Extra’s Rebirth: I Will Create A Good Ending For The Heroines - Chapter 418

Chapter 418: Focus
“Focus-Bloom?” Azel asked, raising an eyebrow as he rolled the name around in his mind.

He didn’t really remember every pill Esme had made before… There were dozens but from the name alone he could guess it was something meant to sharpen the mind or enhance attention.

Still, he wanted confirmation. “Sounds like something that makes you focus, right?”

“Yes,” she replied with a small proud smile, though her eyes flickered downward. “It’s actually an old thing. Though it doesn’t have as much effect as the others so it didn’t sell that much, but I… I made it with my heart.”

Her shoulders shrugged slightly as if she expected him to dismiss it.

It was subtle, but Azel caught the insecurity in her voice. She always acted confident in Alchemy, but when it came to something she created personally, she showed a softer side.

He saw that downcast expression and without thinking twice, he reached forward, took the pill right out of her fingers…

…and swallowed it.

Esme froze.

“Huh? You were supposed to—”

Azel suddenly felt her voice grow faint… strangely faint, as if she was speaking from behind a thick wall.

He frowned. He could hear her, but she felt very distant at the same time. Then he tried focusing specifically on her voice…

And it hit him like a scream directly into his skull.

“F-Fuck…” Azel winced, raising his hands to his ears even though closing them did nothing.

He stared at her with slightly widened eyes. “What was that for?”

“Focus on my face,” she instructed quickly, stepping closer. Even though he closed his ears again, her voice still rang crystal clear in his mind.

So he shifted his attention… not to her voice, but to her features.

Immediately, the volume normalized, lowering to something comfortable.

Esme nodded. “Great. You should have let me tell you the effects of the pill before you swallowed it.”

Azel sighed deeply. “Yeah, that would have been nice.”

“The pill you swallowed, like I said before, is the Focus-Bloom pill.” She lifted a finger like a strict teacher. “And the effect is that it blooms absolute focus.”

‘Absolute focus…?’ Azel thought.

The name now made perfect sense. And the effect… he was feeling it now. His entire mind sharpened like a blade honed on a whetstone.

He focused on her face again… and suddenly he could see every strand of hair, every tiny glow in her eyes, even the faint freckles across her pale cheeks.

She was… stunning.

“When you have absolute focus,” Esme continued, unaware of the small daze in his expression, “you’re only focusing on one thing at a time. You can split your focus between multiple things, but the effect won’t be as strong as focusing on just one. It’s useful for stuff that needs full attention. I personally use it for my Alchemy.”

Azel nodded, absorbing her explanation with razor clarity.

Then he tried dividing his senses… he split the absolute focus across touch, sound, sight, smell. It didn’t overwhelm him, but everything felt heightened.

“This is nice,” he said, smiling as he stretched his fingers a bit. “I’ll take this as a gift for our first date then.”

She blushed instantly, her cheeks tinged pink. “Fine, whatever. Just—just be quick. Let’s return back to the mansion. Will you be around tomorrow?”

“No,” he replied, shaking his head. “I’ll be heading back today.”

‘I finished everything earlier than expected. I’ll go to the capital next and request a Magic Instructor for Lillia, then go back home. I still have to look after Meda after all.’

“Oh.” She sounded slightly disappointed, but she didn’t comment further as he began packing up the Focus-Bloom pills into his Inventory. “Then… follow me to one more place.”

She washed the pill plate, shaking water droplets off before sliding it neatly into the drawer where she’d taken it from.

Then she grabbed his hand firmly.

“Let’s go.”

Azel blinked at the sudden pull but followed without protest. Her grip was warm—way warmer than he expected.

They left the crafting room, and Rosalia, the dwarf woman, was still behind the counter reading the same book.

“Ah, my lady, are you finished?” Rosalia asked, quickly straightening her back.

Esme rushed over to the counter, and her storage ring glowed as several gold ares clinked onto the table… around ten of them.

Azel raised a brow. That was overpaying. By a lot. But then he couldn’t judge her as he had done the same before.

“This is too—”

“I’m in a hurry,” Esme cut her off. “Please wait for me tomorrow. When I’m passing by with my cousin, I’ll invite you over to the workshop so we can work on a new pill together.”

Rosalia’s eyes went wide then wet with joy. “Are you serious, my lady?”

“Absolutely.” Esme nodded before immediately dragging Azel to the door. She paused, leaned back slightly, and called out, “Thank you! Please help me wash up the cauldron!”

And with that, she pulled him outside.

…

“Come on, why are you dragging me around?” Azel asked as they continued down the bustling street.

Esme looked like she was running from something or toward something. There was determination on her face, mixed with shyness.

“Our first d-date… can’t just end in pills.” Her voice wavered but she kept going. “We have to eat something. And while we were coming, I saw a joint.”

She stopped abruptly.

They stood in front of a large building with bold red lanterns, pepper-shaped decorations, and a sign shaped like a flaming chili.

From where they stood, a heavy smell of pepper drifted out… it was thick, strong, and almost spicy enough to inhale.

“This is a pepperish-food joint,” she explained nervously. “I was planning on coming here with Helena, but we can test it out first.”

‘Pepperish food… huh?’ Azel thought. It really had been a while since he tasted anything spicy. His last experience…

‘The last time I tried it in this world was when Steven suggested it… and then the bastard fed me raw fish with pepper rubbed all over.’

He shuddered at the memory. That had been a prank or a form of culinary attempted murder.

They stepped inside.

Immediately, the smell wrapped around them like a blanket. A waiter wearing a thick nose mask approached faster than Azel expected.

“Welcome, honored guests. Please follow me.”

He led them to a table, and Azel noticed right away…

They were the only customers.

“Are there no other customers?” he asked.

The waiter shook his head. “We usually don’t get customers in the afternoon. People in this city love eating hot pepperish food in the evening.”

‘Strange,’ Azel thought, though maybe Astra City people had some kind of masochistic evening spice ritual.

Another waiter emerged from the kitchen, carrying a giant fish monster… it was already roasted and glowing with red-orange sauce.

He dropped it on their table. Another waiter poured bright green juice into their cups.

“It’s on the house. Bon appetite!” he said before backing away politely.

‘This smells nice…’ Azel thought, pleasantly surprised. It wasn’t overwhelming like Steven’s prank. It actually smelled delicious.

He looked over to Esme…

And froze.

Her mouth was already covered in pepper sauce. She had begun devouring her half of the fish with zero hesitation, her eyes slightly watering but clearly loving every second of it.

“Aren’t you… going to eat?” she asked through a mouthful.

Azel blinked.

Then he almost laughed.

Her face was a mess but it made her look cute.