Chapter 50: Indirect Kiss

“The style of Novalis Restaurant…”

Finn gently patted the coarse velvet cushion he was sitting on.

“So this is how it usually is…?”

The interior was decorated in deep brown and brass tones.

There was no familiar cream-colored hall or warm sunlight.

Though several chandeliers hung on the walls, it still felt quite dim…

He looked around.

If the restaurants in the Holy Capital matched Finn’s fantasy of an elegant, sacred, and high-class Western fantasy world, then Novalis clearly took a hardcore route.

In the corner, a small steam fireplace provided heat for the entire room.

On the walls hung mechanical blueprints… locomotive sketches… and even gear parts as decorations.

In short, it was bold and very much in Novalis’s style.

The kind that instantly made you think, “I’m eating in Ironpivot City.”

A newspaper was thoughtfully placed beside every table—probably for diners to pass the time while waiting for their food.

“Steam Daily…”

Elena casually picked up a newspaper and glanced at it.

The content was mostly the same as in the Holy Capital.

Just speeches from political figures… newly enacted policies, and the like.

Maybe a little gossip about local celebrities.

But most importantly, there was no coverage of the local serial cases.

‘Looks like the authorities are really sensitive about this…’

Ding-ling—

A crisp meal bell rang.

A food cart came into view, laden with dishes, but there was no server pushing it.

“Huh?”

Finn noticed that the cart moved on specially designed tracks.

Then, a mechanical arm extended from inside, firmly lifted a plate, and carefully placed it on the table—the whole process was no different from a qualified server.

“That’s a service robot…”

The silver-haired girl beside him kindly explained.

“It can handle service, cooking, cashiering, and surveillance.”

This reminded Finn a bit of themed restaurants from his previous life.

“Not just restaurants… service industries in Novalis generally use robots as well.”

“So Novalis’s robotics technology is already quite widespread…”

Finn estimated that Novalis’s tech tree had only advanced to around the first or second industrial revolution of his previous world.

Yet robot applications were already this common.

No, in fact, their adoption rate might be even higher than in his previous life.

Was it thanks to magic?

“Still, I have to say, it’s just like you, Elena.”

“You know so much.”

Finn gave a thumbs up.

“No… not at all.”

Her face subtly reddened, and Elena nervously twisted a strand of her hair.

“?”

Finn felt the atmosphere was a bit strange.

‘Wait… isn’t this off?’

‘Is this the face my bro is supposed to make?’

Although Elena had been shy when trying on clothes earlier, as a modern person, Finn could understand that.

First time wearing women’s clothes… it was normal to be embarrassed.

But this was their normal interaction now!

In the past, Elena should have maintained her usual composed iceberg face in front of others, then smirked at him secretly, and finally said proudly, “Of course.”

“Hehe…”

Unaware of what the girl in front of him was thinking, the corners of her mouth gradually curled up.

“?”

‘Wait?’

‘Hey!’

‘Was that a silly grin just now?!’

‘Why does my bro look like a lovesick maiden now!’

‘Damn woman…’

‘Give me back my normal bro!’

Perhaps noticing Finn’s shocked stare, or feeling the obvious smile on her own lips, the girl quickly covered her mouth with both hands and added absentmindedly,

“B… before, my parents said they would bring me to Novalis to play.”

“Even though we didn’t go in the end because of my dad’s illness… I still did some research on Novalis…”

Her fingers kept twisting her hair.

Finn knew that was Elena’s nervous habit to maintain composure on the surface.

“Alright, all the food is here. You two should try it quickly.”

Masha clapped her hands with a smile.

“Let’s see how Novalis’s cuisine differs from the Holy Capital’s.”

Finn gently pressed his fork into the steak, and it immediately released some juice.

The steak was cooked perfectly—tender and easy to chew.

But as for how it differed from the Holy Capital’s food…

For someone who had been eating pre-made meals and processed snacks every day before transmigrating, whether handmade or machine-made, it was all a feast to him.

“It’s delicious. The machine’s skill is already comparable to some chefs in the Holy Capital.”

“And the machine is more efficient.”

After thinking it over, Finn gave a fairly neutral answer.

“Really?”

Masha smiled with satisfaction.

“But I don’t come to places like this often…”

“Because they really play up the gimmick…”

“When similar food is made by machines instead of people, it’s a “novel” experience for tourists, so the price here is much higher than in the Holy Capital.”

“Uh… that’s normal. I guess it’s a case of scarcity value…”

‘But this is really just price gouging…’

Finn didn’t say that last part out loud.

