The First Date Mission in the Great Date Battle:

Watching a Ballet Performance.

The couple arrived at the ticket counter of a theater.

Due to spatial and performance constraints, ballets typically had only three or four shows a day, and the couple could only spend this one day together.

Thus, the first item on their agenda was simple: whichever show they could make it to, they’d watch that one.

The ticket seller glanced at the pair’s attire and smiled, asking,

“May I ask, are you two in a romantic relationship?”

Leon and Roswitha exchanged a glance. Then, with an almost identical sigh, they reluctantly nodded.

“Alright then, I’ve arranged couple seats for you two,” the ticket seller said, “at no extra cost.”

Leon blinked. “It’s just a ballet—do your seats differentiate between couples and regular attendees?”

“Indeed, it’s a thoughtful new service we’ve introduced here at this theater.”

Leon forced a strained smile and replied sarcastically, “Well, how *thoughtful* of you.”

After buying the tickets, the couple still had thirty minutes before the show began.

They found a bench outside the theater and quietly waited.

The plaza outside the theater was open to the public for free. Some elderly folks and children came here to feed the pigeons.

Leon and Roswitha sat side-by-side on the bench, and occasionally, a few pigeons wandered over, hoping for a snack.

But unfortunately, neither of them had any cookies or bread on hand to offer.

The pigeons, realizing they wouldn’t get fed, cooed twice before flapping their wings and flying off.

Leon’s gaze followed the pigeons until something else caught his eye—a nearby ice cream stand.

Turning to look at Roswitha beside him, he found her with her head lowered, her mouth hidden beneath the collar of her hoodie. Her hands stuffed into her jacket pockets, she stretched out her legs and absentmindedly toyed with her shoes, tapping the tips together and then apart, seemingly enjoying herself.

“Do you want some ice cream?” Leon asked.

Roswitha hesitated. Then nodded.

“What flavor?”

“Anything’s fine.”

Leon’s mind wandered a bit. “How about cilantro flavor?”

Roswitha glared at him. “How about carrot?”

Leon chuckled, stood, and headed to the ice cream stand.

While paying, Leon’s peripheral vision registered something in the bushes nearby.

He froze for a moment, then quickly looked away and muttered under his breath, “Your camouflage could use some work.”

But what’s with strategically picking the spot near the ice cream stand? Trying to satisfy some sneaky cravings, huh, my little darling?

Leon returned to the bench holding two ice creams. “I got strawberry and banana flavors. Which do you want?”

“I was thinking orange,” Roswitha teased, trying to make things difficult.

Unexpectedly, Leon had already anticipated her mischief and handed her an orange-flavored ice cream. “Here, orange for you.”

Roswitha blinked, her lively eyes wide with surprise, her long lashes fluttering. “Didn’t you just say you only bought strawberry and banana?”

Leon shrugged. “I was just messing with you. I knew you’d choose orange.”

Roswitha let out a “hmph,” taking the orange-flavored ice cream from him.

“Let’s head inside. We can eat while walking,” Leon suggested.

“There’s still twenty minutes left.”

“True, but the assistant director might not wait that long.”

“Huh?”

Leon didn’t elaborate further, instead hooking his arm around Roswitha’s.

Startled, Roswitha almost dropped her ice cream, but eventually got up, letting Leon pull her toward the theater entrance.

As they left, three figures emerged from the bushes near the ice cream stand.

Anna dusted off the bits of grass sticking to the two little princesses, then straightened her clothes.

“Anna Anna, I want ice cream too!” said the assistant director, her eyes sparkling as she pointed at the stand.

Anna nodded and led the trio over. “Hello, three ice creams, please.”

Never underestimate a father’s understanding of his daughters!

The director’s team secretly observing the date not only had a prime vantage point but also the advantage of grabbing ice cream on the side.

Meanwhile, Leon and Roswitha entered the theater.

Once seated inside, other audience members began to trickle in.

