The sun had reached its zenith, and the festive atmosphere was growing livelier by the minute.
Vendors on both sides of the street called out to sell all kinds of snacks and handicrafts. The scents of grilled meat, candy, and flowers mingled in the air.
Greg's party of six strolled along the main street, admiring the various performances and exhibits along the way.
As they passed a stall selling candied hawthorn skewers, Rom suddenly stopped.
He looked at the gleaming, translucent candied hawthorns on display, then at Kaira beside him. One piece of dating advice Greg had taught him a few days earlier suddenly came to mind-
"When you're out shopping with a girl, show her you're considerate and take the initiative at the right moments. For example, if you see something tasty, buy it and feed it to her. Little gestures like that might be simple, but they're very effective."
Rom took a deep breath, paid for a skewer, then turned around and worked up the courage to say to Kaira, "Kaira, here, open wide. Ah-"
"Holy shit, bro, you're going to die of embarrassment!"
When Greg saw Rom actually putting the dubious dating advice he had given under duress into practice, he covered his face with a hand. He couldn't bear to watch his friend's embarrassment when he got rejected.
Kaira froze for a moment. Looking at the candied hawthorn held to her lips, a flicker of surprise crossed her face.
But she had always been easygoing and uninhibited. After that brief surprise, she readily opened her mouth, bit a hawthorn off the skewer, chewed, and gave him a thumbs-up.
"Mmm! That's so good!"
Seeing her smile, Rom felt that Greg truly lived up to his status as someone who had already stepped into adulthood. His advice was