73. Punishment

73. Punishment

“Hello, are you Ariel?”

The first name on the list I received from Golden Sun. After inquiring about her whereabouts and finding her, I saw a young lady with curly blonde hair looking at me.

“Yes, I am… Who- Hic?!”

She seemed surprised by my tail and ears, and hiccuped. I opened my mouth, looking at her.

“I heard my sister bothered you, so I came to apologize.”

“I-is that so?”

“Yes.”

There were several young ladies beside her. They were probably chatting about something. As soon as I arrived, they all shut their mouths and looked away.

Freya, behind me, seemed a bit dazed, perhaps from apologizing to Golden Sun. I looked at my sister and said.

“Freya, you need to apologize. Snap out of it now.”

“….”

Perhaps she hated apologizing to Golden Sun so much that Freya showed no signs of regaining her senses. Just as I was considering forcibly making our lips meet, Ariel pushed her blonde hair behind her neck and said.

“Are you really going to end it with just an apology?”

“Hmm?”

“How much damage did I suffer because of her!”

“Damage?”

“Damage!!!”

When I asked, she let out a shriek and then spoke rapidly, as if pouring out all her pent-up frustration. The fear she had felt earlier upon seeing my face was completely gone.

“I!!! waited for 5 HOURS to buy the Academy’s top baker’s limited crème brûlée, which is only made 3 per day!!! After agonizing for weeks, I finally managed to get one!!!! Before I could even take a bite, she slapped it away, threw it on the ground, and disappeared!!!! Apology? An apology?! Are you really going to let that slide with just that?!”

Ariel, having said all she wanted to say, shut her mouth and panted. Behind her, breathing heavily, the other young ladies whispered.

-There she goes again.

-She’s usually normal, but when it comes to food…

-But is it okay to get angry at the Duchess?

-She’ll handle it. Just make sure she doesn’t come after us.

“Hmm.”

“I’m not accepting any of that so-called apology! Go back!!”

A firm refusal, showing no hint of acceptance.

As expected, it wasn’t going to be easy from the start. Freya’s past deeds seemed to be quite significant. In the end, we were half-escorted out and sat on a bench, thinking deeply.

“She needs to accept the apology…”

After all, apologizing was part of the duel’s conditions, and Freya was in the wrong from the start, so as her older sister, I had to make her apologize. But what if the other party doesn’t accept the apology?

“Freya, do you have any good ideas?”

“Ugh….”

I thought about getting a solution from my sister as usual, but Freya still seemed to be out of her senses. This meant I had to solve this problem alone.

I muttered as I pondered.

“Forcing an apology… No, it’s meaningless if the other party doesn’t accept it.”

I had the option of grabbing her by the back of the head and forcing a kiss, but given how angry she was, it wasn’t a good approach. Instead, I needed to approach it from a different perspective.

… If the other party is angry and won’t accept the apology, then I should just appease their anger.

“I read about this in a book.”

When I was in the North, Freya read me a novel with an episode where the heroine and the heroine had a big fight due to a difference of opinion.

In a crisis situation where they were separated and drifted apart, the protagonist’s method was to gift the heroine her favorite sweets.

It was a touching scene where they wandered and missed each other before reuniting, so I still remembered it vividly. In particular, the scene where they quietly shared a deep kiss with sweets in their mouths, each saying they were sorry, was impressive.

If Freya did the same when apologizing, her sincerity would be conveyed better.

Okay, then I’ll buy that crème whatever and take it to Ariel.

“Let’s go, Freya… Oh, I can’t take her. Oh well.”

Looking at Freya, she still hadn’t regained her senses. I laid the still dazed Freya on the bench and got up.

I stood up and began to inquire about the bakery’s location. It wasn’t a lie that it was famous; soon, I found the bakery where the young lady had bought her crème brûlée.

Even just getting close, a sweet and savory aroma wafted out. Just smelling it made my saliva go down my throat.

Feeling my tail wagging on its own, I opened the glass door.

CRASH!

“….”

Shards of glass fell like rain.

… It’s natural to sometimes misjudge the force.

I quietly looked around. A bakery with a warm atmosphere lit by soft white lights, with bread displayed everywhere.

