“Then I’ll gladly accept. I should warn you, I have very high standards for cooking. Of course, I’m only joking. I’m simply looking forward to Miss Evalyn and Mr. Faon’s skills.”
As she spoke, Night Lei tucked a loose strand of purple hair behind her ear and chuckled, covering her mouth.
“There’s no need to be so polite, Miss Night Lei. After all, my wife and I were only responsible for eating yesterday. Besides, I’m very confident in my wife’s skills. Shall we go?”
Faon wore his usual polite smile.
Beneath that polite exterior, perhaps thanks to a Succubus’s innate sensitivity to emotional shifts, Night Lei sensed a faint hint of distance.
However, she didn’t show the slightest sign that anything was wrong.
She simply nodded.
“Alright.”
The two of them began walking together toward his home.
Along the way, Night Lei spoke with a smile.
“Speaking of being polite, I think you’re the one being truly formal, Mr. Faon.
After all, since we first met, you’ve consistently used titles like ‘Miss Night Lei’ and ‘Miss Night Night.'”
“It’s just a habit. Then, how would you like me to address you?”
Faon asked.
“Perhaps like Miss Ailin? Sister Night Lei, or something similar. After all, we did have dinner together yesterday.”
Night Lei added, “If you keep calling me ‘Miss Night Lei,’ it feels as if we’ve only just met.”
“On that point, isn’t it the same for you? You only call me ‘Mr. Faon,'” Faon replied with a smile.
“True, you have a point. Well then, should I call you… Little Brother? Or Big Brother?”
Night Lei seemed to genuinely consider the options.
Faon felt as though the distance between them had closed slightly.
But then again, perhaps it hadn’t.
Faon decided to treat it as a hallucination. He often had such feelings back when he was in the Hero Party’s tents.
Since he was no longer on the front lines, he would subconsciously let his guard down.
Faon paused for a moment and decided not to dampen her spirits; after all, his wife seemed to like Miss Night Lei quite a bit.
“Let’s go with Little Brother. I’m younger than Evalyn, after all.”
“Then you’ll have to be like Miss Evalyn and call me Sister Night Lei? Hehe… It feels a bit strange not calling you Mr. Faon.”
Night Lei laughed softly.
“Then you can drop the ‘Mr.’ and just call me Faon,” Faon suggested.
That was how most of his former teammates had addressed him.
Night Lei fell into thought for a moment before smiling.
“Faon? That sounds like the name of the Knight from the Hero Party that defeated the Demon King.”
She seemed to mutter this to herself, but she didn’t dwell on the topic. She offered her own suggestion:
“That still feels a bit distant. Let me compromise. How about Brother Ang?”
“No problem. I am indeed younger than you, Sister Night Lei.”
Faon showed no reaction to her comment about the Hero Party and offered no explanation.
He simply nodded naturally.
“Well then… Brother Ang?”
Night Lei called out with a smile, her tone charming.
“Yes, Sister Night Lei?”
“It’s nothing. I just feel like calling you that signifies our relationship isn’t that of strangers anymore.”
Night Lei’s smile deepened as they continued their casual conversation.
—
They reached the center of the town.
The places where they both worked were located within the small hills at the entrance of this Frontier Town.
Thanks to the town’s modest size, the walk home was little more than a stroll for them.
To Faon, this town looked much like the scenery of his and his wife’s hometown.
The river flowing through the center of the town and the houses of the residents had a very distinct “otherworld” feel to them.
Compared to his hometown, this place was certainly less lively; it lacked a tavern or an Adventurers Guild.
However… because the “Half-Fiends,” who were similarly unaccepted elsewhere, had gathered here, they tended to cherish life more. Consequently, the atmosphere was peaceful and quiet—an excellent place for recovery.
“Where do you usually have lunch lately, Brother Ang?”
Night Lei suddenly asked as they walked.
“I used to eat at the Church, but since it’s mostly girls over there… now I just bring some bread or something.”
Faon treated it as mere small talk.
“Girls? Hehe, such a gentle way of referring to them. It seems only Brother Ang would use that word for us—” Night Lei’s words were interrupted by the shouting and rapid footsteps of the town’s mail carrier in the distance.
“Mr. Faon! Mr. Faon!”
The runner was a young girl with cat ears, a descendant of a demon Cat-person and a human.
Her expression was frantic as she ran straight toward the two of them.
While they both watched her with puzzled expressions, she seemed to realize she couldn’t stop herself in time.
Tears of panic welled in her eyes.
“Ah… Mr. Faon, quick, get out of the way!”
Faon instinctively reached out and grabbed Night Lei’s wrist.
Whether it was because they were too close or because of some intention on Night Lei’s part, the wrist he intended to grab suddenly turned into a palm.
Faon didn’t pay it much mind.
He simply pulled her to the side and used his other hand to catch the girl who had nearly fallen.
The girl he caught also managed to snatch the letters that had almost flown out of her grip.
Once the girl was steady, he released her and spoke with a hint of helplessness.
“Cassie, how many times have I told you? There’s no need to be so rushed when you have letters for me.”
The girl named Cassie immediately straightened up, pressing her hands together in an apologetic gesture.
“Mr. Faon, I’m sorry… I’m really, really sorry! It’s just that it was getting late when I started my rounds, so I was in a hurry.
And I’m so sorry, Miss Night Lei!”
At the mention of Night Lei, Faon realized he was still holding her hand.
He intended to let go immediately, only to realize that Night Lei was the one gripping his hand at some point.
Faon figured she might have been startled by him suddenly grabbing her wrist.
Without thinking too much of it, he pulled his hand away.
Just as he was about to apologize, Night Lei beat him to it.
“… I’m sorry, Brother Ang. I gripped your hand instinctively just now.”
A faint blush dusted Night Lei’s face.
It might have been from the sudden movement, or perhaps… excitement?
“I’m the one who should apologize. I did grab you quite suddenly,” Faon said, scratching his head awkwardly.
Seeing that Faon didn’t seem to have a strong reaction, Night Lei simply smiled.
“It’s fine. I don’t mind. After all, you only did it because you were worried about me, Brother Ang. How could it be your fault?”
After saying this, she turned toward Cassie.
“In the end, it’s Miss Cassie’s fault for being so reckless.”
Cassie instinctively trembled, unable to avoid the lecture Night Lei gave her.
Watching Night Lei turn to educate Cassie, Faon didn’t say anything more.
To him, it was merely an accident; as long as no one was hurt, it was fine.
Once the lecture was over, Cassie quickly handed the letter to Faon, apologized once more, and hurried away.
The two continued on their way, seemingly unaffected by the little interjection.
Although the conversation didn’t resume immediately, the atmosphere wasn’t awkward.
It wasn’t until Night Lei saw her own front door in the distance that she spoke up about the incident.
“… About what happened earlier, I’m truly sorry. It happened so fast that I grabbed your hand out of instinct. I don’t even know how I’d explain that to Miss Evalyn.”
Faon blinked, surprised that she was so concerned about it.
“It’s nothing… Just like you said, I don’t mind. It was just to keep anyone from getting hurt. Evalyn will understand.”
Hearing Faon’s answer, the smile returned to Night Lei’s face.
“Hehe… Since you don’t mind, Brother Ang, then I can rest easy.”
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