"So? Won't you try some of these interstellar specialties? I brought them specifically for you."
Since Furina loved cake, she would probably like snacks too.
These were alien treats—foods even Raiden Ei had never tasted.
He had thoughtfully brought them all the way here.
"Um…"
Furina's eyes drifted toward the table.
The snacks did look delicious.
But she wasn't that foolish.
Who just eats food from a stranger?
Especially a stranger who had bypassed the Palais Mermonia's guards and walked straight into her bedroom.
That alone proved he was no ordinary person.
What if the food was drugged?
What if she got kidnapped from her own room?
If the Hydro Archon were abducted from inside her own palace—
How incompetent would that make her look?
So even though Furina harbored a faint hope in Su Ran's words, she hadn't fully trusted him.
Five hundred years of cautious acting.
There was no way she would fall for a stranger so easily.
"Furina, are you afraid I'm a bad person?"
Seeing that silly little Furina still had her guard up, Su Ran felt oddly relieved.
But at the same time—
A little heartache stirred within him.
She could have had a bright, carefree life.
Instead, because of a prophecy whose truth remained uncertain, she had endured everything alone.
Five hundred years.
Even Su Ran felt that was far too long.
No one could endure five centuries of torment easily.
Even Raiden Ei—born a god—had felt crushing loneliness after sealing herself inside the Plane of Euthymia for five hundred years.
And Furina?
She wasn't even truly divine.
She had no instinctual understanding of what a god should be.
Only guesses.
Only performance.
Acting out a role whose authenticity she herself did not fully understand.
"Your eyes… Are you pitying me?"
Though she remained suspicious, Furina could clearly see something in his gaze—
Sympathy.
Even tenderness.
For a brief moment, she wondered if she had been overly wary.
Maybe this man wasn't as dangerous as she imagined?
"Your eyes? You're judging my morality based on that? What if I'm acting?"
Su Ran pulled out his phone and glanced at his own expression through the camera.
Looked normal enough.
"Hmph! For five hundred years I've performed countless roles in opera! When it comes to acting, I dare say no one in this world surpasses me. I can tell at a glance whether someone's pretending!"
Furina placed her hands on her hips proudly.
She had lived in performance.
Every day.
Every public appearance.
Only late at night, alone in her room, could she finally drop the mask.
Her understanding of acting was unparalleled.
Whether he was acting—
She could tell.
"Furina's amazing. Here—reward: a lollipop."
"That's right! Of course I am—"
She froze.
Sweetness spread across her tongue.
Her eyes widened.
She had fallen for it.
She had eaten his candy without thinking.
Her body tensed as she waited.
One second.
Two seconds.
Nothing happened.
No dizziness. No weakness.
She slowly began to question whether she had been overly paranoid.
Maybe it wasn't drugged after all?
"Why are you so insistent on feeding me?"
She still couldn't determine if he was good or bad.
But she needed to understand his motive.
Surely he hadn't come here just to offer snacks?
"Because I think Furina is cute. And as a god, you're too lonely. I wanted to be your friend. Besides, what's better for building friendship than sharing food? Well—maybe playing games together, but this is easier."
He spoke plainly.
Whether she believed him—
Well, if she could see pity in his eyes, she could probably see sincerity too.
"Maybe I'm not as good as you think."
Lonely?
Of course she was.
But the one playing a god could never admit that.
And making friends?
That was dangerous.
Even if she wanted one—
She couldn't risk it.
"As if! Being friends with a god? You're quite bold. Countless people dream of merely seeing me, and here you are, asking to be my friend?"
Despite her words, she mustered her courage and sat beside him.
This was her room.
Her sofa.
What could anyone say?
"As punishment for trespassing into a goddess's chambers, I shall confiscate these snacks!"
She grabbed a bag, tore it open—
And a burst of potato chips exploded straight into her face.
"…Don't laugh!"
"I'll… try."
Su Ran nearly burst out laughing.
But her sharp glare forced it back down.
"Ahem… I'll tell you a story. Would you like to hear it?"
Still flustered, Furina tried to shift the conversation.
Anything to erase that embarrassing moment.
"Usually when someone says they'll tell a story, it ends up being their own life experience. Furina, are you sure it's 'just' a story?"
"…Then never mind."
She froze again.
She hadn't even started, and he had already exposed her.
Panic flickered in her heart.
If her improvised tale revealed something—
If someone connected the dots—
It would ruin everything.
"So you do have some experiences you can't let people know about?"
Furina's face flushed red with indignation.
"There's nothing like that!"
She snapped, utterly flustered.
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