“I couldn’t agree more,” Lilith said. She looked at the tablet in his hands, and curiosity overtook her. “So, what volume are you on?”
“I just finished volume one.”
“Oh, that means you just finished reading about Kazuma’s and Ayano’s battle with the Fūga clan.”
“Yes.”
“What other light novels have you read?” asked Lilith, sitting down across from him.
The young man looked thoughtful. “Let’s see, I’ve read Spice and Wolf, Accel World, Another, Ballad of a Shinigami, and…”
As the conversation continued, Lilith completely forgot that she was talking to a man. She’d finally found someone who shared her passion, and she would be damned if she let this opportunity slip by!
***
Nathan Storm was a delinquent. He acted like one, dressed like one, and spoke like one. Everyone who lived on this side of Seal Beach knew better than to cross him. As the leader of one of the only gangs in town―a small biker gang that mostly stuck to petty vandalism and thefts―the people in the area were suitably wary of coming near him.
He also enjoyed fighting. To him, there was nothing better than the thrill that came from his fist meeting another person’s face. The satisfying crunch as someone’s nose broke against his punch. Nathan’s love for combat was so great that he had even been kicked out of his dojo for instigating unnecessary violence and needless brutality.
There was only one thing that Nathan loved more than violence and combat: Lilith Vie. Ever since she had come into this town he’d been captivated by her. Just the thought of those big blue eyes, soft lips, wide hips, slim waist and voluptuous breasts made him want to howl. She was everything that he wanted in a woman.
He even had plans to make her his woman. It had taken a while for him to figure out a way to accomplish this, but after weeks of careful thought and planning, Nathan believed that he had come up with a suitable method to claim her.
Of course, all that planning was now ruined because of the sight before him. He stood on the sidewalk, his eyes glaring through the windows of The Crema Café, and watched as some nobody talked to his woman. Even worse, Lilith was talking back! She was actually speaking to a man!
Nathan was well aware of Lilith’s fear of men. That’s the whole reason he hadn’t approached her yet. If he did, she would run, and he wanted her to become his willingly.
It didn’t look like that was possible anymore, though. Someone had beaten him to the punch. How and when this happened he didn’t know, but he wasn’t going to stand for it.
As he glared at the light-skinned young man with glowing red and green eyes, another plan formed in his mind. It would put him several weeks back on his original plan to make Lilith his woman, but that’s how life worked sometimes. He couldn’t do anything about Lilith until he dealt with this new annoyance first.
And Nathan would deal with him. That strange guy with dark hair and freaky heterochromatic eyes would regret ever speaking to his woman.
Chapter 10
“I think my favorite right now is Is It Wrong to Pick Up Girls in a Dungeon?”
It was later in the day. The light from the sun had turned reddish orange, setting the sky ablaze. Lilith was still sitting at the table with Christian, speaking to him about her first and guiltiest pleasure. She would occasionally nibble on her food, but most of her time was spent talking.
This was the first time that she had met another person who shared this particular interest―at least, he was first person that she knew who shared her interest. Lilith would readily admit that she was too embarrassed to ask the few people she spoke to if they also read Japanese light novels.
The knowledge that this young man shared her passion made her joyous. Was it fate that she would meet him? Or simple luck? She didn’t know, and she wasn’t sure if she cared. All that mattered was that she’d finally found someone with whom she could discuss the one aspect of herself that she had never shared with anyone, not even Maria.
“You do realize that Is It Wrong to Pick up Girls in a Dungeon? has a harem in it, don’t you?”
“No, it doesn’t.” Lilith fiercely defended her current favorite light novel. Her companion looked skeptical. He even raised an eyebrow at her!
“Really? Because it seems to me that Hestia, Aiz, and Lilliluka all have a thing for Bell.”
