Episode 349. Harmonious Sisters (4)

Alice struggled to take off her patient gown, twisting her body this way and that, while I blankly stared at her, lost in thought.

Scarlet and Liliana said they were going out together tonight, so I needed to find someone to eat dinner with.

Rebecca was busy too, it seemed, as she wasn’t responding.

Maybe I should eat with Alice.

“Alice, want to grab dinner together tonight?”

“Dinner? Like, at the place we went last time?”

“That sounds good too. Or somewhere new?”

“Sounds great. I’ll make a reservation after my massage.”

Alright, alright.

You gotta eat with a pretty girl for the food to taste good.

As I nodded enthusiastically, Alice, who had been unbuttoning her patient gown, suddenly stopped.

“Um, wait outside for a second.”

“…You want me to leave?”

What kind of thunderclap from a clear sky is this?

Seeing her undress is a huge joy for me.

She definitely didn’t do this last time.

Has our relationship gone cold already?

Or was asking her to dinner the problem?

I gave Alice a pleading look, and she sighed before saying,

“…It’s because I’m wearing nothing under this gown. Hurry up and get out.”

“Mmm. Okay.”

Didn’t she already show me everything last time?

We saw each other naked, and besides, she was going to take off her underwear anyway.

I wanted to say something, but this must be a woman’s thing.

Sometimes, empathy is necessary.

Hiding my disappointment, I exited the room.

‘We’ve already seen everything anyway.’

Women are really hard to understand.

Waiting outside the patient room, I summoned my magic.

“Just in case, I should set up a barrier.”

Being in a patient room means there are many potential dangers.

Of course, not many people would come to Alice’s VIP room, but those who do come would be in huge trouble if caught.

Especially someone like Isaac.

If I get caught, I’ll definitely die.

I cast a Rune Barrier around the room and simultaneously detected a strange magical energy.

“…What the?”

More accurately, a trace of magic.

And it’s magic I recognize.

I quickly expanded the Rune Barrier to cover the entire building, sensing a magical signature moving away.

It was Irene’s magic.

“Is this person some kind of stalker?”

I found it so absurd I almost laughed.

How does she always find her way here whenever I meet with Alice?

No, what’s weirder is that I didn’t notice.

Scarlet’s words about me being weaker in front of women seem to be true.

I just can’t seem to concentrate.

I reinforced the Rune Barrier.

This time, I need to make sure she can’t get in.

But would she really come back after that?

‘…I have a feeling she will.’

No, she’ll probably come back thinking ‘The more the merrier!’

Still, she wouldn’t barge in during a massage, right?

She wouldn’t want to ruin her relationship with Alice either.

“Hmm.”

I glanced around unnecessarily, but of course, no one was there.

…I don’t know why I feel so uneasy.

You can never let your guard down when dealing with a crazy bitch.

I strengthened the Rune Barrier a bit more.

“You can come in now.”

“Coming right in.”

Just as Alice’s voice called out, I re-entered the room.

*

“Ugh. What was I thinking?”

After finishing lunch, Irene headed towards the Iris Guild’s medical team, blaming herself.

No matter how she thought about it, leaving the room just because Lee Hoyeon messaged her seemed too harsh.

Of course, she felt a pang of disappointment towards Alice, who smiled just because of a message, but as an older sister, she should have that much leeway. She needed to reflect.

The incident had bothered Irene all morning, so as soon as she finished her work, she hastily ate lunch and returned to Alice’s room.

Seeing her, now grown into an adult, always made the day’s fatigue disappear, so she didn’t even feel the strain of her busy schedule.

‘It must be because I’ve continued to love her.’

She felt even better lately, as Alice seemed to be opening her heart to her.

When they were young, no matter how much she tried, Alice wouldn’t look her way, so she’d bully her or snatch her things.

Even Alice’s crying face was beautiful, but her smile was even more so.

Especially that smile, seemingly cold yet slightly amused….

“Hnggg….”

Just thinking about it got her excited.

Irene shivered and walked towards the room again.

She had instructed the medical staff not to come unless necessary, ensuring private time for just her and Alice.

Arriving at the room, Irene hummed and reached for the door.

“Huh?”

-What’s this? You cut it so nicely. Did you do it yourself?

-No. Unnie did.

-Unnie? Ah. Irene-ssi. That’s surprising. You have such skills too.

-Right? She’s amazing.

However, the conversation drifting through the door crack made Irene stop in her tracks.

She heard a man’s voice, one she shouldn’t be hearing.

“Why is Lee Hoyeon here….”

I told him about the schedule via message.

Did he mean he’d come talk in person?

Irene concealed her presence and pressed herself against the door.

-Definitely, it seems so. With a little more refinement, we can consider it a full recovery. I didn’t expect such a rapid recovery.

“…What?”

Listening intently to the conversation inside, Irene focused on the word ‘recovery’.

Peeking through the door crack, she saw Alice clearly conjuring a sphere of magic in her hand.

‘Recovery…?’

Could she be talking about Alice’s congenital magical disorder?

Come to think of it, Alice’s condition was unusually good during the Centaur capture operation.

And it was all because of a massage….

“…This is strange.”

I didn’t like it.

I didn’t like Alice getting stronger, and I especially didn’t like that he was the reason.

The stronger she got, the more she’d want to go into real battles, exposing herself to more danger.

‘Why are you eating that… It’s an apple meant for Alice….’

