Mia was terrified—really terrified.
She immediately set the tray down with both hands, dropped to her knees with a loud thud, and clung to Seraphina's legs—those legs wrapped in pure white knee-high socks—begging for mercy.
"Please! Please don't make me eat that! I'll do anything! Teacher, I'm begging you! I'll copy 'The Theory of Elements' ten times—no! Twenty times!"
Seraphina blinked, taken aback for a moment. Then, a faint look of disgust crossed her face.
Hey—hey! That tearful face and the little bit of snot about to drip were about to touch her freshly changed socks!
But more than disgust, Seraphina was just…confused.
She had been in this world for over ten years now. After cooking for that picky magic professor for nearly a decade, she wasn't going to brag about being a master chef—but she was at least professional level!
There's no way this girl took one look and decided it was inedible, right? That'd be too hurtful!
"It's delicious. Try it."
Seraphina spoke calmly as she pried her leg free from Mia's death grip. She could already feel a faint smudge left on her sock, which made her scalp tingle in quiet horror.
But Mia stayed curled up, staring at the pancakes like they were poisonous.
Seraphina sighed, helpless. She bent down, picked up the tray, and with a clean fork from the side, cut a small piece of the pancake and put it into her mouth right in front of Mia.
Soft texture, just the right sweetness, rich with butter and maple syrup—honestly, perfectly fine.
"It's really good," Seraphina repeated, then patiently forked another small piece and held it out toward Mia.
"Try it."
Mia froze for a second.
Wait… she ate it herself? And she's fine?
So it really was just normal food? Not some weird mind-control potion snack?
Realizing she might've totally misunderstood, a wave of embarrassment flooded Mia. Her cheeks turned pink almost instantly.
She hesitated, then leaned forward, cautiously taking a small bite from the fork in Seraphina's hand.
And then—
The taste exploded in her mouth.
The pancake was soft and fluffy, melting instantly on her tongue. The rich aroma of egg and milk filled her mouth, warm and comforting.
The maple syrup carried a light caramel note—sweet but not cloying—and balanced perfectly with the subtle saltiness of the pancake itself. It was so well-layered, so satisfying.
"Wow! This is amazing!"
Mia's eyes lit up like stars. She cupped her face with both hands, completely struck by the flavor.
She had never eaten something this good in her life! It was too delicious!
In that instant, all her fear, shame, and concern for status or propriety flew right out the window.
She forgot all about appearances and instinctively grabbed the fork from Seraphina's hand, devouring the rest of the pancakes like a starving ghost.
Her cheeks puffed up as she chewed non-stop, and by the end, she even licked the plate clean—down to the last drop of syrup—looking nothing like the trembling mess she'd been moments ago.
Only when the plate was spotless did Mia realize how unladylike she must have looked.
She quickly set the tray down, fiddling with the hem of her shirt, her face flushed pink as she muttered in a small voice,
"I-I'm sorry, teacher… I didn't mean to—"
Seraphina was already sitting back in her chair, crossing her legs gracefully. She watched the dramatic turnaround in silence, her expression calm, and said lightly,
"As long as you liked it."
That line only made Mia's guilt heavier—and sparked another round of confusion.
She hesitated, then asked quietly,
"Teacher… you called me here because… there's something you needed?"
Seraphina could easily guess the ridiculous ideas this girl's mind had probably conjured up earlier, but she wasn't in the mood to bother correcting them.
Instead, she spoke in her usual even tone,
"I thought about it. Having you copy 'The Theory of Elements' ten times is excessive. So, I'm canceling your punishment."
"Really?!"
Mia's eyes went wide, her face lighting up in disbelief.
Seraphina nodded. "In class, I needed to set an example. I couldn't show favoritism publicly, so I decided to tell you afterward."
"Thank you, teacher! You're so kind!"
Mia was overjoyed. Her heart felt all warm and fuzzy inside. Suddenly, this cold, strict, scary loli teacher didn't seem so bad—she was actually really sweet!
"Remember," Seraphina added, giving her a pointed look, "don't tell anyone about this. And—"
She paused, narrowing her wine-red eyes slightly before adding meaningfully,
"Stop spreading baseless rumors. Understood?"
Ah!
So she was taking revenge after all!
Mia instantly got the message—but somehow, the teacher's grudge-holding and quiet leniency just made her seem kind of… cute?
"Yes, yes! I understand, teacher! I won't say a word!"
Mia nodded so fast her ponytail bounced, her face breaking into a genuine, relieved smile.
The punishment was gone, and she'd discovered heavenly food—her mood flipped from cloudy to clear skies in an instant. Her chatty, overly friendly side started creeping back out.
Her eyes sparkled with curiosity as she looked at Seraphina.
"Teacher, teacher! What was that dessert just now? It was so good! I've never had anything like it!"
Seraphina was flipping through a stack of student reports on her desk. Without even glancing up, she replied calmly,
"Pancakes. A specialty from… my hometown."
"Pancakes… oh!"
Mia nodded hard, trying to memorize the word.
But in her head, she was thinking—I wonder if I'll ever get to eat that again? It'd be such a waste to only have it once!
Still, asking for more right after getting forgiven felt way too pushy…
She licked her lips, still tasting the sweetness, her face full of barely contained longing but too embarrassed to speak up.
Seraphina, though she hadn't looked up, could practically feel that hungry stare boring into her.
Without raising her head, she kept marking the paper in front of her and said casually,
"There's some yogurt in the fridge. You can try one—it's pretty good too."
"Yogurt?"
Mia tilted her head, puzzled. "Teacher, what's a… fridge? And what's yogurt?"
Seraphina froze mid-mark, then rubbed her temples helplessly.
Right. This world didn't have refrigerators.
The one in her office wasn't a real electric one anyway—it ran on a small ice-elemental rune core she'd made herself. It needed regular mana infusions to keep running and cost a small fortune to maintain.
Only someone like her—a modern-minded transmigrator obsessed with recreating "modern comforts"—would go through the trouble of making one.
As for the yogurt and pancakes… those were just things she made when she got homesick—and hungry.