The Gamer's POV

Cedric escaped into the nearest adjoining hallway. Then he sat on the stair rails and rolled down, sliding effortlessly past the turns. He repeated that little trick for the next few flights until he was safely on the ground floor, after which he made his way directly to the kitchen.

Upon getting into the spacious kitchen, he saw Aika standing by the counter. She was dressed in a simple, loose-fitting gray dress with a light apron tied around her waist.

Despite having maids and a cook, Aika did most of her stuff alone, including cooking... most of the time.

As for where she had learned to cook, Cedric had no idea.

To be honest, she was a really good cook and when he asked her where she had learned to cook so well, she just replied blankly with:

"I’m a lady of many talents, you know."

...Right now, however, she was chopping up apples alongside a few other fruits into neat slices with a small knife. To her left, there was a pot of boiling stock and herbs, filling the kitchen with a rich aroma.

Cedric had already known that she was here because little Ced was perched right atop her head. These days, Aika went almost everywhere with that little raven riding along like a permanent accessory.

Cedric approached her from behind, and when he reached her, he extended a hand to tap her shoulder.

But to his surprise, Aika spun around instantly, grabbed his hand, and hurled him over her shoulder for a heavy slam!

However, just before his back slammed onto the cold tile ground, just like he had done with Athena in the food market earlier, his feet snapped downward and landed first, completely stopping his momentum.

Aika raised her other hand and wound her fist back, and was just about to punch his face. In that split second, Cedric could see that the look on her face was just the same cold, detached expression as the one she would give a total stranger.

He didn’t even try to defend himself and just tilted his head, arching a brow questioningly.

Just before her fist connected, however, she paused mere inches away from his nose.

Cedric sighed and allowed himself to fall gently onto his back.

"What is the deal with the women in my life today and trying to slam me into the ground?" he asked, blinking with a deadpan expression.

"Oh?" Aika began to sweat. "Uh... you alright? Sorry, I was just startled."

’...Startled? Isn’t Aika usually the more perceptive one between the two of us?

Cedric reached out and grabbed the collar of her dress, then forcefully pulled her close to himself.

"What’s wrong with you, miss?"

Rather than reply, she just stared down at him until the silence grew heavy between them.

"Wh-why are you just staring at me like that?" Cedric asked, trying to maintain his composure.

It was then that her stoic expression broke, and a soft smile appeared.

"Why?" She teased, leaning closer as she playfully pinched and pulled his cheek. "Can’t I just stare at this handsome face that I’m obsessed with?"

’Huh?’

Cedric felt a heat rise to his face.

Aika suddenly stood up and then, to his surprise, she grabbed him under the armpits and lifted him up as one would a toddler while laughing. "Sorry. I mean it."

’Woah... am I that light, or is she just strong?’

"Alright, alright. Let me down," he mumbled in a voice that was slightly strained from the loss of dignity.

She let go of him, chuckling as she dusted her palms together, before turning back to her work.

For a moment after, Cedric just stood there, and the words "handsome face that I’m obsessed with" kept echoing in his mind. Suddenly, he found himself in a thoroughly wonderful mood.

Resisting the urge to dance, he hopped over to her and slipped his hands beneath the sides of her loose apron. Pressing his palms flat against the fabric of her gray dress, he wrapped his arms securely around her torso and pulled her back against his chest.

Little Ced had come back to perch on her head, but he shooed the bird away and nuzzled his cheek affectionately against hers.

"So, you are obsessed with me, huh?"

Aika’s cheeks flushed a subtle pink. "Stop being cheeky.~"

She picked up a strawberry and, without looking, raised it up and shoved it right into his open mouth to silence him.

Cedric chuckled as he tightened his arms around her upper torso, then rested his chin on her head and continued watching her work.

Meanwhile, Aika bit her lip as her mind began to race. Her heart was beating wildly, but not because of Cedric’s warmth behind her. Rather...

’Shit. Why did that happen?’

...Aika was both terrified and deeply worried.

Before Cedric had approached her earlier, she had been lost in her thoughts. After receiving that first memory the month after her return from the first ring, they had been replaying constantly, almost every single day. Also, since then, entirely new, subtle memories were starting to emerge as well.

Though these new fragments were still foggy and indistinct, they kept resurfacing, and because of this, her mind was a chaotic mess.

When Cedric approached her, she was caught completely off guard, but the reason she had reacted the way she did was because in that split second, she couldn’t recognize his face anymore.

Just like other Dominants and humans, what she saw when she turned around was a round head with a clownlike grin.

Thinking that this was just some random person, of course, she panicked and attacked immediately. But right before her fist could connect, she managed to hold herself back, because through his scent, his familiar frame, and the feel of his skin when she grabbed his hand, she could tell that this was Cedric.

Fortunately, within seconds of him pulling her close to him, like a fog clearing, his face returned to normal, and she could recognize it once more.

Why had that happened?

’...I almost hurt him.’

Aika frowned and bit her lip at the thought.