Chapter 34: A Date In Nean

"Lucas!" A blonde-haired mage ran towards Lucas and Mimosa who were sat on a bench speaking with each other at the base.

"David! Good afternoon", the two young mages replied and waved with a smile at the mage who was running up behind them.

David had run up to Lucas and Mimosa at what seemed like an urgent pace. He had a smile on his face that sort of looked like a cheeky smirk. The other notable thing about him was that in his right hand he had two letters.

"Good morning, you two. Hey, Lucas, I was expecting a letter today from Tina. You remember her right, the one from the mixer?" David asked, still acting giddy and slightly excitedly.

"Oh yeah, sure I do. She was the one that owned the flower shop in Nean, right?" Lucas replied.

As the two exchanged their words, Mimosa was sat beside Lucas and her stomach seemed to slightly churn at hearing the mention of the mixer. "Ugh. Why are they talking about the mixer? Why do I even care…? Lucas is his own person and can do whatever he likes… so why do I not want him speaking about that night? I mean… maybe it's because I l-like him, but I should be able to control my emotions". Mimosa had started to blush from a mere mention of the mixer. Lucas hadn't even spoken to her since David arrived, but she was already thinking about the Light mage.

Whilst Mimosa was going through her crisis, Lucas and David continued their conversation.

"That's right. Well, I was at the place where the spatial owl leaves the letters and saw there was a letter from her…", David started and his cheeky became rosy.

"That's great! It looks like you and Tina are really hitting it off. I'm happy for you", Lucas smiled and patted the mage on the back as he sat next to the Light mage.

"Haha thanks man! Well, the main reason why I came to you is that there was a letter for you as well!" The Dice mage showed the second letter that was in his hand and gave it to Lucas.

The duo of the Light mage and the Plant mage were surprised at the fact. Lucas picked up the letter and turned it around and that's when he saw something that surprised him even more.

Mimosa saw it too but instead of having the feeling of wonder that Lucas got, she got the feeling of jealousy.

"The seal on the back. It's from the Blue Rose Knights squad", Lucas realised. "I wonder who it could be?"

David rustled Lucas's ginger hair and laughed. "Well, it's probably from that girl you met. Emilia seemed to be quite interested in you, you know?"

"Hm, it could be from her", Lucas wondered.

"Wait, who's Emilia?" Mimosa jumped in and asked.

Lucas turned and explained. "She's this girl from the Blue Rose Knights that I met and became friends with at the mixer. She was so cool", he smiled.

The Vermillion didn't share the smile in its sincerity but had her own smile of awkwardness. "The Blue Roses… AGAIN? How many girls from that squad like Lucas? … Wait… maybe this Emilia isn't the sender but…", Mimosa mumbled before turning back to her squad mates.

"… It could be from Daisy?" Mimosa added.

"Oh, you're right! I wonder how she's doing?" Lucas answered.

It was David's turn to jump in again and ask a question. "Hm, who's Daisy?"

Lucas was about to answer the Dice mage, but Mimosa butted in and did it for him.

"Oh, she's this Magic Knight from the Blue Roses who uses Ice Magic. She's strong and quite cool-", Mimosa started but then realised how much she was praising her. "Wait, why am I praising her so much? She is a nice person but if I do this then Lucas might recognise just how cool she is and fall for her! I need to be careful", she sighed.

"Another girl, ay? Man, Lucas you are a player! Maybe you'll get your own harem soon. Mimosa is already part of i-!" David started to talk but had his mouth covered by the Vermillion royal as she realised just what he was saying.

Lucas was confused and kept changing his head's direction from David to Mimosa and then again for a few more times. "Wait, what's a harem and why is Mimosa in it?" Lucas asked innocently.

"NOTHING!" Mimosa shouted. She was becoming flustered, and her face resembled the flames of Fuegoleon's magic. "IT MEANS NOTHING! It's just some made up word from a fairy tale. David is just being weird…", she quietened down.

"Really? I've read a lot of books and stories and have never heard of a harem. Maybe it's an older series I've yet to read", Lucas smiled at the two who were in an awkward position with Mimosa almost making David pass out from a lack of oxygen.

A few seconds passed and Mimosa had calmed down.

"Oh, maybe I made her embarrassed! I need to say sorry", David turned to the Vermillion but as he was about to say sorry, he saw her look of anger and decided on leaving it for the time being. "A-Anyway, Lucas! C'mon and open the letter for crying out loud!" He hurried the young teen.

