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“Hey Ingie—”
“Don’t call me that.”
“—Ingrid. Wanna go to town this afternoon?” Sylvain gave his usual wink, leaning by the wall in front of her with his chin resting on his elbow.
“No.”
“Aww, come on. It’ll be fun. I’ll treat you to some sweets, how about it?”
Ingrid scowled. He knew she could hardly resist the offer of sweets. Confound him for tempting her like that. “Thanks, but I’m good,” she said, straightening her collar. “We do have exams coming up next week, so I don’t really have the time. You should be studying instead of loitering about in town.”
“Always so serious.” He leaned closer, pulling that cute little puppy pout that worked on every girl he met. Well, almost every girl. “That’s what I admire about you, you know. But don’t you think you deserve to treat yourself to a break, too? Just for once, let me spoil you a little...“ He fluttered his thick, pretty eyelashes.
“Pass.” She stepped around him and walked away, heading for the courtyard entrance.
For a few moments, there was silence. Then—
“Wait, please! Alright, you got me.” Sylvain caught up with her again, a sheepish expression on his face. She paused in her step.
Scratching the back of his head, he gave her an awkward grin. “Forgive me, my dearest Ingrid. The truth is, I’m in need of your help.”
Ah, now things were coming together. She crossed her arms in front of her chest. “Go on.”
“I made a bet with Felix.”
“You made a…?”
“Yeah, I know, dumb idea. I simply couldn’t resist, though! If I win, he’s gotta wear my purple bobble cap to class every day for a week!”
Ingrid looked up in surprise. “How did you get him to agree to that?”
He flashed a secretive smile. “I have my ways.”
When he didn’t seem like he was going to explain himself, she gave him a look.
“Yes. Anyway,” Sylvain cleared his throat. “For me to win, I need to get five different girls in our year to go on a date with me within no more than five days. I already went with Annette, Mercedes, Hilda and Dorothea. Today’s the last day, but the both the Black Eagles and Golden Deer are away on a field trip…”
Suddenly, he placed both his hands on either side of her shoulders. His eyes were glittering. ”Please. You are… you’re my last hope. You’re the only one left who I can ask.”
“You”, said Ingrid, “are the absolute worst.”
His face fell.
“I’ll do it.”
“R-really?”
She quirked a grin. “It is a bit tempting, the promise of seeing Felix with that awful hat.”
“Oh, thank you so much, Ingie!” Sylvain cried, cuddling her close to his chest. “I knew I could count on you… and you know you love my beautiful hat!”
Ingrid flushed, pushing against his embrace. “W-what did I say about calling me that?”
“Ah, my mistake,” he let go of her again, the grin on his face telling that he was not sorry in the slightest. “Alright, let’s meet at the marketplace fountain at three bells past noon. I look forward to being with you.”
With these words, he turned around again, sauntering away as cheerfully as he had come.
A baffled look on her face, Ingrid looked after him. She wondered if she hadn’t gotten into something over her head this time.
***
“There you are!” Sylvain jumped down from where he had been perched on top of the fountain wall. When he arrived in front of her, he bowed gallantly. ”I have to say, you look very cute on this fine afternoon.”
Ingrid gave a tired sigh. “Is this whole sweet-talking spiel really necessary?”
An indignant gasp. “It’s not a spiel! I would never pretend when it comes to complimenting a pretty girl.” Before she could say anything more, he grasped her hand in his, meeting her gaze with a serious expression. “Everything I say is only inspired by the truest and most deepest feelings within my heart. You have my word for this.”
“Alright, fine,” Ingrid conceded. If it made him feel better, she supposed she could humor him for the afternoon. She would just pinch his ear if he got too pushy. “Where are we going, then?”
“Oh, to a place most suitable to your tastes.” He winked. “But first...”
He reached behind his back, procuring a bouquet of midnight lilies. “A lovely gift for the lovely lady.”
She blinked in surprise when he pushed the flowers into her hands. “Thank you,” she murmured, a pinch of confusion in her voice. Those were her favorites; how had he…?
“Now, if you’re ready—” She looked up to see a dazzling grin playing on his face, and his elbow extended in waiting. “Shall we go?”
“…Alright.” Ingrid linked her arm with his.
Best get it over with, she supposed. She would wait and see what else he had in store.
***
Sylvain took her to a quaint, hole-in-the-wall cafe at the edge of the market district. The exterior was cluttered with potted plants, flowers, and colorful umbrellas, in between which the customers sat around small tables. Not that there were many. Other than the pair of them, there was only a handful of people, all seemingly keeping to themselves.
It was surprisingly comfortable, and not at all tacky like she had expected. When she voiced this observation, Sylvain flashed her a quirky smile. “You will learn that I am a man full of surprises.”
She had raised an eyebrow, a silent demanding of explanation, but he had just winked and left it at that.
