Chapter 7: The Campus Goddess Ate My Cookie
It was an extremely slow movement, and somehow that only made it more dangerous.
Tessa could feel Seraphina Frost’s warm, elegant gardenia scent growing stronger as she leaned closer. Then something soft and warm touched the teddy bear cookie pinched between Tessa’s fingertips, gentle as a whisper.
A tiny crunch followed.
The cookie was eaten.
At the moment Seraphina took the cookie, her soft lips seemed to brush Tessa’s fingertips by accident.
A shock ten times stronger than when Seraphina had held her hand burst from Tessa’s fingers. It raced up her arm and shot straight to the top of her head.
Tessa’s mind went completely blank. Her whole body went weak.
Inside, Tessa was screaming herself into total meltdown.
She ate it! She really ate it! She touched my hand too! I can’t do this. I’m going to melt. I’m actually going to melt!
She felt all the blood in her body rush to her face. Her heart pounded like a drum out of control, making her chest go numb. She could barely stay standing.
Just as she was about to dissolve on the spot from unbearable embarrassment and overstimulation, the system’s cool, flashy notification suddenly rang out.
[Ding! Limited-Time Quest: An Intimate Feeding has been completed!]
[Quest rewards issued.]
[1. Affection Points +50!]
[2. New feature [Sweet Whisper] unlocked!]
[Current Total Affection Points: 105!]
[Status: Affection Reserves Sufficient. Warning: Affection Points will still naturally decay at a rate of 1 point per hour. Please keep up the good work, Host.]
[New Feature Description: [Sweet Whisper]. Your voice will now carry a faint emotional resonance effect, making listeners more likely to feel comfortable and relaxed. It is an excellent support tool for conquering… ah, no, for friendly social interaction. Hehe.]
The string of system alerts instantly dragged Tessa back from the edge of social death.
Her Affection Points had passed 100.
The death countdown hanging over her head, that Sword of Damocles called Affection Depletion, had finally been temporarily lifted.
The quest was complete.
And she had gotten a new skill.
The surge of joy washed away some of her embarrassment. Tessa let out a breath of relief. Only after that tightly stretched nerve finally loosened did she realize that the corners of her closed eyes had become damp from all the tension and shame.
In Seraphina’s eyes, and in the eyes of everyone around them, that scene meant something entirely different.
The nearby students froze at first. Then a wave of suppressed gasps and excitement broke through the crowd. More than a few people instinctively raised their phones, and camera flashes blinked here and there.
“Oh my God. What did I just see?”
“That transfer student… is she so embarrassed she’s about to cry? That’s way too cute.”
“The atmosphere between those two is unreal.”
At the same time, a new post shot up Halewick University’s campus forum at terrifying speed, reaching the top of the trending page with a bright red [HOT] tag attached.
[Hot Discussion! At the Student Council Club Fair Booth, Seraphina Frost and the Stunning Transfer Student Share an Intimate Feeding Moment. Video Proof Included.]
From Seraphina’s point of view, what she saw was Tessa finally losing strength after “bravely” feeding her. The girl looked relieved, overwhelmed, and even moved enough to shed tears.
She had clearly been so shy she could barely handle it, yet for Seraphina’s sake, she still gathered all her courage and made such an intimate gesture in front of the whole school.
That image struck Seraphina’s heart with terrifying accuracy.
The wall built from reason and cool restraint deep inside her collapsed in an instant.
What did it mean to be special?
This was special.
What did it mean to rely on someone?
This was reliance.
This girl named Tessa Vale definitely had feelings for her that were unusual, pure, and burning with sincerity.
At that moment, Seraphina’s protective urge, along with a possessiveness she had never felt before, surged at a speed she could not control. Looking at Tessa’s fragile, tearful, heartbreakingly soft expression, only one thought remained in her mind.
She had to protect her.
She had to keep Tessa under her wing and make sure no one ever frightened her like this again.
So Seraphina reached out and gently wiped away the faint tear at the corner of Tessa’s eye with her fingertip. Her movement was so careful it was as if she were touching a priceless treasure.
Then, in a voice that allowed no refusal yet remained impossibly gentle, she formally made her invitation.
“Tessa, join the Student Council.”
Her voice cut through all the noise and reached Tessa clearly.
“Join my department. From now on, I’ll take care of you.”
That sentence pushed the atmosphere around them to a new peak.
This was no longer a hint.
This was direct. Open. A declaration.
Tessa’s brain crashed again.
Join the Student Council?
That place full of people, meetings, and endless social interaction?
Her social anxiety screamed inside her like it had been stabbed.
But her survival instinct was practically beating drums and ringing bells.
Go! Why are you hesitating? This is a walking, top-quality, endlessly renewable Affection Point reservoir. She literally said she would “take care of you.” She is putting a long-term meal ticket right in front of your face!
Between social anxiety and survival instinct, Tessa lifted her head and met Seraphina’s gentle eyes, which clearly said, Don’t refuse me, and also, Please say yes.
In the end, survival won by a landslide.
Blushing, Tessa gave a tiny nod.
“Mm…”
Just as Seraphina smiled with genuine, brilliant happiness at Tessa’s agreement, a sweet, teasing voice pushed in from the edge of the crowd.
“Oh my, did we arrive late? Looks like we missed something exciting.”
Tessa went stiff all over and turned her head sharply.
Her three roommates had squeezed through the crowd. Vanessa Rose led the way, wearing a smile that said she had found something very interesting. Chloe Hart and Iris Lane followed behind her, their eyes moving back and forth between Tessa and Seraphina, full of curiosity and gossip.
Vanessa especially looked Tessa up and down with those dangerous, playful eyes. Then she glanced at Seraphina’s hand, which had not yet fully pulled back after wiping Tessa’s tears. Finally, her gaze landed on Tessa’s face, which was red enough to bleed.
She walked over with elegant, unhurried steps and leaned close to Tessa’s ear. In a voice only the two of them could hear, warm and teasing, she whispered, “Little Tessa, feeding the campus queen cookies in broad daylight? How bold of you.”