Nicasia, holding Murmur’s hand, walked out of the Opera House with a faint smile.
“To make me… an adult.”
Nicasia’s heart was pounding.
Her cheeks were flushed with anticipation, as red as apples.
Since it was a bit past dinner time, the slightly cool breeze that brushed her cheeks as they stepped outside tickled her for no reason.
“…Murmur is different from me. Probably.”
Ironically, while Nicasia hoped Murmur would make her an adult, she also felt a bit uneasy.
There was also a hint of resignation, a feeling that whatever happens, happens.
It wasn’t because she ignored Murmur.
It was because of the self-loathing she felt for bringing Murmur, whom she truly liked, to Holimpia, a place filled with people who genuinely despise the Demon Race.
“This way, Nicasia.”
Unlike Nicasia, who was conflicted, Murmur was steadfast.
With her small hand, she firmly grasped Nicasia’s and pulled her along, walking with determination.
“If we go this way, can I become an adult?”
“Yeah, just trust Murmur.”
Nicasia slightly raised the corner of her mouth.
“Certainly… this seems like a path adults would take, right?”
Murmur chose to walk through a narrow, dark alley instead of the wide, spacious road where carriages could pass in Holimpia.
Unlike the main road where the cool breeze made her hair flutter pleasantly, the alley had a subtly stifling atmosphere.
Unlike the streets where glass lamps began to emit bright light, the alley was only illuminated by the faint moonlight.
“…You really chose a secluded path. And do you know the way exactly?”
Has Murmur been to Holimpia before?
Nicasia was flustered but didn’t ask Murmur directly.
‘Choosing only these dark, narrow paths, hmm…’
Nicasia rolled her eyes slightly, her heart pounding.
Nicasia, who had always been interested in romance novels aside from the ones Esme recommended, recalled a few scenes that had made her jump in surprise and read with wide eyes.
“…Is it really that kind of adult meaning?”
Nicasia gulped.
Murmur’s skillful navigation through the narrow, dark alley fueled Nicasia’s misunderstanding perfectly.
“Nicasia, this path is really narrow. Be careful.”
“Huh? Oh… it really is narrow. Is this the right way?”
“Yeah, it’s the way.”
Even Murmur, with her small body, had to twist and turn to get through the narrow path due to her horns.
Nicasia gulped and moved her feet, gripping Murmur’s hand more tightly.
She was cautious, afraid her chest, buttocks, or groin might accidentally touch something.
‘It’s incredibly narrow… If we go through here, even if I want to turn back, it won’t be easy, right?’
Leading me to a place where escape isn’t easy.
Nicasia’s heart pounded with suspicion.
“Phew…”
“You did well, Nicasia.”
After emerging from the narrow path, Nicasia gulped as she looked at the dimly lit street.
“Mu, Murmur…? How did you know about this place?”
Nicasia’s eyes widened as she looked at the sloping road stretching toward the distant Imperial Palace.
The street, called ‘Darkaz,’ felt completely different from the streets of Holimpia where Nicasia and Murmur had wandered for their adult date.
The buildings in Darkaz were all uniquely eccentric.
From a ridiculously tall building like a matchbox to a long, single-story building that seemed to cause inconvenience, and even a round building that looked like an artist’s home.
“Murmur knows Darkaz. It’s in books.”
“Of course, it’s in books, but I didn’t know you’d know the exact location.”
“Darkaz is Holimpia, but also not Holimpia, right?”
As Murmur spoke while pulling Nicasia’s hand, Nicasia nodded.
Walking under the hazy light of glass lamps, Nicasia felt like she was doing something naughty.
“Hey!! What are you doing!”
“If you’re upset, follow me!”
“Hey!! Catch that! Catch it! They’re running away without buying ice cream again!”
Even though it was a bit past dinner time, children were running around shouting on the streets.
Unlike Holimpia, the streets felt messy and chaotic.
A ‘slope stretching toward dreams’ where humans, demons, and even other races lived tangled together.
‘Murmur knows Darkaz…’
Nicasia, with a flushed face, caressed Murmur’s hand.
In her eyes, a very old and cheap-looking ‘motel’ appeared, incomparable to the Grand Hotel.
‘That… really? No, no way! That can’t be! Nicasia, get a grip! Coming here and spending that kind of night is just a dirty joke from the seniors.’
Nicasia’s face was burning for no reason.
“Huh?”
As if fueling her delusions, Murmur led Nicasia toward that very motel.
“Mu, Murmur?”
“Yeah, what’s wrong, Nicasia?”
“Wh, what are we doing here?”
“Murmur promised, right? To make Nicasia an adult.”
Nicasia’s eyes widened as she gulped.
The situation was so perfect that she was sure she hadn’t misunderstood.
“I, I think I’d prefer somewhere else…”
“Let’s eat this, Nicasia.”
As soon as Nicasia saw the store Murmur pointed to with her right hand, she roughly covered her reddened face with her left hand.
“O… okay.”
