No, no, no, no, no, no, no, wait Mr. Raffey...!

　Wraith turns such a thoughtful gaze on Raffy, but she returns the enigmatic look with a mixture of apology and determination. It's only confusing for Wraith to get that kind of look, though.

　While the Wraith was puzzled, Erial had recovered from her turmoil. She smiled a strong smile and shook her head.

'Haha, lying isn't good. I've never seen you with a man there.'
'That's only natural. We got to know each other while you were on the commission.
Well.....

　Raffy insists that they are only dating. Erial, who has been away from King's Landing at the request for the past few months, can't deny it.

''Is it true, Sylvia-chan?''
'Ha, yes. Indeed, I got to know Mr. Wraith while Mr. Erial was away.

　Sylvia never lied in her statement. It's just that she doesn't mention whether or not Wraith and Raffy are really dating.

　With the words of support from the people around her, it becomes even more difficult to deny Raffy's statement.

　Erial quietly walked up to the Wraith.

''Wraith, did you say. Is it true that you're dating Raffy?

　Erial narrowed her eyes and asked sharply. In contrast, Wraith was struggling to keep his agitation from showing. Raffy is also nervous, and her hand holding the Wraith's arm is tense.

　Wraith thinks of a response while enduring the pain that seems to be shattering his arm. There is no doubt in the first place that Raffy would want you to answer, "It's true.

　The pain in his arm is good proof.

　However, the intimidating feeling of Eyal's eyes squinting in front of him was also quite something. It is so powerful that if you try to lie, you'll be beaten to death.

　And unfortunately, Wraith does not have the confidence to withstand the adventurer's blow.

　The Wraiths, who are caught between the double pain of physical and emotional, desperately turn their heads. It's self-evident that if she stays silent for too long, she will become suspicious.

　At the end of the agony, Wraith's answer is--.

It's true. I'm going out with Raffy.

　The physical pain won out over the emotional ones.

　He didn't have time to worry about whether his voice was trembling or not. The moment Wraith said the words, the arm that was on the verge of shattering was finally released.

　It wasn't that long in terms of time, but for Wraith, it feels like more than an hour has passed.

　Wraith struggles to keep his face from twitching in pain. Raffy looks relieved to have gotten the result she wanted.

''Well I still don't believe it,''

　As if in doubt, Erial said that and left the Adventurer's Guild.

　At that moment, the Adventurer's Guild became noisy all at once.

　Wraith was released from the mysterious tension and breathed a sigh of relief.
　When I suddenly looked at Amelia, she was looking at the Wraiths with a glint in her eye.

　The Wraiths, who are able to guess the factor, give her a dead look.

''.........You seem to enjoy thinking it's someone else's business, Amelia.
'Yes, it's something else!　So let us know how it goes!
Is that a good idea?

　Wraith looked up to the heavens and sighed at the new and growing source of problems.


　******


So what's this all about?

　Drinking down the tea in the cup, Wraith asks with a tired expression. The place is a coffee shop some distance away from the Adventurer's Guild. A lot of things have happened all at once, and I haven't been able to keep my head in order.

''Well, I'm sorry.......''

　Sitting face to face, Raffy looks very apologetic. The desperation he showed in the guild has died down and he's back to his usual calm Raffy.

''Well, it's fine, it's past. More importantly, who the hell is that guy?
''........That blonde guy is Erial. We've known each other for a long time, as we're both S-class adventurers.
Oh, you're an S-level adventurer. That's great.

　His age is not that far from Raffy and Wraith. That's how talented he is.

''Sis, from the very first time we met, Elial-san was making a pass at me like today. I've always said no, but she never seemed to give up on me...''

　Sylvia, who was chewing on her parfait, added. Thinking back to the flow in the guild, it certainly fit with what Sylvia was saying.

　Erial was never going to give up, even if Raffy refused her.

'I thought I wouldn't give up for a long time if I didn't, so I came up with an idea...'
So, you lied about me being your girlfriend?
That's it. ... please, please, just like that. Pretend to be my lover until Eyal gives up!

　Raffy bows her head and asks for a serious favor. This is the first time since the Sylvia incident that she has asked Wraith to do something like this.
　Lace chuckles while scratching her cheeks.

The best way to do it is to have a good time with them. Until then, I'll help you.
I'm sorry, thank you.
But you're sure?　If I may say so, but if you just look at his face, I think he's pretty good looking...
He's not a bad guy, that's for sure, but his character is a bit...

　Erial has a bit of a ... well, quite a narcissistic side to him. It's true that he has a good face, but he's always proud of it. When it comes to going out with him, he certainly seems to have a hard time.

'I mean, I didn't know any other guys my age properly.
'Well, we really do know each other. We're not really close enough to call each other friends.
That's about it.

　When it comes to friends of the opposite s*x of Raffy and Sylvia's age, that's exactly what the Wraith is in the royal capital at the moment. Hence, though, the great role of lover has been passed around to Wraith.

''Come to think of it, what do you do when you say pretend to be a lover?''

　It's Wraith, who has led a life of only studying alchemy and not much in the way of romance. Even though she's a lover, she doesn't know what to do with it.

　To the pure question, Raffy said, "Heh! He sounded surprised.

'Well, it's just that ... de... date...'

　Raffy's cheeks flushed and squeezed out of her voice. Her voice was also slightly upturned, and I could see that she was embarrassed. The way she fidgeted and twisted her fingers together and moved them around is a far cry from the dignified Raffy she usually looks.

　Seeing such a Raffy, Wraith's face unintentionally gets hot.

''Of course, of course it's pretend!
'Oh, oh yes!　It's okay, I know!

　They spoke awfully fast and vigorously to each other, and then awkwardly looked away from either of them. Sylvia looked at the two of them with zit eyes while eating her parfait.

''........What are you two doing?''

　It's quite a heart-burning sight to watch. Aside from the super pure-hearted Raffy, it was a bit unusual to see even Wraith so embarrassed. Wraith cleared his throat and restored the atmosphere to its original state.

'And anyway, I get it. I guess we can just pretend we have a date or something for now.
''Yeah, that's right. Maybe, by the looks of it, Erial still doesn't fully believe Wraith's words, so I'm sure he'll probe. Let's make sure we don't get ripped off there.
I'm trying to keep it together.

　Wraith remembered the pressure of Erial's pressure and looked bitter. Will he be able to withstand the pressure from the S-class adventurer next time as well? As a mere alchemist, Wraith doesn't have that much confidence in himself.

''Well, I'll try as hard as I can. Well then, I'll go home this time because of the store, and I'll go home this time.''
Oh, thank you so much.
If you're in trouble, you're in trouble.

　I think it's even more so since Lace also just recently asked Daisy for advice. She's positive that she'll be able to make it work, despite the shop.