It was a tranquil world.
“…….”
Was it not?
Her teacher, who had died so horribly, was alive and breathing without a wound. He always prepared a meal while waiting for Aria to visit. He soothed her in the same voice as before, laughing, talking, and enjoying himself alongside his new children….
She had no desire to disparage this relentless peace.
“…Giovanni.”
Whatever happened from now on, Aria had decided to cherish this tranquility.
“My teacher.”
“Yes, Aria.”
When their brief meal ended, Gio returned to his impassive face. With features so composed they seemed never to have formed a smile, but with familiar affection in his voice, her teacher asked,
“Would you like dessert?”
“Is it a dessert filled with sugar?”
“It is. Very sweet.”
“The cake I ate last time was truly delicious.”
“By happy chance, what Aria wants is here.”
“This place has always had what I wanted.”
“How clever of you.”
He brought out a small cake.
“Is this what you wanted?”
“Precisely. You gave some to the human named Yoo Seongwoon when he visited before, didn’t you?”
“I did. In return, I received bungeoppang.”
“What a modest payment….”
The word ‘payment’ from his lips sounded like children playing house.
“In exchange for a cake this delicious.”
The thing resembling a small round cake possessed an extraordinarily light texture.
Its layers were like that to begin with. There was the…