Lisbeth’s Arms Shop was located in Yggdrasil City, which lay at the middle part of the World Tree. Since there were no longer any flight restrictions, Shido and Lisbeth managed to reach Alne City in just thirty minutes.
The thirty-minute flight might have been dull under normal circumstances, but with Shido keeping up a lively conversation, their journey was filled with laughter and chatter.
Looking up at the enormous tree stretching toward the heavens, Shido whistled softly. "Oh? So this is the World Tree, huh?"
The World Tree was located in Alne City, the capital of Alfheim. It was considered a neutral city, and because of that, Shido could see fairies of various races and colors walking around the streets.
However, the city wasn’t as crowded as he had expected, since nearly half of Alne’s population had migrated to Yggdrasil City, situated at the middle part of the World Tree.
He had to admit, this was the largest tree he had ever seen. Even though it only existed in a virtual world, Shido could still feel its overwhelming presence just by looking at it.
Lisbeth chuckled, amused by Shido’s reaction. Almost every player was astonished the first ti they saw the World Tree up close.
She then called out to him and pointed toward the middle part of the tree, where countless lights illuminated the massive trunk. "Co on, Setsuna, my shop’s up there."
Following the direction of her finger, Shido nodded. Even though Yggdrasil City was only located at the midpoint of the World Tree, it was already high above the clouds, showing just how enormous the tree truly was.
As for the branches of the World Tree, they were those strange, vein-like patterns stretching across the sky. The branches were so vast that no matter where one stood, they could always be seen above as if they had already covered the entire world.
Shido was lost in thought, still marveling at the World Tree’s grandeur, when he suddenly felt his body being tugged.
Lisbeth’s voice followed soon after. She was looking at him with puffed cheeks and a slightly annoyed expression, clearly displeased that he had gone silent and ignored her.
"What are you spacing out for, Setsuna? Don’t tell you’ve already found a girl to flirt with?"
As she said that, Lisbeth shot Shido a glare that left him montarily speechless. He had only been admiring the World Tree, thinking there might be a chance he’d encounter a real one in another world. But who would’ve expected Lisbeth to suddenly accuse him of sothing like that?
He sighed inwardly, wondering why girls always seed to overthink whenever a guy went quiet. Shido couldn’t help but feel that girls could be really unreasonable sotis, well, except for Rumia, Tuare, and Mahiru. Oh, and Yoshino too.
Still as Shido thought inside his mind, his eyes shifted from Lisbeth’s glare to the hand that was holding his. She had grabbed his hand earlier, and it seed she was still holding on it, completely unaware of it herself.
’Hmm...’ Thinking that, Shido couldn’t help but smile, which imdiately left Lisbeth both stunned and flustered.
"W-What?"
She stamred, her cheeks turning slightly pink as she suddenly felt self-conscious under his gaze.
Seeing Lisbeth’s cheeks turn slightly pink, Shido shook his head and put on a downcast expression, as if deeply hurt.
"No, it’s just... I’m a little saddened that you think I’d be looking for another girl to flirt with."
"Hmph, isn’t that exactly what you were doing?" Lisbeth snorted, rolling her eyes at Shido for being shaless. Still, she the couldn’t help but think he was a playboy in real life since he was so smooth during their conversation and always make her laugh causing a fluttery and giddy feeling to rise in her chest.
As Shido noticed Lisbeth’s slightly flushed cheeks, he gently tightened his grip on the hand holding his. That was when Lisbeth finally realized they had been holding hands this entire ti.
She beca flustered and embarrassed, and she instinctively tried to pull away, but Shido didn’t let go. Instead, he drew her a little closer, leaving her montarily stunned.
Their eyes t and locked, neither willing to look away. In Shido’s gaze, Lisbeth could see a mix of amusent and teasing, yet beneath it all, there was warmth, and sothing that made her heart almost leap out of her chest.
Lisbeth’s heart grew chaotic as she tried to sort out her emotions but Shido spoke looking at her with a knowing smile and gentle eyes
"Why would I go looking for a pretty girl to flirt with," he said softly, "when there’s already one standing right in front of ?"
Hearing those words, Lisbeth felt her whole face turn bright red. She wanted nothing more than to bury her face in a pillow and hide from sheer embarrassnt. It almost felt like steam was about to rise from her head.
Fortunately, Lisbeth’s heart was strong enough to recover, at least a little. "H-Hmmm, i-is that so? H-Hmmmmm..." she muttered, trying (and failing) to sound composed.
Still, she couldn’t hide the fact that her face was as red as a tomato. Even though she managed to steady her emotions, her voice cracked slightly, making it obvious she was trying hard not to show her embarrassnt.
Seeing this, Shido chuckled inwardly, but he still said, "Yes, if I were to find soone to flirt with, I’d rather it be you, Lisbeth."
Lisbeth couldn’t take it anymore. His sweet, teasing words were just too much. Since Shido wouldn’t let go of her hand, she gripped his tighter instead and pulled him toward the World Tree.
"E-enough of that already, okay? Let’s just go to the World Tree!" she exclaid, her voice flustered as her cheeks burned even redder.
"Alright."
Of course, Shido wouldn’t just let himself be dragged along by Lisbeth. He quickened his pace and walked beside her, still holding her hand.
The sight of the two together was quite eye-catching to the passersby as they looked just like a couple. The man had a confident, handso air about him, while the girl, though not among the top beauties, was undeniably cute and charming, especially with that faint blush on her cheeks, which only added to her appeal.
As they walked, Lisbeth lowered her head in embarrassnt. Still, despite her bashfulness, there was a faint warmth blooming in her chest, a quiet happiness that made her heart flutter, especially with the comforting heat from the hand holding hers.
Stealing a glance at Shido, Lisbeth’s face grew even redder. Yet, to her growing frustration, he showed not even a hint of embarrassnt. He simply walked beside her, calm and composed, holding her hand firmly as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Lisbeth let out a small huff, puffing her cheeks in annoyance. ’How can he stay so calm at a ti like this?!’
It seed Shido noticed her gaze, for he turned to look at Lisbeth and flashed her a bright smile. Caught off guard, Lisbeth imdiately grew flustered and turned her face away in a hurry.
The two continued walking for a while until they finally reached the entrance of the World Tree. However, an awkward atmosphere lingered between them, one that made Shido sigh helplessly. It seed he might have teased her a little too much.
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