“Well, they do,” Lilian admitted before her eyes burned with the fire of her convictions. “But that doesn’t mean it’s a harem. Everyone knows that Bell and Hestia are meant for each other, even if Bell is too dense to notice Hestia's feelings. The other two are just there for the sake of comedy.”
He held his hands up in surrender as she leaned over the table and got in his face. “Easy. I didn’t mean anything by it. I was just surprised to hear that you liked this particular series since it has a har—I mean, since it’s more of a male-oriented story. I actually like DanMachi,” he said, using the abbreviated name for the series.
“Really?” Lilith narrowed her eyes.
“Of course. I’ve read all of the volumes that have currently been translated.” His cheeks suddenly turned bright red. “I've even, um, seen the animated series.”
“Well.” Lilith sat back down and crossed her arms, feeling only slightly vindicated. “So long as you’re a fan, I guess I can forgive your rude comments.”
“Right, right. Sorry for making that mistake. Though in my defense, it’s an easy thing to do.”
“I suppose…”
Her companion paused as he seemed to realize something. “You know, we’ve been talking here for a while now, but I don’t think I ever gave you my name, did I?”
Lilith opened her mouth to respond, and then quickly snapped it shut as she realized that he was right.
Her cheeks heated up almost against her will as she realized her situation. She had been sitting here, talking to this man for a long time now, and she didn’t even know his name! How embarrassing was that?
“I’m Christian.”
Heterochromatic eyes stared into hers. Even though he was sitting so close to her, there wasn’t a single sign that he felt enamored or enchanted by her presence. She had thought it was some kind of fluke at first, but now she knew the truth, and a part of her wondered why. Why was this man not affected by her like every other man? Lilith supposed that she could ask him, but she didn’t think that would be a good idea. She didn’t want to sound conceited.
“My name’s Lilith,” she said at last. Then she blinked and glanced around the café. The café was nearly empty. The only other people present were the employees.
Where did everyone go? And more importantly…
“Where’s Maria?”
“She left about two hours ago,” Auntie Kay supplied with a smile as she approached their table. “Didn’t you see her leaving?”
The way Lilith’s face lit up like a Christmas tree confirmed that, no, Lilith had not noticed that her friend had left a long time ago.
“Oh, Lilith. I can’t believe you actually forgot about your friend, especially since she paid for your meal.” Despite her words, it was clear that Auntie Kay was just teasing. The large smile she wore belied her exasperated tone. “Though I suppose I can’t blame you. Your friend here is quite handsome. Ah, if only I were a few decades younger.”
Christian coughed into his hand while Lilith hid her face with hers. Auntie Kay just chuckled before looking fondly at her.
“I’m happy for you. I’ll admit that I had been, well, not exactly afraid, but concerned for you and your future. It’s good to see that you’re beginning to move past your fear of men.” Auntie Kay’s gaze flickered to Christian, who sat there, silently watching the interaction. “Or maybe it’s just because of who you’re talking to that you’re not afraid.”
Auntie Kay’s words caused more color than was probably healthy to appear on Lilith’s already pink cheeks. Despite the rather prominent blush, she didn’t try to hide her discomfort, since covering her fac
e with her hands wasn’t working too well for her. She did, however, give the older woman a very powerful pout.
“Please stop teasing me. I’m gonna have more than enough of that when I get home. I don’t need it from you, too.”
She could just picture Maria standing in the living room, wearing that infuriating smirk. Lilith could even imagine what her friend would say, something along the lines of destiny and how she and Christian had been fated to meet.
“I’m sorry,” Auntie Kay smiled amiably. “I didn’t mean to embarrass you. I’m just so happy for you. Really, it’s nice to see you actually talking to this young man. It does my heart good. I really do worry for you, you know?”
“I wish you two wouldn’t talk about me like I’m not here,” Christian grumbled, though his voice lacked any real heat.
Despite her red cheeks and obvious feelings of mortification, Lilith gave the elderly woman a dazzling smile. “Thank you.”