“Nicasia, what’s wrong? Don’t you like it?”
“N, no! No! I’m just embarrassed because I just realized I’m really hungry!”
Nicasia fanned her face to cool down her embarrassment.
Murmur led the ashamed Nicasia toward the store emitting a delicious smell.
It was more of a giant stall doing business in a half-built building than a proper store.
─ Sizzle!
“Gulp…”
Such a stall was a place completely unfit for the ‘Empire’s Princess.’
But the sight of a ‘demon girl’ stir-frying various ingredients on a large iron plate was enough to make the princess hungry.
The store seemed quite popular, with a tail-wagging beastman, a fan-waving girl, and a few men sipping alcohol.
“Here, the ‘Spicy Salty Sticky Grilled Seabird’ and ‘Dragon’s Cheese Breath Stir-fry’ are delicious.”
“You mean what those people are eating, right?”
Nicasia asked while covering her mouth with her left hand, and Murmur nodded.
‘…I shouldn’t eat this.’
Nicasia broke into a cold sweat and unconsciously looked behind her.
At this moment, the head maid, Riola, was nowhere to be seen.
‘This definitely doesn’t look healthy. I’ll surely get scolded. It’s already too late to eat such greasy food…’
Although weight control wasn’t a strict issue, Nicasia had lived a certain way.
From that perspective, the food Murmur suggested was a bundle of ‘sin.’
A grilled seabird with an unknown red sauce dripping and juices and oil flowing down.
A stir-fried rice dish with so much spice that just breathing might make you cough.
“I’m fine…”
“Adults eat a lot of this, Nicasia.”
“…Huh?”
“It’s a bit past dinner time, but it’s okay. If you want to eat, you eat. That’s being an adult.”
Nicasia briefly touched her mouth with her left hand.
‘…So this is what you meant by making me an adult?’
The Empire’s Princess rolled her eyes, deep in thought.
She felt a great interest in this bad deed she had never done before.
In fact, the more she thought about it, it was just a minor and fun deviation, not even a crime.
“Ahem… okay. Let’s eat like adults.”
“It’s really spicy, so let’s order one each. Nicasia will definitely not be able to finish it.”
“…I can handle spicy food, Murmur.”
Nicasia bluffed.
“Murmur wants ‘Spicy Salty Sticky Grilled Seabird’ and ‘Dragon’s Cheese Breath Stir-fry.’ One each, please.”
“Sure~ I’ll bring it right away. Please wait a moment.”
The demon girl smiled brightly and quickly prepared the dishes.
─ Sizzle!
‘Incredible… skills. Ugh!! Riola would never make this, and I can’t eat this near the Academy.’
Seriously, isn’t it a bit unhygienic?
Thinking that, Nicasia sat on a small chair with Murmur and stared at the iron plate.
The sizzling meat and rice stir-fried to perfection dangerously stimulated her appetite.
“Here’s your ‘Spicy Salty Sticky Grilled Seabird’ and ‘Dragon’s Cheese Breath Stir-fry’!”
Murmur took the dishes handed by the demon girl with both hands and placed them between herself and Nicasia.
With her appetite greatly stimulated, Nicasia unconsciously pressed her thighs together.
Though she thought she’d have dinner at a fancy restaurant, eating at a shabby stall-like store excited her instead.
“Certainly… hoo, it looks spicy.”
Nicasia muttered as she looked at the meat dripping with dark red sauce and the bright red stir-fried rice covered with cheese.
“Be careful eating it. Nicasia will definitely cry.”
“Murmur, you’re treating me too much like a child. I won’t cry.”
Nicasia snorted and used the fork Murmur kindly handed her to pull out the skewered ‘Grilled Seabird.’
“Hup… mmm, mmm.”
Tasting the food dripping with dark red sauce, something she would never normally eat, Nicasia’s eyes widened.
“Ugh… pfft, huff…?!”
The surprising spiciness hit her tongue, leaving her at a loss.
Somehow, she swallowed the meat, but her ears turned red as she frantically fanned herself.
“Haa, ha…! Huff! Wh, why is it so… spicy?!”
“Murmur said it’s spicy.”
Murmur smiled leisurely and handed Nicasia a cup full of milk.
“Gulp, gulp… phew…”
Nicasia gulped down the milk, panting.
She drank so quickly that a bit of the white liquid dripped down her mouth.
Murmur watched with a smile, then took out the handkerchief Citrine had prepared and wiped the sweat from Nicasia’s forehead.
At the same time, she neatly wiped the liquid dripping from Nicasia’s mouth with her thumb.
“Ugh, I didn’t know it would be this spicy…”
After just one bite, Nicasia was drenched in sweat and felt embarrassed.
“Umm, Murmur… you don’t have to wipe there.”
“But Nicasia’s neck is really shiny.”
“I can wipe it myself.”
Nicasia chuckled awkwardly and laughed.
But she felt good that Murmur had wiped her sweat, wiggling her toes.
