Fortune's Favor Pt. 5

While Chloe darted from stall to stall, her eyes sparkling at every new delicacy that caught her nose, Lana and I strolled side by side.

"She really doesn't know when to quit, huh?" I scoffed.

"That's Chloe for ya. I don't even know where she got that obsession with food. One day, she just came home and said we had to visit the mortal world to try this one specific dish. That was, oh... about two centuries ago."

"Yeah? What was the dish?"

"I forgot. Some dessert, I think. That's all I remember."

"Ah!" Chloe shouted from up ahead. "Aikami! Lana! I think I found the ice cream stall!"

Lana glanced left, then right. "Where? I don't see it."

"Just a bit further!"

"Ohh—yeah, I remember that takoyaki stand. Must be the one."

"Yay!"

"Hey. Before you run off, go easy on the—"

Too late. Chloe had already vanished into the crowd.

"...scoops."

I chuckled. "Even I know better than that, Lana."

"Tch… Whatever. Now she's gonna come back with a ten-layer cone."

"H-huh? Ten?"

"Yeah, but don't let that fool you, Aikami. That's her version of holding back."

"That's holding back?!"

"She can polish off thirty scoops in one sitting. Ten's just a warm-up."

Thirty scoops…? If I ever tried that, I wouldn't just pass out—I'd probably have a seizure and promptly die from overdosing on sugar.

Being a god sounded so convenient. Teleportation, immortality, and an infinite stomach with zero weight gain. Honestly? Kind of a dream.

"Hey… Aikami," Lana said as we walked.

"Yeah? What's up?"

"The sky."

I stopped and gave her the most exhausted look I could muster.

She snickered. "Kidding, kidding. I was just thinking... This is kinda nice, isn't it? Chilly weather, good vibes... just us two. At least for now. Kinda feels like… a date."

That one took a second to register. "...Eh?!"

"Pfft~ What's this reaction? You literally spoon-fed me yesterday, and this is what gets you flustered?"

"I... I-I mean—"

"Haha! Alice was right. You're way too easy to mess with. Don't worry, I'm just joking. Or am I~?"

I sighed and looked away. "You… You're really unfair sometimes. How am I supposed to react to something like that?"

"Just react the way you want to."

"Like how?"

"Tch... Do I really have to spell it out for you?"

Before I could even think of a comeback, Lana reached out and gently took my hand. Then, with a soft smile—one that barely lingered on her lips—she pressed my palm against her cheek.

Warm. That was the first word that crossed my mind.

Her skin was soft against my hand, her cheek slightly cool from the winter air, but somehow that warmth still seeped through. And just like that, the playful glint in her eyes faded.

For a moment, everything else faded away. The distant chatter from the festival, the scent of grilled food in the air, the sound of Chloe yelling about toppings—it all blurred into the background.

We just stood there, still, eyes locked.

Lana's amber gaze held mine, curious and unguarded.

My chest felt tight, like my heart was trying to figure out if it should skip a beat or race through five at once. I didn't move. I couldn't. And I don't think she expected me to either.

Her cheeks flushed pink, and it wasn't just because of the cold. She turned her head slightly into my hand, then let out a small, awkward breath.

"W-what?" she mumbled, eyes flicking away for a second before darting back. "Just a moment ago, I put my hand on your face. It shouldn't be an issue if you do it back to me… right?"

My mouth opened, but nothing came out. I couldn't even remember how to form words. My thoughts were spinning like laundry in a broken washing machine.

What the hell was I supposed to say?

She tilted her head just a little, enough for my hand to shift along the curve of her jaw, then gave me a sideways glance that was almost too much to handle.

"So?" she said, voice barely above a whisper. "How would you react to this, Aikami?"

What am I supposed to say? What should I say? And why is she looking at me like that?

Is this just another one of her jokes? Or does she actually mean it? If she does... then does she also realize what it's doing to me?

So many questions. No answers.

Just chaos swirling inside me, crashing into itself like waves in a storm. I couldn't breathe, couldn't think—my mind was spinning in circles, my body frozen in place.

And yet, through all the noise, I saw something—something I'd seen before.

A thread... right in between us.

"I'm back~!" Chloe's voice rang out like a firecracker in the silence, and in a flash, Lana and I jolted apart like we'd been electrocuted.

Chloe tilted her head as she approached, holding a dangerously tall tower of ice cream in her hands.

"Um... What's wrong?"

"N-nothing!" Lana blurted, a little too quickly. "We were just… admiring your cone! Yeah, that. It's really… tall."

For some reason, that diversion worked flawlessly.

"Oh, this? They had so many flavors, I couldn't pick just one. So, I told them to surprise me. I think I have caramel, chocolate chip, peach, coffee, cookie dough, matcha—ooh! I forgot what this pink one is, but it's good!"

She spun around and handed each of us a cone with the same bright smile, completely oblivious to the tension from seconds ago. As she sprinted off, eager to enjoy her ice cream, Lana and I locked eyes once more. Just as quickly, we turned away.

That's not going away for a while.

We found a nearby bench and sat down under a cluster of lanterns that flickered softly against the early evening sky. Chloe chatted about the stalls she still wanted to visit, and Lana chimed in with sarcastic remarks between licks of her cone. I nodded along, offering the occasional comment—but the words barely registered.

Because even as I smiled and laughed with them… that thread kept coming back to me.

What did that mean? Do I finally have a thread of fate?

No... If I did, then the girls would've already told me about it. So what...

Suddenly, Lana's laugh broke my train of thought. "Aikami, look!"

I glanced up and noticed it immediately. "C-Chloe... Where did your cone go?"

"Um... I don't... know?"

"And how in the hell is he supposed to believe that, especially given your track record with food?" Lana asked. "You ate the whole damn thing before Aikami even got through the top! One scoop, by the way."

"It tasted good!"

"Is that an excuse to be a fat-ass? Hey, hey, Aikami! Quick! Hide your ice cream before Chloe steals it!"

"S-stop it, Lana!"

I let out a slight chuckle. Those two really are sisters. Anyone who says otherwise is lying through their teeth. If Lana and Alice's argument from before was a legendary battle between powerful goddesses, then this one was a catfight between a pair of cute chimeras.

"...I probably shouldn't say that to their faces."

"Say what?"

In the very corner of my peripheral vision, a certain goddess was smirking at me like premonition of death.

"A-agh! Alice?!"

She waved. "Hehe~ Hello, Aikami."

"Where in the hell did you even come from?"

"Me? I was scouting the area. Turns out, there's a lot to this festival than I had anticipated. Before sundown, we should probably—"

The moment she turned to her sisters, her smile faded. Those two were practically at each other's throats now, tugging on each others' hair.

"What... happened?" asked Alice.

I scoffed. "The usual."

"Hah. I love how that one line told me so much more than any detailed explanation you could give me." She stood up. "Girls!"

They stopped mid-fight, no longer struggling but caught in a weird position.

"Oh! Hey, Alice," Lana grinned.

"...Hello. Seems like you're having an absolute blast. Now, let go of Chloe's hair."

"Eh?! But she started it!"

"I did not!" Chloe exclaimed.

Alice pressed her hand against her forehead with a sigh. "You too, Chloe. Let go."

Reluctantly, they did as she said, but not without shooting each other combative looks—as if warning each other not to act up again.

"Alright. Now that we're all attentive, let's get going. We dragged Aikami out here for a reason. Let's not waste his day."