After finishing tidying up the remaining items in the shop, the day’s work finally came to an end.
Although Red always felt a bit uneasy about leaving Litt alone to manage the store as the cashier, seeing how much she seemed to enjoy it, he decided not to say anything more.
“Litt, you head home first. I’ll go buy some groceries.”
Red originally intended to head to the market to stock up on food for the next few days.
Usually Litt would handle the shopping, but since she’d spent the whole day watching the shop and had even helped him settle the source of those weapons and armor, how could he bring himself to make her run another errand?
But although Red wanted to go by himself, Litt clearly wasn’t very willing to let him.
The white-robed Sister straightened her clothes and, after checking her shoes, turned to Red and said, “Let’s go together.”
“This…”
Red wanted to say something more, but Litt just poked his cheek and said, “We made so much money today. No matter what, we deserve to reward ourselves with something good, right?”
Seeing Litt’s little look of pride, Red couldn’t help but chuckle, letting out a helpless sigh.
“Alright then, Litt, what would you like to eat?”
“We’ll decide once we get there.”
With that, Litt walked over to Red.
Though there were only three customers today, their takings weren’t low.
Red took out a thousand gold coins as Litt’s share, which was probably why Litt was in such a cheerful mood.
The sun was setting, and in the glow of the red afterglow, the two—one tall, one short—walked side by side together.
***
Although it was almost dusk, the streets were still quite crowded.
The sight of Red and Litt walking side by side naturally attracted a lot of attention.
Litt’s looks were undoubtedly eye-catching, but it had to be admitted—Red himself wasn’t bad looking either.
In Litt’s opinion, among men, his looks could be considered upper tier.
So it was completely normal that so many people were watching them.
“Hurry up, hurry up, or we’ll miss out on the best steak!”
Litt grabbed Red’s hand, seeming to want to escape the crowd’s gaze, but by speeding up, she only made Red a little worried.
“Litt, slow down. Be careful not to trip if you walk too fast.”
Though he felt a bit helpless, Red let her lead him forward by the hand.
Soon, the two arrived near the market.
But calling it a “market” was a bit misleading—it was more like a supermarket, a huge wooden house filled with all kinds of stalls, selling everything from food to clothes.
“You seem to be in a really good mood.”
“Well, it’s been so, so long since I last had steak! We finally earned a bit of money, of course I have to enjoy myself.”
While Litt was speaking, a woman shopping for vegetables nearby noticed her and greeted her as soon as she came over.
“Sister Litt, hello!”
“Hello~”
Litt responded with that gentle, sunny smile.
“Grandmother Sara, I’d like ten coins’ worth of broccoli and lettuce, and could I get some tomatoes as well?”
“Of course!”
Grandmother Sara looked at Litt with the affection one might have for a granddaughter, or perhaps—who could dislike such a gentle and kind young lady?
Red watched Litt shop with practiced ease, and couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.
Whether it was to him or others, Litt was just like an angel.
“Ah…”
As Grandmother Sara packed the vegetables, she noticed Red standing beside Litt.
“Isn’t this Red from Dawnblade? It’s been so long since I last saw you.”
“Well… for many reasons, I’ve left Dawnblade now.”
Back when he was with Dawnblade, Red used to come here often to buy supplies, so he was at least a little familiar with the people here.
“Didn’t expect you’d still remember me.”
“I’d say most people here know you,” Grandmother Sara said with a smile.
“There are plenty of adventurers, but adventurers who shop like housewives are a rare breed.”
“Oh!”
Litt couldn’t help but giggle, but quickly regained her composure, looking rather cute.
Red could only scratch his head in embarrassment.
“Grandmother Sara, don’t make fun of me. That’s all in the past.”
“But I don’t dislike this version of you, Red.”
At this, Litt tugged at Red’s sleeve and said with a smile, “If anything, I think it’s kind of cute.”
“I feel like you’re teasing me too…”
Red sighed, “Since when does anyone use ‘cute’ to describe a man?”
“Hahaha!!”
Grandmother Sara laughed aloud.
“It really is quite a fitting description. Anyway, you two… what’s your relationship?”
Hearing this,Litt’s face froze, and she shyly looked aside.
At the same time, more and more people began to gather, clearly interested in the gossip.
