“Huh? Big brother Ferdi fell for a girl?” Shicodale tilted his little head, asking curiously.

“Yeah. In a panic, he just grabbed at any straw and asked me to come up with something.” Vinny sighed.

“What kind of girl is the one big brother Ferdi likes?” Shicodale suddenly asked.

“Ah, that...” Vinny looked away. “I don’t know her. I haven’t seen her. But according to him, she’s probably pretty.”

“Is that so... what’s her name?”

“Forgot. Didn’t remember it.” Vinny pressed his lips together.

“Oh.”

“Right—Dale, here. Take this. Hold onto it.” As he spoke, Vinny handed over the Love at First Sight he’d bought earlier at Crucible Grand Furnace.

“Huh—?!” Shicodale stared in surprise. “Vinny, did you buy it specially for me?”

“I saw you standing in front of that cabinet for a long time earlier, so I figured you were interested in it.” Vinny explained. “Even though I don’t really believe in this kind of thing. Whether it’s fake or not aside... I’ve never dated, but I still think everyone has to fight for their own love. Not rely on something like this.”

“Huh?!” A wave of emotion rose in Shicodale’s chest.

[Virtue +50]

[Current Virtue: 1834]

“Thank you, Vinny.” Shicodale hugged the orange-red potion bottle, which had been packaged beautifully.

“Dale, are you interested in this stuff?” Vinny asked.

“Actually... I just wanted to confirm something.”

“Confirm what?” Vinny didn’t understand.

“Confirm... whether it feels the same.” Shicodale said softly—so softly Vinny didn’t hear it.

“Huh? What’d you say?”

“Nothing! Thank you so much, Vinny.” Shicodale shook his head, held the potion close, and happily went home with Vinny.

Vinny didn’t think much of it. This Love at First Sight thing might be unreliable and untrustworthy, but it shouldn’t be harmful to the human body. If it really had harmful effects, that alchemy shop would’ve gone under ages ago, and it wouldn’t have such a good reputation. Carillian Academy wouldn’t allow a shady operation like that to become an old, established shop inside the academy.

It was probably basically sugar water—just something that tasted good, plus maybe a little gimmicky effect.

Back at the dorm door, Vinny was about to pull out his student card to open it, but after patting down his entire body, he couldn’t find it anywhere.

“Damn it. Don’t tell me I dropped it during all that chasing around earlier?!” Vinny rubbed his forehead.

If that was the case, it was a pain in the ass. He’d have to retrace the whole route, and who knew who might’ve picked it up. If he’d dropped it inside the alchemy shop, that’d at least be easy to find. But if it was on the road... that would be hard. He’d probably have to report it lost and get a replacement from the Student Council later.

Vinny was getting a headache. He had Shicodale stay in the dorm while he went to look for the student card. When Shicodale heard Vinny had lost it, he offered to help search too, but Vinny figured Shicodale probably couldn’t help much—and might even make it worse—so he didn’t let him come.

“Ah... I’m done. I can’t find it.” Vinny went back and forth along the route they’d taken several times, asked a few passersby, and got nothing.

Don’t tell me it was left in that alchemy shop??

If it wasn’t dropped during the horseplay, then the only other option was inside the shop, right??

Of course, if he’d lost it while messing around with Ferdi and the others and someone picked it up, there was nothing he could do. He’d have to hurry and report it lost and go to the Student Council to get it reissued. The process was annoying, but if he asked Mirexia, it would probably go much faster.

Vinny let out a long sigh. That old aunt at Crucible Grand Furnace really had been right—bad luck started the moment he walked out of that store.

Thinking that, Vinny headed back in the direction of the shop. Passing a small park, he happened to catch a suspicious streak of gold slipping into the bushes when he turned his head.

“Hm?” Vinny hesitated. That flash of gold felt familiar, and the behavior was weird as hell too.

Who was that?

Curious, Vinny followed quietly. He hid behind a big tree and watched that golden figure in the distance.

That person looked like... Milian?

With that sun-bright golden high ponytail, those pale pointed elf ears, the “fruit” swaying with her movements, and her height—about the same as Shicodale—Vinny recognized her.

If he remembered right, Shicodale and Milian were about the same height. Both of them were a little taller than Aesphyra, so it was easy to remember.

Of course, the biggest giveaway was the aura she gave off—like some bratty little gremlin. Vinny didn’t even know why, but it was insanely distinctive. You could recognize it at a glance.

What was that golden-elf little gremlin doing?

Vinny was curious. Why was she sneaking into the bushes like she was doing something she didn’t want people to see?

He didn’t make a sound or startle her. He just kept watching.

Milian looked around, like she was confirming no one was nearby. Then she pulled out a bottle of orange-red potion from her clothes. The color and packaging were extremely familiar.

Wait. That potion couldn’t be...?

Vinny’s expression turned weird. Then he abruptly remembered that holiday-themed intelligence tax they’d been selling inside Crucible Grand Furnace—

Love at First Sight.

He didn’t know about other people, but as far as he was concerned, that was exactly what it was. He didn’t believe there was some miracle medicine that could make someone develop affection, interest, even love.

