Toki closed his eyes.
He refused to look at the bizarre colors.
He refused to smell that strange odor.
He simply raised the milkshake to his lips almost mechanically.
And then…
he chugged the entire thing in one go.
The cold, bizarre liquid slid down his throat.
An indescribable mixture of flavors instantly exploded across his mouth and throat.
It was bitter and astringent, yet somehow mixed with an overly sweet taste and a faintly fishy aftertaste.
The unidentified particles scraped against his throat.
It took considerable effort just to swallow them.
As expected…
This damn thing really wasn’t made for humans!!!
After finishing it, Toki simply froze in place.
His eyes went vacant.
His mind became completely blank, and he even stopped breathing for several seconds.
It felt as though his consciousness had drifted all the way to the edge of Teyvat before plunging into an endless void.
It was almost as if…
his soul had already left his body.
“How was it, Toki?
Did it taste good?” The moment Sigewinne saw that he had finished drinking it, she immediately leaned closer.
Her eyes remained fixed firmly on his face.
She desperately wanted to see his reaction.
Her expression was filled with both anticipation and nervousness.
Toki didn’t answer.
He couldn’t.
His consciousness hadn’t completely returned yet…
The bizarre taste refused to leave his throat, while his stomach had begun violently churning.
Only his tremendous willpower kept him from vomiting on the spot.
No.
He couldn’t throw up!
If he threw up, he would fail!
Toki repeatedly warned himself that he absolutely had to complete the event!
Otherwise, he would have drunk that multicolored “nightmare milkshake” for nothing!
He took a deep breath and forcibly suppressed the discomfort in his stomach before slowly opening his eyes.
Then he forced an enormous smile onto his face, stiffly pulling the corners of his mouth upward.
After that, he gave Sigewinne two enormous thumbs-up.
His voice was slightly hoarse from the discomfort in his throat, yet he still tried his absolute best to look as though he loved it.
“I-It’s really delicious!” “Sigewinne, you’re so good at making these!!!” “I’ve never had such a unique and delicious milkshake before!” The moment Sigewinne heard Toki’s praise, her eyes instantly lit up.
The smile on her face became even brighter.
She was so excited that she actually jumped into the air.
“You like the drink I made?!” “That’s wonderful!!!” “Then I’ll make you one every single day from now on!
I’ll change the recipe each time!” “That way, you can enjoy a different flavor every day!!!” “Huh?!” Toki instantly froze.
His mind went completely blank.
The smile he had been forcing onto his face immediately stiffened.
“N-No…
I…
my blood sugar is high!
I’m already prediabetic!” “I can’t drink too many things like milkshakes!” Toki had panicked so badly that he simply blurted out the first excuse that came to mind.
Even he barely knew what he was saying anymore.
The smile on Sigewinne’s face instantly froze.
She tilted her head with a confused expression.
“Prediabetic…
what’s that?” “It’s…
it’s a kind of human illness.” Toki had no choice but to keep going.
“It’s when…
humans consume too much sugar, refined carbohydrates, and things like that.” “Eventually, it starts affecting your health.” “And over time, it can develop into a very serious illness.” “Some people who get it can even end up with so much sugar in their urine that they have to be careful where they relieve themselves…” “Otherwise, someone might end up getting a very unexpected taste of something sweet…” Sigewinne listened with a completely bewildered expression.
She blinked several times as though she had suddenly learned something extraordinary.
Then guilt appeared on her face.
She lowered her head and quietly said, “Th-Then by making you drink that milkshake…
wasn’t I actually hurting you?” “I didn’t know you had something like that.
I’m sorry…” Seeing Sigewinne looking so guilty made Toki feel somewhat bad.
But now that he had taken the lie this far, there was no choice but to keep going.
He hurriedly waved his hands and gently comforted her.
“It’s fine, it’s fine.
I’m only prediabetic, which means I don’t actually have the illness yet.” “But if I keep drinking milkshakes with that much sugar…
who knows what might happen?” “Then maybe I shouldn’t make milkshakes for you anymore.” Sigewinne lowered her head, her voice full of disappointment.
Even the little horns on her head seemed to droop, making her look especially pitiful.
Toki secretly rejoiced.
He had finally escaped the nightmare milkshakes!
But outwardly, he still had to pretend to be terribly disappointed.
Toki frowned and put on an expression of profound regret.
“Really?
Th-That’s such a shame!!!” “Your milkshakes taste so good, Sigewinne.” “If I can’t drink them anymore, my life is going to lose so much joy!” Hearing that, Sigewinne’s eyes lit up again.
She raised her head and touched her chin, thinking seriously.
“Hmm…
then I’ll come up with a milkshake that won’t give humans diabetes!” “If I can’t use sugar or refined carbohydrates, I’ll make whole grains the main ingredient instead!” At that point, her eyes suddenly brightened as though she had come up with an excellent idea.
“Oh!
That’s right!” “There are some leftover monster parts in the storage room behind the cafeteria.” “I could take some monster parts and blend them together!” “That way there wouldn’t be any sugar, and you’d get extra nutrients too.
It would definitely be healthy!” Toki: “…” He instantly turned to stone.
His expression went from feigned disappointment to utter despair.
Internally, he screamed.
Great.
He had completely brought this on himself!
Why couldn’t he have just stopped while he was ahead?
Now the things he would have to drink in the future…
might actually be even worse than today’s milkshake.
He could end up drinking a full-blown “monster milkshake”!
But looking at Sigewinne’s earnest and expectant expression, he couldn’t bring himself to refuse.
He could only force another smile and nod with the expression of a man who had already given up on life.
“Th-Then…
I’ll be counting on you, Sigewinne.” Seeing him agree, Sigewinne immediately broke into another brilliant smile.
Then she happily turned around and ran back toward the cafeteria kitchen, muttering excitedly as she went, “I’ll start preparing the ingredients right now!
I’ll try to make you a healthy milkshake by tomorrow!” Watching Sigewinne’s cheerful figure disappear into the distance, Toki collapsed into his chair and covered his face with both hands, utterly devoid of hope.
He silently blamed himself.
Why did he have to pretend to be disappointed?!
Now he’d really done it.
There was going to be plenty of suffering waiting for him in the future!
At that moment, the system’s notification sounded inside his mind once again, providing at least a little consolation.
[Ding!
Special Event “Food Is a Token of Affection” completed!] [Ding!
Your partner “Sigewinne’s” Intimacy has broken through the 20-point threshold and reached 22 points!] [You have obtained one Black Iron-rank Prize Draw!] Looking at the system notifications, Toki finally felt a little better.
Now he could only hope that whatever he obtained from this Prize Draw would be worth the nightmare milkshake he had just forced himself to drink!
(End of Chapter)