Sonya’s Icy Sweetness
The Ice Dragon, Sonya, spoke up. “I figured you’d know by now, seeing me at every roll call. I’m Sonya, the Ice Dragon.”
“Huh?” This was news to me. Sonya was an Ice Dragon? That attribute didn’t quite match her pink hair and eyes. “Still, she’s apparently SSR-rank… One of the classic elemental attributes, I guess.”
Yet it wasn’t water—it was ice. Once I thought about it, it made sense. When she’d offered to deal with Maruti earlier, she’d wrapped her fists in ice. So she was a dragon who openly wielded ice… Maybe that explained her usual cold personality, too. The curt expressions, the flat tone, the indifferent attitude she’d shown me at first. I’d even wondered if she was some kind of mechanical dragon because of those robotic reactions. I’d honestly thought she might be an android. Lately, though, thanks to the favorability boosts, she’d started showing small emotions around me.
“Whitey, you seriously didn’t know?” Raylin asked.
“H-Hmph…! You’re just too indifferent toward me, aren’t you?!” Sonya suddenly snapped, her face flushing bright red in a way that didn’t suit an Ice Dragon at all. She even furrowed her brows, looking genuinely disappointed.
“Huh? I just haven’t had many chances to talk with you, Sonya. How was I supposed to—”
“All right, that’s enough! Sonya, could you do me a favor? Help our Whitey out a little?” Raylin cut in, interrupting our back-and-forth. There was a clear wariness in her expression as she looked at Sonya. Derke was already eyeing Raylin, and Raylin was eyeing Sonya—a tangled web of rivalry forming right before my eyes.
“Pardon? Senior, what exactly do you mean by ‘help’?”
“Use your ice powers to cool those down for us.”
“For Breeder Teacher? Why should I do that?!”
“Hoh-wah-wah…? Sonya? What did you just say to me? Why should you?”
“N-No…! I didn’t mean it like that! I’m not trying to disobey you, Senior, it’s just…”
“You’re acting weird today. You’ve been talking back a lot. And you’re even stuttering?”
“Tch… No, I’m not…! I’ll do it right away.”
At Raylin’s slightly stern tone, Sonya immediately corrected herself and backed down. Then she suddenly turned her head and met my eyes.
“I’m only helping because Senior asked! Not—not for Breeder Teacher’s sake at all, so don’t get the wrong idea…!”
Anyone could see she was clearly conscious of me. I hadn’t even said anything, yet she was making a fuss all on her own.
Still, I didn’t react. And for good reason.
“Kuuuh…?! Another senior I have to worry about has appeared—de-tsu-yong!”
“Derke?”
“Why does everyone keep crowding around Oppa—de-tsu-yong…!”
Derke had somehow slipped behind me, clinging to my back and muttering possessively while shooting sideways glares at Sonya. Even as a hatchling, she was sharp enough to pick up on the uneasy atmosphere, just like Raylin. Sonya’s attitude toward me really had changed quite a bit today.
“Sonya? Stop talking nonsense and just do it. I’ll step back.”
“Yes, I’ll begin right away.”
Once Raylin—Sonya’s natural opposite—moved away from the stove, Sonya thrust her right hand forward. A blizzard erupted from her palm, unmistakably laced with freezing energy. The kind of effect that made you want to go out and build a snowman.
As she slowly swept her arm, pure white crystals of cold surged forward like a raging storm—straight toward the still-steaming chocolate pie.
—Fwoooooosh…!
After one pass of that icy wind, the rising steam vanished. A thin layer of frost had even settled on the pie’s surface. The heat was finally gone. As expected, fire-attribute problems were best solved with water or ice. If Sonya hadn’t shown up when she did, things could’ve gone very wrong.
—Ding!
At that moment, the long-awaited system chime finally rang.
★★★★☆
A high-class dessert made with generous amounts of premium chocolate. Both the exterior and interior are luxuriously sweet. The fluffy crust coated in chocolate and the rich cream inside amplify the sweetness. Perfect for recovering from fatigue after a long day of worship.
Tip: Best enjoyed slightly chilled with milk—the flavor doubles.
Grade increased by ☆ thanks to the Dragon’s Hand.
Grade increased by ☆ thanks to the Flame Dragon’s perfect temperature control.
‘Gourmet Feeding’ proficiency has greatly increased!
“I-It worked…!”
Four and a half stars. The highest rating I’d achieved so far. Even made by myself, it was a three-and-a-half-star dessert. I couldn’t help but let out a gasp of admiration.
