“One ‘Lifetime of Love’ set, please!”
“That cake looks delicious!”
“Two ‘Seven-Year Itch Proves True Love’ sets!”
“So many fruits! I’ve never even seen some of these!”
“One ‘Born for You’ set!”
“Is this… chicken soup with egg? Huh, surprisingly good!”
“Two ‘Wholehearted for You’ sets!”
“A heart-shaped steak topped with melted cheese and salt, drizzled with black pepper sauce… This restaurant really knows what it’s doing! Mr. Sheffil, can I have your portion too—”
“No way! Hey—are you seriously that shameless?!”
Sheffil hurriedly pulled his plate of steak close, practically guarding it with his life.
This girl had been devouring everything since they sat down—eating and eating and eating.
No matter what dish it was, she found it delicious.
Out of their 500-ruby couple’s meal, she had easily polished off 450 worth on her own.
Honestly, why would a couple’s set meal include this much food?
Just the cake and fried chicken alone were calorie bombs, and they served two portions of everything.
What kind of girl could eat that much?
Ah.
Well, except for this gluttonous ojou-sama right here.
***
Affection Meter
Tianxia × Sheffil: 30 / 100
Details:
① A young lady from the Scarlet Summer Empire, with a mysterious background.
[Updated]
② Loves to eat. Can eat a lot.
The affection meter popped up on its own, updating Tianxia’s info.
But to Sheffil, it was nothing more than an increase in useless data.
“Ahh, I’m stuffed! Mr. Sheffil, what’s the name of this place?”
Tianxia slouched against the sofa, gently rubbing her slightly bloated belly, a look of utter satisfaction on her face as she lazily turned her eyes toward Sheffil.
“Looks like the owner took a big loss this time… This place is called Hound Tavern, but normally these dishes cost way more than 500 rubies. So do me a favor and go easy on them.”
From what Sheffil knew, this tavern didn’t even offer couple’s specials.
All the dishes they just had were probably whipped up by the owner on the spot.
“I’ll remember that. Thank you for introducing such a great place, Mr. Sheffil.”
Tianxia sat upright and gave a polite nod of gratitude.
“And now you remember your manners.”
Sheffil waved her off.
“No need for thanks. Just don’t use my name to mooch free food here again.”
“So in your eyes, I’m already that kind of person? That really hurts, you know…”
“Yeah.” (Cold)
“Waaah~”
“That cry sounds fake.”
Sheffil stood up, ignoring Tianxia’s poorly acted sobbing.
“Anyway, you’ve eaten. Time to go. Don’t want people getting the wrong idea again.”
“But there are still so many places I haven’t visited!”
“Not my problem. Wasn’t Dorothy supposed to be the one guiding you?”
“But when I went to look for Miss Dorothy, she was holding hands with another girl, so I didn’t want to disturb them. As her childhood friend, shouldn’t I help ease her burdens?”
“So you didn’t come to the training grounds at all?”
“At least I wasn’t lying about wanting a tour, right?”
“Great. But Dorothy being unavailable has nothing to do with me.”
“But everyone says if Dorothy’s not free, Sheffil will definitely help! Even Dorothy herself said so!”
“Well, your big brother Sheffil is shockingly busy today. How’s that for a reason?”
Sheffil paced along the edge of the room, deep in thought.
For some reason, he always felt unusually guarded around Tianxia.
Maybe it was just his imagination, but in her eyes, he saw a fierce and intense aggressiveness—one that, in the past, had been aimed solely at Dorothy.
But today, that beast-like gaze had locked onto him, just a background character in Dorothy’s life.
What unsettled Sheffil the most, however, was the strange sense of familiarity he felt toward her.
It wasn’t love or attraction, but something more instinctual—a vague fondness that made him feel vulnerable.
Honestly, he wished Dorothy would give up on trying to “capture” this girl altogether.
Even seeing her so relaxed earlier hadn’t eased his wariness.
If Tianxia was clinging to him like this, there had to be an ulterior motive.
Sheffil didn’t believe for a second that she was just being friendly.
“You’re such an unromantic man… No wonder you’re still single, even as Dorothy’s childhood friend.”
Tianxia pouted and turned away with a huff.
“Ouch. Miss Tianxia’s claws are out.”
Sheffil’s brow twitched at the jab.
He glared at her, only for her to respond with a smug little snort.
“Just stating facts.”
She mimicked his tone in a slow, deliberate drawl.
When she saw how dark his expression had turned, she finally continued,
“I’m just asking you to walk around town with me a bit. Do you know how sad it is for a girl to get rejected so thoroughly?”
“Just one little stroll—can’t we?”
With her hands clasped and head tilted, Tianxia gazed up at Sheffil with pleading eyes.
No matter how used he was to dealing with beautiful girls, Sheffil’s heart always softened when a girl asked him for something like that.
Really now.
Whether it was Dorothy or Tianxia, the moment they asked him for a favor, he couldn’t say no.
Maybe he was just the kind of guy who couldn’t handle soft approaches.
“…Fine. I give up.”
“Let’s say I’m doing it for Dorothy. That girl owes me another favor now…”
“I truly appreciate it, Mr. Sheffil.”
Tianxia cut him off before he could finish, her elegant smile returning like a practiced mask.
“Hmph. Don’t thank me. Your gratitude only mocks my weakness.”
Sheffil scoffed and turned away, refusing to meet her gaze.
He’d figured it out.
Whenever this woman was in a good mood, she wore that same serene smile.
“Hehe, Mr. Sheffil, you’re so shy.”
Tianxia chuckled softly, but behind Sheffil’s back, the smile quickly vanished from her face.
After spending half the day with him, she had her answer.
The tremor in her heart when she saw him yesterday—it wasn’t her imagination.
She, who hadn’t felt anything toward a man in over a decade, felt an inexplicable fondness for this complete stranger.
It wasn’t love at first sight.
It wasn’t infatuation.
It wasn’t even a curiosity.
Just… a nameless ‘affection.’
“But why?”
With a sidelong glance at the man walking ahead, Tianxia murmured to herself, lost in thought.
No matter how many times she and Sheffil looked back on this day, neither of them would ever guess the true nature—or origin—of that strange emotion.
And they could never have imagined that this wasn’t just the story of ‘Dorothy’s childhood friend.’
This… was the beginning of the legend known as Sheffil.
Huh.. a nameless ‘affection’. Interesting.