Risk Level <2>: Harpy
"You deliberately made me do that just now, didn't you?"
"Of course not. With subordinates around, a team leader shouldn't be the one doing the physical work, right?"
"...If we handle this half-heartedly, it'll only cause headaches later."
"I think it's fine. You're treating Miss Harpy as a proper individual. Is it pity? Even after showing her the Siren, it already looks like you're ready to hand over your liver and gallbladder to a containment subject... Hehe."
Two office ladies dressed in sharp suits. Their titles were Response Team Leader and Management Team Leader—both positions of considerable responsibility. The Response Team Leader, who had been wearing a sullen expression, frowned and rubbed her brow as if the unpleasant voice coming from the clown mask worn by someone of identical height and build was giving her a headache.
"...To begin with, it's against regulations for staff to harbor special feelings toward containment subjects. What exactly do you mean by 'fine'? Aiding and abetting carries responsibility too. Especially... for such an extremely improper reason."
"I'm not doing this simply because I want to watch the two of them mate. Miss Harpy happens to be a subject of the rehabilitation program, isn't she?"
"What the Counselor needs to do is counseling based on communication, not sex therapy."
The Response Team Leader's voice rose slightly, but the Management Team Leader merely tilted her masked face left and right in a sly manner and answered leisurely to the very end.
"That's true. But it's also true that mating is the most intimate act possible between a female and a male. The more friendly the containment subject becomes, the closer we'll get to achieving the goal the President mentioned, won't we?"
"Mating, of all things..."
"Oh, are you perhaps interested yourself?"
"Guh, of course not. Though... if you ask whether I'm completely uninterested, that would be a lie... But the President already marked him first, didn't she?"
"Even if the President seems like she'd devour any man she sees, she doesn't spread her legs for anyone who isn't a male she acknowledges. That's why, even at her age..."
"...Enough! I didn't hear anything!"
She knew. But the hurdles required of a 'man' were simply high. That person was indeed a pervert who couldn't control his own sexual desires. Remembering how much she had suffered from his shameless sexual harassment when he was first brought here, the Response Team Leader shivered lightly at the nightmare of that time. Now that Miss Eldorado was around, things had calmed down a little—but that only meant the current level of calm was still this bad.
"Haa..."
Though she held the title of Response Team Leader, she was thoroughly bound to this place for certain reasons. Even at this prime age, it was difficult to date normally. The security personnel weren't even allowed to show their faces to each other, so they didn't meet her standards... or rather, her rather high standards. The capable team leaders from each department she occasionally met at meetings were all either foul-tempered or strange women. As for everyone else, the field team members could die screaming at any moment... The response team had mostly been reduced due to office staff cuts and now mostly assisted the field team... The management team, being in charge of containment subjects, had the least freedom under the regulations.
In the midst of all that, a male counselor had arrived—someone with a relatively light workload and quite a bit of freedom under the rules, and whose height difference made her heart flutter. When she had looked up at him unconsciously upon his approach, her heart had nearly skipped a beat. She had tried to act tough to hide it... but his face was just barely passing, and his personality didn't seem bad if he could fix that slightly absent-minded feeling. Yet...
The Response Team Leader glanced sideways at the still-unreadable clown mask. It seemed that person had already marked him as a toy. ...How pitiful.
"It's true that Mr. Woong is a decent man, but to become the President's type, he'd at least need to win an arm-wrestling match. Not breaking his arm would already count as doing well."
"Huu... Anyway, shouldn't we also hear the Counselor's opinion? Liking someone like a pet and cherishing them is completely different from properly recognizing them as the opposite sex and treating them as such."
"He got an erection just fine, though?"
"Wha—! Cough cough! Ugh... You really have no shame just because your face is hidden! It must be a hormonal reaction from Miss Harpy's estrus scent."
"The important thing is that it stood up, isn't it?"
Honestly, that person... I really can't figure out what she's thinking. I only know that she's a founding member of this facility along with the President; anything beyond that is unknown. Rumor has it she once fought the monstrous Field Team Leader to a draw... Yeah, right.
"...I've put her to bed. Did something happen?"
