Chapter 169 – It’s Like a Date
Valkyrie reached out and confidently clasped the hand of the dark-haired young man.
Her fingers were cool, with slightly rough fingertips.
She squeezed his hand gently, but firmly enough for him to immediately feel her control.
Skin to skin — dry and warm on his side, and slightly cooler on hers.
Her short nails barely brushed the back of his hand.
Sohen felt her thumb slide briefly over his knuckle, as if testing her grip, and then settle firmly in place.
Valkyrie’s hand was smaller than his, but her grip was confident and steady, without a single tremor.
- (Me). "..."
(I don’t know how to react to her. Our relationship is far from good. I don’t know how to approach her, and I think this is only the third time we’ve met... Who are you, Valkyrie?)
Sohen sighed, but didn’t pull his hand away.
He simply walked alongside her.
At first, they just walked down the street.
Valkyrie didn’t explain the route; she just changed direction occasionally, as if guided by some inner compass of her own.
A few minutes later, they found themselves near a small park with playground equipment for kids and a few snack stands.
- (Valkyrie). "Want some ice cream?"
The alluring egirl asked suddenly.
- (Me). "Not really."
- (Valkyrie). "But I do. So you’re having some too."
- (Me). "..."
A minute later, Sohen was already holding a cone with two scoops of pistachio, and Valkyrie had one with strawberry.
She took a bite and closed her eyes in satisfaction.
- (Valkyrie). "It’s delicious. And you haven’t even tried it."
Sohen glanced at his ice cream, then at her, and finally took a lick.
(I’m not a fan of pistachio ice cream; I prefer chocolate. I should have ordered that instead, but... I didn’t get a say in the matter.)
The taste was... okay.
Valkyrie watched him with obvious satisfaction, as if she’d just won some little argument.
...
Then they walked along the alley.
Valkyrie stopped every now and then in front of shop windows, pointed at something, and commented:
- (Valkyrie). "That would look funny on you."
Then...
- (Valkyrie). "And this one... no, too serious."
And also...
- (Valkyrie). "I’d buy that jacket over there if it were three sizes smaller."
Sohen just shrugged and gave brief answers, but somehow, imperceptibly, the conversation became more relaxed.
The platinum-haired beauty had a way of talking as if they’d known each other for a long time, and that threw him off more than any direct pressure.
(I could swear I’ve never met her before, but why... why do I have this strange feeling that we’ve known each other for years? Her appearance, her voice, her mannerisms... all of this is unfamiliar to me, yet at the same time, I feel a sense of closeness. That can’t be. Well then...)
(~sound of a button being pressed)
- (Me). "..."
...
An hour later, they were already sitting on a bench by the fountain.
Valkyrie untied the laces on her boots, then tied them again, as if she were just looking for something to do with her hands.
- (Valkyrie). "Are you always this quiet?"
- (Me). "Not always."
- (Valkyrie). "What about now?"
- (Me). "Right now, I’m trying to figure out what’s going on."
She chuckled softly.
A short, low laugh.
- (Valkyrie). "Nothing special so far. We’re just walking around."
- (Me). "..."
...
"Couple" continued on their way.
They went into a small souvenir shop, where Valkyrie spent a long time looking at cat-shaped keychains and eventually bought herself a white one with black eyes.
(I should have bought a keychain with a witch instead of a cat. At least there would have been some symbolism, ha-ha.)
Then they went into a bookstore — she immediately headed to the romance section, while Sohen stood by the nonfiction shelf and flipped through a book on economics until she returned with two volumes and a satisfied look on her face.
- (Valkyrie). "What? I’m not buying these books... Well, definitely not today."
- (Me). "..."
(So she likes that kind of literature? Is she a fan of modern rom-coms? Well, that’s cute... Wait a minute! Is that... yaoi?!)
...
A light breeze picked up again on the street.
Valkyrie lifted her face to the sky, and her platinum hair fluttered slightly in the breeze.
- (Valkyrie). "Let’s continue our walk."
They walked through the shopping arcade and stopped at an arcade machine.
