Risk Level 6: Undine
My whole body throbs with pain. My clothes are drenched and cling uncomfortably to my skin... and there's some kind of commotion going on nearby.
"Ah, no...! I can do it myself...!"
"Artificial respiration isn't just about pressing your lips together, Harpy. Watch closely—I'll demonstrate first. Lick, lick."
"No matter how you look at it, your tongue looks completely wrong!"
I have no idea what they're talking about, but I recognize the two voices immediately.
"President...?"
When I crack my eyes open, the first thing I see is the President's face hovering right above mine, close enough that I can feel her breath. She's wearing that familiar mischievous expression, her tongue half-stuck out for some reason. I don't know why, and I have zero desire to find out.
Right beside her, Harpy is leaning in just as close, her cheek nearly brushing the President's, her face tight with worry.
That expression suits her too.
"And... Harpy?"
"Ung-ssi!"
She lunges forward and wraps her arms around me. I nearly scream from the sudden jolt of pain, but I bite it back. I still can't figure out why my body hurts this much after falling into the sea.
"Tch. He woke up."
The President clicks her tongue with obvious disappointment, even though a person just regained consciousness safely. Still, with her standing right there, I try to speak.
"Preside—"
The words die in my throat when I catch sight of her outfit over Harpy's trembling shoulder.
"...?"
Her usual shirt and slacks are gone. Instead, she's wearing a sling-shot swimsuit—thin black straps that form a V from her shoulders straight down to her crotch, barely covering her chest. Calling it a swimsuit feels generous. It's basically just a few strips of fabric artfully arranged over her naked body. The only parts with any real coverage are the thin patches over her breasts and groin, and even those are minimal.
Does she feel no shame at all? From a distance, the straps would be nearly invisible. She'd look like she had three pieces of seaweed stuck to her chest and crotch.
"Heh~ My regular clothes got ruined. Luckily I managed to grab one bag from the luggage, and this was inside."
"I... see."
I'm not going to ask why she packed a swimsuit like that for a business trip. That's not what I want to know right now. Though I'd be lying if I said I wasn't curious about the sudden change into something so provocative, my first priority is understanding why the plane crashed.
Still, something else catches my eye.
"President, are those... ears on your head?"
"Huh? Ears?"
A pair of pointed, furred ears the same color as her hair had been sticking up from her head. The moment she notices my gaze, she presses both hands down on them and they vanish.
Maybe I was just seeing things because of the seawater still stinging my eyes.
"No... more importantly—"
"More importantly, how about this?"
"Huh...?"
Before I can finish, the President stands up and strikes a pose. She places her hands naturally near her thighs, tilts her hips and waist slightly, and holds the stance like a model posing for a late-summer photoshoot—effortless, yet perfectly accentuating her figure.
Once again, I have to admit it: the President's body is incredible. I've known that for a while, thanks to how casually she dresses on a daily basis.
"What do you think?"
Her abs are perfectly sculpted, the result of relentless training and strict dieting. They sit symmetrically around her navel, firm and flawless. Her thighs look strong enough to crush someone in seconds, and her calves are long and straight. The defined lines of muscle running from her shoulders down to her forearms are unmistakably feminine, yet undeniably striking. Scars of various sizes mark her skin here and there, but they don't make her body look grotesque or intimidating. If anything, they add to her wild, powerful presence.
She's taller than me, with long, well-proportioned limbs and a body that somehow balances raw power with elegance. Honestly, part of me wants to reach out and touch it. She reminds me of a panther... or maybe a wolf. The long, flowing hair with hints of gray only strengthens that image.
Though her breasts are far too full and voluptuous to compare her to a sleek panther.
"Think this'll make good material for tonight?"
"Wh-what...?"
I finally tear my eyes away from her outrageous outfit and manage a weak protest at the blatant sexual harassment, but her healthy, toned skin, the elegant play of muscle beneath it, and that perfectly balanced figure—especially the contrast between her wide hips and narrow waist—refuse to leave my mind.
Only a body like hers, straight out of a comic, could pull off such an shameless swimsuit in the first place.
"What on earth are you saying...?"
Even while being held by Harpy, I feel my face burning. The President has definitely gotten the better of me again. Still, she seems willing to stop here.
"Just rest in Harpy's soft arms for now. You don't seem to have any broken bones, but your back is probably covered in bruises."
"My back...? Ow...! Harpy, please be gentler..."
