Compared to the steppes’ greenish yellow-brown palette, the party’s destination was surprisingly colorful, with the dry grasses giving way to a vibrant meadowland of yellow, white, and red blossoms.

“... I think we’re here,” Louis mumbled, kneeling down to get a better look at the flowers at his feet. After a quick squint at the yellow ones, he plucked it and beckoned the others over. “Take a look at this.”

Fenris also squinted at the yellow flower, causing a small window to pop up in front of his view.

[Foetida Herb (☆☆☆)]

- An herb with potent anti-inflammatory properties. It can greatly increase the efficacy of many medicines and provides a pleasant, garlicky aroma when cooked—but is difficult to source due to the dangers associated with gathering it and the plant’s inability to grow outside of its native region, the Caguan Steppes.

“Why does the description include a flavor profile…?” Lily asked, slightly baffled.

“I suppose that cooking would be another use for it…” Gen pondered for a moment. “... It seems a bit extravagant to use this herb as a seasoning, though.”

Certainly, the plant would be better used for its medicinal properties—but, now that it was brought up, she was suddenly curious about how it actually tasted.

“... *munch*”

““...””

Everyone stared at Fenris.

“Hey. Spit that out.” Lily scolded him.

—And so he did.

“It tastes… spicy.” Fenris noted with his tongue out, which still stung from the herb’s pungency.

Louis snickered.

“Good to know, Fen… Anyways—me and Gen’ll keep watch while you and Lily pick the herbs. Don't eat ‘em this time, alright?”

“Nn.” He nodded back.

After splitting up for their respective tasks, it didn't take long for Fenris and Lily to gather a sizable bundle of the herbs; although it was far less numerous than the other blooms coloring the steppe, the foetida was still easy to spot, even at a distance.

“Okay…” Lily exhaled after checking the item count in her inventory. “I think that should be plenty.”

She hadn't remembered the exact number of herbs that they needed for the request, but it wasn't a particularly large quantity; they had more than enough, even just with the amount she’d gathered alone.

Lily called out to the others.

“Heeey, I think we can leave now!”

“I hear ya!” Louis responded, relaying the message to the others, who were farther away. “Hey—Gen! Fen! Let’s get outta here!”

Gen walked over to where Louis and Lily were waiting to regroup.

… Fenris—on the other hand—frolicked over, prancing through the flowers with a large bouquet in his arms. With a final hop, he came to a complete stop in front of the others.

“I’m here.” Fenris’s wagging tail scattered petals in its wake.

Lily looked at Fenris with an indescribable expression.

“Fen… only the yellow ones are foetida herbs.”

“?? Yes.” Fenris replied blankly.

“Why did you pick all of these other ones?” she asked, mildly exasperated by the size of the bundle he was carrying.

“Why…?” He tilted his head. “... ‘Cause they’re pretty, I guess.”

No one could have prepared themselves for Fenris to wordlessly slip a white flower into Lily’s hair, his hand sliding down to gently cup her cheek.

‘... Waitwaitwaitwhatisthis--?!' Lily stiffened as Fenris brought his face even closer, his eyes staring intently into her own.

“... See?” Fenris’s gaze softened, seemingly satisfied with his work. “It’s… really pretty.”

As Lily burst into a cloud of steam, blushing and stammering, Gen and Louis finally broke free of their initial shock to rescue her from the unstoppable force that was Fenris.

“Aaand that's enough of that.” Louis pulled Fenris away, while Gen chided him.

“Wolfie, you can't do that to a maiden’s heart.”

… However, they underestimated what it meant for Fenris to be an ‘unstoppable force’.

“You too.” He turned onto them as well.

““Huh?!””

Fenris stuck a flower behind Louis’s ear and Gen… didn't have hair or ears, so he just put one on top of her head.

“... Is this how it feels to get romanced?” Louis asked, trying to process the situation.

“... Perhaps.” Gen was equally as dumbfounded.

Regardless of their complex feelings, Fenris simply wagged his tail with a pleased expression.

———

(EXTRA: On Fenris and foetida...)

"Can Fenris even eat foetida? Like, physiologically speaking?" Louis asked.

"... It's not really garlic or onion-related, so maybe it's okay?" Lily the resident dog expert gave her thoughts.

However, Fenris disagreed.

"No... It's too spicy."

JUDGEMENT:

TECHNICALLY EDIBLE BUT ALSO MAYBE DON'T

———

(EXTRA 2: On Fenris’s approach…)

“I would give it 70 points,” Gen whispered to Louis.

“It definitely had the energy, but I think it could've used a bit more… flair, y’know? Maybe dual-wielding bouquets and adding a flip.”

“Ooh, now that is an idea…”

‘These two…’ Lily was exhausted just listening to them.

———

(EXTRA 3: After being rescued…)

Lily breathed a sigh of relief. Her heart had really started racing when Fenris’s face got that close.

However, even after Gen and Louis pulled Fenris away…

‘Why is my heart still beating so fast…?’ Lily wondered, confusedly holding a hand to her chest.

———