The day passed quickly. During that time, Merlin did nothing particularly meaningful except play with Luna.

He also intended to keep his promise to Monica.

He had promised to take her out to dinner.

The girl seemed to have been waiting for that promise, because the moment Merlin mentioned it, her eyes lit up with excitement.

"Have you been waiting long?" Merlin asked gently.

Monica, who was waiting in front of the academy grounds, shook her head.

"Don't worry—I've only been waiting for five minutes. I'm sorry for making you come out so late at night, Merlin," she said guiltily.

This was the first time she had ever inconvenienced someone else, and she thought it must have been very annoying.

However, Merlin patted her head to reassure her. "Don't worry about it. I don't mind at all. After all, I promised. Okay, let's go."

He took her right hand and pulled her along.

Monica felt extremely embarrassed. It was the first time a boy had ever held her right hand.

But strangely, she didn't feel any resistance at all. On the contrary, she felt very happy.

"[Ding! The affection of villainess Monica Sael'myr increased by 2 points! Current affection: 79 points!]"

Seeing that, Merlin simply smiled and continued pulling her toward the city.

Coincidentally, the academy was directly connected to the city of Brindel, so they didn't need a horse-drawn carriage or magic to get there quickly.

Upon arriving in the city, Monica couldn't help but feel amazed.

The city of Brindel was very lively, especially with so many new academy students walking about.

Although it was already ten o'clock at night, the atmosphere felt as lively as daytime.

Streetlights were neatly lined along the road, illuminating the two-lane street for pedestrians.

Meanwhile, the shops were still open, welcoming guests who preferred the nightlife.

"Where do you want to go first?" Merlin asked, turning to her.

Monica rubbed her chin, then shook her head slowly in embarrassment.

"I don't know. This is my first time coming to the city at night, especially with someone else," she said softly, her voice almost as quiet as a mosquito.

In the elf forest, there was little she could do. There was almost no entertainment or good food, unlike in the city of Brindel.

Not to mention, her mother had forbidden her from leaving the palace, which made her even more isolated from the outside world.

Merlin smiled and gently patted the back of her right hand.

"I understand. You haven't eaten yet, have you? Okay, let's go to a famous restaurant that just opened. They say it was built specifically to attract couples. I've never been there myself, so this is a good chance to visit," Merlin said casually.

"A restaurant for couples?" Monica froze.

Just as she was about to say something, Merlin had already pulled her hand toward the west side of Brindel City.

The location was quite far from the academy, but the crowds didn't thin out along the way.

On the contrary, the streets became even more crowded, especially with new students.

"We're here."

Merlin stopped about ten meters away from a fairly large restaurant.

The name on the sign hanging above it—Love and Eternity—immediately caught his attention.

What's more, the decor was very distinctive. Love-shaped carvings, heart-shaped arrows, and various similar ornaments adorned the exterior.

"This…" Merlin's mouth twitched slightly as he muttered, 'I'm not mistaken, right? This really is that viral restaurant?'

It wasn't that he disliked it, but the restaurant strongly resembled those commonly found in Japan.

Using a romantic theme to attract couples was very common there.

Usually, the target customers were young couples or older couples whose relationships remained strong even after decades together.

Of course, Merlin himself had never visited such a place.

After all, he didn't have a girlfriend, so coming here alone would have been extremely embarrassing.

"Um… Merlin, is this okay?" Monica's hesitant voice came from behind him. "This restaurant is for couples, right? It feels a bit inappropriate for us to go in."

She lowered her head sadly. It would be a lie to say she didn't want to enter with Merlin.

However, she felt she wasn't good enough. Merlin should be with a girl who is better, someone more on his level, not her.

As feelings of inferiority washed over her, a soft touch brushed against the right side of her face.

Monica was startled, then looked up and realized it was Merlin.

"Are you feeling inferior?" he asked softly.

Monica bit her lower lip, then nodded weakly.

"Huh…" Merlin let out a soft sigh. "Monica, I don't know what kind of life you lived before, but I'm sure it wasn't easy. I don't blame you for having low self-esteem. However, there's one thing I have to say—you're very strong."

Monica gasped and asked weakly, "I… am very strong?"

