Inside a private booth of a dessert shop in Town, warm yellow light filled the space.
Two young girls were inside. One of them rested her chin on her hand, looking at the other with a rather helpless expression.
Selim picked up a piece of gold, crispy pastry and popped it into her mouth with satisfaction.
“Wow, so sweet! Sophia, are you really not going to try some?” she said unclearly, her eyes narrowing into happy crescents.
“You eat it. As long as you’re happy.” Sophia shook her head, but her gaze was involuntarily drawn to the way Selim was enjoying the food.
She sighed inwardly for her Wallet, but what made her even more restless at this moment was the proposal Selim had made to “spend the night together.”
As a Demon Hunter accustomed to sleeping in the wilderness, Sophia had never experienced staying overnight with a companion.
The sense of losing control brought about by this unfamiliar situation made her feel uneasy.
“Ah—” Selim picked up a piece of pastry that gave off an enticing aroma and gently held it to Sophia’s lips.
Sophia opened her mouth subconsciously. The crispy crust cracked between her teeth, and a rich milky fragrance mixed with a perfect amount of sweetness melted on the tip of her tongue.
That pure sweetness seemed to possess Magic Power, instantly smoothing over some of her irritation and causing her emerald eyes to widen slightly.
“What’s wrong? Your anxiety is written all over your face.” Selim propped her chin on one hand, looking at Sophia with curiosity and concern. “Is this matter really that terrifying?”
Selim thought Sophia was still worried about her previous encounters and how they related to the truth about herself.
“I… I don’t know what to do…” Sophia’s voice lowered. She stole a quick glance at Selim, the tips of her ears flushing a light red. “I never thought I’d encounter something like this before. I have no experience at all.”
She was referring to how to “take care” of someone like Selim while staying overnight.
Hearing this, Selim gave a soft laugh.
“There’s a first time for everything. Lack of past experience can be made up for in the future, can’t it?” She decided to help Sophia relax in a more lighthearted way.
She picked up a new piece of pastry and asked, “Then, do you have any experience feeding someone else?”
Sophia frowned and thought for a moment before finally shaking her head. “No. The relationship between Demon Hunters is a very loose partnership. This kind of thing isn’t included in our cooperation.”
“Excellent!” Selim’s eyes lit up. She clapped her hands, her smile becoming even brighter. “Then let’s start by practicing how to adapt to new situations with the simplest thing.”
“Like this…” Selim leaned forward slightly, looking at Sophia expectantly. She pointed her finger at the tempting pastry on the table and then at herself. “Let’s start by sharing delicious food. I want you to feed me, okay?”
“Huh? Isn’t this…” Sophia’s gaze flickered past Selim’s expectant eyes, her fingers hesitantly reaching toward the pastry plate.
“What? Is Miss Sophia disgusted by me?” Selim immediately pursed her lips, puffing out her cheeks in a feigned show of grievance. “I even fed you just now.”
“No, I didn’t mean that.” Sophia hurriedly picked up a piece of pastry, but her movements were still stiff and clumsy. “I’m just… not very used to this…”
Selim didn’t say anything more. With an encouraging smile, she took the initiative to lean forward and opened her mouth again.
“Then… then I’ll feed you.” Sophia took a deep breath. She carefully pinched the pastry with her fingers and gently brought it to Selim’s lips.
Selim happily bit down right against Sophia’s fingers, a few flakes of the crispy crust fluttering down.
She chewed with satisfaction, her eyes curving as she looked at Sophia. “Mmm! It’s so delicious! Thank you, Sophia.”
Seeing Selim’s happy expression, Sophia’s tensed nerves also softened unconsciously. She pulled out a tissue and wiped her fingers clean.
“Come on, now it’s my turn to feed you.” Selim also picked up a piece of pastry and enthusiastically offered it to Sophia.
“Al… Alright.” Sophia leaned in slightly, but when the treat touched her lips, she habitually tried to reach out and take it.
Selim was quick. She used her free hand to gently press down on Sophia’s reaching wrist, her tone carrying a gentle persistence. “Ah— just open your mouth.”
The flush on Sophia’s face deepened. She obediently followed Selim’s words and softly opened her mouth.
Selim carefully placed the pastry into her mouth. Her fingertips only very briefly and softly touched the edge of Sophia’s lower lip.
“唔…” Sophia felt a subtle itch and her heart began to race, but it was more of a sense of novelty from experiencing something for the first time in her life.
She quickly focused on the delicious treat in her mouth. The sweet flavor caused her to narrow her eyes slightly.
Watching Sophia finally relax and enjoy the dessert, Selim’s eyes were full of laughter and a mischievous, successful glint.
“See? Isn’t sharing food great? Do you feel a bit better?” Selim withdrew her hand. Her fingertips had accidentally been stained with a bit of leftover frosting.
Sophia swallowed the pastry. Seeing the frosting on Selim’s fingertips, her face turned several shades redder. She subconsciously reached for a tissue. “Your hand…”
“It’s fine. It’s just a little bit. We shouldn’t let it go to waste, right?” Selim didn’t take the tissue. Instead, she put the frosting into her own mouth and licked it completely clean.
“The pastry is really sweet, isn’t it?”
Sophia watched Selim’s action of licking her fingers, then looked at her own fingers which still carried the scent of the treat from when she was just fed. She nodded gently, her voice soft but carrying a trace of hard-to-detect warmth. “Yes… it’s very sweet.”
“Then feed me one more time, okay?” Selim spoke again, like a little animal waiting to be fed.
“Oh, okay.” This time, Sophia’s movements were much more natural. She picked up a new piece of pastry and, imitating Selim’s manner from just now, steadily held it to her mouth.
Selim happily leaned in to bite it. With a slight tilt of her head back, she swallowed it. At the same time, a few more specks of frosting stained Sophia’s fingertips.
Sophia looked at the tiny gold crumbs and frosting on her fingertips. She didn’t lick them like Selim did, but instead gently rubbed them with her thumb, momentarily hesitating on how to handle them.
Selim swallowed the snack and looked at Sophia with a beaming smile.
“Feeding someone else is a first for me too. There’s a first time for everything.”
Sophia’s gaze rose from her fingertips, meeting Selim’s eyes which were full of sincerity.
The booth was filled with the aroma of desserts and a relaxed atmosphere. The tension and unease regarding “staying overnight together” in her heart seemed to have truly been diluted by this simple and warm sharing.
“See? As long as you’re willing to bravely take that first step, isn’t it very simple? And happy? And sweet?”
As Selim spoke, she stared at Sophia’s fingers with pointed intent.
Sophia finally revealed a faint, relieved smile.
She looked at the residual frosting and pastry crumbs on her own fingertips and, following Selim’s example, gently placed them into her mouth.
Indeed…
It was sweet.