Eros's Tempting Fruit
“Hehe, you’ll find out when we get there. I bet Teacher Breeder will feel pretty good too~? You can look forward to it-♡”
“So explain what that actually means—?!”
“Kukukuku♡”
—Kwaaaak…!
Eros ignored the question entirely and gripped his wrist even tighter. Without the slightest hesitation, she leaped down the stairs and beneath the wall, plunging deep into the shaded, overgrown thicket. Breeder had no choice in the matter. He tried to resist with all his strength, but he couldn’t hope to match a dragon’s raw power.
—Thududududat…!
Eros overflowed with energy. She tore through the undergrowth at breakneck speed, Breeder dangling helplessly behind her. It was only natural—she was practically bursting with anticipation. She might achieve her goal far sooner than expected.
If it’s come to this, there’s no helping it! I have no choice but to make him mine right now…! I don’t want to wait two whole days! And more than anything, I can’t let Sonya steal the chance from me.
‘If possible, I wanted a romantic confession on a special day like tomorrow… But it can’t be helped. With my powers, I should be able to manage somehow-?!’
—Rustle, rustle…!
Eros pressed forward, her mind made up. She was determined to make Breeder hers. After all, she was the Love Dragon. For Eros, who possessed the Love attribute, charming the opposite sex had always been a simple matter. The only reason she had never properly used her ability before was because of the massacre of male dragons and her decision to abandon her studies. Approaching someone she liked was practically an instinct etched into her clan’s blood.
“E-Eros? Just how far are we going?!”
“You’re so impatient♡ Just hold on a little longer. We’re almost there-!”
Eros remained brimming with confidence, even though she had never once used her clan’s power. That was because she looked down on Breeder as a mere human. With only the two of them left, she could make this bold decision. She judged that a human was nothing special and proceeded with her plan.
“Sniff sniff…! Ah, it’s here!”
Eros, who had been racing through the thicket at top speed, caught a sweet scent and came to a sudden stop.
“E-Eros? Where exactly is this…?”
Breeder, who had been forcibly dragged along by Eros’s hand, was utterly bewildered. He couldn’t help but feel flustered—she had suddenly declared she had something good to show him and left her post. He had worried she might drag him to some secluded spot and pounce on him. But contrary to that expectation, Eros was now standing still, staring at a tree.
‘What on earth is she trying to do?’
—Grin grin♡
Eros’s expression had been thoroughly mischievous from the start. It was the look of a fox eyeing a ripe fruit right in front of her. Mischievous, yet somehow carefree and trivial.
“Pfft, you really don’t know anything, do you? This forest is full of special fruits.”
“Special fruits? What are you suddenly talking about…?”
“You promised to teach me the recipe for a special dessert, remember? I figured it’d be nice if it included something I like.”
“Aah? Then don’t tell me—”
“Ah-! There’s a perfectly ripe one right here. Perfect!”
—Swoosh…!
Having reached her destination, Eros finally released Breeder’s hand, cleverly concealing her true intentions. She walked straight ahead toward the massive tree stretching toward the sky. Staring at the fruits hanging from its branches, she grinned to herself. It was a smile filled with the sinister intent that she would soon conquer Breeder’s heart.
‘With this, I can make him mine for sure. A lowly human making my heart race like this…? I’ll teach him a lesson with the power of love I’ve accumulated over 350 years!’
—Clack…!
Eros steeled her resolve once more and raised her mace of punishment. Then—
—Fwoooosh…!
—Kuuuung!
She swung the mace with full force straight at the tree, as if she intended to topple it entirely.
‘What is she doing now?’
Yet, to his surprise, the tree bore not a single scratch.
—Thud thud thud…!
Only the fruits that had been hanging from the branches rained down like hail. They were oval-shaped fruits the size of a fist, resembling coconuts at first glance.
—Grab!
Eros picked up one of the green-tinted fruits that had fallen to the ground and approached Breeder. She wore a triumphant expression, one fang peeking out.
“What is this all of a sudden?”
“Kukuk, I knew you’d never seen it before. This is a dango fruit that only grows on Valkyrie Island. This whole area is a special produce cultivation zone.”
“A special produce cultivation zone…?”
—Crack!
After answering Breeder’s question, Eros easily split the seemingly hard shell of the fruit with her grip strength. Inside, a deep yellow flesh was revealed—completely different in color from the outer shell.
—Drip drip…!
Moreover, it was so full of moisture that transparent juice kept flowing out.
