The Acolyte of Spirits and Curses

Evelyne led him through another part of Treyhn District, and her steps became a little more confident now that the first part of the date had gone better than she expected.

She occasionally glanced at the notes on her mobile to make sure they were still following the plan she had prepared.

"There should be a café around here that I wanted to take you to," she said, looking around the street.

"It’s supposed to have really good desserts, and apparently their fruit tea is one of their specialties."

They continued down the street until Evelyne finally recognized the building she had been looking for.

"There it is."

She quickened her pace slightly... however, as they approached the entrance, her steps gradually slowed.

The café looked strangely quiet.

Evelyne stared at the entrance for a few seconds before noticing the small sign hanging on the door.

Closed for maintenance.

"...Huh?"

Klein walked up beside her and glanced at the sign "Looks like it’s closed."

"I can see that."

There was a faint note of frustration in Evelyne’s voice.

She immediately pulled out her mobile and opened the page where she had saved information about the café.

"They were supposed to be open today."

"Maybe something happened."

"They didn’t mention anything on their page."

She stared at the closed café, clearly disappointed.

This was one of the places she had specifically chosen.

She imagined sitting across from Klein, trying their desserts together, talking about random things while they spent the afternoon there.

She even picked out which dessert she wanted to order.

Klein noticed her expression and spoke "It’s fine. We can go somewhere else."

Evelyne looked at him "But I planned this."

Stepping closer, he muttered gently "It’s okay. It’s just a cafe."

She looked down at her mobile again, scrolling through the notes she had prepared "I had everything planned."

"First the restaurant, then this café, then the riverside, then the exhibition..."

Klein watched her quietly.

Evelyne’s fingers tightened slightly around her mobile before she finally looked up at him.

There was a hint of worry in her eyes now "What if the rest of it goes wrong too?"

Klein’s eyes softened.

He reached out and gently took her hand, wrapping his fingers around hers as he looked at her.

"Then we’ll change the plan, Evelyne. Everything doesn’t have to be perfect just because you planned it that way."

She stared at him silently.

Klein gave her hand a light squeeze. "We’re here to spend time together, aren’t we?"

Evelyne’s gaze dropped to their joined hands "...Yes."

"Then that’s what matters."

She remained quiet for a few seconds, letting his words settle in.

"I just wanted today to be special," she muttered softly.

"It is."

She looked back at him.

Klein smiled faintly. "You spent all this time planning a date for us. Even if half of it doesn’t go according to plan, I still appreciate the effort."

Evelyne’s lips curved into a small smile "...You really don’t mind?"

"Why would I?"

She lightly squeezed his hand before finally locking her mobile and putting it back into her handbag.

"Alright. I’m abandoning the schedule."

"For real?"

Evelyne hesitated "...Mostly."

Klein chuckled, and she immediately gave him a slightly embarrassed look. "Don’t laugh. It’s difficult for me."

Evelyne glanced back at the closed café one last time before turning away "Then... let’s just find somewhere else."

He gently took her hand and began walking with her. "Come on."

Evelyne blinked and looked at him. "Where are we going?"

"Wherever you want."

She stared at him for a moment, expecting him to give her a specific suggestion.

Instead, he simply continued walking while holding her hand, leaving the choice entirely to her.

Evelyne looked around the unfamiliar street, and, for once, she didn’t have an answer prepared.

She looked down at their hands.

Klein wasn’t rushing her, and he wasn’t asking her to decide immediately either.

He simply walked beside her as though there was nowhere else he needed to be.

Evelyne’s lips slowly curved into a small smile "...Then let’s just walk."

"Sounds good."

They continued down the street without any particular destination in mind.

At first, Evelyne kept looking around as if she might suddenly recognize something worth visiting, but after a few minutes, she stopped searching so hard.

She simply began paying attention to the things around her.

Treyhn District was much livelier during the afternoon.

Street vendors called out to passing customers, small groups of students walked together while talking loudly, and several shopkeepers stood outside their stores trying to attract people’s attention.

A little farther down the street, a musician was playing a quiet melody beneath the shade of a large tree, with a small crowd gathered around him.

Evelyne slowed slightly as they passed.

She listened for a few seconds before looking at Klein "He’s actually pretty good."

Klein glanced toward the musician and nodded. "Yeah."

"Do you play any instruments?"

"No."

"Not even a little?"

"Nope. Not at all."

Evelyne giggled "So you really only know how to fight and cultivate?"

Tilting his head, he uttered "I know other things."

"Like?"

Klein thought for a moment. "I can cook."

Evelyne looked genuinely surprised "You can cook?"

"Why are you so surprised?"

"I don’t know. I just never imagined you cooking."

With a wry smile, he replied "I can."

"What can you make?"

"Well... Quite a few things."

She looked at him curiously "Then one day you’ll have to cook for me."

"Sure thing."

After a while, they reached a small street branching away from the busier part of the district.

It was quieter there, with several old buildings and small family-owned shops.

Evelyne didn’t plan on coming here, but she found herself enjoying the calmer atmosphere.

She suddenly noticed a small flower shop and stopped "Klein."

"Hm?"

She pointed toward it. "Look."

The shop’s entrance was decorated with several baskets of flowers, and the scent of fresh blossoms drifted into the street.

Evelyne looked at the flowers for a moment before smiling "That’s pretty."

"Do you like flowers?"

"I do."

"Which ones?"

She considered the question "I like lilies."

Klein glanced at the shop "Want to go inside?"

Evelyne looked at him, then at the shop "...Can we?"

"Why not?"

A small smile appeared on her face "Okay."

They entered the shop together, and Evelyne immediately began looking around at the different arrangements.

She wasn’t thinking about whether they were following the schedule or whether they had enough activities planned for the afternoon.

She was simply enjoying herself.

Klein watched her move between the flowers, occasionally asking her opinion about different arrangements.

Eventually, she stopped in front of a small display of pale lilies.

She reached out but stopped before touching them "They’re beautiful."

Klein stood beside her. "They are."

Evelyne glanced at him "You’re supposed to say that they’re beautiful because I like them."

With a chuckle, he replied "I thought you wanted my honest opinion."

She laughed "You really don’t know how to flatter women, do you?"

"I complimented your dress earlier."

"That doesn’t count."

"Why?"

"Because that was obvious."

Klein smiled faintly.

Evelyne shook her head, but she was still smiling as they continued looking around.

When they eventually left the shop, the afternoon had already begun slipping away.

Neither of them realized how much time had passed.

Evelyne looked toward the sky before checking the time "It’s later than I thought."

Klein nodded "Are you worried?"

She thought about it.

Normally, she would have been.

Her carefully prepared schedule already fell apart, and they spent a considerable amount of time simply wandering around without accomplishing anything she had planned.

Yet she didn’t feel disappointed.

Instead, she looked at Klein and smiled "No. I think I like this better."

She looked ahead as they continued walking, her fingers still intertwined with his "Not knowing where we’re going."

"I spent so much time trying to make sure everything went perfectly that I forgot what the point of a date was."

"To enjoy being together."

Klein’s smile widened slightly "Then I think we’re doing pretty well."

Evelyne nodded "Yeah."

She rested her head lightly against his shoulder for a moment as they walked "Maybe next time I won’t plan anything at all."

Klein chuckled "That might be difficult for you."

She lightly squeezed his hand "Maybe."

Then she looked up at him with a playful smile "But if I do plan something, you aren’t allowed to complain."

"I never complained."

"You were making fun of me."

"That’s different."

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