Risk Level 2: Harpy
Her hands were folded neatly together. "Look. Harpy isn't some kind of monster. I understand why you're being so hard on yourself, but you don't have to keep hurting yourself like that."
"..."
Her eyes still wavered even as she nodded obediently, so this time I placed my hand directly on the back of hers instead of over the blanket. I could feel the smooth, firm texture of her nails and the slightly rough skin of her hand beneath my palm... but it was definitely warm.
"As an apology... huh?"
The box still sitting on the table came to mind. I wanted to give her the same kind of joy her first friend had once given her. But... why was it here? Seeing the box right at my feet, I wondered if I had brought it myself. When...? The question crossed my mind, yet the timing was perfect. The atmosphere had carried us this far, but there was no guarantee it would work again, so I couldn't afford to let go now.
"This... um, you're interested, right?"
"..."
Nod, nod. Thankfully, seeing Harpy show interest eased the weight in my chest.
"I'll sit next to you for a moment."
"Ah.."
As I raised my body slightly while still holding her hand, her wings—which had been wrapped around her like a blanket—suddenly flared wide in surprise. A few feathers, a mix of dark and light brown, fluttered down. Only then did I realize she was wearing nothing but a thin camisole that clearly outlined her upper body and extremely short dolphin shorts. I held my breath at the defenseless sight.
"I'm already nervous enough... if you react like that too, I'll really have a hard time."
".. Uuu.."
I had to look away somehow... Right. Anyway, those wings were huge. Starting just below her round, smooth shoulders, they were covered in soft-looking feathers, with hands emerging from the folding sections similar to a bat's. When folded they hadn't seemed that bulky, but it was still amazing that all those wings could be hidden under her clothes.
Srrrk... She carefully folded her wings, yet her body remained stiff with tension as I cautiously sat down beside her. Good. Now, from the front, that stimulating outfit was hidden.
"..."
Honestly, until I sat down I hadn't thought much about it. Now that we were side by side on a woman's bed, I felt my mood strangely lifting in another direction. Anyway, let's start with the right hand. The response team leader had explained the method for normal nails, so I still wasn't sure how much or where to apply it to Harpy's long, sharp talons. But since I'd made a big deal out of it, I had to try what I knew. First, the boundary between nail and finger was cleanly divided, so there was no loose skin to tidy. I'd heard it's good to make small scratches before applying gel, but her obsidian-black nails were so hard that the soft sanding block probably wouldn't help much... At least I wiped each nail clean with a wet tissue to remove any dust.
"Um..."
I was somewhat confident in my dexterity, but it felt awkward since the professional prep stage wasn't needed. Still, seeing Harpy's gaze fixed on her hand held in mine, her heart visibly pounding, was encouraging. Covering every nail seemed excessive, so focusing on the tips would be better... though I worried it might end up looking like cone-shaped attachments later.
"Let's start."
Sarak... sararak...
First, the base gel. As I applied the transparent gel and focused on the brush's movements, stray thoughts faded and the tension in my body began to ease. Then a sudden question came to mind. It wasn't with any hidden intention—just simple curiosity to ease the awkward silence.
"Come to think of it, Harpy, you're not that embarrassed about holding hands, are you?"
"Yes..?"
At my sudden question, Harpy looked down at the back of her hand with a puzzled expression. Then—fssst... It sounded like steam rising from somewhere, and soon her face turned bright red without any exaggeration.
"Harpy?! Are you okay?"
Is it all right for blood to rush to her face like that?
"Y-yes.."
".. Ah, you don't look okay."
She was clearly looking at me, but her focus was completely off. She stared somewhere in the air between us, desperately nodding while insisting she was fine. It seemed she'd been so absorbed in the gel nails that she hadn't even thought to feel embarrassed about holding hands until I mentioned it. I wondered if speaking up had been a mistake, yet seeing her flushed and dazed face, it also felt like the right call.
"Uee.."
I didn't notice right away, but the spark had clearly caught. Sarak... sarak. Twitch. Twitch, twitch...
"Harpy?"
She hadn't reacted like this before, but every time the brush touched her nails with gel, a strange twitching began to come from her hand.
"..."
Glance. When I turned to look at her face, she startled and quickly looked away. When I pretended to glance down and then peeked again, she slowly turned her gaze toward me before quickly averting it once more. Since she wasn't trying to run, I assumed it was just embarrassment... but twitch!
"Huuht.."
"?"
As I thought the gel was evenly applied and stroked the brush to smooth out the marks, a sudden suggestive voice made me freeze.
".. I-it's ticklish..."
"Ah.. Okay."
Before I could even raise my head, the urgent excuse made me nod and continue, but—
"Haah..?"
"..??"
The faint moan that followed instantly shattered my concentration.
