Chapter 352: Small Gifts

"This should be enough."

Noah looked at the collection of purchases with a satisfied smile.

He had bought several sets of beautiful clothing crafted by elven artisans for his family members. Their designs were quite different from the clothes available in human kingdoms, featuring elegant patterns, delicate embroidery, and materials that felt surprisingly soft to the touch.

He had also purchased a pair of flame-colored earrings for Sefira, whose fiery appearance he thought would complement them perfectly.

And, of course, there was the blue crystal flower hairpin he had bought for Akari.

With everything settled, Noah stored his purchases inside his storage ring. Beside him, Arisha was putting away the items she had selected.

"All right, I’ve got everything I wanted, too."

She glanced at Noah before smiling faintly.

"Shall we go?"

"Sure."

Arisha turned and both walked outside but then.

"Wait, Arisha!"

She stopped and looked over her shoulder, raising an eyebrow.

"What now?"

Noah approached her with a small smile. Then he opened his palm, revealing a beautiful bracelet.

It was crafted from polished silver, its elegant design adorned with several sparkling amethyst-colored gemstones. The stones caught the warm light of the evening, displaying different shades of purple as she moved her head to examine them.

Arisha blinked in surprise.

"Well, it’s nothing particularly extravagant," Noah said, his smile widening slightly. "But since you helped me choose everything, I thought you deserved a little gift, too."

He held the bracelet out to her. "This is for you."

Arisha looked at the bracelet, then slowly raised her eyes to his face.

"F-For me?"

"Of course."

Noah’s expression softened. "I know it’s only a small gift, but I hope you’ll accept it."

For a moment, Arisha didn’t respond.

She simply stared at him, as though she were trying to determine whether he was joking.

Right now, he was looking at her with a gentle smile. There wasn’t a trace of his usual teasing expression.

A soft smile gradually appeared on Arisha’s lips. "Sure. I’d love to have it."

She extended her right wrist toward him.

Noah carefully took her hand and fastened the bracelet around her wrist.

The silver band settled against her smooth, fair skin, while the amethyst-colored gemstones glimmered beneath the light.

Once he finished, he gently released her hand.

Arisha lowered her arm and touched the bracelet with the fingertips of her left hand.

She traced the polished silver surface, then lightly brushed one of the gemstones.

"It’s my first time receiving a gift from a man who isn’t part of my family."

Noah froze. "...Huh?"

He stared at her in disbelief. "How is that possible? You’re exceptionally beautiful! Surely, plenty of men have tried giving you gifts before!"

Arisha tilted her head. "They have."

"Then?"

"I never accepted any of them."

"...Oh."

Noah fell silent for a moment.Then he looked at the bracelet on her wrist. "So... this is the first time you’ve actually accepted a gift from a man?"

"Yes."

Arisha smiled.

It wasn’t her usual mischievous smile, nor the indifferent expression she often wore when teasing Noah.

This time, it was a genuinely happy smile.

She clasped her hands behind her back and leaned forward slightly, her long violet hair swaying gently in the evening breeze.

The golden light of the setting sun fell across her face, softening her features and lending her an unexpectedly warm, delicate beauty.

"Thank you, Noah."

For a brief moment, Noah forgot how to respond. His eyes remained fixed on her face. His heart gave an unexpected little thump.

’...Huh?’

Then he blinked few times.

Arisha was still standing before him, smiling as she admired the bracelet on her wrist.

And for some inexplicable reason, Noah found himself staring at her as though he were seeing her in a completely different light.

He abruptly stopped that train of thought.

He shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts.

Unfortunately, his sudden movement caught Arisha’s attention.

"What happened?"

"Nothing!"

Noah straightened his posture and quickly put on his usual carefree smile.

"Hehe. I guess it’s just a man being a man."

Arisha stared at him for a second. Then the corners of her lips curled upward.

Noah decided it was probably best to change the subject before she started asking questions he didn’t want to answer.

"Anyway, let’s get going. It’ll be dinner time soon, and our friends are probably waiting for us."

"Sure."

The two left the shop and continued walking through the streets of Lunathiel.

The evening breeze carried the fragrance of flowers through the city, while magical lamps gradually illuminated the pathways beneath the enormous trees.

