78 ‘The way into the heart is through the stomach.’

"Did you say something?" I tilted my head, blinking innocently.

With that sentence, Asu jolted, and flustered, she shut her cloak, pulling it tight around her. "Huh? Wha-NO! You imagined it!"

I chuckled, my eyes shining. "Yeah? I thought I heard you say that you wore this dress for me…"

"W-W-What are you saying?! I didn't wear it for you! I didn't! Why would I?!"

Even though she wore a mask, I could picture Asu's beet red face and I could also practically hear the adorable insults she hurled at my heightened senses she chanted in her mind.

Oh, Asu… when you react like so, aren't you making it impossible for me to resist teasing you?

"Hmm, why would you? Maybe because you were looking forward to this event too much and wanted to impress me?" I suggested with ill intentions. My face carried a sly smile.

Would she continue to deny it?

But Asu no longer spoke. She simply pouted and shot me a glare, turning around to leave—but not before giving me a good stomp to the foot.

However, she underestimated my tenacity. After so many endured attacks, my feet had begun to gain an immunity to stomps…

With a chuckle, I followed piously behind her, occasionally massaging her arms in hopes of ceasing her anger (of course, this was but an excuse to touch her soft, fair skin).

As we walked along in the festival, the sweet, sour, salty, and spicy aromas of delicious street food greeted us.

One of the best parts of a festival, if not the best, is the food.

Personally, I had not attended any festivals in my youth nor during my stay at the academy, and I dare say that Asu hadn't either. That made this experience all the more special, and because I knew this, I spent a lot of time researching different festivals and the activities Loenese festivals had.

And so, there were actually reasons behind why I chose the Golden Song Festival as Asu and I's first date. Firstly, it was because attending it would be a first time for both of us.

The second reason was the Golden Song Festival is one of the most prestigious festivals among tourists and commoners. That meant that it would welcome a diverse group of people, food, and activities that will combine to make the festival one of the most unforgettable dates that Asu will ever have.

On top of that, it is a harvest festival, suggesting that there will be an extra abundance of food.

Asu is a sucker for high-class desserts and good food in general, and as one foreign miser claimed: 'The way into the heart is through the stomach.'

While the festival won't be serving the royal pudding, it'll serve both street food and exotic delicacies that will for sure stun Asu.

For example, that stall over there. I narrowed my eyes and swept over the servings of food that was showcased.