"No, thanks."
My response came without a moment's hesitation.
"I've already got a laundry list of dreams: moon goddess priestess, alchemist, human doctor... and right now, my top priority is healing you!"
I playfully brushed off Herbert's emotional look and focused on tackling the steak in front of me.
After polishing off my meal, I noticed Herbert had been watching me the whole time.
"What's up? Is there something on my face?"
I touched my cheek, puzzled.
Herbert just smiled and gently wiped a bit of sauce from the corner of my mouth with a napkin.
I froze for a second, feeling my cheeks burning up—probably just the restaurant's heating cranked up too high.
The warmth made me sleepy, and before I knew it, I had dozed off, my head resting on the table.
The next morning, warm sunl
