Risk Level 7: Dorothy
The place she had always recognized as her own safe, personal space. Having a special visitor she was particularly conscious of come to that room was far more tense and thrilling than she had ever imagined. Moreover, the fact that the only place to seat this welcome guest was her bed made the corners of her mouth twitch mischievously for some reason.
The Counselor glanced around the unfamiliar room, clearly trying to dispel the awkward atmosphere. Even while nervous inside, did he at least realize he had entered a woman’s room?
“H-Here… sit… please sit down.”
Her voice trembled far more than usual because of her pounding heart. She knew this kind of appearance wouldn’t be attractive at all for an older woman, yet she couldn’t suppress this natural trembling filled with anticipation.
“…Mm.”
When she pointed at the bed, he flinched, then earnestly scanned the surroundings as if searching for another place to sit. That reliable reaction made her trust him even more. Eventually, finding nowhere else, he walked toward the bed. His broad back, which should have felt reassuring, looked unusually defenseless today.
“…Gulp.”
Seized by a powerful urge to push him forward onto the bed, she unknowingly raised both arms. Her fingers, curled like a beast’s forepaws aiming at prey, felt vulgar, and her heartbeat pounded loudly in her ears.
“Huu… haa…”
“D-Dorothy?”
Ah, had the sound been too loud? Anyone could see how suspicious she looked with both hands raised like that. She hurriedly lowered them, but he had probably already noticed. Still, for some reason, she thought it might be okay even if he had. Was it because he had already stepped into her room?
“…I’m glad.”
“…”
Even though she was talking with the Counselor who always treated her kindly and spoke gently, she couldn’t concentrate at all. His entering her room might have been an implicit permission. Being invited closer, being allowed to hug his arm, him sitting on the bed in the first place—simply having him sit on the very bed where she had lewdly comforted herself every day kept the excitement from subsiding. If it were up to her… yes, if it were up to her, just the two of them alone in this small room… alone together… like before…
“Ah…”
When she realized that something dangerous was swelling uncontrollably from deep within her heart in response to the rising heat, she was already—
“Dorothy…?”
Once again, she had climbed on top of her benefactor, looking down at him with lust-drenched, rude eyes.
*
This flow needed no explanation. That heat, that vulgar desire visible in those glistening eyes. Her mouth went dry at the realization that the desire she felt right now was her own obsessive sexual craving.
“I… I’m doing something bad again…”
This was bad. A normal person who recognized they had done something wrong would at least try to stop, but she was different.
“But… still, this…”
‘Feels… really good…’
It wasn’t just the sense of liberation from deviating. She clearly felt guilt about her evil actions, yet at the same time she was drawing a masochistic pleasure from the despair that she was already finished. Since she had already done something bad once, she could never return to being a good girl—so she rationalized that doing even worse things wouldn’t change anything. That dangerous cycle of justification was spinning rapidly inside her heart. After this, it was obvious she would be swept away by that malice and end up just like that night.
“…Ugh.”
Thanks to keeping the connection with her active until it reached a dangerously precarious level, he could feel everything. …Stay calm. If he had figured this much out, now wasn’t the time to panic and stammer. Her impulses were triggered whenever something stimulated the malice inside her. The trigger this time was… none other than his visit. The malice demanded from her an appearance that didn’t suit her—deviation and liberation. That also meant she perceived her usual self as sincere and far removed from such things. If he could awaken her true nature before she was completely swallowed by the malice, she might still be able to suppress it herself. A rash attempt might only fuel her desire further, so it had to be something that evoked a pure, intense emotion unrelated to sexual desire. That was the only way to stop her right now.
“…Wait a moment.”
Come to think of it… while recalling that night’s similar situation and searching for a solution, he suddenly realized one thing. Even in that chaotic mess, he had never kissed Dorothy. The biggest reason was probably that she had never asked for it first. Unlike Nero or Scarlet, who had taken turns covering his mouth and refusing to let go, she had only obsessed over the lower half, wrapping her legs around his waist. Simply put, that was all there was to it—but perhaps her malice or desire had judged that kissing wasn’t a “bad thing,” so the attempt had never occurred. It might also be because Scarlet’s sexual abuse had never involved kissing, or because Dorothy had begun her first steps in male-female relationships through pleasure-seeking rather than romantic feelings.
“Everything… everything is the Counselor’s fault, isn’t it…?”
Ah, Dorothy’s eyes… had he hesitated too long? It was getting dangerous. Watching her mysterious, gloomy dark-purple eyes waver precariously with that dangerous light again, cold sweat ran down his forehead. He couldn’t afford to hesitate. Before that ominous horn shape appeared above her head again—!
Soft.
“…?”
As she leaned her head toward him, he only needed to slightly raise his upper body to bring his lips to hers. Although their first experience had ended with bold and lascivious foreplay… this was their first kiss. She seemed unsure how to react to the sudden development and remained frozen, her small lips unmoving.
