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First, I resolved to go around the festival with Frecia, but that was just my own thought.

If Frecia doesn’t plan on coming out at all during the festival, or if she does come out but doesn’t want to hang out with me, then I’ll just be making a fool of myself all alone.

Even if there’s technically no homeroom teacher, as a professor in the Magic Department, she might have some schedule.

Thus, I made my way to Magic Building Room 707 to set an appointment with Frecia.

“Boss?”

As expected, the interior of Room 707 was dim, even during the day, thanks to the blackout curtains.

Frecia, their owner, seemed to be sleeping, as Gomtaengi and Tokki were curled up comfortably beneath the sofa.

Despite that, sensing the creaking sound of the door opening, Gomtaengi and Tokki turned their heads towards me.

Of course, since I came to see Frecia, I planned to wake her up, but for now, I just raised my hand lightly and waved quietly to greet them.

The little adventurers, Gomtaengi and Tokki, hopped towards me and, unable to speak, circled around me, welcoming me.

I carefully approached Frecia, making sure not to step on the two little ones spinning around me.

With just a small magic lamp softly illuminating the space, I knelt down in front of the sofa.

“Hmm…”

I gently stroked Frecia’s head, who was peacefully sleeping right in front of me, and she made a soft noise while shifting her body on the small sofa.

“Boss, could you wake up for a moment?”

I didn’t want to shake her awake, so I called her name quietly while lightly patting her head.

If it were Anne, I would have had to shake her shoulders and shout to wake her up, but even in her sleep, Frecia heard my soft voice and slowly returned from the land of dreams.

Even though she had woken up, her eyelids still looked heavy, and her gaze was still unfocused.

Eventually, her green eyes, reminiscent of the blue grasslands, found me, and we made eye contact.

“Uuu…”

Then Frecia, like a child throwing a tantrum, stretched her little arms towards me from the sofa, acting adorably.

If she were in a normal state of mind, this would be a sight I’d never see, but lately, when she’s been drowsy, she often turns into a child who acts her age.

In reality, it’s only a two-year difference between us, but still.

I lifted the now big baby, Frecia, and placed her on the sofa, but as soon as she sat down, she started to lean sideways, so I quickly sat beside her to prevent her from falling over.

Frecia’s body leaned against me, and her small face rested on my shoulder.

“No, it’s okay.”

Even though Frecia couldn’t magically serve herself, Gomtaengi climbed up on the table and brought a teapot towards me, but I decided to politely refuse Gomtaengi’s kindness today.

I had rushed over, thinking that Frecia might make plans before I arrived, so I needed to head back soon.

Unfortunately, I didn’t have the luxury of time to leisurely enjoy tea.

“Boss? I came to talk about something.”

I lightly shook Frecia, who was still leaning against me.

However, in response to my voice, she only produced a tiny snore, which made it seem like she had fallen back asleep.

Even though I couldn’t wake her up like I could with Anne, I raised my voice a bit this time, but Frecia showed no sign of waking up.

It seemed that even though she woke up quickly to my soft voice before, this time she had sunk even deeper into her dreams.

Just as I was contemplating going back and returning later, Tokki looked up at me from under the sofa, holding a small box.

The box in Tokki’s arms contained a famous cream puffs from a bakery that required standing in line to buy since morning.

Despite being a doll, Tokki’s eyes sparkled with anticipation as it looked up at me.

Just as I was about to decline again, my gaze wandered and fell on Gomtaengi, who was slumped over the table, idly fiddling with the teacup.

Even though Gomtaengi also had doll-like eyes, they looked somewhat pitiful as it sat there alone.

“…Just one cup, please.”

I couldn’t bring myself to say I was leaving when faced with the sight of Gomtaengi and Tokki like that.

As soon as I spoke, Gomtaengi and Tokki visibly perked up, their joy evident.

Sure, if they were this excited, I could afford to push my plans back a bit.

