Check (4)
I had a rough idea of what anorgasmia was. For men, it wasn't something I needed to worry about, so I'd skip that. For women, it basically boiled down to not getting wet or having a constitution that made climaxing difficult. Unfortunately, I hadn't had the experience with a woman like that even once. I'd encountered cases where they just found lewd acts uncomfortable here and there, sure.
"No. I have no experience yet."
"I figured as much. Eve said she didn't think you did either."
"I'm sorry, it's an area I'm unfamiliar with."
"What a mess. Should we just hand her over to this guy and trust it'll work out? Feels a bit reckless, though."
This must be from the background check Team Leader had tipped me off about last time. Given the gravity of the situation, I let the blunt exposure of my private life slide. But something else was nagging at me more. Marie clearly didn't trust me yet, and that made me hesitant to just dive in headfirst.
So I ventured a cautious question. "That said, Marie-nim, could I ask a few things?"
"What? About the apprentice witch, right?"
"Yes. If the reason you came to me is simply the apprentice witch's anorgasmia, couldn't it be resolved without me specifically?"
"How so?"
"It might sound crude, but... modern sex toys have incredible performance these days. Borrowing that kind of power..."
"Haaah... So it's that talk."
Didn't they say even the most frigid virgin could hit orgasm in under five minutes with a Womanizer? Her reaction made me ask, and Marie leaned back against the chairback—Team Leader, incidentally—with a deep sigh.
"Was that a stupid question?"
"Nah. In today's world, that's the first thing anyone would think of. I tried that approach at first too."
"Didn't work, I take it."
"If it were just simple anorgasmia, it would've been fine. But Orca's attitude and personality are part of the problem too. It's hard to explain it all right now..."
Orca. Probably the apprentice witch's name. I might not end up taking the case for sure, but I filed it away in my head. Meanwhile, her witch hat seemed to be in the way, so Team Leader gently nudged it aside. Marie adjusted her posture and gave a troubled look.
"What was it she said? Something about no romance, utterly devoid of dignity, that low-class method was absolutely out of the question?"
"Ah..."
"Hilarious girl. She secretly masturbates with her clit in her room, complains it feels nothing, and asks for counseling. ...And she thinks sex itself isn't some refined high-class affair anyway."
Marie thumped her chest with her fist in frustration. Her loose witch robe had hidden it until now, but she was pretty flat-chested. Not that I'd ever be touching her there, of course.
"As you know, witches can convert semen into mana however they extract it. So anorgasmia itself isn't a huge issue. She might be uncomfortable, but she can have sex."
"Yes, I understand."
"Slather on some lube, take a guy in, done. If she'd just swallow her pride a bit, it'd be easy. But no, it's all 'once-in-a-lifetime opportunity' this and that, and in the end, she refuses... Argh, my head..."
She pinched the bridge of her nose, fuming, then scanned me up and down.
"Anyway, got it? I was about to go find some handsome thug myself when I heard a rumor about you."
"A rumor...?"
"You didn't know? Word about you is spreading quietly among witches. Erzel's been blabbing about you like she's promoting you—as some kind of health supplement that's great for apprentice witches' bodies."
That explained why Rin-nim had come to me so abruptly. It matched what I'd vaguely heard before.
"And from what I just heard, you even treated Rin's apprentice too?"
"Yes. It's still ongoing, but... I've done creampies."
"If you pulled that off, you're basically done. That's 99.9% success."
With a short grunt of effort, Marie slipped out of Team Leader's lap and headed straight for me. I wondered if I should stand, but she closed in faster, eyeing me over appraisingly. It felt... a bit intense. A normal woman, maybe not—but she was a flower witch. Witches had that innate beauty that could steal a man's soul.
Thankfully, she soon pulled up another chair and sat. "This guy's definitely..."
"What do you think? Dowon looks pretty good, right?"
"You stay quiet."
Team Leader chattered from behind, but Marie didn't contradict her—tucking her dangling feet away as she sat.
"Anyway, your opinion matters most. Think you can do it?"
"Honestly, I don't know yet. I'd have to meet her first."
"Figured. Then we just watch and wait... Ah, right. My bad."
Suddenly remembering something, Marie looked at me. She clenched her fist, rubbed her fingertips lightly, and unfurled it to reveal a pretty flower blooming in her palm.
"Forgot something important. There's one more condition."
Pure white petals with bright yellow stamens mixed in. It matched Marie's color scheme right in front of me. My flower knowledge was basic—white meant lily, red meant rose—but this one was undeniably gorgeous. She handed it to me like I'd dropped it.
"Like this. You have to seduce our girl."
"...?"
"I mentioned it earlier. She's got her head full of flowers—romantic delusions and all."
"...Sorry. I must've zoned out. I don't remember."
"I said just grab any guy, slather him in gel, and milk the semen. But no, romance this, low-class that, total bullshit... Anyway, ring a bell now?"
"Ah."
"There we go. So you have to play the decent guy she bumps into by chance to even get on starting base with Orca."
"Hmm..."
"...Wait. Flowers too cliché these days? Pretend you didn't see that."
The example flower crumbled into light and vanished. And somehow, the office's floral scent grew even richer. As I stared in wonder, Marie added an explanation.
"Suppose you show up as a rehab officer. It'd never match her tastes."
"Yes. Even from your description, she'd hate it."
"Exactly. But flip it: same guy, total coincidence. Whole story changes, right?"
Definitely. "Treating anorgasmia with the civil servant my master dragged in" sounded way worse than "overcoming anorgasmia with the hot guy I met by chance."
"......"
But hold on. Didn't this plan have a glaring flaw right from the premise?
"Marie-nim, doesn't it start with me seducing... Orca? Orca-nim?"
"Yup. Lots on your plate."
"What if she just hates me?"
"Then it fails."
She shrugged casually.
"Try another guy. With Orca's looks, guys would line up."
"Failure just ends it, then."
"What else? But you've rehabbed two apprentices recently, right? Better than some random. Eve vouches for you too."
"......"
Plus one more—Team Leader nodding secretly from behind.
"If you entrust her to me, I'll do my best."
"Good. Here's an address."
"Orca-nim's home?"
"Close enough."
With that, she conjured another identical flower.
"Her lab."
*****
"Lab, my ass—it's just a flower shop."
Searching the address Marie gave pulled up no residence. Not some high-tech lab either—just a flower shop. The sign read Edelweiss, so no hiding it. But zero reviews, good or bad. I figured she must be doing random trials on volunteers or something vague.
If business was dead, wouldn't a park setup make more sense...?
"Tricky."
Made sense to me, but witches had their own logic. She chose this for some philosophy. I skimmed Orca's basic profile—soon to meet her—and arrived at my place right on time, as Neria had said.
- Ding-dong.
Pattering footsteps from inside. Then the familiar door lock beep. But the sight that followed? Kinda... no, very awkward.
"Whoa, you made it?"
"......"
Why the hell is she wearing nothing but an apron?