Sighing, Dante glanced at the annoyance that had just approached him. He had to admit that she was quite the looker, wearing nothing but a bikini with a blue shawl around her waist, its pattern matching the red flower she had tucked into her short black hair. Maximizing the exposed surface of her skin helped maintain its golden brown tan while drawing the attention of those not used to seeing such sights.

"Oooh! Mister, you’re a cyborg! So cool!"

Feeling his left eyebrow twitch, Dante wanted to shut her down before things could get worse. She was already drawing attention to him just by trying to start a conversation, so there was no need to point things out for the people around them.

"What do you-"

Before he could ask, a ring of flowers was suddenly tossed onto his shoulders, leaving him momentarily stunned.

"Clearly, no one caught you when you arrived." She said, still wearing the same big smile. "You can’t enjoy our festival without one of these."

Silence fell between them, and the two continued to stare at each other. Dante was starting to believe that the girl was faking her obliviousness, waiting for him to crack before pushing him into her trap. Glancing at her basket, he noticed a badge with a QR code. Heaving a sigh, he scanned it and brought up the payment page it led to, paying 5 Gold for the garlands, which was way more than its worth, going by the way the look on the girl’s face froze.

"I want to get some food, so..." The line moved again. "Don’t bother me again."

Dante was a sensible person, so he wasn’t about to bother strangers by standing in the same spot and talking to some random girl, no matter how pretty she was. As he moved forward, he thought that would be the end of it, but then he felt something grab his arm. Clearly, he made a big mistake.

"Mister..." The girl looked up at him with sparkling eyes. "You are a very generous patron, aren’t you, mister!?"

"Hey, I told you-"

"Thank you! I have been struggling to sell these florais since this afternoon! I can finally go back and prepare!"

"Okay, okay! Just... let go!"

After multiple attempts, Dante was finally able to free himself from her hold, only because she seemed to notice his bionic arm, which prompted her to let go of it. Her surprise didn’t last long, however.

"Mister, please come by the Maré Alta in an hour or so." She said, her expression serious. "I would like to thank you for your generosity, so make sure to be there!"

Not waiting for his reply, she turned around and dashed away. Dante was left stunned, failing to move when the line did, though no one said anything, as even the people behind him were left stunned.

’I can’t deal with her type...’

Deciding to forget all about that encounter, Dante continued his tour around the carnival stalls, sampling the variety of food they offered. His insatiable appetite eventually led him to a bunch of restaurants, and from there, he passed through a bar or two, tasting some of the local booze. His bionic stomach processed food much faster than normal, so while it reached maximum capacity before long, all he had to do was take a short bathroom break before he was ready for the next round.

-Yeah. Keep going. Keep stuffing yourself.-

Walking out of the last bar he was at, Dane looked around until a certain sign caught his attention. He had walked pretty far from where he started, so when he didn’t spot it along the way, he came to believe it was in the opposite direction. Turns out he was on the right path all along.

"Maré Alta, huh?"

Dante had intended to avoid it at first, but his mind changed the moment he got there. The place was a bar, and a fancy one at that. The sign at the entrance said that a show was scheduled to take place in a few minutes, and remembering what the girl told him, he guessed this was the reason.

"Might as well..."

The large guys guarding the entrance noticed him approach and whispered something among themselves before moving aside and letting him in. Apparently, they were informed of his arrival beforehand, and that improved Dante’s opinion of the place quite a bit.

Walking inside, Dante’s attention immediately went to the circular stage at the front. Several tables were scattered before it, with booths along the wall facing it. Most of them were occupied, but the bar to the left remained empty, so Dante went to take a seat there.

"What would you like?"

The bartender approached him right away, and upon laying eyes on her, he was left momentarily speechless. The woman was gorgeous, overflowing with a mature charm the girl from before lacked. A closer look made him suspect that the two were related. They had the same dark hair, although hers reached down to her shoulder, and they shared some facial features. Though her clothes weren’t as revealing, she still left plenty of skin exposed, adding to her allure.

’Sisters, maybe?’

"Mister?"

"I will have a shandy, if you don’t mind."

"Right away."

With a smile, the gorgeous woman went about mixing his drink, purposefully moving in a way that drew attention to certain parts of her figure. Dante couldn’t help but wonder if this was the show advertised on the sign outside, and even if it wasn’t, he didn’t shy away from enjoying it.

"Here you go." A glass of bright yellow slid before him, decorated with a thin slice of lemon. "This is on the house."

Dante was about to reach for his drink, but turned a questioning look at the woman. Leaning on the counter, she rested her chin in her palm and looked him in the eyes, and gave a bewitching smile.

"I was told you are a very generous mister."