"So you need to learn the laws of Liyue before you even consider going there because of what you felt that came from your shield? And that you assume that I can get in touch with a lawyer in Liyue?"
Eula asked Naofumi as they were having lunch. To anyone seeing this, some would think they're on a date, but some would scoff or sneer just by the sight of Eula. Naofumi and Eula plainly ignore them as they enjoy their time together on this nice day.
"Yes, you did tell me you saved someone from Liyue, Yanfei, was that her name?"
Eula nodded at this as she drank her tea.
"Indeed, though I am surprised that you even could feel what your shield felt. Are you sure you didn't have yourself nervous to shake even yourself?"
It wasn't that she doubted Naofumi, it was just that it was hard to think that a weapon could feel the presence of another weapon similar to Naofumi's but different. Heck, a month ago she wasn't even aware of legendary weapons before she met Naofumi.
"Honestly I understand what you're saying. But, perhaps someone like me, who touched the Statue of the Seven in Liyue, gained the Geo element, and perhaps got what I gained with Anemo. But perhaps the statues are connected, perhaps it even recognizes another hero. Someone like me, has been summoned here!"
Eula went quiet for a moment. She took another sip of her tea, then placed it down.
"If your objection is meeting this other hero, then I can send a letter to Liyue to have Yanfei meet you at the entrance of the city so that you can be safe within Liyue's borders. It would normally take perhaps three days on a carriage for the letter to be sent to Liyue as well as yourself if you decide to take a carriage there. But it would take time for Yanfei to respond, especially as she is a lawyer so she is busy most of the time."
Naofumi nodded, as he was aware of the work that lawyers do when it involves the actual laws, such as divorce, marriage, or someone being sued. Anything that lawyers can do or handle.
"I can wait for a few days. O-Oh uh… Speaking of which… Are y-you perhaps… Available for the next few days? Or perhaps today?"
Naofumi asks, his face red; he even shudders a bit. Eula looked at Naofumi with surprise, she suddenly felt her face grow red for a brief moment before she coughed to calm herself down.
"I'm free for the day. I'll be going on a scouting routine again for a few days with my knights, I'll leave in the morning. So this is my last resting day before then. Why?"
Naofumi shuddered more, he was having a hard time trying to speak the words that he wished to ask. Eula watches with a bit of amusement in her eyes. If she were being honest, it was quite cute for Naofumi to try to say something to her. A part of her knew what Naofumi was going to ask and she couldn't help but feel a bit dreadful.
Over the month, the moments where the two of them met up and talked, walked, and hung out, were just making Eula develop feelings for Naofumi. Her heart would beat whenever she saw him, when she felt his kindness towards her. She didn't expect the first man she would ever fall in love with to be this otherworldly hero in front of her.
She did wish to experience these feelings with him, but she also couldn't help but be worried. Naofumi dating her would mean having a target on his back because of those who still hated her. The citizens had begrudgingly accepted Naofumi to be anywhere near a Lawrence, but what would happen should they overhear Naofumi asking her on a date, or rather should they misunderstand that he is dating her?
She didn't want to imagine what could definitely happen, but a bit of hope still swells within her. Hoped that she would hear the words she imagined would happen someday.
"I was wondering… If you… Wantingtogoonadatewithme!"
Naofumi whispered the last, well, sentence but spoke too fast. He lowered his head feeling embarrassed to act like that in front of someone so elegant as Eula. He then heard a soft chuckle as he slowly lifted his head to see Eula smiling at him with her face red. Though not exactly like his face but still red nevertheless.
"I'd like that Naofumi."
Naofumi smiled as he whispered if she would like to head to Starsnatch Cliff this evening or tonight. The reason was that one day, he accidentally met a couple there watching the stars. He was surprised at how late they stayed up there, even to the point of asking himself why he was even there that late.
And after hearing how this is normally where they would see the stars as the cliffs are considered in their eyes a romantic spot. This eventually gave Naofumi an idea for a date spot. He was waiting for Eula's response to their date spot.
"I don't mind going there in the evening. I could wait, and I can write a letter to Yanfei in the meantime while I get ready. So… Uh… If you don't mind I'll just be on my way! Come pick me up in front of headquarters at five sharp."
She stood up as she walked away, not realizing the smile that was on her face. Or the fact that she was walking faster than usual. Naofumi watched her leave as he put a hand on where he could feel his beating heart. A huge sigh of anxiety and worry was let out in an instant.
"My first date… Crap what should I do!?"
He mutters to himself as he is deeply thinking about how he could make the date perfect for Eula. But then he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned and saw Sara.
"Just be yourself, I doubt that you need to do much, just. Taking a nice stroll, enjoying the scenery depending on where you're taking her. I didn't get to hear the whole thing but you know what I mean. You and she got to know each other for a month, or so I've heard from Vile. So you must know what she likes, dislikes, just anything that would make your date leave an everlasting memory."