Auntie Kay returned the smile. She then looked out of the window, taking note of the setting sun.
“You two had best be off now.” She turned to look back at the two. “The café has actually been closed for a while. I’m afraid that you two have to leave so my staff can finish cleaning and go home themselves.”
“Is it really that late?” Lilith looked out of the window as well, her eyes widening in surprise when she saw how dark it had gotten. “I had no idea… how long have we been talking?”
“About four hours,” Auntie Kay supplied. “The shop’s been closed for the last fifteen minutes.”
“If you guys have been closed for so long, why didn’t you tell us?” Christian’s frown held nothing but concern. “We would have left if you’d mentioned it.”
“And possibly dispel whatever magic helped Lilith overcome her fear of men enough to speak with you?” Auntie Kay scoffed. “I think not. Seeing the girl who’s always been so frightened of the opposite sex that she runs away at the mere sight of a man, sitting down and talking to a man, is worth more to me than a few extra minutes at work.”
Lilith looked down at her sandal-clad toes, her hair draping her face like a curtain. It did a decent job of hiding her features from view. She imagined her hair as a shield that could block out the rest of the world.
Now if only the rest of the world would play along with me.
Christian looked between Lilith and Auntie Kay. His brow furrowed, and then relaxed after a few seconds. Slowly, he nodded.
“Yes, I suppose I can see why you would feel that way. In that case, thank you for allowing us to continue our conversation.” From behind her hair, Lilith saw the slightly crooked smile that gave him a somewhat roguish appearance. “I’ll admit, it was… nice, talking to someone who shares my passion for light novels. There isn’t anyone back home who has the same taste in reading material that I do—actually.” He paused, his face scrunching up. “I don't even know if the people back home even read.”
“You’re welcome, young man. Now, the both of you really should be off.” She made a shooing gesture at them. “This table isn’t going to clean itself.”
With such a pronounced dismissal, Christian and Lilith could do nothing but stand up from their chairs, and quietly leave the establishment. When they exited the building, the two turned around just in time to see Auntie Kay walk up to the front door and turn the sign adorning the glass from Open to Closed. She tossed them a quick wave before walking back into the café, where she began cleaning.
Now that they were alone and the enlightening conversation that they’d been so engaged in was finished, awkwardness returned with a vengeance. They gazed at each other for but a moment, then just as quickly looked away, unable to even open their mouths, much less speak.
“Well,” Christian broke the tense silence, scratching at his cheek with his right index finger, “I guess now that we’ve been officially kicked out, it’s time for us to part ways.”
“Yeah…”
He looked at Lilith, and saw that she was looking anywhere but at him. Now that whatever spell had been cast over her was gone, she realized that she had just spent a whole four hours talking to a person that she was supposed to be afraid of.
“Would you like me to walk you home?” he asked suddenly.
“E-excuse me?”
Lilith finally turned to face him. When she did, their eyes locked, and his unwavering gaze pierced her. She hadn’t noticed it before now, but his eyes felt almost like they weren’t looking at her, but through her. It felt like they cut through all the surface features that most others couldn’t look past and saw the real her.
I wonder what he sees when he looks at me?
“I asked if you wanted me to walk you home,” Christian repeated. “Seal Beach isn’t a very dangerous place, from what I have seen, but I still wouldn’t feel right leaving a young woman to walk home by herself.”
Lilith looked back down at the ground, her hair hiding her face, which was good, because she didn’t want Christian to see how his words made her cheeks feel like they’d been set on fire. It wasn’t a bad feeling. It was actually rather pleasant, but it made her uncomfortable. She had never felt this way before, and she didn’t know how to respond.
“Thank you,” she said after taking several seconds to regain her composure. It took some willpower, but she lifted her head and gave Christian a smile. “But, I think I would rather walk home by myself. It’s nothing personal,” she added upon seeing his frown. “I’m still not very comfortable with all this—being in the presence of a man, I mean.”
