Chapter 13

There was no way you can pick up girls in the middle of the traffic while wearing a school uniform. So after changing into casual clothes, Glan and I walked through the school gates and out into the busy castle town.

“Listen, Tweight. There are many beautiful women in the royal capital, but they’re used to being flattered, so it’s not easy.” Glan said, observing the people passing by with a serious look in his eyes.

“The trick to picking up girls in the royal capital, is to pretend that you’re used to it. In other words, make them think, ‘Oh, this guy has done the same thing before.’ If you do this in the countryside, you will be cursed as ‘rude’ but women in the capital will trust you. Do you understand?”

“Well, sort of…”

In the capital, many men and women are sophisticated; many are tolerant of interactions between the opposite sex.

Playing the role of an experienced pick-up girls’ master would imply past achievements such as “I’ve entertained many women.” That’s why the other person would think, “I might be able to have fun with this person.”

“Watch first. I’ll show you how it’s done.”

After saying that, Glan started walking around. Then he called out to a woman of about 20 years old who passed in front of him.

“Hey, lady over there, you got a minute?”

“Yes? What is it–Hi !? What are you, a pervert!?”

“No, I’m not a pervert–”

“Get away from me!”

Bang, bang. Glan was hit with a hard slap. Glan looked on in dismay as the woman moved away with thumping footsteps.

“Hey. What kind of example was that? Is that the fastest way to get slapped?”

“I’ll go again.”

Glan got into the crowd again, but once again, he was slapped. I was in disbelief as Glan came back, looking dejected.

“Glan. Just out of curiosity, but have you ever succeeded?”

“No… there is. It should be. In my head, I was successful just now.” Glan said as he slumped his shoulders.

Could it be that it only succeeds in his delusions?

“How was it last time? You picked up a girl in the royal capital before, didn’t you?”

“It’s similar to… Oh, I thought the two of us would change things a bit. I guess I wasn’t thinking straight.”

Apparently, it has never been successful. What do you mean with, “I’ll teach you how to do it!” I let out a sigh.

“Therefore, now it’s Tweight’s turn. Go ahead.”

“What’s with the “therefore”? I was going to try it based on what Glan said so confidently as reference.”

“Think about it. Do you think there are women who would be attracted to my looks?”

No, I guess not.

I was not sure what to make of it. Strictly speaking, he has a strong face rather than a beautiful one, and he’s also intimidatingly large. I didn’t think he was cut out to pick-up girls.

Well, now that we’ve come this far, maybe we should at least try a little.

I felt sort of hopeless, but this was also a life experience.

“I get it. I’ll try it too.”

“Oh, you’re the man, Tweight! If this is going to work, you’ll have to introduce me at a reasonable time!”

I wondered if that was the purpose all along. With that thought in mind, I pretended to be natural and looked for the opposite sex.

By the way, I had a colleague who liked to pick up girls when I was at the institution. I remembered the crap he used to say on a regular basis. “To pick up women is an intelligent and sophisticated form of communication. It is more difficult to gain the trust of the other party in conversations that are premised on calculation. To be honest, it is more difficult than killing.” I know that. “The point is to let them swim and wait for an opening.”

“Excuse me.”

I made up my mind and called out to a woman who was passing by.

“…what is it?”

The woman seemed to be blatantly suspicious of us.

At this rate, no matter what I said, it was unlikely that I would gain trust. As I was struggling to decide what to say next, I suddenly noticed the earrings the woman was wearing.

“Are those earrings from the Kingdom of Arcadia?”

“Eh? That’s right… how did you know?”

“I was once in Arcadia.”

The woman clearly relaxed when I told her so.

I see. To let it swim means to let it be natural.

I thought I might have gotten the hang of it. What I needed now was a chance to make her feel comfortable. I observed the woman and noticed another new fact. There was a little mud on her shoes. The last time it rained in the capital was two days ago. The city was already dry, so the only place where there would be mud would be outside the city walls. I had already confirmed that it was muddy outside the city walls when I went for my daily run this morning.

The woman probably noticed the mud on her shoes and tried her best to wipe it off. There were traces of her careful attempts to wipe off the mud, though it has left some marks. Even so, she was not a meticulous person. The reason was that she had misbuttoned her clothes. It was not in a noticeable place like her chest but in an unnoticeable place around her navel. It was understandable that she didn’t notice it, but a meticulous person would not have made such a mistake. In other words, she is not a person who cares much about her appearance. Nevertheless, she meticulously cleansed her shoes. From the look of it, it was not very expensive, but rather cheap shoes. It was probably not a gift from her lover. It’s not like it’s been used, not like an item that she was fond of.

Looking closer, there was a faint red mark on the woman’s arm. It’s as if she was carrying heavy luggage for a long time…

“Are you here to visit the royal castle, by any chance?”

The woman’s eyes widened when I asked that.

“Yes, I am. I heard that some of the spaces are open to the public to commemorate the victory of the war”

“Yeah, it’s definitely open. Did you arrive at the royal capital today? It must have been a long way from the Kingdom of Arcadia.”

“That’s right. Moreover, it seems that the road got worse due to the rain the day before yesterday, the carriage was delayed, my shoes were dirtied with mud, and I had a hard time. I just left my luggage at the inn a while ago.”

Subjectively, this woman was already as close to being as natural as possible.

Then next…hang a hook.

