Risk Level 6: Undine
The events of the weekend refuse to leave my mind. I returned home late, stared at Nero's shoes in the shoe cabinet for a long while, and even after lying in bed I couldn't sleep until Founder helped me drift off. The next morning Nero came out of her room and treated me as warmly as ever, as if nothing had happened, but I spent the entire day holding back the urge to ask her about her former master, the Alchemist.
Monday arrived. I went to work as usual, met Harpy and Rav, and enjoyed snacks while chatting with them. I smiled at them, yet a corner of my heart remained uneasy. Then, during lunch, while helping Arachne with her work, I finally ran into the Team Leader. She gave me an unexpected order—one that hadn't come from her own initiative or even from the President.
"Observer...? You mean Founder's younger sister?"
"Yes. As always, she didn't explain why. She just appears out of nowhere, says what she wants to say, and disappears just as quickly. I wish she had inherited even a little of Founder's cuteness."
While chatting with the Team Leader like usual, the memory of Black's surprisingly bold appearance the other night—no, her true form—suddenly surfaced, making me tense without realizing it.
"She wants me to fulfill my promise with Undine within a week..."
I had no idea how Observer even knew about the promise between Undine and me, let alone why she gave such an order or why the Team Leader accepted it without question. Since Observer is Founder's sister, she must possess tremendous power. Still, the fact that this sudden instruction came so soon after I made the promise with Undine suggests it was triggered by something recent.
The first thing that comes to mind is when the Team Leader and I visited the Alchemist's containment room, but in the end I was the only one who spoke while she remained asleep.
"If you let yourself be too deeply captivated by Undine's excessive affection, you may not be able to turn back. Please be careful."
"...Yes, I understand."
If I knew what Undine's meals and the act itself truly meant, of course I had to be cautious. She is purity itself—not only in the physical sense of matter, but also in the absence of impurity or excess, extending even into the mental realm. I realized this during our last encounter. In her ideal world, everything would be swallowed by her and become literally "one."
The fortunate part is that she never ignores others' opinions and always respects them properly. Of course, last time there was a slightly coercive atmosphere... If asked whether I disliked it... Well, I didn't exactly hate it, which is why I feel a chill.
"Then I'll be on my way."
Carrying the meal Arachne had prepared for Undine, I stepped into the elevator. Today, instead of leaving the tray in front of her containment room, I was to bring it inside.
As always, I looked up at her enormous, deep-blue body and the beautiful, voluptuous female form that made it hard to know where to rest my eyes.
"We meet again, Undine."
'Oh my... Did you bring it yourself just for me?'
When I first saw her, I only thought she was beautiful. Now, that thought is mixed with far less innocent feelings. I suppose I really am something else.
"Yes, well."
She clasped her hands together, eyes sparkling with joy, yet for some reason her reaction felt like she was licking her lips while looking at me.
'More importantly, you smell much more delicious than usual today, dear... Is something troubling you?'
So it wasn't just my imagination.
"Trouble... Well, there is something... Just a moment."
'...?'
As Undine naturally approached and reached out her arms, I spoke first, swallowing my embarrassment.
"...I'll take my clothes off first. It's troublesome when they melt every time."
'Ah... I'm sorry, dear. Because of this body of mine...'
"No, no. You don't need to apologize, Undine."
'But...'
'But?'
'You clearly enjoyed it when my body touched your bare skin, didn't you?'
"..."
I couldn't deny that. So this is how it's going to be. Now that smooth conversation is possible without her having to form words with her body, the awkward moments arrive much faster and leave me with less time to react.
'You're flustered. How adorable...'
"Ahem... Ahem. I'll take my clothes off now."
Even though I've been naked in front of her several times already, the reason I still feel such resistance to undressing myself is because I recognize her as a woman. I want to believe it's all because of the things she's said to me, but since my own heart is pounding, I can't blame everything on her.
"Come to think of it, Undine... you once said you wanted me to devote all my affection to you alone."
'Yes, but there's no need to rush. I'm not going anywhere.'
I'm grateful for those words, but I've already received a hint that I need to fulfill my promise with Undine quickly. Since my superior has given the order, I at least have to make an effort to achieve it.
So I started with the less burdensome upper garments, removing everything above the waist while leaving the lower half on. Then, with hesitant lips, I finally spoke.
There was something I hadn't told her directly yet.
"...But Undine, I can't love only you. There are already people in my life who care for me."
They are family, people as close as family, and the women I love. There are many kinds of affection, but I vaguely understood that what she wanted included every kind of affection.
'Hehe... I already know. You're very kind, after all.'
"Still, when I'm with you, I'll try to think only of you in those moments. For that to happen, I suppose I need to become sincere toward you, Undine."
'Oh my, thank you. But does that mean you want me to seduce you first?'
"No, that's not what I—"
First, I need to become sincere toward Undine. Maybe that's how it sounded...?
"First, let's talk—huh?"
Undine's hair—or perhaps I should call it a smooth tentacle—grabbed my wrist, which had been resting on my pants, and pulled it down. In an instant I was completely naked. My clothes were safe, at least.
Soon, as if it were natural, my body was drawn into hers.
"Talk... about what?"
Without any effort, she lifted me in her hand and buried me between her breasts. Literally buried, I had no choice but to look up at her face from up close.
'We can talk just fine like this, you know.'
Of course we could... but it was warm... soft... and cool, and it felt so good... It was as if my worries were being forgotten—or eaten away. The fatigue that hadn't been resolved all weekend...
"Huh...?"
I desperately tried to keep my eyes open as my eyelids threatened to close on their own. I thought I had blinked properly once, but why...?
'Hehe... Did you wake up, dear?'
"Undine... Don't tell me I fell asleep just like that..."
'Your sleeping face was adorable. I had a hard time holding back—will you praise me for it?'
Just from closing my eyes once, my entire body felt refreshed and my mind clear. I couldn't believe it. During work hours—no, more importantly, I had suggested we talk and then fallen asleep by myself. What kind of rudeness had I committed?
"...I'm sorry. I just said I'd think only of you, and then..."
For some reason, all the strength had drained from my body and I couldn't resist the pull of sleep. That was my excuse for now. Otherwise, how could I have thought of sleeping during such a precious moment buried between her enormous breasts?
'It's all right. I was just trying to taste a little of your worries and guilt, but I ended up going a bit too deep.'
A bit too deep... That was definitely a worrying phrase, but right now, more than that—
"Guilt...?"
'You didn't know? What you were feeling was definitely guilt. It went down so smoothly because it was such a gentle kind of guilt.'
I already knew that after receiving her healing, not only physical wounds but also the mental fatigue and pain would disappear as if washed away. But now I truly realized she could actually consume the emotions I was feeling.
Even though my heart had still been heavy this morning, it felt noticeably lighter now. So Undine could actually feel the sensation of something going down her throat...?
'I want to eat everything, but that would be rude to you, wouldn't it?'
"I also want to ask you to take everything away, but..."
It was just a light complaint born from exhaustion, yet it didn't sound light to Undine at all.
'Was that sincere?'
Her face drew closer. Beyond the light from the containment room shining behind her head, a shadow fell across her eyes as she lowered her head, and for a moment they looked chilling.
"...That was a slip of the tongue. It was just a childish complaint."
'Of course. You're still a child, after all.'
It was a remark that wounded a man's pride, but my instincts had screamed that if I hadn't said it, I would have been in real danger. Undine had clearly looked disappointed just now.
Fortunately, she lifted her head and the dark shadow on her face quickly disappeared. I wondered why her face seemed so close—ah, right. I was still buried between her breasts. Right after waking up... I had almost said something dangerous.