Like Treating a Friend
Like Treating a Friend
Recently, someone I didn't like appeared.
It was none other than Veronica, who came from the same world as me.
Well, if I wanted to go home, I could. But the thing was, she subtly tried to act ahead of me without my word.
For example, making Potions I hadn't asked for, or pushing other Heroines forward to help with their capture.
Honestly, I thought Linda would have sex with me after we'd established a deeper relationship, but I knew well that she'd rushed into it before I even felt like I'd properly captured her.
This... since I was in a man's body, it was hard for me to know what they talked about when they gathered, or what kind of subtle power struggles they had, but judging by the atmosphere, I suspected it was probably because of Veronica.
Well, once Linda was captured, Agnes was practically halfway there. But when I thought she was halfway there, Veronica pushed her, so should I call this convenient, or just bewildered?
It felt good to desire a woman's body while in a woman's body.
The friction of that soft skin, which a man couldn't touch, and seeing the beautiful faces of women beyond their gasping breaths, was both enjoyable and exciting.
But after becoming a man and desiring a woman's body, I slowly began to realize something.
The sense of conquest, it was good. The feeling that I could defile someone with my bodily fluids and subjugate them just by cumming inside them.
I also knew well that this desire for dominance, like putting an invisible leash on someone, tickled me.
And as much as I gained that desire for dominance, I couldn't just treat those people as mere enjoyment.
Ha, a Harem is only possible because it's a game.
In reality, trying to achieve a Harem that's not worth a damn in this way only increases my worries.
Of course, to clear this game, I had to throw away notions of "realism" or whatever, just pounce, have sex, and strengthen my body.
What about the aftermath?
My head felt like it was going to explode, but seeing Veronica, who was winking at me from afar, as if she had nothing to do with me, unlike the three Heroines clinging to me at the table, made me feel resentful for no reason.
I asked her how she proved she was a Saintess, but she just subtly tried to change the subject.
I let it slide, but the thought that she probably thought she'd handled it well made me inexplicably angry.
"Alright. Let's eat first."
First, I put Agnes, who was the cause of this, behind me, then gently pushed away Linda, who was huffing, and Flora, who was clinging to my arm and rubbing her chest against me, before I could pick up my utensils again.
Veronica, she clearly wanted to go home, and seeing her desperate state, my heart ached, and I felt like helping her.
If she could go home, it would be better for her to go.
But she knew well that clearing the game depended on me, so why wouldn't she listen to me?
She was truly a vexing person.
And what was also funny was that this person, who was trying to play this game, knew roughly how to get the Endings, yet tried to protect her own chastity.
This person knew that you had to collect Enhancement Stones to strengthen the Holy Sword and sleep with the Heroines to gain power, yet she watched the Heroines cling to me from a distance, as if she were a separate entity, munching on a Biscuit as if it were Caramel Popcorn. It made me wonder what was really going on.
She really is pretty, that damn bitch.
Her long, flowing black hair reached her waist, and her cute yet mature features, along with her golden eyes, met mine.
As I stared at Veronica for a long time, the gazes of the others turned towards her.
Then Veronica simply smiled slyly and spoke to me.
"...It's delicious."
"Oh, is that so? That's a relief."
What's delicious? She can't even taste anything and hasn't been eating properly lately.
She's a strange one.
She doesn't consider her own pain very important. Although she might self-harm when she can't bear the pain, she's never demanded anything from me because of it; she just does something secretly.
Even now, she couldn't taste anything, so seeing her order a Biscuit, which was hardly a meal compared to what others were eating, and then say it was delicious, made me inexplicably worried.
It wasn't that the Heroines next to me, trying to attract my attention, weren't attractive.
Linda, who wished to submit to a man stronger than herself; Agnes, who, despite her upright demeanor, would later become addicted to anal sex; and Flora, who would be swayed by me through Hypnosis—each had their own distinct personality and clearly different ways of appealing to me.
But Veronica didn't try to appeal.
It was as if she wasn't on display, just hiding away in a distant corner.
But after seeing her hide away like that, enduring pain alone and crying, even just once, I couldn't help but worry about her.
Honestly, my decision to keep Veronica by my side might have been less because she came from the same world as me, and more because of those feelings.
