Chapter 77
Chapter 77
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 77
Chapter Title: Realization
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"...Teacher Iris."
"Yes?"
As I returned to the dorm feeling an odd discomfort, Michelle was sitting there with a towel draped over her head, steam still rising from her body after her bath.
I found myself staring at her ears, which perked up unconsciously. Even hidden by the towel, they asserted their presence strongly.
Then.
Michelle called out to me in a strangely peculiar tone.
Snapping back to reality, I approached her and felt her gaze land on my thighs.
...I didn't know why, but I could really feel how sensitive I'd become to others' stares.
Unthinkingly, I pressed my thighs together and shrank back, prompting Michelle to tilt her head curiously. Her ears and tail twitched along with it.
It was an unusually cute look for her, but her question sent cold sweat trickling down my spine.
"...Weren't you wearing something more in the morning?"
"Oh, no? I've never worn anything there."
I couldn't exactly say I'd grown it experimentally and ended up tearing it off with my teeth, so I brushed it off vaguely.
"Is... that so?"
"Of course."
Who knew Michelle's morning grogginess would come in handy.
- The one you chose has disappeared...
A dejected voice sounded, full of regret, but it didn't really hit home for me.
No, damn it... Clean it up yourself before saying that.
Hearing El's voice just made my stomach bubble with pointless irritation.
Then a thought struck me: maybe she knew about this phenomenon.
No, I'd wondered that before, but the price had held me back from asking.
...Wouldn't it be better to just ask El?
No matter how big the price, it seemed far better than flailing around clueless.
Especially since there were no leads, what tipped the scales for me was...
The fact that it reacted to sexual desire.
After experiencing cases like today, where it wouldn't go away without insertion, it felt even more urgent.
If I didn't resolve this quickly, wouldn't the same thing happen again? Not knowing the trigger made it incredibly dangerous.
So... maybe getting answers from El was the better option.
I'd approached it with a noble sense of duty, but being stuffed with something thick, long, and huge... was a bit much.
The pleasure I hadn't known before was forcibly imprinting on me that I was a woman now.
I had no choice but to realize it, even if I hated it.
...Just look at today—I'd become sensitive to gazes. Before, it wouldn't have bothered me if someone stared.
I might have even enjoyed it.
It felt like they were admiring my proud muscles.
...My body still drew stares now, but they felt unwelcome somehow.
Anyway.
Michelle still looked skeptical, so I pushed hard.
I'd never worn anything there originally.
"Hmm... If Teacher says so, then I guess that's it."
Right, what could she do if I insisted?
Michelle nodded vaguely, stared at my legs for a moment, then continued.
"It's just hitting me now, but your legs are really pretty."
"Ah, uh... Th-thanks?"
Feeling awkwardly embarrassed, I dashed to the changing room.
It wasn't just embarrassment—I was also worried Michelle might feel some sexual stimulation.
...If that happened, I might have to endure that massive, alien sensation in my body again.
That wouldn't be good.
If I could avoid it, of course I would.
It's not like I enjoyed getting penetrated.
I was just brushing it off as no big deal under the pretext of protecting the lily garden.
As I said earlier, I was enduring it out of necessity, not enjoying it.
Each time it reached deep inside, there was this sensation like something slowly crumbling.
Luckily, I'd woken up in a familiar game-like world before collapsing, or I might not have stayed so composed.
If it'd happened in some strange new place... I didn't even want to think about it.
In a way, making Undine create a water onahole or nagging Evelyn to make one—I gave all sorts of reasons, but...
Deep down, wasn't it because I didn't want to deal with it myself?
...I didn't show it, though.
"Hoo."
I sighed and undressed.
Grumbling to myself wouldn't solve anything, so it was to ask El.
No, not to strip and flirt with her—it was to ask while showering.
Few people knew El's true nature clearly, so being cautious couldn't hurt. I didn't want her grabbing leverage for some "price."
As I pulled down my panties, they looked far from good.
If anyone saw them, they'd instantly know what happened.
...How the hell did I walk around in these?
The person who saw me was a jerk, but if they saw these, even I couldn't argue if they called me a slut.
Even I'd think that, so anyone else definitely would.
I carefully took them off and set them aside. I should throw them out, but if Michelle saw before that... it wouldn't be a huge disaster, but... it'd be awkward.
I do have shame, you know.
If it were a stat, it'd probably be pretty high.
Come to think of it.
There was that book with my stats... I'd forgotten about it since nothing important showed up.
Now, opening it felt a little scary. I could roughly guess what it'd say.
Probably full of lines about my sensitivity stat rising.
Maybe spirit-related stats went up too.
...Should I check?
But first, I headed into the bathroom to ask El and turned on the water.
Letting the lukewarm water wash away my fatigue, I cautiously spoke up.
"El. You there?"
I expected her to appear in my mind or the water stream, but surprisingly, no response.
Like they say, even dog shit has its uses, but here it was nowhere to be found.
...Well, El was definitely more useful than dog shit, so comparing her like that would be rude, but you get the point.
I wasn't treating her like dog shit or anything.
"El?"
Feeling a bit awkward, I called her name again.
This time, there was a response.
- Hoo... Yes, do you have words for me, contractor?
...Something felt off.
Her voice lingered like an echo, with a nuance subtly different from usual.
It couldn't be someone else...
Rubbing my forehead in doubt, I still felt El's mark.
She was an incomprehensible being anyway, a capricious queen, so I let it slide.
What mattered was whether she could answer my question.
"El, about that thing where a woman's growing a penis. Do you know how to fix it?"
- Such a... direct question... I am female myself, you know.
"...Ah, no, I... I was worried it'd sound weird."
- Puhuhu, gotcha. Just teasing.
As I floundered, El giggled and reverted to her usual sly tone.
"So, can you answer my question?"
Recalling how she'd treated Aikaerin, El seemed to know a ton.
...She might not know why it grew, but no loss in asking.
If she answered, great; if not, no price paid.
Waiting anxiously, she murmured solemnly.
- Contractor. Can you bear the price for that question?
"...Pardon?"
- Exactly as I said.
...She couldn't tell me easily, huh.
Makes sense; it wasn't simple.
A woman growing a tireless penis, after all.
But compared to Irene and me starting from zero...
Paying El's price for help seemed cheaper.
...Assuming her price was "that kind" of thing.
Were there other prices...?
Tension surged; I swallowed hard. El, who'd been solemn, chuckled and continued.
- You're too innocent for your own good. Without me, you'd end up in a rough spot.
...I'd already been in plenty of rough spots.
Did El not count those as rough?
Narrowing my eyes, her laughter deepened.
- Don't need my answer after all?
"...J-just water in my eyes?"
- Hmm, sure, let's say that. I'm generous, after all.
...So, the answer?
The words rose to my throat, but I swallowed them down.
After a hum, El spoke.
- Sorry to disappoint your expectations, but I don't know the method either. For you or that princess. Intriguing even for me.
"...You didn't know?"
- Never said I did. So naive, my contractor.
"... "
This old hag pisses me off.
...Not sure if hag, but she's ancient, so it fits.
I'd never say it aloud, though.
Realizing even reliable El was useless, strength drained from my body.
Back to square one, basically.
Still, not zero gains... Guess I should settle for that.
I finished showering and stepped into the changing room.
Only then did I realize I hadn't brought clothes to change into.
I agonized in the changing room.
I had no idea if going out wrapped in a towel would stimulate Michelle sexually or not.
Putting yesterday's clothes back on felt weird too.
It'd seem like I was hyper-aware of looking sexual.
Worried that might stimulate her too.
Knowing the condition made everything cautious.
...This is driving me insane.