“Huh? But why didn’t Sonya’s ability get counted?”
Looking closely at the messages, her ice power was completely absent. If the ice correction had applied, I might’ve hit five stars. Maybe only abilities from dragons I’d already formed a bond with were recognized. Either way, that wasn’t important right now.
—Grab!
“Now it’s actually cold.”
There was no longer any risk of burns. It felt like something taken straight from the freezer. I could finally pick up the pie without worry. Even the blister on my finger from earlier had completely healed—without Sofia’s light purification. It was probably thanks to the six Dragon Hearts residing in this body. Not that it mattered at the moment. What mattered was that the dessert was finished. Complicated thoughts could wait.
“All right, everyone try one! I made it for all of you, so I’d love to hear what you think.”
“Oppa’s dessert…! Derke will try it first—de-tsu-yong!”
“W-Wait! I want to try Whitey’s cooking too!”
At my invitation, both Derke and Raylin snatched up pieces of the pie.
—Chomp!
—Nom nom…!
The two of them wolfed it down as if competing.
“Hwaaah…?! I-It’s so sweet—de-tsu-yong!”
“Hoh-wah-wah…?! I’m not usually a fan of cold things, but this is actually really good…?!”
Both finished their pieces in no time and let out exclamations of delight. The sugar rush from the chocolate and cream was apparently too much, because…
—Wobble…
Their eyes and legs gave out. Even Raylin seemed overwhelmed. Then again, the fourth-years had gotten tipsy off two-and-a-half-star hardtack, so this was hardly surprising.
—Thud!
Derke and Raylin slumped against each other’s backs on the floor like drunkards, mumbling incoherently. No matter how sweet it was, this reaction was intense.
“Oh? Sonya?”
“……”
Sonya, however, kept her aloof expression. She simply stood there staring at the pie without touching it. Her eyes were fixed on it, but her face made it obvious she was desperately holding herself back.
“Would you like a piece too, Sonya?”
“You’re offering me cold pie now…?!”
“It’s not just cold. Thanks to you, it tastes even better.”
“…H-Hmph! I’ve never even heard of cold pie before. And there’s no way something like that could be good—?!”
Well, cold pie probably wasn’t something she was used to.
“All right. If you don’t want any, I won’t force you.”
“Ah…!”
I didn’t push her any further. If she said no, then that was that.
“Still, thanks to you I was able to make a perfect dessert. Thank you, Sonya.”
I made sure to express my gratitude properly. Her help had been real, after all. And she was a proud dragon, so it mattered.
‘Maybe I should try some myself?’
Just as I turned away from Sonya and lifted the pie to my mouth—
—Snap!
The piece in my hand vanished.
“F-Fine…! I’ll just eat it, okay?!”
“Sonya?”
“If Teacher insists that much, then I’ll have just one bite—!”
The moment I backed off, she snatched the pie. She must’ve gotten impatient when I gave in so easily.
‘But why the piece I was holding, of all things…?’
—Chomp!!
Despite her earlier reluctance, Sonya bit into the pie without hesitation. She really was the type whose actions didn’t match her words.
“Haaah—?! I-It’s way sweeter and richer than the meringue cookies from yesterday…?!”
Oh. For once, her inside matched her outside. She looked genuinely shocked as she voiced her admiration. It was the first time I’d seen such an expression on her face. The fact that she—who always hid her emotions—was honestly saying it was delicious made me happy.
“……”
After taking that single bite, Sonya froze in place. I’d expected her to collapse like the others, but she was holding up surprisingly well.
“Hey, Sonya? You okay?”
Maybe her narrower emotional range let her endure it better. Either way, hearing her genuinely praise the taste felt good.
—Ding!
A new target wishes to form a bond with you.
Conditions must be met to establish sympathy.
Success grants special rewards along with the bond.
Refusal or failure may cause the target to harbor lifelong hatred toward you.
Do you accept this conditional sympathy?
“Huh…?”
What was this all of a sudden? A sympathy request out of nowhere? She hadn’t even reacted to the meringue cookies. “Did eating just one bite make her favorability skyrocket?”
And a conditional contract, no less. As expected of an SSR-rank dragon. This might actually be a good thing. She was already on my list of future targets anyway.
“Um… Breeder Teacher?”
“Yes, Sonya. What is it?”
“I have a favor to ask… Would you be willing to hear me out—?!”
Just as I thought. Sonya suddenly made a request, lifting her head and staring up at me with sparkling pink eyes—chocolate pie crumbs still clinging to her lips.