NOVEL NEXT Ch. 6 - We Got Caught
After finishing our conversation, we resumed shopping. It was already dark outside, but the bustling energy of Venisha showed no signs of stopping.
“How about this one?”
It wasn’t that I dislike it — in fact, quite the opposite. I couldn’t help but enjoy the situation as well. This was the first time I’d had something that felt like a proper date, experiencing the dazzling modern culture of the capital.
“It’s pretty! I think wearing something smaller suits you better.”
“Really? But my waist feels a bit tight. Should I lose weight?”
“Are you trying to die of thirst? Oh, how about this one?”
Of course, the best part of this outing was getting to enjoy seeing Venisha try on various outfits. While she changed, I carefully picked out three more outfits for her to try.
“What are all these? There are so many fascinating styles.”
“Right? They’re unlike anything I’ve seen before.”
The cultural styles of the capital city, Arwitch, truly felt like they came from another world. Architecture, clothing, transportation, food — everything was worlds apart from what I’d known.
Rejecting two of the options because they didn’t suit her taste, Venisha eventually chose one. She changed and spun around in front of me, showing off.
“Ta-da!”
“Hmm… isn’t the lower part a bit too puffy?”
“Azyan, how did you adapt so quickly after being here for such a short time? The clothes I used to wear were much puffier than these.”
“Well, those were dresses. Let’s move on to the next one.”
“Don’t rush me. I’ll try them, so don’t worry… wait, how many more outfits have you grabbed?”
Venisha looked at the pile of clothes next to me with a slightly exasperated expression.
“We’re short on time!”
“Enough. I’ll stop here.”
“No way! Why not?”
There were some real gems in that pile! I protested in frustration, but Venisha didn’t seem interested in reconsidering her decision.
“How long are you planning to use me as your dress-up doll? Now it’s time to look at clothes for Azyan.”
“My clothes?”
“You can’t just wear robes all the time, can you?”
At her words, I looked down at my robe — a white base with a faint blue tint, my favorite piece of clothing that I’d been wearing for the past five years.
“I think it’s fine, though.”
“I won’t allow it. I can’t have my husband looking like a pauper in the capital.”
“… pauper, really.”
Thus, it was finally my turn. After wrestling with the unfamiliar style of clothing Venisha handed me, I emerged from the changing room, only to be greeted with her wide eyes and enthusiastic clapping.
Her positive reaction made me feel good. Watching her clap like a delighted child, I noticed a pile of clothes nearby that looked suspiciously similar to what I was wearing… so, this was what it felt like.
“But Azyan, what about the tie?”
“The tie?”
She gestured at her neck and moved her hand up and down. I didn’t quite understand, but a piece of fabric I’d left in the changing room came to mind — maybe she meant that?
I quickly retrieved it, and Venisha motioned me over. As she wrapped her arms around my neck, I tensed up, worried her bad habit of sneaking kisses might surface again, but she soon pulled away.
With deft hands, she folded and tied the fabric around my neck. It tightened slightly as she adjusted it.
“So, this is part of the outfit too.”
“There, all done.”
She stepped back a couple of steps, rested her chin on her hand, and looked me over from head to toe.
“Hmm, not bad.”
“That’s harsh. Couldn’t I get a more generous score?”
“It’s passable.”
“That’s no different.”
As we exchanged playful banter, someone called out to us from behind.
It was a staff member from the shop next door that we’d visited earlier. Knowing it was time, we quickly paid for the clothes we’d chosen and headed over. Venisha seemed a bit regretful that she couldn’t dress me up in more outfits, so I hurriedly led us outside before she could say anything.
The shop we returned to specialized in Long-pen. This revolutionary item, introduced to the capital by a grand mage, were the products of what people called a
A circular wooden ring engraved with verbal forms was supported by three legs, topped with a stand made of a unique mineral found only in Lux Spire. On top of that was placed a thick stone tablet base, accompanied by a single special quill pen. This entire set was called a Long-pen.
Each Long-pen was assigned an address. After entering the recipient’s address in the bottom-right corner, you wrote on it, and the text appeared directly on the recipient’s stone tablet.
The downside was that the quill floated automatically to write, meaning reception was impossible while holding the pen. However, this issue was somewhat resolved by agreeing on a message transmission completion signal.
