Risk Level 5: Arachne (1)
Dorothy's condition is gradually stabilizing. More than anything, thanks to her active cooperation in the counseling sessions that followed, we've learned an important fact: as long as she doesn't use her ability to reverse space, her malice won't swell up and turn her into someone else the way it did before.
With Scarlet, the previous ticklish, gentle, and tender acts of affection must have suited her particularly well, because the number of times she pounces on me every time I come or go from work has greatly decreased. She still tries to kiss me the moment our eyes meet and demands kiss marks on my neck or cleavage every day, but thanks to that, I've had far fewer concerns about my stamina lately. I no longer intend to let her cling to me regardless of time or place, yet there's still a part of me that finds it a little disappointing.
"Two minutes and ten seconds... maybe around two and a half minutes would be just right."
Still, whenever I have to visit the dangerous neighboring cell for Dorothy's counseling, she always calls Scarlet over because she's embarrassed to be alone with me, so the three of us end up heading to bed together. At the very least, I have no complaints about the conditions for regularly relieving the buildup that accumulates on a daily basis.
I've returned to my initial mindset. During that time, I've been trying to make them as happy as possible by increasing foreplay and conversation, pressing our bare skin together, sharing body heat, and properly meeting their gazes so I can take in each of them with my eyes. They seem satisfied, feeling that they're receiving my attention and affection through these actions. Compared to before, when they would get wet like a fire had been lit and start shaking their hips the moment I pushed in, not letting me out until I'd completely exhausted my stamina, I've also gained a bit more breathing room.
The fact that my gaze toward them on the bed has changed from simply seeing attractive women to seeing Dorothy and Scarlet—people who crave affection—has definitely had a positive effect on both them and me. The biggest advantage is that we've gained time for our hearts to grow closer to each other. It would be a lie to say that those moments when we forgot everything and surrendered our bodies to pleasure weren't enjoyable, but right now, with both body and mind filled with joy, I personally feel more satisfied. It seems I gain a lot of positive energy for living life from exchanging hearts with the people I care about.
...Ding!
"...Mm, smells delicious."
Along with the cheerful alarm sound, I took the lunchbox out of the microwave whose inner light had turned off and walked over to a reasonably empty seat. Compared to when I was only in charge of Harpy, my workload has definitely increased. Not only does writing reports take time, but I also find myself deeply thinking about them even during my usual routine. Of course, no one is forcing me to do this—it's my own worry about how I can be more helpful to them.
Today, after finishing the morning counseling session, I stopped by Undine's containment room for a while to ask about the mini Undine inside me, so I arrived at the staff cafeteria later than usual. While picking at the side dishes in the delivery lunchbox with chopsticks, a sudden question occurred to me and I turned my head to look around.
Everyone was eating diligently according to the rules, without making eye contact or talking, but I still found out what I was curious about. They were all eating simple lunchboxes in identical containers, just with different menus. Given that this facility boasts a highly skilled chef named Arachne, the staff meals should normally have been on par with those of a high-end hotel restaurant... but today, for some reason, even the divided menu items in everyone's lunchboxes were few in number.
Mine is pork cutlet with stir-fried pork? I just grabbed it without thinking while lost in other thoughts. The quail egg side dish over there looks tasty too. Come to think of it, back when I lived in that cramped studio apartment and was busy with part-time jobs, I used to eat a lot. It's been a while, so it feels oddly welcome.
"Ah, there you are, Ung-ssi."
"Cough, cough...!"
Thanks to quickly closing my mouth and covering it with my palm, I barely managed to keep the pieces of pork cutlet from flying out in a revolutionary manner.
"T-Team Leader, cough...! Team Leader...?"
Seeing how she crept up and whispered right into my ear while holding out her mask, it was clearly no coincidence. Thanks to that, I had to cough for quite a while as something got caught in my throat.
"Team Leader... cough... there are more normal ways to call someone, you know."
"I only called you quietly because everyone was eating in silence. How rude."
"..."
Knowing that arguing further here would be pointless, I simply nodded and asked about her business. Since I knew the Team Leader usually ate in her private room, the fact that she came all the way here during lunch break to fetch me meant she had something important to tell me in person.
"So, what brings you here? Is it urgent?"
"Well... if it's urgent, then yes, it is. It's something the President asked for."
"The President?"
For a moment, I worried that something might have happened to Harpy or Rav in the facility, but the explanation that followed left me slightly deflated while leading to a different kind of concern.
