"So, you spoke to Serana like I asked and even learned a little of her background story. Good, Logan."
Logan was sitting next to Alma, who was comfortably enjoying a bag of cookies he had stored for such occasions. They had juice instead of milk or tea to help soak the rough texture of the cookies.
"Well yes, I think your suggestion helped in improving my relationship with her. And it's true she does have some sort of feeling for me. But now, what about Lisa… how should I progress with her?" Logan asked, a little sad that not much had happened after their first meeting.
"Don't worry, Logan. There is still so much to do and a lot of time. It's not like Brian will take her from you within a few days or weeks. But let's focus. You did good with Serana and Rubina, from what you told me. As for Marie, she can wait until we return and see how close you get with Lisa.
The problem now will be Ms. Claire, who would no doubt get in the way here. She is still in teacher-mode 24/7. Maybe you can add her to your harem and calm her down, haha… Just joking, I don't think she cares about you more than her student for now." Alma then placed her head on Logan's shoulder, as if testing what he would do.
"Er yeah, no… I don't think Ms. Claire is interested, so back to Lisa…" Logan coughed a little awkwardly.
"Come on, that is no fun, at least do something flirty—you should know I am only—" Before Alma could pull herself back, she felt Logan place his chin over her head while hugging her shoulder to pull her close.
"Hey… how can you do that 180 so fast? It's just not normal, Logan. You really know how to make a girl feel strange—one moment you're shy and passive, and the next you're a bona fide player." Alma's heart began racing. She felt the boy's warmth and wanted to raise herself off the couch, but something else within her forced her to stay.
"Fine, this does feel comfortable. Now then, for your next step, it's easy: kiss Lisa. Do it during the journey, make her want you more without so many words. You're bad at speaking, so go with actions like right now," Alma said, her own face beet red from being next to Logan.
"Yeah… well, if Serana can do it to me, why can't I… Anyway, kiss… Lisa. Alright, I guess I could try, if you can help me make some time for us alone…" Although Logan said that, he did feel out of his element with his actions. He tried to suppress the inner screaming in his head while continuing to act like everything was fine.
"Haha, if that's what you're worried about, then you must not have as much confidence as you are showing now. That will probably be the easy part, but fine, I will help you. Just make sure you do it and don't beat around the bush like last time." Alma then pushed Logan off her.
"Alright, alright. You're not supposed to be wooing me. Try this on Lisa—you will probably get what you want after. Now, I need to leave before Lisa starts looking for me after her bath."
Now that Alma had the crystal to make her semi-invisible for some time, she rushed out of the room. She did not expect what Logan did, so it was more for her than being afraid of Lisa.
As for Logan, still seated, he sighed. Last time, the love guidance had him speaking with Serana, and he felt good about what that produced. Yet, he wasn't the one who initiated the kiss.
This time, he would need to get his game on and try that with Lisa. He was able to hold her hands, so it shouldn't be too hard...
"Right…it should be easy." Logan pumped himself up, trying to imagine his time with Lisa and what it could mean for him in the future.
Just as he was about to go back to reading, he heard a knock on the door.
"Come in?" Logan didn't think it was Alma again, so he tried to guess who would visit him at this hour.
"Rubina? Hey, come in." Logan was surprised by the girl who would usually take a long shower around this time.
"Hey, Logan. I wanted to talk to you before you left. It will be a long time before we see each other again," Rubina said while sitting next to him.
"Long time? Maybe a few weeks, but yes, we won't see each other until then," Logan thought about how long Lisa said she took in the labyrinth to the south.
"Well, about that, if it's a two-day flight, it might not be in our territory. You need to be careful not to start a fight with the nation to the north or our neighbor to the east," Rubina commented while taking a small whiff around Logan.
"It's fine. It's near the far mountain to our side. I doubt anyone made a town or fortress nearby," Logan reassured her while being a little doubtful of the girl's action.
"Logan… I wonder who was so bold to speak to you so late." Rubina eyed the boy, narrowing her eyes with a reproachful gaze.
Logan felt a bead of sweat rolling down his cheek. "Yeah, well, I had to speak to Alma about a show she wanted to do." Logan did not want to lie and mention someone else.
"Alma? Why would she… Logan, are you sure it was just that?" Rubina questioned the boy.
"Yes, it wasn't anything more." Logan smiled, trying to keep his face straight.
Rubina glared at him a little before shrugging. "Fine, well then, there is more to talk about regarding the coming plans for the separation. I will speak with the merchants' guide to start preparing for the economic move. Also, it might be something you will need to do when you come back, but you will probably have to go to the capital, Midar, to finish negotiations."
"Yeah, I doubt they will just accept it, and I don't want to start any problems. I will go after returning, hopefully with enough strength to back it up."
Logan and Rubina then spoke for a while more, sorting things within the town and the new borders for his new kingdom.