“Slurp, slurp. What’s wrong? Is there something on my face??” Winnie asked as he ate the ice cream given by Aesphyra.

“I know I’m handsome, but constantly staring at me like this makes me uncomfortable, you know? Especially when I’m eating. Next time you look, I’m charging!” Winnie mumbled, swallowing a mouthful of ice cream.

Although he usually ate messily and didn’t care who saw him, it felt different when Aesphyra looked at him. He just felt uneasy, though he couldn’t quite put his finger on why.

“Oh my~ Then exactly how much would you charge? Let me see if it’s reasonable.” Aesphyra took Winnie’s words seriously, resting her chin on her palm, her lips curved into a captivating smile as she gazed at him.

“No, wait, don’t tell me you’re already thinking of some new way to mess with me again??” Winnie instantly gave Aesphyra a wary look, wondering what nasty trick this little nut had brewing in her mind.

“Hmm? Am I really making Winnie feel this insecure?~” Aesphyra looked at Winnie’s defensive posture.

“Yeah, what else?” Winnie affirmed.

“That’s so mean, Winnie. I was thinking of you every single moment during our journey before, you know.” Aesphyra raised her elegant dark eyebrows playfully.

“You, you’re saying such ridiculous things again??” Winnie’s hands faltered slightly at her words.

What’s with her? Why, after not seeing each other for so long, does she come back saying such embarrassing stuff??

But Winnie knew fully well that this silver-haired nutball was just teasing him. Not a word she said was sincere. If he believes her, he’d be falling right into her trap.

“Is that wrong? Don’t I even get to think about Winnie without paying?” Aesphyra teased.

“Tch, why would you even want to think about me? Come on, just the idea of being on your mind gives me nightmares.” Winnie said while taking another bite of ice cream into his mouth.

Hmm, hmm. No wonder it’s a branded ice cream, it tastes amazing. Soft and fluffy like cake, yet still carrying that icy, sweet, refreshing flavor unique to ice cream.

“Is it good, Winnie?”

“Mm, the taste is… barely acceptable.” That was just how Winnie was. Even if his heart was melting with sweetness, he’d still say something stubborn. His mouth was definitely the hardest part of him.

“Oh, I see. So Winnie likes desserts that are super, super sweet, huh?” Just as Winnie had learned Shikondell’s language after spending time with her, Aesphyra had also become quite fluent in understanding Winnie.

Any dessert that could soften Winnie’s mouth even slightly must’ve struck right at his heart.

“Tch, so what if I like it? Got a problem with that?” Winnie shot Aesphyra a sideways glance and huffed.

“Not at all. But, eating so much, aren’t you afraid of gaining weight?” Aesphyra glanced at the several empty bowls piled up on Winnie’s table.

“Afraid? I’m not a girl, why should I care about getting fat? Wait, you worried I’ll eat up all your ice cream?” Winnie shoveled more ice cream into his mouth, as if trying to eat Aesphyra broke.

“Winnie, come here.”

“What the heck are you going on about now?” Winnie hesitated.

“Come here~” Aesphyra smiled like a fox, her voice dripping with allure.

“What do you even want??” Seeing her expression, Winnie refused to move, instinctively shrinking back.

“Hmm.” Aesphyra exclaimed. “Come on. What, is a big guy like you scared of a little girl like me~?”

“How wouldn’t I be scared? You’re a terrifying nut that eats people!” Winnie warned.

“Oh? Eat people? How exactly?” Aesphyra rose gracefully and stepped toward Winnie. Her smile was sweeter than the cake ice cream on the white porcelain plate.

Winnie backed up quickly, pressing himself against the sofa. But Aesphyra didn’t stop, she leaned forward, one black-stockinged knee pressing into the sofa beside Winnie’s leg, her upper body tilting toward him.

“W-what do you think you’re doing?!” Winnie turned his head away, his cheeks burning hot, as if scorched. He could clearly feel the cold, rosy fragrance emanating from the silver-haired girl.

