While Riser wanted to continue to sleep, he decided to wake up, especially when he felt a stare.
Yes, a stare.
While he knew where this stare came from, he didn't bother to startle this person. He just acted like this stare didn't exist, washing his body before waiting for the lunch prepared by Akeno.
Akeno might have worked hard last night, but with his "Phenex Tears," was there something that he couldn't heal?
Frankly, by eating "Tori Tori no Mi, Model: Phoenix," his physical ability was even stronger, more durable, and more resilient. There was also an effect from "Orichalcos" that made his physical ability stronger as long as he was hurt, so even after a strenuous battle last night, it was impossible for him to calm down, especially when he saw Akeno's current appearance.
Akeno dressed plainly in an apron as she sang a song he didn't know, and there was this taste of housewife that came from her, making him eager to do another battle, but he knew it was impossible with the presence that had been staring at him.
In the end, he sighed and decided to face this figure.
"—?!"
The petite figure startled when he looked at her. Her natural action was to run away, but he didn't seem to move and just stared at her plainly, so she didn't do anything and stared at him curiously.
The two stared at each other until he gestured for her to come to him.
Watching this, she hesitated, but in the end, she crept out from her hiding place and cautiously came in his direction. She walked slowly, closer and closer, until she sat by his side.
"Do you like sweets?" Riser asked.
"...um." Koneko nodded.
Riser took out a chocolate that he had bought from Italy and gave it to Koneko. "Take it."
"!!!"
Koneko was surprised, but she accepted the chocolate from him. "...thank you, Riser-sama." Her voice was quiet, but she thanked him.
"No problem." Riser didn't bother to look at Koneko again and took out a pistachio, eating it as a snack while waiting for lunch, looking at the silhouette of Akeno's plump and soft buttocks, and glanced at Koneko, who ate chocolate before her eyes shone due of its deliciousness.
Watching this, he thought that Koneko's past must be horrible, too.
While eating sweets might not seem like a bad thing, and it was even seen as cute, he didn't think so, as having a sweets addiction wasn't much different from having an addiction to alcohol, cigarettes, and even drugs.
Sweets have a lot of sugar, and sugar releases dopamine in the nucleus accumbens, the part of your brain linked to reward, novelty, and motivation.
In other words, consuming sweets wasn't much different from consuming drugs.
If there was a reason why Koneko was okay, it was all due to her training and race traits.
If it was someone else, they would have gotten sick already due to the amount of sweets.
Just when he ate his pistachio, he felt another stare at him. He looked at Koneko again, and it seemed that she had finished her chocolate bar.
"....."
"...did you finish it?"
"...yes." Koneko lowered her head as she was embarrassed, especially when she could see the surprise in his eyes. In his eyes, did he think of her as a pig? When she thought of that, she felt embarrassed and ashamed.
"Is it delicious?" Riser asked.
"Yes, Riser-sama." Koneko nodded.
The taste of the chocolate was delicious, and she wondered where he bought it since that way, she could buy it herself.
"I didn't buy much from my trip to Italy before, so bear with this." Riser opened the shell of the pistachio and fed the pistachio to Koneko. "Open your mouth."
"Ahh..."
Koneko opened her mouth naturally as she led him to feed her with pistachio. Her small, pink tongue took the pistachio skilfully and ate it with bright eyes. As her mouth was sweet before, the salty taste of the pistachio seemed to be enhanced. Still, this amount was too small to satisfy her, so she looked at him again.
Riser, who was eating his pistachio, stopped when he felt Koneko's stare again. He wanted to eat his pistachio, but in the end, he sighed and fed her again. "Open your mouth."
"Ahh..."
This time, without even his instruction, her small mouth was wide open as she waited for him to feed her.
As she ate the pistachio happily, he was helpless. "Aren't you a little too spoiled? How about you open the pistachio by yourselves?" He placed a handful of pistachios on a plate before the table.
Hearing his words, she didn't say anything and did what she was told, but strangely enough, the taste was different. It wasn't as delicious as before, so she looked at him again before she looked at his large frame.
With her petite body, it should be possible for her to sit on his lap. Nevertheless, she hesitated as she knew how rude her action was, but... somehow, she felt that it might be good to sit on his lap as he fed her.
"What's wrong?" Riser asked as he could see the struggle on her face.
Koneko didn't say anything and just stared at his lap, then looked up at him. Even if no words were exchanged, her expression told everything.
"...."
Riser wondered why he seemed to be popular.
Still, he suddenly thought of something.
Was it due to "Animal Affinity"?
Riser recalled the reward he got from Misla, which he thought was useless as he had never thought of becoming a beast tamer, but it seemed this reward had a certain use. Nevertheless, he didn't really want to use this reward to attract a cat.
"...you want to sit on my lap?"
"....."
As her wish was seen through by Riser, Koneko lowered her head embarrassedly, but somehow, courage was born within her heart, so she looked at him pitifully.
"...."
Riser stared at Koneko for a moment, but he didn't say anything and just raised one of his hands, acquitted her wish.
Koneko didn't waste her time and slipped into his lap, sitting there as she searched for the most comfortable position before she let out a pleased sigh. She had never thought that everything would change just by sitting on his lap, and it felt so snug.
Sitting on his lap, she felt she had found a place to call home.
Like any other cat, while she also wished to make a powerful descendant, she also wished to have a place to be called a home, as being a stray cat was the last thing she wished for. Having a place that could be a so-called home and gaining peace where she didn't need to be afraid of the rain and danger was something she wished for.
Riser wasn't sure how she felt, but he felt like he was raising a small animal for some reason. Still, he decided to ignore this cat and continued to eat, but as a cat, Koneko was rather spoiled as she patted his thigh lightly and looked at him again.
He looked at Koneko, who opened her small mouth wide and moved her pink tongue slightly as if asking him to feed her again.
---
Nevertheless, when Akeno finished with her lunch, she called them. "The lunch is ready—" She stopped her words since she saw Riser and Koneko suddenly had gotten so close.
"..."
Wasn't he too skillful at seducing a woman?
While Akeno was speechless, she also smiled and was happy since, this way, Koneko had become her partner in crime.
---
I like Kuroka more, though.