Yuki leaned back, munching on her endless takoyaki, but couldn't shake the vibe that Prince Taiyo was still eyeing her. She'd already handled his nonstop questions, dodged them like a pro, and even tossed in some random stuff to throw him off. Yet, here he was, watching her like she had some big secret—or something worse.
She squinted. His look wasn't just curious anymore; it was straight-up intense. She shifted, gripping the edge of her thrown-together dress. Ever since that slime ruined her original outfit, she'd been rocking this quickly made goblin-thread dress. No underwear, no armor, just enough to stay decent. And now, Taiyo's lingering stare was making her feel way too exposed.
What's his deal? she wondered, getting more suspicious. Does he think I'm lying? Or... wait... is he trying to check out my boobs?!
Her eyes widened as it clicked. Is that why he's been asking all those questions? He doesn't care about my background—he's just trying to sneak a peek!
Yuki slammed her chopsticks on the table, making a few takoyaki balls bounce. "Alright, Taiyo," she snapped, "what's really going on? You've been staring at me like you've got X-ray vision or something."
Taiyo blinked, caught off guard. "W-What? No, I was just... thinking."
"Oh, sure," Yuki sneered, crossing her arms over her chest. "Thinking about my answers or thinking about my... measurements?"
Taiyo's face went bright red. "I wasn't—"
"Yeah, right," Yuki cut him off. "You're the prince of this city, right? So, you think you can just use your status to stare at me like that? We're in public, Taiyo! At a takoyaki shop, for crying out loud!"
People around them started to look over, sensing the tension. Yuki felt her face heat up, a mix of anger and embarrassment. She wanted to get up and leave, but glanced at the pile of takoyaki still on her plate. She'd paid good platinum coins for this all-you-can-eat deal, and there was no way she was leaving it behind.
"I'm not wearing underwear, okay?" Yuki hissed, leaning in so only Taiyo could hear. "That slime ate my clothes, and I haven't had time to get new ones. So, if you're done ogling me, I'd like to finish my meal in peace."
Taiyo was completely flustered now, waving his hands defensively. "I wasn't ogling! I swear, I was just trying to figure out..."
"Figure out what, huh?" Yuki raised an eyebrow, daring him to finish.
Taiyo groaned, realizing there was no way to explain without making things worse. He'd used his Appraisal Skill to try and uncover her secrets, but now it just looked like he was being a creep. "I'm sorry," he muttered, looking down at his own plate of takoyaki. "I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."
Yuki huffed, grabbing another takoyaki ball. "Yeah, well, maybe next time, try using your words instead of your eyes." She bit into the takoyaki aggressively, enjoying the taste but still glaring at him.
Taiyo sighed, defeated. He'd messed this one up big time, and now he had to figure out how to make things right without looking like even more of a fool.