Ch.103Señorita! (4)

#103

“You, tell me the truth.”

“Yes, who else is there?”

Dexter, who came out of the room in response to their call, wore an aggrieved expression.

“Seriously, why is there a hearing about me taking place in my own house?”

Jesse and Himena stood side by side, while Dexter sat on the sofa, enduring their sharp gazes.

“This is something Emily agreed to as well.”

“…But Emily is in prison?”

“Himena helped.”

Jesse said, gesturing toward Himena with her eyes.

“With my authority, I can call prison inmates, right?”

“Well, yes, but… what exactly are you trying to talk about?”

Jesse crossed her arms and looked directly into Dexter’s eyes.

“Tell me all the women you’re currently close with.”

“Huh?”

“Quickly. Tell me all of them.”

Under Jesse’s urging, Dexter rolled his eyes around as he began to think.

“There’s Judy, a fellow correctional officer, Kiara, the daughter of the owner of the Oasis Bar near here, Mrs. Bailey, the nutritionist at the prison cafeteria…”

As Dexter started counting on his fingers and listing all the women he knew, the two women’s faces gradually crumpled.

“Also, Marsha, another correctional officer…”

“Stop, stop! Are you really going to list all the women you’re friendly with?”

“You know very well that’s not what we meant, right?”

In response to their criticism, Dexter replied with a nonchalant expression.

“Actually, there is one more.”

“Who is it?”

“Who is she?”

After hearing that he was seeing yet another woman in addition to Emily and the others, Jesse and Himena looked like they were about to flip out.

“Well, as I mentioned first, it’s Judy.”

“The female C.O. who manages Block 1?”

“You know her? I thought you wouldn’t since she’s assigned to a different block.”

Jesse, who already knew about Judy, glared at Dexter and said:

“Of course I do! She’s the one all the male C.O.s are constantly drooling over, wishing they could just hold her hand once!”

“Is she that popular?”

Most of the correctional officers Dexter was friendly with were either married men or those nearing retirement who had lost interest in women. Because of this, Dexter had no idea how popular Judy was as a correctional officer.

“Judy? You mean that short, cute female correctional officer?”

“That’s right. How does Himena know her?”

‘Has Dexter extended his reach to that correctional officer too?’

Himena had met Judy once during the hologram incident. Upon hearing that Dexter had also set his sights on the cute-looking Judy, Himena’s reaction changed slightly.

“…Is that so?”

Himena’s cold gaze felt piercing.

‘Ah, that’s right, Himena has seen Judy before.’

Knowing roughly what she was thinking, Dexter had nothing to say and slowly turned his head in another direction.

“She’s popular with the inmates too because she’s so nice.”

“I see. Yes, someone so cute and kind would naturally be popular. So you’re saying Dexter has gone after someone like her too?”

“That’s not really my fault. When teaching someone exercise, bodies get close, and feelings can develop.”

As Dexter demonstrated an embracing motion, Himena spoke with obvious irritation in her voice.

“Dexter, shush!”

At Himena’s sharp tone, Dexter leaned back against the sofa and observed the two women’s reactions.

“Haah…”

He truly seemed like a hopeless man, but Himena had already finished discussing this with Jesse and decided to wrap things up cleanly.

“Judy will be the last one. Got it?”

“What do you mean ‘the last one’?”

In response to Dexter’s confused question, Jesse clarified once more.

“If you add any more women after this…”

Jesse’s menacing threat.

Her gaze was fixed specifically on Dexter’s lower body, and she even demonstrated grinding something under her right foot.

“…this is what will happen.”

“Hey, that’s a bit brutal, isn’t it?”

For Dexter, who had crossed the line between life and death dozens of times, Jesse’s threat wasn’t particularly effective.

If anything, he found Jesse’s actions cute.

As Dexter laughed lightly, both Himena and Jesse stared at him with fire in their eyes.

‘I should probably try to appease them a bit.’

Sensing that the atmosphere had grown quite cold, Dexter felt the need to change the mood.

“Stop glaring at me. Both of you, come here for a moment.”

Curious about what he was going to say, the two approached Dexter.

As they sat down on his left and right sides, Dexter placed his hands on their shoulders. Then he gave each of them a light kiss on the cheek, alternating between them.

*Smooch, smooch*

“Why are you suddenly doing this?”

“What are you doing?”

Both women were startled by Dexter’s surprise kisses—Jesse’s ear tips and Himena’s nose tip turned red. Though their ways of expressing it differed, their reactions shared the same sense of bewilderment.

Dexter gave them a sly smile.

“So when you say not to add any more women, you mean that you two have agreed to allow Emily and Judy?”

Honestly, Dexter had never imagined women fighting over him, but he never dreamed they would come to such an amicable agreement.

‘I thought they’d at least keep arguing.’

Dexter didn’t know, since he had been completely blocked from eavesdropping, but the two women had reached a conclusion after discussing their relationships with him.