Naofumi looked at Sara for a moment and smiled. He thanked her as he too left Good Hunters. He was filled with determination as he headed towards his apartment.
Once he got there he immediately thought back to the times he got to spend time with her. He nodded to himself, and he got an idea of how to spend an evening with her.
Later in the day it was sunset, and Naofumi was wearing clothing that surprisingly Barbara recommended to him when she learned of his date with Eula. Clothes that are white and green which kinda makes him look like an idol. He was a bit surprised at how well it fitted him. He got to thank her once again for her suggestion of clothing.
"Actually, now that I think about it, Noelle told me my armored outfit will be ready tomorrow. I guess she wanted to make sure that it would be perfect for me."
Still, Naofumi was feeling a bit too excited so he quickly picked up the pace. He greeted a few people who noticed his attire but didn't think much of it. They just assumed it was his new clothing. And honestly, Naofumi thought the same thing, perhaps it would be better to wear this from now on than wear his simple clothing, maybe he'll wear those clothes again if he wants to feel nostalgic about his old world.
Once he was close to the knights' headquarters he could already see Eula, and the moment he saw her, he stopped completely. The outfit she is wearing has made her look more beautiful than he could have ever imagined.
It looks like it was the trend for female Mondstadters to go on a date. White and blue, look so simple yet very attractive. Naofumi slowly approaches her, when he gets closer he notices the two knights who would normally be stationed here are not there at all. Then again perhaps their shifts ended for the day and the other two to watch in the night shift hadn't arrived yet.
Still, it was good to have no one else around to see her in such beautiful attire, or else Eula would have more red on her pretty face than she already had. Or she would have met more disdain to see her in such an attire and wonder who would ever go on a date with her. Just the thought of that almost made Naofumi wonder if using Portal Shield was just to avoid being seen by others.
Eula then spotted Naofumi as she did the cutest thing possible in his eyes, acting so shy on their first date.
"N-Naofumi! You… You look handsome in those clothes."
"Thanks… You look beautiful in that attire!"
No words were said at that moment. At least until Eula spoke up calmly.
"Do you mind if we can arrive at the cliff using your special skill? The one that can teleport us there in an instant?"
Naofumi nodded, as he was glad that she asked that question that he had thought of a moment ago. It would definitely save them time on their date and possibly enjoy the view that the cliff has to offer. Especially as it will give them a few hours as the couple he met did mention that they would normally show up there exactly at midnight.
And that they spent a few hours on that cliff, which would explain why Naofumi saw them looking tired in the day. Guess they were meeting in secret, as for why he is not sure as he didn't wish to pry into their love relationship.
"Sure, I don't mind, hang on a second… Portal Shield!"
After inviting Eula to his party, he activated the portal skill as the two of them went from the entrance of the Knights of Favonius HQ to the cliff of Starsnatch Cliff. And in an instant, the two of them were met by the sights of the ocean that is just below the cliff.
"I'm still amazed how that skill of yours can just teleport us that fast. But an hour cooldown? Isn't that too much?"
"Honestly it is understandable when I can just touch either those Waypoint devices or a Statue of the Seven for fast travel. Plus I'm only limited to three locations so I had to change which location I wish to travel to. One in Mondstadt, the second on that mountain where we met, and Dragonspine."
"Hmm…"
Eula looked around as she saw the flower in the distance, then at the view of nearly the whole nation, just a wonderful sight just making Eula feel like she truly belongs there. Even with the hate and suspicion around her, Mondstadt had always been her home. And it will continue to be that way, because the man next to her was the reason that she felt like she belonged there.
"Shall we get started on preparing dinner?"
"Actually we don't need to do anything. I've already prepared food in advance."
He then took out a picnic basket from his shield along with a red and white tablecloth. A simple yet nice picnic even if it was meant for lunch.
"Oh! A picnic, isn't it a bit late for a picnic?"
Naofumi chuckled a bit as he laid down the tablecloth and basket.
"Yeah it is, but for this occasion, I wanted to try the food from my home world. Something simple yet delicious. I'll admit, the ingredients for it were a bit challenging to find, but thankfully some merchants sold what I needed."
He opens up the lunch box as it reveals food that Eula has never seen, a lettuce-covered shape of something, something similar to fowl meat, cooked vegetables, and something that isn't sunny-side-up eggs. Just the sight of this seemingly delicious food nearly made Eula drool as her stomach growled.
Only the sound of wave currents was heard for a moment as Naofumi couldn't help but smile at what he heard. Eula on the other hand, was blushing and she could barely mutter out her new vengeance on Naofumi.
"Well, let's enjoy dinner with this amazing view."
Eula just nodded as the two of them sat down, did their simple thanks, and began eating. Eula took a bite out of the lettuce food and was immediately overflowing with the flavor in her mouth.
"Wow! What did you add in here Naofumi?"
"Well, I added rice and cooked meat and the lettuce was to keep it all together. It really makes the combination taste great doesn't it?"
