Kana sat beside Venzel, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear as she tilted her head, skeptical but curious.
"Explain," she said, her tone calm but questioning. "What do you mean potatoes can help with reducing weight?"
Venzel blinked. "Well—"
"You do realize you'd sound insane saying that out loud, right?" she continued, her brow raised.
"It's been clinically proven potatoes are high in carbs. They're literally associated with weight gain, not loss."
Venzel blinked again, this time a bit surprised.
"You really know your stuff, huh?" he said with a cheerful grin, admiration lacing his voice. "Aww, my baby girl's grown so much."
He reached out and pinched her cheek affectionately.
Kana's mouth dropped open in exaggerated offense.
"Venzel!" she squeaked.
With a swift motion, she grabbed his head and began aggressively ruffling his hair, completely messing up the style he'd proudly fixed earlier.
"Treat me like a kid and you'll get a kid," she huffed, still pouting as she released him.
Venzel let out a sheepish laugh, placing both hands over his ears in surrender. "Okay, okay—I'm sorry, babe. Haha."
The two shared a small laugh. The tension dissolved into the gentle hum of comfort only couples truly in sync could find.
Kana exhaled lightly.
Then she turned to him again, her eyes sharper now, curious, but gentle.
"Okay," she said. "Tell me why you think your game potatoes can reduce weight."
Lowering his hands from his ears, Venzel scratched the back of his head. "Well… you know how those potatoes magically appeared out of nowhere, right?"
Kana nodded.
"So," he continued, "I just had an upgrade and the potatoes had an upgrade as well, the stats said '-1 weight gain,' so I just figured it meant whoever eats them would lose weight than usual."
Kana narrowed her eyes thoughtfully, then leaned back in her seat.
"Well… let's not get ahead of ourselves," she said slowly, piecing it together.
"I believe you, sort of. But technically, that doesn't mean it reduces weight. It probably just means it doesn't increase weight as much. Like… zero or negligible impact."
"Right, right! That makes sense," Venzel said, nodding rapidly. "Oh! Oh, and also there was a '+1' in taste!"
Kana smiled at his excitement. "Then maybe it just means the flavor's enhanced? Like, better than average potatoes."
She turned to meet his eyes but Venzel wasn't listening anymore.
His gaze was fixed on her, soft and unwavering, like she was the only thing that existed in the room.
It was as if the rest of the world, the clinic and the potatoes, had faded into the background.
"Hello? … Babe?" she waved a hand in front of his face, confused by the trance he had just entered. "Earth to Venzel?"
Still no response. Just the same dreamy look.
Unsure whether to laugh or slap him awake, she leaned forward and gave him a soft kiss on the lips.
That did it.
"Harvest."
The word escaped his lips mid-breath, and before either of them could process what was happening—
BAM!
A loud thud shook the room as yet another mountain of potatoes crashed into the floor right beside them, sending a few rolling under the chairs.
Kana shrieked, instinctively flinching, but before she could move—
Venzel reacted.
He leapt up, wrapped his arms around her, and spun her away from the impact, shielding her with his back as the cascade of starchy goods tumbled down.
When the dust and the tubers settled, he turned to her with a cocky grin.
"I'm your knight in shining armor, huh?" he smirked.
Kana blinked, lips parted in astonishment. Then her brows knitted together and she flicked his forehead.
"My knight?" she scoffed. "You're the suspicious knight who hired the dragon just to swoop in and rescue me. A total scammer!"
Venzel burst out laughing. "I'm innocent,hey!"
Truthfully, they both could've been avoided if he'd simply used Harvest somewhere safe, anywhere safe.
Before she could scold him again, he leaned in close, his voice barely above a whisper.
"If I didn't do it this way… I wouldn't have been able to hold you this close."
Kana's breath hitched. Her eyes flicked down to his lips, just once.
Then, in a sudden, tender moment he cupped her face and pressed a slow, passionate kiss to her lips.
Breaking the kiss with a gentle smile, he added, "And I'd have missed my chance to kiss you like this."
Kana's pout returned but this time, it melted quickly into a smile, her cheeks flushed.
She tapped his chest lightly.
"Still a scammer."
They both got to their feet, brushing off dust and stares at the ridiculous mountain of potatoes now occupying the corner of the clinic.
Venzel stretched his arms above his head with a loud yawn, then glanced around the quiet clinic.
"You know…" he said, glancing at Kana with a grin, "There's not even a single patient around. Wanna come back home with me? We can be lazy together on the couch all afternoon."
Kana squinted suspiciously, crossing her arms. "Lazy, huh?"
Before he could react, she reached up and twisted his ear with just the right amount of pressure.
"Ow ow ow—ouch! Hey!" Venzel yelped, trying to wiggle away. "Did you learn that from my mother?!"
Kana burst out laughing, still holding his ear. "Our mother," she corrected proudly, and finally let go.
Venzel rubbed his ear, pouting exaggeratedly. "Ouch, that really hurts…"
Kana giggled, then leaned against the nearby table. "So... how do you plan on selling your magical potatoes, hmm?"
Venzel's eyes brightened. "Through Aunt Lina, of course."
She tilted her head, unconvinced. "But babe… she doesn't know about your magic screen. She won't believe the 'weight loss' thing or the extra taste stat, so we shouldn't expect her to offer you any premium price."
Venzel stepped closer and gently tucked a lock of hair behind her ear, letting his hand linger on her cheek. His touch was warm, steady.
"It's fine," he said quietly, smiling.
"Beggars can't be choosers. I'm just grateful Aunt Lina's helping me at all. Besides… once people taste them and realize they're better than the usual stuff, and I'm sure she'll see the value, she gave me a bonus when she saw how well maintained the potatoes are."
Kana didn't say anything for a moment. She looked up at him, searching his eyes.
Then she nodded, softly. "That might be true. But we still don't really know how much difference a +1 in taste makes. So…"
she poked his forehead, "let's not get too cocky just yet."
Venzel chuckled and dropped his hand from her cheek, backing up with a playful grin. "Alright, mommy. I'll behave."