Chapter 627 Sorry For The Interruption...?
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Emilia hummed and twirled around the kitchen happily while mixing the fresh cookie dough in the bowl. "Snickerdoodles, snickerdoodles~"
Noelle, who had been unable to resist checking what her girlfriend was doing in the kitchen, couldn't help but roll her eyes. "Are you baking them just because you think their name sounds funny?"
The crimson-haired girl's hands paused as she turned to her girlfriend with a curious tilt of her head. "… But didn't you like this flavor?"
Noelle couldn't just say that she didn't care about the appealing aroma of vanilla, and she also couldn't deny that she was looking forward to the soft, chewy snickerdoodles, so she could only rub her nose in embarrassment. "W-Who wouldn't like it?"
Emilia just giggled as she went back to getting the dough ready. 'I used to think that Noelle was the only one of them who would be honest if my cooking wasn't up to par at times, but she's really too much of a softie inside as well, isn't she?'
Even though Cynthia knew that the statement wasn't directed at her, she couldn't help but roll her eyes. "You're just surrounded by idiots."
Unfortunately, her partner was now almost completely immune to her sarcasm, and just giggled as if she found it adorable instead, making Cynthia huff as she pretended to go back to sleep.
It didn't take long for the dough to be done, and Emilia put the bowl into the fridge before washing her hands. "There it goes for the next thirty minutes." She turned to Noelle with a mischievous smile. "Sorry if you were really looking forward to it, but if you really need something to chew right away—"
The gray-haired girl hurriedly interrupted her with an awkward cough. "I-I'm not that hungry!"
The crimson-haired girl blinked innocently before nodding, and then strutted past the slightly regretful Noelle while just barely brushing her lips against the girl's cheek. "I'll be in the living room, then~"
'Why did I say no so quickly?!' The gray-haired girl almost stomped her feet in frustration. Luckily, she managed to control herself just in time, and coughed awkwardly as she chased after Emilia instead. "A-Anyway, Emilia… are you really going to stay like this?"
Obviously, all these issues came up because her girlfriend switched from the annoying brat form to the hot goddess form. Otherwise, she would have definitely been able to focus more on work!
The crimson-haired beauty put down the remote she had just picked before turning to Noelle, her eyelashes fluttering almost in sync with the older girl's erratic heartbeat. "Why? You... don't like it?"
Noelle stared blankly at her for a while before quickly shaking her head. "W-Well, you can't expect people to not recognize you in your original form…"
Emilia grinned as she stood up from the sofa, seemingly completely abandoning her previous plans as she stalked towards the older girl, like a mischievous predator who wanted to play around with its prey before devouring it whole. "They didn't figure out who I was before though, did they?"
Noelle couldn't help but groan. "That's because you were completely covered from head to toe!"
Aside from sick perverts like Penny and Sam, who probably knew all of Emilia's measurements by heart, who else could recognize her like that?!
The crimson-haired girl hummed thoughtfully as she stopped right in front of Noelle. "Isn't it just fine, then? I can just cover myself up whenever someone comes along."
Noelle could almost feel her heart beating right through her ears as the younger girl wrapped her arms around her neck. "W-Wouldn't it be bothersome to have to suit up every time someone shows up?"
Emilia just smiled as she leaned up and pressed an all-too-short but all-too-soft kiss on Noelle's lips. "It's more bothersome when my girlfriend doesn't let me kiss her."
The gray-haired girl barely resisted the urge to press down and give herself away as she tried to cover up her thoughts with a grumble. "…T-That's only because I don't want to turn into a pervert with 'special interests', l-like that idiot Sam!"
Emilia was just about to defend her big sister when they were interrupted by the sound of the doorbell, and a quick look at the always-on monitoring screen revealed their 'intruders' to be the elders of the Nightingale clan.
Of course, considering how they'd pretty much prohibited anyone else from approaching this area, it could only have been the elders who came knocking on their door, so it was no surprise to either of them.
Noelle clenched her teeth hatefully at their impeccable timing, but still pretended to be nonchalant as she pushed Emilia away. "G-Go suit up then, super girl."
Emilia tapped the older girl's lips with her index finger as she huffed, but left to change anyway. She couldn't be bothered using her shapeshift skill for such a simple and temporary disguise, after all.
Fortunately, it only took her a few seconds to completely strip bare and don on the set of black garments that made up her disguise, though only Noelle knew how torturous the faint rustling sound of soft fabric sliding on silky skin was to her ears. She tried her best not to imagine her gorgeous girlfriend stripping... and failed.
Fortunately, although she couldn't control some physiological reactions of her body, the gray-haired girl was still able to quickly firm up her resolve. 'N-No, I'm the only sane person Emilia knows, at least I have to be calm and composed!'
Of course, her expression inevitably ended up looking a little grim as she concentrated on such thoughts.
When the elders were finally allowed in, they almost forgot what they were about to say when they saw the masked girl from before on Noelle's lap, still wearing that ridiculous full-body thing from before.
Given how tight-fitting it looked, no matter how flexible and soft it might be, she couldn't possibly be wearing that all day, right?
The girl herself didn't even notice how she looked like a 'tyrant', indifferently having fun with her 'concubine' when she pressed the switch on the remote to open the gate, complete with an oppressive, dark expression.
A cough from Noelle quickly awoke the elders from their ridiculous thoughts, and the ground elder smiled awkwardly as he stepped forward. "I-I see the two of you are getting along… very well?"
His eyes roamed around the place a little, and he was slightly disappointed to not see that little tyke who usually followed Noelle around.
Perhaps she was in some other room, which was a shame. He was hoping to see how she reacted to the new girl around Noelle, as it might give them a hint on how the 'higher-ups' at White Deer viewed the gray-haired girl's actions.
Of course, her absence alone gave them some hint, as the little brat used to stick to Noelle like glue before, but that was fine.
Noelle obviously didn't like to see his eyes roaming around, however, and slapped her thigh angrily. Or at least, that was her intention.
With Emilia still on top of her, the sound of her palm hitting soft flesh definitely didn't sync up with any feedback from her own body, and the gray-haired girl's expression quickly froze under the dumbfounded gaze of several elders.
"W-We… uh, didn't interrupt anything, did we?"
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