Lap Pillow Perils and Honey-Sweet Temptation
I had no idea at all when I rested my head on Hana's lap as a pillow while staring at the TV. But the moment I turned toward her, I found myself making direct eye contact with her stomach. Ah, this angle is kind of embarrassing.
"Then I'll start the procedure on the other ear~."
A pleasant scratching sound filled my ear once more, beginning to tickle me. Every time Hana breathed, her belly would gently pull in and push out. Even though her school uniform shirt acted as the first line of defense, it was still far too stimulating for a teenage boy.
"Hmm... I can't see inside this ear very well. Seha, turn your head a little more this way."
Hana refused to let me put even the slightest distance between us. She pulled my head firmly toward her stomach until my nose nearly brushed her collar. Are you reading my mind right now? Are you doing this on purpose?
On top of that, her face was pressed close to my ear. Every exhale sent her warm breath caressing my skin, intensifying the sensation even more.
"Hana... your breath is tickling me. Could you pull back just a little..."
"I have to stay like this so I can see the earwax deep inside. Just endure it for about a minute. This feels exactly like playing Minec... Minecraft right now, and I'm having a blast. I'll dig up some diamonds for you~"
This time she even leaned forward from the waist. The soft assault I'd experienced on the subway was about to repeat in a far more advanced form.
Why does she keep doing this to me...? All I could do was close my eyes and pray for this trial to end.
And so, what some people might call a reward ended—this mental torture that tested every ounce of my willpower. It had definitely started as healing, but the genre seemed to flip halfway through.
"All clean now! You should clean your own ears with cotton swabs or an ear pick sometimes, you know. I'm only doing this because I'm such a kind-hearted childhood friend."
Hana burned the earwax she'd extracted, tissue and all. It was impressive how precisely she incinerated only her target.
"What are you staring at? Have you fallen for me? Hehe."
"I was just fascinated by how you handle fire. No deeper meaning."
"It's sad when you say it with such a straight face. And you always say that whenever I use magic. Is it really that amazing to humans? Even a newborn demon fresh from the superheated zone can use flames like these."
"I want to use Meteor too. Fireballs raining down from the sky... Just imagining it feels like pure romance!"
"That's a spell even I can't cast recklessly. Maybe if we were back in my homeland, the superheated zone. There's the pact the Demon King established, after all. Demons can't use direct attack magic on Earth, though indirect threat magic is allowed."
"Then wouldn't it be fine if you poured your magic power into me so I could fire the Meteor? That way you're not the one using attack magic directly."
"Our Seha is surprisingly good at scheming in the strangest directions. Still, no~"
"Tsk. So cold-hearted."
"Besides, the very concept of magic power doesn't exist on Earth. You can turn one hundred into one, but you can't create one from zero. Even if I gave you all my power, your body would probably reject it. At best, you could use it to boost your stamina."
"It sucks that it doesn't work because I'm a muggle. Being a pure human is so depressing..."
"Though if you were a hybrid, there might be a chance~ After all, when one parent is an angel or demon, their child is sometimes born with magic power. Of course, the output wouldn't match a pureblood like me."
"Then I'll just marry a demon or angel later! I have to see my kid shooting Meteors before I die."
"Why do you keep... wanting to marry a pigeon? Seha, your partner has to be a demon. There are no other options."
Hana's voice carried a clear warning.
"Still, since I'm the one choosing my partner, I should at least be allowed to consider my choices... No, I mean, demons make the absolute best wives, haha."
Her eyes looked like she was genuinely about to launch a Meteor, so I quickly dropped it. Weren't demons and angels supposed to have coexisted peacefully long before coming to Earth?
My stomach let out a loud growl while I was talking with Hana. She seemed just as hungry as I was. Since we'd decided to cook dinner at home, we agreed to grab lunch out.
Changing clothes felt like too much effort, so I simply tossed my tie onto the sofa and headed out with Hana in search of food.
"So what are we eating?"
Hana asked while fidgeting with her wings.
"Dunno? We're having something heavy for dinner, so let's keep lunch light."
"Then how about sandwiches and coffee at a cafe?"
"What happened to cake? Sugar intake is top priority."
"Didn't you tell me on the phone yesterday that you were starting a diet today? Who on a diet reaches for sweets?"
"Ahem, as long as the calories balance out, it's fine. Besides, I'm a demon, so I can eat more than humans anyway."
The extra comment, 'Since I'm still growing, I can eat 1.3 times more~' was just the cherry on top.
"So we're definitely going to a cafe, right? If it's one around here..."
