After the incident where the witch kidnapped Scarlet using teleportation, a massive construction project was underway in the boundary area to install a magic circle that would block unauthorized teleportation.
With the full support of the Dolos family, who possessed the greatest wealth in the city, numerous workers were mobilized for the construction.
However, the site of the construction was a boundary area where demonic beasts could appear at any moment.
As a result, the members of Astrafe, including Yoon Si-woo, were incredibly busy, simultaneously guarding the frontline as part of their original mission and ensuring the safety of the workers involved in the construction.
“Hoo, Deputy Commander. Most of the magic circle work around here is almost done,” one of the squad members reported.
“Yeah, good job. We need to install another one back there,” the Deputy Commander said.
“…There’s still more to do? So many people have been working almost non-stop for days now.”
“What can we do? Now that we know there’s a witch who can teleport, we have to prepare as quickly as possible. It seems the workers are taking a short break, so you can rest for a bit and join them when they head out later. Your leave is tomorrow, right? Just hang in there a little longer.”
“…Understood.”
The next day.
The day Yoon Si-woo could return home for his leave was drawing near, and he felt his heart racing.
It wasn’t just excitement for the leave; it was impatience.
“Ugh… how should I say it…?”
Yoon Si-woo sat on the floor, pulling at his hair as he mumbled to himself.
What should he say?
This was the dilemma that had been swirling in his mind for days.
The worry that had been keeping him up at night started a few days ago when he received a call from Sylvia.
“How about asking her out on a date during your holiday? I’m sure she’d like that.”
A date—what a heart-pounding word that was.
Of course, Yoon Si-woo had dreamt of a date with Scarlet.
But that was a mere dream.
How could he even think about dating when he didn’t know what Scarlet thought of him?
At that moment, Sylvia had told him that it seemed Scarlet had feelings for him too.
So, it’d probably be wise for him to take the leap.
Still, he couldn’t gather the courage and hesitated. Sylvia said to him:
“…Yoon Si-woo, please make Scarlet happy.”
That statement reminded him of a vow he’d made long ago.
A vow to make Scarlet happy no matter what.
Thinking of that vow filled him with courage.
So, he decided.
This holiday, he would ask Scarlet out on a date.
And just after finishing the call with Sylvia, as he was about to dial Scarlet’s number to propose the date, it suddenly dawned on him.
He had never been on a date in his life!
Until he realized that, he had been bubbling with dreams.
He was so focused on making that first date unforgettable for Scarlet, thinking about how to create the best memory for her…
But what did he, who had never been on a date, even know?
While ordinary date spots could be found through a quick search, how could Scarlet, who was anything but ordinary, fit into one of those?
What if he chose some typical spot only for Scarlet to hate it?
“Today’s date was the worst. You really don’t know what I like, do you? I can’t believe you couldn’t even plan a date properly. Yoon Si-woo, this is the end for us.”
Imagining Scarlet giving him that cold look drained all the courage he had mustered.
If he heard something like that, he wouldn’t be able to live with himself, so he thought he should study a bit more about dating before calling her.
As those thoughts led him to procrastinate on asking the date, here he was with only one day left until the holiday.
He had to say something today…
But even as he thought this, he couldn’t muster the courage to make the call, hesitating.
Then Lucy called him out.
“I can’t believe watching you, it’s so frustrating. Si-woo, do you really think a guy can afford to be this timid?”
“But I don’t really know about dating…”
“If that girl has feelings for you, then there’s no need to worry… If you really like her, what matters is the time spent together, not the place you meet!”
Is that really true…?
Yoon Si-woo recalled the times he had been with Scarlet.
The memory of bumping into each other at the supermarket and sitting on a bench talking.
The time they coincidentally ran into each other in the street and ended up at a motel… no, let’s not include that.
He turned red remembering that embarrassing moment, but he knew he felt good being with her no matter where they were.
Yet, he still hesitated.
“…But I’d still rather go to a place I think Scarlet would like. Some place where she can smile fondly when remembering it in the future.”
He had been thinking that way, but he really couldn’t figure out where Scarlet would enjoy going.
With a wry smile, Yoon Si-woo mumbled to himself.
“I like Scarlet, but I don’t know a single thing about what she likes…”
Thinking about trying to ask her out on a date felt so foolish that he wondered if it would be better not to. At that moment…
“If you don’t know, just ask her!”
Lucy’s voice came through.
“It’s completely normal not to know on your first try. Not knowing isn’t the problem. The real fault is not trying to find out that you don’t know. If you want to know about her, just ask her directly. What she likes, where she wants to go. It might feel a bit embarrassing, but Si-woo, I know you’re capable of that much effort for her. I’ve seen the effort you’ve put in until now.”
“…Lucy.”
“Well, for starters, you need to ask her out on that date. You need to say you want to go hang out together to ask where she wants to go.”
“…Okay.”
Encouraged by Lucy’s advice, Yoon Si-woo clenched his fist and nodded in response.
With a determined gaze, he took out his mobile phone from his pocket and dialed.
This time, without hesitation.
“…Hello? Yoon Si-woo?”
Hearing the familiar voice of the girl, Yoon Si-woo’s throat tightened.
He felt a cold sweat on his palms, something never experienced even when fighting against demonic beasts, but still, he mustered the courage to call her name.
“Um, Scarlet…”
“Yeah, you have something you want to say?”
“Tomorrow, um, if it’s okay…”
Every word felt like a struggle to get out, and he shut his eyes tight as he asked.
“Would you like to go somewhere with me?”
After a brief moment of silence, he heard:
“…Sure.”
The affirmative response came through the phone.
Yoon Si-woo felt momentarily lost in a daze.
…Wait, did I just get a date acceptance?
The joy came a little later.
Uncontrollably ecstatic, Yoon Si-woo almost burst into cheers before quickly covering his mouth, then nervously asked to confirm the reality of the situation.
“Uh… Is it really okay?”
“No, the one who should be asking what’s okay is me. It’s your only day off in a week; are you sure you don’t want to relax at home?”
“Not at all! I actually don’t like staying at home!”
Overjoyed, Yoon Si-woo shouted, then remembered the question he had originally meant to ask.
He wanted to seem cool and make her put all her faith in him, but even more so, he wanted to choose a place she’d like for their first date, so he threw in the question.
“Um, is there a place you’d like to go?”
“Well…”
After a brief pause, Scarlet sounded a little hesitant when she answered.
“…How about the zoo?”
“Yeah, that sounds great! So we’re going to the zoo tomorrow, right? See you then!”
“…Yeah. See you tomorrow.”
As soon as those words were spoken, the call ended.
“…!!!!”
Yoon Si-woo let out a silent cheer.
Worried it might be a dream, he pinched his cheek, and feeling the pain confirmed that this was indeed reality.
He really was going on a date with Scarlet.
The zoo—so Scarlet liked animals, huh?
What an unexpectedly cute hobby.
His mind burst into bloom with endless fantasies.
Scarlet hugging cute animals, unsure of what to do.
Scarlet amazed by the big animals while taking pictures with him.
Scarlet wearing animal ear headbands.
All of that—he would be able to see tomorrow.
The thought alone brought a smile to his face.
“Yoon Si-woo, break time is over, you know. Why are you grinning like that? Did something good happen?”
“No! It’s nothing at all!”
Yoon Si-woo could hardly wait for tomorrow.
My site has received a lot of DMCA notices, lol. From now on, I will update the MTL on https://darkmtl.com/.
The site is fast and lightweight because there are no ads yet. However, the theme is different from Cybor-TL, so take some time to familiarize yourself.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.