A Wife-Like "Self" 4

"Seele, sit here!"

Dark Seele asked a sales clerk nearby for a small stool, then placed it beside Seele and smiled at her.

"Huh?"

Seele froze for a moment, not quite reacting in time.

"Sit down. Try the shoes on and see if they fit."

Dark Seele urged her, holding the sandals in her hands.

"Oh..."

After a brief hesitation, Seele held down her skirt slightly and sat on the little stool. But before she could take off her own shoes to try on the sandals, Dark Seele stopped her. "...Seele, don't move. I'll help you."

As she spoke, Dark Seele crouched down, making Seele feel a little unaccustomed to it.

Dark Seele's sudden action caught Seele off guard. It was not until she crouched down and grabbed Seele's foot to help take off her shoes, just like a "wife," that Seele hesitantly tried to stop her. "I can do it myself... Don't treat me like I can't even put on my own shoes!"

"Don't move around. Be good, Seele... understand? Isn't it only natural to do things like this for your girlfriend?"

Dark Seele stopped her outright, removed Seele's little leather shoe, then picked up the sandal and carefully helped her put it on.

Faced with this other self's forcefulness, Seele said nothing more and simply let her fuss over her feet.

But... even though she was wearing white stockings, perhaps it was just an illusion... When Dark Seele's cool, slender fingers and soft pale palm touched her foot, Seele could not help but shiver.

Yet beneath that chill was a trace of warmth. The warmth made her heart feel as if it were soaking in warm water, filling her with a comfort that reached deep into her soul. When she saw those delicate hands suddenly tickle the