Was he… being dominated by Aesphyra??

Wait, what the heck is she even doing?! Even if she’s just messing with me, this is way too much.

Winnie desperately wanted to resist. The idea that a big guy like him was being cornered by a tiny girl was humiliating. Yet, for some reason, the moment she breathed against his face, all his strength brushed away. He slumped helplessly onto the sofa, completely flustered and unsure what to do.

“Winnie, doesn’t eating mint-flavored ice cream all the time get boring?~” Aesphyra brought her breathtakingly beautiful face closer.

“W-what? Boring? What are you talking about?”

“How about… tasting my strawberry flavor instead?~” Aesphyra licked her lips, her voice soft and sultry, captivating his heart. Combined with her intoxicating scent, it was enough to make anyone lose their senses.

“W-what the heck are you even saying?!” Winnie startled, doubting whether he’d fallen into some illusion again, or if Aesphyra’s brain had suddenly malfunctioned.

No, Aesphyra wasn’t the only one. Winnie felt like his own brain was short-circuiting too.

What kind of inappropriate things is she saying?! Looking at Aesphyra’s small, soft tongue that seemed to still have traces of strawberry ice cream, and her stunningly beautiful face flushed with coyness and allure, her eyes like star-filled skies brimming with tender affection,

Winnie felt his mind spiraling into chaos. His eyes might as well have started spinning with spirals. For a pure-hearted young boy like him, this scene was simply too intense.

‘Virtue + 100.’

Current Virtue: 7984.

Yet, just as the tension reached its peak, where it seemed something absolutely had to happen, Aesphyra simply let out a soft laugh, a mischievous curve forming on her lips. She pulled out a silk handkerchief she’d prepared earlier and gently wiped Winnie’s cheek.

“Really now, Winnie. You should pay more attention when eating. Look at you, ice cream all over your face.” Aesphyra said as she wiped his mouth.

Then she stood up, casually tossed the handkerchief into the trash, and returned to her seat to continue eating her ice cream, acting as if nothing had ever happened.

Winnie remained frozen in place.

“What’s wrong, Winnie?” Aesphyra asked knowingly. “Why are you still spacing out? If you don’t eat soon, your ice cream will melt, you know?”

Winnie remained silent. After a long pause, he finally stammered, “Y-you… just now… was that really just to wipe my mouth?”

“What else~?” Aesphyra crossed her black-stockinged legs, rested her cheek on her hand, and looked at Winnie with her amethyst eyes, brimming with deep meaning and amusement.

“What did Winnie think was going to happen? What were you hoping for?”

“Tch, I wasn’t hoping for anything!” Winnie’s blush had spread all the way to his neck. He staggered, unable to form coherent words.

“Oh? Really? Ahaha~ Such a blatant liar. Boys like Winnie are so easy to read, everything you’re thinking is written all over your face.” Aesphyra teased.

“You really were just messing with me again!” Now Winnie understood. Instantly blushing furiously, he stood up in a huff.

“Tch! I knew it! You silver-haired nutball, miniature bread roll, sour little orange, you never had good intentions! Next time don’t try to come close to me, okay? I’m allergic to nuts!”

“I don’t want to stay with you, you stinky nut, not even for a single second! I’m done with you, you short grape that’ll never grow taller!” With that, Winnie stormed toward the door. But as he reached the entrance, he suddenly remembered something. Instead of leaving, he turned back and wolfed down the rest of his ice cream, his teeth chattering from the cold, before sticking out his tongue in a mocking face at Aesphyra.

“Damn little nut, I curse you to stay this short forever! Nobody will ever want you, you tiny dwarf!” With that, Winnie turned, put on his shoes, slammed the door shut with a loud ‘bang,’ and left.

Faintly, she could still be heard cursing, but as the distance grew, the words became inaudible.

Watching Winnie’s retreating figure, Aesphyra suddenly burst into laughter.

Unlike her usual signature smile, this was genuine, coming straight from her heart.

