Wings Above the Clouds
"I'm flying in the sky..!"
Right beside me sat Harpy, her wings flapping as gently as possible while she gazed out the round window. She nodded repeatedly in pure delight, her light-brown hair swaying with each motion. Of course, the "flying" she mentioned wasn't about herself. We were on an airplane.
Beyond the window stretched a vast, unbroken layer of thick clouds—an awe-inspiring sight.
"Counselor! We're flying in the sky right now..!"
"Y..eah, we are."
This was technically Harpy's second time on a plane, but the first had been under sedation after being brought to the museum, so she had no memory of it. Her current excitement made perfect sense.
"Counselor..?"
Why does he look so drained..?
"Harpy, are you feeling anxious at all?"
"Ehehe, I'm fine. The President said everything would be okay, and.."
More than anything..
"..right now, you're sitting next to me, Counselor."
Harpy folded her wings neatly against her back and settled properly into her seat, cheeks flushed as she shyly offered those sweet words.
"..."
Even so, I couldn't relax my expression. Every time my ears popped or the plane shuddered, my body flinched on its own.
..That's right. Embarrassingly enough, this was my first time on an airplane. It couldn't be helped—I was born in the countryside, and even after moving to the city I'd been too busy juggling part-time jobs just to cover living expenses. Overseas travel, or even a trip to Jeju Island, had never been an option. I simply couldn't afford it.
"Counselor..."
"I'm okay, Harpy.. I just got a little nervous, that's all."
Though it was mortifying, I told her the truth so she wouldn't misunderstand and blame herself for my expression.
"It's embarrassing, but this really is my first time on a plane. I still can't believe this heavy metal tube is actually floating in the sky."
"D-don't be embarrassed..! It's only natural to feel tense during your first experience!"
She clenched her fists with neatly gathered talons and earnestly tried to comfort me. Thank you, Harpy.. But the more you do that, the more it hurts.
"I-if you're really that anxious.."
"You don't have to worry so much—"
"Would you like to touch my chest?"
"I don't—"
—need that. I turned my head slightly to avoid her gaze, only to find Harpy leaning toward me, offering her ample breasts. The words died in my throat.
"..."
Her face was flushed, her breathing slightly quickened. She wasn't joking.
Whenever Counselor touches my chest.. he always looks so relaxed and happy..
Of course he would. Her breasts, with their overwhelming size and weight, were the very essence of maternal warmth—soft and gentle, just like her personality. Even without any lewd intent, simply holding them or burying your face in them brought a unique, healing scent that soothed both body and mind.
"I want to be helpful to you, Counselor.."
"..Gulp."
The President was currently in the cockpit, leaving only Harpy and me in the cabin. Harpy wore a sleeveless top to keep her wings comfortable, so slipping a hand under her arm would let me feel the smooth, tempting texture of her bare skin.
"W-well then.."
Just as I pushed the fact that we were flying out of my mind and focused entirely on her enticing curves, slowly reaching out—
"What are you doing?"
"..!!"
"H-hiik?!"
The President's husky voice brushed the back of my neck. I froze mid-reach while Harpy let out her signature strange shriek, scattering a few feathers.
"Whoa, looks like you two were about to do something naughty."
"N-no, we weren't!"
Technically true—we hadn't actually touched yet! Thud! The President flopped into the seat across from me, completely ignoring my flustered excuse.
"W-wait.. President? Who's flying the plane?!"
"Hm? Obviously I switched it to autopilot."
"There's such a thing..?"
Well, there weren't any roads or traffic lights up here, so maybe it was fine..
"..I see."
"Anyway, what were you two up to? Harpy's face is bright red."
"It was nothing."
The President scanned between us with a mischievous glint in her eyes. Did she time her entrance on purpose?
"Guess I ruined the mood. Sorry~?"
"..."
She didn't look sorry at all, which only strengthened my suspicion. If she'd been even a minute later.. I would've held a small piece of heaven in my hands.
"Haa.."
Thanks to her, my tension had eased a little.
"Still, I was surprised. A private jet.. You do have a proper pilot's license, right?"
"Of course. We've still got a few hours until we arrive, so if you've got nothing to do, take a nap."
Given everything I'd seen of the President's behavior, I wanted to believe she wouldn't be careless even here..
..Right?
"You too, Harpy. If you're sleepy, recline your seat. You woke up earlier than usual today."
"Hehe.. I'm fine."
I'm way too excited.. If I fall asleep now, I'll definitely regret it later.
Watching Harpy turn back to the tiny window with that thought, a warm smile naturally formed on my lips.
"This plane won't crash, will it?"
"Still don't believe it, huh.. Of course it won't crash. First time on a plane and you're already acting cute."
"Ugh.."
The President grinned at my reaction, then instinctively reached for the cigar case beside her seat—only for me to stop her.
"I'm fine, but Harpy's here too."
"Right. Sorry, sorry. Can't drink either, so I almost did it without thinking."
Ehehe.. He's different when his girl's watching. This might be fun.
Her unsettling inner thoughts leaked out as she turned her playful gaze toward Harpy.
