Judging solely by its appearance, this cake shouldn't have fallen within Rimono Momoki's "hunting" range. The thing was slightly off-putting just to look at. Could it be a unique preference of Rimono Momoki?
Alistair looked left and right but couldn't figure out what made this dark purple cake appealing. If it wasn't the appearance, then its taste must have allowed Rimono Momoki to endure its look and eat it. Could this dark purple cake be something like stinky tofu?
Alistair grabbed a fork from the cutlery rack and carved a small piece from the half-eaten dark purple cake. He sniffed it first. No peculiar smell. If one didn't know it came from the cake, from a distance, it might be mistaken for the red pulp of a pitaya fruit, only with a darker color, closer to black.
"Mmm, it doesn't seem to have much flavor. It tastes like an ordinary cake."
Alistair ate the cake on the fork. Surprisingly, he didn't find it particularly delicious; the taste was similar to a regular cake, with nothing stunning about it. So why would Rimono Momoki keep such a cake in her refrigerator?
Logically, even if she bought such a strange cake out of curiosity, she should have thrown it away if she found no merits after tasting it. Alistair knew Rimono Momoki discarded unsatisfactory sweets. While she usually finished her food, that was limited to normal desserts. This one looked odd and quirky, and the taste was unoriginal. It should have been tossed. Was there something Alistair hadn't noticed?
Alistair observed it again, but found nothing. He decided to try and reconstruct the pattern on the cake.
The remaining half-pattern was a semi-circle containing a complete small triangle, with a residual diagonal line above it. If the pattern was symmetrical, the other side should be similar: a small triangle with a diagonal line above it. If he drew it out, it would be roughly a circle with two small triangles inside. The two diagonal lines were likely part of a larger triangle, meaning there was a straight line in the middle. The periphery of each triangle seemed to have another triangle, forming an equilateral hexagon...
Fortunately, Alistair always carried a pen in his pocket, saving him the trouble of finding one. He sketched on a piece of nearby paper, eventually concluding that the most probable design was a common mathematical pattern: a large equilateral hexagon inside a circle, containing three smaller equilateral hexagons. That was the gist of it.
"So, this is a mathematical geometric pattern cake?" Alistair looked at the pattern, scratching his head. He didn't know what to make of it. His mind felt cluttered. Now there were even more unresolved questions. A math cake? What was the point?
Meanwhile, in a strange "office building shrine," a graceful woman kneeling with her hands clasped in the center of the "shrine" slightly opened her closed eyes. She seemed to sense something, frowned, and then relaxed. A slight smile appeared on her otherwise intensely seductive face, adding a layer of allure.
"Hey, what are you smiling about? Didn't you say you were going to give me the things for the next period? Why are you dragging your feet?"
A clearly displeased female voice echoed in the quiet "shrine." This caused the "Miko's" (Shrine Maiden) brow to furrow, showing a flash of displeasure that she quickly hid.
"If you don't pray sincerely to Kami-sama (God), your items won't be effective. Besides, those things are genuinely beneficial to you, aren't they?"
The "Miko's" voice carried a hint of amusement, seemingly incapable of holding any dissatisfaction, and its inherently seductive tone was clearly noticeable without sounding affected or annoying.
"Heh, who knows if your Kami-sama is a real God? Maybe it's just some urban legend. There are no Kami-sama in this world; those are just to fool people. If you want to talk about the supernatural, urban legends are far more credible. And you call him Kami, but he doesn't even have a statue. What kind of Kami is that?" The voice carried a tone of disdain, completely unconcealed disbelief in matters of faith.
"Ms. Hikari Matsuda, please mind your language, or I won't guarantee the efficacy of those items." The "Miko's" expression grew cold, and her voice became sharper.
"Hmph."
Clearly, the "Miko's" words hit a nerve, and although Hikari Matsuda still disliked the woman, she had to admit she would need to rely on this "Miko" for the foreseeable future.
If Alistair were here, he would recognize the person the "Miko" called Hikari Matsuda as the senior student who had briefly guided him—Hikari Matsuda.
