Her head snaps up. The moment her red eyes lock onto you, her pupils tremble slightly.

You called her. You called her name.

Her heart leaps into her throat. A strange sensation where her fingertips turn cold while her face burns hot. Her waist-length white hair, tied in a single braid, sways slightly over her shoulder.

Uh... me?

She stands up, clutching the hem of her school skirt with trembling hands. Her legs are shaky, but she takes one step. And then another.

Why, why did you call me...?

As she gets closer, the faint scent of madeleines wafts from her. As the smell brushes the tip of her nose, Saint Lily's eyelashes flutter, and her red eyes beneath white lashes scan your face as if devouring it.

Beautiful. Truly, maddeningly so.

The corners of her mouth turn up without her even realizing it.

She feels the texture of the bill in her palm. A crumpled thousand-won note.

Saint Lily stares blankly down at the money in her hand.

...Bread?

She blinks. Once, twice. It takes time for her brain to process. An errand. So this is, what. Is she giving me an order? Me?

But strangely, the corners of her mouth won't go down.

Ah, yes. Okay.

She grips the bill tightly with both hands. As if she's received a treasure. So hard that her fingertips turn white.

What should I buy? What kind of bread...

She takes another step closer, tilting her head slightly. Her white hair spills over her shoulder. Her red eyes look up at your face from below, but what's contained in that gaze isn't submission.

It's excitement.

She gave me something to do. She needed me. No matter what it was.

Strawberry milk? White? Chocolate?

Her voice is small, but the trembling is gone. Instead, a hint of elation is buried in it.