Leon noticed that the couple seats were indeed in a different section from the regular seats, though he couldn’t understand the purpose of such a distinction.

Even if it was intended to cater to certain unique family arrangements, it still seemed unnecessary.

Whatever, he thought, the ways of the Dragon Clan were often perplexing.

Shaking off his thoughts, Leon patiently waited for the ballet to begin.

“This play is called *The Albatross’s Sunset Duet,*” said Roswitha.

Leon glanced at the title on the ticket in his hand and replied, “Yeah, I can read.”

“It tells the story of a man and a woman who, due to a twist of fate, end up married without any affection for one another. Over time, as they get to know each other, they open their hearts and fall in love,” Roswitha explained.

Leon pressed his lips together, shifting in his seat.

Why does this feel like it’s hinting at my life?!

Though he already had an inkling of how autobiographical the play’s character setup was, he feigned indifference and said, “Oh, nice.”

After a pause, he added, “Wait, have you seen this before?”

“No,” she replied, “but I’ve read the original novel.”

“The novel?”

Leon thought back to the previous night when he and Roswitha had stayed up finalizing their date plans. Among the romance novels they’d looked through, one had also been about an albatross.

“Was it the one we looked at last night?” he asked.

“No, but it’s by the same author.”

Leon gave a noncommittal “oh” and muttered, “This author seems to have a thing for albatrosses.”

“That’s because an albatross mates for life,” Roswitha explained calmly. “This aligns closely with the Dragon Clan’s concept of marriage, so many authors use the albatross as a symbol of unwavering love and loyalty.

“This play is the final installment in the author’s *Albatross Trilogy.* It’s a culmination of their work and has been adapted for the stage due to its exceptional storytelling.”

Leon gazed at Roswitha’s profile in silence.

When she spoke about these things, her words were precise and articulate, completely different from the few words she usually offered in their conversations.

It was clear she genuinely enjoyed art forms like these.

This was a side of her Leon had never fully understood before.

“Have you watched many ballets or operas?” she asked suddenly, glancing at him.

Leon quickly looked away. “Uh… no, not really.”

“If there’s anything you don’t understand, you can ask me. I’ll explain.”

“Wow, feeling generous, huh?”

Roswitha shot him a sidelong glance. “I just don’t want our daughters asking questions later and having you come up blank. That would make the date seem fake.”

Leon shrugged. “Fair enough.”

Ten minutes later, the performance began.

The first scene depicted a grand, romantic wedding, captivating the audience.

Ballet, as an art form, intertwines music, drama, literature, dance, and stage design.

Aside from an engaging, emotionally resonant plot, the performers’ singing and dancing added layers of allure to the show.

Leon’s artistic sensibilities weren’t particularly strong, so his focus stayed mainly on the story.

Being an adaptation of a romance novel, some aspects inevitably came across as a bit melodramatic when played out on stage.

But Leon kept his complaints to himself. Roswitha seemed completely absorbed in the performance, and he didn’t want to disrupt her mood.

In the final act, as Roswitha had described, the lovers, after overcoming numerous hardships, finally embraced their love in the sunset. The male lead proposed to the female lead as touching music swelled and heartfelt words echoed through the room, leaving many teary-eyed.

Not an exaggeration—Leon spotted a few young women in the front row wiping tears from their cheeks.

Leon let out a breath and finally couldn’t help muttering, “You’d have to kill me before I proposed like that. So cheesy.”

Unexpectedly, Roswitha nodded. “Agreed. In the original novel, the ending was romantic and poetic, but staged as a ballet, it does come off a bit over the top. Still, it’s a highly skilled production overall.”

Leon gave her an understanding nod. “Fair enough.”

After a pause, Roswitha added, “If it were me, I wouldn’t accept a proposal under such circumstances either. It does feel forced.”

The couple, yet again, found themselves silently aligned in their thoughts.

Thankfully, that was the play’s final scene.

