The Vice Principal's Sweet Proposal
The second-years reacted with surprise. “Before we send this out to the tea party, there’s one promise you need to make with me.”
“Huh? A promise?”
“That’s right. Hear me out first and then decide.”
At first, I was quite flustered. When she said “promise,” my mind immediately jumped to a Pact. But a dragon’s pact could only be formed once favorability reached the “worship” stage.
“…All right. Before you tell me the details, what’s the name of this dessert?”
Benetric asked with a rather serious expression.
“I haven’t really decided on one, but… I suppose we could call it a Cream Choco Pie.”
“Is that so? Cream Choco Pie… The name is straightforward and easy to understand. I rather like it.”
“You really mean that?”
“Of course. I’ll say it again—I like this dessert. It may not be as special as the cake you made for Sofia, but on its own it feels like a miniature cake, doesn’t it? And turning a proper cake into something so convenient to eat…”
“Th-thank you.”
Benetric picked up one of the Cream Choco Pies and murmured to herself. When it came to food, she became stricter and more serious than anyone else, befitting a true gourmet. Still, it was unexpected. Not only had she taken my side, but she was genuinely praising my dessert like this?
“…That said, Breeder?”
“Yes, please go on.”
“I’d like to make this the main dessert for the tea party every week.”
“Excuse me? The main dessert every week?”
Something about that sounded ominous. The main dessert for the worship activities? Had all those compliments just been a setup for this?
“That’s right. With such reliable flavor, it should be fine to serve it weekly. It’s about time we moved on from handing out chocolate pieces for hundreds of years. Even cuisine must evolve with the times.”
Benetric launched into her personal food philosophy without warning. She continued, completely absorbed in her own words.
“So, about that…”
“You’re not about to ask me to make them every week, are you?”
I cut in, desperately hoping that wasn’t the case. If she tried to work me like that, I was fully prepared to go on strike.
“How insolent! Interrupting me while I’m speaking…?! And do I look like the kind of dragon who would go back on her word?!”
Yes, more than enough. I’d half-expected as much. If that wasn’t it, then what exactly was she asking for?
“…It wasn’t?”
“Hah, of course not. I simply want you to share the recipe!”
“Oh? You just want the recipe?”
“Indeed. It’s only proper to treat skilled personnel like you with the respect they deserve.”
“Then who would…?”
“If you give me the recipe, Maruti will handle the weekly preparations in your stead.”
“V-Vice Principal?! What are you suddenly saying…?!”
Maruti, who had been quietly standing behind us, cried out in shock. Her volunteer service had just turned into indefinite forced labor.
“Silence, loser! You couldn’t even finish the task I gave you earlier, yet you still run your mouth! I went to the trouble of assigning you to Breeder, and this is how you repay me—tsk!”
“Ghhk…”
Maruti froze under Benetric’s scolding. She was going to suffer in my place every week. She loved serving the gods so much—congratulations, she got her wish! I hadn’t liked how she tried to butter me up at first meeting, but this was karma at its finest.
‘Still, to think she deliberately placed Maruti beside me…’
I’d only had a vague suspicion at first, but now a chill ran down my spine. So her real goal had been to obtain the mint chocolate and Hawaiian pizza recipes after all. In many ways, Benetric was truly impressive—though not in a good way. She was casually revealing her plan right in front of me without a hint of shame. If every dragon were like her, I never would have lasted this long.
Even so, I wasn’t particularly dissatisfied with how things had turned out. Just as Benetric had said earlier, she had never broken a promise she made herself. If that weren’t the case, she probably would have used overwhelming force to extract the recipe long ago.
“Vice Principal? Preparations for the start of the tea party are complete!”
While I was lost in thought, a voice called from outside. It was a clear, familiar tone.
“Hmm, has it already gotten that late?”
“Yes, everyone is waiting!”
“By the way, Tina? Where’s Student Council President Sofia? Don’t tell me she’s pushing her work onto you now that she’s a fourth-year?”
The one who appeared from the back was none other than Tina. She had come in Sofia’s place. But true to her nature as the Dragon of Rifts, Benetric found fault even in this, nitpicking as though she were some officer who enjoyed pointing out every little thing while doing nothing herself.
“N-no, ma’am! Senior Sofia is still finishing the ceremony at the temple.”
“Ahem? Well… now that you mention it, that makes sense. Anyway—! There are no problems with attendance, correct?”
“Yes. Everyone is waiting.”
Benetric, who had tried to meddle out of concern for the students, only ended up exposing her own ignorance and thoughtlessness.
“Very well. Breeder? Come with me.”
“Me as well?”
She stammered, awkwardly steering the conversation toward me.
“Yes. I guarantee everyone will love your dessert.”
The tea party was, as the name suggested, a small gathering where light refreshments and tea were enjoyed together. It served as a reward for enduring the tedious worship activities and offered the students a brief moment of freedom after a week of hard work. For the first- and second-years, who had suddenly gone from living freely to having their snacks restricted, it was an especially precious event. During this time, they could enjoy delicious treats to their hearts’ content without worrying about their seniors’ opinions. In short, it was a small yet significant occasion that helped relieve the pent-up desires accumulated over the week.
Yet…
—What the heck? Why is this all there is?
—Just ordinary biscuits and the same chocolate we had during worship?
—W-wait, what? The seniors clearly said we could look forward to something good…
—Who are they trying to feed this to?!
—I liked the food earlier, but… what’s with the tea party?
Dissatisfied voices drifted from the outdoor banquet area set up in the garden in front of the temple.
—Murmur, murmur…!
