Alme had Falc sit at the counter seat and brought a bowl of milk mixture from the kitchen. She placed the bowl in front of him across the table, and he looked at it with interest. "Will this liquid become ice cream? The white color... is it coconut? No, milk perhaps?" he asked. "That's correct. I'm actually working on a prototype for milk ice cream today," Alme replied. She activated her ice magic and started stirring the mixture with a spatula. As the liquid solidified, the spatula changed from a quick and smooth to a more sluggish pace. While adjusting her magic to prevent it from freezing completely solid, she mixed in air. After a while, smooth and fluffy milk ice cream was the end product. Alme took out a transparent glass bowl from the shelf and scooped the ice cream into a perfect round shape. She placed it in front of Falc with a spoon, and his face was already sparkling before he even tasted it. "It's beautiful, like a snowball! It reminds me of the scenery from my hometown. In our streets, there were many ornaments made of stacked round snowballs like this," Falc said. "Are you from a snowy country?" Alme asked. "Yes, I'm from Beresrena, a city in the far north. I've only just arrived in Lorio... Looking at this ice cream makes me miss the coldness of snowballs." "I see... Coming from a cold region, it must be quite difficult to get used to the heat of this city." As they talked, she scooped some ice cream for herself into a bowl as well. She pulled over a nearby chair and sat across from Falc. "Please, help yourself," she said. "Thank you for the meal!" As soon as she gave the word, Falc dug into the ice cream as if he had been waiting for permission. It was endearing, like a large dog released from a "stay" command. After letting the ice cream melt in his mouth, he shared his impressions with even more sparkle in his eyes. "It's delicious...! I can smell the vanilla. It goes really well with the mellow richness and sweetness of the milk. It's easy to eat because the coldness cuts through any lingering fatty milk taste." "Thank you, I'm glad you like it... I might have added too many eggs though. Perhaps a slightly lighter taste would be better," Alme pondered. They continued to eat their ice cream, while sharing their thoughts. Though Alme had intended to keep pace with Falc, she noticed he had already finished his portion in no time. "There's still plenty left. Would you like some more? Oh, and if you'd like to try something different, adding jam can change the flavor. Please feel free to try it," Alme offered. "I'm sorry for being greedy, but yes, please," Falc replied with eager eyes. Alme generously scooped more ice cream into the empty bowl and brought two jams from the refrigerator in the back - orange and blueberry. She added blueberry to her own, while Falc decided to try both, half and half. "It goes well with the fruit flavors too. It's delicious," Falc commented. "Milk ice cream goes well with almost anything. I'm sure it would be tasty with crushed cookies too. And then there's nuts, caramel—" Alme began listing possibilities. "I'll have to visit the ice cream shop every day until I've tried them all," Falc said enthusiastically. "...Won't that upset your stomach?" Alme looked at him concerned. Seeing Falc's eyes sparkle with excitement, she worried he might actually do it. But seeing such a positive reaction was genuinely enjoyable and made her heart leap with joy. "I'm glad you enjoyed the ice cream, Falc-san. I apologize, but I must say I'm rather grateful for this city's heat." "Please don't say such cruel things," Falc lamented. "Even if it weren't hot, I'm sure I would have enjoyed the ice cream just as much. I've loved sweet, cold desserts since I was a child." As he spoke, Falc's brown eyes wavered slightly. "I may look like this now, but I was a sickly child, often bedridden with fevers. Every time I fell ill, my father would bring me frozen fruit desserts. To my feverish body, they tasted incredibly delicious... Even as an adult, I sometimes get an irresistible craving for them. I used to eat them quite often back home." "I see... Your father sounds very kind." "Yes, he was a very compassionate man. I'm sorry for sharing such an embarrassing story from my past." Prompted by Falc's story, Alme recalled her own memories. When she was a child and caught a cold with a fever, her grandmother would make her special fruit juice. It was cold and sweet... Even when she had no appetite, she could always finish that juice in one go. Along with the memory of her kind grandmother, who spoiled her even more than usual when she was sick, Alme could still remember the delicious taste of that juice. "Is your health alright now?" she asked. "Yes, I'm completely fine now. In fact, I've become quite strong, almost like a rebound effect. I can work through the night for days on end without any problems." "Wait... That's not good! You need to sleep properly!" Alme asserted. "Sleep deprivation can lead to collapse if it gets worse! This city is already hot enough, and the combination of lack of sleep and heat is dangerous...!" "It's alright, I'm used to sleep deprivation. And as for the heat, I'm managing to endure it so far." Falc deflected her worries casually. "Stop with the foreshadowing! People who say such things are the ones who suddenly fall ill one day!" Alme found herself raising her voice in concern. In her previous life, she had been an office worker who lost her life due to the very combination of sleep deprivation and heat. Falc, being from the far north and unaccustomed to the heat, could easily meet the same fate. Even if he found her annoying, she felt she needed to warn him sternly. "Even if you think you're fine, you can still collapse. Don't underestimate sleep deprivation and heat! When I was twenty-five-- Ah, no, I mean..." Alme's words tumbled out before she could stop herself. She had accidentally mentioned her age from her previous life. If she started talking about having memories from a past life, he would surely think she was a weirdo and distance himself from her.

