Tea Time and Towering Affection
“…”
“Marine, hello?”
“Lady Marine, hello!”
I had been worried Marine might not show up since she was running late, but thankfully she appeared.
“…”
Marine stared at Serina with a blank expression. Her lack of surprise suggested she had already known Serina would be here.
“…”
Without a word, Marine plopped down into a chair.
“So, what exactly are we supposed to do here?”
I grinned brightly.
“Just enjoy some tea time.”
“…That’s it?”
Marine looked unconvinced.
“Yep!”
“…”
She still seemed doubtful, but I figured we could win her over gradually.
“M-Marine?”
“…”
Serina gathered her courage to speak. Good job!
“W-Would you like to try this?”
She timidly offered a chocolate cookie. The sweet scent of chocolate tickled my nose.
“…”
Marine’s face twisted slightly, but after glancing at me, she accepted the cookie anyway. Serina looked delighted—it was the first time Marine had taken food from her.
Crunch.
Marine carefully bit into it. The chocolate cookie disappeared into her mouth, and a spark of interest lit up in her eyes.
“It’s… delicious, right?”
Serina sounded confident in her baking skills yet still worried it might not suit Marine’s taste. Marine turned her head away sharply, avoiding Serina’s sparkling gaze, and muttered in a barely audible voice.
“Well… it’s not bad enough to refuse.”
Marine wore a prim expression. Serina’s face lit up with emotion at the sight.
“Ah! Hendel, you should try one too!”
Serina handed me a cookie as well. Still warm, I took a bite of the chocolate cookie. I usually got tired of sweets quickly and didn’t prefer them, but Serina’s cookies were just sweet enough not to be cloying—I could easily eat several.
“…You two are speaking casually?”
“Huh…?”
The warm atmosphere instantly froze at Marine’s icy remark. Oh come on, Marine.
I had been watching their cute exchange with a fond smile when I decided to step in.
“The three of us are friends now. We can speak casually.”
“…But you’re a noble and she’s a commoner.”
Marine probably found it strange that I spoke informally to a commoner. But using formal speech wasn’t going to put food on the table. Speaking casually would help build deeper rapport with the protagonist of this world. Why insist on formality? Having some modern sensibilities made my values a bit different from the typical nobles here.
“What does social status matter between friends?”
“Hendel… I’m touched.”
Serina looked oddly moved.
“Still… we should clearly show the difference in status…”
I cut Marine off, pointing at Serina.
“You know about the guys clinging to Serina, right?”
“The second prince and the next Blue Tower Master.”
“If even the prince is clinging to a commoner, what’s the problem?”
“…”
Since the prince at the very top of the hierarchy was doing it, Marine fell silent, apparently having nothing to say. I had hoped she would allow herself to speak casually with Serina too, but it seemed the time wasn’t right yet.
“Hendel, hello~ Lady Marine, please be careful on your way back!”
Our tea time—short if you thought about it, long if you didn’t—came to an end, and we parted ways. Marine kept her sulky expression and didn’t respond to Serina’s farewell. I poked her back repeatedly.
“You should say goodbye too.”
“Why should I?”
Marine gave a prim reply.
“If you don’t greet her, no dinner together tonight.”
It was a childish threat, but I had learned this approach worked best with Marine.
“…”
With her lips jutting out in a pout, Marine waved her hand half-heartedly. Even that half-hearted wave made Serina jump for joy. We had plenty of time ahead. I could change Marine little by little.
The second prince’s fox who had charmed the next Blue Tower Master. The protagonist beloved by the world. Serina had just spent the happiest day since entering the academy. She always walked around with a smile, but even she found it hard to endure the constant jealousy and harassment directed at her.
Hehe, he called me a friend.
Today, the son of the count who developed cola had officially acknowledged her as a friend. And Lady Marine, who had always avoided her, had eaten her food for the first time.
She definitely enjoyed it.
Though it had only been a year, Serina had been watching Marine closely. Even with that prim expression, Serina could read the satisfaction with the cookie in Marine’s face.
Hehe… What should I make next? Rusks? Mont Blanc?
