Chapter 5
The marble floor of the living room was incredibly cold and hard, and it hurt. Curious to see how Yuna would react, I lifted my head slightly, only to find Yuna’s palm completely blocking my field of vision.
"...?!"
I instinctively recoiled at the unexpected situation, but fortunately, Yuna’s hand was gentle. "Very good, Nina." Yuna smiled brightly, just as she had before, and stroked my hair.
"Ugh…"
I could feel my face burning up. Sitting on the floor beneath Yuna, being petted like this, I felt as if I had truly become her pet. Yuna continued to stroke my hair with a tender touch for a long time. I remembered once wishing I could touch Yuna’s shining golden hair. Now, the roles were reversed, and I was the one being touched by her, but I found that I didn't mind it at all. If I had run away yesterday, I wouldn't be here receiving Yuna’s praise. I felt relieved that I hadn't run away.
…
"…Um…"
It felt like more than five minutes had already passed. Yuna was still stroking my hair with a radiant smile. I certainly didn't hate it, but my shame gauge had long since broken through its limit. "Yuna… Master… the toast is going to get cold…" I racked my brain, trying to think of a way to stop Yuna’s petting.
"Oh, you're right. Nina needs to eat before it gets cold, too."
"Phew…"
Thankfully, I succeeded in stopping the petting without hurting Yuna’s feelings. I tried to slowly get up from the floor while watching her, but Yuna suddenly lifted the toast and held it out toward me. "Come on, say 'ah'."
"Yes…?"
It seemed she had no intention of letting me sit at the table and eat with her. My face had finally started to cool down, but at her words, it felt like it exploded with heat all over again.
"Um… I can eat by myself…"
I had been cautious since yesterday, but I tried to resist her as much as I could in my own way. "No. This is a reward for Nina. Are you really going to refuse a reward from me?"
"It’s not that…"
"Hmm?"
"It’s just… I’m so embarrassed… that’s why… My face is so hot I can’t handle it…"
I ended up blurting out the truth before I could stop myself. I should have come up with a more plausible excuse, but telling the truth only made me feel even more ashamed.
"Heh, is that what it was?"
Yuna thought for a moment, then continued with an amused tone. "Then, instead of me feeding you, I’ll just have to make eating by yourself even more embarrassing!"
"?!?!"
I was speechless at Yuna’s brilliant insight. What could possibly be embarrassing about eating food by myself? "From now on, whenever you eat at home, you must get down on the floor and eat without using your hands!"
"Whaaat???"
I had tried my best not to provoke Yuna today, but the voice slipped out of my mouth before it could even pass through my brain. "Unless, of course, I am the one feeding you." Yuna held up a finger, looking at me triumphantly, as if to say, *I am a genius.* Should I have said, "Wow! As expected of Yuna! A genius!"? In the past, I would have retorted that she was saying something crazy, but I no longer had the right to do that.
"Understand, Nina?" Yuna asked, leaning down and bringing her face close to mine.
"Ah… ugh…"
I couldn't give any answer, only able to let out whimpering sounds.
"Nina, you need to answer."
"…Yes… I underst…and…"
"Mm-hmm, Nina is such a good girl."
Yuna said, stroking my hair once more. But this time, unlike before, I didn't feel happy. If anything, I felt sad.
"So, what will you do, Nina? Do you want to eat by yourself?"
I struggled to calm my chaotic mind, which had been thoroughly toyed with by Yuna. In the end, no matter what I chose, the result would be equally mortifying. So, wouldn't it be better to choose the option that would make Yuna happy?
"Yuna… Master, please feed me…"
"That won't do, Nina. You have to say, 'Please, Master'."
Yuna was mischievous, but she was several steps ahead of me. Just a moment ago, she had been desperate to feed me the toast, but within a few sentences, she had forced me into a position where I had to beg her to feed me. Even if I were to insist on eating by myself like a dog, Yuna would surely find another way to reclaim the initiative in an instant.
