The Upper District's Grand Fair was already in full swing by the time the trio arrived.
Banners fluttered in the wind, the air thick with the smell of caramel, sizzling meat skewers, and the glorious perfume of fried dough. Kids screamed with joy. Merchants yelled louder. Jugglers juggled dangerously. Balloons floated. Fireworks popped at random for no reason. And somewhere, someone was definitely already getting pickpocketed.
"Smell that, Lili?" Kirian said dramatically. "That's the smell of dreams, destiny, and diabetes."
Lili wasn't listening. She was already sprinting toward a stall selling rainbow candy apples bigger than her head.
Emilia had other priorities.
"Okay, first stop: 'Win-a-Prize Toss Ring Challenge.'"
"Why?"
"Because the grand prize is a golden ticket that grants free snacks for a year at this fair!"
"…Isn't this fair only one day long?"
"Yes, and that's why they didn't put an expiration date on it! Loopholes, Kirian! Loopholes!"
He blinked. "That's… suspiciously smart."
But Emilia was already dragging him by the wrist toward a shady-looking stall where the ring toss bottles were definitely glued down.
While she negotiated "fair and honest" rules with the one-eyed carny man (and tried to seduce him with her very fake non existent charm), Kirian's attention shifted across the street to a group of knights in polished armor standing near a booth offering "Duel the Guard Captain!"
And standing at the center was her. Tall. Graceful. A shining vision of discipline.
Captain Anabelle, aka Kirian's secret crush since last Tuesday.
"Hey hey hey," Kirian whispered to himself. "Today's the day…"
He slicked back his hair. Flexed his biceps. Adjusted his collar (twice). And marched toward the booth with all the misplaced confidence of a man who once tried to fight a giant raccoon and got KO'd in five seconds.
"Excuse me, good captain," he said suavely, "might I have a moment of your time—and your heart?"
She glanced at him. "You here to duel or flirt?"
Kirian: "Yes."
The crowd laughed. Kirian was already deep in the hole.
"Alright Romeo," Anabelle grinned, cracking her knuckles. "Let's see if your charm holds up under pressure."
Five minutes later, Kirian lay face-down in a haystack.
"…Totally worth it," he wheezed.
Meanwhile, Lili had entered a sugar-fueled trance. She stood at a booth labeled "Sugar Shock Test!", surrounded by pastel towers of sweets.
"Ma'am, the challenge is to eat until you say stop," the vendor said.
Lili blinked. "That's it?"
"That's it."
"Oh. Okay."
Crunch. Munch. Devour.
The vendor was smiling at first.
Then worried.
Then horrified.
She was on her 9th cotton candy tower and showed no signs of stopping.
A crowd had gathered. One child asked if she was a god. The vendor, now weeping, whispered, "Where is she putting it all?!"
Back at the ring toss booth, Emilia had definitely caused a scene.
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN I ALMOST WON?!"
"I mean, you hit the bottle, but it didn't land squarely!"
"Your bottles are made of anti-loophole sorcery!!"
"Lady, it's just glue!"
Then—clang!
Lili arrived, wobbling from sugar. She casually tossed a ring. It landed perfectly.
Ding ding ding!
"WE HAVE A WINNER!"
Emilia's jaw dropped.
Lili blinked. "What'd I do?"
Eventually, the trio reunited on a grassy patch by a big tree. Kirian held an ice pack to his face, Lili was surrounded by empty candy wrappers, and Emilia stared at the golden snack ticket like it was holy.
"Well," Kirian said through his bruised cheek, "that could've gone worse."
"I got free snacks for life!" Lili smiled.
"I lost money and pride," Emilia pouted.
"I got bodyslammed by a hot knight," Kirian grinned. "So we all won, technically."
As they sat under the tree, the sun began to set, casting gold light over the bustling fair.