As she panicked, trying to find a way to cover up her slip, Falc's eyes widened. "It's not polite to talk about a woman's age, but I thought Alme-san was younger than me, a teenage girl. ...I sincerely apologize for addressing you so casually as 'young lady' the other day. I assure you, I wasn't looking down on you at all--" "Oh, no, I mean, I just accidentally exaggerated my age. I'm actually twenty years old...!" Alme hastily corrected herself. "Huh? Really? So you're younger than me after all. Hehe, Alme-san, you're quite interesting. It's the first time I've met a woman who overstates her age. There are plenty who try to appear younger," Falc said, covering his mouth as he let out a small laugh. Alme found herself staring at his smile, momentarily setting aside the age topic. He was doing that restrained laugh again. While observing his awkward smile, she casually commented, "Um, Falc-san. It's okay to laugh more openly, you know? I'm just a commoner, as you can see, and I don't care about proper laughing etiquette or anything like that. I've been thinking this since we first met, but are you holding back your laughter?" "Eh? Was I not laughing properly? Did I make a strange face?" Falc asked, looking surprised. "No, it just looks more like... a reserved smile. I just thought you might feel more refreshed if you laughed more freely," Alme explained. Upon hearing this, Falc furrowed his brows, looking troubled. "I see... Perhaps it's become a habit from how I compose myself at work. If I don't maintain a serious expression, it's hard to gain people's trust." "I see, that explains it." "During work, I maintain a serious face, so on my days off I try to smile as much as possible... Was it not quite right?" Falc asked. "Well, unfortunately..." It was an awkward smile, far from what one would call beaming. Though given his naturally handsome features, it would likely come across as an elegant smile regardless. Falc paused eating his ice cream and lightly slapped both his cheeks. "Thank you for letting me know. From now on, I'll pay even more attention to how I smile," he said. "Rather than being concious of it, wouldn't it be better to let it come out naturally? Relaxing might lead to a more charming smile," Alme suggested. "That's challenging. A natural smile... If I could have that whole bowl of ice cream, I might be able to smile brightly," Falc suggested mischievously. "That's not allowed. You'll upset your stomach," Alme denied him firmly. What a cheeky thing to say, she thought. After her curt refusal, Falc hunched his shoulders dejectedly and quietly resumed eating his current portion. As Alme approached the end of her ice cream, she noticed Falc's spoonfuls becoming smaller and smaller. It seemed he was resisting finishing his treat. While observing Falc's behavior, she suddenly remembered something. Speaking of the Far North, Ena had mentioned that the rumored "White Falcon" had also been transferred from there. Deciding to make use of this trendy topic she'd learned about, Alme decided to bring it up in the conversation. "Come to think of it, Falc-san, do you know about "White Falcon-sama"? He might be from somewhere near your hometown. I heard he's such a wonderful priest that he got a fan club shortly after arriving in this town. They say that when women make eye contact with him, they lose consciousness and collapse!" "Guhh... Cough! Cough!" Falc choked violently. "Oh no, are you alright?! I'm sorry for bringing it up so suddenly," Alme apologized. Falc continued coughing for a while before groaning out a response. "I... I don't think he possesses such a curse-like power that harms women..." "Well, I suppose you're right. The rumors must be quite exaggerated. Still, I think I'll be careful just in case, if I ever get the chance to see him," Alme contemplated. While she chukled lighty as she spoke, Falc had finally stopped coughing and looked up at her. "Are you, um... a part of any White Falcon-sama fanclubs, Alme-san?" Falc asked. "I wouldn't say I'm a devoted fan, but I do welcome him. Oh, by the way, this milk ice cream was actually inspired by White Falcon-sama. It's white, you see," Alme explained. "So White Falcon is contributing to business..." Falc mused. "It's truly a blessing. As a way of showing gratitude, I'm thinking of going to wave goodbye during the next military march," Alme said. She felt half guilty for riding on his popularity without permission, and half grateful for the business opportunity. She decided she would wave and convey these feelings next time. However, those sentiments were just supplementary. There was something else she really wanted to convey. "Also, I'd like to express my gratitude for protecting the lives of the military personnel. It's not just about the soldiers themselves - they all have families and friends. So, in a broader sense, White Falcon-sama is protecting everyone's hearts, right? I have friends connected to the military too, so in a way, he's protecting my heart as well. That's why I want to wave to show my gratitude, support, and wishes for his own safety. I want to convey my feelings of 'thank you for coming to this town.' ...Though I've heard the send-offs are quite crowded, so my presence might get lost in the crowd." According to Ena, the two military send-offs since White Falcon's arrival had been incredibly busy. Now that his popularity had really taken off, the next send-off was likely to draw even more people. Ena was already scouting for good spots. As Falc finished the last bite of his ice cream, he looked at Alme and gave her a soft smile. "I'm sure your feelings will reach "White Falcon-sama", Alme-san. They'll be conveyed directly, without getting lost in the crowd. "White Falcon-sama" will receive your kind thoughts and surely be delighted," he assured her. As he spoke, his face finally showed a natural smile—or rather, an incredibly sweet and gentle smile. (Oh... it's dazzling...!!) Caught off guard by this unexpected attack, Alme inadvertently averted her eyes. She was suddenly overcome by a strange shyness... This smile unleashed by such a handsome face was on par with any dangerous weapon. "Um... Falc-san, maybe it's better if you don't smile after all," Alme said. "Eh? I'm sorry. Was I making a weird face again?" Falc asked, looking puzzled as he lightly patted his cheeks.