episode_0098

…So this is what it feels like to wear someone else’s underwear.

Among the countless emotions I could barely keep track of, it was as if only shame had been inflated to the extreme…

That kind of feeling.

And since the size didn’t quite fit me, it was even worse.

At least the pants I borrowed along with them were stretchy, comfortable gray joggers, so those were fine…

But the underwear—

Well…

It was digging into my butt a little…

So I kept having to adjust it with my fingers…

“……”

Whatever.

That’s not what’s important right now.

…The real issue is that just from having my ears touched a little,

I ended up trembling and running away in front of Seo Woojin and Yozora.

How are they going to see me now?

Of course, they’ll think I’m some pervert who soaked her leggings at a friend’s house, right?

Then having normal conversations like before is going to be a little harder…

Ughhh…

I just want to die.

I wish I could pretend today never happened,

turn back time by a day—

No,

even just half a day would be enough…

Mommy…

“Uuuugh…”

Inside the bedroom where the two weren’t present,

I kicked Yozora’s blanket furiously, but since that alone wasn’t enough to satisfy me, I eventually rolled around on the bed, wrapped up in it.

But no matter how hard I tried to forget, every time I heard the distant whirrr of the washing machine spinning, the memories of what just happened came flooding back, suffocating me.

Haaah…

How the hell did I end up exposing my lion ears and tail, only for Yozora to keep touching them until I—

…Wait a second.

Amidst the shame-fueled rolling around, a single thread of light flashed through my mind.

Because of it, I wriggled upright and sat properly.

Thinking back on what just happened… something feels off.

It wasn’t too strange up until the part where Yozora gave me pheromone training to help me make friends,

but then I ended up exposing my ears and tail after smelling Seo Woojin’s… scent.

And then, out of nowhere, Yozora came up to me and kept touching my ears until I—

The more I think about it, the more suspicious it gets.

…Right. Now that I think about it, Yozora even said something while touching my ears.

Something along the lines of, “So even mutation-types are all the same, huh?”

Does that mean if someone touches a succubus’ horns and tail, they’d end up like this too?

Well, even if that’s the case, why did Yozora keep touching me even after my tail was standing straight up and my panties were soaked through?

…Is she a… lesbian?

No, no, she has a boyfriend, so that can’t be it…?

“……”

What the hell is going on?

Was she just so drunk that she couldn’t stop herself from going too far?

For a moment, I recalled the cliché excuse often seen in the news: “I was drunk, so I didn’t know what I was doing.”

Knock knock.

A sound at the door.

“…Who is it…?”

“…Ah, are you feeling a little better now?”

The gentle voice asking that belonged to a man I’d grown more familiar with than even the dad I occasionally saw.

It was Seo Woojin’s.

98

…Now that I think about it, it was either him or Yozora, so asking who it was might’ve been a little weird…

Clutching the blanket in embarrassment, I continued.

“I-I’m fine now…”

“Then, can I come in for a bit?”

“…Yeah.”

After a second of hesitation, I answered, and with a click, the firmly shut door opened halfway as Seo Woojin stepped inside.

…He looks bigger than usual for some reason.

Maybe it’s because I was kneeling between his legs earlier…

Anyway, since he’d already been in my bedroom once before, it wasn’t particularly awkward.

Besides, this is Yozora’s bedroom, so it’s not like there’s anything to be embarrassed about if he sees something, right?

…Of course,

my ears and cheeks were burning from what just happened, but that couldn’t be helped.

“This was in Yozora’s fridge. Want some?”

“…What is it?”

“Orange juice. I don’t know much about brands, but I heard it’s pretty expensive.”

“…Give it. I’ll drink it.”

Only after saying it did I realize how blunt “Give it” sounded.

Next time, I should say “Please give it to me”…

No, no.

That’s honorifics…

…Hmm.

Since he’s also the school nurse,

maybe a little bit of honorifics wouldn’t hurt…

“…Hey, where’s Yozora? Did you leave her somewhere and come alone?”

“She passed out. On the sofa over there. See?”

“Hold on… Ah, I see her.”

Before taking a sip of the juice he handed me, I asked, and Seo Woojin slightly reopened the door he was about to close.

Wriggling over and tilting my head, I could see Yozora slumped over the sofa’s armrest in the distance, her feet propped up.

Her chest rising and falling rhythmically with each breath.

Her arms relaxed, not on her stomach but hanging toward the floor—she must really be asleep.

Well, she did look pretty exhausted earlier in front of the washing machine too.

…Anyway, that aside.

After doing that to me, she’s just peacefully sleeping…?

Kinda pisses me off…

“Ugh… Hey.”

“…Hm?”

“…Are you okay? About earlier. Yozora touching your ears without permission.”

Had he read my mind or something?

Or maybe my displeasure was written all over my face.

