Nina glanced at the clock on the wall, her eyes widening slightly.
"Oh no, the patrons will start arriving in a few minutes." She said, a slight edge of panic creeping into her voice. She then turned back to with an apologetic expression, her brows furrowed, and continued saying, "I'm so sorry, Kafka...You ca all this way to see , and I still can't spare any ti for you."
I chuckled softly, leaning back against the counter with an easy smile.
"It's fine, Nina...Really." I said, waving her concern away. "Besides, there's going to be so much more ti for us now that you've got so help around here. You won't have to do everything alone anymore."
Her expression softened at my words, and for a mont, she just stared at as if she were thinking about sothing.
Then, a small, giddy smile crept onto her lips, her green eyes practically sparkling with excitent. I could almost see the gears turning in her head as her imagination ran wild.
"You're right." She said suddenly, her voice brimming with enthusiasm. "If I don't have to spend all my ti here anymore, I can..." She trailed off, a dreamy look overtaking her face.
"What are you thinking about now?" I raised an eyebrow, amused by how exhilarated she was right now, like a child who heard she was going to the zoo.
Her smile widened as she stepped closer, practically bouncing on her toes.
"When I have ti, I want to take you all over town, Kafka!" She announced, her voice filled with excitent. "There are so many places I want to show you—the markets, the food stalls, the park by the river!...Oh, and there's this tiny bakery with the best pastries you've ever tasted!"
I chuckled, tilting my head at her enthusiasm.
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"You know, I've already seen every place in this town." I said, folding my arms with a teasing smirk.
Nina froze for a second, her expression twisting into a mix of disbelief and offence, as if she couldn't believe that I was actually denying her favour. She then straightened up, placing her hands firmly on her hips as she looked at with an almost haughty air.
"Oh, please." She scoffed, shaking her head. "There are so places only a true local like would know about, so don't you dare say that you've already explored every place in town."
I raised an eyebrow, amused by her defiance.
"Oh really?" I challenged, leaning forward slightly. "Then where exactly are these places that only you know about?"
She narrowed her eyes, her gaze sparkling with determination.
"I'm not going to tell you." She declared, her voice full of mock authority. "You'll just have to wait until I take you there myself...Trust , you haven't really seen this town until you've seen it through my eyes."
I laughed softly, unable to hide how much I enjoyed her feisty side.
"Well, now I'm intrigued." I admitted, watching her puff up with pride. "I guess I'll have to let the expert show around after all."
"You better believe it!" She said smugly, crossing her arms and nodding as if she'd just won a grand debate.
Her playful confidence was infectious, and I couldn't stop the grin spreading across my face.
"Alright, Nina. I'll let you surprise ," I said, leaning closer to catch her gaze. "But don't bla if I end up knowing more about this town than you by the ti we're done."
Her cheeks turned pink, but she refused to back down. "In your dreams, Kafka." She said, her tone sharp but her eyes soft. "You're going to see just how amazing this town is—my town."
"I can't wait." I replied with a grin, my tone playful but filled with warmth. The sparkle in Nina's eyes made it almost impossible to tear myself away, but with a soft sigh, I added, "But for now, I should probably get going...It's going to get busy soon, and you've got your hands full here."
Her smile faltered slightly, and her brows knit together in the tiniest pout, one she probably didn't even realise she was making.
"Do you really have to go?" She asked, her voice softer now, almost hesitant.
The way she looked up at , like she wanted to stay even though she was too proud to say it outright, tugged at sothing deep inside . I chuckled quietly, reaching out to gently ruffle her silky hair that had a verdant afterglow, even though I knew it would probably earn a glare.
"I don't want to," I admitted, my voice honest and soothing. "But I don't really have a choice. As much as I'd rather spend more ti with you, there's stuff you need to take care of here."
Her eyes flickered with disappointnt, and she glanced away, biting her lip as though trying to think of sothing—anything—that might convince to stay. For a brief mont, her tough exterior cracked, and I could see the small, shy vulnerability she always tried so hard to hide.
