The Coward - Chapter 5

In moments, the entire square Eight Immortals table was covered with dishes.

I swallowed dryly, not forgetting to flatter Tantan first. “Um, husband, you’re so thoughtful. Thank you… B-but I’m actually not very hungry.”

A lie. I had not eaten in two days.

But if I did not dare touch the toys it gave me, how could I possibly dare eat its food?

Tantan cocked its head. There was no impatience on that handsome face. It picked up a piece of red-braised pork and held it to my lips.

When I refused to open my mouth, it simply held the chopsticks there without moving.

…Oh, forget it.

Resisting an entity would get me killed. Being poisoned would also get me killed. I might as well die on a full stomach.

I gritted my teeth, steeled my heart, and opened my mouth to snatch the meat away.

The rich sauce burst over my tongue, and the pork melted in my mouth.

It was absurdly delicious.

My eyes stung. I nearly burst into tears on the spot.

After that, I needed no feeding. I seized the chopsticks and began wolfing down the food by myself.

Halfway through the meal, Tantan lifted an index finger and tapped its cheek. “Mm…”

My cheeks bulging with food, I glanced at it and assumed it was telling me I had a grain of rice stuck to my face.

I wiped my cheek with my sleeve. There was nothing there.

A moment later, it tapped its own cheek again. “Mm-mm…”

Puzzled, I wiped my face once more. Still nothing.

“Mm-mm-mm… my wife.”

By the third time it tapped its cheek, I could no longer be bothered.

If its face was dirty, then it was dirty. Why would an entity care about appearances?

Besides, I had discovered a plate of exquisite little pastries that were especially delicious. Beside it, written in delicate floral script, were the words: *Jade Crisp*.

I ate four in a row.

When I reached for a fifth, a pair of bamboo chopsticks beat me to it and deftly lifted the final pastry from the plate.

My chopsticks closed on empty air. I looked up.

Tantan had taken the last Jade Crisp and brought it to its lips. It caught the milky-white pastry gently between them, half hidden between its crimson lips and half still exposed.

Tiny sugar crystals lay over it like a veil of frost. Against that cool, aloof face, the sight was indescribably—

Me: “…”

So this was the plan—weaponize that beautiful face against me?

As expected of an SSS-rank entity. Too dangerous!

When it saw my chopsticks frozen in midair, Tantan slowly leaned toward me. Its sleeve brushed the bowls and plates, setting them clinking as that faint scent drew closer and closer.

Soft. Cool.

Ahem. Anyway… the pastry was quite sweet.

But I should probably not eat one that way again.

After eating my fill, I sat rubbing my stomach.

Tantan suddenly raised its head toward the window, as though it had noticed some disturbance inside the instance.

In an instant, I once again felt the crushing pressure of an SSS-rank entity rolling off it.

But only a moment later, Tantan withdrew its gaze and turned to me. Its palm came down on my head and stroked me gently twice.

“Wife. Wait. Home.”

I nodded at once. “Go take care of your business, husband! I’ll stay home and behave. Be careful on your way.”

Tantan watched me in silence for a while longer before finally turning and leaving.

The instant I was alone in the room, every trace of obedience vanished from my face.

Run.

It did not matter how gentle Tantan was with me, how considerate, or how much it resembled a “husband.”

How could an entity truly regard a human as its wife?

This was only a game of captivity, started on a whim.

Once it got bored—once it grew hungry—the first thing it would eat was me.

I had to run.