“It’s definitely still muddy outside the city walls. Excuse me, but your shoes are certainly dirty.”

“Yes, that’s right. Mm, I don’t think I should wear these shoes to the castle, should I stop? I’ve removed as much dirt as possible…”

She was on the hook.

“You may be right. Even though it is open to tourists, it is still a historic royal castle. If you don’t mind, would you like me to take you to a nearby shoe store?”

“What? Is that okay?”

“Yes. To tell you the truth, the reason I approached you was because I saw those earrings. Arcadia Kingdom is a place I love, but I haven’t returned for a long time. If you don’t mind, I’d like to talk to you about the recent happenings in the Arcadia Kingdom, even if it’s just on the way to the shoe store, can you tell us a story?”

“Yes, as much as you want!”

The woman smiled at me, and I smiled as friendly as I could.

At this point, I thought I’d succeeded in picking up a girl. Feeling a sense of accomplishment, I looked at Glan, who had been staring at me with a stunned expression.

“I’m sorry. I actually have a friend, is that okay?”

“It’s fine.”

When I got permission, I beckoned Glan over. Then a big man with a scar on his cheek approached with a creepy smile that would even make a criminal cringe.

“Hehe! Thank you! It’s Glan!”

“What!?”

The woman was terribly frightened by Glan, who came at her in a flash with big strides. She looked at me and Glan alternately and then went pale.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I think I’ll pass.”

The woman left in a hurry.

“…Hey.”

“…Sorry.” Glan said with an apologetic look.

“But Tweight! You have a talent for picking up girls! To be honest, I was pretty freaked out that you succeeded on the first try.”

“I’m surprised myself. Maybe my work experience came in handy.”

“Work? Ah… I see. A city cleaner is like customer service. So you’re saying that the skills you learned there enable you to pick up girls.”

“Well, that’s about it.”

It’s a little different but similar. There were operatives in the institution who used storytelling as a weapon, but since I was mainly involved in assassinations, escorts, captures, and other dangerous missions, I had never specialized in talking skills. At best, I learned the art of disguise.”

What helped me was not the ability to talk, but the ability to see.

It was a skill that I had originally developed to detect dark objects hidden in the clothes of my opponents, but I had no idea that it would be put to good use in such a situation.

“Damn it. I wish I had a job like that,” Glan said.

Maybe it would be difficult for Glan to pick up girls even if he had experience in customer service.

“…Let’s try again.”

“Tweight! That’s what I’m talking about! I’ve never been so happy to be your friend as I am now!”

“I’m in the mood to stop being your friend,” I searched for a target again while saying that.

I was a little enthusiastic, maybe it was because I had gotten a good response from my memorable first time picking up girls.

“Oh, Tweight. Isn’t that girl so cute?”

I followed Glan’s gaze and looked at the person. It was a silver haired girl, something you rarely see around here. Her hair and skin were white, and the clothes she wore were neat and white. In this crowded castle town, a girl as beautiful as a snow fairy was often noticeable.

“Certainly looks well-dressed, but… that’s a child, isn’t it?”

“No, I don’t think so. No, she’s just a slow grower. I’d say she’s about the same age as us.”

“Even if that’s the case, it’s not a good idea to pick up a kid who looks like that.”

“My preference is from cradle to graveyard. Go ahead and try it. If it gets dangerous, I’ll stop you.”

When Glan told me this, I reluctantly approached the girl. Although I’ve only seen her side profile, she seemed familiar to me.

“Um, excuse me.”

When I called out to her, the girl turned around. Perhaps it was the fact that she was small in stature, but she seemed very quiet, however, her core seemed to be thick, and she didn’t seem to be upset at all even though she was suddenly approached by a man she had never met before.

“Yes. What is it?”

The girl was calm from the start. I was a little stumped on what to say next. Perhaps this girl was the “woman who is used to being picked up” that Glan was talking about. The girl was like a clever fish that could swim leisurely in a lake with a hook hanging from its mouth.

It was a difficult task, but that’s why it’s worth overcoming. Just between us, I was starting to enjoy picking up girls.

“Is there a place around here where I can sit and rest?”

“A place to sit and rest…?”

“Yes. To tell you the truth, I’ve only been to the royal capital for a short time, so I don’t know much about the area. So while I was lost, I got tired of walking.”

“If that’s the case, head straight down Chuo Dori and then turn right at the end of the street, and you’ll find a good store.”

“Uh, was Chuo Dori that one over…?”

“No, that’s the opposite direction. Oh, I’m sorry. You’re in trouble because you don’t know the area. If so, should I guide you?”

It went more like I wanted than I expected, and I inwardly felt giddy.

“Is that ok?”

“Yes. I can’t leave a person in trouble alone.”

“Thank you. By the way, do you have any plans for later today?”

“Umm no, not really.”

“Well then, let me thank you a little when we get there. I’ll buy you whatever you want.”

“Er, let’s see…”

Oops, I must have pushed too hard. It would have been better to talk about the thank you a little later. As I was thinking this, the girl bowed her head.

“Oh, I’m sorry. Can I talk to my friend?”

“Friend?”

I tilted my head at the girl’s words. At that moment, I felt the presence of someone behind me.

“It is ok, right?”

The person said in a cold tone. I turned around and saw the familiar figure of a girl.

“You’ll buy me anything I want, won’t you? Hey, Tweight.”

A girl with chestnut brown hair – Elysia said with a terrifying smile on her face.