Sweets and Tea Bring Out the Best in Us!

Ding-Dong-Dang-Dong.

“Finally, classes are over!”

Overjoyed, Hikari jumped onto my back.

“Hehe. True, you’ve been really looking forward to it?”

“Yesh! Almost as much as eating that cuwwy again.”

She’s just too cute! How am I supposed to hold myself back from petting her!?

While I petted Hikari, Saki, Asako, and Akira joined us, and we followed Asako to her room.

Hikari was so thrilled that she started skipping, yet Akira was still suspicious of Asako.

“It’s rude to glare at her like that, Akira.”

I whispered to her, my warm breath brushing against her ear making her jolt.

“B-b-but...”

Her face flushed bright red and her tail swooshed around.

“Don’t make me have to... teach you manners... again.”

Leaning into her, I caressed her tail lightly, locking eyes with her, making her face turn a darker shade of red.

“Ahem. Could you maybe not do this where everyone can see you?”

Saki interrupted coldly.

“Not my fault this fluffy tail keeps hypnotizing me like that!”

Bluntly retorting to Saki, I pouted.

“Is that how it works?”

“Absolutely! The more you see it, how fluffy it is, how sleek the fur is, how elegantly it flows through the air... it just makes you want to caress and bury your face in it!”

“Mmmmm.”

Overcome with curiosity, Saki tried staring at Akira’s tail.

“Ehm. I hate... to interrupt, but... we are at my room.”

Asako’s quiet voice shifted all our attention to her.

Back on track for the tea party, Asako opened the door for us, welcoming us inside.

Surprisingly, it looked mostly similar to our room, maybe a little bit more girly, but that’s not fair! I just haven’t had any time to finish decorating our room yet... There are so many cute plushies and plants I’ve seen while exploring the capital that I wanted to buy...

“W-welcome, take any seat you’d like at the table.”

Saki, Akira, and Hikari quickly sat down, but I stayed with Asako.

“Kurenai?”

“Let me help, Asako. It’s the least I can do after you have prepared everything else.”

My warm smile seemed to have quite an impact on her, considering her cheeks turned a deeper pink. Most definitely not just from her rouge... Yes! I’ve also learned a thing here and there.

Thank you, academy course about ‘how a noble woman should act and dress’! Though, I would be lying if I said that I wasn’t curious about what the ‘how a noble man should act and dress’ course entailed.

“No. Ehm. Ah-”

“Just sit down with us, Kurenai. Asako is trying her best to impress you all as well as properly apologize to you.”

“S-saki! W-why did you tell them!?”

Asako’s face glistened dark red at this point.

“Was it meant to be a secret?”

Confused, Saki raised an eyebrow at her.

“Nonetheless, it feels wrong to just leave everything up to Asako.”

“Kurenai, don’t forget your manners.”

Saki threw a glare at me that reminded me of the dark times we had in ‘that’ course.

They had a former royal maid lecture us... she was sooo strict! The moment you did even the smallest thing wrong, she would glare at you just like that, with a whip in hand.

Nooooouuuu. Not the whip!

“If you are attending someone’s party, it is considered quite rude to disregard the host’s hospitality. Even if it’s not meant like that!”

Saki and I both repeated one of her lectures.

Without any more resistance, I quickly joined them at the table as Saki started setting the table.

She did it just as elegantly as the former royal maid taught us. It wasn’t even comparable to how the butlers did it in the dining hall.

We just sat there, staring at her in awe. How gracefully she moved, with no unnecessary motions, her expression stoic and focused the entire time.

Is this really Asako? She’s handling everything so differently from her usual shy side.

“Impressed?”

Boastfully, Saki asked me.

“...”

The way she graciously poured tea for everyone entranced us wholly.

“Kurenai? Snap, snap.”

Saki literally had to snap me out of it, that’s how charmed I was.

“Ehm! Oh! Yeah! You’re so good at that, Asako!”

Almost too good! Her performance might be just as dangerous as Akira’s all-powerful and hypnotic tail! Gotta be cautious around her... Who knows what other secret weapons she’s hiding.

