Bungeo-ppang and Heart-Shaped Eyes

The white, creamy filling looked almost like…… Crunch—! The moment the bungeo-ppang touched their teeth, a crisp, crackling sound rang out. It was the kind ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of sound you only heard from something freshly baked. Just listening to it made your mouth water. The golden-brown crust crunched delightfully, almost like biting into fried food. Truly worthy of a six-star rating in crispiness.

Chomp, chomp, chomp—! Inside, however, everything was wonderfully moist. The soft dough and sweet red bean paste melted together with every bite. A touch of glutinous rice flour would have made it even softer, but…

‘Anyway, this has to be a huge success, right?’

The surface of the perfectly cooked bungeo-ppang gleamed golden. None of this would have been possible without Raylin’s help. The Flame Dragon’s fire played a crucial role in cooking, after all—her special flames had ensured the ideal bake.

“M-Master, it’s delicious—?!”

The girls cried out in unison after each taking a bite. They stared at the bungeo-ppang in their hands with expressions of disbelief, their eyes filled with curiosity about what exactly was hidden inside.

“It’s just the right amount of sweet and soft……” Sofia murmured while gazing at her pastry, gently blowing on the hot filling. Everyone else was doing the same, unable to hide their surprise.

‘Heh, I’m glad they like it. Still, I never expected the dragons to have such different ways of eating bungeo-ppang.’

Watching them closely, one thing stood out. Sofia and Sonya held theirs by the head. Raylin and Eros preferred the tail. Derke, meanwhile, had gone straight for the middle. It almost felt like some personality test based on how people ate their fish-shaped pastries. Come to think of it, their eating styles did seem to match their personalities somewhat. At least they were all enjoying it equally.

Steam rose from the red bean paste visible in the cross-section. I had offered everyone the classic red bean version first—rule number one when tasting something new: try the original.

“I thought it would taste like sardine pie because of the fish shape…… but this is surprisingly different. The flavor doesn’t match the appearance at all……?”

“This sweetness is new to me—! It’s nothing like sugar, yap-!”

“Hohwawa??? Whitey, don’t tell me what’s inside is……”

“Ah, isn’t this the red bean from the shaved ice you made for us earlier? I didn’t know it would taste good warm too-!”

“Eek-?! When did you put beans in…? But how can beans be this sweet……?”

After finishing about half, they let out another round of exclamations once they discovered the source of the sweetness. Raylin, from the eastern continent, seemed to recognize the red bean right away.

“I’m glad everyone likes the bungeo-ppang. I made them especially for you all, so please enjoy as much as you want.”

I nodded with a satisfied smile, hoping they would eat every last bite. That way, Dragon’s Allure would take full effect.

—Ding!

‘Whoa…?! That’s a lot of messages at once.’

Rectangular windows stacked up before my eyes. It was a familiar sight, yet it never failed to surprise me—especially with the new information this time.

To summarize: Eros’s quest and rapport had been completed. Gourmet Feeding had ranked up with a new function unlocked. And finally……

At last, the effect I had been hoping for appeared. Just as expected, Dragon’s Allure had taken hold. According to the message, no one would doubt me anymore. The line “they will follow your will no matter what decision you make” meant that even bringing Sonya and Eros into the fold was simply my decision—none of them could complain. Not even the jealous Derke.

‘This isn’t the time to be spacing out……’

—Swoosh!

I quickly dismissed all the messages at once. I wanted to check directly whether Dragon’s Allure had worked properly.

—Nom nom nom—!

—Chomp chomp chomp—!

Once the status windows cleared from my view, I saw the girls still devouring bungeo-ppang. They had already finished all the red bean ones and were now working on the custard-filled versions—without even knowing what was inside.

—Crunch—!

They each held their pastries in their preferred way and took big bites once more.

“Waaah—! This one’s even sweeter—!”

“Such a rich sweetness…… It might have been even better with a hint of mint.”

“Hmm, this isn’t bad, but I still prefer the red bean one. It reminds me of home.”

“For a half-baked teacher, you’re pretty good……? How thoughtful of you to prepare different flavors just for me♡”

“Teacher? This one’s super delicious too-!”

Praise for the custard version followed right after. The girls kept eating without pause. Anyone watching would think they hadn’t eaten in days. Then……

—Flicker……!

Heart-shaped marks slowly appeared in their pupils, each matching their eye color. Even Sofia, the highest-level fourth-year, now had a golden heart glowing in her eyes.

‘Thank goodness. I was worried the senior might be immune……’

A quick glance confirmed that every girl now had heart-shaped pupils. Their slightly intoxicated gazes and flushed cheeks were an added bonus. Still, I should check each of them one by one—just to be sure. Any unexpected variable would be troublesome. Better to confirm these things thoroughly……

“Breeder Teacher? I already know what’s in the red bean ones since you made them earlier, but what about this one?!”

“Huh? Sonya?”

When I turned to check if everyone was properly charmed, Sonya’s face filled my vision. Her eyes now bore pink heart marks. She looked completely entranced. After all, the allure had been stacking on her since earlier. Because of that, Sonya seemed unusually bright and cheerful compared ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to her usual self.

“This……! It’s sweet and totally my taste!”

“Haha, is that so? I’m glad you like it, Sonya.”

“So what is it—?! That white, creamy filling looks just like……”

“Ah, well, that’s custard cr—”

“……It resembles Teacher’s thick baby seed!”

“……Cough?! W-Wait, Sonya?!”

“Chomp. Of course, the taste can’t compare to the real thing……”

““““——?!””””

Sonya’s shocking declaration brought the room to a dead silence. The atmosphere inside the guard post grew heavy in an instant. No one spoke, yet the tension was thicker than ever.

‘Is this because of the allure? She was so careful with her words earlier…… Why suddenly……?’

Sonya’s face was flushed red as she blurted out the embarrassing words without hesitation, as if drunk. Maybe the stacked effects of Dragon’s Allure had caused some kind of side effect. Otherwise, there was no way she would say something so outrageous so casually.

“……”

Anyway, the mood had turned dangerously cold. It felt like a sudden blizzard had swept through. Could it be that the others weren’t charmed yet?

“Fufu, Sonya? What do you mean by that?”

Sofia was the first to respond. Her voice remained as gentle as ever, and her expression still wore that kind, smiling mask.

—Gulp……!

Her calm, almost alien reaction made me even more nervous. It was like watching a normally mild person suddenly reveal their temper—the scarier for how unexpected it was. A chill ran down my spine. My palms grew sweaty. I swallowed hard.

“Baby seed……? Does that mean you’ve already shared a bed with our dear Breeder?”

Sofia’s voice was cool as she cut straight to the heart of the matter. I was almost afraid to meet her eyes, worried the charm hadn’t taken hold. Her tone felt unnervingly sharp.

‘Did I…… just dig my own grave? N-No way…… right?’