I have a proposal

Lina then said, "What do you mean by that? You don't want my company?"

And Gen said, "No, that's not what I meant."

"Gen ... let's settle this once and for all."

"Settle what?"

"I know you don't want me to go with you to Tólis?"

Raja then said, "You know? Gen told you?"

And Gen said, "She tricked me by saying she already knew and got me to talk about it."

"You have to be more careful, Gen. What if it was some big secret?"

"Said the person who just fell for the same trick I did."

"Well ... you're right, but you fell for it first."

"And what does that change?"

"It changes everything because, from the moment she learned about it from you, it stopped being a secret, which makes the fact that I spoke out less serious than yours."

"Well, in theory, what you said is right."

"I know."

"But unfortunately, there's one detail. When I revealed that we didn't want her to come with us to Tólis, I fixed it by saying that it was just an idea, but the moment you talked about it, you confirmed to her that it was a sure thing."

"... And why didn't you tell me this had happened?"

"When? It happened after I left with Lina from Oasis. From that moment until now, we haven't had a single moment alone. How was I going to tell you about it?"

"Well, you could-", but was interrupted by Lina, who said, "Enough of that! There's no use arguing, now I know, but I have a proposal for you."

Gen then asked, "A proposal?"

And Lina said, "Yes."

"And what would it be?"

"Well, you agree that I should be beating you up right now for everything that happened yesterday, right?"

Raja then said, "What?! I don't remember doing anything worth a beating."

And Lina said, "Oh yeah? What about when you tried to kiss me in the restaurant?"

"Hey! I was just offering you wine. I thought you preferred to drink it that way."

"And when you suggested we shower together?"

"I didn't say that. Gen said it as a joke."

"Yes, but you said you didn't care."

"And what was I supposed to say? Would you have been happy if I had said that showering together would bother me?"

"Of course not, but you could have kept quiet, which not only wouldn't have annoyed me but even made me a little happy."

"Well, you're right on that point, but I still don't think I've done anything too much."

"I'm not done yet. What about when I was going to sleep, and you suggested that I sleep in the bed with you?"

"I didn't suggest it. I just said that if you were going to sleep in the same bed as me, you could have the pillow."

"I would never sleep in the same bed as you."

"What's the difference? You slept in the same bed as Gen."

"The difference is that I know Gen wouldn't have the courage to attack me during the night, unlike you."

Gen then said, "Hearing that bothers me a little, but I can't deny it's true."

And Raja said, "And how do you know I would have the courage?"

Lina then said, "I'm sorry, I phrased that wrong. I didn't mean that you have the courage for it, but rather that you would do it because you couldn't control your impulses."

"... Well, all right. I admit it, it's true."

"What about you, Gen? Do you also think you didn't do anything too much?"

"No. I know very well what I did. You can state your proposal."

"Good. Well, my proposal is simple. You let me come with you to Tólis, and I forgive you for everything that happened yesterday."

"Agreed."

Raja then said, "Calm down, Gen? What do you mean agreed? Are you going to let her come so that she won't get back at us? For starters, she's not even stronger than us. Imagine the two of us together. She won't stand a chance."

And Lina said, "I really won't stand a chance, but I don't think the two of you together can handle my parents."

"And why would they do anything to us? I haven't touched a hair on your head, and Gen, although I don't know how far you've gone, is friends with your parents. So I doubt they would hurt him."

"Well, you're right. They have no reason to act. That is, of course, if I tell the truth."

"... Still. It's me and Gen against you. They may not know me, but I bet Gen's word must be worth something to them."

"That's right. If Gen says I'm lying, my parents will believe him, especially since they saw me yesterday, but he won't say anything."

"What do you mean? Of course, he will. Why wouldn't he say anything?"

"Because I could say that I want to marry him, and I bet my parents would support us in that and even probably force the issue with him, wouldn't they, Gen?"

Raja then said, "Hahaha, and why would Gen be afraid of that? It's not like your parents would force it on him, right, Gen?"

And Gen said, "... You don't know how many times Balkan has proposed this to me, and every time he asked, I had to make up a different excuse. After a year, I found out that the best excuse was to say that Lina didn't like me. So if she tells him that, I might actually have to marry her."

Raja then said, "What are you talking about, Gen. They can't make you marry her."

And Gen said, "Raja, I understand why you think that, after all, you have had little contact with the two of them, but believe me. If they wanted you to marry her, you wouldn't have a choice."

"Well, I wouldn't be so bothered by the idea."

Lina then said, "Good, one more thing for me to forgive. It's getting easier and easier to decide, isn't it?"

Raja then said, "Gen, I understand what you are saying, but I bet if you explain to them that you don't like Lina or that you are in love with someone else for the sake of your friendship with them, they won't force you to get married."

And Gen said, "Raja ... Lina, would you mind going to the kitchen so that Raja and I can finish deciding what to do about the proposal?"

Lina then said, "Yes, I would mind, but you can go to the kitchen. I'll wait here."

"... Okay, that's fine too."

The two then went towards the kitchen, and Gen said, "Raja, sometimes I forget that you don't live around here. Let me ask you something. Do you think Lina is pretty?"

And Raja said, "What kind of question is that Gen? Is there anyone who doesn't think she's pretty?"

"Exactly. You can't look at Lina and not think she's pretty. In the week that I was out, did you see anyone hitting on her?"

"No, I didn't see anyone."

"And you think that's normal or weird?"

"Well, now that you've asked me that, on second thought, it's pretty weird."

"Yeah, it's really weird, and when I came here four years ago, that's not the way it was. At least once a week, someone would show up at the restaurant to confess to Lina, but nowadays, that's gone. Do you know why?"

"No."

"It was a rhetorical question, but that's okay. She doesn't get confessions anymore because after one week, where every day someone showed up to confess to her, even having more than one person on some days. She decided to fight with all the people who confessed to her."

"What? Why would she do that?"

"Well, she was fed up with the whole situation, so she decided to do it to see if it would end."

"And Miss Anna didn't complain about her beating up potential customers?"

"No, because Lina gave as an excuse that she wouldn't accept dating someone weaker than her, and this was accepted quite easily by Miss Anna since, according to her, she was like that too at her age."

"I see."

"Since then, fewer and fewer people came to the bar to confess to her, to the point where no one else came, apart from occasional customers from out of town, like you last year. That's why I tried to warn you back then, but you didn't listen, and it turned out that way."

"I understand, Gen, but what does this have to do with the current situation."

"It's very simple, Raja. Lina's parents already have everything they want in life. They don't have to worry about money."

"They don't? Is the restaurant that popular?"

"No, the restaurant is just their hobby. The real job of the two of them is to protect the city. You could say that as long as the two of them are here, this is the safest town in the desert."

"Wow, I didn't know that, but it makes sense."

"Yeah, but moving on. Besides already having a lot of money, they are both extremely strong, both having a Natural level essence. They also have a daughter that they are proud of, and of course, they have each other. Do you know the one thing that they still want, which unfortunately is out of their control?"

"I can't imagine. From what you are describing to me, I can't think of anything that would be out of their reach."

Gen then said, "It's very simple, Raja. The only thing they still want is a grandchild."