Risk Level 7: Dorothy
"Stay still."
"Ow... ow ow... be gentle."
Scarlet's reckless charge, flames blazing right in front of the Team Leader, had been doomed from the start. Her ability was instantly sealed, vanishing without a trace. She tried to switch to close combat without panicking, but after only a month back in her original body and already exhausted, there was no way she could put up a real fight. She was steadily pushed back until the Team Leader's elbow caught her square in the face. She tumbled backward, smashed through the door, and landed in a heap in the yard.
"...I know you provoked her on purpose, Team Leader, but you didn't have to let her take the bait like that."
"Hmph..."
The moment the Team Leader left, Scarlet pressed herself against me, staring at the vivid bruise on her face in the mirror like a child running to her mother. "No matter how I look at it, that was ridiculous. Sealing abilities is just unfair."
"...Well, she is the Management Team Leader."
Undine's healing ability, which I'd grown as used to as my own, still made me wonder what hidden price it might carry, but I gently stroked Scarlet's cheek and erased the bruise completely.
"Mm... here too... and there..."
Even after the injuries were gone, she showed no sign of letting go. Instead she kept claiming new aches from the fall, guiding my hands over every inch of her body. It felt nice, but we were standing right in front of Dorothy.
"Would you like to come over here too, Dorothy?"
"Ah... ah, Counselor..."
"Oh, right. You said honorifics make you uncomfortable."
I knew that. I knew, yet calling Scarlet "big sister" while still using polite speech with Dorothy felt awkward. On top of that, Dorothy looked so young that my tone kept slipping into something you'd use with a child.
"It's fine... You can talk to me the way you always have."
"Th-then... should I just use your name?"
I nodded. It still felt strange, but there probably wouldn't be a better moment than now.
"Want to come closer, Dorothy?"
She nodded eagerly, clearly delighted at being called by name, and stepped forward. I had to ask for permission first. "Could you open the front of your yukata a little?"
"Y-yes?"
She answered immediately, then hesitated a beat later. Only then did I realize how strange the request must have sounded without context—especially with Scarlet still clinging to my chest, now lifting her head to stare at me with sharp eyes.
"What exactly are you doing right in front of me?"
"I-it's not like that! I just want to erase the number!"
"Oh. Is that all?"
Scarlet accepted the explanation easily enough and rested her face against my chest again, but for a moment I felt a flicker of jealousy from her. We'd only just made up, yet the same emotion that had once driven a wedge between her and Dorothy was stirring again. I had hoped things were improving, but that reaction felt dangerous. If I wasn't careful, the jealousy that had once centered on Gabriel could easily shift to something new because of me.
"...Here."
Dorothy stepped closer and tugged open the front of her yukata. Even after I explained my intent, she pulled the fabric down farther than necessary. Her skin was pale to the point of translucence, her slender frame reminiscent of unripe fruit. The soft curves of her small breasts were exposed, the tips barely hidden, trembling slightly in the open air.
I had to admit, larger breasts were more my preference. Compared to the generous weight currently pressed against me, this sight shouldn't have affected me much. Yet...
"...Hn."
That expression of hers tugged at something inside me. Her eyes avoided mine, half-hidden beneath dark purple bangs, brows faintly furrowed in her usual timid way. A faint blush colored her pale cheeks, and her lightly bitten lips betrayed how unaccustomed she was to this. I couldn't help wondering why someone as earnest as her had suddenly started acting this way.
"Dorothy...?"
"...N-no, it's nothing!"
She denied it in a rush, then quickly adjusted the fabric so only the number 13 remained visible. She looked mortified at what she'd just done. Scarlet didn't seem to have noticed, but I felt a strange unease even as I borrowed Undine's power and wiped the number cleanly from Dorothy's skin.
"Th-thank... you."
Her shoulders trembled when my fingertips brushed her bare chest. It made me feel like I was doing something wrong, but I forced myself to hide any reaction that might spark Scarlet's jealousy. After yesterday's truth game, Scarlet had already been comparing herself to Dorothy and seeking reassurance. I couldn't let my actions damage the fragile peace between them.
That moment just now... must have been my imagination. Surely the girl who had trembled like a baby bird at the mere touch of my fingertips wouldn't have done it on purpose.
"I'll go speak with the Team Leader for a bit. Try to get along while I'm gone, all right?"
"...Why are you only saying that to me?"
Honestly, I wanted to ask the same thing, but Scarlet looked pitiful after taking that hit, and she'd worked hard to protect us. I decided to be a little kinder.
"Can you get along with Scarlet?"
After giving Dorothy the same instruction and watching Scarlet's sulky expression soften, I followed the direction the Team Leader had gone. There was still plenty to discuss—the demon authority we thought had been removed, the rampage inside the facility, and the plans that had come after the successful counseling.
Eventually...
"Ahh... It's been a while since I came here. Feels nice. You should get in too, Woong."
"...Ah, yes."
"Your body has improved quite a bit lately. Was it thanks to Undine?"
I sat down across from the Team Leader in the open-air bath, modestly wrapped in a towel while she occupied her spot completely naked except for the mask that made her appear as a powerfully built man. The hot water should have hidden everything, yet knowing she was truly bare beneath that illusion made a faint heat stir below.
"A bath steeped in the body of a great angel... You certainly know how to indulge."
"...You were already in here first, Team Leader. I kept telling you it was fine."
"Well, you came in anyway, so here we are."
Seeing her still eager to tease me after so long was oddly reassuring.
"I called you here to discuss what to do with those two prisoners, but Founder dropped by again before you arrived."
"Founder did...?"
"She appeared and vanished just like that. Thanks to her, my original plan has changed a little."
From the way the Team Leader described it, I could easily picture Founder's usual dramatic entrances—no footsteps, suddenly whispering in my ear, or rising out of the empty bath without warning.
"She really does love creating things. It's strange for someone so unsuited to that kind of work."
"...?"
It sounded like the Team Leader was speaking to herself, yet it also implied Founder had once had a proper role or purpose. That piqued my interest. I realized I still knew very little about Founder; I'd only ever received unexpected help from her, repaying it with nothing more than head pats.
"Anyway, about the future..."
Before I could ask about her muttered words, the Team Leader delivered new orders that wiped every other thought from my mind.
"...Those two prisoners. Take responsibility for them and bring them home with you, Woong."