The standard used squares approximately the size of letters.
The Long-pen was actually the primary purpose of our shopping trip immediately after finishing our final academy class.
“This is the Long-pen by Aerpenil you mentioned earlier. As you can see, this is the medium size. The quill holder has been coated to prevent unnecessary magical interference. The stone tablet is also interference-resistant for long-term use…”
The store clerk continued explaining, but neither I nor Venisha really understood any of it. We simply passed along the recommendation from my father-in-law to the clerk.
Apparently, it was quite a rare item that usually required custom orders. However, we got lucky — an order was canceled, leaving one in stock, and it was due to arrive this evening. While waiting, Venisha and I spent the time shopping for dresses.
Finally, the lengthy explanation ended, and as the clerk asked.
“Would you like this product?”
Both Venisha and I responded simultaneously.
“Yes.”
Perfectly in sync. The clerk smirked knowingly and stated the price. It was an eye-watering amount that made me wide-eyed, but Venisha nonchalantly took out her card.
Her card, embossed with
This payment method was only available in the capital. The innovations of the capital never ceased to amaze me. While storing data with magic wasn’t groundbreaking, seeing it manifest as a system of civilization was truly astonishing.
“The user registration for the Long-pen you ordered today will take about a week. You will be able to receive it next weekend.”
The clerk repeated what they explained earlier while pricking both my and Venisha’s fingers to collect a drop of blood.
I had hoped that being in the capital, they might deliver it to us directly, but that was evidently wishful thinking.
And so, we planned to return to this same complex, the Metaplot Shopping Mall, next weekend.
***
The following week at the academy was uneventful, save for the entrance ceremony. The schedule wasn’t much different from the first day.
With the Faculty of Magic and Combat located separately at the tower and square, and the restriction of keeping our marriage a secret, Venisha and I hardly saw each other during classes. We spent our days apart, only to cling to each other upon reuniting in the evening, compensating for the time we hadn’t seen each other all day.
Research projects were set to begin soon, with Professor Ronan planning to personally notify us when the time came.
Other than that, there was nothing notable — except for one thing that had been bothering me.
For some reason, the blue-haired man who boldly questioned Professor Ronan on the first day often ended up in the same classes as me, and I kept catching him staring at me. He was the person who helped me significantly during the entrance exam.
Why might that be?
Possibility 1: He was impressed by my first-day performance when I calculated the length of the chalk — though I simply stated what I saw — and was observing me closely.
Possibility 2: He was a homosexual and fell for me at first sight.
Possibility 3: He knew me or had encountered me somewhere before.
Possibility 4: He had realized something about the entrance exam.
These were my best guesses, but none of them felt particularly comforting. I could only hope it was not number 2 or 4.
Setting that aside, on the weekend following the semester’s start, Venisha and I once again entered the bustling Metaplot Shopping Mall. Unlike weekdays, the weekend crowd was lively and vibrant.
The Long-pen wasn’t ready yet. It would take another hour to complete, so we decided to spend the time somewhere else.
Instead of shopping for clothes again, a sudden curiosity struck us — we wanted to see what magical scrolls looked like in person. This led us to a bookstore.
Because of this, we ended up encountering her.
The peculiar young girl with striking features whom I met during Professor Ronan’s first lecture—and occasionally in elective classes — was blinking her eyes, turning her head left and right.
When her gaze fell on me, her pink hair and snow-white eyes stood out. When she turned to Venisha, her reddish-brown hair and pitch-black eyes came into focus.
Her name, if I recalled correctly, was Kara McKellicia.
Naturally, Venisha and I were holding hands tightly.
“Samuel… Azyan.”
The girl looked at me and said my name. Flustered, I stupidly nodded in response when I heard my name.
“And this is… Rose Venisha.”
Turning to look at Venisha, Kara spoke with even greater certainty. Venisha, being the top incoming student and a renowned lady of the Rose family, was already a well-known figure in the academy.
Finally, her gaze dropped to the space between us.
Our hands were still joined.
She covered her mouth with one hand.
“Oh, my God.”
In her remaining hand was a romance novel titled
One week into the academy.
A fellow student discovered our secret.