"Hey! You! Even with your shady rep, you’re still a Heroic Rank adventurer, right?! Go grab a job from the Adventurers’ Guild or the black market! We can’t even afford food—and tonight? Nowhere to sleep!"

The speaker was a golden-haired girl with doll-like, delicate features and a slender frame. Complaints spilled freely from her lips.

Beside her walked a man clad head-to-toe in black armor, a massive sword strapped to his back. Compared to the girl’s refined appearance, his rugged look drew far more attention.

"Hey! Get this straight—I’ve been blacklisted by the Adventurers’ Guild ages ago. And didn’t *we* wreck this city’s black market two nights ago? You forgot? Where exactly am I supposed to find work?"

"...I don’t care! You go get money!!!!"

"No way! Wait—you’re a Bard, right? Pull out your harp! Sing a couple songs, earn some cash! You’re famous, aren’t you? Shouldn’t your admirers chip in easily?"

The girl’s eyes widened. "Are you kidding?! My epics aren’t for street performances! It’s about romance, understand?! Singing just for money? My path as a Bard would be over! And hey—you’ve got old flames here, right? Can’t we crash with them?"

"Are you serious? Trying to get me poisoned? If I go down, you’re not walking away clean!" the man shot back. "By that logic, don’t *you* have a close friend here? Go ask *her* for money!"

"No! We parted ways solemnly three days ago! Go crawling back for cash now? Do I have no shame?!"

"Then what do we do?" he countered.

They stared at each other, stuck.

After a brief pause, the girl murmured, "How about... sleeping in the park tonight?"

"Works for me."

Wandering into a park, the girl’s eyes lit up. "Ah! Irises! We can eat these!"

"I’m pretty sure we can’t. They’re poisonous."

She waved a hand dismissively, wearing a "you’re so clueless" look. "Pfft. Yeah, they’re toxic—but you’re a Heroic Rank adventurer, and I’m a Virtuoso Bard. A little poison won’t kill us. Totally edible."

"By that logic," he said dryly, "all these weeds are fair game too."

She nodded. "Exactly! You not eating?" Without waiting, she plucked an iris and popped it into her mouth.

She frowned slightly. "A bit bitter... You still have sugar?"

"—Yeah. Plenty of seasonings left. Just no cash for real food."

She held out her hand. "Hand it over. I’ll whip up sugar-coated irises. I’m *that* amazing!"

After their questionable "poisonous iris feast," they settled in a park corner. "Mmm—sky’s dark. I’m hitting the hay. We’ll leave tomorrow! Tomorrow’s meals? We’ll figure it out then!"

She curled snugly into his arms, sleeping peacefully—like a life-sized doll.

Once certain she was asleep, he gently stroked her smooth, delicate cheek.

*Should I steal a kiss? She wouldn’t notice... But would that make me seem creepy? She trusts me so much—though, doesn’t she blur personal boundaries too? Falling asleep curled in my arms like this... hard not to wonder.*

In the end, he only brushed her cheek once more.

She really was different. Willing to sleep in a park, eat weeds with him—unlike any girl he’d ever known.

He loved her.

He would protect her.