He had just come out after taking Harpy back and seemed to have noticed the strange atmosphere, so she judged it would be better to leave before the Management Team Leader said anything more troublesome.
"No, nothing at all. I don't think we'll meet often, but if you ever need help, come to the Response Team office. I'll be going now."
"Ah, understood."
After leaving the containment room and stepping into the corridor, the Response Team Leader immediately kicked off her heels the moment no one was watching and walked comfortably toward her office. Then, as an unnecessary thought surfaced, she pouted and grumbled to herself as if she'd caught a fever.
The face of the man who had just laid Harpy on the bed had been flushed bright red... Was he really treating containment subjects as equal individuals? Of course, Harpy did have features that could attract a man's gaze. That cute face that wouldn't look cheap even with flashy makeup, or the weapon she herself lacked... When she recalled the size of those massive milk jugs... she remembered how the President's eyes had flipped upon seeing them. Back then, it was the Management Team Leader who had thoroughly blocked the President, yet now she was doing the exact opposite. I just don't understand...
"Haa... Should I just take a half-day off and go shopping..."
*
She had apparently slept all day yesterday. Her already gentle eyes still looked drowsy, drooping even more as she kept blinking sleepily... It was so adorable that it was almost unfair how cute she was.
"Miss Harpy, if you're sleepy, shall we call it a day and let you rest?"
"...Uuu... Nooo... Right now... it's counseling... time..."
After yesterday, Miss Harpy seemed to have decided she would no longer wear those uncomfortable leather boots. Of course, she was still embarrassed about showing her feet, and her long sleeves still tightly hid her wings and hands, but the fact that she was now giving me direct answers little by little made me extremely happy about these two changes in her.
"Miss Harpy,"
".. Yes?"
"Don't you want to go outside?"
That was what I wanted to talk about today. Because of that.
"Outside...?"
"Yes."
I had kept thinking about it even after returning home. She had lived in this narrow space for a long time, which was why she had shown such a lack of immunity to communication with the opposite sex—even to someone like me. Thanks to that, there existed this embodiment of purity called Miss Harpy, but no matter how much it was called protection, it was too heartbreaking that she had to remain trapped in this cage forever.
So naturally, I became interested in the joint outing that was part of the rehabilitation program the team leader had hinted at. However... there was one step that absolutely had to be taken first.
"You said you originally came from outside, right? From a place full of trees and plants like this one."
".. Yes."
"But the world is truly vast. There are so many things outside that Miss Harpy hasn't seen yet."
"..."
"There are shops that sell dozens of different kinds of ice cream that you like, and shops lined with so many cosmetics that they fill an entire room. And besides those, there will be many kind people who will like Miss Harpy too."
Her eyes had sparkled at the mention of ice cream shops and cosmetics shops, but the moment the word 'people' left my mouth, her expression darkened instantly.
"Miss Harpy...?"
".. Eut."
People... scary... scary... I... can't... scary... can't... can't... can't...
Even a simple mention brought out a voice filled with fear. I had somewhat expected this kind of reaction. And just as expected, I had made thorough preparations before today's counseling began. Before her sobbing voice could be heard, I quickly leaned to the side and reached for the chair next to me. What I lifted was a small box with a rabbit sticker on it.
"...I brought something for Miss Harpy today. Want to guess what it is?"
"...?"
When I placed the modest box on the table, her curiosity about what was inside naturally stirred, and the sad voice gradually calmed.
"I borrowed it from the Response Team Leader. Do you know what it is?"
"Ah...!"
I knew that asking for help if needed was just a polite remark, but I remembered how Miss Harpy had shown interest in the gel nails on that unfamiliar woman's hands. When I opened the lid of the box, what appeared were long, thin glass bottles packed tightly inside. Various colors of nail polish solutions filled the countless transparent glass bottles. Some even had glitter in them... what did she call it, glitter and... pearl, was it? All kinds of nail art products with different colors and textures were inside the box.
"Th... this...?"
Seeing Miss Harpy's eyes sparkle with obvious interest, I felt it was worth the trouble of visiting the office despite the rudeness. After knocking and announcing who I was, I had waited thirty minutes before the door opened...
