She took a slow step closer, her tone sincere. Against the lingering mist of sugar in the ritual room, her red eyes appeared even more obedient than usual.
“How to act natural after holding hands, how to speak when the distance is close, how to react when being fed, how to make the other person happy when giving a gift, and how to set the stage before a confession... these aren't things you can learn just by reading books.”
Miaoyue nodded instinctively.
It was true.
Although the Saintess was terrible at practical application, those words made sense.
“And a teacher can't just lecture; they have to practice with their students, right?” Sophie continued.
“Practice with Kaila!”
“Miss Hero is very busy, and I don't want to embarrass myself in front of her.” Sophie said sheepishly, her face falling, though her eyes kept darting toward Miaoyue. “If Teacher is unwilling to teach me, then I’ll just have to find someone else on the street to practice with.”
Wait, if she didn't teach her, what if she really just grabbed some random person on the street to hold hands with?
Wouldn't that mean Kaila was being cheated on?!
If Kaila was cheated on, wouldn't the ship I'm rooting for have a Bad Ending?!
Miaoyue’s eyes widened.
“That won't do! Absolutely not!”
She practically lunged in front of Sophie, spreading her arms to block the door, temporarily forgetting the new dessert she hadn't even received yet.
“You are my Saintess, how can you go find others to practice with! You should stay by my side and make snacks for me. Besides, what if you're tricked by some strange person? What if Kaila sees and misunderstands? What if you pick up a bunch of messy, bad habits?”
Sophie nodded very obediently.
“So I have to ask the Goddess Teacher.”
“I-I'm not...”
The words caught in Miaoyue’s throat. She originally wanted to say she wasn't a Goddess who would play along with the Saintess’s nonsense, but she quickly realized that Sophie was indeed an idiot with zero practical experience who only knew how to force storybook and game theories into reality.
If no one watched over her, she might actually go find someone else to practice with. Kaila would be sad, and if Kaila was sad, the sweetness between the two of them would turn bitter.
Sweetness turning bitter was a very serious matter.
Furthermore, if the Saintess stayed by her side, she could ask for snacks whenever she was hungry.
Miaoyue took a deep breath. The more she thought about it, the more she felt that her teaching Sophie through romance practice was simply the most appropriate choice.
Damn it, there really was no teacher in all of Solitude more excellent than herself, and Miaoyue didn't want to push away a Saintess she liked so much.
This is so I can ship them better.
Miaoyue told herself.
This was different from Sophie’s direct confession earlier. This time, their roles were distinct. As long as she controlled the boundaries, nothing would go wrong.
She was just helping Sophie practice the most basic, safest, and most problem-free parts—like how to hand over a gift, how to ask before holding hands, how to approach without scaring the person away, and how not to hiss out of nervousness in front of Kaila.
What could possibly happen?
Naturally, nothing would happen.
“Fine,” Miaoyue finally said. “But I will only accompany you through the most elementary practice.”
Sophie’s eyes lit up.
“Yay!”
“And no touching randomly.”
“Mm-hmm.”
“No sudden feeding.”
“Mm-hmm.”
“No using strange methods to stuff strange things into my mouth.”
“That depends on the situation.”
“It cannot depend on the situation!”
“Alright, alright.”
Sophie smilingly placed the commission paper on the table and took a small cardboard box from the nearby preservation cabinet.
The box was tied with thin strips of pure cloth, and a small preservation rune was stuck to the outside. It seemed to have been made specifically to lock in the aroma, so much so that Miaoyue hadn't even noticed it beforehand.
Miaoyue’s gaze was instantly drawn to it.
“What is this?”
“An Apprenticeship Gift.” Sophie opened the box with great solemnity.
Inside the box was a plate.
On the porcelain plate lay an icing cookie.
The cookie was shaped like a tiny Miaoyue, with the rounded edges of the biscuit supporting a doll-like silhouette. Strands of dark purple icing traced her long, flowing hair, and the tips of the hair faded into a light purple frosting, as if a bit of moonlight were truly hidden within. The black rose on the left was layered and delicate, flanked by tiny silver sugar pearls, amethyst sugar flakes, and a crescent moon sugar ornament. It was so exquisite it hardly looked like something meant to be eaten.
Her eyes were two pools of purple icing, dotted with star-like white sugar flowers. Her cheeks were brushed with light pink powdered sugar, and her mouth was curved into a slightly proud, slightly dazed cat-like mouth. Her black skirt, the lace on her chest, the chain ornaments, and the purple gems were all finely detailed with icing. Even the wide black and purple hem by her knees shimmered with a soft, sugary light.
Even though it was just a cookie, Sophie had made it look like a miniaturized Miaoyue sitting obediently on a plate. It lay quietly in the center of the gold-rimmed porcelain plate, surrounded by the warm wooden table, lace, and scattered small decorations. it was excessively cute.
Miaoyue’s eyes lit up instantly.
Sophie handed the box over with both hands, like presenting a treasure. “Then it’s a deal, Teacher Miaoyue~”
Miaoyue stared at the cookie, wanting to take it immediately, but she tried her best to maintain her dignity as a Goddess. She first circled the box, confirming there were no bite marks, that it hadn't been touched, and that there were no strange smells before she reached out and carefully cradled that icing Miaoyue.
The cookie was very light. The edges of the icing were thin and crisp, carrying the wheaty aroma and buttery scent of a baked biscuit.
She first took a bite of the skirt.
Crunch.
Sweetness spread across the tip of her tongue, and the buttery fragrance melted away with the fine crumbs. Miaoyue’s eyes narrowed in response.
It was delicious.
More interesting than those Moon Salt shortbreads from the royal court, cuter than the Honey Almond Cookie offered by Modi, and most importantly, this was an Apprenticeship Gift made personally for her by the Saintess.
Teacher.
The word landed softly in her heart, bounced, and landed again.
Teacher—this word was special.
She once had a teacher too. That teacher would hold her hand when she was afraid, tell her not to eat things given by strangers, break down the complex world into sentences she could understand, and smile when she was clumsy, saying that Little Yue had worked very hard today.
Crunch.
She took another small bite of the icing cookie in her hand.
Later, the teacher disappeared.
She waited on the moon for a long, long time. So long that empires fell and kingdoms rose; so long that the church went from prosperity to decline; so long that generation after generation became familiar with her, feared her, and finally, the people, the city, and the kingdom became what is known today as Solitude.
So long that only this cookie, meticulously carved into her own likeness, could still evoke that long-lost illusion of being held in the palm of someone’s hand.
Miaoyue cradled the little cookie with a missing corner and suddenly straightened her back.
Starting today, she was going to be a teacher too.
She absolutely must not embarrass her own teacher.
She would surely teach the Saintess to be a good student who wouldn't make a fool of herself in front of Kaila, wouldn't go looking for random people to practice with, and wouldn't casually treat romance like a dessert to be handed out to anyone!
When that time came...
She would stay to the side, proud and satisfied.
Savoring their sweet, sweet love.
Rate on N.U.