After watching a bit longer, Vinny confirmed it: the potion in Milian’s hand really was the one that old aunt had been aggressively promoting earlier. He found it kind of funny.

No, seriously—what was this golden-haired little gremlin buying that thing for? Did elves not have weird stuff like that on their side, or was she just trying it for novelty?

Vinny couldn’t think of any other reason.

He did consider the possibility that Milian had someone she liked and wanted to “boost” the relationship, but Vinny didn’t think so. Why? Because the way this thing was supposed to work was making the other person drink it, not you.

Yes—while Vinny was thinking, Milian had already uncorked it. Those olive-gem eyes of hers looked like she’d made some kind of decision, and then—

GULP, GULP, GULP—

She drank it down.

What was she doing??

Watching Milian chug it like water as the bottle emptied, Vinny still had no idea what to make of it.

After turning it over in his head, the only explanation he could come up with was that she was thirsty and, because she’d never seen something that weird, she bought a bottle to taste it.

Yeah. The explanation was flimsy, but it was still the most reasonable one he had.

...And seriously, what was he doing? Why did he have to investigate what that golden-haired little gremlin was up to? What she did had nothing to do with him.

Vinny felt like he’d gotten bored out of his mind to follow and watch this. He thought it was someone else. If he’d known it was Milian, he would’ve turned around and left immediately.

Especially since he had actual business right now—his student card was still missing. He hadn’t found it, and he hadn’t even reported it lost yet.

Thinking that, Vinny decided he’d seen enough. He turned around to leave.

But disaster always strikes.

Because the grass was thick, Vinny didn’t notice. The moment he stepped down, a crisp crack sounded out.

He’d stepped on a dry branch.

Oh, hell—

Vinny’s heart tightened. He snapped his gaze toward Milian.

“Who’s there?!” As expected, Milian’s sharp senses immediately caught the harsh sound, and she whirled to look in Vinny’s direction.

No way—she could hear that from this far??

Vinny felt like he’d been careful and stayed plenty far away.

But yeah, he’d stepped on a branch. Even without sharp elf senses, anyone would notice that.

Milian instantly spotted Vinny.

And at the same time, Vinny lifted his eyes and looked at Milian.

Their gazes met in the air.

“It’s... you?” Milian’s eyes went blank for a moment. For some reason, her voice stuttered.

[Virtue +200]

[Current Virtue: 2034]

Vinny immediately realized something was off. The moment Milian spotted him, he’d known he probably wasn’t escaping a big mess today—but he didn’t expect Milian herself to look... wrong.

And wasn’t this Virtue gain way too ridiculous? Milian had never exploded his Virtue by this much in one shot before. With this kind of increase, anyone would think Mirexia was nearby.

Normally, Vinny would’ve expected this bratty little gremlin to blow up on him already and start yelling things like “flat board,” “stalker,” “gross,” “cringe”—but today she didn’t say a single one. She just stood there, like her flame had gone out.

So... it’s not my problem anymore?

Haha. Then I won’t bother you. I’m leaving, I’m leaving.

If Milian wasn’t coming to pick a fight, why would he stand here?

Vinny turned to go, but Milian called out and stopped him anyway.

“W-wait! You—this guy—wait!” For some reason, Milian’s voice was shaking, full of trembling and intense unrest.

Vinny stopped, then turned back with a resigned look.

Looks like there’s no avoiding the drama.

Then he saw Milian start walking toward him—her steps weirdly twisted and awkward.

Vinny’s expression got even stranger.

What was wrong with this golden-haired one today? What kind of weird episode was this??

[Virtue +50]

[Current Virtue: 2084]

...Why is it still adding Virtue while she’s walking over??

Vinny was even more confused. He genuinely had no idea what was happening.

This was way too abnormal. Why was she suddenly being so generous with Virtue today?

“Ahem. I was just passing by. I didn’t mean anything.” Thinking she was here to start trouble, Vinny cleared his throat, spread his hands, and played dead.

“Passing by?” Milian panted. For some reason, a suspicious flush rose on her cheeks. Those olive deer-eyes stared at Vinny, carrying embarrassment and anger—but even more than that, some kind of emotion he couldn’t name.

“You think I’ll believe that?”

“Believe it or don’t. Either way, I didn’t see anything.” Vinny jerked his chin aside with a look that said I totally didn’t see what you were doing.

Dead pig not afraid of boiling water.

“Y-you... you didn’t see anything? You saw everything!” Milian snapped in shame.

“Hey. Since you know that, why don’t we spare each other? Don’t say it out loud. We both pretend we don’t know. Done.” Vinny clicked his tongue.

“How can I pretend I don’t know?! What are you doing here?!”

“I told you. I was passing by. I ran into you by accident. I really was passing by. I’m a pure passerby.” Vinny already knew this was going to get complicated.

“I don’t believe you.” Milian’s pink little mouth puffed up.

“I said, believe it or don’t.”

“Y-you... after this, are you going to use this to threaten me—make me do something I don’t want to do, something really excessive?!” Milian blurted, face burning.

[Virtue +60]

[Current Virtue: 2144]

“Milian—why is your imagination this wild?!” Vinny stared at her with a weird face. “Also, can you not say that so loudly? What if someone actually hears you?!”