"Please feed me the toast, Master… I… I beg of you…"
"Hmm. What should I do~?"
I had asked as politely as I could, but Yuna replied in a playful voice. Her reaction left me confused again. Did she actually want to see me eating like a dog? "If you ask a little more politely, I might consider it~"
Yuna turned away from me slightly, crossed her arms, and closed her eyes. Yet, she kept one eye slightly open, clearly looking forward to my reaction. I thought she looked incredibly cute. I had always thought Yuna was cute, but it felt like a different kind of emotion was sprouting in my heart. I couldn't tell if she was happy, joyful, or simply basking in a sense of superiority. But I was certain that, at the very least, I was a being who could make Yuna much happier than I ever could have in the past. There was no logical basis for it, but seeing Yuna with a slight flush on her cheeks, watching for my reaction, I just felt that it was true. In that case, there was no reason for me to hesitate.
"Master…"
If I could just discard a little more of the pride that still remained, I could make Yuna even happier in the future. "Please…"
I pressed my knees together tightly and stretched out my feet, which had been supporting me, to get as low a posture as possible. Because of the short maid outfit, I had been subconsciously trying not to bend over, but I forced myself to bow as low as I could. I placed both hands respectfully on the cold marble floor. I turned my head toward the hard floor. As I tried to press my forehead against the ground, my waist naturally rose. I instinctively flinched, thinking my backside would be completely exposed from behind, but I didn't care about that anymore; I pressed my forehead as firmly against the floor as I could.
"Master. Please feed me the toast… I beg of you."
It was my first time ever performing a Dogeza. I could feel my entire body trembling. Was it because of the shame, or the humiliation? It was my own heart, yet I couldn't be sure. But it didn't feel like it was just for those two reasons. I was terrified and curious about how Yuna would react. If she were to mock me here, I knew I would burst into tears right then and there.
"…"
I heard nothing. The only sounds in the large apartment were my own ragged breathing and the beating of my heart. Even if you make me cry, please, just say something, Yuna.
"Hnnnnngh!"
The sound that broke the long silence was a strange, guttural cry from Yuna. Startled by the completely unexpected reaction, I looked up, and—
"Nina!!!"
"Eek?!"
Yuna lunged at me and pulled me into a tight embrace. It was such an unexpected reaction that I froze, unable to do anything. Before I knew it, Yuna and I were tangled together on the floor. She pressed her cheek against mine, rubbing them together, and held me so tightly I could barely breathe.
"Yuna… can’t… breathe… ugh…"
Had Yuna always been this strong, or had I become this weak? Even though I was suffocating, I couldn't bring myself to resist her at all. When I finally managed to tap her back, she loosened her grip.
"Yes, yes! I’ll feed you, Nina!"
Yuna grabbed my shoulders and said with an incredibly happy expression. I had never seen her look this happy before. My forehead still held the cold, hard sensation of the marble floor, but seeing her joy, I couldn't help but smile.
"Hm? Nina, are you okay? You’re trembling a lot."
Yuna changed her expression quickly and asked. I hadn't realized it because I was so focused on her happy face, but it seemed I was still shaking uncontrollably.
"Ah… yes… I’m… fine… I think… I just got a little… excited…"
Still dazed, I blurted out the truth to Yuna again. Telling her I got excited from performing a Dogeza just to be fed—wasn't that a mistake?
"Heh, is that so, Nina? So that’s what it was… Hehehe."
Yuna licked her lips and let out a sinister, delighted laugh. It seemed it had indeed been a mistake.
"Now, say 'ah'~~"
"Ah……"
Yuna stood up, sat on a chair, and held up the toast. Perhaps because the pride I had discarded earlier was returning along with my senses, I didn't want to be fed like this, and I tried to stand up to follow her. But because I had been kneeling for so long, my legs had gone numb, and I couldn't move a single step.
"Mm-hmm, Nina is such a good eater!"
"*Nom nom*…"
In the end, I remained kneeling obediently, biting off every last piece of the toast Yuna fed me.