"Difficult?" Yae Sakura looked confused at first, but the moment her eyes landed on the bowl of soup on the nearby table—still radiating an aura of pure disaster—understanding dawned on her immediately.
"I… have a bit of experience with cooking. Please, leave it to me."
"Alright." Raiden Ei fell silent for a moment before finally nodding. Theresa visibly relaxed in relief as well.
"Ei, you really trust her?" After Yae Sakura stepped out of the room, Theresa glanced at Raiden Ei and asked softly, confusion lingering in her voice.
"Mm."
Raiden Ei gave a small nod, meeting Theresa's gaze with complete seriousness.
"Her aura is incredibly pure. Only someone truly kind could possess something like that."
"You can sense things like that too?" Theresa blinked in surprise.
"One of my many abilities." Naturally, Raiden Ei wasn't about to admit it was because she'd read the script already.
"I'm honestly jealous of you," Theresa muttered quietly.
Raiden Ei looked back at her, a hint of confusion surfacing in her eyes.
Then Theresa suddenly remembered the candy incident.
"W-Wait!" Her tiny hands instantly clutched the blanket tighter, her face turning bright red all over again.
"About what happened earlier—you—you have to pretend it never happened! Got it?"
"What happened?" Raiden Ei fought down the amusement bubbling inside her and deliberately put on an innocent, bewildered expression.
That clueless look only made Theresa even more embarrassed. A crushing wave of guilt even started rising in her chest.
Seriously!
How could Yae Sakura teach Raiden Ei things like that?!
"I-I mean… the thing where you fed me water…" Theresa's voice became softer and softer until it was barely audible.
"Okay." Raiden Ei agreed immediately and decisively.
Theresa finally let out a relieved breath, but then Ei tilted her head in confusion again.
"Though… why?"
Theresa instantly went silent. Her face was already as red as a boiling kettle, and if someone looked closely enough, they could practically see steam rising from the top of her head.
So adorable~
Raiden Ei had to force herself not to pull Theresa into her arms right then and there and smother her with hugs and kisses. Inside, she was absolutely delighted.
"B-Because…" Theresa's voice came out soft and shaky, her eyes darting away in embarrassment.
"K-Kissing is something only couples do… and if you're not dating… a-and we're both girls…"
"Kissing?"
Understanding immediately flashed across Raiden Ei's eyes.
"I see now. You mean kissing is something reserved for couples."
"D-Don't say it out loud like that!" Theresa panicked instantly, glancing nervously toward the bedroom door like a guilty thief.
Thankfully, it didn't seem like Yae Sakura had heard them.
Only then did Theresa relax slightly before continuing in a tiny, embarrassed voice.
"A-And… only people who like each other can kiss…"
She'd wanted to take this opportunity to properly teach Raiden Ei a few things about human romance and relationships.
Unfortunately for her, Ei never gave her the chance.
"I understand now." Raiden Ei looked at Theresa with complete focus and sincerity as she spoke softly.
"I like you, Theresa."
"Huh?!"
Theresa's brain instantly short-circuited just as she was about to start lecturing her. Completely flustered, she stared at Ei with even greater embarrassment.
"I already learned that kissing is an act of deep intimacy." Raiden Ei looked thoughtful for a moment, and at the same time silently found herself the perfect scapegoat.
Himeko-sensei.
"If kissing is something only people who like each other can do… then yes, I really do like you, Theresa."
"W-Wait… I… that's not…" Theresa completely lost control of herself, her hands flailing helplessly in the air as though she no longer knew how to speak.
Her eyes had practically turned into spirals.
"What's wrong?" Raiden Ei asked again, sounding genuinely puzzled. "Theresa… does that mean you don't like me? Did I do something wrong?"
"No! That's not what I meant!" Theresa hurriedly shook her head with all her strength.
"Then why are you acting like this?"
Ei's continued questioning completely overloaded Theresa's brain until she entered full system crash mode.
Pfft—ahaha~
Did I finally break her?
Raiden Ei laughed triumphantly inside, utterly satisfied.
"Theresa? Theresa?" She reached out and gently nudged Theresa's shoulder. When there was still no response, she lifted a hand and touched Theresa's forehead.
"You're really hot… did your fever come back?"
Raiden Ei hesitated for a second before picking up the nearby glass of water and taking a sip.
"Mmph—!!"
Theresa's mind finally rebooted.
But her eyes widened instantly, especially when that all-too-familiar sensation slipped into her mouth again…
This time, she didn't push Raiden Ei away immediately.
Because reflected within those violet eyes staring back at her, she saw her own deeply flushed face and trembling blue eyes.
Gulp… gulp…
A few moments later—
Yae Sakura walked back into the room carrying three bowls of noodles.
"You really can cook. Even after five hundred years, you mastered such a difficult skill so easily." Sitting at the edge of the bed, Raiden Ei looked at the bowls on the tray with genuine amazement in her voice.
"Cooking isn't difficult, Ei." Yae Sakura spoke with complete seriousness. "It's just… possible the methods you learned before were wrong."
"I see."
Raiden Ei picked up the bowl and carefully examined the noodles inside, topped with fresh vegetables and canned luncheon meat.
Where did the vegetables come from?
Could greens still grow in a city corrupted by the Honkai?
"It smells… delicious."
After confirming nothing seemed suspicious, Raiden Ei held the bowl and turned slightly toward Theresa, who was still sitting against the bedrest.
Theresa's eyes kept darting away nervously, like someone hiding a terrible secret from the rest of the world.
Especially with Yae Sakura here.
The moment Theresa remembered everything that had just happened had technically occurred right under Yae Sakura's nose, she became so embarrassed she nearly died on the spot.
Even if… Yae Sakura was technically the one who taught Raiden Ei those things in the first place…
"Do you want me to feed you, Theresa?"
"Huh? N-No! That's okay, I can do it myself!" Theresa shook her head furiously, both embarrassed and panicked.
Theresa was definitely imagining something wildly inappropriate right now.
Seeing her reaction, Raiden Ei instantly understood.
She was definitely thinking about…
Being fed mouth-to-mouth again~
--+--