The Beginning of the End of Magic

Grimoire 01 - Chapter 03 - The Balance between Science & Magic [Part 02]

"Oh? It's you. Fancy seeing you here."

The person who said that to him was a young lady. Her ice blue long hair flowed down her back, ending in a dolphin tail. This time however, she was not wearing a trench coat.

"Cel...?" Finn said out loud, somewhat stupefied.

"What's with that reply? You still asleep or something?"

"Eh, no? Wait what? Why are you here?"

"What? I can't be here?"

"More like I can't imagine you being here."

Finn instantly felt a jolt of pain coursing throughout this body. Without warning, Cel had kicked him right in the shin.

"OWWWWWW! What was that for?!"

"For that rude remark. Had you caught me in a bad mood, expect your head to be rolling across the floor right about now. Thank the heavens, you didn't."

"You're really a handful, eh?"

"Are you planning to test my limits...?"

"All right, sorry, I apologize."

It was quite the comedic sight to anyone who passed by. A simple exchange of words, a kick to the shin, followed by an immediate perfect bow from a guy to a girl in just the span of less than 15 seconds. It was as if everything was scripted beforehand. Girls could not help but let out light laughter while guys sympathized with Finn and his situation.

Noticing that they were causing too much of a commotion, Cel cleared her throat before turning back towards the man behind the sales register.

"A box of Lemon Tarts."

"Ah right, one box for me too."

The man behind the sales register smiled at the two of them and simply nodded. He took two boxes of Lemon Tarts and placed them on the counter. The both of them then made their payment respectively and left the bakery corner. Finn shifted the various items to make some space, before placing the box of Lemon Tarts gently into the shopping cart.

"You sure bought quite the amount."

Popping her head right beside him was Cel as she held onto her own box of Lemon Tarts.

"Yeah, we had to get whatever we're lacking or didn't get to bring over from home, to Lindonium. It's just a one-time purchase, better to get it now than later."

"Judging by the things you bought, you can cook?"

"Sure, quite a variety too. It's an essential skill if you're gonna live independently after all."

"To think you were the stalwart type, I'm shocked. Oh, this is really good. Not bad for something mass-manufactured. Looks like my hunch was right."

"That's what you're shocked by...? And you aren't even listening to me anymore... wait... why're you eating it right here and now?!"

As Finn turned back to look, Cel had already opened up the box and was nibbling onto a Lemon Tart. With every bite she took, the lemon flavour filled her taste buds with zest. One could tell from her expression that she was thoroughly enjoying her snack. When the tart was half its original size, Cel popped the entirety of it into her mouth. But before she could take another piece, she was stopped by Finn.

"What? You want one? Even though you already bought a box? How greedy can you be?"

"That's not it! Don't eat in the middle of the aisle! That's bad manners! If you really want to eat, head over to the seating areas or eat it back home or something!"