"Naofumi-sama, what's going on?"

"You'll see."

"It's… nothing sexual, is it? Not that I mind, but…"

"What? No, of course not. I would've told you if it was. Just keep it on a bit longer."

Resigning herself to her fate, Raphtalia huffed, ears twitching as she strained to hear anything at all that might tip her off as to what her boyfriend was planning — the blindfold she was wearing certainly wasn't doing her any favors, though she did at least have him leading her along by the hand. A few more steps, though she still wasn't quite sure where she was or where she was even going, and she began to pick up on the faint aroma of… something. Sweet? No, that's not quite right… savory as well?

It seemed Naofumi had cooked up dinner for them. She had certainly known his cooking well enough to know what he had made on a given day just off scent alone, a feat made slightly less impressive by the fact that her own sense of smell was several times greater than that of an ordinary human. One of the perks of being a demi-human, she supposed. Still, this dish was unfamiliar to her. Did he perhaps make it for whatever this mystery occasion was? She felt his hands upon her shoulders as he seemed to gently guide her to a chair, waiting until she was seated before pushing it in for her. A few more steps could be heard, the sound of another scraping chair, and then: "Okay, Raphtalia. You can take it off now."

Reaching behind her head, she found that the knot keeping the blindfold tied together had been purposely left loose —perhaps because he trusted her enough to not peek early —and removing it was a rather simple affair. When next she opened her eyes, it was to find that she had indeed been correct. Naofumi had cooked up something for the both of them, but the presentation had… certainly been on a level she hadn't been expecting.

There were several plates before her, dishes she had never seen before and had never known him capable of even making. There were candles, glasses, and a bottle of wine… despite the fact that neither of them was really all that capable of even feeling the effects of alcohol. And, on the other side of the table from herself, was a faintly smiling Naofumi, already in the midst of pouring a glass for her.

"Naofumi-sama, what…?"

"Happy anniversary, Raphtalia."

"...Anniversary?" She blinked, staring at him a bit, even as she readily took a glass of wine from him. "Anniversary of what?"

"...Us?" In spite of his own attempts at remaining serious, a faint grin was readily apparent upon his face as he poured himself a glass. "I know time moves differently between here and your world, but that hasn't stopped me from trying to keep track of how long we've been together."

"It's… already been a year?"

"Yep."

"...I see." Her ears flattening somewhat, she simply stared at her own glass, her voice soft and mood dour. "You must think me a horrible girlfriend, Naofumi-sama."

"And why's that?"

"I'm… afraid I forgot what day it was. I don't have anything to give you to help celebrate it, or… a way to show my appreciation for getting to share a year of my life with you like this."

"Sure you do. You're doing it right now." Idly swirling the contents of his glass about, he flashed her a grin before sipping at it. "Just being able to do this with you is enough for me. I mean, it's… not a fancy restaurant or anything, and this is the first time I followed a recipe for a lot of what I made for this. But… it's nice, sharing these little moments with you."

...Of course Naofumi-sama wouldn't be mad at me. And why would he? Ever since she had followed him back to his own world, she had known nothing but happiness. Their relationship, distant and tenuous as it might have sometimes been in her own world, had blossomed into a true and proper one. Naofumi's own disposition had softened greatly, and he had proven to be a surprisingly affectionate and attentive lover. They even had a home of their own — they lived together, ate together, slept together. And they had done so for an entire year now. Of course he wouldn't be mad at her, as even he had pointed out that the flow of time was different between worlds, something that would have no doubt made it difficult for her to keep track of how many days, weeks, or months had even passed. But… "I still feel bad for forgetting about it, you know. You'd think that, of all people, I would have been the one to remember. But instead, it's you."

"One of us has to remember. And I know how important it would have been to you."

"So you've been keeping track of it this whole time."

"Of course." Glass still held aloft, he gestured towards her. "We can keep talking like this, but the food's just gonna get cold. So how about a toast?"

"A toast?" Giggling, and her mood markedly improved compared to what it had been mere moments before, she took her own wine in-hand and held it up as well. "Should… you start, or should I?"

"I can go first, though… uh, I… don't think I've ever done one of these before."

"I'm sure you'll do your best, Naofumi-sama."

"Right. Um… a toast, to us, and to another year together."

Raphtalia faintly laughed, eyeing him across the table. "Awfully succinct."

"Hey, I said I've never done one before. And it's your turn now."

"Very well. A toast… to our friends and loved ones, in this world and across all others. To all of those who allowed us to even reach this point in our lives. And… to perhaps the greatest man I've ever been fortunate enough to know, and to love. I can't wait to spend more years by your side."

Naofumi quietly chuckled, shaking his head as he covered his face with his free hand. "...Yeah, that's definitely better than what I said."

"Yours was still good!"

"Not as good as yours."

"Of course it was! Just… perhaps in a different way."

"You certainly know how to wound a man's pride."

A sudden thought flashed through her mind, and Raphtalia gave him an impish grin as she brought her glass towards his with a quiet clink. "...And what if I want to do more than that later on, Naofumi-sama?"

"Oh? Is that a threat?" To his credit, Naofumi certainly wasn't nearly as dense as often believed by others — if anything, he caught on quite quickly, showing a grin of his own as he gave his wine a quick sip. "Careful not to say anything you can't follow up on."

"Think of it less as a threat, and more as a promise. After all, we have to celebrate our anniversary, don't we?"

"I thought that was what the dinner was for?"

"...And who's to say we can't do more than that?"

His grin grew into a rather broad smile, and another quiet laugh slipped out of him as he grabbed a fork for one of the plates in front of him. "Raphtalia… you're relentless when you want to be, you know that? Save the flirting for after dinner, we'll have plenty more time for it then."

"As you wish, Naofumi-sama. And… happy anniversary."