Understandably so—the quality of the tea party was abysmal. Nothing but common biscuits and chocolate. No matter how luxurious chocolate was as a dessert, everyone had already eaten their fill of it during the day, so it didn’t even register.
—Let’s just wait a bit. Senior Tina went to check, didn’t she?
—I’d rather die than ask the vice principal why the desserts are like this…
—I’ve been looking forward to today… Please…
—Look at the first-years. They’re happily eating whatever’s there.
—Leave them be. They don’t know any better yet.
—Haah, now that the cafeteria food is sorted, the tea party’s the problem…
While every dragon except the first-years grumbled over the mere matter of desserts, Benetric appeared in the banquet hall.
“Attention! I have an announcement regarding today’s tea party!”
“”……!””
The moment Benetric revealed herself, the noisy chatter ceased instantly.
“Regrettably, most of the desserts prepared for today’s tea party were lost due to an unfortunate incident.”
“”Th-that’s terrible—?!””
“Everyone, be quiet!”
“”──.””
“…But don’t be too disappointed! The chefs and dormitory staff who came for volunteer work today have prepared a special dessert together—!”
—Clap, clap!
With those words, Benetric clapped her hands. At the sound, a man stepped forward. It was none other than Breeder. He held out the bowl he had been carrying, revealing the Cream Choco Pies he had just made himself.
“This is today’s main dessert. Breeder made it especially for all of you. There are a few other things as well, so you can look forward to them. And I will personally take responsibility for the missing desserts and provide additional ones next week.”
—Ooooh!!!
—Double the snacks……?!
—But handmade desserts? Did that staff member make them?
—I heard rumors, but his skills must really be good?
—So what? We still have to wait over two hundred years for our turn.
—Still, it’s something that we get to taste it at all.
—That guy made desserts for everyone…?!
As Benetric presented the new dessert, the restless atmosphere gradually settled. Once the murmuring had died down somewhat…
—Clap, clap, clap!
Benetric signaled again. After clapping three times with vigor, herbivorous beastkin appeared from the back, pulling carts.
—Creak, creak…!
The carts were loaded with desserts made by Breeder and Maruti.
“There aren’t many varieties, but enjoy them to your heart’s content! And don’t just eat and chat—make this a meaningful time to interact with the newly enrolled students as well!”
“”Yes, understood—!!!””
The moment the desserts were brought out in earnest, the students’ morale soared to the heavens. Their replies to the vice principal were louder than ever. They were done with boring talk—they just wanted the snacks already.
“Hohoho, how adorable.”
But the vice principal completely failed to grasp the students’ true intentions. She merely looked at them with a pleased expression.
—Clatter, clatter…!
Plates piled high with desserts were quickly placed on the tables. And the moment they were set down…
—Grab! Snatch!
—Hah!
—Nom nom!
—Munch munch…!!
The bowls were emptied almost the instant they touched the tables. The hatchlings, starved for snacks, moved faster than lightning. The second- and third-years grabbed whatever they could without discrimination, their movements aggressive and devoid of any elegance or refinement. In contrast, the first-years…
—I’m going to eat what Mr. Breeder made first!
—Me too! Me too! Me too!
—The white chocolate smells like that lizard from earlier!
—It feels gross, like scales might come out!
—Mr. Breeder’s snacks… the round ones are cute…!
The first-years only went for Breeder’s Cream Choco Pies, with whom they had already built high favorability.
—M-mmm, it’s delicious?!
—The chocolate-covered biscuits and white chocolate are fine too, but what’s this round pie?
—The pie’s cold, but it’s good?
As time passed, the other years also began eagerly reaching for Breeder’s desserts. After all, what Maruti had prepared was too ordinary, and the white chocolate was divisive in taste—naturally, this was the result.
—Of course chocolate-covered things are delicious, right?
—But… a cold pie?
—Whatever. No point thinking about it—just eat.
—Hey…! Can we get more desserts over here?
As time flowed on, only the white chocolate remained lonely on the dessert plates. As expected, it was something that inevitably split opinions.
—Eh? Already gone?
—What? I only had two…
—Hey, no matter what, don’t steal from the juniors.
On the other hand, Breeder’s Cream Choco Pies had already sold out, including the reserves. They were so popular that even the upperclassmen were tempted to snatch portions meant for the lower years.
“Phew, now I can finally breathe.”
Seeing this scene, Breeder let out a deep sigh and relaxed. I’m glad everyone liked them. Well, it had been exhausting in various ways, but… seeing them eat so happily really did give me energy. A sense of relief and rewarding satisfaction washed over me.
‘But is this really a day off? It feels like I worked even harder than usual.’
Breeder belatedly scolded himself. Once again, he had lived far too diligently. At the same time, he made a firm resolution in his heart. From now on, he would only do exactly what was asked of him. Just like in the military—stick to the middle ground. Nothing was more stable and comfortable than doing the bare minimum.
‘How did I even catch the vice principal’s eye and end up with this hellish workload…’
—Ding!
“Huh? What now?”
Just as Breeder was lamenting his fate, a notification sounded.
Favorability with the conditional contract target has increased.
Target:Sonya (Lv.350 / Ice) — Devoted Believer Relationship
Note:This will be reflected upon successful conditional contract. Failure will nullify the change and turn the target hostile.
‘Sonya’s favorability went up?’
—Ding!
But that wasn’t the end of it.
A new target wishes to form a contract with you.
⟨ Conditional Contract Target ⟩
Eros (Lv.350 / Love) — Favorable Relationship
“……?”
Sonya was one thing, but… who the heck are you?