"Harpy~?"
"Ah, yes?"
Harpy answered the wolf's call with innocent sincerity. I wanted to tell her she didn't have to respond, but even so, I couldn't be that rude to the President.
"You're still calling him Counselor?"
"Yes.."
I'm pretty sure both the President.. and Joker call him Woong..
"By the rules, staff and containment subjects aren't allowed to call each other by name. But with my authority, I could make an exception~"
"Is that.. really possible?"
Harpy was a classification name, and whether I gave her a new name or she called me by mine, it was originally forbidden. I'd only been allowed to name Rav for the sake of her ego formation, and there were reasons involving secrecy and preventing ability-related risks. But still..
"Mm-hmm, of course. Harpy's so obedient, sweet, and pretty. I don't see why I couldn't allow it."
"Waa.."
Harpy's large eyes sparkled with hope and gratitude as she looked at the President. For some reason, unease crept into my chest.
"But everything in this world is give and take. Nothing's free."
"I-I'll do anything I can..! I want to call Counselor by his name too.. Ehehe."
"Anything.. Hehe, anything.. Ehehehe.."
Harpy smiled shyly at the mere thought of calling me by name, while the President completely failed to control her expression. I didn't know exactly what she was imagining, but.. I had a pretty good idea. That face was something else.
"Ahem, ahem.. I won't ask for anything unreasonable. Just let me touch those huge breasts once—"
"..Yes?"
"Ah, no no! I just always wondered if your shoulders might be stiff whenever I see you. Your wing muscles are probably well-developed, but still.. right?"
"How did you know? My shoulders have been aching lately.. I mentioned it to Joker and she gave me a massager."
It was obvious the President was eyeing Harpy's chest, but Harpy simply answered with pure surprise, as if genuinely wondering how she'd known.
Here, I had to protect Harpy from the President's advances. To keep our pure, innocent Harpy from being corrupted by her constant sexual harassment. Definitely not because I was petty about being interrupted right before I got to touch her myself.
"So what I'm saying is.. hmm, I've been wanting to weigh them for a while now.."
"Weigh them..?"
She was even making up ridiculous excuses just to touch them. Come to think of it, Yerin had stubbornly refused to come on this trip. Thanks to that, I'd been able to join, but if the President and I were locked in this airborne private room for hours with no one to interfere.. Yeah, refusing made sense.
"That's enough. I'll definitely stop you from touching Harpy."
"But Harpy seems really eager to call you by name no matter what."
"That's.."
I'd stepped forward to protect Harpy, but an insurmountable wall of hierarchy still stood between the President and me.
"Or would you rather take her place and grant my request yourself?"
Either way works for me. Both you and Harpy look incredibly tasty.
But had I really not anticipated this situation before boarding? No. I'd already prepared my final trump card.
"Actually, before we left, I got a contact number from the Field Team Leader."
"Huh..?"
Yesterday—Sunday, a day off—I'd gone to the facility to see Nero and ended up visiting Yerin, who was also working. I'd caught her in another unguarded state, face masked with a pack while wearing a suit top and comfortable sleep pants below. Something about that casual look had been strangely arousing, and by the time I came to my senses, things had already escalated. Ah.. no, that wasn't what I meant to recall.
"W-who's number is it~? Ahaha, I'm really curious now."
Her reaction suggested the card was working. The number I'd gotten from Yerin yesterday was none other than..
"It's El Dorado's contact information."
"..."
The President's girlfriend. I'd only seen her once. And while it was strange for a deep containment subject like her to have a personal terminal.. she was undeniably the President's perfect counter. Like garlic and crosses to a vampire, silver bullets to a werewolf, or a double-barrel shotgun to a zombie—El Dorado was that to the President.
I'd become certain the moment I saw her elegant figure boldly dragging the President out of that drinking party without a word.
"..Hng."
Even with that wild voice, such a cute sound wouldn't make Harpy yield.
"If it's a request that isn't sexual harassment, Harpy or I will do our best to fulfill it."
"..Forget it. That's the only thing I want."
Don't say it so wistfully. And how can you proudly claim the only thing left for you is sexual harassment..?
Come to think of it, even I couldn't think of anything non-sexual the President might need. I thought her image had improved a lot after the Nero incident, but apparently my perception of her was still at this level. Still, I didn't want to disappoint Harpy..
"Ah."
Oh, wait. There was one thing.
"Arachne mentioned she needed help in the kitchen.. Would it be okay if I assisted her?"
"Huh..? Ah, now that you mention it, I think she did say something like that.."
According to Arachne, she'd asked multiple times, yet the President looked uncertain. ..Suddenly Arachne seemed incredibly pitiful.
There was plenty of free time between morning and afternoon counseling sessions, and even after. Lunch breaks were long, and I often had downtime while waiting for Yerin's work to finish in the evenings..
"Yeah.. It's been hard since no one volunteers for that spot."
Ah, rather than that, I'd really love to grope those huge breasts even just once.. I heard she's even started lactating recently.
"..."
Maybe the President was even more hopeless than I'd thought.