Chapter 12 – Eating Anything Alone Can Lead to Trouble

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Editor’s Note

Edited

“Ugh…”

When I woke up after taking the pill, something felt strange.

My entire body ached so badly it felt like death.

It reminded me of how I felt after exercising for the first time. That terrible muscle pain that came the day after I recklessly overworked myself, having only heard that I needed to tear and recover my muscles as much as possible. The phrase, “it hurts because your muscles are growing” wasn’t entirely wrong, but it was definitely an unpleasant memory.

…But I don’t think I worked out hard enough to feel this way?

Sure, I did push myself a bit harder yesterday after seeing myself mindlessly eating cake, but this still seemed excessive.

The only difference from yesterday was that I took that pill…

Was that the problem?

Was the mysterious “Sensitivity” stat actually something that made me feel pain more intensely?

…That would be garbage.

No, it’s too early to jump to conclusions. The concept of “Sensitivity” is too vague and ambiguous.

It would be too hasty to conclude that this is the cause of my pain.

I can see why this wouldn’t be noticeable in a game.

People wouldn’t make a fuss saying “Ack! This hurts more than yesterday!” just because their sensitivity increased. That makes sense.

Anyway.

“Ow, ow, ow…”

I’ll think about the Sensitivity stat later.

It would be a shame not to check the other effects as well.

Finding a comfortable position to avoid aggravating my muscle pain, I carefully called out to Undine.

Bubble, bubble.

The girl who usually springs from my hand appeared from my stomach this time.

But other than that, I couldn’t really feel any difference.

It seems the saying “don’t just eat anything you find” exists for a reason.

Maybe I should try giving it a command to see if anything happens.

As I sighed deeply in disappointment, I heard rustling sounds, followed by a sleepy voice.

“Is something… wrong?”

“Ah, well…”

I couldn’t exactly say “I took a pill I found in a statue’s thigh, and now I only have muscle pain with no noticeable benefits, so I’m sighing about it…”

“Um, I think I worked out too hard yesterday.”

“…Do you have muscle pain?”

“Something… like that.”

As I laughed awkwardly with my conscience pricking me, I heard creaking sounds as Michelle approached me.

Startled, I turned my head to see her stretching with popping sounds. Her face, which had been drowsy with sleep, seemed to become somewhat refreshed.

When our eyes met, she said in a low voice with an unreadable expression:

“Let me help you a bit.”

“Pardon?”

With a somewhat dazed face, she reached out to me but then stopped, muttering with an awkward expression.

“…Would you take off your outer clothes?”

“Ah, um… sure.”

Taking off my workout top that had practically become one with my body, I felt like I’d put down a sandbag.

As I set the top aside, Michelle’s massage began.

“Hik!?”

“…”

Her hands, both firm and gentle, moved across my body through the thin fabric. She massaged exactly where it hurt, as if she knew precisely where the pain was.

“Ahh…!”

I suppose that’s natural for someone who exercises.

“Hwuk…!”

A slightly high-pitched sound escaped my lips. I felt a strange pain somewhere between agony and an odd sensation.

I thought about telling her it was fine, but somehow that would hurt my pride.

Asking to stop a massage because it hurts?

That would make me look like a pathetic man right then and there.

And it’s true that massage helps with muscle pain.

…What confused me, though, was why Michelle cared so much about my condition, even though I’d ended up taking my clothes off without really thinking.

Didn’t I pay the consultation fee yesterday, even though we hadn’t even had the consultation yet?

Was she just being considerate because we’re roommates?

I looked at Michelle’s face while making “heuyk” sounds.

I thought she had fully woken up while stretching, but her face still looked slightly dazed. Despite that, she was focused on massaging my body as if it were her primary mission.

“Aheu…”

It almost felt like she was desperate, as if she had no choice but to do this.

I felt strange about this inexplicable kindness, but my body was twisting with her touch, so I had no time to think deeply about it.

“Heuk…!”

As the pain intensified and my breath became hot, Michelle said in a somewhat embarrassed voice:

“…Could you lie on your stomach?”

“Y-Yes.”

As I flipped my creaking body, I suddenly felt short of breath. By now, you probably know why I was breathless.

Sensing my discomfort, Michelle placed a pillow under my stomach, which helped considerably.

Immediately, Michelle’s massage resumed.

As I endured the pain with my face pressed into the sheets, I noticed Michelle’s breathing becoming rougher as well.

