“That one! And that one!”
“Mmm… delicious!”
Stuffing a mouthful of cream-covered pasta into her mouth, Lintis held her small face in her hands, looking completely satisfied.
Seeing her like this, Shilo’s gaze softened considerably, a faint smile playing on the corners of his lips.
As he twirled another forkful of pasta and held it to the Saintess’s lips, he suddenly remembered something. His hand paused in midair as he spoke.
“By the way, Saintess, aren’t you going to change back? This body isn’t very convenient, is it?”
She took the food into her mouth, feeling the milky sweetness spread across her palate before swallowing it down.
Lintis blinked and tilted her small head, staring curiously at Shilo.
“Mr. Shilo, are you only asking that now? Weren’t you the one who insisted on carrying me?”
Stared at by those eyes that were almost too clean, Shilo felt a sudden wave of fluster. His heart skipped half a beat for no reason.
However, he did not want the Saintess to notice anything unusual, so he forced himself to remain calm.
“I was just asking, Saintess. I only carried you out of the goodness of my heart. Do you think that was wrong?”
Hearing this, Lintis stared at Shilo for a long time before nodding thoughtfully.
“Mmm… I suppose so. In that case, I should give the helpful Mr. Shilo a reward!”
As she spoke, a white light began to glow in her hand. Letting out a small “heyo,” she pushed herself up from the table, stood up, and pressed her small palm against Shilo’s forehead.
Then she sat back down, swinging her little legs and humming a song, looking very happy.
The cold sensation on his forehead felt a bit itchy. Shilo reached up and felt a slightly damp, cold, hard object.
It was a star, exactly like the one in his room’s drawer.
Shilo’s lips parted. He hesitated for a moment before asking, “Saintess, it’s not actually going to explode, is it?”
This single doubt caused Lintis, who had been in a good mood, to puff out her cheeks. She crossed her arms and sat on the table, staring straight at Shilo.
“I already said it won’t! How many times do I have to tell you, Mr. Blockhead?”
Looking at that round, puffed-up face, Shilo wanted to laugh but held it back. He silently tucked the star into his pocket, placed his hands on either side of the Saintess’s waist, and lifted her down.
Lintis, still sulking, wasn’t about to let him have his way so easily. She was just about to struggle when Shilo’s voice rang out.
“Saintess, isn’t it a bit impolite to sit on the table while eating?”
Lintis froze. She felt a bit wronged, but her logic told her he was right.
While she was conflicted, Shilo had already placed her back on his lap. This made her feel a bit embarrassed, so she could only let out a cold snort to show her displeasure.
“Honestly, you’re always trying to label me! Bad man! I was standing on the table just now; why didn’t you say anything then?”
Hearing the Saintess’s quiet grumbling, Shilo smiled imperceptibly.
“That was then, and this is now. I am simply correcting your behavior. Besides, you still haven’t answered why you haven’t changed back. I’m actually quite curious about magic.”
Lintis pouted and lay down on the table unhappily, though she didn’t refuse to answer.
“I just can’t change back for the time being. It’s a small side effect of the magic.”
Shilo nodded at this explanation and didn’t linger on the topic.
“I see.”
“But… Saintess, what made you suddenly decide to turn yourself into this?”
Lintis, who had been lying on the table, suddenly sat up and let out a few proud hums.
“It was for a game of Knights! Xiaobai is big, but carrying a full-grown adult is still a bit of a struggle, so I turned into this.”
At this point, Lintis paused and turned to look at Shilo with a beaming smile.
“Mr. Shilo, if you dare say I’m heavy, I’ll make you experience being small tomorrow too ~”
Although they were words of threat, when spoken in the Saintess’s childish voice, they didn’t feel threatening at all. Instead, it felt strangely cute.
Looking at her like this, Shilo suddenly felt a strong urge to pinch her cheeks. But the Saintess would surely get truly angry if he did that, right?
