Chapter 21: The Mean-Spirited Young Lady

“Ah~”

The spoon was gently delivered into Dounia’s cherry lips.
The savory freshness of the shrimp exploded with intense flavor in her mouth.
Having gone several meals without proper food, Dounia nearly burst into tears.

If she didn’t know this was the world of a hidden route, and if this were a food-themed anime, she might have even had her clothes explode off for added excitement.

Dounia’s cheeks puffed out slightly as she vigorously chewed the tough, springy squid rings, the subtle meaty fragrance invigorating her spirits.

The spoon slowly withdrew from Dounia’s mouth, a glistening line of saliva flashing for an instant.

Violet, understanding, narrowed her eyes slightly, scooped up another spoonful, and brought it to Dounia’s lips.

Chew, chew.

One spoonful after another, the genuine crab meat was as white as jade, plump and succulent, tasting several tiers more delicious than any crab stick she had eaten in her past life.
Dounia couldn’t help but secrete saliva frantically, wanting to properly digest all the deliciousness in her mouth.

Violet’s feeding speed grew faster and faster.
Dounia’s cheeks became round and puffy, like a hamster storing food in its mouth.

“Mmmph—!? I can’t eat anymore!”

She tried her best to chew quickly, her cheeks growing tired and flushed from the effort.

Although the tender, juicy, and firm flesh of the shellfish and fish added a rich layer of texture to this seafood rice, making it so delicious she nearly chewed off her own tongue, her speed was, after all, limited.

“I really… I really can’t eat anymore!~”

Dounia shook her head desperately, but Violet held her chin with one hand and firmly pushed the spoon into her mouth.

“Uii! Cough, cough, cough…”

“So mean…” Dounia mumbled indistinctly, her tear-filled eyes on the verge of overflowing.

Only then did Violet slowly pull the spoon out of Dounia’s mouth, drawing out a long, glistening, transparent thread.

“Hah… hah…” Dounia, looking like a little hamster, had tears welling at the corners of her eyes, appearing extremely pitiful.

“Mmm~ Poor little Dounia… there, there~” Seeing her aggrieved expression, Violet couldn’t have been more pleased.
A hint of slyness appeared in her eyes, yet she couldn’t stop her hands from gently kneading Dounia’s puffed-up, flushed cheeks.

“Wuwu…” Large teardrops rolled from the corners of Dounia’s eyes.

‘She couldn’t understand it either. Why did she suddenly feel so sad and wronged that she started crying?’

‘It must be because this body is too weak… It has nothing to do with me… It must be!’

“Oh—don’t cry, don’t cry.” Violet, slightly flustered, hugged Dounia and pressed her head against her chest without any hesitation.

“Guh!” Dounia let out an unwilling, muffled sound, but then her body gradually went limp.

‘Violet is too much…’

‘This, this—who could withstand such a trial…’

‘My head feels like it’s about to melt. Violet smells so good.’

“Good girl, good girl~ Don’t cry, don’t cry, okay~” Violet gently stroked Dounia’s hair, afraid that she had made Dounia unhappy.

Dounia laboriously lifted her head from the rounded peaks, looking to Violet’s side.

The attribute panel popped up—[Favorability: 21.3%, Alienation: 32%]

‘Gaining favorability on the sly without even needing to actively work for it… This feeling of being loved by a gentle young lady is simply too wonderful…’

‘I must protect the best Miss Violet in the world!’

‘Whoever tries to steal her from me, I’ll fight them! Even if the original protagonist shows up, I’ll have to give her a kick!’

Seeing the slightly wary and hostile look in Dounia’s eyes, the corners of Violet’s mouth couldn’t help but lift again.

“Why are you still angry with me…?”

She reached out and gave Dounia’s cheek a light squeeze.

“Hmph, I’m not angry with Violet either.” A blush appeared on Dounia’s cheeks.

“Mmm~? Is that so.” Violet hugged Dounia and spun her around. “I’ll reward you with another spoonful.”

Dounia glanced at Violet, then obediently opened her mouth and ate all the seafood rice on the spoon until it was clean.

After eating about half of it, Dounia’s stomach was already full.

“Rub the tummy, rub the tummy!~” Violet suddenly launched a sneak attack, grabbing the soft flesh of Dounia’s belly, startling her.

‘This, this isn’t right, is it?’

“Why does it really feel like I’m being raised as a pet!? Miss Violet, you’re being so rude…” Dounia turned her head away.

“No~”

“Look into my eyes. I really don’t mean it like that… right?” Violet’s pure, translucent, sea-blue eyes looked at Dounia, blinking waterily.

‘The more beautiful a woman is, the better she can deceive.’

‘Her deceptive skills go far beyond lying; her eyes will also entice you to believe her.’

Dounia nearly covered her face and wept.

“I believe… I believe you, okay… Miss Violet, you’re too close,” Dounia said in a small, timid voice, her face blushing.

‘Damn it! Violet is taking advantage of me, isn’t she!?’

‘Putting aside whether I have practical experience, if there were ever an exam on theoretical skills, I would definitely get a hundred!’

“Dounia is so cute. Even though we’re both girls, you still say things like that,” Violet praised with a smile.

‘You’re the last person who should be saying that! Anyone who’s played this hidden route knows you’re the game’s resident lesbian!’

“Why does Dounia have an expression like she’s muttering about me in her head?”

Violet blinked curiously.

“Hahaha!~”

Even Lilith, who had been playing dead all this time, couldn’t help but appear, one hand clutching her stomach, the other pointing at Dounia, laughing uproariously.

‘Can’t hold it in.jpg’

“Aiya, don’t worry~ She can’t see me.”

“You’ve got a whole bellyful of complaints you want to let out right now, don’t you? It must be so uncomfortable not being able to say them~” Lilith said in an extremely odd, taunting tone.

Dounia’s face flushed beet red; she felt like she was about to overheat.

“Eh? Dounia is still a child, you shouldn’t be cursing so filthily in your head, okay?” Violet prompted in a voice strikingly similar to Kana Hanazawa’s.

“Wuwu.” Dounia covered her face with both hands, steam rising from the top of her head.

‘Can’t say it, can’t even mutter it in my head. Do I have some kind of passive skill that gives me “100% chance of having my mind read from my facial expression”!?’

“No, it’s actually not Dounia’s fault, you know.” Violet soothed Dounia. “Actually, I’m just very good at reading people’s expressions.”

‘And she can even accurately chat across different channels. She’s simply unmatched…’

Dounia, embarrassed and indignant, bumped her head against Violet’s, which made her giggle from the ticklish sensation.

“Dounia-chan is so fun to tease~ So amusing~”

“Actually, I was just guessing about all that stuff earlier. Believe me~”

Dounia stared at Violet disbelievingly, only to be met with her smiling in return.

[Favorability: 21.8%, Alienation: 31.5%]

‘The Alienation was at 32% just now, and now it’s starting to drop?’

‘It was like this last time too. It seems all I need to do is satisfy her “unconscious” part.’

‘Damn it…’

Dounia suddenly remembered a very common little psychology joke.

It goes that a yakuza boss’s son died, and no matter how many psychologists he saw, he couldn’t get out of his psychological shadow, unable to sleep night after night.

Until one day, a psychologist suggested he raise a goldfish…

A week later, the yakuza boss excitedly grabbed the psychologist’s hand, praising him as a miracle doctor.

“Turns out I wasn’t the psychologist at all, I was the freaking goldfish-nya!”

Dounia gritted her teeth in frustration.