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It wasn't that Emilia was gobbling it all down like an animal, though Crystal almost wished she did that.
Instead, a trio of maids had come forth to assist her with cutting and feeding, delivering the next bite to her lips right after she swallowed the first one, allowing her to just leisurely chew and chew like some fat king who ate all day on his throne.
The respectful and serious look on the maid's faces, combined with Michelle seemingly taking notes, only made the situation more absurd in Crystal's eyes.
Even when Dixie returned, showered, and they were already on the way to school, the heroine was still staring at Emilia blankly.
The redhead had first thought the girl was just admiring her, but after a while, she couldn't help but tilt her head in confusion. "Does Crystal have something to say?"
The blonde girl coughed in embarrassment. "W-Well…"
Crystal was a girl who believed in science and logic, and even if something didn't make sense at first, she thought it would only be because she didn't understand all the ins and outs of the matter.
However, no matter how she tried to think about it, how could a girl who was only five foot three possibly eat that much? Even if she could somehow shove it all down, her belly must be bloated, right? But that didn't seem to be the case at all!
But even if she asked Emilia, how would she know? Whatever the reason was behind her absurd eating ability, the girl herself probably thought it was natural.
In the end, Crystal thought she might as well ask. "D-Don't get me wrong, but… how do you eat so much without getting sick?"
Emilia fluttered her eyelashes at her playfully. "Oh~ So that's what was bothering you..."
When the redhead thought about it, she realized that Crystal was the only one who had already been quite intimate with her, and yet didn't know about her 'secret'.
Pulling the surprised blonde into her arms, Emilia smiled while patting her head. "This is part of a great, big secret! Mhm, of course I'll tell Crystal all about it, since I know my angel is such a curious little creature, but only as a reward for being a really good girl. So work hard, okay?"
Crystal's face turned red as she looked away. "I-It's not like I really need to know."
Emilia just smiled playfully as she squeezed the blonde girl's cheek. "Are you entering a rebellious phase now? Do you want big sister to punish you?"
The heroine's face turned blank. She had only denied it in embarrassment, but going back on her words now would be even more embarrassing. "P-Punishment? I didn't do anything?"
Emilia hummed before pulling Crystal closer till their hug turned into a full embrace on her lap. "Hmm, now, how I do I punish you without creasing the uniform?"
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Crystal was generally the first one in the class, and that hadn't changed much since Emilia started 'freeloading' at her place, as Emilia just followed her habits to make her comfortable.
Today, however, she had ended up being late for the first time in a while. And even though she herself didn't care, the other students inevitably ended up paying a lot more attention when she finally arrived.
When the heroine followed Emilia in with a completely red face, her appearance immediately created a commotion.
"Wow, is Crystal wearing lipstick today? I thought she usually kept her face bare."
"Could be colored lip balm?"
"Why do I think she looks so charming?"
Emilia just smirked as she pushed the blushing girl onto the bench before sliding in to whisper in her ear. "You look so cute, even these bookworms ended up being bewitched, huh? I'm a little jealous."
Crystal could only look away in shame. "And whose fault is that?"
The redhead blinked. "Oh? My little sister is being disobedient again? Should I punish you more?"
"Not in class!"
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Fortunately, Emilia really didn't 'punish' Crystal in class, or it might just have turned the school upside down, and given an even worse headache to one particular school teacher.
"Good morning, students!"
"Morning, Mrs. Macmillan!"
Although the greetings looked normal, that was only because the students felt it would be too awkward to say anything.
After all, Mrs. Macmillan's face looked red like a steamed bun.
Some of them couldn't help but be confused.
"Is there a heatwave spreading out there after we came in? Both Crystal and Mrs. Macmillan look so red?"
"But Emilia also arrived with Crystal, and she looked fine?"
"She doesn't count."
"Eh, why not? Don't tell me you're in that lunatic faction that believes she's a goddess or something?!"
"Nono, I'm not crazy!"
"Then?"
"Ahem, well, think about it. Wouldn't that crazy fan club of hers have formed a human barrier to prevent the heatwave from getting to her?"
"Oh… that kind of makes… sense?"
"Doesn't it? They were probably stripping on the spot to fan her with their shirts so she can be a little cooler!"
"Hm…"
"What, admiring my genius?"
"No… Mrs. Macmillan is staring at you."
"…"
When Mrs. Macmillan walked into class A, she was already more than a little ashamed to face one particular student.
She didn't know why she got so carried away that day at the Bucherer's, almost causing her ex-student to have an accident.
Even if everyone insisted that it wasn't her fault, and even Emilia didn't blame her at all, how could Mrs. Macmillan not feel guilty in the depths of her own heart?
Had she not been so reckless, would the person behind her not have had more room to maneuver? And in that case, wouldn't they be less likely to have an accident?
In her opinion, it was Emilia and Sam's open-mindedness that they didn't pursue her for that matter. But it didn't abscond her from the guilt.
The slightly strange reaction from the students only made her feel worse, even though she knew they had no idea about that incident at all.
The only relief was that Emilia was unlikely to spread word of her 'true identity'.
In the end, she could only grit her teeth and hope that her secret was never exposed completely. In that case, no matter how she felt in her heart, she could at least continue pretending to be a normal teacher in front of her students.
But unfortunately, Mrs. Macmillan failed to realize that the more she tried to hide something, the more likely it was to bite her in the ass.
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