To both of them, Dexter was “someone too much to handle alone.”

He was a good person, not lacking in any way. But he was someone whose scale was too large for one person to manage.

Jesse and Himena believed that rather than giving up on Dexter because he was too much to handle, it was better for several confident women to share him.

“You’re right. That’s why we’re saying don’t add any more. Do you want to see us crying tears of blood?”

Dexter responded to Jesse’s words by kissing her on the forehead and saying:

“I won’t add any more, and I’ll try not to radiate this fatal charm of mine.”

Himena was about to snap back at Dexter’s playful remark but then gave up.

“You’re nothing but mischief, I swear.”

Dexter chuckled and gave Himena a kiss on the forehead too, then said:

“Now let’s go shopping.”

“Shopping?”

“We need to buy clothes for you and things you’ll need while staying here.”

Dexter showed Jesse his wristwatch as he spoke. They needed to buy things and have dinner, but there wasn’t much time left.

Hearing this, Himena clapped her hands and said:

“Oh, right! Since Jesse was released today, I’ll buy you a few outfits to celebrate.”

With her hands on her hips, after a brief moment of thought, Himena looked at Jesse and Dexter and said:

“So let’s go together. I’ll buy you lots of things, so look forward to it!”

“Lots?”

“Lots!”

Jesse grinned at Himena’s proposal.

* * *

“…Himena Libero. Do you have no conscience?”

“Hehe.”

Dexter’s hands and back were loaded with shopping bags and a large duffel bag as they exited the mall. They were filled with clothes and items for Jesse.

There were so many that even Dexter, who considered himself stronger than most people, occasionally stumbled due to the imbalanced weight.

“…You got off easy.”

Jesse, walking slowly behind Dexter, said this but had a look in her eyes that suggested she wanted to help him.

“Jesse, don’t even think about helping Dexter.”

“…W-when was I going to?”

At Himena’s sly smile and voice, Jesse hurried forward and stuck close to Himena’s side.

“L-let’s go. Quickly.”

“Okay.”

“Wow, I may have done something wrong, but this is too much.”

Despite Dexter being loaded down with bags, neither of the women offered to help. Dexter barely managed to see ahead through the gaps between the items he was carrying and reached the pickup truck. After placing the items in the truck bed, Dexter looked at the grinning Himena and the awkwardly smiling Jesse.

“You really won’t help, huh?”

“Dexter got off easy. Now, let’s go eat.”

“Aren’t you two being too unreasonable?”

While the two women got into the passenger seat and back seat respectively, Dexter climbed into the driver’s seat with a sour expression.

“Let this one slide. How many girlfriends in the world share a boyfriend? This is already a generous arrangement.”

Dexter chuckled and said:

“Is this the burden of being an exceptional man?”

“…Why do I even like this guy?”

Dexter laughed lightly at Himena’s glare and asked Jesse in the back seat:

“What do you want to eat? Anything specific?”

“Hmm, anything is fine…”

Dexter thought about the breakfast and lunch that inmates had been eating recently. As a correctional officer responsible for distributing inmate meal boxes for breakfast and lunch, he could easily recall them.

“You don’t necessarily need to eat something incredibly delicious just because it’s your first day out… Our prison food is pretty good, but something you haven’t been able to eat recently might be…”

After pondering for a moment, Dexter suggested one food.

“Apple pie.”

“Ah.”

*Growl*

In Jesse’s mind, she imagined herself biting into a pie with its perfect balance of tangy and subtly sweet stewed apple pieces and crispy crust.

As soon as Dexter mentioned apple pie, Jesse’s stomach signaled its hunger.

“Oh, apple pie sounds delicious. I, I want that.”

When Jesse agreed to Dexter’s menu suggestion, Himena, sitting in the passenger seat, stroked her plump lips with her finger and said:

“Apple pie… At this hour, most restaurants will be closed. Should we go to a chain restaurant?”

“I think that’s fine. Just because I got out doesn’t mean we need to eat something expensive.”

Jesse felt there was no need to eat something expensive and delicious, especially given the time.

“Really? Then Himena, could you set the navigation? I’ll drive there.”

Soon, Himena set the navigation to a restaurant she knew, and Dexter headed in that direction.

“By the way, did we buy everything you need?”

“Yeah. Himena even bought things I don’t need… I was almost dying of embarrassment.”

“Jesse, now that you’re back in society, at your age, it’s natural to have at least one seductive piece of underw— mmph!”

Jesse urgently covered Himena’s mouth, who was sitting in the passenger seat.

“D-don’t say such embarrassing things!”

“What’s embarrassing about that?”

Dexter chuckled and said:

“There are more embarrassing things.”

“Like what?”

“You two are about the same age. That means Himena probably has that kind of underwear too.”

“Oh? You’re right.”

Dexter and Jesse simultaneously looked at Himena.

“Do you have some too, Himena?”