“See?! You are thinking that! Right?! I said the vile, true thoughts in your heart!” Milian became even more certain.

“I’m done. Please stop being so imaginative, okay? And what’s there to threaten you with, anyway? How would I even tell people? Tell them you secretly bought an Ainolin Festival special drink and drank it? Am I sick in the head? If I said that, people would just roll their eyes at me.” Vinny said irritably.

“And I don’t even get why you’re hiding like it’s shameful. This isn’t embarrassing. People get curious. You drank it, so what? Why do you care so much?”

“Anyway, it’s just a bottle of drink. It’s not even real.”

“Who told you that?!” Milian instantly shot back. “This potion is definitely real!”

“...Wait.” Vinny’s face turned strange. “Don’t tell me you didn’t buy that out of curiosity.”

“I—I obviously didn’t!” Milian panicked and denied it. Denied what, exactly, she didn’t even know—she just denied it on instinct. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

[Virtue +60]

[Current Virtue: 2204]

Her face was bright red, like she couldn’t control the flood of emotion anymore.

...This potion isn’t messed up, is it?

Vinny thought uneasily.

“Ah, I get it.” Vinny didn’t even need to look at the Virtue changes. Just from Milian’s face screaming I lied, he understood immediately. “You thought this thing could help you ‘boost’ your feelings with someone else, so you bought it and drank it, didn’t you?”

“I—I...” Milian wanted to deny it, but for some reason, when faced with Vinny’s question, she couldn’t lie.

“No way.” After confirming it from her reaction, Vinny stared at her in disbelief for a long time, then spoke. “Milian, I was disrespectful earlier. Give me your contact information.”

“Y-you... what are you doing?!” Hearing that, Milian’s heart jolted for some reason.

[Virtue +80]

[Current Virtue: 2284]

“What else? When you get old, I’ll sell you health supplements.” Vinny said with a perfectly serious face. “Ah—no, wait. You’re a Golden Elf. By the time you get old, I’ll probably be dust. Forget it. Pretend I didn’t say anything.”

“You!” Milian got furious.

[Virtue +60]

[Current Virtue: 2344]

“Milian, I seriously didn’t expect this. That thing—besides idiots in the honeymoon phase, there are actually people who believe it?”

“So who’s the target you wanted to improve feelings with? Let me guess—Dale?” Vinny rubbed his chin.

“What’s it to you?!” Milian snapped.

“I’m not going to meddle. I’m just kindly reminding you—if you really believe this thing has an effect, you’re using it wrong.” Vinny crossed his arms and looked at her like it was funny.

“W-what?” Milian didn’t understand.

“This thing isn’t useful if you drink it. It’s only useful if you drink it together with the person you want to improve feelings with.” Vinny explained.

“Huh?!” Milian’s beautiful eyes widened. She was completely dumbfounded.

Yeah. It’s over.

At that point, Vinny understood everything.

He’d been wondering why that alchemy shop was charging so much instead of just robbing people. Now he got it—why rob people when scamming idiots is even faster??

“Y-you’re messing with me!” Milian quickly reacted.

“Do I need to mess with you? If I remember right, the bottle literally has the usage and effects written on it. You can read it yourself.” Vinny raised a brow.

“What?!” Milian immediately looked at the bottle. Sure enough, there was pink tiny text on it listing the usage and effect.

“Ah... this really proves the brain is a great thing. It’s just that not everyone has one.” Vinny shook his head—then noticed his Virtue change.

[Virtue +200]

[Current Virtue: ➤ NоvеⅠight ➤ (Read more on our source) 2544]

What the hell? Why did it jump so much again?!

When Vinny lifted his gaze to Milian, he saw her looking like her entire world had died.

What is happening now?

“It says... it says...” Milian stammered, voice dull and vacant. She looked at Vinny, eyes full of disbelief—and something that looked like sudden realization.

She sounded like she was about to cry.

Vinny didn’t understand any of it.

What kind of illness is she having now??

“Says what?” Vinny pressed.

“It says... it says the effect of this Love at First Sight is... after you drink it... you’ll fall in love with the first person you see.” Milian said with a trembling voice that was basically about to break. Her beautiful eyes stared at Vinny, lost and helpless.

“.......” Vinny went silent.

“So after you drank it, the first person you saw was...?”

“That’s right. It was you.” Milian’s cute, childish face looked like it was about to cry, and her low, heavy voice was packed with despair and suffocation.

“I—I knew it... I knew why I suddenly... got weird earlier... why when I saw you I started... getting hot... so it was... so it was... no, no, no, no!” Milian finally lost control. She squatted down and burst into tears.

“I—I don’t want to fall in love with you!”

“I don’t want to fall in love with you, you hateful blue-haired human! If I... if I fall in love with a human... I’ll... I’ll disappear! One day I’ll definitely disappear! I’ll turn into a lump of elf crystal!” Milian sobbed. “I don’t want to become elf crystal!”

“Hey—no, calm down first! Don’t cry! Don’t cry!” Vinny tried to comfort her, completely stunned.