Risk Level 5: Arachne - The President's Tease
After the inspection concluded thanks to those who had come all the way to the containment room, I looked outside to see countless staff members using equipment to retrieve the tangled webs. Restoring everything one strand at a time would take several days, leaving me feeling somewhat overwhelmed already, yet the Counselor's help had left me with a strangely refreshed sensation. Since I'd been told it was fine to rest for a while, there was no need to rush.
"Hup! I'm here, Arachne."
"Gyaaaak...?"
The woman accomplished something no ordinary person could manage. With her ash-gray hair fluttering, she sprinted forward in her suit and leaped onto Arachne's back, wrapping her in a tight embrace. At the same time, she rested her face on Arachne's shoulder and flashed a mischievous grin at the startled spider-girl staring back at her.
Considering her considerable height and visibly muscular build, the weight should have been concerning, yet the spider's lower body and supporting legs proved far sturdier than expected.
"...You, get down already."
"Was I heavy?"
"It's just the sudden closeness that's overwhelming."
"Heh, how kind of you."
Along with the husky voice that tickled her ears came the rich scent of cigar smoke—familiar. This woman was the benefactor who had rescued Arachne from hiding in the dark, foul, damp underground sewers where she survived on scraps like rats, yet she also subjected her to shameless sexual harassment every time they met, making Arachne's first reaction one of sheer exasperation. In truth, it simply meant they were that close.
"Something came up, so I rushed over as soon as it was done. Looks like the Counselor already left."
"...Yeah, probably."
Arachne's face suggested it would have been troublesome if he had stayed longer, yet a hint of lingering attachment—wishing he had remained—showed through. With her beast-like instincts, the President caught it instantly.
"I should've come a bit earlier. From that reaction, something happened, didn't it? You look rather pleased, too."
"Nothing happened. More importantly, get down already."
"Alright, alright."
In truth, the Management Team Leader had watched everything unfold through the large peephole in the containment room door and received a full report from the Counselor. Two specific management staff members had been immediately sent to the response team leader, stripped of all memories of the facility, and processed for resignation. The only regret was that the surveillance cameras inside had been covered by webs, preventing her from viewing the most intriguing moments directly on video.
Still, pretending ignorance, she seemed intent on teasing Arachne.
"What made you hole up this time? Ah, do you need it again this time, perhaps?"
"Need what... Eek."
Arachne gave the expected reaction as the President rolled up her shirt sleeve and flaunted her healthy-looking arm.
"I'll finish quickly. It's not like this is our first time together, is it, dear?"
"Who...! I am not your dear, and besides, that... the Counselor helped me, so I don't need your help."
She deliberately softened her voice only when saying "Counselor," as if trying to broadcast her concern for him from every angle. She herself seemed unaware of this habit.
"The Counselor did?"
Perfect timing. The President barely managed to swallow her playful smile and feigned ignorance.
"You're saying the Counselor helped you with that?"
"Well... yes?"
Though she had only been pretending to be surprised, Arachne leaned in closer at the President's gesture to bring her ear nearer upon noticing something odd in the reaction.
"That means you two... had sex, right? Sex."
"...Sex?"
The whispered voice carried an air as if no one else should overhear. Then—
"I mean sex, sex. If what you two did wasn't sex, then what was it?"
"..Hik?!"
She wasn't completely ignorant. Arachne had once witnessed a pair of wild beasts caught in her webs while fleeing the rain; when they sensed mortal danger, their breeding instincts exploded, and they mated while tangled in the threads, panting heavily. Still, the biased knowledge this libertine had imparted was far more extensive.
"W-wait... What are you saying? Why would that be... sex?"
Unable to utter the full word, her trembling voice was the very picture of a wholesome, innocent maiden.
"Because the Counselor is male, it's different from what I helped you with."
"What...?"
"Think about it. It's the act of shoving a male's long, hard thing into a female's hole."
"That's... No, I..."
She could have firmly denied that her silk glands were not a hole meant for such acts, but the lewd commentary from her first experience had already planted doubts about whether this was truly something shameful.
"Even if what you did with another woman like me doesn't count... I never expected you'd already crossed that line with the Counselor."
