Dahlia in Bloom: Crafting a Fresh Start with Magical Tools Volume 2

“First love is like the measles,” a song from an old opera went. “The older you get, the harder it grips you, and the harder it gets to let go.”

“You really are in love, aren’t you? With magical swords, I mean.”

Though Dahlia was none the wiser, as she spoke, Volf’s breathing stopped dead for just a moment. Right between her first sentence and her second, to be exact.

“This here is a grater. You hold the radish against it and scrape it like this. Just be sure to watch your fingers.”

“Right. I’ll give it a shot,” Volf replied as he rolled up his sleeves.

Dahlia failed to anticipate the strength and enthusiasm with which he’d approach the task. Within seconds, Volf’s fingertips were a hair’s breadth from the grater’s surface. He stopped in the nick of time, though his nails didn’t escape unscratched.

“There’s no need to do it so hard!”

“Dahlia, I can’t let you do this. These graters are dangerous. I should use my strengthening spell.”

“You don’t need a strengthening spell to grate a radish! Please don’t dig your fingers into it like that!”

It was clear how happy he was to have met her, and he was firm in his conviction that they had built a strong friendship. However, a friendship between a young man and a young woman could easily transform into something more. If one happened to become attached to the other, everything could be turned on its head so quickly. Ah, but he was so young. He couldn’t see the way his eyes shone with happiness as he spoke of that woman he called a friend.

Yes, she was afraid. She was uneasy. She was unsure. But until she walked on her own two feet down a path of her own choosing, she couldn’t call herself a grown woman.