Chapter 21

"Come on, Master. Eat up. Tell Lala what you think."

Laladi wasted no time, thrusting the baskets towards the Master. He, in turn, gave a light nod and reached inside.

He pulled out a single sandwich and put it in his mouth. It didn't take long for him to tell Laladi that he thought it was delicious.

"R-Really? Lala's not used to doing this, so she's really nervous..."

Laladi would, on most occasions, leave whatever food was to be made to Schwald. She didn't have the most experience in cooking and even less confidence in herself. She asked the Master again, and he offered the same response. Her smile returned the second he answered.

"Phew... Good to hear...!"

In her relief, Laladi allowed herself a sigh. The Master told her that she could eat her own share if she wanted. She had gone out of her way to make it, after all. They should both just enjoy themselves and dig in.

"Sure thing!"

Laladi joined him in eating the sandwiches. Aaah... Truly, nothing made her happier than spending time with the Master...

She had recently begun occupying herself outside the guild more often than not, all for the sake of giving the Master a special little present. And if she wanted to gather the money she needed for him, then there was little else to do but to accept the work that flowed the Dark Guild's way.

While she made a point to use all her days off work with the Master, it went without saying that these very days would attract at least one of those damned harlots that roamed the guild. Laladi had, during those long restless days that could almost drive one mad, finally found herself a single day of opportunity. It wasn't at all strange that she would be so overwhelmingly elated.

"Oh, Master. Lala knows a way to make the sandwiches and salad taste even better!"

Laladi's cheeks were red as she spoke. The Master, completely unaware of the mortifying implications her words carried, could only tilt his head.

For Laladi, however, this had undoubtedly been an expression that required heaps of bravery. While the Master couldn't for the life of him imagine what kind of seasoning she may or may not use, he nevertheless agreed to her proposal.

"Alright. Here I go!"

Laladi stood up and steeled herself. The seasoning she had in mind, much unlike her cooking, was something she had utter confidence in. But the one to decide if it was worth was her precious Master and none other.

She wasn't planning on adding anything that might be considered foul, mind you.

Laladi, her resolve hardened, opened her eyes wide.

"Hnnnnnnnng!"

Without warning, she let out a burst of power. The suddenness of this development left even the Master himself wide-eyed.

But Laladi continued to gather her strength, unperturbed and completely unaware of the shocked gaze sent her way and all of its misgivings. Crimson spread across her puffy cheeks, and the way she puckered her face in focus was adorable enough to make the Master's smile grow by a good thirty percent.

Whatever could happen next...?

"Aaah! It's out! It's almost out! Master! Can you bring the sandwiches and the salad closer to Lala, please?!"

Her limit fast-approaching, Laladi accidentally referred to the Master as if he were to run errands for her. It didn't matter to her how much she would have to apologize later. Right now, there was nothing she wanted more than to have the Master taste what she had in store for him.

The Master, grievance the furthest thing from his mind, went to fetch what Laladi had requested while clearly worrying for her well-being. Hurriedly, he brought the basket closer to her. Laladi's tiny body began to shiver like a leaf.

"Hnuuuuuuuuuung!"

Laladi's body shook even more. When she did make a move, it was so sudden that the Master froze in place.

The Master's eyes were wide open in shock. He, worriedly, questioned if this was happening because some bodily function had ceased, all while Laladi panted, trying to regulate her breathing, but all the more frantic.

While the Master looked on in worry, something unusual happened to Laladi's body. The flower that always bloomed on the top of her head was gradually becoming imbued with some sort of liquid. Laladi lowered her head, allowing the liquid to drip down into the baskets and onto the sandwiches and salad inside.

"Phew... It's done. Come on, Master. Dig in!"

Laladi smiled widely, holding out a sandwich to the Master. While she could do well enough to suppress the thumping of her heart, there was nothing she could do to hide the color in her face. The Master asked her just what this was supposed to be, and Laladi, a bit abashedly, gave him an answer.

"It's Lala's nectar."

The liquid in question was, indeed, nectar she had wrung out of her own body. And while anyone would be right to question if this wasn't the exact same thing as using your own bodily fluids, it must be asserted that this was, in no way, shape, or form, obscene.

For Laladi's species, this was fairly normal. She told the Master, who was still surprised at seeing this for the first time, that she had kept this a secret from the other members of the guild.

"Sometimes, Lala puts it in the cooking."

The Master smiled at the revelation, showcasing his own surprise.

Mixing foods with body fluids was nothing new to anyone in the Yelquchira guild.

Well, in Laladi's case, she used actual nectar. That was still within the realm of acceptability. The other members tended to rely on other things, such as suspicious chemicals or even forms of black magic, which they could secretly mix into the food in small enough doses so that the Master wouldn't be the wiser. The process often resulted in what you might call kitchen warfare.

"Come on, Master. Don't hold back! Eat up!"

Laladi, still panting, urged the Master to eat the sandwich that had been spiced up with nectar. She wouldn't openly admit it, but there was something stimulating about seeing the Master eat her own juices.

His eyes still on Laladi, the Master stuffed his mouth with Laladi's nectar-smothered sandwich. He chewed on it for a bit before regaining his smile.

The next words out of his mouth were ones of praise, saying that the food was delicious and that he had never quite tasted anything like it. Hearing this, Laladi felt a tingle of energy run down her spine.

"Ahaah... Lala's happy that Master liked it..."

The face Laladi made when she heard his praise could be described as completely and utterly intoxicated. Her nectar, a thing unavailable to this world, untouched by even the likes of the Demon Lord and the King themselves, had bestowed satisfaction upon the Master's tongue.

This nectar would, if consumed by any other even once, spark an unquenchable addiction. But, having nothing but confidence in the strength of her Master's mind, Laladi had seen fit to use it as a simple topping. The Master hadn't gone mad and approached her, after all. Instead, he had just smiled at her.

'It's inside Master... That nectar came from Lala's special place, and now it's inside Master...! Hapheeeew...! Lala can't get enough of this feeling...!'

Laladi twisted her body, twitching as she did. The Master titled his head, confused at her behavior, but resumed his meal. This nectar was just too delicious.

"Ah, Master. Let Lala feed you. Say, 'aaaah'..."

Laladi inched her way closer to him, holding out a sandwich that was drenched in her nectar with a wide smile on her face. This way, she could stick her body against his without arousing suspicion, and her body, while lacking in curves, was soft enough to allow her to snuggle up against him.

The Master was completely in the dark as to her schemes, and though his smile was a bit strained, he humored her and opened his mouth.

"Okay, now it's Lala's turn. Aaaah..."

Laladi opening her mouth, much like a chick waiting for its parent to drop food into its mouth. The Master, his smile still strained, offered her a sandwich.

"Mnphh...! That tastes great!"

Laladi brought a hand to her cheek, moaning in pleasure. While she wasn't particularly fond of eating her own nectar, having the Master feed it to her made it taste much better than it should have. The Master and Laladi spent some time feeding each other, until...

"GROAAAAAAAR!!!"

The heart-warming, carefree atmosphere was put to an abrupt halt with the outbreak of an angry roar. It only took a second for Laladi's eyes, so vibrant and sparkling, to turn dead, but let's not digress.