If possible, I wanted to try eating all the food here, but unfortunately, now was not the time. I had to buy a crème brûlée for Ariel.

“Chef?”

“Yes, yes?”

The chef, who seemed to have heard me, rushed out from the kitchen. Standing on the shattered glass, I said to him.

“Could you give me a crème brûlée?”

“… Do you perhaps mean crème brûlée?”

“Yes.”

Yes, that crème something.

The chef said.

“I-I’m sorry, but that’s limited to 3 per day. It would be best to come early tomorrow morning to purchase it…”

“I’m in a bit of a hurry right now, is there any way you could make an exception?”

I’ve always liked the sound of breaking glass. It’s like popping bubble wrap for package delivery. So, without realizing it, I dragged my feet and stepped on the glass shards.

With a crunching sound, the glass turned to powder, and at the same time, as I stared at the chef, his face turned deathly pale.

“Is there no way?”

“… I-I will try my best….”

——

“Hmm, it smells delicious.”

The delicious bread I asked the chef to add for myself. Along with the crème brûlée dish in my hand. I left the bakery with a pleasant feeling, smelling the soft aroma of the bread.

Suddenly, the chef’s voice echoed in my mind.

-But crème brûlée isn’t for takeout…

-It’s fine, I can carry it well.

-No, it’s not about carrying it, it’s our store’s dish…

-Thank you. I’ll take it well.

-Yes?

What a worried chef, to think that I, of all people, would spill food. I turned back and arrived at the bench where Freya was.

“Freya. You stayed put without running away?”

“Oh, Sister!”

Freya was sniffing the spot on the bench where I had sat. It was common for sisters to sniff each other, so I didn’t pay much attention and helped Freya up.

“Let’s go to apologize again.”

“A-apologize? Sister? W-wait!”

I forcibly led Freya to Ariel again. As soon as she saw us, Ariel frowned and said.

“Why are you here again? I told you I’m not accepting any apologies!”

“How dare you speak to my sister like that… Ow!”

A sharp “tap!” sound. I flicked Freya’s forehead with a “tap” as she was about to say something bad to people again, and then said to Ariel.

“I prepared this, won’t you accept it?”

“What did you prepare… Th-that’s!”

The crème brûlée, emanating a sweet aroma. As soon as she saw it, Ariel’s eyes darted. I offered the food to her.

“Here.”

“Gasp….”

Ariel took a sharp breath and accepted the spoon and dish. Then, her eyes sparkling, she cleared her throat and said.

“I-I don’t know how you got it… B-but if it’s this much, I suppose I can accept your apology! Hehe, I like it very much!”

Ariel immediately scooped up the crème something with her spoon. As the spoon entered her pink lips, her body shivered. The subtle sweetness of the custard cream tickled my nose.

“Hehe….”

“Are you going to accept the apology now?”

“Of course! Hehe… It’s delicious.”

Finally, she was ‘ready’ to accept the apology. Her anger seemed to have subsided, and all that remained was Freya’s sincere apology. I turned around and called my sister.

“Freya.”

“Huh…? Ah, wait, isn’t the apology over just by giving her that?!”

“You haven’t apologized yet?”

Giving her the food was only to appease her anger, not a gift for the apology.

Just as Ariel was chewing the sweets in her mouth. It was the perfect time to apologize.

“Wait wait wait, Sister! No-“

I grabbed Freya by the back of her head.

Lips meeting, cheeks twitching, thick yellow custard cream flowing between lips that couldn’t be swallowed.

It was a moment where only the sound of gulping could be heard, as if time had stopped. Freya’s body trembled as their tongues touched, and Ariel gasped.

Excellent. You’re doing well. I whispered quietly into Freya’s black wolf ears.

A kiss filled with the scent of cream. Wavering eyes. From behind, another young lady blushed and muttered.

-Oh.

A moment later, Freya and Ariel pulled apart. Cream-infused saliva connected them like a thread, and Freya opened her mouth.

“Khuuuk!”

“Ugh, Ugh….”

Perhaps she ate the crème brûlée too quickly while apologizing. I patted Freya’s back as if she had indigestion and whispered in her ear.

“Hang in there, Freya.”

There are still dozens of people left on the list.