Chapter 18 : Chapter 18
Chapter 18: Can Juice Make You Drunk?
The Saintess’s character description did indeed mention that her “natural fragrance resembles orchids in a secluded valley.” But like most flavor text used to pad descriptions, such details meant absolutely nothing to players sitting behind the controls. Of course, that did not rule out the possibility of some extraordinary individual who washed their screen with saliva and possessed the spiritual power to transcend dimensions and gain a sense of smell.
Fia herself could not detect anything. She even extended her pale arm under Yuna’s nose. Beastfolk were said to possess sharp senses, so perhaps she might notice something unusual.
The result was that the clueless catgirl bit down on it and even licked it.
After a wave of goosebumps erupted across her skin, Fia’s iron fist of justice still landed on the naughty cat’s head.
Yuna, clutching her head, was then taken away by the maids who had come to fetch her for dinner. For some reason, her cat-eared little-girl appearance was extremely popular among them.
After pushing the desk back to its original position, Fia also headed toward the cafeteria.
Why not simply have the food delivered to her room?
Among the letters she had processed earlier, there were several enthusiastic remarks from the maid responsible for delivering meals.
“Whenever I think about how a Saintess eats the food I deliver every day, I feel as if a warm power fills my body.”
“Oh, my beautiful Saintess, Lady Fia. When you hold your bowl, it is as if you are holding my hand. Every sip of soup you drink is my love for you~”
“Thank the embodiment of Love and Justice for allowing me to serve in this position. I have carefully preserved the bowls and utensils you used after every meal…”
That was the reason.
The Church cafeteria, like the dispatch office, had young children helping out. They assisted the chefs with simple preparation tasks, such as handling ingredients before cooking, or delivering meals. The guests would smile and pat their heads, giving them candies or other small treats.
Originally, Yuna might have been one of them. But cats shed fur easily, so the administrators rejected the idea. That was how she later ended up meeting her adoptive father.
Because the dining environment was relaxed and most workers had comfortable financial situations, many Church staff preferred to gather privately for meals or go out to restaurants on the commercial street. As a result, the cafeteria was not particularly crowded.
The more Fia thought about it, the more it resembled a university campus.
Her arrival did not attract much attention. After taking her meal and greeting a few people who stood up to salute her, she intended to find a random seat.
But then she noticed an unexpected target.
She did not even need to search carefully. At a round table near the center, several brightly dressed girls surrounded a vivid splash of red amid their loud laughter.
Lorinna—and her little circle.
Strangely enough, although the girls formed a group centered around Lorinna in Fia’s view, each of them was dressed more flamboyantly than she was. To put it visually, the “special effects” of their outfits were practically drowning Lorinna herself.
What was this supposed to be? A group teasing a child?
“Everyone, I would like to have dinner alone with Lorinna. Is that alright?”
With a polite, formal smile, Fia walked up behind them.
“She hasn’t been taking her work seriously lately. I’d like to take this opportunity to talk to her about it.”
She had come here specifically to break up this little group.
The girls reacted faster than she expected. Their initial surprise at hearing her voice immediately transformed into even brighter smiles once they recognized her.
“It’s the Saintess. Please, go ahead.”
“Of course. It would be our honor.”
They all vacated their seats, their enthusiasm far greater than when speaking with Lorinna.
Watching her so-called friends relocate to nearby tables while staring intently at them, the candidate finally tasted what it felt like to be isolated.
“What are you doing?!”
She glared at Fia, who had taken the seat beside her.
“Why are you interrupting my dinner?”
She lowered her voice. If there was something to discuss, could she not simply say it privately in her room?
But Fia merely glanced at her and said calmly,
“You should spend less time with bad company.”
This woman. This woman!
Lorinna felt as though she was about to explode with anger.
Her lips trembled, her chest heaving as she nearly lashed out.
Then a series of soft gasps rose from the surrounding tables. A slice of meat glistening with oil and seasoning was lifted from her plate and placed directly into someone’s mouth.