Valkyrie suddenly wanted to try winning a stuffed animal with the claw.
Three times in a row, she... missed.
- (Me). "..."
On the fourth try, Sohen silently dropped a token and pulled out a little black cat on his first attempt.
- (Valkyrie). "..."
Valkyrie looked at the toy, then at him.
- (Valkyrie). "Showing off?"
- (Me). "Just got lucky."
- (Valkyrie). "Hehe..."
She picked up the cat and tucked it into a small black bag that had been almost invisible until then.
...
Time slipped by unnoticed.
They drank cold, sweet takeout drinks, sat on the curb near the skate park, and watched the teenagers try to pull off tricks.
Valkyrie would sometimes comment on their falls with such a serious expression, as if she were a judge at a competition.
Sohen barely managed to hold back a smile a few times.
At one point, she suddenly stopped in the middle of the sidewalk.
- (Valkyrie). "Are you hungry?"
- (Me). "Not really."
- (Valkyrie). "Well, I’m hungry. So let’s go eat."
They went into a small café with an outdoor patio.
Valkyrie ordered a large order of fries and a milkshake; Sohen ordered a Coke & Coke and a sandwich.
While they were waiting, she took out her phone, quickly typed something, then put it back down screen-side down.
- (Me). "..."
(It’s pretty suspicious to put the phone down like that... I don’t like it.)
- (Valkyrie). "Are you always so composed?"
The platinum-haired beauty asked suddenly, looking at him over the top of her straw.
- (Me). "I try."
- (Valkyrie). "And is it working today?"
- (Me). "..."
Sohen glanced at her.
Valkyrie was sitting with her back slightly reclined against the chair, one leg crossed over the other, and looked completely relaxed.
As if it were just an ordinary day, and not the meeting he’d been thinking about for nearly two days.
- (Me). "So far, yes."
- (Valkyrie). "..."
She just nodded, as if she’d taken note of the answer.
...
After the café, they set off again with no particular destination in mind.
The streets were already beginning to fill with the evening crowd.
Music played from the open car windows here and there, and groups of teenagers laughed.
Valkyrie walked beside him, occasionally brushing his shoulder when someone passed too closely.
- (Me). "..."
They walked past a small street market and stopped at a jewelry stall.
Valkyrie examined a pair of earrings with black stones for a long time, holding one up to her ear and looking into the tiny mirror the saleswoman was holding.
Then she turned to Sohen.
- (Valkyrie). "Do they look good on me?"
- (Me). "Yes."
- (Valkyrie). "Hehe..."
She smiled, this time more openly, and ended up buying the earrings.
...
When they started walking again, the sky was already beginning to change color.
The sun was slowly setting, and the store signs were getting brighter.
Valkyrie suddenly tugged at his sleeve.
- (Valkyrie). "Look!"
- (Me). "???"
He looked in the direction she was pointing.
Across the street, a large movie theater sign was lit up.
Several posters, a line at the box office, the smell of popcorn that could already be detected even from here.
- (Valkyrie). "I want to go. I haven’t been to the movies in a long time."
- (Me). "..."
Sohen glanced at his watch.
It had already been... more than five hours since they met.
(Has it been about five hours?! We’ve been walking for so long. And now a movie... Phew.)
He could have refused.
He could have reminded her that they were supposed to talk about something important, but instead he just nodded.
- (Me). "Okay."
(What the hell? Why can’t I say no to her today?)
They crossed the street.
At the ticket counter, Valkyrie quickly scanned the schedule, pointed to one of the showtimes, and said to the cashier:
- (Valkyrie). "Two tickets for this one, please."
- (Me). "???"
Sohen didn’t even have time to see what movie it was.
By the time he turned back to her, she was already holding two tickets and, with a certain strange look of satisfaction on her face, headed toward the entrance.
- (Valkyrie). "Let’s go... We’ll get popcorn inside. I like it with caramel."
- (Me). "..."
(So which movie did she pick?... Well, we’ll find out soon enough.)
Sohen followed her.