Christian took a second to compose his words. When he did speak, it was slowly, as if he was carefully considering each word before pronouncing them. “I suppose I can understand how you feel, sort of. I sometimes feel uncomfortable around women as well.”
“Really?” Lilith was surprised. Christian felt uncomfortable around women? With his looks? She certainly hadn’t expected this. Maybe they had even more in common than just a love of light novels and manga.
“Well, it’s not like I’m afraid of them or anything,” he admitted. “It’s just that a few of my, um, work colleagues, I guess, get kind of pushy at times, and it makes me uncomfortable.”
Did that mean he had women hitting on him at work? She guessed that’s what he meant, though she could be wrong.
I guess men aren’t the only ones who have problems controlling their desires.
“Well then,” he started. “I guess this is goodbye.”
Turning around, Christian began to walk away. Lilith watched him go, worrying her lower lip between her teeth. He had only taken a few steps forward when she raised her hand and called out to him.
“W-wait!”
Christian stopped walking and turned around. “Yes?”
“Doyouwannagooutwithmetomorrow?!”
He blinked, then scratched the side of his head, the expression he wore more than adequately conveying his confusion.
“Um, what?”
Realizing that Christian couldn’t have possibly understood her fast-paced dialogue, she endeavored to try again. Closing her eyes, Lilith took several deep breaths, pushing her fear and anxiety to the side. A few seconds later, she opened her eyes again, uncertain and timid.
“Do you want to… to go out with me… tomorrow?”
She had no clue why she was asking this, or where it was even coming from. She was supposed to hate men, wasn’t she? Why was she asking a man if he wanted to spend time with her tomorrow?
I-it must be because he likes to read Japanese light novels, she told herself. And he hasn’t tried to get fresh with me. Yes, those must be the reasons.
“I’m… I’m sorry, but, did you just say you wanted to spend time with me tomorrow?” Christian looked gobsmacked. That expression, more than anything else, allowed Lilith to harden her resolve.
“Yes.”
“You want to go out with me?”
“Yes.”
“Me?”
“Yes. You.”
Li
lith thought this would have been the perfect time to roll her eyes, but she was far too worried that he would say no.
Christian scratched the nape of his neck. “You do realize that I’m a guy, right?”
Lilith nodded, her eyes flitting away from his for about a second before looking back. “Well, yes, but I… you… you’re the first boy… the first man, who hasn’t tried to do anything vile to me…”
When Christian just continued staring at her, an uncomfortable Lilith squirmed in place.
“I mean, whenever guys see me, most will just stop whatever they’re doing and stare. It’s unnerving, but not so bad. But a few of the bolder ones will actually try to hit me up. Sometimes—” she shuddered “—Sometimes, they don’t take it very well when I tell them that I’m not interested.”
“I see.” Christian ran a nervous hand through his hair. Lilith bit her lip. “Well, I guess we could spend some time together tomorrow. I’m not really doing anything. It could be interesting.” He smiled. “I’ve never spent any time with a female outside of work.”
“Really?”
“Yeah…”
“… Oh…”
The two stared some more, the tension between them building once again. It was so thick that Lilith was sure she could have cut through it with a falchion—a broad, slightly curved sword with the cutting edge on the convex side.
“So I’ll… I’ll see you here tomorrow?” Lilith asked, breaking the uncomfortable silence.
“Yeah, see you tomorrow,” Christian said.
“Okay then,” Lilith breathed out, and then presented him with a shaky and nervous smile. “Bye.”
“Bye.”
Christian and Lilith parted ways, stopping only once to turn around and look at each other. When they realized that the other person was looking at them, they both blushed and looked away.
As she turned a corner, the slow hammering of Lilith’s heart settled into a steady beat. It was only after she had walked several meters that her brain caught up to her body, and the slow realization of what occurred set in. She had just asked Christian on a date. She had asked a man on a date. A man. A date. She was going on a date with a man.
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