“…Uwaa…?!”
Then, a beat or two later, her shoulders trembled—literally quivering—as she stared at him with wide eyes and shaking pupils. The sight of her reverting to her usual frail impression after just one kiss, trembling lightly and quickly like a frightened small animal, felt both a little funny and strangely cute. It meant only one thing. The malice that had been creating an overwhelming atmosphere had been pushed back for a moment, replaced by something else.
‘Embarrassed…’
“Ah… u… u…”
‘My first… kiss…’
What rose most strongly, suppressing all other desires, was embarrassment, just as expected. Her face flushed bright red, and her eyes now wavered precariously for an entirely different reason. Only after he slightly lowered his head did she raise a hand to touch her lips, as if savoring the sensation, staring blankly into the air as though she had forgotten she had been about to pounce on him moments ago. Then, as if she finally remembered what to say—though it wasn’t very convincing—she spoke.
“T-This kind of thing… is something people who like each other… are supposed to do… right…?”
…Hmm. Not exactly the sort of line one expected to hear from someone they had been pushed down and had sex with multiple times. In her mind, did mixing bodies not count as something people who liked each other did? Ah, come to think of it, that made sense. Having memories of being sexually abused by Scarlet, perhaps she had come to view the act of overlapping bodies solely as a means to relieve sexual desire. At least back then, Scarlet had openly disliked Dorothy, and Dorothy wouldn’t have liked her either. So even while surrendering to malice, Dorothy had still been conscious that kissing was only for people who liked each other? But if that was really the case, it felt a little disappointing.
“I… I think I like Dorothy.”
People feel familiarity and security toward those they believe they understand. Having once experienced becoming Dorothy herself, he thought he understood her better than even Nero, whom he had known for a long time. That was why it was natural for such unusual feelings to arise.
“T-That… that can’t be…”
“It’s true.”
“I-I’m not pretty like Scarlet or Nero… and my body… isn’t attractive either, n-not at all…”
So that was what she had been thinking? Of course her body was thin and small, but he had never found it ugly. If anything, it stirred a male’s protective instinct—the desire to shield and handle her carefully. And he couldn’t agree that her face wasn’t pretty. It was true that because she always kept her head down timidly, shadows formed on her face and her already gloomy eyes became even darker, and her anxious, wavering pupils weren’t exactly endearing… but he remembered how beautiful her small, heartfelt smile was—the one she only showed when she was occasionally at ease.
“There aren’t many moments like that, so even I’m not sure, but Dorothy is really pretty when she smiles.”
“…U-When she smiles…?”
When he said that, she tried to force a strained smile…
“Ah, no… not that. That’s not what I meant.”
He felt sorry for her effort, but he hadn’t been talking about that dangerously risky smile. That was the landmine-like expression she showed when trying to pounce on him. The smile he meant was different.
“I-I’m sorry…”
“Uh, no… my explanation was a bit lacking. You probably don’t know either. When we talk together, there’s a really natural smile that appears for just a moment.”
A warm, gentle smile that made him want to smile back. It was probably the smile that came from the gentle nature that had been suppressing the malice in her heart all this time.
“I want to help you so that expression comes out more often.”
“…The Counselor… is already helping me more than enough…”
He knew he had said something embarrassing, but it was fortunate that she was far more embarrassed than he was. This was an opportunity.
“No, it’s because I want to, so you don’t need to feel burdened. Still, if it bothers you…”
Now, he laid Dorothy down beside him…
Click.
“…Ah?”
Looking at the door that had suddenly swung open without even a knock, he wondered if the Team Leader had arrived. Complaining inwardly about the terrible timing… what appeared beyond the door wasn’t a familiar suit or a bizarre clown mask. Instead, the sight of slightly sweat-dampened, brilliant red hair swaying into view made his expression freeze.
“Oh, did I interrupt at a good time?”
Interrupting at a good time… the meaning of “good time” was a little different, but an interruption had definitely occurred. Clad only in light flesh-colored leggings that clung tightly to her figure and a white tank top, with sweat droplets sensually trailing down between her firm breasts where the kiss marks he had left still remained, she exuded a natural allure—yet at the same time, anxiety rose within him.
“N-No. Scarlet, help me a bit—”
Whoosh.
…Whoosh?
“Sis is pretty bold too, huh? Calling a man into her room and pouncing on him… something I haven’t even tried yet.”
Ah… no. Rather than her approaching after casually tossing aside her tank top without the slightest hesitation, he was far more worried about the spark that might reignite Dorothy’s desire—the very impulse he had barely suppressed by kissing her without permission. He hadn’t even managed to get Dorothy off his body yet. Of course, the position invited misunderstanding…!
“Can I join in too? My body’s just nicely warmed up.”