Volume 2 Chapter 15 – Remember to Wipe Your Lips

“So… Mr. Dylin and Sister Felicia, you accidentally stumbled into an unknown underground lab, found all kinds of things that looked like human organs used in experiments, and were chased by some stitched-together mutant monster??”

The next morning, Wenfu covered her mouth in shock as she stared across the breakfast table at Dylin and Felicia.

After they left Coleman Forest, Wenfu had returned to normal—albeit extremely weak. It wasn’t until she got a full night’s sleep back at Coleman Academy that she finally regained her energy.

“That’s right~ If not for Mr. Dylin, the two of us might’ve been permanent residents down there… sharing that dungeon with the monster,” Felicia said with a teasing glance toward Teresa as she popped a salad leaf into her mouth, then turned her curious gaze to Dylin seated beside her.

So this is the puppet Teresa mentioned? Felicia mused. It’s disturbingly lifelike—breath, body heat, even heartbeat. Eyes full of life. Sitting this close, I wouldn’t have guessed it wasn’t human.

Even in the royal court, she’d never heard of anything like this. No known alchemist or enchanter could create a puppet this convincing. Where in the world did Teresa get something this uncanny?

Still, she had no intention of digging further.

Teresa didn’t want to talk about it, and Felicia wasn’t the type to pry.

On this point, Teresa’s trust hadn’t been misplaced. Felicia, despite her quirks, was reliable, compassionate, and certainly someone who would never betray a friend’s secret.

As Felicia gave her account, the puppet Dylin sat quietly sipping his tea, while Teresa feigned surprise, listening along with the others at the table.

“Eh? So Mr. Dylin defeated the monster?” Wenfu asked, confused.

“Of course not,” Dylin replied, setting down his teacup. “It was Felicia who defeated it. I’m only alive today thanks to her.”

“You’re too modest, Mr. Dylin. Without your help, I would’ve never escaped that pitch-dark dungeon. Isn’t that right, Teresa?” Felicia smiled at Teresa.

“Mhm.” Teresa sat demurely, hands resting on her lap, smiling as if oblivious to the deeper meaning behind Felicia’s words.

“Uu… I’m sorry… I feel like I dragged everyone down again.” Now understanding what had happened, Wenfu lowered her head guiltily.

“It’s alright, Wenfu.” We’re kind of used to it by now, Teresa thought to herself but kept a polite face.

To be fair, it wasn’t Wenfu’s fault. No one could’ve predicted that the eerie aura around the lab would affect her so strongly.

Apparently, those rumors were true—many demihumans had disappeared forever in Coleman Forest.

It still wasn’t clear why the lab’s aura affected demihumans and beastmen in particular, nor who built such a place in the first place.

“Isn’t it obvious? What else could pull off something so cruel except the Demon Race?” Wenfu pouted as she voiced her opinion. Astrid, after a brief silence, nodded slightly in agreement.

Given the circumstances, the lab being a creation of the Demon Race was a high possibility—but then why did the aura affect beastmen, who were also demons?

And then there were those strange, disjointed notes they’d found inside.

Teresa had a gut feeling—this wasn’t so simple.

“Should we report this to the academy?” Astrid asked, looking to Dylin for a decision.

“I’ll include it in my official report,” he answered.

No matter who was responsible, a lab like that couldn’t be allowed to continue.

With that resolved, their next major concern was Felicia’s dragon-blood backlash.

“We’ve got all five claws now. All that’s left is a demon’s heart and the body fluid of a relic-blooded,” Teresa said, casually tucking a platinum strand of hair behind her ear. “The latter isn’t too hard to get. The demon’s heart, though—that’s the tricky part.”

She had already discussed the matter with Astrid, who had agreed to provide some of her blood—after all, it was just a bit of bodily fluid and not too important.

But the demon heart… that meant they’d have to go back to Ruglian again and kill a proper demon with a functioning heart.

After their recent excursions, the Brilliant Sun and Moon team was exhausted. They decided to rest for a few days before heading back. As for loot beyond the claws, they’d use it as part of their project report—proof of their “day trip” to Ruglian.

Since this break was official, they planned to take full advantage of it. The coursework request had been submitted, so even skipping class for a few days wouldn’t be an issue—just so long as they didn’t bomb the finals, the academy wouldn’t make a fuss.

With the puppet Dylin left at home, Teresa chose to head out and relax a bit, hoping to ease the tension from Ruglian.

Wenfu stayed behind to study. The girl finally realized that her only contribution to the team so far was cooking.

Her field performance had been underwhelming—so she was determined not to drag them down in academics too.

No matter how small the time, Wenfu seized every moment to improve herself.

Felicia went to the training grounds. As long as the dragon blood issue wasn’t resolved, she couldn’t sit still.

Teresa left the manor and stretched with a soft sigh. Her platinum-silver hair shimmered as it cascaded down her back, a few locks falling between her collarbone and the deep ravine below.

Honestly, Coleman Academy’s girls’ uniform wasn’t exactly risqué—but somehow, when Teresa wore it, it had a uniquely seductive charm. Even she couldn’t help but poke and prod at those conspicuously bouncy areas in the mirror.

An elf should be all purity and grace, and yet she looked like… this. Maybe it was because her “assets” were just too big—they even made the uniform look like a strapless top.