“Ho, ho, ho. Well done, Asako. Seems like our preparations worked wonderfully.”

“T-thank you very much, Saki-sensei.”

Joyously, Asako bowed to Saki, properly thanking her.

Phew. Thank god... She’s back to her usual self!

“Hopefully you’ll like the taste, it’s an herbal tea from my home village.”

Asako explained as I lifted the cup to my nose.

“It smells wonderful!”

I would even go so far as to say that it smells better than the tea from Lucian.

Meanwhile, at the dining hall, Lucian was cleaning the tables.

“Achooo! Someone’s talking badly about me!? What did I do to deserve that?”

He overdramatically acted hurt.

Back at our tea party.

“Hehe. Well! Our village is quite well known for producing this tea. Even higher nobles love to order it.”

“I can see why! It’s soooo delicious. Could I have another one?”

Huh!?

“Hikari! Don’t rush like that!”

I scolded her for just gulping it down in one go before the tea party even officially began, making everyone else burst into laughter.

“Not a problem at all, we prepared plenty of tea and sweets in advance. Heheh.”

Asako said as she poured Hikari another cup before sitting down beside me.

She had this weird look on her face, as if something bothered her.

“What’s wrong? Is it Hikari’s behavior after all!?”

Just waiting for Asako’s confirmation, I was already ready to light a fire under Hikari.

“I wish...”

She started, turning to me.

“Just give me the word!”

I narrowed my eyes, making Hikari shudder.

“... I was nearly as strong as you are, Kurenai.”

Eh?

Looking back at her, I was completely stumped.

Me? Strong? What is she talking about? I’m still F-ranked, and I haven’t accomplished anything yet... I haven’t even gotten the chance to fight a legendary beast yet!

“I’m not strong, though.”

“You absolutely are!”

She retorted with fire in her eyes.

Gently, I shook my head, then warmly smiled at her.

“I’m overjoyed that you think so...”

“Because it’s a fact-”

“... But. I still have a long road ahead of me. I’m still really far from being able to face him.”

“Him? Alaric, or maybe the student council president!? Whoever it is must be really strong!”

Asako thought to herself.

“Yet you still manage to keep going forward, no matter what happens... even when I betrayed you...”

Her face crumpled and her eyes teared up.

“Hey! You are just as strong as me... if not even stronger than me.”

I quickly pulled her close and hugged her tight.

“I’m so sorry... for what I did... to you, Kurenai!”

She stammered through sobs, trying to fight back the tears.

“It’s already in the past and not just that, but you already made up plenty for that.”

“...”

Lifting her head, she looked right at me.

“You didn’t just have the courage to apologize, but you also went out of your way to plan this entire tea party, gather everything for it, and host it in a magnificent manner for us! Just look at all the happiness you shared with us.”

Comforting her, I brushed away her tears.

Looking around at everyone joyfully smiling and enjoying her tea and sweets brought a wide smile to Asako’s face.

“She truly is... super strong.”

Asako thought.

“How are you able to constantly move forward like that?”

“Because... it’s my duty, as a soon-to-be legendary hero!”

I was so swallowed up by the mood that I accidentally blurted that out... How does that keep happening to me!?

“Hehe... Hahaha! Somehow... coming from you, it sounds way different than how other people say it.”

“A legendary hero... huh? True... Kurenai truly is... My legendary hero!”

Asako thought, barely able to hold back from giggling.

Despite my cheeks glowing bright pink, I was still pleased that Asako was back to smiling.

I’m glad I was able to cheer her up.

“You know... We talked so much that they almost finished all the sweets.”

With a cheerful smile, she pointed out.

Eeeeeeh!?

“Hey! Leave some for us! You gluttons!”

Angrily, I shouted before I picked up the cup and took my first sip.

Uuuuuh!

“It tastes so heart-warming! I really love the natural sweet taste of it.”

“You can’t just put sugar in it and then proceed to call it its natural sweet taste. Hehe. That’s not how that works.”

Asako riposted.

“But I didn’t put any sugar in it?”

Just then, I felt a burning sensation arise inside me.