“Murmur can eat this… huh?”
Before Nicasia could finish her sentence, Murmur grabbed the skewer and chewed a piece of meat with gusto.
Murmur’s face didn’t turn red; it remained normal.
“Murmur likes spicy food.”
“…Ugh, the level of spiciness is way beyond what I imagined.”
Despite saying that, Nicasia found it tasty and used her fork to take another bite of the grilled seabird.
“Hoo… huff… it’s really spicy, but it’s not just spicy. It’s strangely salty and sweet, hoo… and the meat is incredibly delicious.”
“Right? It’s not just spicy.”
“Mmm, hoo… if I were an adult, I’d eat this for dinner every day, gulp.”
Nicasia fanned her face and glanced down at herself.
‘I think I’m more soaked than I thought… my bra isn’t showing, is it?’
Under the faint lighting, it seemed okay, but Nicasia felt embarrassed.
She regretted wearing pretty black underwear.
“Murmur wants to drink that too.”
“…You mean soda?”
When Murmur nodded as if it were obvious, Nicasia hesitated but then nodded.
“Okay. If Riola sees me like this… she’ll spank my butt.”
“Nicasia doesn’t usually eat this, right?”
“…Adults always scold me to eat this when I grow up.”
Nicasia felt a bit strange recalling the frequent scoldings.
‘That’s right… I always got scolded for eating snacks like this, saying I could eat them when I grew up.’
Did Murmur know that?
Nicasia’s heart raced as she accepted the glass bottle of soda from the demon girl.
“This is really spicy. Murmur will feed you.”
“If Murmur is taking care of me, I’ll gladly… …there’s more than half the cheese?”
“Nicasia will still find it spicy.”
“Really… Em… ahem, what are you doing to me?”
Nicasia glanced around, then opened her mouth after smoothing her silver hair.
“Ahh…”
“If it’s too spicy, you can spit it out. Nicasia.”
The Princess wouldn’t do that.
Thinking so, Nicasia chewed the bite Murmur had carefully prepared with a good ratio of cheese and rice.
“Mmm… …ugh, huff…! Huff…!”
A spiciness incomparable to the grilled seabird mercilessly hit Nicasia’s tongue.
Nicasia groaned in pain, trembling as she swallowed the food.
If Murmur hadn’t added so much cheese, Nicasia would have spat it out, dignity be damned.
“Pff, haa… this is too spicy…”
“Murmur said it’s spicy.”
Nicasia gulped down the soda.
Then, seeing Murmur scoop a large spoonful of rice and chew it nonchalantly, she shivered.
“H, how can you… eat that so easily? Murmur?”
“Murmur used to eat this every day.”
“R, really?”
“Yeah, it was a big trend.”
Nicasia made a horrified face, sticking out her tongue and fanning herself.
As she fanned, she worried about the sweat soaking her armpits and groin.
‘Ah, this… it’s definitely going to smell…’
Unlike Nicasia, who was at a loss, Murmur held a handkerchief and wiped her neck and forehead again.
“Umm, Murmur… it’s okay.”
“Murmur made Nicasia sweat so much. Murmur will wipe it.”
Nicasia covered her reddened neck and smiled with her eyes.
Nicasia was deeply grateful to Murmur, who had come all this way for her and introduced her to delicious food.
“…This is sudden, but thank you so much, Murmur.”
“Why?”
“Because of my nonsense about having an adult date today, you must have gone through a lot, but you didn’t say anything bad and took care of me like this.”
“Murmur likes Nicasia.”
As if it were obvious, Murmur looked at Nicasia and spoke.
“Nicasia likes Murmur too, so you wanted to have an adult date, right?”
“That’s right… I messed up a lot, though. Ah, but! Murmur’s adult date is fun.”
Nicasia smiled and took another bite, now accustomed to the spiciness.
“I, usually… can’t eat like this. If I try, Riola really gets mad.”
“Because you’re the Princess?”
Murmur whispered as if sharing a secret, and Nicasia nodded with a pleased snort.
Murmur’s nose twitched slightly at the pleasant floral scent emanating from Nicasia.
“Then Murmur will keep making Nicasia an adult.”
“Hehehe, okay. So what are you planning next? Murmur’s adult date is so fun, I’m really looking forward to it.”
Nicasia unconsciously patted Murmur’s shoulder as she spoke.
“Then… after we finish this, let’s go there, Nicasia.”
“There…?”
Where Murmur’s finger pointed, there were again buildings perfect for Nicasia’s embarrassing delusions.
“Okay… anything Murmur does seems fun.”
It must be a simple misunderstanding, Nicasia thought as she spoke.
“Yeah, Nicasia and Murmur will wash up squeaky clean.”
“…Huh?”
Murmur spoke nonchalantly, taking a big bite of the stir-fried rice, while Nicasia’s eyes shook uneasily.
‘W, wash? Why? What are we washing for?’
This time, Nicasia was sure she wasn’t misunderstanding!
