“Linda, what’s wrong?” Adelina, wrapped in a bathrobe, revealed her fair and smooth shoulders.
She had just finished bathing, and her rose-tea-colored hair was still damp.
The collar of her robe was faintly damp from where the wet tips of her hair had brushed against it.
From the communication sigil, Linda’s voice came through, full of complaints—at this age, girls always had plenty of troubles.
“So, come shopping with me, will you?”
“Huh? Isn’t it already pretty late?”
“Lady Adelina! My dear Lady Adelina, the cutest in the world, please, I beg you! I had such a rough day, boo hoo!”
“Alright, alright.”
Adelina dried her hair with a towel while comforting Linda like a child.
The well developed breasts of her caused the bathrobe to form an exaggerated silhouette.
“I’ll go, okay…”
“Yay! I knew you were the best! Then let’s go to Holmholt, okay? It’s been so long since we went!”
…
Inside a doll shop in Holmholt, currently counting down to a seventh-tier sigil explosion.
“So cute…”
Bernice squatted down, poking a light blue pig plushie over and over with her finger.
It was her first time going shopping with someone else—usually, she had no entertainment at all—so she gradually relaxed and even began to enjoy herself.
Felyn couldn’t understand it.
What’s so cute about that blue pig?
If you asked him, that giant caterpillar plushie over there looked much more like something girls would like.
He had just asked Bernice for her opinion. Although she smiled sweetly and said, “This plushie is really cute too, Senior Felyn, you have great taste,”
Felyn could clearly spot a hint of disgust and rejection in her eyes.
“What kind of plushie do you think Lady Viloti would like?”
Bernice, still squatting, looked up at Felyn.
From Felyn’s angle, he could easily see the whiteness of her chest. Out of social etiquette, he had to keep eye contact, but that meant he would inevitably see her cleavage.
And if he avoided looking too obviously, that would make things even more awkward.
Yes, this was one of those no-win situations where you’d get embarrassed no matter what.
In such cases, Felyn had only one answer: Don’t play the game at all.
He squatted down beside Bernice, hugging his knees, so that their eyes met at the same level.
“I think Lady Viloti might like this plushie just like you. I was thinking of buying one for her.”
Bernice’s hand, which had been poking the plushie, froze midair.
“Senior Felyn” Bernice lowered her head, peeking at Felyn a little shyly. “Senior Felyn also thinks Lady Viloti is very beautiful, right?”
They didn’t notice the figure with pink hair sneaking around the other side of the shelves, eavesdropping unseen.
“Mhm! Lady Viloti is very beautiful, and she’s very kind too. She even agreed to tutor someone like me today.”
“Then… what do you think of Lady Viloti?” Bernice blushed slightly, pressing her fingertips together nervously.
Her eyes, hidden behind her hair, occasionally peeked at Felyn, only to quickly look away if their gazes met.
“Lady Viloti is absolutely perfect—she’d be the perfect partner in every way. She’s not picky with food, she’s good at sports, and she’s never arrogant toward others. Even though she often seems cold, she’s actually just shy. She doesn’t know how to talk to people. Beneath that icy surface, her heart isn’t cold at all.”
Behind the shelf, a tuft of pink hair suddenly bristled up.
“But someone like me... I’m just grateful to even be allowed to stand beside her. I don’t dare harbor any unrealistic thoughts.”
“I see…” Bernice’s shoulders relaxed, like she had just heard a satisfying answer.
She gave Felyn a sweet smile and leaned in closer, their noses almost touching.
“That’s wonderful.”
She stared intently into Felyn’s eyes, as if trying to convey the burning feelings in her heart. It was her first time getting this close to a boy, saying such shy things.
She didn’t notice her breathing had quickened, a faint pink tinge spreading across her neck and cheeks.
Felyn noticed her physiological reaction. Even though she was the one taking the initiative to acting, she was the one getting flustered.
“Felyn.”
A cold voice saved Bernice.
“Miss Viloti? What are you doing here?”
Viloti had finally had enough after witnessing the scene earlier.
Her mouth and body reacted faster than her brain, and before she knew it, she was already standing in front of them.
“This is Bernice, a newly transferred student,” Felyn introduced.
Bernice looked up at Viloti and quickly revised her plan.
Originally, she had intended to say something like, “You two seem really close. I hope I’m not interrupting.”
But when she saw Viloti’s expression, she changed her mind.
Bernice subtly leaned against Felyn’s back, her soft breast "accidentally" pressing against him.
“Senior Viloti, I’m Bernice. I asked Senior Felyn to help me pick out a gift for you. It wasn’t supposed to take this long, but we just had so much fun talking that we lost track of time.”
Viloti’s eyes slid over to Bernice, the air between them practically sparking.
Had fun talking?
Felyn could feel Bernice's malicious setup and wondered what she was trying to pull.
“Senior Viloti, we were just discussing which plushie you’d like better—the blue pig or the caterpillar.”
Viloti slightly twisted her neck and glanced at both plushies, her gaze finally settling on the light blue pig.
“By the way, Senior Felyn chose the caterpillar,” Bernice added innocently.
“I like the caterpillar,” Viloti said immediately.
Hearing her response, Bernice gave a tiny, unnoticed smirk.
You’re even willing to like something so ugly for him? The relationship between you two really isn’t ordinary.
Miss Daiyi’s boyfriend is certainly popular... I wonder if Miss Daiyi herself knows that?
“As expected, Senior Felyn knows Senior Viloti best.”
Bernice paid for the blue pig plushie but didn’t hand it to Viloti. Instead, she stuffed it into Felyn’s arms.
“It’s getting late. Senior Viloti, Senior Felyn, I’ll head home now. If I stay out too late, my father will be angry. It was really wonderful meeting you, Senior Viloti.”
As Bernice walked towards the door, she accidentally brushed her shoulder to Felyn’s chest.
“I’ll leave you two alone. See you tomorrow at school.”
The moment Bernice stepped outside, the sweet smile disappeared from her face, replaced by a doll-like blankness.
“Felyn, why did you leave?” Viloti turned to him, her expression blank.
“Because you’ve been putting so much effort into tutoring me, I wanted to buy you a gift to thank you,” Felyn said, holding out the caterpillar plushie.
Viloti’s eyes flickered as she reached out to take it, but then she hesitated, her hands freezing midair, before slowly drawing them back.
“You think it’s ugly after all, don’t you? Then maybe I should just buy the blue pig instead.”
Viloti shook her head, her pink hair swaying.
“I can’t accept a gift from you.”
“Huh?”
Felyn looked puzzled.
(End of Chapter)