How in the world had he been held in that noisy shop? It was already dark outside. The dark day was slowly coming to an end.

　The countless footsteps that could be heard must also be coming to an end. The footsteps on the way home are playing miscellaneous tones as if they represent the tone of the day.
　If he was full, he would make an undisturbed sound beneath his feet, and if there was one thing he didn't like, his feet would walk heavily on the ground, and if he was tired, he would make a dragging, scraping sound.

　Ars's gait was in a strangely uncomfortable tone for his usual.
　As it should be, he was tired of all sorts of things today.......but not particularly tired of walking. It's not that I'm particularly tired of walking, but my mind can't catch up with the fresh day that I haven't experienced much.

　That's why I'm at a loss as to how to sum up today's day. Maybe I've been able to enjoy the peace that I've enjoyed so much that it's impossible to put the days and today into a single category.

'Thank you, Loki,'
"..........!　What's wrong?
Nothing....nothing...nothing different...I guess.

　Ars thanked her for forcing him to take her out. He also chewed on the importance of it being a somewhat mundane day and learned a lot again.

　Too abruptly, Loki guessed the general rule at Ars's words, "Are you tired? I let out a contained smile.
　That's nothing about the luggage that Ars is carrying. Of course, Loki offered to hold half of it, but as expected, Ars doesn't lack the common sense to let a woman hold it either. Or rather, if he wasn't allowed to do that, it was going to shake his pride in being a man.

　So Ars glanced at the girl beside him.
　Loki's footsteps were light even at this time of day, as if he was stepping with his back hand, step by step. The crunching footsteps beat a rhythm that stood out among the clutter.


'A little...'
'I see. But it's not over yet.
Hey....

　Her rhythm was disrupted and she trundled ahead.
　While the number of people on the street was decreasing, Loki went out to the trident as if she were carving a step. Instead of rushing ahead, Loki jumped over the stone steps like a feather while maintaining a constant distance in front of Ars. He walks as if he were balancing on a poorly footholded wall without sparing his physical abilities.

　Ars's words of advice, "You're in danger," was a warning that wouldn't come out if you looked at her footwork.

　She seems to be expressing unbridled joy.
　Still, the journey home was not likely to end yet, and the long road ahead was peeking out. The streetlights were firmly illuminating their guidance.

　But Loki stopped his last step in front of the shop he wanted and waited for Ars to arrive.

'Do you remember?'
Yeah.

　It's not just the streetlights that illuminate the return journey home, but also the lights of the shop. The shop had a somewhat old and quaint atmosphere, and the smell of what was probably herbs colored the night breeze as it approached.
　Ars sensed a change in the air that filled the scent and filled the mind. It was as if all the outside noise had been erased and a sense of calm flowed through his chest.

　The familiar scent of tea leaves seemed to escape through the nasal cavity. This is an old-fashioned specialty tea shop that also serves as a coffee shop. It seems to be separated from the coffee shop part, and the tea shop part is a good example of the elegant atmosphere of the opposite. Of course, not only tea utensils, but also original blends of tea leaves and tea blends can be made to suit your taste.

　This is where I bought the tea set that Tesfia destroyed. Loki must have been going there to stock up on tea.

　His original purpose was to buy a set of tea sets. It's already becoming an afterthought (...) from the time, but it's a bit late for that now.

　The bell attached to the aged door made a dry, handmade sound.
　Loki took the initiative to greet the woman working at the store, perhaps already a regular. Then he set his sights on the show window without hesitation, as if lured by the scent.

　The wooden interior of the store is strangely relaxing, and the stunning wood grain of the floor seems to convey a different kind of rebound to the soles of your feet with every step you take. If it was filled with so many different scents, the smell must have seeped into the wood. I don't know where the scent is coming from anymore.

　When he came to the back of the show window, Loki bent down to rummage, his gaze alternating from side to side. He seemed to be torn between the two.

　It's a good price there, but that can't be the basis for the decision.

''This one is the same as the one I used before... oh, but it has a slightly new design.''

　Loki was the only one who noticed the small changes in the design of the cups. The design of the teapot and the milk pot also changed slightly, but the design was very similar to the teapot and the milk pot that I was using before.

This one is not so bad either.
Yes, I'm curious about that one too, but I'm still very attached to it.

