A Hard-Won Apology
"Hah... hah... hah..."
"Ah... hngh... hah..."
Thud. Drip... thud...
My arms were starting to go numb. Not just my arms—especially my wrists, and my middle and ring fingers. She resisted pleasure far more stubbornly than I'd expected, twisting her body or bucking her hips unconsciously every now and then. It had been much harder to hold her down than I'd anticipated.
I'd shifted midway to embracing her from behind, wrapping my arms around her waist to make it easier, but even then, the inside of my forearm that had been locked around her was covered in dark bruises. Thanks to Undine, the marks were slowly fading enough for me to see them clearly. She was that strong. I was seriously starting to consider strength training.
Honestly, I was exhausted, yet she still hadn't uttered a single word of apology to No. 13. From the way she'd been desperately begging and saying "I'm sorry" over and over, I thought one more push would do it...
"Ugh... ugh..."
Thud.
Her yukata had come completely undone, leaving only the sash barely clinging to her hips. Her bare shoulders were fully exposed. She finally collapsed onto the soaked floor, released from the forced climax. Her body twitched intermittently from the lingering aftershocks.
Watching the back of her red-haired head, I shook out my tingling fingers and thought about sending her over one last time in this position. But then the girl I'd assumed had no strength left began crawling forward slowly.
I wondered if she was trying to escape, but her path led straight to No. 13, who had been sitting quietly and watching everything. Worried she might still try to harm her, I prepared to use my ability to connect with her. Even in her current state, the backlash would be rough on me, but I had to be ready to stop any attack.
"...?"
Contrary to my fears, she crawled with difficulty until she reached No. 13. Without even fixing her disheveled front, she grabbed the girl's slender wrist with trembling hands. Looking up at her with a face streaked with sweat and tears, she muttered something quietly.
"..."
"...."
Then she let her head drop onto No. 13's lap and passed out.
I hadn't caught what she'd said because her voice was so faint. I asked No. 13 carefully.
"What did Scarlet say...?"
"..."
She wouldn't have said "just you wait" or anything threatening—otherwise No. 13's expression wouldn't be this peaceful. Then...
"She said... she was sorry."
"Really...?"
Nod, nod.
"Haaah..."
I'd tormented her until her mind was a mess and pressured her this hard, so I didn't expect this apology to come from the heart. Still, it was already a huge step forward. Remembering how arrogantly she'd declared she would never apologize to No. 13 at the start, this was no small achievement. A sincere apology was still a long way off, but at least we hadn't come away empty-handed.
"Counselor... I don't really understand."
"...?"
"Being apologized to... feels really strange."
She pressed a hand to her chest while gently resting the other on Scarlet's head in her lap. She still seemed unable to process what had just happened. This was the same girl who used to apologize constantly, who believed her very existence was a sin and that she was sorry just for breathing and causing trouble. Had she ever received an apology from anyone before?
While I carried the unconscious Scarlet to her room and came back, No. 13 remained sitting in the same spot, hand resting on her chest, staring blankly into space.
"...Counselor, you're really amazing."
"Not really. The method was pretty crude. You saw something you shouldn't have."
The tatami was still soaked, the air in the room thick and humid, and a faint, lewd scent lingered. It felt too late to apologize now, but I had to say something. With the tension gone, I couldn't believe I'd actually gone through with this. I'd let my emotions boil over, my head had gotten hot, and I'd acted on impulse.
The team leader was probably watching everything through the surveillance cameras. My head already hurt thinking about what she'd say later.
But No. 13 quietly shook her head at my apology.
"You did it... for me."
"Mm..."
"My heart was pounding so hard from anxiety this morning... but now it's calm. Actually... this is the first time my chest hasn't felt heavy."
Just as she said, her voice wasn't trembling as much as usual, and her head—which she normally kept lowered—was raised as she looked straight at me. The method had been extreme, but receiving even this one apology from someone she'd believed could never apologize to her... I wondered how it felt to her, someone who had given up resisting and accepted that she must be in the wrong.
"If that's the case... I'm glad."
Her expression had softened completely—a sight I'd seen many times during counseling, yet it still felt new. Her long black hair, falling past her shoulders, carried a deep mystical purple hue under the light. Those dark violet eyes looking at me held an ambiguous emotion—gratitude, perhaps longing, or maybe trust.
When we first met, she'd been so emaciated she looked like skin and bones, her entire body covered in bruises, blood, and grime. During our sessions she'd been allowed time to wash, and thanks to the food I'd brought her, her cheeks had filled out to look like a normal girl's. She'd always hunched her shoulders and kept her head down. Because I saw her every day, I hadn't noticed the change properly until now.
"..."
The girl sitting there with her back straight, looking directly at me...
...was quite cute.
Actually, "quite" might be an understatement—my standards had risen too high lately. The timid eyes that had finally begun looking straight at someone, the small lips biting her lower lip, the slender frame that had only just started gaining weight and now evoked protectiveness rather than pity... All of it made me want to feed her more delicious meals.
...Once I thought that, I became painfully aware of what I'd just done in front of a girl.
"...Ah."
My face... was burning.
I'd been angry, sure, but had I completely lost my mind halfway through?
"...Let's rest for today. You worked hard."
"Um..."
Now that the events were replaying in my head in order, I had no confidence facing her again today for counseling. I tried to leave, but she called out to stop me.
What could she possibly want to say?
"Hm? Ah... right, Scarlet's room is right across. If you're worried about her doing something..."
"..."
Shake, shake.
"No?"
Following her gaze, I looked over...
"Ah, the floor..."
The tatami was soaked through with a mixture of fluids, sweat, and other things. It was impossible to tell how to clean it. Heat rushed to my face so fast it felt like it would explode.
"First... right, haha... Shall we go to my room?"
"...Yes."
I wondered what I'd tell the staff as No. 13 stood up to follow me. When I opened the door—
"..!!"
I nearly had a heart attack. Thankfully I didn't scream, but two staff members were already standing in the hallway like ghosts, faces covered with white cloth. They definitely saw me flinch.
"Ah... well, you see..."
"..."
I tried to explain, but couldn't find the words. The two staff members simply bowed silently and stepped aside.
"I'll... have her stay in my room for now. Thank you."
My face was still burning as I returned to my room with No. 13.
"..."
Why did her gaze feel so heavy? Even after entering the room, she kept staring straight at me.
"...I'll go check on Scarlet for a moment. Make yourself comfortable, like it's your own room."
I'd carried Scarlet back to her room, but I couldn't just leave her like that. And after realizing No. 13 was truly just a girl, talking to her had become strangely difficult.
Nod, nod.
"Then... haha, I'll be right back."
After giving her an awkward smile and stepping into the hallway, I entered the room next door.
But escaping here didn't make things any easier.
"Hah..."
My breath caught.
Her defenseless appearance practically screamed "Aren't you going to pounce?" The yukata was completely undone, barely covering the most embarrassing parts. Below, the soaked tatami clearly showed the marks, carrying a strong feminine scent.
There was a reason I'd tried so hard to frame this as simply "sending her off." The sensation of my two fingers forcing their way into her tight entrance, parting the hot flesh and stirring her insides roughly, was still vivid on my fingertips. Even though I'd offset some of it with the unpleasant emotions from No. 13's memories—
Gulp.
—I couldn't deny how incredibly good it had felt.
Thank goodness I was still wearing underwear. Otherwise, No. 13 would have noticed immediately.
"Ah... mmh..."
Even unconscious, she let out such lewd sounds. If I lost control and took her now, it would completely undermine everything I'd done so far.
First... right. I should do what I'm good at.
...Let's clean her up a little.