Elena nodded like a pecking chicken, staring at the plate in front of her.

Freshly baked, steaming hot pancakes.

Drizzled with a layer of honey, with a small sprig of mint as garnish.

“Honey pancakes…”

She had eaten them a few times before.

Elena wasn’t really a dessert person.

In fact, she didn’t like overly sweet flavors because she thought they were bad for her teeth.

The girl held her fork, hesitant.

“Hmm—”

But in the end, she surrendered to the rich aroma.

“Mmph!?”

The dessert entered her mouth.

There was no unpleasant feeling of sugar coating her teeth or that sickly sweetness—which surprised her.

Instead, a perfect burst of sweetness and happiness exploded on her taste buds.

“So… good…”

Her mouth reacted faster than her brain, and she blurted it out without thinking.

Maybe it was the energy spent on the day’s battle, or maybe the portion was too small.

The plate was quickly cleaned by Elena.

‘N… not enough…’

That was the first thought in her head.

But the girl was clearly too shy to ask for more, so she just replayed the novel taste in her mind.

Even if the machine made it well, it couldn’t be that different from what the Holy Capital offered…

Elena remembered she hadn’t liked sweets this much before.

When Lila and Nora had made her pastries as a child, she hadn’t been particularly responsive.

‘So a change in the body also brings a change in taste?’

“Sister Elena really seems to like this dish…”

“Would you like another one?”

Masha noticed the girl’s embarrassment and leaned in with a smile.

“That’s… not really…”

“You just said it’s not cheap.”

The girl lowered her head, nervously staring at her toes.

“That’s true…”

“How much would this dish cost…? About one gold coin?”

She counted on her fingers, pretending to be pained.

“But it’s fine! Eat up, everyone—”

Shrugging casually, Masha’s tone quickly brightened.

“Because it’s all on Old Man’s tab!”

She raised her fork in a cheer.

“Uh… you don’t have to go that far.”

Finn picked up the cup of grape juice beside him and took a few small sips.

“Ugh!!!”

The silver-haired girl beside him let out a soft, strange sound, but Finn assumed Elena was still embarrassed and ignored it, continuing to Masha.

“Speaking of which… even though it’s an adopted relationship, Miss Masha and Mr. Lucas certainly have an unusually close bond…”

“Well—”

Masha gently set down her fork.

“My childhood memories are pretty fuzzy, but according to them, I was just a beggar on the street.”

“Later, Old Man took me back to the church, taught me to read and write, and taught me magic.”

“To me, that old man is both a benefactor… a teacher… and my adoptive father.”

Finn didn’t interrupt, waiting for Masha to continue.

“Hmm… but considering how good he’s been to me…”

She added lightly, in a seemingly indifferent tone.

“Overall, he’s been a decent father!”

Even though she tried to speak in a teasing, lighthearted way, it was clear the woman was moved.

“I see…”

‘Lucas really cherishes Masha…’

Finn’s thoughts began to wander.

Though it wasn’t exactly honorable, if he could convince Masha… could he use her relationship to win Lucas’s support?

He bit down on the straw and took a big gulp of the fresh juice.

Mmm… cold and sweet.

“Wait a moment—Mr. Finn.”

“Wh… what?”

For some reason, Masha had put on an instigating expression.

“How do you like this drink?”

“?”

“It’s… pretty good… very fresh and sweet.”

Confused, Finn answered honestly.

“Ugh—”

The silver-haired girl beside him covered her face with her hands in embarrassment, while a creepy maternal smile appeared on Masha’s face.

“Elena seems to have something to say to you.”

Only then did Finn notice a faint, almost negligible tug on his left arm.

Elena had been pulling at him, wanting to say something.

“F… Finn…”

Elena spoke weakly in a trembling, guilty tone.

“Wh… what?”

“The problem is with that drink of yours—”

Masha whispered.

‘Is it my imagination?’

‘She sounds like she’s holding back laughter.’

Wait…

In an instant, Finn felt his blood run cold.

Because on his right side, he spotted an identical glass of grape juice—completely untouched.

“Th… then the one I drank…”

“I… I tried to tell you earlier!!”

The blush on the girl’s face had completely lost control.

She buried her face in her arms to hide it.

“Th… the one you drank…”

“It was the one your ‘little sister’ drank…”

She stressed the word “sister” heavily, as if to emphasize something.

“This…”

Finn knew they were in deep trouble, because just yesterday they had confidently told Masha about their “sibling” relationship.

“That means… right now, a brother and sister…”

“Are indirectly kissing—”

Her wicked smile and demonic words echoed across the table.

……