".. Harpy?"
"Uuu.."
Harpy fanned her burning face with her free hand, desperately avoiding my eyes. It wasn't that her nails had nerves, but the brush's touch seemed to transmit through her fingers as a shallow vibration. So that more suggestive voice... she was really just ticklish, right?
"Want to rest your wrist on my knee? If you keep moving, it won't come out pretty."
"..."
I raised one leg onto the bed and bent my knee. She obediently placed her hand on it. Honestly, I wouldn't mind hearing this happiness-giving voice all day, but if she kept twitching I wouldn't be able to make it look nice. Right now, I just wanted her to enjoy herself. Now came the color gel.
"Harpy, what color do you want? Do you have a favorite color?"
"Uuht, sky... blue? Ah, no... the color Counselor likes..."
Even now, Harpy's eyes sparkled before the colorful gel bottles. There were so many shades that choosing was difficult. But since her inner voice had shouted sky blue first, and she seemed eager to try others too...
"Then let's do this hand in sky blue and the other with various colors, including ones I like. How about that?"
".. I like it."
Just like the records said, she really enjoyed these things. The shy smile that finally appeared on her lips—as if she'd never been embarrassed—made me cheer inwardly that I'd succeeded.
Clink. I opened the clear sky-blue gel and tidied the brush still coated in it. The response team leader had said the most important part was filling the color thinly and carefully, always in the same direction.
Sarak, sarak... sarak..
"Huuht.. ht."
Saruk... suk, sruk..
"Ahhuht... uht, uuht.."
"..."
Hmm. But... this was becoming a real trial. The sweet voice that seemed to melt my ears kept coming, filling my mind with anguish. To keep from being swept away, I focused solely on carefully applying the sky blue, as if I were a master craftsman, refusing to let go of the brush.
Sararak.
"Hyauuu..."
Sarak.
"Huhi.. ht?"
I can't hear it... I can't hear anything.
"Uht..? Haht!"
So there was no need to be swayed by the noise in my heart.
".. It's done."
The right hand was perfect. Since nothing had spilled, if I just let it dry a little and applied the top gel to make it shine—
"Hmm?"
Tremble, tremble... While I was lost in some quiet realization, I noticed Harpy with her head bowed deeply, shoulders hunched and shaking.
"Harpy?"
"Ah.. nothing... no... thing.."
"??"
Was she moved because it turned out so pretty? ...Maybe she had unexpected talent for this. I nodded in satisfaction at the beautifully painted tips of her nails, perfectly uniform in length. When Harpy finally raised her head, her face... for some reason looked erotic.
...Looked erotic?
Her hot breath leaked out in pants, and her eyes were slightly glazed. Yes, "erotic" was the right word. But... why?
"Then, um... while it dries, I'll apply base to the other side, so can you give me your hand?"
Twitch!
"Left hand... uht, left hand is... later..."
'.. Holding hands... because I keep being conscious of it... it's become sensitive... uuht, why am I suddenly like this... strange? My chest too... pounding so hard...'
Ah?
"For now... I understand."
"..."
'Why is it so... hot? Why does it feel so... frustratingly... tingling...'
Wait, wait—Harpy?
"The nails... turned out pretty, right? Now if it dries and I apply this, it'll be even more sparkly... huh?"
Thud!
"Uh..?"
Flop!
Because Harpy suddenly pushed my shoulder, I fell onto the soft bed. Before I could say anything in confusion, her flushed face appeared right in front of mine. Her hot breath was so close I could feel it clearly.
"Ha...rpy?"
"... Huu, haaa.."
'Sorry... I'm... now...'
What was this...? Don't tell me I finally— No, I had to get up quickly...!
"..."
Harpy's plump lips moved softly. Was she saying sorry? Those soft, moist lips that looked like they'd feel good to touch... getting closer and closer, now really... soon, no matter what, this was too sudden—
Flop.
"...??"
Along with the rush of feminine scent, that rich, soft, incomparable embracing sensation pressed against my chest—on the other hand, that really heavy... direct touch I'd only dreamed of in my sleep made somewhere in my body stand up powerfully.
"Newgun... newgun.."
"Ah.."
Harpy, who had buried her head on my shoulder just past my face and collapsed, made gentle breathing sounds and fell asleep. Only then did I remember her estrus period and that the hypnosis the response team leader had placed was working perfectly. I looked at the irresponsible side profile of the woman who had fallen asleep defenselessly on top of me, covering me with her excellent body.
"..."
Long eyelashes, fair skin that remained flawless even up close—both moved me again. Seeing a face sleeping so peacefully, those kinds of thoughts had no choice but to subside.
...She really was cute. So much so that I couldn't even complain.
"Not unfair, but it is unfair."