But then, just like that, her entire deanour shifted.
Her expression brightened, her beautiful eyes lighting up with a spark of excitent. She straightened up, clasping her hands together as if struck by a brilliant idea.
"Wait!" She said, taking a step closer. "You do have a choice!"
"Oh? And what might that be?" I raised an eyebrow, intrigued.
Her cheeks were flushed, but she pressed on, her excitent overriding her usual shyness.
"You can stay and work here with ! Just like you helped out this morning, you can keep helping. I'll handle the counter, and you can be my attendant—show the guests around, help them with their bags, stuff like that."
Her voice grew more animated as she explained her idea, her hands gesturing enthusiastically. I could practically feel her eagerness, the way she was trying to convince while also hoping I wouldn't think her suggestion was silly.
Nina's eyes sparkled with excitent as she finished her pitch.
"So?" She asked, her voice brimming with anticipation. "What do you think? I'll take care of the counter, and you can guide the guests around—show them the best parts of the hot spring! It'll be perfect, don't you think?"
But instead of the imdiate agreent she'd hoped for, my expression shifted. The playful deanour I had on my face lted away and was replaced by a solemn, thoughtful look that made Nina freeze.
Her heart sank. The excited spark in her eyes dimd as doubt began to creep in.
'Was he upset?...Did he think she was being too pushy?...Or maybe he just didn't want to work with at all.'
Her mind started racing, the worst-case scenarios playing out in vivid detail.
'He probably has better things to do.' She thought, a wave of guilt washing over her. 'I shouldn't have suggested it. I'm basically forcing him to stay here when he could be doing sothing more fun.'
Her gaze dropped to the floor, her shoulders slumping. She nervously toyed with the edge of her apron, unable to et my eyes.
"I-I'm sorry, Kafka." She stamred, her voice barely above a whisper. "Forget I said anything I said...It was a stupid idea anyway-"
Before she could finish, I suddenly let out an excited shout, startling her out of her downward spiral.
"That's an amazing idea, Nina! Even genius if had to say!" I exclaid, my solemn expression replaced by a wide, beaming grin.
Nina blinked in shock, barely processing my words before I lunged forward and scooped her into my arms.
"K-Kafka!" She squeaked, her cheeks flushing as I spun her around in a full circle, my laughter also echoing through the lobby.
"I can't believe I didn't think of that myself! It was so obvious!" I said, his voice filled with genuine enthusiasm. "Working together? Showing guests around while you run the counter?...It's brilliant, Nina! I should've thought of this so much sooner!"
"W-Wait, put down! You're making a scene!" She clung to my shoulders, her face buried in my chest to hide her embarrassnt.
"Let enjoy this genius mont first." I teased, finally setting her back on her feet but still keeping my hands on her shoulders. I then leaned down slightly, my grin softening into a fond smile as I said, "You really are amazing, you know that?"
Nina's heart skipped a beat at the warmth in my gaze, and she quickly looked away, her face burning.
"I-I'm not amazing." She muttered, fidgeting under my grip. "It was just an idea..."
"And it's a great one!" I said, my tone firm but affectionate. "I just can't wait to work alongside you, Nina...It's going to be so much fun!"
Nina peeked up at through her lashes, her verdant eyes shimring with a mixture of relief and happiness. For a mont, she let herself smile—small and shy, but genuine.
"Fine." She said, trying to sound nonchalant even though her heart swelled with warmth. "But don't think I'm going to let you slack off, Kafka...If you're going to be my attendant, you'd better take it seriously."
"Of course, Nina, I'll take it more seriously than anything I've ever done in my life." I replied with a playful smirk. "After all, I get to spend every day with you."
Her cheeks flushed again, but she couldn't suppress the grin tugging at her lips, looking like she was thinking that this isn't such a bad idea after all.
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