Risk Level 2: Harpy
"Huuu... uuu..."
Only after hearing Harpy's dangerously sweet voice react to my deep, dazed sigh did I finally snap back to my senses. The underwear she wore made me wonder who exactly it was meant for. It looked like a fresh purchase from the lingerie shop today—still warm, probably. 'Counselor... do you like it...?'
Me? Of course I did. But my mouth had fallen open in shock, and no words would come out, so I nodded furiously inside my head instead.
'The Management Team Leader said... if I just show him this, the Counselor will take care of everything...'
...Then her head suddenly stopped moving. The Management Team Leader? What did that mean? What exactly was I supposed to take care of...?
'But if the Counselor hesitates... uuu... then in times like this, I should... do this...'
"Counselor..."
"...Yes."
"Now... the bottom too..."
The bottom. The bottom.
"..."
A jolt of electricity shot down from the crown of my head, making my lower body tingle so intensely my legs nearly gave out. ...The bottom. If she meant the bottom, she obviously meant that tiny miniskirt, right? The only time I'd been apart from Harpy today was during our shopping trip on the street—specifically the lingerie shop I hadn't dared enter. Had she and the Management Team Leader already talked everything through by then? Or even earlier...? Did that mean this wasn't an accident at all?
I felt my eyes spinning at the thought that it might be okay to be honest now, but the bottom was... completely different from the top I'd somehow managed to remove. Taking off the bottom meant something else entirely. Even just the top had already been enough to make me feel like I was about to collapse, and that miniskirt was far too much for a virgin like me to even imagine handling.
"Harpy? Can't you... handle the bottom by yourself?"
"...Uut."
'Uuuu... I know I shouldn't do this... What do I do... what do I do...?'
"...I want to hear your reason."
"..."
I never expected her to ask me directly like that. The question felt so loaded I wondered if this was really the Harpy I knew. Well... despite the bold lingerie, she was still hugging her chest tightly with both arms, her face bright red and thoroughly cooked, so it was definitely her.
"I don't know if you realize this, but your body... makes things very difficult for me in all sorts of ways. And no, it's not because of your wings or legs, okay?"
"...Is my body... not attractive after all?"
'My chest isn't cute, and it's just big... so maybe it looks gross...?'
She'd even added that last part to avoid any misunderstanding, but just as I'd feared, she interpreted it the wrong way. A gloomy sniffle reached my ears, so I rushed to reassure her.
"No, no, it's the opposite...! I'm a man too, you know! When I look at you, Harpy—!"
"When you look at me...?"
"I mean..."
Should I say it...? How was I supposed to say this?
"...You don't have to lie for my sake. I know. I wish I had cute breasts like the Management Team Leader's too."
No, that really wasn't what I thought at all.
"No...! That's not it! Your chest is incredibly attractive, Harpy!"
Even as I said it, I wasn't sure if it was the right thing to say, but it was the truth, so I wanted to correct that misunderstanding right away.
"Most men... like women with big breasts. And I'm...! Part of that majority."
"...Really?"
"Yes, really!"
"Then when you look at me, Counselor... do you get excited...?"
"!"
Harpy slowly opened her eyes, which she'd kept tightly shut until now. Her gaze, full of clear expectation, locked onto me. I hesitated for a moment, sensing that nodding here would definitely lead to something happening next... but with my painfully swollen lower half already on full display, there was no way out with some half-hearted excuse.
"...I do. Honestly."
Thud. After hearing my answer, Harpy took a tense step backward and sat on the edge of the bed. She raised her long, interlocked nails to cover her face. Despite the embarrassed gesture, the eyes peeking out from between her fingers were unmistakably filled with anticipation.
'...Me too...'
"..."
Her voice, murmuring softly inside her head, reached me clearly.
"...The bottom too... please...?"
Because she was sitting, the black miniskirt had naturally ridden up. Now, between her plump thighs, that secret place was casting a dangerously suggestive shadow—one that would be completely visible if I just lowered my head a little. Since she'd already told me she didn't dislike it, I had no excuse left to refuse. Besides... I didn't want to refuse in the first place.
...Gulp.
In the end, my hand moved as if drawn by a magnet toward her slender waist, reaching the zipper on the side of her skirt. Still, I hesitated.
"..."
The biggest reason was that I knew Harpy was in heat. If I just pretended not to know for this one moment, everything would be easier. It would probably feel better than anything in my life. But... was it really okay to do this? So easily? Just because the mood was right... was it really fine to be honest about my desires?
"..."
No... get a grip. Seriously, get a grip. This might be a test from the Team Leader. And whether it was a test or not, if I didn't think of Harpy as someone insignificant, I absolutely couldn't let a moment of desire or impulse sweep me away.
"...Harpy... this is... when a woman shows her body like this... it's something she should only allow for someone precious. Someone she truly likes and feels comfortable with."
It was the last shred of self-control I could squeeze out. But Harpy's reaction wasn't what I'd hoped for.
"Counselor... you don't like me?"
The look in her eyes said she never expected to hear something like that. I hadn't expected that reaction either, so I frantically shook my head.
"That's... no! It's not that... but..."