Gomtaengi, as if it hadn’t happened, immediately set the teacup down in front of me and expertly tilted the teapot, while Tokki hopped onto the table like a rabbit and gently pulled out a cream puff.

“I’ll enjoy it well.”

It’s not like the owner, Frecia, had given me permission, but would it be alright to eat just because Gomtaengi and Tokki offered me some?

Yet, giving up entirely seemed difficult due to the enticing cream puff.

As a student, I couldn’t stand in line early on a weekday morning, and with the store being closed on weekends, I had no opportunities to indulge in it.

Since the cream puff was difficult to come by, Frecia might get angry if she woke up and found out I had eaten one…

Sorry, Tokki. You might have to take the blame for me.

If Frecia were to ask me, I’d have no choice but to sell you out.

Of course, there was no option to just not eat it.

Ignoring Tokki’s sparkling gaze, I had truly wanted to taste this cream puff.

However, it felt uncomfortable to drink tea and eat the cream puff while Frecia was resting on me, so I gently shifted her onto my thigh.

Thinking back, there was a time when I had laid on Selian’s thigh just like this.

Gently smoothing Frecia’s tousled hair, I slowly reached out.

Before welcoming the high-quality cream puff, I needed to adopt an appropriate posture.

First, I took a sip of the black tea that Gomtaengi had brewed.

My mouth, slightly dry, was filled with the fragrance of the tea.

However, I didn’t immediately reach out for the cream puff.

If I ate the cream puff right away, I might lose the opportunity to fully enjoy the taste along with the tea’s aroma.

So, I waited a moment, savoring the scent of the tea.

And when the taste of black tea faded from my mouth, my hand finally moved slowly toward the cream puff.

It was a bit too large to fit in one bite.

If I were still in my male form, I would have opened my mouth wide and stuffed it in without a care, but now that I was in a smaller female body, I had to take several bites to eat it.

Holding the cream puff with both hands, I brought it slowly towards my mouth.

And finally, with the cream puff in front of me, I took a bite with my small mouth.

The slightly crunchy shell of the puff contrasted beautifully with the sweet custard cream that filled my mouth.

The flavor of the cream was so rich that I completely forgot about the black tea I had just sipped.

I even found the tiny bit of cream left on my lips too precious to waste, so I licked my finger and savored it.

It seemed I still had two more bites to finish the cream puff in my hand.

If I were a man, it would have been over in one bite, but in these moments, I thought that being a woman wasn’t too bad. It honestly was a divine flavor anyone would agree with.

If you want to criticize me, just eat this cream puff first—if you can!

With a single cream puff in hand, I munched away, lost in my own thoughts until I had entirely devoured it.

I enjoyed the lingering sweetness in my mouth and took another sip of black tea to cleanse my palate.

Tokki had pulled out two cream puffs from the box, so there was still one left.

However, I didn’t have the cheek to go for the last one.

Of course, after already eating one without the owner’s approval, I had no argument to make.

So, instead of bringing the remaining cream puff to my mouth, I brought it closer to Frecia’s lips, who was comfortably settled on my thigh.

As soon as the cream puff touched Frecia’s lips, I felt her stir against my thigh.

“Hey, hey. If you don’t wake up soon, I might eat the last one!”

At that, Frecia, who had half-heartedly bitten down on the cream puff I had offered, began to get up.

“W-wha??”

Since she had a mouthful of cream puff, it was hard to catch exactly what she was saying, but I could roughly guess what she meant.

“I could see you peeking when I took my second bite!”

“…You saw?”

Frecia blushed, perhaps feeling embarrassed that she had been caught sneaking a peek at me while I was eating.

But if we were going by that logic, shouldn’t I be the one more embarrassed for secretly eating the cream puff?

“I’m sorry. You must have been really wanting the cream puff too, and I ended up eating it without telling you…”

How badly had she wanted to devour the cream puff that she peeked at me eating it?