"That place. You know the one. Alraune's Flower Garden. Their honey toast is so good it makes every other cafe in the area look like background noise."
"Their coffee always tastes strangely amazing too. I saw on Monsta that they add a little honey. Is that the secret?"
"Hehe, then let's head there right now!"
Hana linked arms with me and picked up the pace.
Welcome~. Please come in. This is Alraune's Flower Garden~.
"Hello~. The opening ceremony must have ended early today. There are so many students. I see our school's uniforms and even some from the neighboring girls' high school."
"Will there be any seats left? The first floor looks completely packed. Let's check the second floor first. We should grab a table before ordering."
Luckily the second floor was less crowded. Not every seat was free, but there were plenty of spots for the two of us.
"Hana, what do you want? I'm getting the honey toast, but what about coffee or tea?"
"Let's go down and order together. My treat today. Since you're feeding me dinner, the least I can do is buy lunch. Hee."
"Where's the menu? I need to order the most expensive thing with every topping available."
"Want me to kick you with my hoof? I'll even cover the medical bills."
A hit from those goat legs would mean at least ten years of dental work. I practically fled down the stairs.
"Hey, Yoon Seha~! Just wait until I catch you."
"Looks like some energetic student customers have arrived. Welcome, students. What can I get for you today?"
A demon with her lower body submerged inside an enormous flower greeted us from behind the counter. Vines twisted around her arms and a small blossom adorned her head—the Alraune cafe owner smiled warmly as she welcomed us.
"One honey toast and a ricotta salad... Wait, no. Hana, chicken breast salad sounds good, right?"
"Yeah, yeah! That's actually my favorite!"
"Okay~ We'll have that. Continuing the order—one honey toast and one chicken breast salad. Drinks: an iced vanilla latte."
"And I'll have an iced macchiato with extra special honey drizzle, please!"
Before I could even ask what she wanted, Hana quickly placed her drink order. We finished the entire food and beverage order in one go. If we still had room for dessert afterward, we could always add it later.
"That comes to twenty-three thousand won. Do you have a stamp card? I'll add a stamp if you do. Darling~ Two coffee orders in. I'll prepare the food immediately, so could you handle the drinks?"
"You got it. You just focus on cooking."
"You too... Don't stroke my leaves like that in front of the kids~"
The wolf-cut man preparing drinks at the same counter gently ran his fingers along the leaves wrapped around the Alraune's arm while taking the order. They weren't even newlyweds, yet they kept flirting like this every time I saw them.
"Ahem. The order bell is right here. Oh, have you two finished the opening ceremony already? I haven't heard from my daughters yet, so I'm a little worried..."
"Did your daughters enroll at our high school too?"
"Yes, they're first-years this year. They started as new students. If you happen to run into them at school, please be kind and say hello. They're twins who look just like me and Darling♡ Their names are Lily and Ruri~."
The Alraune spoke with an expression overflowing with motherly love.
Since they were first-years, they were probably still in the middle of their opening ceremony. According to the schedule that arrived by text yesterday, the first-years' event was held after the second- and third-years had gone home. They were also getting lunch from the school, so it would probably take them a while to arrive.
"We're second-years, so we finished earlier than the first-years. They should be leaving school pretty soon too."
"I see~. Thank you for telling me. And thank you, Darling, for bringing the drinks♡. The food will be ready shortly, so please wait nearby for just a moment."
Even while we chatted, the Alraune's vines never stopped moving as they prepared our order. She had mentioned that the vines were part of her own body. That must be why she could handle complex cooking tasks without interrupting her conversation with customers.
One vine was slicing the bread, filling it generously with the cafe's special honey, and baking it in a high-speed oven until it already looked delicious. At the same time, the other vine was plating the salad alongside perfectly cooked chicken breast.
What did we do while waiting? We stood there watching short clips on Montube on Hana's phone until our order was called.
"Drinks and food are ready! The toast just came out of the oven, so it's very hot. Please be careful and enjoy your meal~"
"Thank you~ Huh? It looks like someone else's order ended up on our plate. There are two cookies here."
"Those are a mother's bribe and service for the upperclassmen from the same school~. Make sure you tell all your friends about our cafe~"
The Alraune owner must have taken a liking to us, because she gave us two handmade cookies on the house. One was shaped like a little honey pot, the other engraved with a cute flower.
"Cookies too? Thank you so much. I'll spread the word to all my friends. Let's hurry upstairs, Seha. We should eat before it gets cold!"
The owner smiled gently and waved her vines at us as we left, then turned to greet the new customers who had just walked in.
Welcome, please come in. This is Alraune's Flower Garden~.