Chapter 24
Chapter 24
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 24
Chapter Title: Girls(?) Talk (3)
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Led by Katarina, the three of us headed first to a dessert shop that somehow had a familiar vibe.
'Ah, this place...'
The moment we stepped inside, memories of the familiar interior came flooding back fresh and vivid.
This place was one of the event locations implemented in Luminor Academy.
It didn't have any particularly fancy name; it was just the 'cake shop in Blackwood's shopping district,' and pretty much anyone would get the gist.
It didn't mean much to the story itself, honestly more like a spot for collecting character CGs.
After snatching Lilith, the protagonist's party couldn't enter Blackwood territory anyway, so her related CGs probably weren't even there.
"Th-they say the strawberry cake here is delicious! D-do you hate strawberries or anything?"
"I like it, Senior Katarina."
"Me too, Senior."
"Haha, th-that's a relief..."
Even if someone hated strawberries, who could straight-up say no to that pitiful face? At least they'd make an effort to pretend they liked it.
Only a maid with a totally shattered personality like Aeria or Alicia would blurt out the truth.
Three maids' salaries weren't enough for three cakes, so we pooled our money for one slice of strawberry cake.
We sat in a circle at a table off in one corner of the shop and chatted about this and that with the slice in front of us.
"This strawberry cake looks even prettier up close! I learned stuff like this is what young ladies eat..."
"I-is that so? L-Lilith, is this really just for noble young ladies...? Really...?"
"...Who knows. Even if you ask me, I wouldn't have a clue."
So what if a noble lady eats it—what's the big deal if maid girls do?
Realistically speaking, desserts like this were luxury foods way beyond what three maids could scrape together from their pocket money.
But this world was a game world first and a medieval fantasy second. And it wasn't like it was completely impossible, either.
Blackwood territory was vast enough to produce its own milk and eggs.
Sugar might be the sticking point, but if they skimped on it and let the strawberries' sweetness carry the load, it wasn't outright unfeasible.
Of course, a shop selling that kind of dessert to commoners was pretty out of place in several ways, but I had no intention of picking at it.
'It's just a CG collection spot anyway.'
No matter how much it branded itself as an SRPG, Luminor Academy's roots were in an adult visual novel.
It was made for players who'd grind out three extra hours just to snag a CG of their favorite character eating strawberry cake, not for nitpickers hung up on realism.
For now, I decided to enjoy the dessert in front of me without overthinking it.
...*nom*.
...The taste? Decent enough, I guess.
If this were game Lilith, she'd be pulling out all sorts of ecstatic faces, claiming it was her first real taste of something this good.
But for me, with experience chowing down on proper strawberry cream cake from my old world, it was a little bland but perfectly edible.
"Hmm~! So soft~!!"
Across from me, Isabel was savoring her precious bite with every happy expression in the book.
If they'd packaged this scene as a special CG and released it, Luminor Academy's sales might've spiked by a good thousand copies.
As I mulled over that utterly mercenary gamer thought, an anxious voice piped up from Katarina's side.
"L-Lilith...?"
"Yes."
"Wh-what's wrong...? Not tasty...?"
...Oh, crap.
Come to think of it, this whole outing was to put a stop to Katarina's reckless favor-repaying spree.
If I showed any dissatisfaction, she'd just feel bad for me and double down on the forced favors like always.
I needed to clearly show I was satisfied here.
"No, Senior. It was so delicious I froze up, trying to figure out what to say."
"I-is that so...?"
"Cream melting away like clouds on bread soft as fluff, topped with strawberries' tangy, gentle sweetness. A food this fantastical? First time for me."
"I-is that right.... That's a relief then.... Eat up, Lilith..."
"By the way, aren't you having any, Senior Katarina?"
"I-I'm fine. Just watching you eat is good enough for me.... I did the same last year with Aeria and Alicia..."
"......"
...Her sad little confession hit me right in the eyes, making them sting, and my mouth locked up mid-sentence in the air.
Those goddamn bitches.