The "Miko" knelt there, praying for a while. Then, she lowered her clasped hands and extended a single index finger, sliding it along the ground. Surprisingly, there was no paint or ink on her finger, yet it acted like a pen, drawing black lines on the smooth floor. These lines eventually formed the "mathematical geometric pattern" that Alistair had just drawn.
Hikari Matsuda's expression grew serious as she watched the "Miko's" movements. Previously, when she received the substances from this woman, she always took them directly and had never seen how the woman produced them. Indeed, Hikari Matsuda always believed these "drugs" were a type of dependence-forming medicine manufactured by this woman, like tobacco or alcohol. However, this substance didn't cause addiction; instead, it promoted her body's "excellence."
Yes, in Hikari Matsuda's view, this "drug" made the body "excellent," transforming it into something more suitable for pleasure. Hikari Matsuda could clearly feel the physical changes. She wasn't this busty before, and neither was her friend, Madoka. Before, Madoka was only slightly larger than average, not the hyper-sensual body that two hands couldn't fully grasp now.
Furthermore, both her body and Madoka's had become more sensitive. During the first few times they self-pleasured, they easily reached climax. Madoka had mentioned this too. Compared to Hikari Matsuda, perhaps due to Madoka's better development, Madoka could easily climax several times during self-pleasure.
Hikari Matsuda and Madoka had also tried to stop taking the "drug," but the result was that a certain primal instinct within them became increasingly restless. If they hadn't promptly resumed taking the "drug," they might have become slaves to desire, perhaps ending up as comfort toys (rbq), given that both she and Madoka were quite outstanding in terms of looks and physique.
Later, Hikari Matsuda figured out the purpose of the "drug": to develop their bodies, making them "excellent" according to general aesthetics. The effect depended on their potential since the substance only developed, not genetically modified.
However, the substance was not without side effects. There were two: first, it increased the body's sensitivity and pleasure in that area; second, it stimulated the latent female reproductive instinct. However, the stimulation was accompanied by suppression, so it didn't fully manifest.
But if they stopped the supply to the body, the stimulated reproductive instinct would quickly erupt and grow exponentially. Since it was only suppressed, not eliminated, unless they released it, it would just burst forth. In that case, both of them would probably have only the word "reproduction" in their minds.
Thus, after one short attempt at stopping, they never tried again. If they stopped for too long, their minds might be "cleansed" by their own instincts, which would be disastrous.
In a way, this was a case of having to pay a price for what you gained. Through this substance, they gained bodies that were more perfect in the eyes of others, but they also paid the price of having to use it continuously. Otherwise, they would definitely be unable to withstand the instinct that had accumulated over such a long time.
"Do you know? This item is actually a physical manifestation of Kami-sama's power. Only Kami-sama can resolve the associated price. If you could dedicate your body and soul to Kami-sama, you might not have this trouble~" The "Miko" spoke after completing the pattern and resuming her prayer, seemingly sensing Hikari Matsuda's complex emotions.
"Heh, then can you invite your so-called Kami-sama out for me to see? If the person themselves isn't even around, how can I dedicate my body and soul?" Hikari Matsuda replied dismissively.
"Kami-sama has already arrived in the mortal world. He exists right by you and me. Or perhaps, you have already met Kami-sama, but you just didn't realize it." The "Miko" Shima Izuki said with a slight curl of her lips and a calm tone.
"Ha? By me? I don't recall that at all. Is your so-called Kami-sama just an ordinary person? In that case, couldn't I just pick any random person and call them Kami-sama? Shima Izuki—Auntie~?" Hikari Matsuda chuckled, feeling the "Miko" was joking, and threw in a malicious jab, knowing that the "Miko," Shima Izuki, was actually over thirty years old.
However, Shima Izuki didn't react. She merely reached a hand towards the pattern she had drawn earlier.
Shima Izuki's hand passed through the spot on the floor where the pattern was drawn as if plunging into water, creating ripples like a water surface. She stirred slightly and "fished" out an object: a square box.