Seo Woojin, sitting comfortably at the edge of the bed, looked apologetic on Yozora’s behalf.

Not addressing it directly, but just slightly steering the conversation.

Enough for me to understand.

“…I don’t really care.”

Seeing him like this, I couldn’t understand why Yozora called him “Master” at all.

Shouldn’t it be the other way around?

The role of a selfish “Master” seems more fitting for Yozora when she’s drunk.

She was a straight-up tyrant. A tyrant who kept fondling my ears even after I told her to stop.

How did things end up reversed like this?

Is there some backstory I don’t know about…?

Hmm…

“…But forget it. Forget everything you saw earlier. By any means necessary.”

“I’ll try.”

“If you don’t forget, I’ll hit you until you do…”

“…The way you say it makes it sound like you’re threatening to kill me.”

“You can heal anyway. Stuff like injuries.”

“So you’re saying you’ll hit me just enough not to kill me?”

“…If I have to.”

I know.

How impossible my request is.

Even if it were me, I don’t think I could ever forget the sight of Seo Woojin pressing Yozora’s head down and filling her mouth with his—

And you probably won’t forget seeing me with my ears and tail out, panting in soaked leggings either.

Haaaah…

Yes… I’m actually a spring-loaded creature who sprays juices the moment someone touches the animal ears on my head…

I bet my tail would be the same…

Not that I want to test it…

After mentally berating myself a few more times, I carefully took a sip of the orange juice Seo Woojin handed me.

“……?”

…I had some expectations since he said it was expensive, but it didn’t taste particularly special.

Especially the aftertaste was the problem.

It was sweet like normal orange juice at first, but at the end, there was a slightly chemical-like taste.

You could probably get the same flavor from any random orange juice at a supermarket…

Anyway, it doesn’t seem worth the money.

Maybe Woojin just misunderstood,

or maybe I’m not refined enough to appreciate orange juice properly.

Well, as long as it tastes good, it’s fine.

I took a few more sips while smiling at Seo Woojin.

…The more I drank, the more the peculiar aftertaste grew on me.

“Alright. Then let’s just pretend nothing happened today. Yozora looks like she’ll black out too, so she probably won’t remember either.”

“…If you tell anyone…”

In response, Seo Woojin flashed a bright smile, as if to say he had no intention of committing suicide.

While watching his face, I gulped down the orange juice.

Gulp, gulp.

After staring blankly at the cup in my hands, Seo Woojin suddenly went “Ah,” as if remembering something.

“Then should I get drunk like Yozora too? Maybe I’ll black out.”

“…Is it that easy?”

His absurd remark almost made me laugh.

“Well. It might be a little hard… But still better than getting hit by you.”

“…I-I wasn’t actually going to hit you…? It was just a joke, you know…?”

“I know. The girl who asked for help making friends wouldn’t hit one. Dummy.”

“……”

“Well… If you used that method, you could probably pick up a few guys who like getting hit by girls.”

“I-I’m not trying to make friends that way…!”

I playfully swung soft punches at Seo Woojin sitting next to me, pretending to be mad,

but deep down, I felt a little uncomfortable.

Making friends.

To be brutally honest,

it’s just an act to tip the scales in favor of Hansol Group when the time comes for you to weigh it against another group.

A device to plant a familiar image in your minds.

A choice I was forced into by my parents, who wanted me to be useful to the group despite my poor grades.

If not for that, I probably would’ve spent my whole life lazing around reading manga.

Personally, I don’t think having no friends would affect my life much.

So whenever you look at me with pure eyes, I feel a strange guilt.

But just now.

Specifically, about three seconds ago, my thoughts shifted slightly.

“I saw there’s still a lot of alcohol left. Maybe I should drink three bottles of soju.”

“…I-I’ll go with you…?”

“Together? You’re going to drink too?”

“No. J-Just for juice… I’ve never had alcohol…”

“Sure, whatever… Ah, give me the cup. I’ll refill your orange juice.”

“Okay…”

Having at least one friend is nice.

Whether they’re the same gender or not.

Someone you can talk to comfortably without overthinking.

Someone who makes you feel at ease.

Someone you can joke around with lightly.

It’s nice to have someone like that.

…Even if I’m a little embarrassed about imagining myself licking Seo Woojin’s—

thoroughly, burying my nose deep where I didn’t need to,

inhaling his thick male scent while—

And even if I’m embarrassed that the first scent I ever smelled was unexpectedly nice, making me sniff eagerly—

Well, as long as I don’t say anything, he’ll never know. Right?

We’re friends.

Friends.

Friends who can do a little pheromone training for each other.

…And other things… if requested.

After staring at Seo Woojin’s back for a while, I finally wriggled out of bed once he disappeared into the kitchen.

“……”

…Yozora’s posture seems to have changed a lot…

…Hmm.

I guess she just moves a lot in her sleep.