Arachne's Sticky Relief
Sticky... streeetch. "..."
Sticky... streeetch. I kept clenching and unclenching my right arm, which had just introduced me to an entirely new world, while staring at the pale, viscous strands still clinging to my skin. The clump of silk I'd finally managed to peel away was soaked in fluid, looking less like thread and more like a giant, glistening marshmallow.
"Mmm..."
So something this big had been stuck inside her... No wonder she'd been in so much pain and discomfort. And that explosive release... Well, even I had to admit it looked oddly satisfying to watch.
"...Ugh... uuu... I'm... I'm finished. It's all over..."
Arachne herself, however, showed no sign of relief or refreshment. Instead, she had fled to a corner of the containment room, burying her face against the wall and sobbing in utter despair. The warmth of it all only made the situation feel even stranger.
Arachne had barely begun to process what had just happened when an embarrassingly crude sound echoed from behind her. She whipped her head around in shock and spotted me lying sprawled on the floor, my face covered in the pale fluid. She rushed over in a panic, nearly tripping over her own legs, and frantically wiped my face clean.
I wasn't particularly flustered—after all, I'd been on the receiving end of Yerin’s rather... generous releases more than once—but that clearly wasn't the point here.
"Hey, Arachne. Could you look over here for a second?"
She had her head buried in the dark corner again, trembling so hard that all I could see was the lower half of her spider body shaking. It was a little unsettling.
"Sniff..."
"Sniff?"
Oh no. This was bad. I carefully navigated around her massive spider abdomen and legs until I could peek at her profile. The moment I did—
"Hwaaaaah..."
—her tears burst forth like a water balloon pierced by a needle. She covered her face with both hands, but her wide-open mouth and childish wailing made it impossible to reconcile this sight with the cool, composed chef I usually saw in the kitchen.
The fact that she—who had once quietly locked herself away after a far worse experience without shedding a single tear—was now crying her eyes out over a simple mistake with me was deeply unsettling. Of course, she was the one most embarrassed by it all.
I knew it hadn't been intentional. That was why I'd told her it was fine. But maybe my reassurance hadn't been enough.
"Arachne, really. I'm completely fine, I promise."
"You don't understand... I... I'm regretting being alive for the first time..."
"Please don't say things like that. I'm grateful you're here."
She was still standing, so the height difference made it difficult to reach her upper body. I had to lean against her spider exoskeleton and stand on tiptoe just to pat her back. She tried to pull away at first, but eventually gave up and accepted the gesture.
"There, there... It's okay. Here's some tissue."
Whether she appreciated my efforts or not, her sobs gradually subsided after a while. It wasn't the right time to think about it, but I realized her tears only came from the two eyes on her face. The eyes on her forehead remained like glittering red jewels, completely dry. So she didn't cry from all eight eyes after all.
"Sniff... Sorry... You're the one who needs comforting..."
"No, no, it's fine."
She seemed unable to bear the fact that she'd done this to me. I wondered if the adhesive she used for her webs was somehow different from what I'd assumed. After all, it had come from inside her body, so its meaning probably depended on her own perception. If it were just sweat or saliva, I could probably help her recover, but if it wasn't...
"...R-Right. You should do it to my face too. Yeah... That would make us even, right?"
Just when I thought she was calming down, she turned to me with pleading eyes that had clearly gone a little unhinged. She spoke as if she'd just had a brilliant idea, but all I felt was concern.
"No... What exactly would that accomplish? And what am I supposed to spray—?"
"Anything's fine...!"
"...Anything."
That was a dangerous train of thought. If I left her like this, she was going to completely destroy her usual cool image. She only pretended to be composed to maintain her dignity as a chef; her true nature was the complete opposite. Still...
I had no choice. There was a way to free her from this embarrassment, so I cleared my throat lightly.
"Ahem, ahem."
For example, showing your stomach to a doctor for an examination was acceptable. Showing your rear for an injection at the hospital was fine too. The same action could be interpreted differently depending on the purpose and context. In this case, it was similar to a medical procedure. It would still be embarrassing, but if she could frame it as an unavoidable medical necessity, it wouldn't be enough to make her want to die.
"First of all, Arachne? I'm sorry, but given the situation, I need to check something. You don't have any other discomfort in your body, do you?"
"W-Wait a second..."
"This is important for your health. I'll arrange a full examination just in case, but if you feel any pain or anything strange, please tell me right away."
"Ah... O-Okay..."
I played the role of a doctor genuinely concerned for her health, and it seemed to work. She began to perceive the whole incident as a medical procedure. While the embarrassment wouldn't completely vanish, having an excuse to tell herself it was just treatment would be a small mercy for her fragile mental state.
Of course, I wasn't actually a doctor—just a counselor—so all I could do was ask how she was feeling. Still...
"Um... You, I..."
"You seem a bit better now? Or does it still feel like something's tangled inside?"
"N-No, it's not like that! I'm fine now...! Yeah... I'm okay, but..."
She jerked backward in alarm, clearly worried I might try to reach in again. Good. If I kept the pace like this, it shouldn't be too difficult.
"That's a relief. I'm glad I could help you."
Even though I could clearly see her glancing at me with teary eyes, I maintained a serious expression. Thanks to that, the turmoil in her heart seemed to be settling down. Just as I thought we could naturally change the subject, an unexpected side effect appeared.
"...Ugh, I was so embarrassed I wanted to disappear right then and there..."
'...But the counselor looks completely unfazed. Even though he was stirring around inside me so roughly with that strong arm...'
Strong...? Roughly... stirring inside...? Her wording was a little—actually, very—off.
'Maybe he's just doing this as part of his job, like those other staff members said...? Is that... it? Looking at how calm he is, that must be it, right?'
I was only acting calm. The truth was, I had no idea how much significance she attached to me putting my arm in there, so it was hard to match her pace. The President had apparently helped her the same way before, which was why I'd felt somewhat at ease, but...
"..."
Just when things seemed to be going smoothly, I realized that if I left it like this, I might prevent her from breaking, but the difficulty of counseling her would skyrocket instead. Since her embarrassment seemed to have faded a little, maybe it was time to apply some gentle stimulation.
"Even if it was necessary, touching a woman's body like that must have been careless of me, right?"
"U-Uh? A woman...? No, my body, this isn't..."
She was obviously about to deny it, saying it wasn't a woman's body or that it was just disgusting, so I didn't give her time to finish.
"Arachne... did it feel okay for you? I was worried I might have touched something too sensitive inside..."
"...It wasn't sensitive, so..."
It bordered on sexual harassment, but I widened my eyes with the most innocent, clueless expression I could manage. She reacted exactly as I'd hoped—completely innocently.
Her face flushing bright red was adorable, but I couldn't let it show.
"Still... I mean, it was my first time doing something like that, so... it's understandable. Yeah, I get it..."
"Thank you. I was actually worried you might have felt uncomfortable."
"No... You don't have to... It's fine..."
Her voice grew smaller and smaller until it became inaudible. I'd really gotten better at this. I felt a little guilty for leading her along so innocently, but it had been the best option.
"..."
'It felt... really, really strange...'
But apparently that was only my version of "best." I realized it just a few seconds later.
'Even when that perverted guy helped me... Ugh, it was embarrassing because of his mouth, but not this much. Is it because I'm nervous...?'
Her already flushed cheeks grew even hotter. I flinched.
'The counselor's arm... It's more muscular than mine... a little thicker, and firm, and...'
Still, as long as it stayed in her thoughts and didn't come out of her mouth, it wouldn't become a problem for me. Or so I thought.
"It... might have felt a little good... I guess."
Mm.