NOVPUBAccompanied by singing birds and chirping cicadas, Kiernan and Aoi, their hands intertwined, walked through the lush forest.
It was a forest path that Aoi frequently visited to clear her mind and find peace away from the bustling of the dojo, where she could feel connected to nature and breathe in the fresh air.
"Here~"
Aoi led him to a swinging bridge that crossed over a small stream, crossed it, and as they arrived at the other side of the stream, they saw a swing hanging from a tree branch.
The swing was made of sturdy ropes and a wooden plank. It was also wide enough for three people to sit side-by-side if they squeezed in tightly.
"A swing? Here?"
Kiernan raised an eyebrow, and with a laugh, Aoi pulled him towards the swing, and they both sat down together.
"I found this place about three years ago. I don't know who put this swing here, but I've been here many times in the past three years, and I have never met its maker."
Aoi said, and when they slowly swung back and forth, they heard the water rushing down the small stream and could see the stream move down the hillside towards the edge of the forest.
It rushed past the rocks and over the small waterfall at the bottom. It finally ended at the edge of the forest when it crashed into the large boulder blocking its path.
That boulder was covered in moss and vines, with tree roots peeking out from underneath, and looked like it had been there for centuries.
"Have you ever been in a place like this in New Rakuya, Kiernan?"
Aoi asked with a smile.
"I am from a small city called Irio. It doesn't have lush forests like this. It has gray skies, cold weather, and the forests are thin and sparse.
"It has its own charm, I suppose, but you won't be finding a place like this there."
Kiernan said with a smile and placed his arm around her waist, making her feel warm and safe, with a blush spreading across her cheeks.
"I did have something to ask you… Could it be possible for me to be there when you tell your parents about me?"
Aoi asked.
"You mean coming to New Rakuya?"
Kiernan asked.
"Not necessarily… Through a video call, maybe. It will come as a big surprise to your parents, and I'd like to be able to answer some questions if they have any towards me."
Aoi said.
"Video call… I think we can call my father. It won't be possible with my mother, as she… doesn't have a phone."
Kiernan said, pulled out his phone, and quickly brought up his father's number.
"W-wait, you are going to do it now?"
Aoi asked, surprised, and felt like her heart was about to explode from nervousness.
She wasn't ready for this at all and thought that she would have time to prepare!
"Haha, it's alright."
Kiernan smirked, liked seeing her reaction, and then called his father with a video call—it was his first time actually trying the video call function.
'How does this work… You press this to turn the camera around to point at us.'
Kiernan pressed an icon on his touchscreen and then waited for his father to answer.
It was taking a while, as it was either because his father was busy or he didn't have his phone with him at the moment.
However, at that moment, the video call connected, and the face of a handsome, white-haired young man appeared on the screen.
"Kiernan! About time, why haven't you been calling?"
Julian asked with a laugh but then raised an eyebrow, as in the video call, while Aoi wasn't completely in the frame, it was possible to see her shoulder and some black hair cascading down it.
'Who is this?'
Aoi wondered as she tried to peek towards the screen and thought he was too young to be Kiernan's father.
"Julian, why are you answering my father's phone?"
Kiernan asked.
"He is currently in the shower! I heard the phone going off, I saw your name on the screen, and I decided to answer it. Where are you at right now?"
Julian asked as he saw some forest in the background and felt inclined to ask about the young woman.
"Oh, aight. I am at a place called Dusk Town at the moment. It's in the small country of Grendoria."
"Wait, you're not in Gothic City anymore? What are you doing at Grendoria?"
Julian asked in surprise.
"I went where the wind took me, I guess."
Kiernan said with a wry smile.
There was no way he could explain in any way how he ended up in here, as he couldn't just say that he had a quest to be completed.
It would make him look like a crazy person.
"By the way, I am itching to ask… Who is this sitting next to you?"
Julian asked.
"H-hey, my name's Aoi!"
Aoi showed her pretty face, innocently blinking her eyes while smiling shyly with a pink blush on her cheeks.
"Oh, hello… My name's Julian."
Julian said, and looked at the two of them suspiciously, thinking that there might be something going on between the two.
"Is he your brother?"
Aoi whispered into Kiernan's ear, her lips almost brushing his ear.
"No, haha. A friend of mine who happens to live with me at the moment."
Kiernan said, and then intertwined his fingers with Aoi's, their engagement rings touching together, and then he showed their intertwined hand to Julian on the other side of the phone.
Aoi blushed, looking like an innocent maiden, and shyly showed her ring finger to the phone.
"Wait…"
Julian leaned back in his chair, grabbed his hair in shock, and laughed in amusement as if he had heard a good joke.
"Very funny, Kiernan… You almost got me. I'll give you that."
"It isn't a joke. I am engaged now."
Kiernan said.
"WHAT?!"
Julian screamed at the phone, and his mouth popped open in complete shock.
"What are you shouting at?"
At that moment, Karma's voice sounded from the background as he finished showering and came downstairs to hear Julian shout from nowhere.
"Mind giving the phone to my father?"
Kiernan asked.
"Sure…"
Julian, still in shock, handed the phone to Karma, who was completely confused by the situation, and turned to look at the phone, just to see his son stare back.
"Oh, Kiernan! What's going on…"
At that moment, he saw an unfamiliar young woman stare at him with an innocent gaze, a blush on her cheeks, and hands intertwined with Kiernan's.
Their hands had one finger each, interlocked in a comforting grip.
"Father, this is Arakawa Aoi. Your future daughter-in-law."
Kiernan said.
"WHAT?!"
