38 – Library Date – 2
“Sup, something like this. Whoa…. Eating.”
Hestia urgently looked for milk. I handed her the milk that was lying next to me.
“Here.”
Hestia was in such a hurry that she didn’t even say thank you and yanked the milk out of my hand. She gulped down her milk. Her throat twitched as the milk ran over.
“Sup, ha…. I’m out of my mind!”
Hestia bit her tongue while giggling to see if the spiciness didn’t go away even after eating the milk. The swelling around her lips must have been quite irritating to her.
“Isn’t it still delicious?”
“It’s not that it doesn’t taste bad, but whoa…. I can live now. It’s definitely delicious, but it’s too stimulating.”
Hestia finally calmed down a bit and she spoke plainly without a screeching sound. It’s certainly overly stimulating food for Hestia, who in her entire life may have never eaten food this spicy. It’s the first time I’ve had such spicy food since I came to this world. On Earth, I think I ate something spicy almost every two days.
“They say they eat spicy food well.”
“There is such a thing as degree!”
Surely, when asked if she eats spicy food well, she confidently said that she is confident about spicy food. When I mentioned that, she poured on her leftover milk and glared at me. The redness around her lips still looks quite painful. The spicy food she thought was spicy with a little garlic in it.
“How did Mikhail eat these things and stay fine?”
“I really like spicy food.”
That’s because it’s the food I ate to my heart’s content when I was in Korea. I thought so and took a piece of red-hot chicken ribs in front of me and ate it.
Yes. There was even a dakgalbi restaurant in this suspiciously wide shopping street. I heard from the waitress that it was an exotic food from the Eastern Continent. Since it is a novel written by a Korean, Korean elements come out in strange places. The writer also didn’t have kimchi, as if it was a bit like introducing kimchi, a fermented food. It’s bizarre to even think of a romance fantasy protagonist tearing up kimchi.
“These chopsticks? Authorization is also strangely well written.”
“It worked because I just did it?”
Hestia looked at my chopsticks with a curious expression. It’s a tableware that I’ve been using all my life, so of course I use it well. Rather, this is much more comfortable and proficient than a knife and fork. Hestia puffed out her cheeks at my insincere reply.
“I thought I couldn’t because it was difficult.”
She took the chopsticks and slipped them between her fingers and dreamed a few times. A tool called chopsticks is a difficult tool to use for those who are new to it. The restaurant also provided a fork as well, probably aware of that fact. Rather, I looked around the entire restaurant and I was the only one using chopsticks. Hestia also tried hard with the chopsticks at first, but after she missed the meat right in front of her mouth a few times, she just kept using the fork.
“If you put it between your fingers like this, yes, if you move your index and middle fingers like this….”
“Oh, I can’t!”
Hestia picked up the chopsticks again and tried using the chopsticks the way I taught her several times, but she soon gave up and put the chopsticks down. Then she picked up the fork that was right next to her and took a bite of her chicken ribs and brought it to her mouth.
“It’s just so much more comfortable.”
“Isn’t it spicy?”
“I’ve gotten used to it now.”
Certainly, Hestia looked a little better than before. The first time she put the chicken ribs into her mouth, she barely cried and didn’t even flinch. This bright red seasoning is quite irritating to those who eat spicy food for the first time in their lives. Maybe that’s why the store provided milk in advance. She was amazed at the thorough preparation. Hestia wondered why she needed milk when she was eating. She emptied her milk a while ago and stole my milk to drink.
“It’s delicious except for being a little too spicy. I’ll have to try it with Miss Cordelia later.”
I imagined Cordelia eating chicken ribs, breathing fire, and running wild.
“Are you okay?”
“What the hell do you think of Miss Cordelia?”
Hestia narrowed her eyes and glared at me.
–
After that, she got used to it and just as she boasted that it was okay, she ate well without being too spicy. She stroked her chest as it seemed to suit her taste quite well. She said she wanted to try special food, so it was decided that it was a menu that would not be liked or disliked. In fact, after eating spicy food, the bathroom is really messy the next morning, but I didn’t make the mistake of babbling for nothing.
“I ate well. It was my first time eating oriental food, and it was good.”
“Sure. This house is good.”
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Me and Hestia left the restaurant after paying the bill. I decided to take a walk on the street for a while to digest. Should I hold her hand or hold her hand, there are many eyes around her, so I just walk by her side in moderation. Even though she had just come out of her meal, she emitted a pleasant scent every time her hair twitched.
The shopping district was lively on the weekends. Many students poured into the streets to relieve the stress accumulated over the week. In the shopping district, the unique vitality of the students radiated. The wind was cool, the weather was nice, and it was a perfect afternoon for a walk.
I was very satisfied. Like the weather, the fact that Hestia was next to her was the same. It was also good that I ate hometown food after a long time. I never thought I would be able to eat chicken ribs of this quality in this world, but I feel like I have received a surprise gift. The restaurant just now isn’t a great restaurant, but it has become as good as the Dakgalbi franchise restaurants that are widely spread in front of colleges. I wanted to show Hestia fried rice, but it was regrettable that there were no details like that.
“The weather is wonderful.”
“I will.”
She also had a pleasant smile. Hestia and her eyes met. She asked if she had read my expression of satisfaction.
“I guess Mikhail likes Eastern food?
