The city of Silverhaven basked in the golden warmth of morning sun, its cobbled streets alive with traders, bards, and the sound of children playing with wind-chimes. Market stalls were already open, wafting the scents of fresh bread, fried dumplings, and honeyed fruit pies. The Adventurer Guild stood proud in the central plaza, its iconic dragon-emblem banner flapping proudly in the breeze.
Red, stoic and silently ominous as always in his black armor, walked down the street with Hina gently trailing beside him. Her cheeks glowed a soft pink, and she clutched a tiny gift bag, one she had clearly prepared to give to Red "for luck."
They had just left the Yukishiro noble residence, where Lord Harunobu Yukishiro had cheerfully and peacefully allowed Hina to travel with her "pretend fiancé." Hoshikawa Sebas even bowed and handed Red a scroll containing a "Blessing of Guidance," which, according to Lio later, looked suspiciously like a marriage permit.
They now approached the small home where Lio and his sisters lived, Selena had been staying there too since the last goblin raid left the inn overcrowded.
Red barely knocked before the door flew open.
Selena: Red!!
Selena squeaked, eyes sparkling… until they landed on Hina beside him.
Her smile shattered like a dropped plate.
Selena: Hiiiiii, Hina…" she said, voice stretched with enough tension to string a crossbow.
Selena: Oh, you're here too! And walking next to Red. So close. So very, very close."
Hina offered a polite, nervous bow.
Hina: Good morning, Miss Selena. I hope you're well today.
"I was!" Selena said sweetly, through gritted teeth.
Selena: Until about five seconds ago."
Lio popped out from behind the door, yawning.
Lio: Oh hey, Red. Hina. You're back! I..." He paused, then leaned toward Selena.
Lio: Why are you holding a butter knife like that?"
Selena: No reason," she smiled, tucking it back into her sleeve like a rogue concealing a dagger.
Red stepped forward.
Red: We need to prepare. Next mission's waiting. Lio, get your gear ready.
Selena: Wait. Wait, wait, wait. Where's Hina going?
"With us," Red said plainly.
Selena's pupils shrank.
Selena: With us… as in, on the road? All of us? Traveling together?!"
Hina smiled serenely.
Hina: Yes. My father granted me permission to accompany Red, I mean, all of you. I'm now a full party member."
Selena's eye twitched.
Selena: And you're still engaged to him?
"It's only pretend," Hina said, trying to reassure her.
Selena: You...you say that so casually! 'Only pretend!' Only pretend people write poems about?! Only pretend girls hold hands in public?!
Hina: W-we never held hands!
Hina stammered, face redder than a tomato tossed into a bonfire.
Red, meanwhile, had turned to a fruit stall, entirely ignoring the chaos behind him. He picked up an apple, tossed a few copper coins to the vendor, and bit into it like none of this was happening.
Selena spun toward him, arms flailing.
Selena: Red! Say something! Deny it! Say it's all a big misunderstanding! Tell me she's not your betrothed, or your tea partner, or your destiny-bound companion!
Red chewed. Swallowed.
Red: She's not my tea partner," he said, deadpan.
Lio tried to interject.
Lio: Uh, hey guys, not to interrupt the domestic turbulence, but I think Lia put butter in my boots. Again."
Selena turned to him, eyes wide.
Selena: Why are you even still here?!
Lio: um...I live here?" replied helplessly.
The four eventually made their way to the bustling Silverhaven market to buy supplies. The group dynamic was… less "adventuring party" and more "chaotic classroom field trip."
Selena and Hina ended up at the same booth, a stand selling flower-engraved hairpins.
"Ooooh, this is pretty," Hina said, lifting a rose-shaped silver pin.
Selena nodded absently… then noticed Red looking toward them from a distance.
"Actually, Red!" Selena shouted too loudly.
Selena: Which one do you think would suit me better,the red rose or the one shaped like a heart?!
Red glanced over. "…Rose."
Selena beamed. "You hear that, Hina? Rose. Which is what he sees me as. A blooming flower in his life!"
Hina smiled faintly. "That's lovely. But he once said I reminded him of a healing breeze… which lasts longer than a flower, you know."
Lio choked on a meat bun.
Selena's eyebrows shot up.
Selena: Oh, it's war now, is it, princess?"
Hina: I'm not trying to start anything, Just... stating facts.
Hina said politely, hands behind her back.
Selena leaned in close.
Selena: I know martial arts.
Hina: I know etiquette and poisons.
Red, from a distance, had now walked into a shop selling bandages. He looked completely unconcerned.
Lio finally caught up to them.
Lio: Can someone help me? I think Lana put glue in my backpack straps. It won't come off my back."
Selena turned. "Lio, we're fighting for love here!"
Lio: Shouldn't we be fighting monsters?!
Selena and Hina both replied at once. "She is the monster!"
They glared. Sparks practically flew between them.
And then, suddenly, there was the faintest flicker of magic in the air.
POOF!
Selena's pouch exploded with pink glitter, clearly one of Lia's prank bombs from earlier.
The rogue froze in place, now sparkling like a sugarplum fairy.
Selena slowly turned to Lio. "This… is your family's fault."
Lio whimpered. "I swear I tried to stop them! I think they put one under my bed, too."
Red returned, bandages and potion vials in hand. He paused, glancing at the now-glittery Selena, Hina trying to rub it off her with a cloth, and Lio stuck to his backpack.
Red: We leave at noon.
By late morning, the party regrouped near the Silverhaven North Gate.
Selena had mostly stopped glowing. Lio had unstuck his bag using vinegar. Hina had packed way too much and now rode a very confused donkey.
The girls were quiet now. Tense… but civil. For now.
Red walked ahead, calm as a dark cloud.
Lio, walking beside him, leaned over. "
Lio: You sure you don't wanna be engaged to me instead? I make bad jokes and can cook really average stew."
"No, I'm not into man" Red said flatly.
Lio: Figured.
And thus began their next journey, not just through the lands of Natharas… but through the emotional minefield of love triangles, prank bombs, noble drama, and whatever chaos waited on the trail ahead.
Especially if Zara showed up next.
Because then things would get sparkly again, and not the good kind.