Not Only the Food Is Delicious

“Weekends off are basically a great salvation.” — Kirishima Shiro

Florna shook her head.

“If a holiday counts as salvation, then salvation is way too cheap.”

“Tch, of course someone like you who doesn’t go to class wouldn’t understand,” Kirishima Shiro shot back.

Right after retorting, she immediately clutched her head.

“Ugh, this feels awful.”

Her completely empty mana bar was constantly interfering with her ability to think.

“You slept for so long, a headache is normal,” Florna said, taking Kirishima Shiro’s hand.

“Eat some breakfast and you’ll feel better.”

When dealing with a patient, Florna showed the tolerance befitting a saintess.

A headache cured by eating breakfast?

It sounded ridiculous, yet Kirishima Shiro didn’t have the energy to think too deeply about it.

The sweet scent lingering around Florna’s body wrapped around her nose.

It was like freshly picked strawberries mixed with the freshness of morning dew, stirring her thoughts into complete chaos.

Kirishima Shiro lowered her gaze to the wrist being held.

Maybe… I haven’t actually woken up yet?

That thought crossed her mind.

Right.

Wasn’t she supposed to be fighting her senior?

How did she end up back home?

This only made Kirishima Shiro more convinced.

She was dreaming.

Otherwise, why would the Florna in front of her look so…

After thinking for a moment, Kirishima Shiro came up with a precise word.

“Delicious.”

Yes, delicious.

So delicious that she wanted to take a taste.

Since it’s a dream, doing something I want shouldn’t be a problem, right?

“Slurp!”

“Eeek!”

Florna let out a startled, adorable cry.

That brief touch had been as light as a dragonfly skimming water.

It was cool to the touch, yet it sent a scalding numbness across her cheek.

Reflected in her pupils was Kirishima Shiro’s smile.

Florna stiffly raised her hand.

The instant her palm touched her skin, she felt a patch of damp coolness.

“Y-you… I…”

For a moment, she didn’t know what to say.

Why are you slurping me?

I’m taking you to eat breakfast, but I’m not breakfast myself!

“Florna, you look so delicious.

Let me have a taste.”

Her pink tongue slid across her lips.

While irresistibly tempting, Kirishima Shiro slowly leaned closer to Florna again.

Her gaze fixed on Florna’s cherry-colored lips.

Those had to be sweeter than strawberries.

“Delicious?”

No way!

She really is treating me like breakfast!

Florna also caught onto Kirishima Shiro’s intent, her heart skipping a beat.

She raised both hands, about to push Kirishima Shiro away.

But thinking of Kirishima Shiro’s weakened state, most of the strength she gathered dissipated.

In her panic, she could only retreat again and again.

Her back was about to press against the dining table.

Meanwhile, Kirishima Shiro kept advancing step by step, the distance between them steadily shrinking.

【Goodness, today’s Shiro is actually the one taking the initiative.】

With no intention of stepping in to help, the eyeball even used a tentacle to cover itself.

Seriously—what can a single tentacle even block?

Covering or not makes no difference at all!

There was no time to deal with the eyeball.

Suddenly, Florna caught sight of the plate of freshly toasted bread at the edge of the table.

The butter had melted into a glossy sheen on its surface.

“Looks like I’ll have to rely on myself,” she bit her lower lip.

Grabbing a slice of toast, Florna leaned forward before Kirishima Shiro could react.

“Mm!”

Her mouth was stuffed with the warm slice of toast.

The sweet scent in her nose was washed away by the aroma of baked wheat and butter.

Kirishima Shiro froze on the spot.

Every cell in her body cheered as mana surged back.

Seizing the moment of Kirishima Shiro’s daze, Florna deftly slipped around to the other side of the dining table.

After eating breakfast, you’re not allowed to eat me.

If things went wrong, she was ready to shove a grilled sausage into Kirishima Shiro’s mouth next.

Florna watched her warily.

Chewing the toast, Kirishima Shiro gradually came back to her senses.

Mumbling, she said, “What was I just…”

Seeing this, Florna set down her chopsticks and asked cautiously.

“You’re normal again?”

She truly hadn’t expected that the Sweetheart Apron’s Delicious trait would affect not only food—

but her as well!

The moment she heard the word “delicious,” Florna realized something was off with Kirishima Shiro.

It was very likely caused by the Delicious trait.

And since Delicious was identified by Divine Insight as a positive effect, she couldn’t actively dispel it.

The outfits in the Ever-Changing Wardrobe really couldn’t be used carelessly.

Every incident made Florna feel like she’d stepped into a trap laid by the goddess.

Thinking about it made her grit her teeth in frustration.

With this effect on her, how was she supposed to go outside?

If Kirishima Shiro reacted like this, Florna didn’t even dare imagine what ordinary people might do.

She also had no idea how long the Delicious trait would last.

That said, why had Kirishima Shiro suddenly gone quiet?

Florna hesitantly glanced at Kirishima Shiro, who was silently eating breakfast.

Fragments of terrible memories spun in her mind.

Kirishima Shiro felt like her brain was overheating and about to crash.

What had she done to Florna?!

Mistaking Florna for her mother was one thing—she’d done that before.

But wanting to eat Florna like a sweet, tasty strawberry?

What kind of nonsense was that?!

The intense embarrassment made the little bit of reason she’d just regained want to shut down again.

Is it still possible to restart my life?

Even though Kirishima Shiro was confused about how she got back,

and about her senior’s situation—

was she still rampaging?—

she couldn’t bring herself to ask right now.

“Natsume Oto hopes you’ll get plenty of rest, so she asked me to make you some breakfast,” Florna spoke up first, seeing Kirishima Shiro’s distress.

“Senior’s okay?

That’s great.”

With just that one sentence from Florna, Kirishima Shiro’s mind automatically pieced together the entire scene.

So it was Natsume Oto who brought her back?

That made sense.

Senior had ignited the entire lake—she must have completely exhausted her own mana.

Once mana was depleted, the out-of-control state would naturally end.

“So that’s how it is.

Looks like I really did manage it.”

After her thoughts went around in circles, Kirishima Shiro finally arrived at an explanation that made sense to her.

Maybe she had passed out too quickly.

Or maybe it was her deep trust in Florna.

Either way, she never realized that her conclusion had completely excluded Florna from the picture.

Seeing that Kirishima Shiro didn’t press further on the matter, Florna was more than happy to let it be.

She protected her retirement life.

Kirishima Shiro continued being her magical girl.

Both of them would have bright futures.

“Thank you.

The breakfast was very soft and springy.”

“Soft and springy?” Florna tilted her head.

Kirishima Shiro waved her hands in a panic.

“Ah!

Slip of the tongue.

I mean, it was really delicious.”

Oh no.

She’d accidentally voiced her inner evaluation of Florna’s cheeks.

To hide her nervousness, Kirishima Shiro picked up her milk and took a deliberate sip.

But when her gaze swept over the area below Florna’s neck, she couldn’t help recalling dragging Florna into bed earlier.

Awkwardness spread through the air.

Neither of them spoke.

Fidgeting, Kirishima Shiro thought to herself.

“I need to find a way to break this stalemate.”

But what could she even say?

Wrap an arm around Florna’s waist and say, I’ll take responsibility for you?

No, no.

That would only make things worse.

She immediately rejected that terrible idea in her mind.

“Ding-dong.”

A lifesaver!

From that moment on, the doorbell became Kirishima Shiro’s new salvation.