


    He always found peace in mes, but with the woman by his side, it seemed like he''d achieved the same.


    The mes weren''t on his mind, and La was the source of warmth and excitement.


    At the end of the day, Reylin was the man!


    He chuckled, "Now onto the second part, La."


    "It''s long due overtime, but I feel like inviting you for the second date."


    "Then, the first one was a sess."