“It’s perfectly ripe, isn’t it? Want to try it? It’s surprisingly sweet and delicious. It should help with thirst too.”
Eros peeled the fruit and offered the juice-dripping dango fruit to him with a mischievous grin.
—Wuuuung…!
At the same time, a faint light emanated from the fruit. Eros had secretly infused her own power into the dango fruit.
“No, I’ll save the tasting for later. Let’s head back quickly.”
“Whaaat~?!”
“I don’t know if you realize this, but this is clearly abandoning your post.”
“A-Are you ignoring a dragon’s goodwill…? And I just wanted to get some fresh air until Sonya comes back—what do you mean abandoning my post?!”
“That’s not all. We don’t even know when Sonya will return, do we?”
“You idiot! Sonya said it would take a while, didn’t she? This much should be fine~”
“Even so, this doesn’t feel right. I’ll accept Eros’s goodwill once we return to our post. That should settle it, right?”
“……”
Breeder firmly resisted Eros’s minor act of rebellion.
‘The proud dragon suddenly offering goodwill like this? It’s way too suspicious.’
He instinctively sensed something was off. The fruit looked dubious no matter how you looked at it. The awkward goodwill she was suddenly showing him. If he stayed separated from Sonya like this, he felt like something major was bound to happen—especially being alone with Eros in such a secluded place. On top of that, hadn’t he just witnessed that suspicious black pit at the first checkpoint earlier?
“Tch! I can never get through to short-lived species. You’re all so stubborn and old-fashioned!”
“Eros? Please, let’s just head back now.”
“Hmph, fine. I’m not going back until Teacher Breeder accepts it!”
Eros refused to back down either. She crossed her arms and turned her back completely, throwing a full-blown tantrum with a thoroughly sulky face. She pouted her lips while completely averting her gaze from Breeder. Anyone could see she was extremely upset.
[The target of rapport is disappointed in your attitude.]
[The target’s favorability has decreased.]
[Note: If the target is not a rapport subject, pursuing them becomes impossible once hostility is established. Proceed with caution!]
‘What? Favorability drops just from this?’
Breeder was dumbfounded. He had refused with perfectly valid reasons, yet his favorability had dropped immediately. It felt like dealing with a five-year-old child. Her immaturity surpassed even the new student Derke, making him click his tongue.
“Haa… Fine. If I eat it, we’re going back, right?”
Breeder was the one who raised the white flag. The favorability drop notification had bothered him. Besides, arguing with someone who wouldn’t listen was pointless. And the quickest way to resolve conflict smoothly with this kind of person was to simply grant their request.
“Yeah yeah-! Now we’re talking! If you just eat this, I’ll be good-♡”
“Sigh……”
—Grab!
With a short sigh, Breeder accepted the dango fruit. Dealing with that pride of hers was exhausting. Abandoning his post over a mere piece of fruit? Had accepting the conditional rapport been a mistake after all?
‘That aside… This really does look like a mango.’
The surface of the flesh gleamed with moisture. Juice truly was dripping down. On top of that, there was a subtle, sweet fragrance.
“Just one bite, then?”
“I know, so hurry up and taste it already. With your mediocre palate, you’ll definitely like it. And receiving a dragon’s goodwill isn’t something that happens often, so be grateful~?”
Eros, victorious in their battle of nerves, circled around him while acting smug, as if urging him to eat it quickly.
‘The way she’s so eager for me to eat it is suspicious…’
Eros’s attitude rubbed him the wrong way. The fact that she kept talking so much was also strange. He could strongly sense her desire for him to eat it no matter what. After all, the dango fruit currently contained Eros’s power—the Love attribute’s ability to easily enchant the opposite sex.
—Hah!
Having no other choice, Breeder took a large bite of the dango fruit.
‘Hmph, what could possibly happen just from eating some fruit?’
—Crunch, crunch…!
As his teeth crushed the yellow cross-section, sweet flesh burst forth. A subtle, sweet flavor filled his mouth.
‘Huh? This taste……?’
The flavor wasn’t much different from the mangoes he had known before. If he had to point out a difference, it was the chewy, mochi-like texture. Strangely enough, every time he chewed the dango fruit, more juice kept seeping out, as if a sponge were being squeezed.
“I-Is it good?”
—Gulp!
Just as he marveled at the unexpected taste and fully chewed and swallowed the flesh—
“Kukuku…! Finally-♡”
[Mental interference detected within the body.]
[The accumulated Dragon Heart (Light attribute) is reacting.]