　If he was attached to it, he could use a similar tea cup.
　So what is bothering Loki, Ars tried to guess, but it was still the quickest way to ask him.

'If you like it that much, then you can have it.
..........
What?

　Loki, who is still staring at Ars with a mid-strength gaze, eventually turns his head back to his face as if he had given up with only a meaningful glance.
　It wasn't an attachment because it was easy to use, or because he liked the design, or any other reason. It's because we went out shopping together for the first time and picked it out there with Ars, and that's where the value comes from. It is an attachment because the days we spent together decorating our teatime pile up.

　It may be a kind of attachment, though, because it will be broken at some point.

　The point is how many memories there were, but surely that's not something Loki would teach himself.

'No, it's nothing. So which one do you think Al would prefer?

　Arus hesitates for a moment, wondering if the question really has a right answer. It doesn't matter either way, if you're honest. However, Ars has learned that those words can make her grumpy.
　It's what's inside that's important, that's for sure, and I can understand the sensible argument that frugal doesn't balance out or feel good.
　But it's also true that both of these choices are hard to come by.

''Hmm~ I don't like things that are too flashy either, but...''

　Perhaps because Loki has already figured out what he likes, the tea utensils chosen are both restrained and of rather simple workmanship.
　If it was only for their own use, they might not be so worried about it. It is not so much a quick decision as an obvious indecision.
　I was not able to find the right words to say, but I felt like I would ruin the promised day of today to choose at random.

''Well, I prefer what Loki chose rather than the design...?''

　She's the one who puts it in, and if she's going to brew it, maybe it should be the container she wants to drink it in - there was an Ars that convinced me for such a good physical reason.
　Truth be told, if Loki hadn't come to the lab as a partner, he would still be using dishes that looked like paper plates, and he would still be using thin cups that looked like they would break if he grabbed them.

　The idea is that it should serve a minimal purpose, so when it comes to taste, to Ars, a plate is only a plate and a tea bowl is only a tea bowl. He didn't give it any meaning, so there may be no way to change it now.
　I am aware that this is the part of me that is lacking, but....

　I'm not sure if it was even there from the start, but I'm sure it's a good idea to wrinkle my eyebrows in an attempt to say something else right away, but nothing good came out of the back of my throat - or even if it was there at all.

　It's a good thing that you're able to get the most out of this article. Her gaze was turned slightly downward from her perspective as if she had no interest in the tea utensils. Perhaps she was looking at a field of flowers far removed from reality.

　Immediately coming to himself, Loki shook his face and took a breath as if to erase something.
　Looking next to him, he saw a similar scene there as before. Even though the two of them had chosen it together, it was almost impossible to appeal to Ars's personality or experience to sense.

　Loki regained his composure while reflecting that it might have been a bit of a nasty question.

'Yes. Al ... let's take this one.

　The tea bowl I pointed to was a different one than the one I had used before. That meant that the attachment would remain an attachment and be in the past.
　An unexpected choice, Ars said, "Was that the right choice? I ask him back. 'I knew I would buy the same thing again because I had a lot of feelings for it.

'Yes. Maybe it's good for a new beginning. Besides, the last one only had four cups. This one has six, so if you think of it as for Fia-san and Alice-san, plus Feri-san and Flynn-san.''

　Snapping his fingers and counting, Loki finally gives a smile of agreement.

'Yes. I think it's a great idea.
We'll take that one.

　It seemed that Loki was going to call the clerk and head to the cash register to pay the bill - but soon after, he stopped dead in his tracks.

'Al, please,'

　Casually, Loki handed his license to Ars. In front of a satisfied face, Ars could only accept it.
　It was such a shameful thing to not be able to pay for it himself, Ars realized now the importance of money.

　He had been told before that Loki had been saving money because he "might need it for Ars". Either way, he probably didn't even think about using it for himself. This is a far cry from the norm for a military upbringing.

　It's not "my (...) check," that's a new thing, and she had no intention of doing that from the beginning. Therefore, the license that Loki offered her included the meaning of 'this (...) to pay the bill with'.
　Whether it was meant to be two........more to the point, even that was Ars's, not his own, is something that only Loki can understand.

　He was going to use it as soon as today, and he was going to take the tea bowl home by hand.