Of course, having too much came with its own problems. But it didn’t stop a certain envious cat chef from pouting about it.

Teresa had once tried to comfort Wenfu:

“Everything has two sides. Being too well-developed is tough too—you get shoulder aches, and have to walk more carefully for balance. You, on the other hand, are small and flat and nearly invisible. You don’t need to worry at all~”

She’d said it with the utmost sincerity, hoping it would ease Wenfu’s inferiority complex.

Sure enough, ever since then, Teresa often caught her chugging milk.

Arriving at the academy’s leisure district, Teresa found a cozy dessert café called Tropical Wood and took a seat.

The café was built from warm wood with golden lighting—very homey. Teresa liked to sit in one of the wicker chairs outside, sipping tea while watching people pass by… not that there were many at this hour.

Quiet spots had their own charm.

“Oh?” As she took a glass of water from a passing server, Teresa caught a familiar figure in the distance.

“Astrid, over here.” She waved toward the silver-haired girl.

Astrid spotted her and glanced at the shop’s sign.

A dessert shop?

She hadn’t expected Teresa to like sweets—couldn’t quite imagine her in that kind of scene.

While Astrid studied her, Teresa took a sip of water and returned the favor—scanning Astrid from head to toe.

Astrid was the definition of a model student. Even outside of class, she still wore the academy uniform—though, to be fair, so did Teresa. It was just that she had no spare clothes, and this was all she could wear.

Elves were naturally clean; even without regular washing, they didn’t really get dirty.

One thing Teresa noticed was that Astrid wasn’t wearing the uniform’s standard knee socks—but a pair of sheer black stockings instead. They clung just right, the fair skin beneath faintly visible like the pink interior of a snow-white dumpling. Irresistible.

“What a coincidence, Astrid. Fancy seeing you here~ If you’re not busy, would you care to sit with me for a bit?” Teresa leaned her cheek against one hand, twirling her hair with the other, casual yet elegant.

“Alright.” Astrid thought for a moment—she really didn’t have anything better to do—and took a seat.

“Same as usual today, Teresa?”

“Mhm. One slice of strawberry velvet cake and a cup of Forest White Tea.”

“What about you, Astrid?”

“No need. I’m not hungry.”

“Sweets and hunger have nothing to do with each other, you know.”

“Since you won’t order, I’ll order for you. One blueberry velvet cake and a milk tea, please~” Teresa flashed a sweet smile at the waiter as she toyed with a silky strand of her hair. The poor server blushed slightly and hurried off.

She’s this gentle to everyone, Astrid thought. But her eyes widened slightly when she heard the flavor Teresa ordered.

Blueberries?

How did she know that was Astrid’s favorite?

Coincidence?

“I heard from Mr. Dylin,” Teresa said nonchalantly, answering Astrid’s unspoken question. “He told me you only eat blueberry cake and nothing else.”

“You probably don’t like bitter things either, so I got milk tea.”

Astrid looked at her. She’d lost count of how many times she’d seen this girl’s attention to detail—and each time left her more confused.

If… if she really did have those kinds of feelings, then against someone this sharp… could she win?

Soon, the desserts arrived.

Seeing Teresa pick up her fork, Astrid followed suit, taking small bites. The sweetness of blueberry and the creaminess of milk tea flooded her mouth. It was the taste of reward after hardship.

Suddenly, Astrid felt a gaze. She looked up—and, sure enough, Teresa sat with one cheek resting on her hand, smiling as she watched.

“...Teresa, is something wrong?” Astrid asked, visibly uneasy.

“Nothing,” Teresa replied with a soft curve of her lips. “Can’t I just look at you?”

“There’s no point in looking at me.”

“I don’t know about that. Isn’t there a saying? So beautiful I could eat you up. Looking at you while eating cake makes it taste even sweeter~”

Whether joking or not, her tone made it impossible to tell.

Astrid looked away.

“Sorry. Am I making you uncomfortable?” Teresa asked softly. “If I’m bothering you, I’ll stop.”

“...No. You’re not.” Astrid wanted to say yes. She didn’t like being stared at while eating—but the words caught in her throat. She didn’t know why she changed her mind.

“Oh? That’s good to hear.” Teresa laced her fingers together. “You look really lovely when you smile, Astrid.”

“Seriously. You’re so pretty—why keep frowning all the time? What a waste. A smile like that shouldn’t be hidden.”

For some reason, ever since she became Teresa, she couldn’t help teasing people—especially the always-serious Astrid.

“I smiled?” Astrid blinked.

“My, you didn’t notice?” Teresa tilted her head and wiggled a finger. “Just now, when you ate the cake, your eyes sparkled with happiness.”

Suddenly, Astrid felt her face heat up. She wasn’t sure if it was embarrassment or something else.

As they finished their sweets and prepared to leave, Teresa called out,

“Wait a moment.”

She leaned forward, bracing herself against the table. As she moved, her generous ‘snow fruits’ swayed gently, the inviting valley between them shimmering faintly.

Astrid’s eyes were instinctively drawn.

Then—she felt a soft touch wipe against the corner of her lips. A moment later, she heard Teresa’s soft voice, warm as a spring breeze:

“Astrid, remember to wipe your lips—you’ve got a little cream there~”

Purple-moon eyes met the rippling green of a sun-dappled lake.

Astrid froze.

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