“You can say that.”
It wasn’t my will, but I only ate food from the east two months ago. If you ask me if I like it or dislike it, of course I like it. They say that the first thing that comes to mind when living abroad is home-cooked food, but there is nothing wrong with that.
“Eat spicy food well, use chopsticks well. How amazing.”
“What is so amazing?”
Hestia answered with her mischievous smile.
“All of a sudden, I realized that I really didn’t know anything about Mikhail. Every little thing like this feels strange.”
She was at her word.
“You know what? Right now, I learned a lot more about you in the two weeks you entered the academy than in the past 10 years. I have no hobbies, like the nape of my neck, strangely obsessed with smells, and eat Eastern food well.”
Hestia’s words made me feel guilty. Of course, it wasn’t something I did, but when I think of her who must have suffered alone for 10 years, I don’t want to shirk her responsibility, saying she didn’t do anything wrong.
“Ah, don’t make that face. It’s not like I’m trying to blame Michael. I’m just saying what I think. Also… , Lack of sociability, often empty talk.”
She looked up at me. Her eyes were stained with tension. I hear my heart pounding. I don’t know if it’s mine or hers.
“And he likes me so much. Sometimes it’s to the point of being dumbfounded.”
Something warm burst into my empty hand. It is Hestia’s hand. Hestia’s finger dug into the gap between mine. Each of her fingers are intertwined and interlocked so that they do not easily fall apart. She blushed as she put the pod in her hand.
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My thoughts stopped for a moment at her sudden skinship. I looked at Hestia with a shocked look. Hestia replied in a crawling voice, probably feeling my gaze.
“Don’t look at me like that. It’s because your hands are cold.”
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My hands get cold. Her hands were very warm as she had been indoors just moments before. Rather, her hand was hotter than mine. Hestia must have been quite ashamed to hold my hand first and put it in her pod. With her head down, she never tried to make eye contact with me.
“Why? Can’t I do this first?”
“I didn’t say anything.”
“Ugh….”
Hestia must have been quite ashamed to hold her hand in front of everyone. I didn’t say anything, but I kept making excuses to myself. It’s just cute to see him in the opposite way from his usual smart and dignified attitude.
“Are you that shy?”
“Everyone sees it.”
She twisted her body. Come to think of it, when I crossed my arms on the eve of the festival or when I wrapped my hands around my waist, they didn’t seem to mind at all, so why are they so shy about holding hands?
“Everyone else saw it on the eve too. Rather, I think there must have been more eyes then.”
“What are you talking about?”
Hestia looked at me with a puzzled expression.
“It’s natural for partners to cross their arms or hug each other.”
What is this, common sense changing app? I said she took it for granted and she just agreed. Also, different cultures may have different standards for skinship. In fact, I remember having a discussion with Mrs. Chin, who argued that crossing arms is much lighter and more natural skinship than holding hands.
In this world, it is only natural for prom. Just as the flower of fantasy is a battle, the flower of romance fantasy is a ball.
“So, what kind of wind is blowing?”
You might think it’s too unusual to just hold hands, but this was a pretty surprising change. Hestia doesn’t touch me first. Besides, she is shy to even hold her hand if there are a lot of people around her, and it is she who takes her hand away. It wasn’t enough that she suddenly held out her hand to me first, and she got stuck in it herself. Tomorrow the sun may rise in the west.
“Just like that. Come to think of it, Mikhail always approached me first.”
Hestia smiled softly.
“So this time I tried it first. You don’t like that?”
“I hate it. It’s great.”
I waved my hand. I don’t like it because it’s sudden, but I’m rather happy. When she saw my happy smile, she put on a laugh.
“Do you know that I am completely bald right now? Are you that good?”
“Yes.”
Hestia asked, peeking out her head. I also can’t control the corners of my mouth and the philtrum right now. She smiled Seeing that she likes me and wants to die, it seems that she is getting more and more confident than her shyness. I can control Mikhail’s emotions, something like that?
“If you do good to me in the future, I will reward you like this sometimes.”
She thought about it for a moment and then chose the expression she gave the prize. Of course, she wouldn’t have thought of that at all, but I laughed at the subtle nuance of the word. Hestia’s skinship would be a reward for anyone in the world, not necessarily in that industry.
“A prize, you are full of confidence?”
“Don’t like it?”
She was full of confidence in her demeanor. It feels like you know that I will never say no.
“It can’t be.”
And as she expected, I couldn’t refuse her offer. Hestia let out a hum as if she knew it, and started leading the way excitedly.
“Ah, Hestia. You know when you go down yesterday.”
“When you go down?”
“In the mountains.”
“Why?”
“I wonder what you talked about with Lady Richthofen.”
Hestia was visibly taken aback by my question. I don’t think I need more questions to be flustered about where my confident attitude until now has gone.
‘Thank you Seria!’
I blew thanks to Seria in her head. Such a dramatic effect in one day. Later, I really need to find something similar to deodorant and give it as a gift.
“Oh, I didn’t say anything.”
“Okay. What are you so surprised about?”
Of course, Hestia hurriedly evaded it. Remembering the fact that I arranged everything with Seria in advance, I feel a bit sorry for cheating.
I didn’t say anything anymore and went back to the library enjoying the warmth of Hestia’s hand.
–