Just as the President warned, when Harpy tightens her wings around me, a sharp pain shoots through my back, bringing tears to my eyes.
"Ung-ssi... I'm so glad you're safe... *sniff*."
I almost wasn't. Hugging her had felt nice, but apparently I'd slammed into the water back-first.
A wave of nausea rolls through me.
"Ugh... You said we wouldn't crash."
"Ahaha, I did say that. But even I didn't expect us to get attacked way up in the sky."
This isn't something to laugh about.
"Attacked...? Don't tell me you flew through someone else's airspace without permission."
"Of course not. The one who attacked us was that Fire Chicken bitch."
...Fire Chicken? I've heard that nickname somewhere before.
"It felt plenty hot when it hit us. Still, something's odd. Her range shouldn't be that long... Ah, and I'm talking about her ability range, not the other kind of 'range' you might be thinking of."
"Who would misunderstand that...?"
"Even when I try to be careful... Anyway, it doesn't look like she'll attack again. Probably just a little 'welcome back' greeting."
What kind of grudge would make someone blow up a plane just to say hello?
'Still feels dangerous. She wouldn't have come back without any preparations... Looks like she brought something troublesome along with her.'
At least she seems to be taking the situation seriously, so I decide not to press further. There's still one last question I need answered.
"...President, right before the plane crashed, you sensed it coming, didn't you?"
"Hm? Did I?"
She definitely had. Heat. Fire. And the certainty that we were going to fall. At the time I hadn't understood what I was feeling, but looking back, it all fits too perfectly.
"It was like you already knew what was about to happen."
"Well, it's just a woman's intuition."
'Ignoring a woman's intuition is dangerous, you know. Ufufu...'
She says it like a joke, but her expression suggests she means it. Was it really just a hunch? How is that even possible?
I look up at her, still full of questions, but it seems I've chosen the wrong person to expect a clear answer from.
"Geez, you're such a pain."
"Hmph...?"
"...!"
Instead of answering, she grabs Harpy's head—still holding me—and pushes her face straight into mine. Our lips meet with a soft sound. Both Harpy and I freeze, eyes wide, staring at each other in shock.
"You were trying so hard to stop me from giving Ung-ssi mouth-to-mouth, remember? Insisting you'd do it no matter what~"
"Auuu... That was because you—"
"I don't mind a little lovey-dovey moment, but don't leave me out. It's lonely."
She smoothly changes the subject, brushing aside the earlier commotion. It looks like she's planning to gloss over everything.
...Well, the President is safe, and more importantly, Harpy is safe too. For now, that has to be enough. Even if my body is making all kinds of horrible noises...
I'll just let myself rest against Harpy's soft cushion for a little while.
*
'Mutual Computer' 'Dawn Real Estate' 'Nero Piano Academy'
On the rooftop of a dilapidated old building that used to be a commercial complex, a red-haired woman with a fierce presence extinguishes the flames burning on her right hand with a casual puff, like blowing out birthday candles.
"That should count as a greeting."
The space in front of her warps like a glitched game screen, revealing a completely different scene from the rooftop. An endless sky and ocean stretch out below. Though everything should be blue, she watches a plane trailing black smoke as it plummets, then shakes the remaining heat from her hand.
"What are you doing? Close it."
Thud.
"Cough...! Keh... Keck! Hah... hack... hah..."
The purple-haired girl who had opened the spatial rift collapses onto the dusty rooftop, blood streaming from her nose and mouth. Even that brief moment of keeping the window open had clearly taken a toll on her body.
"Useless bitch."
The red-haired woman simply plants her foot on the girl's head and presses down hard.
"Haa... Fine. I heard you're still inexperienced at opening gates over long distances anyway."
The ability had seemed useful at first, but if the user's stamina couldn't keep up, it was nothing but a liability.
"Turn this building into a 'pit' before I return."
"Understood... ma'am..."
Even while being crushed, the girl answers obediently. She doesn't try to push the foot away. She simply lies flat, waiting for it to be lifted. Perhaps she's learned through repeated experience that any resistance would only earn her worse treatment.
"Ah, this is annoying."
Thud!
Just when it seems the woman might finally remove her foot, she instead delivers a vicious kick to the curled-up girl's stomach. The girl's complete lack of resistance only irritates her further.
The small body bounces once before rolling across the dusty floor and finally coming to a stop with a metallic clatter from the broken chain and collar around her neck.
Only then does the red-haired woman look away, satisfied.
"Time to get moving, I suppose."