"Oh, yes". Lucas slowly took the Blue Rose seal off and set it down next to him. He took the letter out and unfolded it. He started to read it but then felt the hot air coming from both David and Mimosa's noses on the back of his neck as they tried to peek a read.

"Um, guys. Can I have a bit of privacy please. Maybe there's something important here that can't be shared", he politely asked.

The two dropped their heads and retreated back a bit while Lucas read the letter.

"Dear, Lucas-san…", he started and then immediately realised who it was from. "There's only one person that calls me that!" He smiled.

After a minute of reading, he folded the letter and put it back in the envelope for safe keeping. The mage turned to David and Mimosa and explained what it was.

"Daisy asked me to hang out at Nean. I'm not sure why but it could be fun, so I'll go now!" Lucas smiled and started to walk off.

David and Mimosa reacted very differently to the news. David immediately reached his arm over and grabbed the mage by his squad robe to stop him walking, and Mimosa reacted by comedically face palming.

"Lucas, where do you think you're going?" He asked in a serious tone.

"Uh, to Nean?" He replied.

"No, you're not. You're going to Kikka first to get her a present. When you go to meet girls, you have to bring them a present. Make sure you go to the Black Market and ask for Code. She sells the best stuff", David smiled and stood proud.

"Really? Well, okay then. I'll trust you. You haven't been wrong about girl stuff yet". Lucas waved goodbye to Mimosa and went to the Castle Town of Kikka.

As he left, David turned to Mimosa who had essentially fainted at this point and helped her up. "Hey there. I'm sorry about saying all that stuff earlier. Once I start, I struggle to stop so just nudge me if I do it again… don't try to prevent me from breathing", he laughed.

"S-sorry… yeah, I'll keep that in mind", Mimosa got to her feet and sat back on the bench. This time, without Lucas.

"So… you like him, don't you? Why don't you ask him out?" David mentioned.

Mimosa, who had no energy to dispute the claim anymore replied. "I c-can't", she dropped her head.

"I'm not gonna try and understand the problem but what I will say is that if you don't act soon, it'll be too late", he warned before he headed off.

Mimosa scratched her head in frustration. "I know he's right but just how should I…?" She began to think and after a few seconds she reached a conclusion. "I know!" She quickly hurried off towards her room.


After some time, Lucas landed in Kikka, and he went straight to that solid brick wall where the Black Market was behind. Remembering how he once fell through it when he was chasing a bandit, he carefully walked through. "I'll be careful not to trip this time". He reached the other side and saw the markets again. "I didn't get a proper look last time, but this place is kinda cool…". Quickly though, he tried to find Code's shop and after a few minutes, he did.

"H-hello there. I would like to buy something", Lucas asked the shop owner to which she greeted him.

"The name's Code! I have plenty of jewellery, but you can actually customise them with these sets of jewels, beads, or minerals". Code pointed at the assortments and saw Lucas's eyes spark with amazement.

Lucas took a few minutes to pick the right item he wanted as well as what kind of jewel he wanted to embed with it.

"You seem to be having trouble there young man. Mind if I help?" Code asked with wishful thinking. She was always interested in giving tips for her customers.

"Uh, sure. I'm buying something for a friend of mine and she's a girl", he replied.

"I see…", she turned around away from Lucas and started fidgeting. She put her arms to her heart and closed her eyes as she swayed back and forth. Her eyes were closed, and her tongue turned into the shape of a heart. "So, it's a matter of love? Wow, kids grow up so fast! I wish my husband would do the same but he's-".

"Miss?" Lucas questioned, wondering why the shop owner was dancing.

"Uh-h… yes! Sorry about that. I wanted to ask what her name was since it'll help on what you might choose", Code responded quickly realising she was caught day-dreaming.

"Her name is Daisy", he replied slightly nervously.

Code paused at the name as she knew who Daisy was and was actually good friends with her. "So, Daisy and this boy… I hope there's something there. She really needs it after…" she began before snapping back. "Since it's a name like that, I recommend… this one!"


In Nean, the sun had started to set but the warmth still shone down to everyone in the town. There were plenty of families and groups of friends enjoying themselves in the streets, in restaurants, and doing anything they wanted.

Daisy was sat on a chair outside a café and started to tap her feet on the ground. The Ice mage had her arms crossed and her face did not look like one that was having fun.