Irene gritted her teeth watching Lee Hoyeon munch on the apple.

The two chatted familiarly about the massage.

Alice’s tone sounded more eager than Lee Hoyeon’s.

-Mhm, mhm. Are you going to do it right now? When are you checking out?

-I don’t know either. What’s certain is I’ll be here today, so it’s fine. Unnie went to work, so she won’t be coming for at least a few hours.

“Alice….”

I really shouldn’t have just left.

Alice’s voice sounded cold, as if she’d been hurt.

-You won’t do anything weird today, right?

-…Yeah.

‘After going through that, why….’

Alice seemed to remember that night.

Yet she’s considering a massage… is it because of her desire to fix her congenital magical disorder?

-It’s better if you do. I can fix it properly. Just trust me, Alice.

“Haa, okay. I’ll count on you.”

Why.

How could she?

Irene’s eyes trembled as she watched Alice.

Why was she trying to undress?

To let that man do… that?

Again?

“….”

Irene clenched her fist.

It’s all that man’s fault.

Everything was going well, and now it’s all messed up.

Why did he have to come to France with us and ruin everything?

‘What, what should I do?’

I need to save Alice from that crazy bastard.

Should I tell her he blackmailed me?

No, that would reveal that I was watching the massage.

I didn’t want Alice to see my flaws.

Irene clenched her fist tightly.

This isn’t right.

Alice.

I only needed you.

I could keep treating you well, so why?

Why is she falling for that man’s tricks and making herself so miserable?

‘No. Absolutely not….’

No matter what I have to do, Alice….

“Wait outside for a second.”

“…You want me to leave?”

“…!”

Irene, who had been glaring daggers at Lee Hoyeon, quickly snapped back to reality at Alice’s words.

She quickly moved away from the door.

‘…As soon as Lee Hoyeon comes out, I have to find him.’

I felt it clearly last time.

I’m angry, but Lee Hoyeon is stronger than me.

If force won’t work, I need to find another way.

It’s okay even if I have to sacrifice myself; as her older sister, I must handle this.

*

“…What the?”

Hearing Alice’s words, I opened the door to find a dark room.

The lights were off, and the blackout curtains were drawn.

The curtains were so high-quality that not a single ray of light entered through the window.

Alice rustled on the bed in the dark room and said,

“Walk carefully. You can still see vaguely, right?”

“Why did you turn off all the lights?”

“You couldn’t concentrate on the massage, so I thought maybe if you couldn’t see the body well, you could focus better.”

“….”

That’s a rather inappropriate thought.

I considered trying to persuade her, but decided against it and carefully summoned my magic instead.

‘Clairvoyance’

A skill that focuses magic into the eyes to enhance vision.

It’s a skill that originally enhances the ability to perceive mana-infused beings, but naturally, it can be used in situations like this.

Gradually, my vision cleared, and I could perceive the objects around me.

I approached the bed with a smile.

“Alice. Can you see my face?”

“I can’t see very well, but is it around here?”

Chup chup-

Alice rubbed and massaged around my face with her hands.

Her soft hands felt quite pleasant.

“Yeah, yeah. That’s good enough.”

Seeing Alice’s body clearly visible, I smirked.

Why is she hiding under the covers when the lights are off?

“Where are you? This is you, right?”

My hand slipped through a gap in the covers, brushing against Alice’s collarbone and touching her chest.

“Wait, just a second. Just a second! Take your hand away!”

“Sorry. I couldn’t see very well….”

“…I’ll lie on my stomach, so just do it like this.”

“Okay.”

I watched Alice’s cute reaction, her wary gaze fixed in my direction, and waited for her to turn over.

“You can start now. Begin with my back.”

“Okay. I’ll pull down the covers.”

I groped along Alice’s body as I pulled down the covers.

Alice’s pristine white skin and sexy curves were fully revealed.

“Hnggg….”

Her body trembled slightly as my fingernails traced her spine, which was incredibly cute.

Thinking she could concentrate better because the body wasn’t visible was a mistake.

If there’s one thing Alice doesn’t know, it’s that human senses are surprisingly important.

With vision almost completely blocked, my other senses became heightened.

Shall I test how sensitive they’ve become?

From Alice’s nape to her shoulders, back, and waist.

I carefully caressed her with my hands.

The smooth texture of her skin and the fine downy hairs.

It felt like touching a baby’s skin.

Of course, there aren’t any baby skins this sexy.

“Ah, ugh. Hoo….”

Just tracing the lines of her body made Alice gasp for breath.

If this isn’t sensitivity, what is?

“You’re reacting well.”

“…Don’t say things like that.”

“I’m complimenting you.”

“That’s not a compliment, that’s called sexual harassment.”

“What sexual harassment between us?”

“…Anyway, if you’re going to compliment me, compliment me differently.”

“I always tell you you’re beautiful. The most beautiful person I know.”

“….”

Compliments about her looks always worked well on Alice.

I’d said it so many times, Alice couldn’t help but acknowledge it.

Of course, since I keep telling her she’s beautiful, it feels like she’s using her looks… but I can understand that much.

Alice had quieted down, and her reaction was amusing, so I added,

“Does this pass the test?”

“…Just focus on the massage.”

“Yes, yes. Madam.”

“Ugh, ughh….”

I massaged Alice’s body, chuckling softly.

I wonder how far I can push it today.