“Ms. Himena, do you?”

As the two stared at her and asked the obvious question, Himena, with a bright red face, said:

“…noying.”

“Pardon?”

“What did you say?”

“I said it’s annoying!! Why are you asking such things?!”

“Kikikik.”

“Kukukuk.”

Dexter and Jesse suppressed their laughter at Himena’s predictable reaction.

“So, what color is it? Just tell me, don’t hide it. When you first do it with Dexter, you should naturally wear that underwear… Ow! Dexter, Himena is biting me!”

“You said you’d take my side, Jesse!”

“Ah, but Himena started it first!”

Their cooperation ended so simply, and only Dexter, sitting beside them, chuckled.

Bickering like that, the three arrived at the restaurant Himena had navigated to.

Since the restaurant was about to close, the three quickly went in and ordered suitable dishes, including the apple pie that Jesse wanted most.

“Since I bought you pretty clothes, make sure to wear them well.”

“Some of the things Himena bought don’t even look like clothes. A top that’s only the size of a palm.”

“Come on, that’s the basic style these days.”

“How would someone who wears suits every day know that?”

“I don’t wear suits on holidays, you know? Like you saw before, I wear blouses and jeans.”

“The ones that show your belly button?”

“Yes. Why?”

“Didn’t your parents say anything?”

“Well, of course I wore modest clothes when staying at my family home. I’m an adult now, so I can wear those kinds of clothes, right?”

Jesse, who had been quietly listening to the conversation, rested her chin on her arms on the table and said:

“Doesn’t Himena sound like a runaway teenager? Like, ‘I’m being rebellious because my parents aren’t around,’ something like that.”

“Oh, what’s that supposed to mean?”

But Himena didn’t deny Jesse’s words.

“But it’s not wrong… Skirts had to come down below the knees, or pants. No skin showing above the arms…”

“Are your parents Muslim?”

“No! They’re just strict about those things. I was almost kidnapped when I was young. Around ten years old?”

“Hmm.”

This was the first time Dexter had heard this story.

“In the end, they caught the guy, and what did he say? I think he said I was behaving improperly. What nonsense.”

As Himena spoke with disbelief, Jesse’s eyes widened.

“Wow. What a bastard.”

“Right? Anyway, after that, my parents, who had been quite lenient before, seemed to have realized something. From then on, they made me cover up completely.”

“Why? It was that crazy guy’s fault.”

“I guess they meant to not even give the slightest opportunity. Thanks to that, I was kind of half-ostracized at school.”

As the food arrived, Himena waved her hand dismissively and said:

“I don’t want to talk about it anymore. Today is a happy day, right?”

Himena forced a smile.

“Yes, today is a good day.”

Jesse said as she took a bite of the chicken salad in front of her.

“Hmm. We just met today, and this is the first time we’ve talked.”

Taking another bite of salad, Jesse said with an apologetic face:

“I tend to speak harshly, so I made you talk about things you didn’t need to. I’m sorry.”

“No, if anything, I feel like I ruined the mood.”

Watching the two apologize to each other, Dexter, wondering what kind of relationship this was, tapped his bowl with his finger and said:

“Let’s eat, shall we?”

“Is food all Dexter knows about?”

“Right. Usually, you’re good at matching the mood, but today you’re completely off.”

“When we came to eat and you’re both apologizing to each other, what else can I say? Let’s just eat quickly and go home to talk more.”

At that, both Jesse and Himena threw a word each at Dexter.

“Old-fashioned.”

“Jerk.”

“Muscle-brain.”

“Playboy.”

“……”

Since these were somewhat true, it was difficult for Dexter to refute or ignore them. He wore a disgruntled expression.

“Oh, he’s sulking. He’s sulking.”

“Look, he’s not saying anything.”

“…I said let’s eat.”

Meanwhile, the three plates were emptied cleanly, and soon the dessert, apple pie, was served one slice each.

Jesse, who was essentially the main character of this gathering, broke the pie with her fork and put it in her mouth, smiling happily.

“It’s been so long since I’ve had warm, crispy pie, really.”

“Isn’t pie supposed to be warm and crispy?”

At Himena’s naive comment, Dexter chuckled and said:

“Jesse, forgive her. She’s a rich girl who doesn’t understand.”

“I heard earlier that Himena’s family is super rich too. Oh, prison food comes in lunch boxes, so it’s a bit cold when it arrives. Try to understand.”

“I see…”

Himena, who didn’t know much about prisons, nodded and began asking Jesse questions about prison life that she had been curious about, and they chatted pleasantly.

After the three had cleaned their plates, including the apple pie, and finished paying at the restaurant, Dexter said as they were leaving:

“Ah, I’m full. Now we just need to make one more stop.”

“Stop where?”

“Is there somewhere we need to go?”

In response to their questions, Dexter thought carefully about how to phrase it, then condensed it into one sentence:

“A place where you can learn about my true identity?”