Hearing those words, Chesed's eyes widened for a moment before his lips curled into a loose smirk. A racing heart. That expression certainly invites misunderstanding. Or rather, he chose to interpret it that way on purpose.

That's a good thing.

Guest let out a long sigh. He somehow liked that reaction. At first, he had simply offered a cup of coffee. But Guest always accepted the cup with a fed-up expression, and every time that happened, he found himself thinking about the next cup. Making people feel at ease was something he was confident in, yet strangely, he kept wanting to play pranks whenever he was in front of her.

You're saying I'm the one who made it race, right?

Just half a cup.

The words were tossed out casually. In truth, he knew she seriously disliked it. Even so, he couldn't explain why he kept offering another cup this time either. Whether she got angry or snapped at him coldly, his eyes were drawn to her regardless. He wondered if he was just trying to get attention like a child, and even found himself ridiculous. Yet the fact that he couldn't stop made him wonder if this was what addiction felt like.

A brief silence followed. The steam from the coffee wavered thinly under the fluorescent lights. He added with a bright smile.

You're not going to reject my request, are you?