32 Th-This isn't a date! [2/5]

"..."

"..."

Sitting down in the investigation room, Isaac and Furina looked at each other in the eye.

Isaac saw her heterochromatic eyes, and likewise, Furina also his deep amber eyes.

Furina was smiling lightly, and, of course, Isaac was also doing the same.

'Awkward!' However, inside Isaac's mind, he was a bit nervous. 'She hadn't spoken a single word since she entered!'

'What could she be thinking in that head of hers...' Isaac internally sighed. He then decided to break the silence. "Ahem... Lady Furina, would you like some tea?"

"Erm, uh, yes!" Furina fidgeted for a brief moment before abruptly speaking as she looked at him.

"I only have Earl Gray, Green Tea, and Chamomile Tea in my person, what would you like?" Isaac asked as he stood up.

"Chamomile Tea would be preferable..." Furina smiled wryly. "Add four cubes of sugar."

'You really are a sweet tooth...' Isaac smiled at her request as he nodded. "Then please wait here for a moment. I'll be back in a moment or so."

Isaac then bowed to her sincerely before respectfully leaving the room. 'Better make this quick.'

Meanwhile.

Seeing him leave, Furina heaved a deep sigh of relief. 'Seriously, why was he just staring at me?!'

'I thought he would have at least accommodated me with some snacks or tea, but he just sat there staring at me!' Truth be told, she was also wary of Isaac. 'It's a good thing that he offered tea sooner though— as expected of my direct servant.'

Funnily enough, it seemed like Furina was also sharing the same thoughts as Isaac.

'Now that I looked at him closely eye-to-eye...' Furina then recalled Isaac's appearance in her mind. 'His demeanor and mannerism really resemble that of Neuvillette... However, if I were to point out something that stands out about him...'

'It's that amber eyes of him.' Furina slightly frowned as she remembered Isaac's eyes. 'I really can't be comfortable around those eyes. It's as if he's always analyzing me...'

'Other than that, his gentle mannerisms and his observant nature fit his profession perfectly.' Thinking of this, Furina crossed her legs as she grasped her chin. 'As I thought, he fits my criteria for the performance I'm planning...'

'All it takes now is for us to enter the stage!'

---

Meanwhile, with Isaac in the kitchen. He was silently waiting for the water to boil.

'Set aside your prejudice, Isaac.' He then crossed his arms as he deeply sighed. 'It's just for one Main Quest. Yeah, just one main quest.'

'From here on forth, you will be serving Furina.' He shook his head. 'I should... Be more respectful to her... And more accommodating.'

'Yeah, it's all part of the act. I'm just acting.' He assured himself as he smiled wryly.

A few minutes passed and Isaac came back into the Investigation room carrying a silver plate.

"Lady Furina, the tea is ready—" As Isaac pushed the doors, his words were instantly cut off when he saw what was happening inside.

"Haha, that's only natural, Mademoiselle Crabaletta—" Furina's joyful voice echoed in the room.

Sitting down on Furina's lap were three Hydro constructs. There was an Octopus, a Seahorse, and a Crab present. All three of them wore distinct clothing.

And she appeared to be playing with them with a bright smile.

However, the moment Isaac entered, Furina's smile froze.

"..."

"..."

The two then looked at each other in silence. No one uttered a word. Silence filled the room.

"...You saw nothing." Furina was the first to speak as she dissipated her summoned creatures. "You will be sentenced to imprisonment for exposing an Archon's secret which is under Fontaine's legal code."

"...I bow to never say anything." Isaac looked at her sternly while lifting his thumb. 'Blackmail material obtained.'

"Ahem, now then, here's your tea, Lady Furina." Isaac then walked forward and placed her teacup on a table in front of her.

"Thank you," Furina nodded before taking the cup and gently blowing over it to lower it's temperature. She then decided to drink it.

Isaac also sat down opposite her and gently blew over his cup as well. 'If Furina were to relax... How much point would she give?'

Just after thinking this, Isaac suddenly saw a system notification in front of him.

[+50]

[+50]

[+40]

[+20]

"?!" Isaac almost spewed out his drink as he saw the absurd amount of system credits he suddenly received. Thankfully, he was excellent at controlling his facial features. '...so this is how much a God gives? Holy...'

"How delectable," Just then, Furina stopped drinking her tea and looked at Isaac with a bright smile. "If you were to brew this for me every day, I believe that you'll find yourself having a stable position as my servant."

"It's just a skill that I developed as a barista," Isaac smiled softly at her as he shook his head. "As for the matter of brewing it every day for you... Forgive me, Lady Furina. But I still have a business to run."

"Hmm, I suppose that's true..." Furina crossed her arms as she grasped her chin. "Very well then. I will be the one to come."

"Since I can't be seen coming to the same place over and over again, other than the Palais and the Opera House, I believe that meeting in secret would be the best course of action." She nodded at herself as she decided on this matter on her own.

"Thank you for being considerate, Lady Furina." Isaac fixed his silver eyeglasses as he said this.