Soon a waitress came to take their orders. Before Ingrid could speak up and decide on something, Sylvain put his hand over her menu. “Let me recommend something to you.”
She threw him a curious look.
When he didn’t make any notions to elaborate, Ingrid heaved a sigh. She had agreed that she would play this game. Relax. Just remind yourself of the prize...
“Fine.”
Sylvain grinned, and turned to the waitress. “The Ten Treats Special, please.”
“Coming up, Sir.” The waitress took off, leaving them in what Ingrid supposed was a not-quite-comfortable silence.
Absently, she looked around, thankful and at the same time apprehensive that Sylvain was not making an attempt at his usual chatter. He was behaving oddly today, even for his usual gallivanting standards.
To Ingrid’s considerable relief, the waitress returned soon. When she caught sight of the dish the woman was carrying, her eyes went wide like dinner plates.
That was probably the largest plate of pastries she had seen in her life.
(And she’d seen a lot.)
She must have looked at it in dumbstruck awe for quite a while, because when she managed to tear her gaze away, there was that irritating, self-satisfied sparkle in Sylvain’s eyes.
“Dig in,” he prompted her, and she didn’t need to be told twice.
Grabbing a cute-looking berry shortcake, she took a hearty bite. “Mmm. S-so good!”
She wiped her mouth, picking up another cake and giving it a try. A sweet-salty taste of caramel filled her mouth, mingling with the fruity berries. These were… amazing! Damn it, there were tears in her eyes.
She couldn’t help it; she grabbed another treat. This one held a rich chocolate flavor.
“I’m glad you’re enjoying it.”
Ingrid startled, having almost forgotten Sylvain was there. “Aren’t you going to eat anything?” She pointed at his still empty plate.
“Oh, no, no.” He rested his chin in his hands, a strange, content expression on his face.
“I don’t need any right now. I’m happy as long as you are...”
Against her own will, a slight warmth rushed to her cheeks. “Well, don’t stare at me like that while I’m eating. It’s weird.”
“As you wish.” He complied, leaning back in his chair.
Ingrid was happy to continue munching her pastries in silence. Still, for some reason the fluttery feeling in her stomach refused to go away.
***
After the cafe, Sylvain took her on a leisure stroll through a nearby field. With a full stomach, she felt a lot more comfortable, even when he continued being all weird and sparkly-eyed and mysterious. For a while, they stayed at a pegasus pasture, feeding the foals with sugar cubes through the fence.
She had to admit, she was having a genuinely nice time, having almost forgotten about the fact that Felix and the bobble cap were the reason she had agreed to this in the first place. When it was time to go home, she felt a small pinch of something almost like regret.
“Thank you for today, Sylvain,” she said earnestly when they arrived at the Monastery’s courtyard. “I did not expect it, but I did come to have a lot of fun.”
His eyes widened, and to her surprise, he seemed at a loss for words for a few moments.
She was about to make a snarky comment, but he beat her to it. “I’m glad.” A bright smile spread on his face, of the kind that could’ve molten an iceberg.
She bit her lip. There it was again, that niggling flutter in her stomach. Could it be that she—
“So does that mean I’ve earned a goodbye kiss?”
—And there he went, ruining the moment. Ingrid scowled. She had wondered how long he would be able to last.
Leaning forward with his lips puckered, Sylvain fluttered his eyelashes at her. “I’ve been good, haven’t I? I made you happy today…”
“I’ll be happy to pinch your ear if you don’t back off.”
“Ah, tough affection,” grinning impishly, he drew back. “I will take what I get. But as you wished, I’ll save it for another time. Until then, dearest Ingie.”
Before she could open her mouth to reply, he was already sashaying away, humming an airy tune and with a small spring in his step. It remained only for her to call after him, “I told you not to call me that!”
By that time he was too far away for her to hear his answering laughter.
***
“You told her what?”
“I know, I know. It was a dumb idea.” Sylvain raised his arms defensively, wincing at his friend’s angry glare. “But it was the only thing I could think of! She never would have agreed to go out with me otherwise.”
“Oh, really? I can’t fathom why though?”
“Well, for some reason she seems to think I’m just a skirt-chaser, and any affection that I show isn’t genuine, but just for the sake of— and that was a rhetorical question, wasn’t it?”
Felix pinched the bridge of his nose. “You’re learning. Slowly, but you are learning.”
“Yeah, yeah. But will you do it?”
“Let me reiterate. You want me to wear your godawful, ugly hat and pretend that it was for a bet I committed to for the sake of hiding the fact that the fake-date you went on with Ingrid was actually real?”
“Yes… And it’s not ugly!”
“...I hate you. So much.”
“Aww, you’re the best, Felix! I knew I could count on you.”
Felix huffed in annoyance. “Spare me the grovelling, and let’s just— Wait!” He drew back with a shriek when Sylvain came towards him, arms extended in invitation. “Stay back, you fool! D-don’t you dare hug me!”