Chapter 168: Edelweiss Is Still Eating Candy!
Click—
Before Shiro could recover from his brain completely crashing, the bathroom door opened.
Stella walked in wearing a swimsuit without the slightest hesitation.
After stepping into the damp bathroom, she did not put on slippers. Her bare feet tapped softly against the tiled floor.
Perhaps because another person had entered, the temperature inside the bathroom seemed to rise along with her arrival.
"W-What's with that expression? Are you really that unhappy to see me?"
Trying to hide her own embarrassment, Stella immediately questioned the frozen Shiro.
Her delicate toes curled together as she glared at him fiercely.
"Um... Miss Stella, may I ask why you decided to enter the bathroom at this hour?"
"T-To repay you!"
"You've helped me so many times, but I don't think I've properly thanked you even once."
"As the princess of a country, that would be incredibly rude!"
"S-So I thought I could, you know... wash your back or something..."
"Wait. Where did you learn that this is how you repay someone?"
"From a game..."
"I was curious about this country's culture, s-so I bought a few games to try..."
"What kind of game has scenes like this?!"
"And this has absolutely nothing to do with this country's culture!"
Shiro tried to force Stella back out of the bathroom using nothing but his gaze.
Judging from her stammering explanation, those were clearly not normal games.
"Ugh... ACG is still an important part of this country."
"And how was I supposed to know you could just casually buy those kinds of games in stores...?"
Her eyes wandered as her voice became quieter and quieter.
By the end, she was practically whispering like a mosquito.
If the insects in the forests around Hagun had not all been wiped out today, Shiro might not have heard her final words at all.
"Anyway!"
Stella's voice suddenly rose several levels.
"Come over here and sit down!"
"You wouldn't want rumors spreading that 'the princess of the Vermillion Empire is an ungrateful woman,' would you?!"
"..."
Shiro fell silent.
Not because he was embarrassed.
But because—
'Edelweiss is nearby!!!'
He had returned to Hagun together with Edelweiss.
If not for the title of [World's Most Evil Criminal] hanging over her head, she would have appeared before Kurono alongside him.
Considering Hagun Academy's reputation, Edelweiss had instead offered to remain hidden and secretly protect Stella and the others while Shiro was away.
After all, she had very little in common with Stella's group.
Suddenly appearing before them might even frighten them.
Naturally, Shiro had happily agreed.
He was not the type to force the people around him to get along.
Besides, who could have predicted this situation?
Meaning—
Edelweiss could very well be somewhere nearby right now!
The worst-case scenario was that she had already sensed Stella and Shiro being alone together inside the bathroom.
He had already mentioned his situation with other women to Edelweiss before.
But they had only just confirmed their relationship.
No matter who it was, seeing their boyfriend alone with another woman immediately afterward would probably make them angry!
Still—
There was time.
The more dangerous the situation, the more important it was not to panic.
Shiro certainly would not do something stupid like making a huge commotion and getting caught red-handed.
Judging from Stella's current state, forcing her outside would only create unnecessary misunderstandings.
The two girls might even start arguing.
Therefore—
There was only one answer!
With astonishing decisiveness, Shiro made Stella turn around.
Then he wrapped a towel around himself and sat down in front of her.
"Then I'll leave it to you!"
Exactly.
The only correct strategy now was to face the situation openly.
Once Stella finished whatever she wanted to do, she would naturally leave.
'This is my escape route!'
Unfortunately—
Shiro had underestimated how long Stella's "repayment" would take.
Seeing how eager he looked, Stella's cheeks flushed slightly.
'See? My body really is attractive to him after all.'
Thinking about what she was about to do, she shyly rubbed her pale thighs together.
Then, following the steps taught by the game, Stella slowly traced her soft fingertips across Shiro's back.
The firm warmth beneath her fingertips gave Stella a far more accurate understanding of a boy's body.
For some time afterward, Stella continued gently massaging his back with her slender fingers.
Even though she felt as though she might faint from embarrassment at any moment, she stubbornly continued.
Finally—
Feeling Shiro's body gradually tense beneath her touch, Stella gritted her teeth and slowly leaned closer.
...
"So this is the environment he's been living in these past few months?"
Edelweiss wandered through Hagun Academy while observing the scenery around her.
She walked alone down the center of the academy's main road without the slightest concern about being discovered.
With her skill, unless someone on Kurono's level appeared, who could possibly find her in the darkness when even her footsteps produced no sound?
Looking toward the light coming from Dormitory 406 in the distance, Edelweiss began wondering where she should stay.
If she asked Kurono for a dorm room, the woman would undoubtedly provide one.
But Edelweiss did not merely need somewhere to sleep.
To her—Desserts were her second life.
Hagun Academy was ultimately a school designed to train Blazers.
Other than the most basic pots, pans, and utensils, its dorms possessed almost none of the specialized equipment needed for making desserts.
But Edelweiss could not live without sweets.
It was as immutable a truth as the West being unable to live without Jerusalem—Or the 3D community being unable to live without Tifa.
Therefore, compared to finding somewhere to live, the real difficulty was figuring out how to move her huge collection of strange ingredients and baking tools into Hagun.
While thinking about this, Edelweiss reached into a pocket and took out a crystal-clear piece of candy.
It was called Crystal Candy.
Shiro had deliberately gathered it on the Dungeon's 18th Floor before returning.
Its texture was somewhat similar to jelly.
The instant someone bit into it, fruit-flavored juice burst from within.
Sweet and slightly sour.
It was one of Edelweiss's favorite ingredients from another world.
Because the supply was so limited, she was normally reluctant to eat it.
She only took one out when she was especially happy.
And today—Today was special.
For the first time, even someone like her, a wanted criminal, finally had somewhere she could shelter from the wind and rain.
So beneath the sky filled with stars—Edelweiss tossed the Crystal Candy into her mouth.
Delicious juice burst across her tongue.
Wrapped in pure happiness, her eyes curved into crescents like the moon above.
She failed to notice the strange, restrained noises coming from the student dormitory in the distance.
…
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