What kind of excuse was that? It wasn’t like I’d hurt myself just by changing clothes quickly and running outside—okay, fine, maybe I would.
But still ... how could he be this sweet? Was he made of sugar and honey instead of blood?
"Have you had dinner?" he asked, then imdiately added, "And rabbit food doesn’t count."
A laugh slipped from . "Then no. I haven’t had dinner, but don’t worry, I can make so noodles."
"Noodles?" Lando frowned. "That’s not healthy for a late-night al."
I almost groaned. First my salad wasn’t healthy, now noodles too? What was I supposed to eat then? It’s not like there were many restaurants still open at this hour, and I definitely didn’t want to bother the chef at ho just to cook for .
"Then what exactly counts as healthy for a late-night al?" I asked jokingly. "Seafood?"
To my surprise, his answer ca so easily. "We can eat that if you’d like. I know a good seafood place."
I froze, blinking at him. I should’ve turned down his offer because I didn’t want to trouble him. But before I could, Penny’s voice echoed in my head.
[Random Quest!]
[Quest: Hold Lando’s hand at the beach!]
[Reward: $15,000]
[Ti Limit: 6 hours.]
Holy shit! The reward for random quests had gotten bigger and bigger over ti. It had even surpassed my weekly mission’s reward.
[That’s because you’ve only completed two weekly missions, Host. But you’ve cleared a lot of random quests.]
[The more quests you complete, the bigger the rewards.]
Great. Just great. Except now I had a bigger problem.
The quest wanted to hold Lando’s hand at the beach.
HOLD. HIS. HAND.
The quest told to HOLD LANDO’S HAND AT THE BEACH!
Why would Penny suddenly want sothing like that?! We weren’t even ... I an, we weren’t dating, not even close. We were still at the friend stage—no, the talking stage. Yes, that sounded better. The talking stage.
Besides, how was I supposed to just grab his hand out of nowhere? What if he thought I was weird? Or worse, disgusting?
"Is that restaurant near the beach?" I asked carefully, trying not to sound suspicious.
"It is." He paused, then added, "It’s actually at Azure Beach. There’s a restaurant there that’s open twenty-four hours. You might like it."
Sohow, he sounded more excited than I was. Did he just ... really like seafood that much?
"But isn’t that kind of far? About an hour’s drive? Are you sure, since it’s already so late?" I asked. "I don’t want you getting too tired."
"I’m fine," he said with a shrug. Then, almost hesitantly, "But if you don’t want—"
"I want to." The words ca out too quickly, and I covered them with a bright smile. "Let’s go!"
Honestly, I didn’t want to bother him, but if he wanted to take , then how could I say no?
And, well ... there was also that extra $15,000 waiting for if I pulled this off.
Just thinking about it made my cheeks warm. How on earth was I supposed to hold his hand naturally? Maybe ... maybe I could just do it casually, like if I needed to pull him closer to show him the way. That wouldn’t be too weird, right?
Right?
No, of course not! That was impossible. He used a wheelchair to move, so how on earth was I supposed to pull his hand and lead him anywhere?
The thought didn’t make sense at all, and now I was starting to stress over it.
Alright, take a deep breath and let things between us happen naturally. Maybe ... there would be a chance for to hold his hand, even just for a second.
Before I knew it, almost an hour had passed and we finally arrived at Azure Beach. By then, the night had grown later, yet more people were coming, especially couples strolling hand in hand along the sand.
The beach was well known as a place for the city’s people to relax and play since it was so close to town. Because of that, there were many food vendors lining the path, filling the air with the sll of grilled seafood and sweet snacks, while souvenir stalls glittered under string lights.
anwhile, the seafood restaurant Lando had ntioned was the one closest to the sea.
"Will ... your wheelchair be okay on the sand?" I asked carefully, worried my question might sound insensitive.
However, Lando didn’t look offended at all. Instead, he reached behind him and grabbed his arm crutches. "I can use these. Don’t worry." He gave a small smile. "But I’m sorry if I walk a little slow."
I gasped, shaking my head. "No, don’t say that! Why should you apologize? Of course I’ll wait for you." I slipped out of the car first, then hurried to open the door beside him. "Do you need help?"
Since he was going to use crutches ... didn’t that an I could hold his hand?
Unfortunately, no. That was such a foolish thought, because both of his hands would be holding onto the crutches, leaving nothing free to hold mine!
"No, I’m fine," he said. "You can just walk beside ."
"Oh, alright."
I quickly stepped aside, letting Lando get out of the car with his forearm crutches. Once he stood tall in front of , I held my breath for a mont, unable to blink.
He was so tall! Maybe around six feet!
Until now, I’d only seen him seated in his wheelchair, and the one ti he’d used crutches, I had been too drunk to notice anything. This was the first ti I truly saw him standing before ... and it felt strange. Usually, I had to lower my head when I t his gaze, but now I had to tilt my head up.
As odd as it was, that small difference made my heart pound so fast. He looked ... perfect with the kind of height that made imagine what it would feel like to be wrapped in his arms.
No, no, no! Scratch that! I hadn’t even managed to hold his hand yet, what business did I have thinking about hugging him?!
"What is it?" Lando asked when he realized I had been staring at him for too long. "Do I look ridiculous?"
"No ...." The words slipped out before I could stop them. "You look handso."
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