Realizing his thoughts were a bit disrespectful, Shilo rubbed his nose sheepishly.
“Fine, I won’t say it.”
“That’s more like it.” Lintis smiled and nodded in satisfaction.
“Then, Saintess, would you like more to eat?”
“Yes!”
It wasn’t until the Saintess was completely full that the meal finally ended.
Lintis rubbed her slightly bulging little tummy and lay on the sofa, staring blankly at the ceiling with nothing to do.
Shilo silently cleared the dining table, preparing to go to the kitchen to wash up.
It was so natural—as natural as if she had hired a maid…
Looking at the lazy Saintess, he would usually feel annoyed by her lethargy.
But now… he would just let her be.
This was fine…
Shilo shook his head, finished gathering the dishes, and went to the kitchen to wash them.
When he finished and returned to the living room, he found the Saintess still staring blankly at the ceiling.
This made him feel a twinge of disappointment.
‘She didn’t fall asleep this time.’
The thought surfaced in his mind involuntarily, and by the time he realized it, it was too late to stop it.
“…” Shilo fell silent.
There was a dull *thud*.
“Eh, what happened!”
Startled by the sound, Lintis sat up on the sofa and looked around.
Then she spotted Mr. Shilo by the kitchen door; it seemed he had just used his head to attack the solid wood door.
‘Has he lost his mind?’
That thought appeared in Lintis’s mind, but what she actually said was:
“Mr. Shilo? Are you all right?”
Shilo covered his reddening forehead, averted his gaze, and mumbled unclearly, “Mmm… that… no… mmm…”
“Mr. Shilo?”
“…I’m fine, Saintess. You should go take a bath; it’s about time to rest.”
Lintis looked suspiciously at Shilo, who had been avoiding eye contact since a moment ago, and tilted her head.
Past experience told her that at times like this, she must have done something again.
So, she quickly checked to see if something was out of place. After several confirmations, she found no problems.
She looked at Shilo again. By now, he had recovered and was staring straight at her.
For some reason, being looked at like that made her feel a bit uneasy.
Thus, she fled the scene, returning to her room and taking her pajamas into the bathroom.
The clothes she was currently wearing were the same ones she had worn during the day, except that under the influence of magic, they had been shrunk proportionally.
As for how she was supposed to wear the pajamas that were now clearly several sizes too large?
The corners of Lintis’s mouth curled up slightly, and a white light flashed.
***
Having changed into her pajamas, Lintis walked out of the bathroom while rubbing her still-damp hair, only to see Shilo preparing to head out.
“Mr. Shilo, are you going to be busy with farm work even this late?”
“Yes.”
Shilo nodded and opened the door to leave.
“Then… rest early ~ I’m going to sleep first.”
With that, the tiny Lintis let out a yawn and turned to climb the stairs.
Looking at the small figure struggling slightly to climb the steps, Shilo suddenly spoke.
“Saintess, thank you.”
Lintis turned around, looking at him with utter confusion.
“What’s wrong?”
“Just, thank you for looking out for my feelings.”
An unexpected flash appeared in Lintis’s eyes, but her expression remained one of feigned ignorance.
“Mr. Shilo, what are you talking about?”
Seeing her continue to play dumb, Shilo smiled.
“Nothing. It’s just… next time you care about me, please just say it outright. I think I would be quite happy to hear it.”
Lintis’s eyes widened, and her small face turned bright red.
“You’re copying me!”
“Am I?” Shilo shrugged nonchalantly, then pulled the door open. Before leaving, he added one more thing.
“Well then, goodnight, Saintess.”
Having said his piece, he closed the door before Lintis could lose her temper.
He left Lintis staring at the closed wooden door with flushed cheeks.
After a long while, she stomped her foot and turned toward her room, muttering something resentfully as she walked.
The next moment, white light enveloped her entire body.
When the light dissipated, she had returned to her original form.
However, there was no sign of her resentment fading.
“Bad guy!”