Any scrap of pity I'd had left for those two, dragged off to the northern border, evaporated the second I heard that.
Before I knew it, my hand had sliced off a bit of my remaining share and was carrying it straight to Katarina's mouth.
"Senior Katarina, you eat plenty too."
"Eh, uh...? I-I'm fine..."
"Eat up quick. I've had my fill."
"......"
"It's my request—gonna refuse?"
"......"
Katarina hesitated at the cake slice shoved in her face, then cautiously parted her lips.
I slid the forkful of strawberry cake right into her mouth without a second thought.
"Tasty?"
-*nod nod*
Katarina, cheeks stuffed full of strawberry cake, munching away with a blissful look.
Her small frame made her look just like a hamster, somehow.
'...They went off and pigged out laughing together, leaving out a kid who eats this well.'
Wishing from the bottom of my heart that Aeria and Alicia rotted away in the northern border forever as I watched her eat, Isabel suddenly poked my shoulder from the right.
"...Lilith, Lilith."
"Yeah?"
"......"
I whipped my gaze toward Isabel at her call, but she just sat there with her mouth half-open, frozen like she'd changed her mind about speaking.
I had no clue what was up, so I just stared at her blankly.
"......"
"......"
"...Isabel?"
"......"
"D-do you have something to say...?"
"...Ah, it's nothing."
She made an awkward face, picked up her own cake slice, popped it in her mouth, and quietly savored it.
I had no idea why, but she gave off a vibe of dissatisfaction.
...Girls' moods really are impossible to pin down.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Snack time at the strawberry cake shop stretched into more hangout time with the two of them.
We wandered the shopping district together, checking out clothes and accessories here and there.
Whenever we spotted some tasty-looking street food on the way, we'd buy one serving and split it three ways.
Or we'd plop down near the park and chat, and before we knew it, half the day had flown by in the blink of an eye.
'Surprisingly, times like this aren't half bad.'
Truth be told, I hadn't expected much when we first headed out to the city with them.
Figured a guy tagging along while girls played around wouldn't be fun, and I'd just tag along all half-day until it ended.
But thanks to Katarina's knowledge of Blackwood territory, Isabel and I got to poke around all sorts of spots.
I enjoyed myself so much I forgot about my gender, wondering when time had ever passed this fast.
"Th-then where to next? Still some spots we haven't hit..."
"Let's head back to the city entrance now. Appointment time's almost up."
"Yeah, Senior Katarina. We had a blast today thanks to you."
"Same here. If it'd just been me and Isabel, we'd probably have wandered the entrance area and called it a day, but you made it worthwhile."
"R-really...? I actually helped...?"
"Yes, Senior."
"Hehe, glad to hear it..."
...Well, this should dial back Katarina's burdensome favor-repaying approaches from now on.
Even I figured this was plenty of payback. Heck, even as a guy, I lost track of time all day.
Honestly, when we first hit the city, I'd felt a bit bummed.
Rather than blowing this rare golden outing chance like this, I'd wanted to hit the back mountain for some leveling.
But now that we'd done it all, no regrets.
'Leveling up... other chances'll come.'
At least I learned debt maids aren't chained to the mansion. Next chance might come sooner.
Keep building trust with the Head Maid, and I might snag outing permission without the city excuse—maybe even to the mountain.
Way better than sneaking out today, getting caught later, and eating discipline.
Take it easy, take it easy.
Increasing max mana, leveling, skill grinding—all important. But top priority? Staying off the radar.
Especially from key persons of interest like Ethan and Harold.
"City entrance that way, right?"
"Sh-shouldn't we hurry a bit? Wh-what if the coachman ditches us and goes ahead...?"
"We're still good on time, but yeah, let's pick up the pace."
Last thing I wanted was to hold up his schedule on our account.
We'd already ridden his carriage here—basically owed him already. Screwing over someone like that? Top of my hate list.
We hustled across the shopping district toward the city entrance.
...Then a voice hit my ears from behind—one I couldn't just ignore.
"Kyaaak! M-monster!"
......Mon...ster?