…Massaging someone else must be more tiring than I thought.

Well, it makes sense since she’s not using any tools.

To be honest, I’ve never massaged anyone else, so I wouldn’t know.

By the way.

…Can’t Undine remove muscle pain?

“Hwuk…!”

I should experiment with that later.

*
*
*
*

Though her mind was uneasy, she couldn’t go without sleep entirely. After all, she had her position as the Academy’s swordsmanship instructor.

The one fortunate thing, though she didn’t know why, was that her roommate wasn’t currently in the room.

Michelle, who had fallen asleep almost unconsciously, slowly opened her eyes to a familiar voice lingering in her ears.

Her mind was foggy.

Her body, already weak in the morning.

The accumulated fatigue must not have dissipated yet, as her eyelids felt extremely heavy. Nevertheless, the voice bothering her ears concerned her.

The source of the voice seemed to be… her roommate, who complicated her thoughts.

She rustled around by herself and then made a strange sound.

‘Is she in pain somewhere?’

Surely it couldn’t be because of what I did?

That was highly unlikely, but it was an unknown territory for her, so she felt anxious.

Rising with a depressive mix of anxiety and guilt, Michelle stretched her body to drive away the laziness washing over her and approached Iris.

“Auuu…”

Contrary to her worries, it seemed like Iris was just suffering from muscle pain.

While mentally sighing with relief, Michelle felt proud of her for working hard every day.

…Though the age difference probably wasn’t significant, Iris’s petite height made her seem like a younger sister—

Michelle shook her head at that thought. She remembered the inappropriate thing she had done last night.

In any case, it was true that she was concerned about her because of it.

Settling it with just a cake after doing such a thing seemed ridiculous.

But talking about it directly also… bothered her somewhat.

She knew she shouldn’t, but… she worried that mentioning it might create distance between them.

She found herself unfamiliar with her own anxious state.

It had been so long since she had cared this much about someone else.

While Michelle was lost in thought, her body faithfully moved her hands.

She came to her senses only after hearing Iris’s voice.

“Hik!?”

“…”

She looked at Iris, who had already taken off her top and was lying down.

Her unbalanced body entered Michelle’s hazy eyes.

A thin body compared to her chest.

When just looking at it, she merely thought it was disproportionate, but touching it directly felt somehow strange.

If her chest was this large, one would expect similar flesh elsewhere, but Iris wasn’t the owner of such plump fleshiness.

“Ahh…!”

Rather, she could be considered thin in comparison, though not to the point of being skin and bones.

She had just enough fat to maintain a woman’s curves.

Even through the fabric, the softness of her skin and its supple texture were clearly felt.

…Does she really need to exercise?

That thought crossed her mind.

If it was for stamina, it made sense, but her body didn’t seem to require that much maintenance.

Especially considering how she would pant after just a little running, it seemed she hadn’t been involved with exercise until now.

“Mmng…”

…It probably wasn’t a sound she was making consciously, but somehow hearing it made Michelle feel strange.

Michelle tried hard not to listen, but…

In the quiet space with just the two of them…

The rustling sounds as Iris moved her body and…

…those sounds she made, whether from pain or whatever else, were all too clear.

Her breasts, moving like living creatures with every twist of her body, were plainly visible.

Sweat had already seeped through, showing the fair skin underneath.

Feeling her tail straighten out, Michelle said quietly:

“…Could you lie on your stomach?”

It seemed best to finish this quickly.

Fortunately, Iris didn’t seem to notice her state.

“Hahng…”

Strange sounds still came from her face, turned sideways to breathe.

Her small body, with everything in place where it should be…

…wasn’t something that could be hidden just by lying face down.

Michelle had to consider whether she had always been this interested in women.

Separately from that…

She realized that her new tail was becoming quite agitated.

…Michelle had to make an effort to keep it from touching Iris.

After finishing the massage, Michelle awkwardly retreated and lay down on her own bed.

As she prepared to go back to sleep, she heard Iris’s embarrassed voice:

“I’m sorry. I made you worry unnecessarily.”

“…It’s the weekend anyway.”

“Haha… Yes. Well, sleep well. I’ll go out so I don’t disturb you.”

“Y-You don’t need to…”

“Don’t worry about it. I have something I want to try.”

With those words, Iris left the room, adding, “The massage was really effective.”

Michelle tried to calm her hazy mind by inhaling the scent Iris left behind.

…It didn’t seem to be very effective.