"I wanted to paint Miss Harpy's hands."
".. Ah...? Aah... eu?"
She clearly had proper nails on her hands too. On my hands...? But for that...
That's right. For that to happen, she would have to show me her hands while I got close enough for my hands to reach her. I hoped I hadn't thought too simply. I suspected the reason she felt extreme fear when someone approached might be trauma from being forcibly brought here, or perhaps memories from before she was almost captured. So I chose to approach under the pretext of making her nails pretty. Now that Miss Harpy had mustered the courage to take off her boots, I thought this was the perfect opportunity to slip through the cracks in her heart and get closer.
"I properly learned from the Response Team Leader. I'm sure I can make them pretty."
Until now, the facility had only approached Miss Harpy under the pretext of experiments and investigations. This kind of approach might produce different results.
Can't... can't... can't...
But... Miss Harpy's reaction wasn't much different from that first day when I asked her the reason she was afraid. Though Miss Harpy was an easy target with an extremely weak defense, this time she had built an incredibly sturdy wall. I felt impatient, but I tried not to show it and spoke to her in the gentlest voice possible. Even though I had lusted after her body multiple times, I hoped she would recognize my sincerity from talking with her and conducting counseling.
"I won't hurt Miss Harpy. Don't you think so too?"
"..."
The Counselor won't hurt me... That... I know... But...
"I've shown some disappointing sides a few times... but I really like Miss Harpy."
"...!"
"To be honest, this was my first time doing counseling, so I was very nervous and worried, but thanks to Miss Harpy listening well even when I rambled, I can now talk without trembling."
Thanks to me...? I... I...
Not having received any professional training in counseling aside, I was someone who had avoided exposing myself to opportunities to talk with people, blaming this troublesome ability. Because of that, I had constantly wondered whether I could really do well.
"It's embarrassing, but I'm also quite bad at talking with people. Especially with a cute and pretty girl like Miss Harpy... it's even harder. But the fact that I'm able to speak like this now is all thanks to Miss Harpy helping me."
I... helped the Counselor...?
"...I... but I..."
"So now I want to help Miss Harpy too. I want to hear. I want to hear Miss Harpy's voice directly. And I want you to tell me. Miss Harpy's story."
My... story.
"What you like, what makes you happy, and what you dislike and what you're afraid of. Please tell me everything. I want to do many things that Miss Harpy will like and enjoy, and I don't want to do things you dislike or fear."
Things I'm afraid of....
"Does Miss Harpy dislike me?"
"..."
That's not it. The Counselor is always kind, gives me delicious things, and says many nice words... I'm really... grateful...
"...If you don't tell me, I won't know."
Her inner voice was coming through so clearly, but I held back and waited for her to tell me herself. Miss Harpy shook her head vigorously, tightly closed her mouth, and began to sob.
Scary... scary... I'm... scared... Sniff.
Even after doing all this, the fact that she still found it hard to answer meant there was a reason she couldn't speak that was tormenting her that much. Thinking that made me feel sorry, but I pretended not to notice and pushed the teary-eyed girl one last time.
"Miss Harpy."
"Uuu..."
"Are you scared of me?"
She shook her head again. Her hair swayed as she shook it firmly. I was relieved by that clear expression of intent, but this way I still couldn't know the reason she wouldn't let me approach.
"Please tell me what you're scared of. That's what a counselor is for—to listen to stories that can't be told to others."
.. My throat was parched. If I made a mistake here, or if Miss Harpy felt too burdened and chose to turn away... then everything I had built with her through counseling so far could collapse in an instant. But if I showed my anxiety, she wouldn't be able to rely on me or tell her story. So I placed my trembling hands on my knees to hide them, straightened my posture more than necessary, and looked straight at her without averting my gaze. While watching Miss Harpy avoid my gaze as if it was burdensome... I wondered if I should look away a little, but seeing her glancing at me and trying to meet my eyes little by little, I focused my gaze even more intently.
.. Had my effort and sincerity reached her even a little?
"...Scary... I'm scared..."
A single tear rolled down Miss Harpy's fair cheek, and finally she parted her trembling lips.
"I'm... scared that... I might hurt the Counselor..."