"Don't try that with me, you did that intentionally to draw my gaze away."
"Yeah, it looks like you lost our little staring contest since you looked away first."
"Haaah, to suffer such a defeat. I guess I'm still green." I shook my head in resignation.
She lowered her hand and let it dangle in front of her chest.
"Can you return my cigar now? Don't you think you're using a bit too much of it?"
"Am I?"
"Yeah, you are."
"I see."
She turned the cigar in her hand toward me and raised her hand back up.
"Here's a bit of repayment for lending me it, Mr. Customer." She smiled confidently with her eyes peering deep into my own as she pressed the back of her hand against my lips. I felt the warm moist sensation of her lipstick from the back of her hand in direct contact with my lips. She pulled her hand back slightly then repositioned the cigar in the exact same spot she'd snatched it from. The back of her two fingers gently brushed against my lips as her fingers slid off the cigar to the side. Finished with her teasing, she leaned back and put some distance between us.
"That was quite a bit of extra service."
"It's on the house, Mr. Customer."
She turned to the side before she walked off behind the counter as her hips swayed from side to side.
I sucked in a deep breath and exhaled out a trail of smoke.
Dayum.
That was about all I could really think after that little interaction with her. She really knew all the tricks in the book to keep her customers loyal and coming back every day for more. Baristas like her were the scariest. Once you were ensnared, you'd never escape. She was the type that got men addicted to drinking. I shook my head thankful for my high self-control.
If I was to liken Ria to something, it would be a sly fox, she was very playful in nature and often took pleasure in teasing people. She held deep curiosity when something caught her attention. From what I'd seen, she'd often go quite far to try and get what she wanted, but she still had a line she wouldn't cross. Being a patron at her bar for such a long time, I'd watched her effortlessly toy with countless customers wrapping them around her finger. She always got her way without fail.
Her backing off abruptly like this was also one of the many tactics she employed. Playing hot and cold. Pushing and pulling. She was a master in the ways of the heart. I'd long acknowledged her social abilities and charm. Recently I'd been taking notes and learning from her, but her methods were… not something I could copy. Of all the people I knew, this random barista in one of the countless beginner villages in this world was among the very few people I actually thought highly of.
Me, the strongest existence in this world actually wanted to learn from a little barista whose life I could effortlessly extinguish. If I wasn't washed up, I really didn't know what I was.
Aside from coming here to drink my sorrows away, at some point, observing her had become part of my daily routine. Just thinking about it made me feel a bit embarrassed though. From an outsider's perspective, it likely looked like I'd developed a crush on her. I really didn't though. This was all for the sake of overcoming my negative infinity charm and luck stats. It's strictly research. Yes, research. Research for scientific and educational purposes.
"Mr. Customer, here, take these."
Ria suddenly returned with a wine bottle and box in her hands.
"I didn't order this."
"You can have it for free. Hopefully it helps with your woman problems."
"I really don't have any such problems."
"You're still denying it? Either way, just take it."
"… if you insist." I awkwardly gave in.
After that, she didn't say anything further to me. The place had gradually gotten more crowded since I first arrived and she was busy handling other customers. Eventually, I called it a day and returned to my place. As soon as I opened the door to my room, I found Yin on the bed with her head facing the wall. She didn't even bother to look my way when I entered.
"Hey, want some?"
She didn't budge an inch.
I trudged through the garbage bags, crawled on top of the bed then poked the back of her head.
"How long do you intend to sulk?"
"Hmmp!"
"Then, since you don't want any of this wine, I guess I'll just have to drink it myself."
The caterpillar twitched.
I uncorked the wine bottle and let the aroma slowly waft out. I inhaled deeply and savored the smell a bit before I tilted the wine bottle up toward my mouth. I blew on the opening sending the aroma in her direction upon which she twitched again.
"Then, down the hatch."
As soon as I said that, a hand extended out like lightning and latched onto the bottle in my hand.
"I thought you didn't want any."
"Shut up. If you're going to wave it around in my face like that, what do you expect me to do?"
She sat up and turned her head over her shoulder to look at me. She ripped the bottle clean out of my hand and took a sip.
"How is it?"
"Unexpectedly… really good. Where'd you get this? Did you leave the village to get this?"
"No, it's from the bar I frequent."
"Why are you lying? There's no way a beginner village bar is going to have wine that tastes this good."
"Well, it does."
Though disbelieving in my claims, she still took another sip. I took out the box Ria gave me back at the bar.
"You hungry too? There's also some food."
"Sure."
She took the box from me, opened it up, and froze.
"This is… chicken fingers and fries… a kid's meal? You got me a kid's meal?"
"Eh? It's a kid's meal? For real? I didn't even check."
Hahaha! Ria really knew how to mess with people.
"Are you trying to say I'm a kid? You want to fight?"
"Well, you were throwing a tantrum just now. Doesn't a kid's meal suit you quite well?"
She was dissatisfied, but she picked up a chicken finger and bit into it anyway.
"It's… good."
"Really? Let me try one."
"No way. I'm just a kid after all, so I'm naturally not sharing any with you."
She pulled the box closer to her and hugged the wine bottle.
I stared at her in silence while she ate in front of me.
"What are you looking at me eating like that for?"
"..."
"Seriously, stop staring at me, you weirdo."
"..."
"I won't share."
"..."
"You're making it hard for me to eat."
"..."
"Go away."
"..."
"Ugh. Fine..."
With extreme reluctance, she picked up a fry and moved it closer to my mouth.
"What are you doing?"
"Weren't you staring at me so intently because you wanted me to hand feed you?"
"No, I was just having a staring contest to give you indigestion while eating."
She pulled the fry back and ate it herself. She kept chewing without swallowing.
"What's wrong? Go on, swallow."
"Your unwavering gaze is somehow making me feel like I'm performing some sort of dirty act and I'm having a hard time swallowing now."
"Isn't your body mine now? When I say swallow, you must naturally swallow."
"This is… wrong! Damn it, this isn't the type of unspeakable things I thought you'd do with my body!"
"As a child, when an adult tells you to swallow you must swallow. Stop resisting."
"I'll remember this..."
She gulped and swallowed the contents inside her mouth.
"Somehow, I feel really dirty now," Yin complained.
"That would be indigestion."
"It's not! You know exactly what I mean, don't play dumb!"
"Here, it's your turn to suffer indigestion."
She picked up a fry and violently shoved it into my mouth. In the process of jamming the fry into my mouth, her fingers entered along with it. She froze up, and instead of immediately pulling them out, she just left them and looked at me with a dead expression as though she suddenly realized something.
"This was an unintended accident," she said.
"Then take your fingers out of my mouth. They taste gross. When was the last time you washed your hands?"
"Shut up. Shouldn't you be ecstatic to have a beauty's fingers inside your mouth?"
"When was the last time you washed them?"
She averted her eyes. She then slowly pulled them out.
"When?" I repeated.
She stood up while still wrapped in my blanket, jumped down from the bed, and headed to the door.
She placed her hand on the doorknob and paused for a moment. "This humiliation, I will remember it," she said before she exited the room.
A few seconds later, I heard the tap in the kitchen sink running. A minute later, the door opened back up and her hands were wet.
"As per your earlier question, I washed them a minute ago."
"Oi, Greater Demon Retard."
"What?"
"Whe-"
"Forget about that, how about we try that again?"
"Don't try avoiding the question."
She pounced at me and struck out with two fingers aimed at my mouth but I caught her hand and held it back.
"I said, let's try that again. Before didn't count. Now try it again, they taste fine, I swear on my lady's honor."
"Your lady's honor isn't worth jack shit!"
"Shut up and take it like a man! Suck on my fingers!"