The proposal led into an embrace, and the performers took their bows as the audience broke into applause, acknowledging their skill and dedication.

Roswitha uncrossed her long legs and stood. “Alright, let’s go. On to the next date activity.”

“Yeah.”

“Wait! Please wait, everyone—especially those in the couple section!”

The host suddenly spoke into the microphone onstage with great enthusiasm. “We’ve prepared a surprise bonus segment after the show! It won’t take more than ten minutes. If you’re interested, please stay to watch!”

Hearing this, audience members who had started to rise all quickly sat back down.

“A bonus segment? What’s that about?” Leon asked.

Before Roswitha could shake her head to indicate her own confusion, the venue’s lights abruptly dimmed.

A single spotlight shone on the host.

Under the glowing focus, the host raised their right hand high. “With this spotlight, we will select one couple from the couple section to come onstage and reenact the final scene of the play! What do you all think—exciting, right?”

“Wow, what a fun bonus! Glad we stayed!”

“I love the interactive element. If I’d known, I would’ve chosen the couple seats too!”

“......”

Leon froze in place. So *this* was the reason for the couple-section seating?!

Wait. Now wasn’t the time to complain.

An alarm blared in Leon’s head.

They needed to leave. Now.

In the darkness, Leon reached for Roswitha’s hand—though he’d originally aimed for her wrist, the low visibility made precision impossible.

Startled, Roswitha instinctively curled her fingers, but when she realized it was Leon, she let her hand relax. Then, somewhat shyly, she intertwined her fingers with his.

Her thoughts were exactly the same as Leon's:

Run!

Given the luck she and Leon had had so far, even if there was only a one-in-ten-thousand chance they'd be chosen, they still needed to make a break for it.

The couple crept stealthily to a side aisle, ready to slip away.

Unfortunately...

It was too late.

The spotlight began to sweep across the couple seats, like the Grim Reaper selecting its next prey.

Finally—

To everyone's surprise, the spotlight didn't settle on the couple seats. Instead, it aimed right at the aisle.

Under the spotlight stood a man and a woman, hand in hand, looking like they were just about to sneak away.

The entire venue erupted in astonishment.

The host, momentarily stunned, quickly recovered and explained, "Oh, it seems our spotlight had a bit of a glitch, which is why it's focused on the aisle. But no worries, we've still found a couple!"

Leon and Roswitha stood frozen under the spotlight, their every pore feeling like it was emitting steam under the scorching gaze of the audience.

Are you kidding me? We even ran to the aisle, and it still found us?

This is relentless annihilation, isn't it?!

"No no no, we— we're not a couple. We only bought the couple seats because there were no other tickets left." Leon fumbled awkwardly, attempting to avoid the fate of reenacting that climactic proposal scene on stage.

"Don't be shy, you two! You're even wearing matching couple outfits. How can you not be a couple?"

Couple outfits...

So this was all part of the grand director's master plan?

Everything interconnected, not a single clue or detail wasted!

Dear daughter, well played.

Roswitha silently covered her face with her free hand.

As expected, you can never escape what you're destined to face.

This must be fate.

"Come on up! Let's see your performance! It's all just for fun—spread the happiness!"

"Yeah, yeah! You're such a great match; everyone will totally ship you once you start acting!"

"Go for it, go for it!"

The crowd erupted with egging-on and catcalls.

The couple exchanged a glance and then resigned themselves to their fate.

After all, their daughters were likely hiding somewhere, secretly watching. How could they not do their best?

So, amidst the fiery gazes and applause of the crowd, they stepped onto the stage.

The same male "protagonist" from earlier handed a ring to Leon.

It was a prop ring, but it felt incredibly real—its surface gleamed brightly. From a distance, it looked even more genuine than reality itself.

Leon let out a sneering laugh, thinking to himself that if the ring were big enough, he'd love to throw it around the necks of these conniving tricksters—

"Alright, our brave leading man, it's time for you to kneel on one knee and offer your leading lady your most faithful—love!"