"Ah, where is Lucas-san?! It's almost the evening and he's still not here…", she yawned and started to get frustrated. "Though, maybe it's my fault? My invitation may have been a bit of a short notice since I sent it in the morning. I guess Emilia was right and I should've sent it yesterday!"

As the Blue Rose Knight was sat wailing in her misery, the person she was talking about walked up beside her.

"Hello there, Daisy!" Lucas smiled with his arm up as it waved.

"Lucas-san! Glad you could make it", she jumped up from her chair and instantly hugged the mage causing him to blush slightly.

"Uh-h—h y-yeah!" He scratched his neck. "Sorry I was a bit late, I was taking care of something", he apologised.

The Blue Rose Knight pouted but then quickly winked. "It's not problem… but I assume you'll be paying for everything, correct?" She giggled.

"Oh, yeah. That's fine by me", Lucas replied innocently which caused Daisy to laugh.

"Nah, it's fine. Besides, once the evening comes this town feels a bit more special", she skipped ahead with Lucas in tow, her arm wrapped around his.

Just behind them, another mage from the Golden Dawn was lurking against one of the building's walls from afar. Upon closer inspection, it was none other than Mimosa who had decided to tail the Light mage to see what he got up to.

"Phew, he didn't spot me", Mimosa sighed. "This is what David meant, right? To keep an eye on him or an opportunity will pass? Maybe I forgot what he really said? She started to back up but then felt another person's back touching hers and they both yelped.

The two turned around and instinctively apologised but upon opening their eyes and focusing on who it was, they were surprised to see one another.

"Noelle?!"

"Mimosa?"

"What are you doing here?!" The two spoke in unison in a rather flustered way.

"L-long story…", the two chuckled.


With Noelle and Mimosa getting into an awkward interaction, Lucas and Daisy started their evening together. As they walked around together, the orange sun was darkening and giving the evening a nice glow all around.

Lucas was being dragged along by the Ice mage, but he had no complaints, if anything it was quite fun.

"So, where are we going?" He asked.

"It's a surprise so just be a little bit patient", she put her finger to her mouth as a way to show that the place they're going is a secret.

The two kept walking and eventually they reached a small restaurant that had a few free tables inside. Even though the size of it was quite small compared to the ones you would find at the Royal Capital, there was a homely feeling to this one.

The inside of the building reflected this feeling with it having a fireplace, an attached kitchen, as well as stairs that lead up to a few bedrooms for the owner's family. On the ground floor though, there were sets of neatly furbished and wooden tables with four chairs around, two on each side.

"Woah, this place looks so cosy! Are we eating dinner here?" Lucas asked as he looked around and took in the place.

"For sure! It serves some of the best food in the town and it's actually owned by a good friend of mine", Daisy replied.

"It is? That's cool". The Light mage then turned his head to see a very pretty, red-haired girl walking towards them.

The girl had long hair and blue eyes with a dark-blue and long-sleeved shirt with a white apron on towards the bottom that stretched across her knees. The most notable thing about her was that on her back, she was carrying a little baby boy.

"Hi there guys, I'm Rebecca and I'll be serving you today", she smiled. The girl turned to Daisy and grabbed her hands and started to shake them. "Daisy! Oh, then you must be Lucas, right? This girl actually told me about you coming earlier so we booked a table out for you two. Follow me". Rebecca giggled and then ushered the two Magic Knights to follow her to the table that was already set for them.

The two sat down and got themselves comfortable. There was a single lit candle in the middle of the table with two napkins on either side for the two teens. Alongside the candle, there was a basket of bread and some butter beside with two knives as a snack to have while they wait for food.

"That's some good service, don't ya think?" Daisy spoke to Lucas.

"Definitely! So, you already booked this place out? The owner must really like you", Lucas said, reaching in for a piece of bread.

"Haha, that's right! Rebecca, or Becks as I like to call her, works here by herself with help from her siblings. Her parents aren't exactly around so she's always quite busy. Sometimes I visit to help her out and I actually went to do that yesterday, but she complained saying that I do more work than her sometimes! She basically forced me to take the day off today from helping her and to instead invite someone for a meal… which gave me the idea of inviting you!" Daisy finished.

"That's so nice of you. It must be quite hard balancing Magic Knight duties and coming here to help as well", Lucas replied.

Daisy reached for the butter and lathered it on the bread piece she picked up and bit into it. "Nah, it's fine. I make sure I make time for the people here. They… I owe them a lot so it's only fair. Besides, my siblings live here so I'm coming here plenty of times anyway".

