After finishing the talk about making items,
Ray bowed politely to thank the staff. Newt nodded in return, and Ray slid his chair back, standing up from the cozy café table inside the shop, and walked over to Aria.
"How was it? Did you get what you wanted?" the silver-haired girl asked coolly, arms folded.
Amid the glittering shop, filled with shining silver ornaments and elegant displays, the luxurious atmosphere matched Aria's refined looks perfectly. She seemed more beautiful and striking than ever.
"Mhm!" Ray grinned and nodded eagerly. Just then, Aria's father stepped in, blocking the way between him and his daughter.
"Sorry for being rude earlier. Aria already told me about you. Ray, right?" The man in a long white lace dress extended his hand. Ray looked puzzled, but reached out and shook it.
"Yes, sir."
"Excuse me for a moment." Arther warned him gently. Ray blinked in confusion, not knowing what he meant.
Suddenly, Arther placed both hands on Ray's cheeks, tilting his face left and right. He bent down to inspect him closely, pried open his jaw to look at his teeth, and studied the gleam of each white tooth. Ray froze in place, eyes wide, completely lost. Arther then stroked Ray's brown hair, rubbing the strands between his fingers, before patting his shoulders and arms, examining him from head to toe.
He tilted his head, frowned thoughtfully, and crossed one leg with casual poise, covering his mouth as he studied Ray a little longer.
Finally, he clapped his hands together and turned to Aria.
"He'll do."
Aria's face twisted with exasperation. Ray only looked baffled—what exactly did "he'll do" mean?
"What are you plotting to do to my friend, Father?" Aria demanded, arms crossed, her sharp gaze full of disapproval.
"Nothing at all~~" her father sang with a high-pitched tone, shrugging dramatically. He leaned back against the counter, stepping aside to let Ray pass, and gave him a pat on the back. "Thank you for being friends with my daughter," he added, winking at Aria from afar.
Her eyebrow twitched as she crossed her arms tighter, fingers tapping quickly. The very thing she had always dreaded—her father noticing—had just happened.
He's dangerous, just as I thought. All Aria could hope for was that he wouldn't interfere further.
Ray scratched his head with a frown, thinking it best not to do anything in a situation like this.
"Take care, both of you. Stay friends forever. Love you so much, Ariaaa!" Arther called sweetly, waving his hands flamboyantly.
Ray, ever sincere, waved back cheerfully. Aria nearly slapped his awkward hand down but forced herself to keep her composure, tossing her head and striding out of the shop so no one would see her frustration.
"Wait up, Aria! Where are you running off to?" Ray hurried after her.
Aria held the door open for him, waited for him to step outside, then shut it behind them—bang!
Inside, Arther smiled warmly at the closed door, clearly pleased. Newt walked over, resting a hand on his employer's shoulder, leaning in close at the counter.
"What's making you smile like that, sir?"
Arther stroked the young man's head affectionately. "Nothing much. I'm just happy my daughter finally has a friend."
…
…
…
Outside, in the central square of the city—
"Don't get too involved with my father, understood?" Aria strode ahead briskly, arms crossed. Ray trailed after her like a lost puppy.
"I don't get it. What do you mean by that?" he asked, tilting his head in confusion.
Aria walked in silence for a moment before replying.
"You'll get harassed, that's what. He likes faces like yours—both men and women."
She wasn't lying. And that was enough to make Ray wary of Arther, just as she hoped. She truly despised her father's eccentric tastes. She thought she'd grown calm and composed enough to keep others from guessing her thoughts. She thought she was subtle.
"Ohh, you're right! He really was touching my hair and face all over earlier." Ray nodded, now convinced.
"Exactly. Next time, if you want to come to the shop, tell me first. I'll bring you on a day when my father isn't there." Her tone was calm, straightforward, without any hidden meaning.
"Alright, sure. I'll let you know. Honestly, I wouldn't know what to do if I went alone to a place like that. But with you, it feels easy." Ray scratched his cheek, then smiled brightly. "By the way, Aria—haha—your dad really loves you, huh? You two seem close. You're a cute pair of father and daughter."
"Sigh. Maybe. But you have more people who love you than I do. Jason, Karua, and all your beasts—Geed loves you too. Your reputation's good, and there are so many people who care about you." She stopped by the fountain, arms folded, as music still played nearby and townsfolk passed under the hot sun.
"But that kind of love—it's wonderful." Ray smiled, watching a young couple holding their child's hands as they strolled by, laughing happily. Aria followed his gaze, understanding what he meant.
"No. Love isn't always a good thing, Ray." Aria's eyes turned cold as she spoke without hesitation. Ray turned to her, bewildered at her bluntness.
"What, you don't like sweet, lovey-dovey stuff at all?"
She gave a small nod.
"No. I hate it."
"Why? What makes you hate it?" Ray asked innocently.