Eula nodded as she tried the vegetables, and the fowl meat. She found the veggies to be more delicious than she thought and the other meat tasted crunchy and crispy. Each taste was making Eula feel like she could eat the whole thing without any pressure. But she didn't want to act unelegent towards Naofumi; she had to keep those inner desires in check.
"I'm surprised that you didn't work at Good Hunters. The fact that you are a great cook there is no doubt that Sara would have loved to have you as an extra chef to help her."
"Honestly… I was thinking about that. But honestly, I don't know. Like sure I can get another job to earn Mora, but the feeling of adventure is just too great for me to ignore. Like how I wish to travel to Liyue, not just for what I felt this morning, but also to see what else Teyvat has to offer for me."
"So that feeling you felt was just a motivation to see Liyue?"
"Yeah, but honestly, even when traveling, the month I spend here. I truly see Mondstadt as my home. Not just the friends I have here, but someone who I really grew to care for, someone… I fell in love, someone so beautiful."
Naofumi moves his head to look at the woman he willingly confessed his feelings for. The woman who saved him on his first day in Teyvat, the woman that he called beautiful, the woman he got to know, the woman that he just couldn't stop thinking about.
Eula looks at Naofumi with complete shock, her face even redder. The smile was shown on her face as she closed her eyes for a bit, and stood up.
"Naofumi."
He saw Eula smile at him, as she slowly began to walk away from the cliff. Sensing that she wanted the two of them to walk together, Naofumi quickly followed suit. For a minute of walking neither said anything until Eula spoke first.
"To think it's been a month since I've met you. When I first met you, you struggled to handle Hilichurls until I showed up to save you, as well as you showing me the reason why you couldn't handle five Hilichurls."
Naofumi blushes at that memory. The fact that he willingly decided to fight creatures with clubs and bows, yeah he wondered what he was thinking that he believed that he could handle them like how he handled the Anemo Slimes.
"Yeah, that wasn't my best when I first got here. Still, I'm thankful that you saved me from that."
Sure he lost some early EXP at that moment, but in his case, he is glad that he was able to meet Eula.
"Just meeting you is the happiest thing to happen in my life, Naofumi. Meeting you, not acting how everyone else acted towards me, working together when it happens, just spending each moment with you. You just wouldn't stop appearing in my mind, along with the feelings that I developed for you."
She stopped as she turned around and locked her eyes with Naofumi's.
"Just hearing the reason why Mondstadt is your home… It truly makes me happy. Happy that I developed feelings for the man I fell in love with as well. I wish to release these feelings, to embrace them, to grow them into something more."
She slowly approaches him and holds his hands.
"A part of me is afraid that you would be hated by everyone just for being with me, but also my family if they ever find out. Sooner or later, they'll recognize the legendary shield and will do anything to antagonize you. I don't want to have that kind of burden on you. But, I don't want to suppress these feelings that I have for you."
Naofumi was amazed that she was saying all of this without being a tsundere, it was really sweet for him to hear. But he also completely understands her concerns. But he still hated how many people just wouldn't see Eula for who she really is. Not a sinner of the name she carried, but a knight who is willing to keep Mondstadt safe.
He places his hand on her cheek, exactly like what he sees in light novels and manga of male protagonists who show that kind of affection towards the heroines they love.
"If you want, then we can keep this a secret. No one has to know, and nobody can judge us for it if that is what you prefer. A secret relationship. To be honest, I'm perhaps in league with Vision wielder so it doesn't matter if your family sends hitmen or anyone to try to hurt me or try to get you to join their side. I'm the Shield Hero. I'm not going down without a fight. And my feelings for you will never change Eula."
Tears welled up in her eyes as she placed her head on his chest. Muttering how much she loved him. He held, comforting her. Then after a few more sniffs from her, she raises her head, leans in, and lets her lips connect with Naofumi's. Naofumi's eyes widened for a moment, but seeing Eula's eyes being closed, he did the same.
Once again the sound of wind currents and the ocean waves can be heard. Just the calm and peaceful atmosphere around the two. Even the sky was slowly becoming night showing the glowing stars. Soon their lips parted as both stared at each other. Then smiling.
"I wish to continue this date Naofumi."
"Yeah, me too."
Hands intertwined, the two of them walk back to their picnic date as they resume their dinner. Then after that the both of them watched the stars while they sat, hands still holding onto each other. Eula leaned on Naofumi's shoulder as he wrapped his arm around her.
"The stars are wonderful, are they now?"
"...Yeah, it does."
Naofumi answered her question, but couldn't help but notice something a bit off about the stars. Sure, he didn't have all perfect grades, but that doesn't mean he didn't notice the difference in the stars compared to the ones he saw back home. Then again, there was also something off about the sky as well, as if… Was he thinking too much of it? He wasn't sure.
But right now, he would rather spend his time with his new girlfriend, his first ever girlfriend.