Lucas paused for a bit. "Hm, I guess something happened and they helped her out?" He carried on munching on the bread and after a while the basket was empty, but the two didn't realise at first.

They both went in to reach for the bread without looking at the empty basket. They kept rummaging around and after a while they touched something. Their hands were touching each other, and Lucas blushed and retracted it quickly.

"Oh? Were you reaching in for me to hold your hand?" Daisy smirked and leaned in, pouting.

"N-no… nothing like that", Lucas shied away, turning his head away.

As he did turn his head away, he saw a few familiar faces right away that belonged to two Black Bulls.

Asta was making a racket with his messy eating and loud gulping. He had around five plates of food that had been quickly finished. He also saw Noelle a few tables down, but she was wearing different clothes to what she would normally.

"Oh, it's Asta! I didn't think he'd be here as well… and Noelle? Why is she ducking down and wearing something like that? Is she doing a fancy dress thing again?" Lucas wondered, scratching his chin. He looked at Asta again and saw that same Anti-Bird that was always with him, staring at the Light mage. "Nero, was it? Why does he always stare at me?"

He was about to turn back to Daisy but then realised someone was sat next to Noelle. The person was also wearing the same thing as her and ducking down too. "A friend of hers? I can't really see her face. Oh well", he turned back to the Ice Magic user.

"I didn't know they'd be here, but I think it's pretty obvious what's happening", Daisy began.

"Hm?" Lucas questioned.

"Really, Lucas-san? You are innocent", she giggled. "Look at how Becks is getting all flustered and her siblings keep teasing her. Did you hear Marco, the little one there ask if she was going to marry Asta? Well, it's pretty blatant that she likes Asta with how she reacted all flustered. Then you also had the girl there, Luca, ask if Becks was going to kiss him later!". The Blue Rose Knight kept pointing the various things out for the Golden Dawn Knight.

"Woah, Rebecca likes Asta? I didn't really pay attention. How long have you known?" Lucas wondered.

"Oh, I was just looking at the two and put it all together. I kind of have a knack for this type of stuff. Besides, it would be great to see Becks happy since she's so sweet", Daisy rested her chin on the palm of her two hands that were resting on the table.

Lucas was surprised. He didn't really pay attention to these types of things, yet Daisy put it all together within five minutes of observing. "That's impressive. You also know the other siblings too?"

"Like I said, I've been here a lot of times so we've come to know each other well", Daisy replied.

The two waited around for a bit more time and Lucas's stomach started to rumble and groan showing he was hungry.

Daisy started to laugh with how loud the noise was and teased the Light mage who sat there accepting it with a blush.

"It's been a while and we haven't even got the menus yet", Lucas pointed out.

"Oh, that's because I already pre-ordered before. I have a feeling I know what you want to eat", Daisy pointed out.

Lucas was confused for a bit since standard procedure would be for them to look through the menus. However, he didn't say anything before hearing a set of footsteps behind him. He turned around to see Rebecca carrying two plates with warm food and setting them down.

"Sorry about the wait! Daisy had to be awkward and requested two custom-made meals that weren't even on the menu! I also had to deal with my siblings annoying me…", she turned around and glared at the two who were sat next to Asta. "Anyways, I hope you enjoy!" She walked away.

Lucas looked at his plate and his eyes widened with stars and sparkles coming from them. His tongue started to water, and his stomach growled even louder.

"No way! How did you know my favourite food was this?" Lucas asked, leaning forwards to the girl with the green ribbon on her head.

On Lucas's plate was a very large burger. The buns had plenty of sesame seeds woven in them and they were separated by two, thick slices of thick, juicy beef, melted cheese, tomatoes, cucumber, and lettuce.

Daisy's plate had exactly the same as the one opposite.

"Haha, I just had a hunch. It's my favourite too and I knew Becks could make some great ones as she had done for me before!" Daisy winked.

"Thank you so much! I have to thank Rebecca too after… I haven't had this since I was very young, I think? I can't exactly remember but my sister told me that I would crave these almost every day after trying it for the first time. Unfortunately, we weren't always capable of affording these types of ingredients but once, my sister and I saved up and bought some and they were the best thing ever!", he nervously laughed. Though, it quickly turned to him licking his lips and digging into his hot meal.

"Your sister and you must have always wanted food like this. Was it just the two of you that had this meal back in your home town?" Daisy replied.

"Yeah it was just us!" Lucas replied.