If she had been someone who revealed a gloominess that Veronica's face couldn't quite hide, I probably wouldn't have gone this far.
Among the other Heroines, she seemed to be the only one who truly shone.
By showing a strong side, despite appearing weak.
Veronica, who trembled with Trauma yet again put a knife to her body, came to mind.
Veronica, who woke me up one dawn, covered in the blood she had shed.
She said there was no particular reason.
She merely said she was desperate to aim for the Ending and return home that way, and that was all, so I could only sigh in exasperation.
Just for that one reason, she bled an amount that could have killed a person?
She might have died right there, once.
It could have been twice, or even three times.
Now that her Hymen had been pierced, it was clear I wouldn't have to worry about that anymore, but my worries didn't disappear.
Now that she couldn't make Potions or anything, it seemed she had started pushing the Heroines I needed to capture from behind.
My thoughts about Veronica didn't disappear; they continued until the meal was over.
*
Having promised Agnes, who had called me aside, a night together, I sighed heavily, leaving Agnes, who had scurried into the inn, claiming shyness.
In this night sky, where a cool breeze blew, I could only repeat my sighs several times.
If I had a cigarette, I would have smoked it already, but the cigarettes in this world weren't the processed ones I usually smoked; they were leaves rolled in paper, so they lacked filters and were just harsh.
"Sigh, the ones with capsules go down smoother."
As I voiced my regret, Veronica's voice came from behind me.
"Capsules?"
"...No, you know, cigarettes. The ones with capsules. Don't you know?"
"I don't smoke, so I don't know."
Veronica said that plainly and then let out a heavy sigh.
As she carefully approached my side and stared blankly at the sky, I spoke to her with a hint of sarcasm.
This was like throwing a word at Veronica, who acted on her own without asking for my thoughts or opinions.
"Why did you come out? To ask if things went well with Agnes?"
But Veronica merely shrugged, as if such things had nothing to do with her.
"No? I'm sure you handled it well on your own. It's just that you're the only one I can talk to comfortably."
My words caught in my throat.
I had expected her to come to me and ask if she did well or not in pushing Agnes, but since that wasn't the case, I could only let out a sigh of exasperation.
Of course, I had already tried one capture. The Heroines' captures were progressing smoothly on their own. And thanks to Veronica, both Linda and Agnes had picked up speed.
But she wasn't interested in such progress; she had simply come looking for a place to put her mind at ease. Realizing this, I closed my sarcastic mouth and spoke in a careful, gentle voice.
"...Yeah, I benefited a bit."
I scratched my frustrating bangs, then tidied my hair once and said so.
She said she came because I was the only one she could talk to comfortably, so who would turn her away?
She had been using honorifics whenever someone looked at her, and speaking in a believer's tone that she probably hadn't used her whole life, so I figured she must be feeling stifled and nodded.
Since she couldn't even talk to herself, I just accepted it, leaning against the building wall as if to be her conversation partner.
"Really?"
After my dry response.
"That's a relief."
A faint smile greeted me.
Veronica, who had a smile on her lips, nodded slightly and then leaned her back against the wall, just like me.
I opened my mouth towards Veronica.
"Veronica."
"Hm?"
"Aren't you uncomfortable?"
"About what?"
"...Your powers disappearing because of me."
The thought that we had to embark on an adventure again tomorrow made me wonder if she wasn't feeling anxious.
Before, she must have thought she could endure any danger because she couldn't die, but now, hadn't I erased all of that?
The five Potions in the Inventory were all we had, so we would have to use them carefully from now on.
"...Uh, hmm. I'm fine."
She hesitated for a moment, then nodded and answered casually.
"So she's not okay after all," I thought, and couldn't continue speaking.
Because I had stopped her from self-harming, but I hadn't been able to erase the other anxieties that had arisen within her.
As I mumbled, Veronica lightly tapped my arm and walked a few steps away.
"Why are you making such a sorry face? I'm fine."
Then, perhaps realizing that it wasn't the atmosphere for further conversation, she quickly entered the inn.
Left alone, I was dumbfounded and let out a sigh.
It was as if she was treating me like a casual friend.