It had been her food.
Once Lorinna realized what had happened, she suddenly stood up and pointed at Fia’s cheeks, which puffed slightly as she chewed, her finger nearly poking into her mouth.
“Y-you… shameless! Don’t you have your own food?!”
Whispers drifted through the air.
“So the rumor was true. I shouldn’t have sent that letter.”
“Yes, yes. But why does Lorinna look so angry?”
“You don’t understand. This is the special chemistry between Saintesses~”
What special chemistry?!
After swallowing the food, Fia reached out and pulled the furious Lorinna back into her seat.
If you needed to ask someone for help, the first step was eating their food. What was so hard to understand about that?
“You can eat mine too. Let’s talk after dinner.”
Fia pushed her own plate toward Lorinna, then shamelessly picked up another slice of meat from Lorinna’s plate. The cafeteria chefs had real skill—the dish was wonderfully seasoned.
Restless.
That perfectly described Lorinna’s current state.
Under the slightly dim lighting, Fia’s face appeared different than usual. She was neither the distant, holy Saintess people normally saw nor the cunning girl from that night. She simply sat beside her, eating her food, close enough to touch—close enough to pull into an embrace.
For convenience while eating, Fia had tied up her long golden hair, revealing her delicate ears. From Lorinna’s angle, she could even glimpse the subtle gap at the collar of the Saintess robe.
This woman simply did not know how to dress properly. The robe she had left in Lorinna’s room before was the same—its collar always loose and messy.
A small smear of food seemed to linger at the corner of her pink lips.
Almost unconsciously, Lorinna reached out, intending to wipe it away.
Halfway through the motion, she suddenly realized what she was doing. With an irritated snort, she grabbed her fork and stabbed a piece of broccoli from Fia’s plate instead.
A chorus of teasing sounds erupted around them.
When Lorinna looked over, the girls were all quietly eating their own meals, occasionally leaning over to whisper to each other.
Why does this broccoli smell so good? Did the chef add some secret seasoning again?
As she chewed, Lorinna began to feel thirsty.
“I’m preparing to leave the Church.”
The quiet voice came from beside her.
Lorinna had just taken a sip of juice. Hearing those words, she immediately began coughing violently.
“You—cough—cough…”
Fia reached out and gently patted her back to help her catch her breath.
“Don’t worry. I might come back soon.”
Lorinna fell silent.
The fragrance seemed stronger now. She felt sweat seeping from beneath her skin, and fine beads of moisture appeared on her forehead.
Gulp.
She took another sip of juice.
Fia also heard the quiet response beside her.
“What should I do?”
“Just continue doing your work normally. I’m telling you in advance so you won’t panic.”
Mainly because she was afraid that if she suddenly disappeared, Lorinna might once again be pushed into doing something strange.
Considering how she had previously kept the secret of the key, even though it had been revealed by accident, Fia was willing to trust this candidate she had personally guided once more.
Fia picked up a piece of broccoli from her plate and this time held it toward Lorinna’s mouth. Since she seemed to like this vegetable so much, she might as well eat them all.
Lorinna’s breathing faltered for a moment. Then, as if resigning herself, she leaned forward and accepted the offered food.
Thud.
A girl nearby suddenly collapsed onto the floor with her head tilted back. Her companion gave the two of them an awkward smile before dragging her away like a corpse.
The others soon stood up one after another, making excuses to bid Lorinna farewell.
Soon the cafeteria was nearly empty. The service window slammed shut with a bang, and a sign reading “Closed” was hung outside.
Only the two of them remained.
By the time Lorinna realized this, she had already unconsciously finished drinking Fia’s juice.
“Don’t you think it’s getting a little warm here?”
Can juice make you drunk?
Looking at Lorinna’s flushed face, Fia could not help but feel puzzled. The last time in the bathhouse, she had not reacted this strongly.