Winnie, that idiot, could always do this, without any special effort, just through his most ordinary actions and words, he could make her laugh from the depths of her soul.

If Winnie were actually a girl, he’d definitely be a tsundere, awkward yet adorable.

But the reason Aesphyra had staged this whole scene wasn’t just for her own amusement, nor was it purely to tease Winnie.

Meanwhile, after finishing the sweet ice cream, Winnie left Aesphyra’s home. He still felt the lingering cold floral scent of roses and roses on the tip of his nose, as if his clothes still carry traces of it.

“Tch, disgusting!” Winnie spat and told a scowl.

“Damn silver-haired nutball, still the same as ever! Is tormenting me really that fun for you? Go ahead, laugh it up, enjoy yourself! At least I’ve eaten you broke this time! Hmph!” Winnie asserted under his breath, whether to comfort himself or not, it was unclear.

He had no idea what expression he’d make if he found out that Contoro ice cream was also a brand under the Galactus family’s holdings.

“Just you wait, stinky nut! Your days of peace are over! …Nah, forget it. No point arguing with someone who’ll never grow a single millimeter taller!” Winnie huffed.

All the way back to his dorm, Winnie cursed Aesphyra under his breath. Once he returned to his empty room, he still fumed on the sofa. Even a passing table got a whack from his hand.

‘Ugh, the more I think about it, the angrier I get! That girl!’

‘Who does she think she is? Does she really think she’s that charming?? Honestly, to think I’d have expectations or fantasies about nuts, how self-centered can you get?! Hopelessly narcissistic!’

As Winnie slapped the sofa and thought to himself, he suddenly realized, without even noticing, his mood wasn’t so bad anymore. All his negative emotions seemed to have found an outlet: blaming that stinky nut Aesphyra and dwelling in his embarrassment, to the point he’d forgotten he was alone in the dorm.

“…That idiot.” Thinking back, Winnie, now sitting on the sofa, began to understand why Aesphyra had acted that way earlier. Still, his words remain unyielding.

Seriously, mind your own business! Who asked her to do all that unnecessary stuff?

‘Was she… noticing I was feeling down, and deliberately doing all that to distract me??’

In the past, maybe Winnie wouldn’t have thought of that. But things are different now. The way he perceives things has changed.

Come to think of it, then the whole scene with Aesphyra, his embarrassment had overwhelmed everything else, significantly reducing his other worries.

“Tch! Sleep, sleep!” Winnie lay down on the sofa and closed his eyes.

Another day had passed.

Unlike yesterday, Winnie didn’t suffer from insomnia. Tonight, his sleep quality was actually pretty good.

The next morning, Winnie was awakened by a series of urgent knocks. Still groggy, he instinctively thought it was Shikondell knocking to wake him for breakfast. But as his senses cleared, he remembered Shikondell hadn’t returned to the dorm, and the knocking sounded distant, clearly not at his door, but at the main entrance downstairs.

“Coming, coming!” Winnie threw on some clothes and left his room, heading down to open the door.

“Who is it? What’s so urgent this early?”

“Excuse me, are you Winnie?”

“I am. Who are you?” Winnie eyed the unfamiliar nun standing outside with suspicion.

Honestly, after everything that had happened, Winnie was wary of anyone connected to the Church, except for Luna and her two companions.

“Are you the roommate of Dell, by any chance?” the nun asked.

“I am. Is… something wrong??” A sense of unease crept into Winnie. Her tone reminded him of back in his past life on earth, when he’d suddenly get a call asking if he was so-and-so’s relative, his heart immediately jumped into his throat.

“By the grace of the Goddess.” The nun sighed softly, clasping her hands in prayer. “Winnie, your roommate, Dell, has encountered some complications due to the incident at Mount Kamov. He is currently receiving treatment at the chapel of Carillian Academy.”

“What happened to him??” Winnie silently tightened his grip on the doorknob and asked.

“It’s hard to explain in a short time. Please come with me.” With that, the nun turned and left.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep