“Morning! It’s a little nippy today, huh?”

Once the sun came up, I was doing some light stretching outside. Bessie was the one that greeted me. She complained about the temperature, largely because she wore nothing but her underwear and a bedsheet.

She leaned out the window, happily exposing her ample bosom. It was no wonder she was freezing. We may be near a volcano and the city might be surrounded by a lava moat, but that doesn't mean it can't get cold inside. I don't understand the weather fully either myself, but I'm not complaining.

“You’ll catch a cold.” 

“Aw, I’m used to it. I’ll be fine. Breakfast will be ready in a few,

okay?”

"Sure."

Today was Saturday. I promised the girls that I'd start going on dates with them. The schedule for today is: Bessie gets my morning, Sylvia gets the afternoon and Shizu gets the evening. And tomorrow it's Lumi-chan in the morning and Nelia in the afternoon. The evening I'll be free to actually rest.

As for today… yeah, I'm clueless about dates. After breakfast, when Bessie asked me what should we do I decided to reply "I'll let you take charge. Show me what you are interested in. If you have any hobbies or favorite shops we can handle them."

I don't even know the town fully yet. My girls have been exploring it more than me. So I let them took the initiative. It just so happened that today a group of Mazoku were preparing for a show in town. A small festival. Although it's not like a festival like back on Earth. A circus would be more accurate. 

Some stands were being prepared with food and drinks. Later these Mazoku might actually put in a show or something. However Bessie wasn't disappointed. "The time before a festival is a festival in its own" is what she replied. 

When we went out into town, we heard hammers pounding wood, banners flapping and the breeze blowing. Students and teachers weren’t the only ones who lived in this frontier town. 

Young women browsed the stocks of shops, decorated for the celebrations, wondering what to do about their clothes. Children ran along the broad streets, no doubt wondering how to spend their pocket change. It would be all too easy for their plans to unravel at the sight of some toy in a store display…

Maybe this circus is a bigger deal than I thought. Strangely cut vegetables were drying by the roadside. They probably had some plan for these, cause they don't look edible. More carts and carriages than usual ran through the street.

An abundance of food and clothes were on sale, and visitors were in no short supply, either. It was only natural, after we heard the news. It's actually a celebration weekend. Today and tomorrow people are actually celebrating the day this town was built.

“Let’s go, then! Let's explore.”

“Sure.”

I nodded, then prepared to set off, but before I could, Bessie spun and seized my left hand.

“Erk…”

“It’s gonna be crowded. You wouldn’t want to get separated, would you?”

I felt like blushing right now. Holding hands with a girl like this… I never experienced this feeling.

“Shall we get something at a stall?”

“…If that's what you want…"

We just had breakfast. Don't tell me she's still hungry? 

Skewered bats with bacon and potatoes. It was a bit expensive. I'll need a new fund source if all dates are like this. But no use complaining. It was actually really good.

Lively voices called to us from every side.

“Plum brandy for the lovely girls? Melts in your mouth!” cried a liquor vendor. Bessie stopped there.

“What do you think?” he asked, pointing. “Do you want a drink?”

We were presented with two cups of a faintly sweet-smellingf fruitliqueur in small clay vessels.

I sipped mine slowly. Bessie, however, swallowed hers in as single gulp.

“Won’t it go to your head if you drink it all at once like that?” 

“It’s not a problem. I can hold my liquor."

"You say that but your face is kinda red."

I took her hand again and we continued walking through the crowd and looking at the available stands.

An archer tossed plates into the air and shot them down to boisterous applause. A lizardman had set up a stall selling beautiful engraved swords he said he had made himself. A bard played a stirring tune for all to hear. While walking I then noticed something.

"Bessie, wait here for a moment."

"Okay, Boss."

I went and bought something for Bessie.

"Umm… this is…"

I was holding out a small, handcrafted ring.

It was silver—or it appeared to be, anyway. Something a roadside vendor had cooked up to part children from their pocket change.

In other words, just a toy. Bessie found herself smiling. Then laughing.

“Ha-ha-ha! …You caught me. Even if I act all though, I'm still a girl at the end of the day.”

“Your eyes were drawn to it. So it was obvious you liked it."

She nodded. Nodded, and put on the ring. It may have been handcrafted, but it was cheaply made. It didn’t even have a fake gem. Just a metal band.

But it caught the sunlight and glittered, bright enough to makeh her squint.

"Boss… thank you. I'll treasure this. Meeting you was unexpected… but it's also fun. I wanna stay by your side always."

"Naturally. You're mine now."

Bessie displayed a smile as bright as the sun. It was charming enough to make my heart go all *doki doki*. I guess… life isn't all that bad when the people around you… aren't backstabbers. Maybe… I should try enjoying it more too.

"Well, shall we keep going? It's almost noon, but we still have some time left."

"Sure. I don't mind."

This time she wrapped herself around my arm. Her breasts were pressing against it. Oof… I can almost cry right now. I'm doing it. I'm having a lovely date with a beautiful girl. If you would have asked me in the past how to treat a girl on a date I would have answered "put her on the sofa, fire up your game station, give her a controller and game all night together". Even if I had no clue what to do…

Letting the girl take the initiative was the right answer. Who says the guy always has to take the first step? This date thing turned out nice, fufu.