Red, seeing this, cleared his throat and quickly explained, “No, no, Litt and I aren’t in that kind of relationship…”
“But you’re already quite close…”
“If you must know, we’ve only known each other for less than a month,”
“And we basically spend every day together…”
“We’re really not dating!”
“We just live together, that’s all…”
“You three! Enough already!!”
Red spun around and saw his three good buddies—Mason, Tos, and Brian—each chiming in with their own comments, and couldn’t help but protest.
“Could you stop twisting my words?!”
With Mason, Tos, and Brian each adding fuel to the fire, Red was at his wits’ end.
Litt’s face was now bright red, and she had shrunk behind Red.
The crowd of onlookers couldn’t help but show auntie-like smiles.
Truly, watching drama was in everyone’s nature.
After Red finally managed to explain things clearly and disperse the onlookers, he let out a weary sigh.
“What are you guys doing here anyway?”
“I came to buy some rations. I’m preparing to enter the Dungeon, so I can’t afford to forget anything.”
Brian pulled out a large sack from who-knows-where, stuffed with jerky and other foods that looked like they could last a good while.
“Tos and I are here to help Brian carry his stuff. He’s strong, sure, but he still only has two hands.”
Mason lifted the bag in his hand to prove he wasn’t lying.
“But what about you, Red…”
Tos came up and threw an arm around Red’s shoulders.
“You two are moving pretty fast, huh? Shopping for groceries like a married couple…”
“Before you say another word, could you please take your arm off my neck?”
Looking at Tos’s twisted expression, as if he were mutating into some kind of monster, Red felt immense pressure.
“Enough, we still need to buy steak, goodbye!”
Red turned and tried to make a break for it, but as soon as he did, he ran straight into someone.
“Ah, crap!”
Red almost fell, but Litt caught him in time.
The other party didn’t move an inch.
Red looked up to see a woman who looked hearty and—well—extremely masculine.
Litt recognized her as well.
She was the very woman from the story who had been run through the chest and killed by The Fangs of Evil Court—Hera.
“Seriously, Red, where are you running off to?”
Hera obviously knew Red and rubbed her chest.
“It’s true this place is soft, but it still hurts if you crash into it that hard.”
“Sorry, sorry.”
Red steadied himself, and out of the corner of his eye, saw Litt beside him, her face red as could be and looking a bit flustered.
“It’s fine, don’t worry about it.”
Hera waved it off, signaling it was no big deal, but then, seeing Red and the flustered Litt beside him, couldn’t help teasing them.
“Speaking of which, I just finished training and I’m feeling kind of… interested, Red, I actually rather fancy you. Want to have a match?”
“Huh?”
Red was stunned and glanced at Brian behind him, but the big guy had nothing to say.
“This… Isn’t that a bit much?”
“Yeah, yeah!”
Litt nodded furiously.
“How could you even suggest something like that!”
“Heh…”
Hera looked with interest at Litt’s face, then at Red beside her.
“I think it’s up to personal choice. So, Red, want to have a match?”
“No, no!”
Red waved his hands repeatedly, shooting Brian another pleading look—though neither of them said it aloud, Red knew well enough what kind of relationship Hera and Brian had.
Isn’t it a bit much to try to ‘steal’ from your brother so openly!?
“Ahem!”
Litt tugged at Red’s sleeve and said with a big smile, “Red, do you remember what I told you before?”
Before Red could recall, Hera continued, “What’s the big deal? As long as both parties agree, it’s not like anyone’s losing an arm… By the way, why do you look so protective?”
“I do not!”
Litt hurriedly denied it.
“Oh dear,” Hera spread her hands and seemed to think of something. She looked at Litt and said, “If that’s the case, why don’t you and Red have a match?”
“Huh?”
Red mentally added a question mark.
Litt was stunned, her face scarlet, and after struggling for a long time, she could only stammer, “I wouldn’t… absolutely not… but…”
“So I get another go?”
Hera said, stepping forward deliberately, her imposing figure instantly ramping up the pressure.
Truth be told, Litt was all talk most of the time, but now she understood that some people aren’t just all talk—they actually mean it.
To be honest, that kind of person was what Litt feared most.
Thinking this, she immediately dragged Red behind her.
It’s not that she really cared about who Red was involved with, but… this woman in front of her was a no-go.
Too dangerous—she had to glare with all her might.
“By the way…”
Hera suddenly said, “Didn’t you just hesitate a moment ago?”