Daisy had paused as she was thinking about something but as she saw Lucas start to devour the burger, she joined in as well and the two got started.

As the duo of the Golden Dawn and the Blue Rose enjoyed their meals, the same enjoyment wasn't being shared with Noelle and the person who was next to her.

The person was in fact Mimosa who had now been dragged in by Noelle to secretly watch their squad mates.

"Lucas… seems to be having a lot of fun with Daisy. He always looks so happy when he's with her", Mimosa thought as she glanced every so often at the two mages. "She said they're just friends but…". She shook her head. "No. I'll believe her word. I don't want to doubt her since she's actually quite cool. This whole situation is annoying. Maybe I should've stayed at the base".

Mimosa's reaction was slightly less aggressive than Noelle's whose head was boiling from frustration.

"Asta… Rebecca… she is going to marry him? A p-peasant?! Well, I mean… she is beautiful and whoever marries her would be a lucky person, b-b-but Asta?! N-no way!" Noelle blabbered on, her eyes going red with fury as she heard Rebecca's siblings tease her more and more with the idea of marriage.

After the 100th time of the siblings mentioning marriage, Noelle blew up. She was holding a full cup of water in her hands and her frustration made the water overflow and shoot up right towards the ceiling. Though, this wasn't limited to just her cup but everyone's cup who was in the restaurant.

"Ah!" Lucas shouted as he saw his water fly towards the ceiling.

Daisy laughed and clapped her hands together. "I don't really know what's going on but wow!"

"Noelle!" Mimosa whispered and nudged her cousin in the back to tell her to calm down.

"I... I was just testing my powers!" Noelle replied, clearly lying.

"Testing your powers...? In a restaurant...?" Mimosa face palmed. Though she did understand her frustration.

A few minutes passed and Lucas and Daisy had finished their meals and paid Rebecca for being a great host.

"Here you go, Becks!" Daisy handed her a large handful of yul for her meal as well as some extra.

"Thanks for the great food! I'll definitely visit again", Lucas gave the same amount of money to the redhead, and she smiled.

"You two are always welcome!" Rebecca replied.


Lucas and Daisy walked away from the establishment and leaned against a wooden railing that was outside, together. The moon had started to rise, and the scenery became darker signalling that it was almost time to go.

"Ooh, it's gotten a bit chilly hasn't it?" Lucas rubbed his hands together to try and warm himself up.

"You're right. It's a bit weird but it's probably nothing", Daisy did the same to warm herself up. After a few seconds, she turned to the Golden Dawn mage.

"Say, Lucas-san… didn't you say you would pay for everything?" Daisy winked and stuck her tongue out.

"Oh… that's right. Here, I'll give you the money you spent". Lucas began to grab his coin pouch, but Daisy put her hands over his and protested against it.

"Oh, c'mon! I was just teasing you, haha". Daisy hit the mage playfully on his shoulder.

Lucas reacted by softly pushing the Ice mage back. "You do love teasing me, don't you! How many times have you done it now?" He laughed.

"It's just really fun seeing how you react", Daisy tiptoed and leaned into the Light mage. She got very close to Lucas, and he started to get nervous.

With his heart starting to beat quicker from the situation, he quickly pulled away and breathed out.

"See! Your reactions are always so cute". Daisy tilted her head and her big, blue, and violent tinted eyes looked into Lucas's. She was about to say something else when the both of them were interrupted by a shout.

Lucas and Daisy turned around and they saw an elderly woman who looked to be chasing a group of children. She wore nun's clothing and had a large scar running down her left eye and going down below her left cheek.

Daisy ran over first and Lucas followed.

"Sister Theresa? What's wrong?" Daisy asked, giving her shoulder to the old woman as something to catch her breath on.

"Daisy! This actually concerns you believe it or not", the old woman said. "I was looking after your siblings when they tricked me and ran off! It's past their bedtime for crying out loud", she mentioned making Daisy bite her lip in embarrassment.

Lucas looked at the situation and it was the first time he had seen Daisy feel embarrassed like that.

"Um… Lucas", she turned around and scratched the back of her neck in a nervous fashion and her fingers were twiddling around each other. "Do you mind staying and helping me find my siblings? They are quite the troublemakers, haha…".

NOTES:

We're finally getting back to canon events guys, but since this is my fan fic, I will add some things to make it original.

This arc will be fun for me to write since I want to do something cool with it and I hope you guys enjoy.

What did you think about this 'date'? What do you think of Mimosa's jealousy?