Then her gaze shifted toward Noah’s hand. Unlike earlier, he wasn’t holding hers anymore.

She looked at his hand for a moment before lifting her eyes toward his face.

Noah quickly noticed her gaze. "What? Do you want to hold hands again?" He grinned mischievously. "Something like a couple, perhaps?"

Arisha looked at him. Then, instead of getting embarrassed or snapping back at him as he had expected, she smiled. "Why not?"

Before Noah could react, she reached out and took his hand.

Her fingers intertwined with his, and she immediately began walking again as though nothing unusual had happened.

Noah stared at their joined hands.

"...Huh?"

Arisha glanced back at him. "What’s wrong?"

"N-Nothing."

"Then let’s go." She tugged his hand, urging him to keep walking.

"There’s nothing wrong with holding hands, is there?"

Noah looked at her for another moment before a helpless smile spread across his face.

’...This girl is getting bolder.’ He followed her toward their accommodation, allowing her to lead the way.

Perhaps it was just his imagination, but the evening seemed a little more pleasant than before.

---

By the time Noah and Arisha returned to their accommodation, most of the students had already gathered in the dining hall.

The spacious room was filled with lively conversations, the clinking of cutlery, and the delicious aroma of freshly prepared food.

Several elves were moving between the tables, serving dishes made from local ingredients. The food looked different from what Noah was accustomed to eating back in the human empire, but the presentation was exquisite.

He spotted their friends gathered around one of the tables.

Lyria, Damien, Emma, Kaelan, and Leonard were already there, chatting among themselves as they waited for dinner.

Noah immediately brightened. "Hey, Lyria! Come here for a moment!"

Lyria turned toward him. The moment she saw his wide smile, her expression became suspicious.

"What?" She narrowed her pink eyes. "You’re planning something funny again, aren’t you?"

"No, no! Nothing of the sort, my dear. I would never do such a thing. Come here for a moment. There’s something I’d like to discuss with you."

Before Lyria could question him further, Noah walked over, took her hand, and gently pulled her away from the table.

"H-Hey! Noah! What are you doing?!"

The sudden action left the others staring. Arisha, however, immediately understood what he was up to.

A knowing smirk appeared on her face.

Damien watched Noah lead Lyria away, his expression a mixture of curiosity and amusement.

"Hey, what are you doing?" he called after them.

Noah didn’t even turn around. "Just borrowing her for a moment!"

"Borrowing her?" Leonard repeated, looking bewildered. "...Could this be a lovers’ conversation?"

Lyria immediately turned bright red. She looked back at Leonard with an angry expression. "It’s nothing like that!"

Noah finally glanced back at them, wearing an innocent smile.

"It’s about some sins I’ve committed. I need to confess them to our dear Lyria who is like a priestess."

He delivered the line with such a serious expression that, for a moment, nobody knew how to respond.

Then he continued pulling Lyria away.

The entire group watched them leave in stunned silence.

"...What?" Damien muttered.

Leonard scratched his head. "Did he just say sins?"

Emma stared after them, her expression gradually turning exasperated.

"That man really does whatever he wants, doesn’t he?" She let out a sigh and shook her head. "Poor Lyria. She doesn’t even know how to say no to him."

Emma had briefly considered stopping Noah, but she knew him well enough by now.

If she tried to interfere, he would probably find some ridiculous excuse and continue doing whatever he wanted.

Besides, Lyria didn’t genuinely seem to mind spending time with him.

Arisha, who had been watching the whole scene with a smirk, suddenly clicked her tongue. "Tch. That man is dangerous."

Everyone turned toward her.

Arisha crossed her arms, her expression unusually serious. "He’s such a bad man. I should be more careful around him."

A brief silence followed. Damien looked at Emma. Emma looked at Leonard. Leonard looked at Kaelan.

Finally, all of them turned back toward Arisha with identical expressions of confusion.

"...What?"

Arisha glanced at them. "Why are you all looking at me like that?"

Nobody answered immediately.

---

[A/N: Guys gimme some gifts!! Will try to upload more Chapters. Lol... shameless me... am I taking after Noah?]