The warmth of steam rising from the dessert prickled against her skin and drilled into her defenseless nostrils.
The fruity tang scent seeped through the sweetness—sticky, fragrant jam, thick with sugar and just a hint of something citrusy teased her senses like the memory of something she.
'This is what they call Jam Roly-Poly? I don't know what it looks like, but it smells good.
Reminds me a bit of Melon Pan, but this is much better. To think a little boy made it, he should be given an award. I wonder how old he is?'
Through the smell alone, she could already tell this was heavenly made, but as much as she wanted to dig in…
…she had to take into account what had happened the last time she consumed something.
'Ah, right. I was poisoned…'
Her fingers curled slightly on the rough wooden table.
Yuzuriha lost her life in the arms of her murderous husband in that cold office bathroom.
It was a stark contrast to the table she was seated at and the warm atmosphere of the apartment she found herself in.
The walls weren't too far apart, this place was cozy, and its air was filled with the warmth of lived-in comfort.
This sure did bring back memories from living with the old couple that adopted her.
They used to live in a smaller apartment, everything was so close that a step in one direction often brought her near a wall or a piece of furniture.
It was exactly the same with this one.
A faint remorseful smile tugged at her lips as she brought her hand down to the dessert, using her sense of smell and touch to locate it.
Yuzuriha felt a piece of the jam roly-poly, it was warm but not too warm and soft—perhaps fluffy as well.
As she brought it closer to her mouth, the scent grew stronger. There was a crispness at the edges, like the scent of golden baked pastry just as it leaves the oven.
At this point, her mouth was probably drooling. She couldn't resist anymore. The torture of vanilla and steam was killing her!
'These two don't seem like the type…right? Besides, how good can this be?'
She took a small, cautious bite.
The moment it touched her tongue, warmth bloomed, and then—the world shattered.
'Savory! Smoky! Sweet! Crispy! This—this..!'
Her eyes widened as flavors burst through her mouth, rolling over her tongue in waves. The warmth settled in her chest, spreading through her entire body like sunlight after a lifetime of winter.
"THIS IS AMAZING!"
A new voice echoed in her ears, it was high pitched and shouted the exact thoughts she was having in that moment.
Yuzuriha's body tensed, heat rushing to her face as her hands instinctively clamped over her mouth. By then, she was already on her feet.
'Wuah?! Was that my voice?! I can speak?! But I was mute a second ago. What's going on?!'
⟨⟨Processing complicate. The astris Art [Soulspeak] has been acquired⟩⟩
That familiar voice rang out in the back of her mind.
'The Voice of God?!'
She almost shouted those words, but thanks to her hands, they came out muffled.
Once again, she had spoken—sort of.
She looked around half panicked but saw nothing, as expected.
That voice obviously came from her mind, so she must have either been hearing things or it was the Voice of God again.
It would have been nice to prove that, but it had gone silent once again.
Forgetting that, Yuzuriha brought her attention to the current moment.
There was a moment of silence. If it wasn't for her acute sense of hearing, she could have sworn that she was alone in this room, but unfortunately, she wasn't.
'My acute sense of hearing and the fact he walked in with me'
The person who served her this dessert must have been flabbergasted for a moment.
The little girl, Willow Drapes, wasn't with them since she was told to prepare her church clothes. 6 days from tonight was going to be Sunday to which they had to go to church.
Personally, she didn't like church but if it was a must, then she had no choice in the matter.
In this kitchen, she was left with the other person she walked home with.
That person was Leo for short and full name Leopold Drapes. She must have known what he looked like but just didn't remember.
'Huh, remember what?'
Yuzuriha didn't recall being told any of that, yet she knew somehow. Anyways, he had stopped moving around so she assumed he must have been taken aback by her outburst.
"Woah, Yor, that…just now, was something. You've never reacted like that before to any of the desserts I made. You always brushed them off like nothing. Are you feeling good?"
Leo asked in a surprised and concerned tone. She deflated back to her seat, realizing that she might have blown it.
'Blown what exactly? What is going on here?!'
As she shouted internally, Leo immediately placed his palm on her forehead for a couple of seconds before removing it.
"Well, you don't seem to have a fever or anything of the sort. Did I make it that good?"
The boy pondered for a second before shouting at the top of his lungs, he probably did a victory pose as well.
"Hell yeah! Even the cold hearted Yor Drapes screamed for joy at the taste of my dish then that means my skills are getting sharper! Gray City Fair, here I come!"
Yep, he definitely did a victory pose.
Now then, how to respond to him? As he mentioned, this Yor character, who she is being referred to, came off as a cold individual, so maybe something of the sort might work.
'Alright, since this is something he's used to, I'll try!'
While Leo was celebrating, Yuzuriha whipped her head to the side attempting to be edgy but broke down immediately after.
'I can't do it! His jam really was too delicious. It'll be mean to just brush him off. I got to show him some gratitude while also not giving myself away. Right!'
At the same time, she raised her head and puffed her cheeks, there was a sudden shout from the door.
"Yor! Leo! Willow! I'm home!"