Aria hesitated for a moment, wondering if she should share something personal. But when she saw Ray's guileless face, she felt safe. He was her only friend—someone she could trust with her feelings.
"Well… my parents loved each other too much. So much they couldn't handle the jealousy and ended up divorcing. When love died, they went their separate ways. It's not like friendship. After that, my mother never came to see me again. She probably wanted to erase everything that reminded my Father. She erased him from her life like deleting a memory. I don't know if that kind of love is good or not… but for me, I hate it. Love that ends with erasing someone—it's terrifying."
Seeing Aria think of her mother, Ray reached out and gently rubbed her back. "I may not know much, but I get it a little, Aria. My mom abandoned me too. But hey—it's fine! I promise I'll never abandon you. I'll never erase you from my life." He pulled her close by the shoulder, giving her strength.
"Then promise me. No matter what, you'll keep eating out with me, shopping, hanging out, doing fun things together." She lifted her pinky toward him.
Ray's eyes lit up. He hooked his little finger with hers and shook it eagerly.
"Of course I promise!" he shouted.
Aria smiled faintly at his cheer. "You're way too energetic. Always over the top." She shook her head.
"What, is that a bad thing?" Ray pouted.
"Figure it out yourself, soft-brain." She smirked, swatting his head lightly. Ray laughed and shoved her back playfully. "That was an insult, wasn't it? Alright, Miss Perfect Genius, who never makes a mistake, ever!"
"Don't mock me!" she laughed, swatting his arm.
Ray dodged quickly. "Missed me!"
Aria chased and kicked him.
"Ouch! Okay, okay, I give up, crazy girl!"
The two burst out laughing in the middle of the street. Passersby glanced at them, some smiling at their closeness.
"Let's go buy the rest of the stuff," Aria suggested, patting his shoulder.
"Yeah, let's go." Ray threw his arm around her shoulders again, not treating her like a girl at all. As they shopped for the barbecue party, Ray explained the items he needed to craft.
Aria jotted them down in her notebook, deciding to help him look for them later. Ray wasn't surprised at how kind she was; after all, she treated Geed with the same care.
They shopped happily together, buying food, meat, vegetables, and fruit. They wandered the suburban market, snacking along the way, even taking on requests for adventurers to hunt and gather rare materials.
They stopped by Aunt Olivia's. Ray introduced Aria, and Aunt Olivia teased, asking if this was the "nerdy girl" he had once mentioned. Aria shot him a glare, but Aunt Olivia only laughed and treated her with uncharacteristic warmth—almost too warmly. Ray figured his aunt must have been in a good mood that day.
By evening, the sun painted everything orange. Ray's hair shone brilliantly under the light as he shared roasted corn with Geed on his shoulder. Aria, watching him laugh and eat with his beast, smiled faintly—before quickly hiding it when he looked her way.
"Strange, isn't it? Aria, why don't we feel hot at all? Everyone else in town looks like they're boiling alive." Ray tossed the finished cob into a bin, licking his fingers along with Geed.
Aria blinked, suddenly realizing he was right. "You're right… I didn't notice until you mentioned it. I was too focused on other things."
"Exactly! I was too busy thinking about items for Nixie and the others. But after we finished shopping and I fed Geed, I realized—we've been feeling cool the whole time."
"That means something unusual is affecting us." Aria began forming a hypothesis.
Ray tapped his chin. "Could your shop have given us some kind of buff? Like an enchantment that keeps us cool even after leaving?"
"No, Ray. The cooling spells in my father's store don't last this long. But since you mentioned buffs… yes, you're right." Aria checked their statuses. Both she and Ray had a "Cool Body" buff active, lasting for another two hours.
"Wait—does that mean Uncle Bobby's ice cream gave us this buff for free?" Ray pointed at her, eyes wide.
"Likely. But hold on, Ray—if that ice cream was made with normal Tyhorn milk, it wouldn't last this long. It's possible Uncle Bobby used Ice Tyhorn milk. That's the beast whose horn you need for a master-tier item, isn't it?"
Ray froze in shock, staring at her.
"You're too smart, Aria! That's insane!" He grabbed her shoulders and shook her wildly.
"Stop it, Ray—you'll break my neck!" she groaned.
"Sorry, I got excited." He scratched his head sheepishly.
"Honestly, you're the one who noticed in the first place. If you want to praise someone, praise yourself." She folded her arms. Ray really did have a sharp instinct when it came to beasts and oddities. Luckily, he didn't have the same instinct about her father.
Ray leaned forward, grinning with excitement.
"Aria, let's go buy Ice Tyhorn horns from Uncle Bobby right now! I can't wait!"
Without waiting, he grabbed her arm and pulled her along.
The two of them were so thrilled, they completely forgot to wonder—
How could an ordinary ice cream seller…
…possess a mythical beast?
…
…
…