The day of the swordsmanship tournament arrived in the city.

The city centre was buzzing with a festive atmosphere, with street vendors lined up and city residents eating, drinking, and enjoying themselves.

In this lively scene, I felt out of place.

‘…I can’t seem to calm down.’

I’ve always been a homebody, and even with Ken’s memories, this kind of energetic atmosphere is uncomfortable.

Of course, I don’t mind the food, though.

So, I stood awkwardly under the clock tower in the square, the meeting spot.

“…Ken!”

The person I was waiting for called out to me.

“I’m sorry. Did you wait long?”

It was Mary Hyde. She had rushed over, her flushed face showing she had been running.

“No, I just arrived as well…”

I found myself captivated by her appearance.

While her academy uniform is neat and pretty, her casual outfit was a soft and cute contrast to her usual image.

A white blouse paired with a tennis skirt!

It’s hard not to feel a rush of excitement.

“Is it, um, strange?”

“Eh? Oh, no…”

Noticing my intense gaze, she nervously fiddled with the collar of her blouse and looked up at me cautiously.

“…It suits you well.”

I gave an honest compliment, straight from the heart, without any flattery.

It seemed my words reassured her, as her anxious expression soon turned into a smile, and she took my wrist.

“Then let’s go.”

“…Ah, okay!”

Mary’s assertive leadership was refreshing.

With plenty of time before the tournament started, we decided to explore the festival.

“Where should we go first?”

Mary, walking beside me, was expressionless but seemed to be enjoying herself.

It appeared she liked festivals.

‘Well, having fun is one thing…

But first, I need to find that hidden shop…’

Today’s festival was also one of the rare mini events from the game that occurs once a year.

The key point of the festival was the hidden shop that sold unique items, which would become crucial for clearing a future event quickly.

So, I began searching for the shop from my memories while exploring the street vendors with Mary.

“This is delicious.”

“Yeah, it’s amazing!”

Of course, I couldn’t miss out on the variety of food.

The enticing aromas kept me engaged.

The shop wasn’t going anywhere, so I took my time enjoying the juicy chicken skewers.

While savouring the food, Mary observed me and asked, “Ken, you look genuinely happy eating.”

“Eh? Really?”

“Yes, seeing you makes me feel good too…

Do you have a particular favourite food?”

“I like most types of meat.”

I answered based on Ken’s preferences.

Since I’m in Ken’s body, my taste is his as well.

My response seemed to make Mary thoughtful, as she stared at the chicken skewers and murmured,

“…I see.”

After passing through food stalls, we moved on to street performances and various vendor stalls.

“Wow! This is amazing! I’ve never seen things like this before!”

I exclaimed like a child, excited by the new sights.

Adventurers and peddlers displayed unusual items not found in regular shops.

Street magicians performed small magic tricks.

While festivals in the game felt like mere events passing by, experiencing such vibrant performances and unique items firsthand was thrilling.

“Ken, is this your first festival?”

I might have seemed a bit out of place with my excitement at my age.

“Yeah, I’ve seen them before but never experienced one myself…”

Seeing it in the game is one thing, but feeling the atmosphere in person is new.

For instance, performers selling magical water balloons to children, vendors showing off strange rings to couples, and kids running around with water balloons.

Everything was fresh and fascinating.

“So…

Today is your first festival experience?”

Mary, who had been watching the performances beside me, nudged me with her shoulder.

Her soft shoulder brushing against my arm made me more aware of her presence.

“…I suppose so.”

In response to a simple question, I found myself feeling self-conscious.

“…This is my first time coming with a man.”

Mary glanced up at me, with her shoulder still touching my arm.

I could feel her warmth through her shoulder, making me more aware of it.

‘Why… why do I feel like this?’

Thump, thump, thump.

Why is my heart racing?

We were only touching arms and shoulders, but it felt like my heartbeat was echoing.

“How is it? Do you like the festival?”

“Yes, I think it’s nice to experience this kind of thing once in a while.”

“Right, I’m not fond of the noise either, but I’m enjoying it.”

The atmosphere between us grew more sentimental, and despite the bustling and lively surroundings, it felt like our space had become quiet.

As I struggled with the awkwardness and tried to focus on the performance, Mary turned to me.

“I’m glad to be here with you, Ken.”

“…I’m glad to hear that.”

Her eyes, usually emotionless, seemed tense and nervous.

“…Ken.”

“Yes?”

Her eyes were like a lake under a moonlit night, deep and mesmerizing.

“…Do you, um, have a type of woman you like?”

Her gaze seemed to envelop me.

“Preferences…”

Splash!

“Ahaha!”

“Hey! Sorry, sorry! My little brother… Wait, stop right there!”

The mood of a potential deep conversation was shattered by a water balloon thrown by a playing child.

And the one hit by the water balloon was…

“Ugh, …brrr.”

Mary.

“Wow! Are you okay?”

Mary, whose head and shoulders were soaked, was trembling and starting to tear up.

“I’ll dry you off right away!”

‘First, let’s get to a less crowded place!’

I quickly moved Mary to a nearby alley to avoid the attention of the crowd.

As we walked, Mary murmured and clung to my arm.

“I’m sorry, Ken… I’m such a mess…”

Once we reached a quiet spot, I carefully dried Mary’s hair with a towel.

Fortunately, the water balloon wasn’t very big, so mainly her head and upper body got wet.

It wasn’t as confusing as when she was completely drenched.

“I’m sorry, Ken. I’ve caused a mess.”

After drying her off somewhat and calming down, Mary’s trembling reduced, though tears were still in her eyes.

“It’s okay. It happened suddenly.”

“But… I tried so hard to look nice…”

Once again, Mary started crying, her makeup ruined.

“Ugh, I tried so hard to look pretty…”

Mary, now a mess, was crying again. I calmly continued to dry her hair and face.

“…Ken, you’re so kind.”

“Really? I just think it’s normal.”

As Mary’s tears stopped, she looked at me. With her hair and clothes drying, it felt like I was comforting a younger sister.

‘Oh, that thing I made before...’

Remembering something I had prepared earlier, I reached into my space pouch and pulled out a hairdryer I had made.

‘This will help.’

I turned on the hairdryer, and it began to emit a warm breeze from the red and green spirit stones.

“…The warm air feels nice.”

“Do you like it? I made it earlier.”

“…Ken, you’re good with your hands.”

“Hmm, it’s just a common skill.”

I carefully used the warm air to dry her still damp hair. As her hair gradually dried, Mary placed her hand over mine.

“…Thank you, Ken.”

“Don’t mention it.”

After drying her hair and clothes, we left the alley and emerged back onto the street.

As we exited, someone called out to us.

“Hey there, students. Come check out our goods.”

I turned to see the hidden vendor I had been looking for at the festival.

“Are you interested in this kind of thing?”

Mary looked intrigued as I inspected the vendor’s items, mostly odds and ends. But among them was an item I needed.

“Oh, this one! I’ll take it!”

I picked up a scroll that was rolled up.

“Do you have a hobby for collecting these?”

“Ah, well, it’s….”

It might have seemed odd for Mary that I suddenly bought something strange.

Though I do collect such items for survival, not as a hobby.

Mary seemed unsure about my strange explanation but eventually asked.

“Is the person selling that item, perhaps….”

Before she could finish her question, we were interrupted.

“Oh?”

“Ah.”

We came face to face with an unexpected person.

It was Emily, who was walking with Adrian.

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