The theater was steadily filling up with patrons, signaling that the play was about to begin.
"……Um, so, should we, uh, hold hands? How exactly should we do this?"
"I know! Miyama-kun, put your palm facing up, and I'll rest mine on top of yours!"
"Understood."
Following Fia-sensei's request, I turned my hand over as instructed. She gently placed hers upon it.
The slender, smooth feel of her hand sent a sudden jolt through me, but I did my best to focus on the stage. Thankfully, Tre-san had already warned her to behave, so I felt safe knowing there wouldn't be any further advances while we were stuck in our seats during the performance.
The play began—and it turned out to be a heavy romance piece. To be honest, it wasn't a genre I was particularly fond of—the kind I’d usually steer clear of even in movies—but the actors were exceptional. Once the classic story got underway, I found myself quite engrossed.
When I tentatively activated my Sympathy Magic, however, I noticed Fia-sensei didn't seem to be enjoying it much. If anything, the emotions I sensed suggested she felt frustrated.
Fia-sensei was quite the go-getter when it came to romance—actually, she was the type to act the second an idea struck her, regardless of the situation. Perhaps that was why she felt so restless watching this kind of slow-burning love story.
The play lasted a little over an hour. As the crowd began to filter out of the theater, I turned to Fia-sensei.
"Fia-sensei, what did you think?"
"Ah, hahaha... romance is complicated, isn't it? Personally, I just kept thinking they should have hurried up, gone to see each other, and confessed right at the start."
"If they did that, the story would be over in a heartbeat, so that's the tricky part... Anyway, let's check the next envelope."
"Ah, you're right. We shouldn't linger here forever."
We decided to save the rest of our critique for later and opened Envelope Number 4. This time, the instructions were the same for both of us.
'Go to the designated restaurant and order the Couples-only Limited Menu for lunch! *Do not open Envelope Number 5 until after your meal.'
Inside was a map. Fia-sensei and I exchanged a nod and set off toward the specified location.
I didn't visit the North District very often, so I’d never been to the restaurant listed. I had no idea what kind of place to expect.
Then again, it was nearing noon and my stomach was starting to rumble, so the timing was perfect...
At least, that’s what I thought until we reached the shop and came to a dead halt, staring blankly.
Directly in our line of sight, a single sign hung from the restaurant's door: 'Closed Today.'
"……Um, Fia-sensei?"
"Let me tell you something useful, Miyama-kun. The phrase 'preliminary research' simply doesn't exist in Big Sis Tre's dictionary. Ninety percent of her actions are entirely spur-of-the-moment."
"……I see. Well, what should we do now?"
"Hmm... I don't really need to eat, but you'll get hungry, won't you? Let's find somewhere else nearby. It can't be helped if they're closed."
That was fair. Tre-san had planned this, after all... it would actually be more suspicious if everything went perfectly according to plan. Fia-sensei had a look of resignation that said, 'That's Tre for you,' so this must be a common occurrence.
"You're right. Just a second, let me see if I can find a good alternative."
"Oh, it’s Chrome-sama's Book."
"It really is incredibly convenient, isn't it?"
I pulled out the Full Gourmet Eating Guide. This book was even more useful than I’d originally thought; because it covered every single region, it was perfect for finding a delicious spot on the fly.
Furthermore, as long as you ignored the entries for Baby Castella, Kuro's evaluations of taste were remarkably accurate. Shops with high star ratings were almost never a disappointment.
Since she visited my house every day, she updated it the moment a shop closed down, so the information was always current.
"Fia-sensei, do you have any particular favorites?"
"Hmm, that's a tough one. I don't eat very often... Oh, but I do like dishes that use herbs. Basil sauté or herb-grilled meat and such..."
"I see. In that case, let's see... How about this place? Apparently, their Herb-grilled Chicken is quite famous."
"That sounds lovely. It's close by, too... If that works for you, Miyama-kun, let's go there."
Kuro had given it a high rating of seven stars, so it seemed like a solid choice. Just as we were about to head off, Fia-sensei spoke up.
"Hey, hey, Miyama-kun?"
"Yes?"
"Let's hold hands!"
"Eh? N-No, wait, wasn't that instruction only for while we were watching the play?"
"Yeah. But that doesn't matter now. I want to hold hands with you because I want to, Miyama-kun. Is that okay?"
"I-I mean, it's not that it's bad, but it was just so sudden that it caught me off guard."
"Really? I mean, we're on a date with just the two of us, and you're someone I like. Of course I'd want to hold hands."
"……"
As expected of the action-oriented Fia-sensei who hated slow romances. She was so incredibly direct—or rather, her affection was so completely on display that I felt myself flushing with embarrassment.
Without any reason to refuse, I offered my hand. Fia-sensei beamed with a happy smile, took it, and began to lead the way.
"All right! Let's goooo!"
"I hear you... Wait, Fia-sensei! The sign!?"
"Wha— Oof!?"
And then, as if on cue, she activated her trait as a natural clumsy girl and slammed her face right into a protruding sign... Well, what could I say? It was very much like Fia-sensei.
Serious-senpai: "I knew it! This is that pattern where the story just gets sweeter and sweeter... I see right through you! I'm an expert on this!!"
???: "Well, you have been through quite a lot of this yourself by now."