Serina felt the greatest joy when people enjoyed the food she made.
A simple sandwich might be nice too!
Happy to ponder what to bake next week, she headed to the market. Serina was a popular figure there.
“Oh, Serina! What brings you here this week? No work?”
“Haha… I found another job!”
She exchanged light greetings with the merchants she passed.
“Serina, I made some bean-powder toast this time. Could you try it?”
“Of course! Mmm… This would sell well in another world!”
“Kyaah.”
She tasted the new foods the merchants had developed and gave objective feedback. Usually she came to the market looking for work, but today she was just browsing for a different reason.
Her goal: buying clothes. Most students went to large clothing stores, but having lived in the market for so long, Serina knew there were plenty of pretty outfits available there too.
Knock knock.
“Is anyone here?”
She knocked on the door of a shop she had been eyeing while working.
“Yawn, Serina? Sorry, but I don’t have any work for you today…”
“I’m not here for work today, sis. I came to buy clothes.”
“Oh, so you’re finally buying something besides your uniform!”
“Haha…”
“Don’t worry! Big sis will find you an outfit that’ll make all the academy boys swoon!”
Serina felt the atmosphere had taken a strange turn.
“Huh? That’s not really my intention…”
“Shh, just leave it to me.”
The shop owner thought to herself: Serina was the type who always saved money and only wore her uniform. So why was she suddenly looking for clothes?
A boy, obviously.
She had only ever seen Serina working, but the girl was still a student at the academy—the prime of youth. With her pretty looks, plenty of boys must be chasing after her. And now Serina had found someone she liked too.
I’m going to create my masterpiece!
The shop owner burned with enthusiasm and dragged Serina into the fitting room. That day, Serina ended up trying on more outfits than she had worn in her entire life.
“The underwear is on the house~”
“Th-Thank you.”
“Oh, it’s nothing~ Make sure to tell big sis when you get a boyfriend!”
“I-I’m not really thinking about dating…”
“The ones who say that are always the first to get boyfriends.”
“…”
Serina left the clothing shop with her face bright red.
“I really… didn’t have those kinds of feelings…”
Now that they would be having tea time every weekend, she didn’t want Hendel worrying about her anymore, so she had bought the clothes. She had intended to get modest outfits, but under the shop owner’s strong persuasion, her arms were now full of clothes she had never worn before—bold dresses that exposed her shoulders and figure-hugging onesies.
“Ugh… What if he thinks I’m indecent…”
The clothes were pretty even to her, so she had accepted the suggestions, but now the thought of wearing them to the tea party made her worry she would look like a loose woman.
I just hope Lady Marine doesn’t misunderstand and think I’m trying to seduce Hendel.
Worried sick, she was on her way back to the dorm when—
“Whoa, this is insane.”
“Who’s Serina?”
“That bewitching girl.”
“Ah, the one who charmed the second prince and the Blue Tower Master?”
The usually quiet area in front of the dorm was packed with people. She could hear her name being mentioned here and there.
What’s going on?
Wondering if she had caused some trouble without realizing it, she quickened her steps.
“Eek.”
When Serina arrived at the dorm, she let out an involuntary scream. Stacked in front of the dorm was a tower of cola as tall as the five-story building itself. The dorm supervisor, who had been sighing repeatedly at the cola tower, called her over. Serina approached in a half-dazed state.
“Serina. What’s all this about?”
A large sheet of paper was attached to the cola tower. After reading what was written on it, Serina felt a headache coming on.
[Cola Gift for Knight Department 2nd Year Serina]
[- Hendel Edgar -]
[Anyone who secretly takes the cola or threatens Serina will be considered to have declared war against the Edgar family]
Students who had read the note turned their gazes toward her.
“Wow, looks like that girl has charmed Hendel too, after the second prince and the Blue Tower Master.”
“I wonder what her secret is.”
“This is front-page news!”
In one corner, the second prince and the next Blue Tower Master, who had rushed over after hearing the rumors, wore sour expressions.
“…”
Serina wanted to die of embarrassment.