She had also considered my feelings and been quiet so I wouldn’t feel awkward.

I really wonder why all the people around me are so kind.

“No, it’s alright. It’s not like I bought it for Elysia or anything… I just received it as a gift and kept it.”

“This cream puff, despite the price, is surprisingly hard to get, so receiving one as a gift is quite something. Just like that luxurious cookie before, it seems you get a lot of gifts at your position, huh?”

“Y-yeah?”

I couldn’t help but think of my homeroom teacher, Ferrent.

Ferrent didn’t seem to have high-end cream puffs; instead, he had a bunch of strange herb candies piled in his office. I guess that’s what a middle-aged man would receive.

“Oh, you got cream on your face.”

Since I had forcibly made her take a bite, some cream had smudged beside Frecia’s mouth.

I’m not the type to snatch a cream puff from Frecia’s hand, but taking advantage of the excuse to clean her mouth, I wiped the cream off with my finger and licked it clean.

“Yum.”

Although the puff is just puff, the sweetness of the cream is hard to put into words.

I quickly wiped my expression to hide my embarrassment, fearing Frecia might notice my longing for the cream.

Yet for some reason, Frecia, with her face all red, stared wide-eyed at me.

“Boss?”

Even when I called her, Frecia just stared at me with wide eyes, glancing down at the cream puff in her hands.

When she didn’t reply to my call, I tilted my head in confusion.

“B-boss…! Ugh!”

Frecia pressed her hands over my mouth while still holding onto the cream puff.

That meant my mouth was now muffled by the cream puff she had bitten into.

“E-Elysia can eat it! I only want one bite!”

I had tried to hide my embarrassing demeanor, but it seemed Frecia noticed everything.

Well, it would have been suspicious if I didn’t react after acting so blatantly.

As Frecia pulled her hands away from my mouth, the cream puff that stuck to my lips threatened to slide off, so I swiftly caught it.

Since it had been so hastily offered to me, cream had spilled onto the area around my lips, so I licked it clean with my tongue.

“Hehe…”

Feeling a bit embarrassed by Frecia’s fixed gaze on me, I let out a silly laugh.

But if I hesitated any longer, I might reveal my inner self even more, so I swiftly split the remaining cream puff between my two bites and finished it off.

“Here, Boss. Have a sip of tea.”

I hurriedly offered Frecia a cup of black tea to redirect her attention.

Since Gomtaengi had only prepared one teacup, I brought the cup that I had already taken a sip from up to her lips.

However, rather than taking the cup, Frecia leaned forward to put her mouth on the rim of it.

Seeing the way she was acting so adorably made me smile, so I carefully tilted the teacup to her.

Having just woken up, and even having suddenly eaten a cream puff, Frecia’s throat must have been quite dry, as she gulped down the remainder of the tea in one go.

As soon as I set the empty teacup back on the table, I noticed Gomtaengi trying to refill it again, which reminded me of why I had originally come to Frecia’s room.

I raised my hand to indicate to Gomtaengi that it was alright and then spoke to Frecia.

“Oh, right. Boss.”

“Uh, yes?”

“If you don’t have any special plans during the Celestial Festival, would you like to hang out with me for a day?”

“Of course! It’s the fourth day, right? I made sure to clear my schedule for that day, so don’t worry!”

“Phew, that’s a relief. I was worried you might be busy. I hope you’re not forcing yourself to change your plans just for me?”

It seemed plausible she might conduct some extraordinary effort just for my sake, so I asked.

Considering how pure and kind Frecia was, it seemed completely likely.

“It isn’t that bad.”

“Pfft. So, we’re hanging out on the fourth day? We’ve made a promise after all.”

“Yep, it’s a promise.”

I entwined my pinky with Frecia’s to properly confirm it before quickly making my way back to keep up with my late schedule.

…But did I even mention that it was the fourth day?

Well, since I mentioned it first, Frecia must have picked up on it.