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(Real Chapter name: Wasting away at Valentines' day.)

'The sun had set and the night now loomed over Orario.'

'At this time, most people would be having dinner or preparing to go to sleep after a long day of work...'

'However, Orario never slept, much less on this day…'

'After all, today was…'

…

/Whispers…/

'As always, the Hostess of Fertility was packed full of adventurers and people.'

'However…'

"Fucking Hell. Even here I can't have some peace." Said Loiju as he drank his beer

"It's not that bad…" Said Silver on his side as he looked around

'Silver and Loiju were now sitting side by side in the bar counter, and all around them were tables filled with couples.'

'On this day, in order to capitalize more, Mama Mia switched most of the big tables towards smaller tables... She was aiming towards the couples.'

'And the Menu reflected that... A lot of sweets and couple-focused food...'

'Rainbow Love tuna... Lovers Drink...'

"I really hate Valentines." Said Loiju

"I don't think it's that bad, I don't usually pay attention to people around me anyway, so today is no different." Said Silver as he ate some of the fries on the plate in front of him

"You don't understand, as you know, today is not a holiday, however, even during work, I would see everyone around me exchanging weird glances...

"Even when people went to talk with me!" Said Loiju as he frowned

"If you want to talk with me at least focus on me and not on your fucking girlfriend!" He said

I, LOIJU OL ASMINTUS, AM NOT A FUCKING CANDLE HOLDER!

"You are getting angry at such meaningless things…" Said Silver as he applied some sauce on his fries

"Yeah… Sigh, I just hate Valentine's day." He said as he drank his beer

"Did something happen on this day to make you angry?" Asked Silver on the side

"Yeah… Almost every Valentine, I would be left alone in the Guild and pull out a night shift because people would leave me behind to fuck..." He said as he took a big gulp of his beer

"One more please!" He said towards Mama Mia

'She nodded and went to fill another cup.'

"Looks though, but if that's the case, why don't you ditch them? Even if you don't have a partner, you can always lie and leave early." Said Silver

"For what? To work more on the next day? At the very least, I can get people to owe me one, however, I take no pleasure in this…" He said as he shook his head

I would prefer to be the one with a lover instead...

"It's really tough… I thought you would be popular considering you are an Elf." Said Silver on the side as he stretched his arms

"Elves aren't that big of a deal, we may have good faces, but most of the Elves are… You know already don't you? In the end, most of the girls tend to be apprehensive when they approach a male Elf…"

"I myself have difficulties interacting with girls from other species. Even after living in Orario for over a decade, the habits I developed during my time in my home forest still persist to some degree."

I particularly don't like Amazons...

"This makes me quite reclusive when interacting with other girls, after all, if I wanted to have some fun, then I would just go to the red light district, but I just can't." He said

"And… Although I left my home, deep within me, I still believe that one day, I will return home and show my parents, my future wife, and kid." He said in a sad tone as Mia came with a drink

'She looked at the sad Elf and grimaced before she looked at Silver and smiled cheekily.'

"..."

Oi! What are you thinking about!?

And this guy… Is he drunk already? Seems a bit too early for that.

"I saw many girls during my life, but nothing ever developed, if I were to explain my romantic life in one word it would be… Short." Said Loiju as he drank his beer

'Silver couldn't help but smile.'

"Is that a recurring problem?" He said as he held his laugh

"Hm? Not really… HEY!" Said Loiju as his eyes opened wide

"Took you some time to understand haha…" Said Silver as he ate some fries

"Then what about you? How was your romantic life?" Asked Loiju

"..."

'Silver stayed silent for a few moments and said:'

"I am proud to say I never kissed a girl before." He said as he drank his beer

"..."

'Loiju stared at his friend, pity in his eyes...'

"... That's worse than me man…" Said Loiju as he also picked up his beer

"Cheers."

"Cheers."

/Cling…/

'Unbeknownst to them was a black-haired cat girl that heard everything…'

"But let me ask you one thing." Said Loiju

"Yeah?" Said Silver

"From everyone that I know, I thought you would have someone to spend the day with?" Said Loiju

"Nah, I don't have anyone I am close enough to spend this day with… At least on the way you are thinking."

"Originally, I was supposed to accompany my Goddess but…"

"But she left you behind for another guy?" Interrupted Loiju

"No you fucker… As I was saying, she got caught up with something and couldn't come, otherwise, I wouldn't be with you." Said Silver as he glared fiercely at him

"I don't know man, seems kind of suspicious…" Said Loiju as he scratched his chin

"Holy sh… Look, my day went like this…" Said Silver as he narrated his day

"After I woke up, I went to the Dungeon as always, stopping on the way to say hi to you and get some commissions…"

"All the while, my Goddess went to work."

"When I came back, I visited her at work and we agreed to meet in front of the Guild after some time." Said Silver

"And then, she ditched you right?" Said Loiju with a cheeky smile

"..."

"Hehe… I was right." He said with a massive smile on his face

"You may be right, but not entirely correct." Said Silver

"That doesn't make any sense." Replied Loiju with a frown

/GULP!/

'Silver took the last gulp at his beer and said:'

"Look, when she busted the time, I continued to wait for a few more minutes until I decided to go after her."

"And I eventually found her…"

"With another guy…" Interrupted Loiju

"NO!! YOU FUCKING… I think I understand why you don't have a girlfriend in the first place." Said Silver as he frowned

"Hey man, I was just joking…"

"Then, please… Shut up." Said Silver

"..."

"So… When I met her, I found out she was still stuck at work."

"Why? Who would stay working till now?" He asked

"I didn't quite understand, but it seemed she got swept up in a series of minor events and eventually got stuck helping her friend because she felt sad for leaving her friend alone on Valentine's day." Said Silver

"Hey… Isn't she the same as us then?" Said Loiju as he pointed at himself

"..."

'Silver stared at Loiju and said:'

"As if I would feel sad for leaving you behind to spend time with a girl." He said

'Loiju smiled, he did not try to refute...'

'Because he felt the same!'

"Yeah… Me too." Said Loiju as he nodded

'Mama Mia appeared and dropped another cup on the table. Surprising Silver'

"Cheers?" Asked Loiju

"Cheers." Replied Silver

/Cling!/

/GULP!/

"So… It seems we are on the same boat now." Said Loiju

"I wouldn't say so, at least, I think my boat has a destination, instead of you who is just drifting in the sea in search of the promised land." Said Silver

"Oh yeah?! Then tell me! How would you get a girl?" Asked Loiju with a smile

"That's a little too vague, cut it down for me." Asked Silver

"Hum… Aha! Let's cut it to this bar!"

"..."

'Silver's face got black.'

From all of the girls in Orario… This was your fucking choice??

No wonder…

No wonder you don't have a girlfriend…

This guy is playing Hell mode...

"Loiju… If you want to die then go alone." Said Silver

"WHY?! Is there something wrong with the girls working in this place!?" He asked Silver

"Well… I do understand that for a normal guy like you, you can't feel the oppressive aura these girls have, so let me say to you… Give up, these girls are impossible to get." Said Silver in a solemn tone

"Why?... You don't even know them…" Said the Elf

"That's where you're wrong… You see… I have a Unique ability. One I can only use once per person…" Said Silver as he whispered to Loiju

"... You're drunk Silver." Said Loiju as he rolled his eyes

"As if! I only had one and a half cups while you had 4!" Replied Silver

"Alright then… Tell me, what does this 'special ability of yours do?" Said Loiju before he turned around and ordered another plate of snacks

"Sure, then, choose one of the workers here." Said Silver in a confident tone

'Loiju looked around him and had his eyes stop at a cat girl.'

'It was Chloe.'

"The black-haired cat girl, what do you know about her? How would you get her?" Asked Loiju

"If you convince me I will pay for the next round." He said with a smile

"Sure, prepare to be knocked out of your chair." Said Silver as his eyes narrowed

"... What are you doing?" Asked Loiju as he saw his friends eye sparkle

'For a moment, he felt as if something had truly happened.'

"Humph, I just used my ability." Said Silver

"Wow…." Said Loiju sarcastically

"So… Chloe Rollo, 19 years old, Alias… Black cat. She is currently a waitress at the Hostess of Fertility." Said Silver

"WOWWW… Soooo original! The catgirl with black hair was named Black cat!" said Loiju sarcastically

"Oi, what the Gods decide when they name someone is not my problem." Replied Silver

"And? Apart from the Alias part, everyone who frequents this place, regularly, knows that." Said Loiju

"Patience my fellow Elf… Let's slowly dive deep into her… Lore."

"She is not a novel character…" Said Loiju as he let out a small sigh

"What do you know about her… Past?" Asked Silver

"Not much, what? Do you know anything about it? Are you her stalker or something?" Said Loiju in an ironic tone

"NO! As I said, this is my special…"

"Alright alright, 'special ability. Keep going." He said

"..."

"Her past is as dark as her hair, ever since she uttered her first word, she was trained to kill." Said Silver

"PFFT!"

'Loiju spilled his drink in surprise.'

'On the side, Chloe herself seemed to trip over as she almost dropped the wooden cutlery on the plate she was carrying...'

"Surprised? This is only the start!" Said Silver as he proceed to say:

"As she grew up in an assassination Familia, she came to dislike them after an intense event." He said

"Eventually, she left the Familia after performing an incredibly hard task, leveling up in the process, and after some more time, came to Orario and joined the Hostess as a waitress." Said Silver as he proudly drank his beer

"... This story is as insane and unlikely as me getting a girl by tomorrow morning." Said Loiju

"It's the truth." Said Silver

"Alright then, when did you research about her? Do you like her or something?"

"What? I didn't research about her at all." Replied Silver

(But I did…)

"Then how do you know about all of this? Unless… You pulled it out of your ass."

"I just told you, it's my special ability! It's very unlikely for me, a village boy, to know anything about a girl from one of the hundreds of pubs in the middle of Orario!" Said Silver

"Did you just agree with the fact you pulled this out of your ass?" He asked

"Sigh, if you aren't going to believe me, then I guess I will just shut up."

"No no, please continue, I can't lie but this is quite entertaining… Tell me, how would you get her heart?"

"This is difficult… But I would go with a more normal approach. I would try to give her something she lacked and go on from there…" Said Silver

"And what would that be?" Asked Loiju

"Love and care." Said Silver as he looked at Loiju

"..."

'Loiju face-palmed.'

"... Anyway… Let's see, how about the other catgirl? What can you tell me about her?" He asked

"Hum… Let's take a look…"

'Silver once again "activated his special ability" and said:'

"Okay, this is sad…" He said

'Loiju rolled his eyes...'

"So, Anya Fromel, 20 years old, Alias… Vana Alfi, current occupation is the same as what I said previously."

'Loiju made a sigh so that Silver could continue.'

"Her past was one of destruction. Before she even had the time to enjoy a childhood, her homeland was met with an incredible disaster." He said as he drank his beer

"She barely managed to survive thanks to the help of someone she both hates and loves… Her brother."

"She has a brother now?" Asked Loiju in a surprised expression

"She always had one…"

"In any case, after being rescued by someone she lived the rest of her life trying her best to prove herself to him, but in the end, he 'left' her behind."

"That's sad man…" Said Loiju

"It depends on the perspective, for me, I don't believe her to have been abandoned." Said Silver as he pondered

"Oh? Why?"

"Despite her brother being an… Ass, he still protected her and what he did to her was nothing but that. That's what I believe after 'looking' at her past." Said Silver

"What happened next?" He asked in curiosity

"She came to this place of course, and the rest is history."

"Alright… So far everything has been all dark, so for the next one, how about you make a happy story?" Asked Loiju

"As I said, I am not making this up..." Said Silver as he face palmed

"Instead of doubting me, just tell me who's next." Said Silver

"Not before you tell me about how you would get her heart."

"... She is just as tricky as the last one." Said Silver

"She is insecure due to her past, so, to get her heart, I will need to give her the confidence to move on and face her past."

"And after that, I will need to be strong… Strong enough to not be beaten up by her brother haha…" Said Silver as he scratched his head

"Hum… Alright, how about the blond girl over there?" He asked as he moved his head in Lunoire's direction

'When Loiju said that, Lunoire, who was currently moving with a plate in her hand, trembled slightly, almost dropping her plate on the ground.'

'She quickly got up and continued to move towards the kitchen…'

"Alright then… Lunoire Faust, 20 years old, Alias… Blackfist, the rest is standard."

"She had a rough start…"

"You seem to like this sort of story…" Said Loiju as he interrupted Silver

"Don't interrupt me!" Replied Silver

/COUGH!/

"As I was saying…"

"Excuse me, clients…" Said a voice behind the two

'They were startled before they turned around and looked behind them.'

'When Silver looked behind him, he started to sweat as he looked at the flowing green hair and sky blue eyes…'

'It was Ryuu Lion the Elf!'

"Here is your order." She said as she looked at them with her cold eyes

'But her gaze soon stopped at Silver.'

"..."

'He quickly looked to the side, and Loiju did the same.'

'They stared at each other for a split second…'

'The two thought at the same time, Did we order anything?'

"Don't worry, it's on the house." She said as she placed two large bowls of soup in front of them

"?!"

Impossible! Mia would never allow this!

"Enjoy." She said as she turned around and left to tend to other customers

'Loiju was confused while Silver was sweating hard.'

"Do you two know each other?" He asked as he looked at Silver with a smile

"It's not what you think."

"Well… Free food I guess? Let's continue…" Said Loiju

"... I-I don't feel good man… I think I will eat this and leave…" Said Silver as he grabbed his spoon

"What? Why so suddenly? You have yet to tell me about Lunoire Faust's past!" He said in a louder tone

"Perhaps… The past is meant to be left behind." Said Silver as he scooped the soup

"Ah, man… Although you didn't manage to convince me, I was quite entertained, I will pay for today." He said with a smile on his face

"Yeah…" Said Silver as he gulped the soup

"But tell me, if you were to summarize that Elven girl in one word, what would it be?" He asked

"..."

'Silver felt really pressured, he looked behind him and all of the waitresses were occupied with other people. So he took a deep breath and said:'

"Regret." Said Silver

"Why?... I mean, she does look cold, but I…"

"Forget about it man, let me eat this and leave…" Said Silver

"You look on edge… Is she your secret girlfriend?" Asked Loiju

'Silver shook his head and said:'

"I don't think I have the qualifications to gain her heart yet." Said Silver as he ate his soup

(Do you eat soup, or do you drink it? Lol)

"Oh? Why?"

"Ryuu is not like most Elves… Or at least, she is trying not to be like them."

"But just like you, the past is sometimes hard to forget…"

"To get her heart… I would need to help her get in peace with her past. And then…"

'He stopped to think and said:'

"And then I would confess to her in a beautiful and serene forest, under the moonlight." He said as he remembered something

"Wow… I didn't know you were a romanticist." Said Loiju

"I guess I do have that side…" Said Silver as he smiled

'After eating the soup, Silver got up from his chair and left in a hurry.'

'However, there was nothing to fear.'

'Because… As he left, all of the waitresses gazed at him…'

'Each with her own expression…'

'With the exception of Mia, who thought he was bailing out…'

'It was up to Loiju to face her wrath… And pay the bill.'

'From then on, every time he went to the Hostess, the girls would be slightly more 'aware' of his presence…'

'But he wouldn't realize that until way later…'

…

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Notes