"Alright, now that's out of the way," Furina nodded her head before placing down her cup. She then looked at him with a soft smile. "It's time for us to discuss why I came here."

"Wasn't it because of the paper I submitted?" Isaac grasped his chin as he asked.

"That, and another matter too." As she said this, Furina leaned closer and rested her chin on her hands. "What I want to do is..."

"Capturing the Masked Clown!" She declared with a mischievous smile. "I needed an assistant, and it just so happened that you were picked."

Hearing this, Isaac looked at her with a solemn face. "If that's the case, why didn't you just seek help from the Gardes, Lady Furina? I believe that they have far more personnel and resources for such an operation."

"Ah— but you see, I have another plan," She appeared to have waited for him to ask this question, evidently from her smile. "What I plan is... Having a distraction!"

"I, the magnanimous God of Justice of the Nation, the God who listens to her people, shall voluntarily make myself the bait while the true hunters seek out the prey behind the scenes." She smiled proudly at her ingenious plan. "The Masked Clown won't see it coming! And if your theory of an organization is correct, then it will also confuse them!"

"I see! What an excellent plan, Lady Furina." Isaac showed a face of enlightenment before raising her.

In reality, he had other thoughts.

'Your target is right in front of you! And you just spilled your plan in front of him!'

Isaac didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Or both.

'Well, at least with this, I can get an upper hand.' He internally chuckled. He then looked at her with a soft smile, "So, what will you— or rather, we do?"

"That's the fun part, my servant." Furina stood up as she looked at him. "While the true hunters hunt in the dark, we, on the other hand, shall try to steal as much attention from the Masked Clown as possible."

"And what better way is there other than a classic detective performance!" She said with a bravado. "We can trick the Masked Clown into thinking that we're on his trail, diverting his attention from the hunters who seek him out!

"That's why I needed an assistant." She added as she looked at him with her glamorous heterochromatic eyes. "After all, a detective can't be complete without a sidekick."

"I seem to see it now..." As he heard this, a frame started appearing inside Isaac's mind. "I believe that this plan isn't that bad, Lady Furina. It's evident that you've thought of this thoroughly."

"Haha, there's no need for such praises," Hearing Isaac, Furina chortled. "It's only natural for me to formulate such a plan to capture a vile criminal."

Isaac wanted to make a sarcastic remark but decided to just let it go and shake his head with a soft smile. "Yeah."

The two then sat back down and finished their tea while conversing.

---

After a couple of minutes or so, Furina had decided to go back to Palais Mermonia.

At the backdoor of the cafe.

Isaac looked outside and saw that it was still pouring hard outside. "Hold on, it's still raining..."

He then went back into the corridor and returned quickly, this time, carrying an umbrella. "Here, have this, Lady Furina. Else your clothes would get drenched."

"How thoughtful of you," Furina accepted the umbrella without any complaints as she looked at Isaac. "You're really fitting your new position."

"Regarding the plan..." Standing before the door, Furina looked at Isaac as she wore her hood. "In two days, in the afternoon, we shall meet at Poisson, understood?"

"I have no problems," Isaac nodded with a soft smile. However, his face soon changed as if contemplating something. 'Ah right— Should I do it? Would it be considered blasphemy? Ah, whatever. It's now or never.'

Having thought of this, a light mischievous smile soon appeared on Isaac's face. "Now that I've thought of it... Doesn't this count as a date, Lady Furina?"

"A-A date?!" Hearing the word, Furina was surprised at first before instantly becoming flustered. "Don't overthink such things! Th-This isn't a date!"

"Really?" Isaac smiled teasingly at her. He was enjoying her reaction. 'Man, learning this from Yae Miko wasn't a waste, after all.'

"Haha, I'm just teasing you, Lady Furina." Isaac laughed softly. "Forgive me, I just can't help myself."

"Your reactions were too adorable, though."

Hearing the word 'adorable', Furina's face soon had a tinge of red appearing on them as she became flustered. She then pointed at him, "Th-That's enough! I'm a God!"

"Are Gods an exception to cuteness?" Isaac tilted his head in confusion as he looked at her. "In my eyes, you don't seem to, though."

"Y-You..." Furina then looked at Isaac with a complicated expression before turning around. "Stop messing with me! Hmph!"

Bam!*

With a loud thud, Furina immediately left the cafe, shutting the door behind her.

Outside, Furina stood outside of Isaac's door and had a complicated expression. 'How dare he make fun of me? Calling me c-cute... I'll remember this!'

With a flustered face, Furina left the cafe with the umbrella that Isaac gave her.

Meanwhile, Isaac, who was standing still behind the door the entire time, suddenly smiled. 'With this much, I guess I can be counted as a pious believer now, right?'

'Still though...' He then lifted his hand and searched his chin. 'I wasn't lying...'

'She did look cute.'

* * *

A/N: I once again reinstate my deep hatred for general mathematics.

As for Pre-Calculus... I somehow got gud at it. Stockholm syndrome DOES work wonders.