We finished our lunch and paid an amount of money that we didn't think we'd spend in roughly one meal before we walked out of the restaurant.

'No! It was delicious!'

'I could see the pretty Alice smile a bit more there, and it's cheap, Kiri. Or something like that, you can decide.
''Well the amount you ate isn't pretty at all, though.

　While letting out a sigh at Alice's frightening display, she begins to walk hand in hand with a natural movement.
　Alice, too, has become accustomed to holding hands, perhaps, but she is no longer as nervous as she was just before the start. Well, her cheeks are still slightly vermillion, but.......

'Hmmm, this makes me suddenly look forward to dinner!　What kind of restaurant do you go to for dinner?
You just finished lunch and all you want to talk about is dinner.
Ha-ha, because I'm looking forward to it.
'I have a feeling we'd better decide where we're going to go in the time leading up to dinner before that.

　We are currently in a place quite far from the section I usually hang around, and I honestly don't know what's around here.
　As a man, I want to lead the way, but unfortunately I can't show you something I don't know, so I decided to talk to Alice about it honestly.

　

''I mean, that's the thing. Kite-san wants to know the location of the 'Innkeeper's Street'.......that's why!
...What?

....

　It's kind of a déjà vu phrase. Oh, by the way, did I remember that when I told the Arklesia Empire, I was able to make a joke like that and get the bell rung out at me?
　

''........I see, so let's do that then.
What?
That's the street over there, right?　Okay......
Oh, no, no, no, no!

　Pretending to take advantage of Alice's antics, she pulled her hand away and tried to walk away, and as expected, Alice was in a panic.

''...Yeah?　What's wrong with you?　You're going to the inn town, aren't you?
I don't, I don't, I don't!　
'Didn't Alice tell you that?
'Yes, that's true, but, oh, that was only a joke...'

　Alice, who is understandably upset, is really cute and I can't help but continue the nasty conversation.
　While being pulled by me, Alice's face turns red like a boiled octopus, and she tries desperately to persuade me while she waddles her hands around.

It's a good idea to have a good time with them. Step by step....
Hmm, what are the steps, like?
Well, it's not... no, I don't know, the first time... alone in a moonlit cottage by the sea... or in a situation like that... When it becomes.....
....

　I'm a bit of a romantic... maybe because I tried to be romantic for a long time and couldn't find a relationship, I'm longing for that kind of cozy, good atmosphere.
　Maybe, but I'm the type of person who would prefer a seaside church for a wedding.

Hmmm. I can't think of a place that satisfies that requirement right away.
So, right?　So that's what we're going to do, we're going to have to make more of a... oh, oh, oh, we're going to have to make love to each other and then we're going to take it slow...

　I don't know if he was really embarrassed by the idea of love, but he stammered over and over again, desperately trying to tell me that he wanted to take more time to make love to me.
　To be honest, I agree with that, and since I'm only teasing Alice at the moment, I have no intention of forcing her to do anything before she's ready for it.

　I think I'll stop teasing around here, but I stop and call out to Alice.

You are right, you are right. There's no need to be in a hurry, right?
'Yes, that's right!　
'What?　Oh, yeah, I get it.

　My heart jumps loudly as I look at Alice who tells me it's okay to kiss her while fidgeting and looking down at her face in embarrassment.
　It was supposed to be an act, but I'm starting to feel strangely embarrassed...oh no, I won't be able to look at Alice's face properly if I don't.

　As my embarrassment grows, I say the words of a spoiler to disguise it.

''........well, well, I was just teasing Alice a bit earlier.......''
'Meow!　...Oh my God, you're terrible, Kite!　You've played with my maidenhead!
I'm sorry I mean, it was Alice who made fun of me in the first place, right?
Ugh.........that's not.......

　When Alice finds out that I've teased her, she gives me an angry look... but she points out that she was the first to say it in the first place, and she retracts her words, unable to argue with me.

　Then we start walking slowly and silently. It's not that Alice and I are angry, we're simply embarrassed and don't know what to say.
　As I continued walking for a while, a question popped into my head.

"....Speaking of which, Alice...
What is it?
Not to mention, Alice is much stronger than you, and if you really didn't want to, you could easily shake her off...
''~~?

　Yes, I was trying to drag Alice away a moment ago, but when I thought about it, there's no way I could move her if she was really resisting.
　But Alice was being dragged by me, which means she was hardly resisting me, which means....

　Hearing my question, Alice turns her face down once and murmurs in an inaudible, small voice.

''........I don't remember saying I don't want to.......and I don't remember saying I don't want to....
What?
What, it's nothing!
Alice, what did you say?
I don't know!
Wait, Alice?

　Alice announced quickly as she wound up, and pouted and looked away.
　The reaction was so cute, combined with the faintly audible statement, that I felt my hands that were holding together got hotter and hotter.

　Dear mom, dad - after all, the fact that we are now lovers, the results of our conversations with similar content as before are changing... I wonder if my perception is changing as well, somehow strange. --like he thinks of Alice as a girl.