Black Gem Rings
With my schedule growing busier again lately, it had been a while since I could sit back and relax in Harpy’s containment room. Today, however, I finally had the chance.
“Baa-ya…?”
Harpy smiled happily as she ate her ice cream. Little Harpia, watching from my arms, flapped her tiny wings in curiosity, clearly wanting a taste.
“No, you can’t have any yet. It’s still too early for Harpia.”
I noticed my tone with the baby had started to resemble Harpy’s own gentle way of speaking. I pulled the small, adorable creature closer and hugged her tightly.
“Looks like Harpia’s hungry too. Here… would you like to go to Mommy?”
Harpy set aside the half-finished ice cream cup and took Harpia from me. She tugged her top upward, revealing her overwhelmingly large breasts, and offered one to the child.
“Come on, time for milk.”
“Oh…”
A sweet, milky scent drifted up. Harpia recognized it immediately and latched on, suckling eagerly. I nearly claimed the other side before catching myself.
“Ahem.”
Instead, I leaned over and fed Harpy the remaining ice cream. We hadn’t done anything particularly intimate, yet the precious time I’d carved out felt like it was slipping away far too quickly. This peaceful, comforting moment was truly a sanctuary for my heart.
“Mmm… mmph…”
Harpia buried her face against her mother’s chest, tiny claws and wings twitching. I worried her still-soft nails might scratch, but Harpy’s gentle body simply embraced everything. Watching the baby eat contentedly, I remembered the reason I’d come today.
After Harpia finished and began dozing off, I helped wipe her mouth and laid her down on the bed. Harpy soon joined me, resting her head on my shoulder as we both gazed at the sleeping child. The sight of her profile filled me with warmth.
“It might be a little late, but… will you accept this?”
I carefully held out my hand. Resting on my palm was a small ring-shaped object. Harpy’s wingtips twitched sharply despite her attempt to hide it.
“This is…”
“Make sure you show it off to Dorothy too.”
Her inner voice flared with excitement. It was adorable. I had struggled to find a ring that would fit her hand until I realized a necklace chain would solve the problem perfectly.
I moved behind her and placed my hands on her delicate shoulders. Her wings trembled restlessly, drawing a smile from me. I threaded the ring onto the chain and fastened it around her neck. The silver band gleamed against the soft valley of her breasts, adding a lovely accent.
Harpy gathered her fingers together and gently touched the ring resting on her chest. When she noticed the matching ring already on my finger, a bright, happy smile bloomed across her face. Then, with a strangely seductive glint in her eyes, she lifted her other breast with one hand and looked up at me.
“As I thought… would you like a little before you go?”
The silver ring with its small black gem in the center was, of course, something I had asked Founder to make. Though I hadn’t been the one to bring it up first—Founder had read my heart and offered before I could ask. Even so, it was hard to believe she had crafted something so beautiful. Her previous creations had all been pitch-black boxes or dog collars, crude and simple in both name and form.
“Hmm…”
Yet this ring was exquisitely made. I lifted my hand and admired the band on my ring finger, quietly impressed once again. The finely crafted black gem carried a mysterious, almost antique elegance, while the silver band featured delicate wave patterns that complemented it perfectly. Compared to Founder’s usual stark, black-themed items, this was a delightful surprise.
Following Founder’s instruction to give them to those I cherished most, I had first visited Harpy, then Lav, and afterward Undine as well.
Lav’s whispered words still lingered in my ears.
“Besides the color of my hair and eyes… I’ll be the first thing about you that never changes.”
…That was what she had said.
Meanwhile, when I visited Lav this time, she had been waiting for me in a maid outfit I vaguely remembered seeing somewhere before. Pretending not to notice while handing over the ring had been surprisingly difficult.
Undine’s reaction had been unexpected as well. Even though I gave her the ring, I assumed it would simply melt inside her body and become one with her forever, making the act of giving it symbolic. Yet the ring sank into her clear blue form without dissolving. At first I thought it was because Founder had made it special, but the real reason lay in the changes Undine had undergone since meeting me. Through our connection she had encountered new perspectives, and her strict standard of purity had begun to admit a touch of personal desire. She judged the ring I offered as something imperfect yet still necessary, so it remained intact. It was proof that she now saw it as both needed and precious, and that made me happy too.
Afterward, she had blocked the exit with her clones, tentacles writhing, protesting that I was leaving too soon. That sight had been… a little frightening.
“…”
“What are you staring at? Focus on driving.”
On the way home from work, I kept fiddling with another ring resting on my palm. The Field Team Leader kept glancing at it, her inner thoughts loud enough to make me uneasy.
“Why, do you want it?”
“…”
“What was it you said last time…? Something about calling you a filthy toilet I could use whenever I felt like it.”
She flinched.
“In my opinion, this ring doesn’t seem very necessary for a dirty toilet…”
Scarlet usually joined me on the ride home and pounced the moment we arrived, but today she was resting at home with Dorothy. The team leader was still in work mode, yet her face flushed at the memory of the shameless words she had blurted out in the heat of pleasure. The way she grew aroused so quickly just from being treated like a toilet made me sigh.
“You have to answer.”
“U-um… Ah, no… Yes…”
Still, she seemed genuinely disappointed. It would be nice if she could just be honest like usual. She had no trouble saying all sorts of embarrassing things when she was in my arms, after all.
“Something so extravagant… is far too good for a filthy toilet like me, Master.”
“…”
Watching her submit and break so readily still sent a shiver down my spine. This girl was really starting to warp my tastes. I needed to be careful not to get pulled in any deeper.
“I just wanted to tease you a little. Sorry.”
“…!”
We had reached the house. As she started to unbuckle her seatbelt, I caught her wrist and pulled her back down. Her eyes widened in surprise. I wished she would show this cute expression more often.
“Here.”
I slipped the ring onto her finger myself. When I looked up, she was staring at me with a slightly dazed expression.
“This… gulp.”
Her inner voice that followed was anything but cute.
‘I want it. Right now, right here… I’m always the one watching, left behind… Even though it’s my car, I’ve never gotten to do it…’
“You’re getting excited again already… Seo Ye-rin, get a grip.”
This was supposed to be a simple moment of giving her the ring. Then again, my relationships with the women around me had long since left the realm of normal. Even so, Founder had told me to give these rings to the people I cherished. Even if what I shared with her was only a twisted, debauched arrangement…
Still, whenever I imagined her getting hurt, something inside me recoiled. That meant I did care for her, in my own way. Aside from being an irredeemable pervert, she was undeniably a good woman. Of course, she had required far more thought than the others, but in the end I had decided to give her the ring as well.
“Ah, you’re going to… from behind again?”
She had already started shifting her posture, pushing her hips toward me. I gave her a light flick on the forehead, then stepped out of the car. She followed with a thoroughly disappointed expression, yet she kept smiling foolishly while playing with the ring now on her finger.
At first she had simply wanted to experience a normal relationship like other women her age. Somewhere along the way, things had twisted into this. But if this was what made her happy, then so be it.
“Let’s go inside. And… about that, well… we’ll talk separately when you take time off.”
“…Ah.”
I wanted to just go along with her clumsy advances, but there were still important people waiting for me at home. I couldn’t stay here any longer.
“And stop making that lewd face. Come on, let’s go up.”