Chapter 136

Mmm, this milk tastes good. Maybe because it's yours...

To properly block my mouth with her height, Yoo Seol-ah has to stand on her tiptoes, and in that position, she can't move at all. In the end, she removes her hand with an anxious look in her eyes and starts walking again. I pretend to walk obediently alongside her, then bring up the topic again when she lets her guard down.

"...How much stronger are you really planning to get?"

"Ugh, I seriously didn't know!... And it's not even certain yet..."

Of course, she's not saying she had sex to increase her mana. Even without accepting succubus power, Yoo Seol-ah seemed pretty interested in naughty stuff from the start. There's no need to build up mana in a world without enemies anyway.

"Then what else could it be?"

"...Nothing comes to mind right now, but still..."

"Then that's it."

"Eek!... You're the one who— no, you enjoyed it even more, and now you're saying this...!"

And just like that, Yoo Seol-ah puts on an expression like she's been betrayed. Anyone who doesn't know the full story would freak out hearing that. This time, I glance around just a bit.

But she's the only one who got the extra benefits, right? Though it was good for me too, sure.

But Yoo Seol-ah's lips show no sign of stopping.

"Hmph, fine. I'm not doing it for a while."

And she drops this bombshell declaration. Naturally, I can't hide my surprise.

"...For real?"

Couples vary, but usually when the girlfriend says something like that, the boyfriend panics. But my reason for panicking is a little different from the norm.

The moment she checks my reaction, Yoo Seol-ah huffs again.

"...What's with that reaction!..."

"Nah, just asking if you're serious."

"Anyone can see you're looking down on me... Like 'Can you really hold out?' or whatever!..."

"...Not at all."

Of course, that's spot on.

Her image had shifted a lot since returning to Earth—from the cool yet cute grand mage to something far more varied. She's still cute now, but even cuter in bed. I was wondering if a sparrow could just pass by a mill like that, and apparently, it showed a little.

"Hah, do you think I can't live a single day without s— no, without that?"

"......"

I hesitate for a split second, wondering if I should be honest or just play along, but in that instant, I catch the shift in Yoo Seol-ah's eyes.

"...Hey, why aren't you answering?"

"...Nah, of course not."

For an assassin whose default is hiding emotions, managing expressions is a piece of cake. I hide my true feelings and give her the answer she wants.

"...Tch."

Of course, she's not fully satisfied because of that brief hesitation earlier. But I am curious if she's really holding out for a while. Forcing her down could be part of the play, but if she seriously says no, there's nothing I can do. Still, recalling how ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠she went berserk when she'd built up too much, I can't help thinking it'll be way harder for her than for me.

"...Ah, I want something sweet..."

She's pretty pissed, fanning herself with her hand despite the cool night air. I look around and spot a convenience store.

I gesture toward it across the crosswalk.

"Let's grab something there."

"......"

She's a bit sulky and doesn't reply, but she stops right away and waits for the light, so she must really want a snack.

"Welcome~"

The female part-timer greets us the moment we open the door. I follow Yoo Seol-ah straight to the ice cream section in the middle.

Ice cream feels like it's been ages. I pick the milk one I loved as a kid, and after a moment's thought, she grabs a tangy lime flavor. She glances around, then suddenly grabs a bag of hard candies too, like it just occurred to her. Wherever did that pouty girl go? Whenever she's shopping for food, a little smile always tugs at her lips.

Heading to the counter, the night-shift worker tiredly scans the barcodes. But the second she looks up to confirm, surprise replaces the fatigue on her face.

"......Uh, that's 3,100 won!"

I'm used to it by now, but that silver hair alone is hard to ignore. And with Yoo Seol-ah's looks that melt away exhaustion just by gazing at her...

I pull out my card to pay, and Yoo Seol-ah immediately rips open her ice cream packaging.

"Open mine too."

With the carrier in one hand holding Shabu, she doesn't refuse. Even if my hands were free, she'd grumble but open it anyway.

The weather's mild, so it won't melt fast. I decide to eat slowly and glance at Yoo Seol-ah.

She takes a huge bite of her lime ice cream, then holds her forehead with a brain freeze.

"...Ugh."

"......"

Watching Yoo Seol-ah's slightly dumb side is hilarious from the sidelines. But she recovers with a beaming smile, clearly enjoying the taste. She glances at mine, suddenly interested.

"...Lemme have just one bite."

I know her food obsession well, so I casually extend my hand with the ice cream toward her without a second thought. These days, ice creams are getting smaller, so one bite might take a third, but that's fine.

But it seems she was still holding onto what happened earlier.

"Nom."

She leans in like she's taking a polite bite, then suddenly grabs my wrist tight and chomps off 80% of the ice cream.

...Yoo Seol-ah, you've finally crossed the line.

I try to yank my hand back in a panic, but it's already in her mouth. In the end, I have to watch helplessly as my precious milk ice cream meets its doom right before my eyes.

It was a tough one down to the core, but this villain's teeth, glaring up at me with obvious intent to piss me off, proved stronger.

A moment later, as if cleanly severed, she pulls back, leaving just a trace of milk ice cream on the wooden stick in my hand.

...Why did only your head come back, my ice cream?

"Mmm... Haaa..."

No wonder her teeth hurt after shoving that much in at once. She tilts her head back, mouth open, hand loosely covering it. It's melting fast already—her mouth full of white chunks and liquid peeks through. Watching her unable to close ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠it, even her cold exhales sound weirdly off, but my anger outweighs it.

I extended goodwill, and she repays it with enmity?

Seeing my dumbfounded look, Yoo Seol-ah mumbles defiantly with utmost confidence.

"Mmph, I just wanted one bite like you said..."

If I hadn't understood, I might've been less mad, but since I get it perfectly, I can only let out a hollow laugh. You said one bite? Yeah, she did take just one.

As something boils inside me and I can't speak, she smirks and chews vigorously.

"Mmm, phew..."

Finally swallowing it all, she lowers the hand from her mouth. Staring at where my ice cream used to be, I say,

"...So, that was one bite?"

"Yeah. Why? I even left you some."

She points at the precarious scrap clinging to the stick. It's even slightly melted where her lips touched. Isn't that the kind of line a cruel villain would say? Like returning to retrieve a comrade, only tossing back a body part.

But apparently, that's not enough for Yoo Seol-ah.

"Ah, milk tastes good too... Maybe because it's yours?"

"......"

It's obviously meant to rile me up more, but why does it keep sounding weird? Am I the one corrupted? Or is this part of her scheme too? And the girl who got so mad at being called insatiable is dropping sex innuendos?

As I stay silent, she tilts her head with a question mark, then suddenly clams up.

"...Ah."

Her face flushes redder by the second—she clearly didn't mean it that way at all. Realizing what she said, she looks mortified. Yeah, Yoo Seol-ah's offhand comments without thinking always sound the lewdest.

In the end, I'm left with sorrow, and she's drowning in shame—we can't continue the conversation.