"She said she wants to enjoy Arachne's delicious meals again as soon as possible."
"Arachne... ah."
I had been quietly eating my lunchbox, thinking it might be a day off to prevent burnout in the busy kitchen... but it could also mean something had happened to Arachne. Occasionally, when I had time, I would stop by the kitchen to help with odd jobs and watch her work nonstop from the side, so it didn't seem strange at all that she would be given as many days off as she wanted. I had taken it for granted.
...Still, what was I thinking so leisurely about?
"Did something bad happen to Arachne?"
"Let's finish eating first. I'll explain after we move somewhere else."
"...No. I feel like I'd get indigestion if I keep eating now."
I've been a bit busy lately and haven't been able to help out in the kitchen, so I feel a bit responsible... and anyway, it would be better to hear the explanation quickly.
"So... what about Arachne? Is she okay?"
That's why I quickly cleaned up my spot and headed straight to the elevator. As soon as the Team Leader and I were alone, I asked if Arachne was okay, but the answer that came back didn't ease my uneasy feeling at all.
"I'm not sure. Since this morning, the door has suddenly been closed and she doesn't answer when I call. The containment room cameras are all covered in spider webs, so there's no way to check what's happening inside right now."
"If it's the containment room... you mean the kitchen, right?"
"Yes. As far as I know, that door has never been closed before... I tried to open it with the card key, but it showed an error. It's probably because it's tightly tangled with spider webs from the inside."
After arriving at the 55th basement floor without much progress, the elevator doors opened to reveal the familiar large space... but it was different from usual. This space, where various ingredients were stored in long rows of steel structures like a warehouse-style hypermarket covering an entire floor, should have had cylindrical steel frames hanging neatly at different heights and angles from the high ceiling for Arachne to wrap spider webs around so she could procure the necessary materials for the kitchen at any time.
"...What the..."
But now, the spider webs on those structures were tangled to the limit, hanging like fog as if the basement of an old house had been left abandoned for decades. Some of them stretched all the way to the floor, so I had to be careful where I stepped. Just from their appearance, they looked like they would stick powerfully if touched.
Given that Arachne had shown near-miraculous skill in finely controlling the viscosity and strength of her threads to cook dozens of dishes simultaneously, this sight was hard to believe. At the same time, my worry grew steadily.
"It really is closed."
After carefully avoiding the hanging spider webs and moving a little further inside... the kitchen door—Arachne's containment room door, which had always been open—was firmly shut.
"But earlier you said the door wouldn't open."
The Team Leader wasn't holding any tools to open the door other than the white gloves she always wore, so I said that, but instead I got a puzzled reaction.
"That's why I brought you, Ung-ssi."
"...Didn't you bring me because of Arachne's counseling?"
"That's part of it too. But there aren't many people who can quietly break through the facility's walls or doors without causing internal damage right now."
"Ah..."
Only after hearing the word "break through" did I understand. She wanted me to use mini Undine's ability. Damaging the facility's walls or doors... the Field Team Leader often did that sort of thing, but since I'd never thought of doing it myself, my mind was slow to catch up.
"But... is this really okay?"
Last time, the Founder had said something chilling to the Field Team Leader with a smile on her face—if she kept destroying the facility like that, she'd break her bones... And since this is a containment room, even in a special situation, the safety regulations I'd memorized diligently came to mind.
"That's actually why I'm asking you, Ung-ssi. You're quite favored by the Founder, aren't you?"
"...Favored..."
Being unable to deny it hurt my pride, but I understood anyway. I was worried about Arachne... and our closeness wasn't bad either, so I should at least be able to ask what was going on. Raising both hands toward the containment room door and thinking of it as an obstacle preventing me from meeting Arachne, a smooth blue liquid flowed down over my hands and easily melted through the thick door. The dark interior gradually became visible, and just as a hole about the size of a small window had been made—
Thud...
"Huh...?"
I felt a slight pulling sensation forward and let out a questioning voice, but it soon turned into a long scream as I was sucked into the dark containment room.
"Uwaaaaaaaaah?!"
More precisely, I was the one being dragged inside.
"Ung-ssi! Are you okay?!"
The Team Leader's voice came through the only hole letting in light from the dark interior, but I couldn't answer. My mouth wasn't covered, but... I couldn't bring myself to speak carelessly.
"..."
Because right above where I had fallen—on the ceiling—eight small red lights were blinking ominously at irregular intervals, slowly approaching me.