"Mm!" Merlin nodded slightly. He gently stroked her face, then withdrew his hand. "Don't you realize how strong you are? You killed the monsters in yesterday's test with ease. Do you know how difficult it is to kill a level six monster? It's incredibly hard. Even Crystal—the genius from the Arcadia Magic Kingdom—couldn't do it easily. But you could. If that isn't strength, then what is?"

What he said wasn't an exaggeration. Killing various monsters with a single punch was terrifying.

Even Merlin himself didn't dare claim he could do it so easily.

Monica fell silent after hearing his explanation. Her gaze drifted to her left palm, her expression dazed.

'Am I really that strong?'

During the test, she had attacked the monsters without thinking, convinced she would die at their hands.

Even after she killed them all, she believed it had been nothing more than luck.

But now, after listening to Merlin's words, she realized that what she had done wasn't just luck.

She was… truly strong.

"Alright, don't think about it too much. I just wanted you to understand your potential. So don't be so hard on yourself anymore, okay?"

Merlin gently flicked her forehead.

Monica felt embarrassed and rubbed her forehead, her lips slightly pursed.

"Let's go."

Without waiting for her response, Merlin took her hand and led her toward the restaurant Love and Eternity.

There was a long line, but Merlin didn't mind at all.

He and Monica waited patiently until it was finally their turn to make a reservation.

"Good evening, young couple. I'll show you to your table," the waiter said kindly.

Merlin gave a small nod. "Thank you."

They were then led to a table near a wooden pillar standing in the center of the restaurant.

After they sat down, the waiter handed them the menu and said, "When you're done choosing, please call one of us."

Merlin smiled and nodded. The waiter left, and Merlin passed the menu to Monica.

"Just choose whatever you want," he said.

Monica hesitated for a moment, but remembering Merlin's words, she began to select her meal.

Meanwhile, Merlin glanced at the decorations around them, and the corner of his mouth twitched.

'I just realized this restaurant is exactly the same as the ones in Japan!'

Although he had never been to such a restaurant before, he had seen it in magazines and television commercials, so he was quite familiar with the concept.

In the capital of the Holy Kingdom of Aldoria, there was already a taiyaki food stall, and now even a restaurant with this kind of theme had appeared.

A sudden thought crossed his mind—not only him, but perhaps there were others who had also been reincarnated into this world.

Subconsciously, he asked the system, "System, is it possible that there's someone else besides me who has been reincarnated into this world?"

The system fell silent for a moment before replying, "[I don't know, Master. But that possibility isn't impossible.]"

The answer sounded ambiguous. It neither confirmed nor denied it.

'So the odds are fifty-fifty, huh?' Merlin narrowed his eyes.

If that were true, it would certainly be interesting. That person was most likely also from Japan—just like him.

At the very least, he wasn't completely alone in this world.

"Um… Merlin, why are you daydreaming? What would you like to order?" Monica's soft voice came from across the table.

Merlin snapped out of his thoughts and looked at her. "Can I see the menu?"

Monica nodded and handed it to him. Merlin glanced through it and saw ice cream parfaits, chocolate cakes, and similar items.

'Even the menu is very similar—especially the couple's ice cream parfait,' he muttered softly.

The couple's ice cream parfait was large enough to be shared by two people at the same time.

It was only slightly more expensive than a regular parfait, which made it very tempting.

He glanced at Monica's order and saw that she had chosen chocolate cake along with several heavy dishes.

Merlin quickly selected the couple's ice cream parfait, along with some light snacks and main dishes.

Coincidentally, he hadn't eaten lunch, so he was quite hungry.

When Monica noticed what Merlin had ordered, her face immediately turned red.

"That…" She was about to say something but quickly swallowed her words.

After finishing, Merlin called over a waiter and handed in the order.

Noticing Monica's gaze, Merlin turned to her and teased, "What's wrong? Were you going to ask why I ordered the couple's ice cream parfait?"

Monica felt extremely embarrassed, but she didn't avoid the question and nodded slightly.

"Isn't it simple?" Merlin leaned back in his chair. "Tonight, we're a couple, aren't we?"

Monica: "(⸝⸝๑﹏๑⸝⸝)"

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