"I really... like you so, so much, Counselor... I've never wanted to stay with someone this badly before... But..."
It wasn't just her inner voice anymore. Harpy was speaking directly to me with that trembling voice. It took me a moment longer to realize she was confessing to me.
"I know what shame is too... but when I'm in your arms, my head... my body... gets so hot that shame doesn't matter anymore... I don't want to be apart from you..."
...My mind went blank. That pure confession was so straightforward it almost felt explicit. What about me? Was I just captivated by her cute face and lewd body? I worried that deep down I still saw her as different from me, but that wasn't the real concern. Honestly, this situation was like a perfectly prepared feast, and for a virgin like me, it might be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Following the mood and being honest with my desires wouldn't be so bad... no, it would be amazing. But... like the virgin I was, I couldn't shake the old-fashioned thought that something like this needed genuine feelings from both sides. So what was holding me back now was nothing other than my own sincerity. I could easily hear other people's hearts, but when it came to my own, I was clumsy. And that wasn't the only reason. The fact that Harpy could say she liked me this much was probably because the only man she'd ever met was me, the Counselor. The thought that I might have stolen her chance made me anxious.
"A woman as lovely and cute as you, Harpy, with a body any man would fall for... there probably aren't many like that. Honestly... I can't help thinking someone like you deserves someone much better than me."
Even I knew how frustrating those words sounded. That's why I'd admitted they were pathetic. But I couldn't ignore them. Harpy really had no visible flaws... and to me, she felt too good to be true. Even if I didn't want to act so pathetic, her untainted purity kept pricking at my conscience. The convenient ability to hear her inner voice had let me do things to win her favor, and I'd been hiding that unfair advantage from her all this time. Of course it bothered me.
"You haven't met many people yet, Harpy. The first man you happened to meet was just me."
"..."
"So instead of rushing like this, it would be better to meet more people and then decide..."
"...No."
'...It's only you, Counselor.'
"What?"
"It's different. Counselor... when I wanted someone to stay by my side, you were the only one who stayed with me until late at night... There was no one else there. Was that just... part of your job for you too...?"
"..."
"Counselor, you're an idiot... I know it's a bad thing to say, but right now you're saying something really stupid."
"Ah..."
Idiot. That might have been the harshest thing Harpy could say. If even she thought I was being stupid, I could see exactly how ridiculous my words had been. Still, I didn't regret saying them. Thanks to that, I'd heard directly from her that I was wrong.
For someone who was supposed to be her counselor, it felt like I was the one receiving more help from her.
"...I see."
Nod. As I quietly nodded at Harpy, I felt the need to apologize for showing her my pathetic side and make it up to her. What did she want to hear most right now? What did I want to say most?
"Okay. Then I'll say it. You're the kindest, prettiest, and most lovable woman I've ever met, Harpy."
"..."
"So... I really like you too."
...I'd said it.
"...You said it..."
'He said he likes me...'
Harpy's eyelashes trembled. Her eyes, unsure whether she was smiling or crying, held a joyful expression, but small tears welled up at the corners. Tears of joy and relief mixed together. If she cried this often, her face would swell... but Harpy would still be cute, so it didn't matter.
"...Then."
Zzzip... The sound of the skirt's zipper coming down filled the quiet bedroom with an awkward tension. As my hand pulled it down, Harpy lifted her legs to help, making it easy to slide the skirt off.
...Of course. They were probably a matching set. Seeing the full picture now—the seductive lingerie that made my mouth go dry. Joker had picked it out, she'd said. The contrast between her cute, embarrassed face and that provocative body, accentuated by the alluring lingerie, created an even more striking impression because the two didn't match.
But why was it... wet...
"...!"
A dizzying sensation made my vision blur for a moment before clearing. When I lowered the skirt, the sweet scent grew even stronger. Seeing Harpy desperately pressing her soft thighs together to hide the already glistening valley between them, the thread of my reason stretched taut, trembling like it was about to snap.
Was I... really going to do it now? With such a lovely girl...?
"W-wait a second..."
"...Ah."
Without realizing it, I'd been moving closer to Harpy. She stopped me, probably because she'd noticed me still smelling her.
...That had been close. I'd been out all day too and hadn't properly washed yet. I didn't want any flaws in this precious first experience.
"...Then for now, whew... I'll go wash up quickly."
Since there were multiple bedrooms, I knew there was another bathroom. I started backing away to leave first, but then—
Harpy's fingers, nails pointing downward and curled tightly, skillfully caught the hem of my clothes and stopped me. After a brief hesitation, she made an unexpected move.
"Counselor... you helped me take off my clothes, so... I'll help you wash up too."
"I... can wash by myself, though."
Even as I said it, I realized how stupid that sounded. Offering to help wash meant we'd have to see each other's naked bodies. I wasn't as shameless as Harpy, so I'd tried to refuse—except on the bed—but she didn't stop and kept pressing forward.
"Tonight... I want to stay with you the whole time, Counselor. I don't want to be apart..."
"..."
Looking up at me with those moist, pleading eyes, she made my heart crumble easily. Then the final line completely conquered me.
"...Is that not okay...?"