Edward's cheek twitched a few times when he heard that. He turned to the greasy middle-aged man in front of him and said righteously,
"Boss, you've got the wrong idea. That girl and I aren't what you think, and I don't need this..."
He turned to head back to the booth, grumbling to himself: Looks like even another world has plenty in common with my old one! There were lots of similar health supplements in the little hotels back in my Previous Life, but none of them did a thing... Ahem... No, I've never tried them. I don't know anything. I heard it from someone else...
Unexpectedly, the boss grabbed him and continued his sales pitch.
"Hey, young man, don't go! I haven't finished. This is a specialty of the temple of the God of Love and Beauty! It cures you when you're sick and strengthens you when you're healthy. It spices things up, and it works for both men and women..."
When Edward heard that it was a temple specialty, he grew interested. As an Alchemist, his grades in potion studies had always been just barely passing, but who wasn't a little curious?
Without letting on, he took the boss's magic oil and paid for it. Then he got to chatting with him. The boss's surname was Costa, and his family had run this inn for three generations.
As a native of Marala City, Costa knew the local customs and people inside out. Edward heard all kinds of local news from him. Time flew by. About half an hour later, a flamboyantly dressed woman came down from the second floor. She winked at Costa and Edward, who were leaning on the counter, then left the inn.
Costa nodded toward the beauty and whispered, "Look, seems like your friend's done.