"Darling~"
Just hearing that voice—
That tone—
Was enough to make me freeze for a second.
…No way.
I turned around, already bracing myself.
"Alice?"
To my surprise, it was just Alice.
She stood there with a slight tilt of her head, looking at me with a curious expression, like she didn't understand my reaction at all.
"What's wrong, Riley?" she asked lightly. "Did I surprise you that much?"
"…Yeah."
I let out a small breath.
"You don't usually call me something like that."
"Hehe~"
Alice giggled, clearly amused.
"Well, I just felt like trying it for a change. It sounds more fun, doesn't it? More affectionate."
She clasped her hands behind her back, leaning forward slightly.
"No wonder Liyana likes calling you 'darling' so much~"
"…."
Yeah.
Let's not encourage that.
"But since she already claimed that one…" Alice tapped her chin thoughtfully. "Maybe I should pick something else."
She started listing them off casually.