"Crossed the... line?"
Though the words carried clear intent, the sincere Arachne took them at face value once more.
"But... the Counselor was only trying to make me comfortable, and with a body like mine, calling it properly female is..."
"This is serious... Our Counselor is a young male, so his vitality is no joke."
"U-ung...?"
The President cut her off with a self-directed mutter, as if telling her to listen. At this point, it was blatant.
"Actually... I shouldn't be saying this, but..."
Whisper, whisper... It seemed questionable whether the facility's top executive should behave this way, yet the hushed conversation continued for some time. From what Arachne could catch, words like "wings," "cat," "pudding," and "jelly" were mentioned.
And then—
"..."
Arachne's face flushed crimson as she covered it with both hands, unable to lift her head.
"See? Our Counselor is something else. Seems like as long as there's a proper place to put it, he has no problem with any female."
"...That's too much..."
Part of it was the sudden flood of information, but the biggest reason was the fantasy that had slipped into her mind: What if I...?
"And seeing how energetic he still is afterward, youth really is best, isn't it?"
"..Stop it already..."
Blood had rushed to her head, making her dizzy. But the President had no intention of letting such a golden opportunity slip away just because Arachne asked her to stop. Despite her somewhat difficult-to-accept appearance, this kind, diligent, and capable old friend might finally be able to feel secure and happy.
"The Counselor is unnecessarily sincere, so he probably tried to frame it as just a medical procedure or something... but deep down, he must have been very conscious of it, right?"
"...No way..."
"When we did it last time, every time I pushed it into your arm, the moans you let out were incredibly arousing."
"W-what? I...?"
At most, they were pained sounds... Yet with the newfound awareness that this was an embarrassing act—and with the Counselor as the partner—Arachne couldn't help feeling strangely flustered. No, the very reason she had started seeing it as embarrassing was probably because of this libertine...
"The Counselor is probably thinking about the sensation inside you right now, realizing you're a proper female."
"D-don't say things like 'the sensation inside.' And the Counselor would never..."
If she truly believed he would never do such a thing, there would be no reason to feel this embarrassed.
"Ah, and one more thing I should tell you...?"
"...?"
"The Counselor's... is enormous..."
"...That...?"
The conversation between two women reeked of male pheromones. One side pretended disinterest yet kept swallowing dryly while listening intently.
"Even just last time...? He took on three at once..."
"Three...? At the same time...? Is that... impressive?"
"Of course it is. A mediocre male struggles with even one... And..."
Completely unaware that she was being strung along exactly as intended, Arachne kept nodding with eyes full of curiosity while pretending otherwise. It was surprising that he had been intimate with so many females, but the thought that followed was whether she might have a chance too.
"I wonder if you'll end up targeted as well... Should I warn him off for you?"
"N-no...!"
"No?"
"N-no, no... The Counselor is... um, a sincere person, so he wouldn't look at me that way... So there's no need to say anything..."
A sly grin finally broke through on the President's face, though she managed to hide it before being noticed. Now came the finishing touch.
"Right, that makes sense. He may not be good at fighting, but he's a decent enough male when it comes to that boring side of things."
"...Yeah."
"When he first arrived, he was a bit clueless and cute, but now he shows responsibility and has been a huge help."
"Yeah..."
Since she felt a bit guilty for spilling all his private secrets, it was important to wrap things up nicely at the end. Already fond of him, Arachne nodded without any resistance to the praise, even after hearing everything before. Of course, the fact that the less-than-an-hour conversation had been quite taxing on her played a part...
"And when it comes to nighttime activities, too."
"..Yeah..."
She answered blankly while nodding, then belatedly sensed something was off.
"Ah, no...! I don't know anything about that sort of thing to begin with...! I'm not interested either..!"
After listening so eagerly and blushing and spacing out with whatever fantasies running through her head, claiming now that she had no interest was an obvious lie to anyone. In the end, even this reaction had gone exactly according to someone's mischievous plan.
"Ugh..."
Unable to bear the embarrassment any longer, Arachne turned away and cautiously lowered her arm, gently touching the point where her lower body connected to the spider's torso. She wore only a tank top covering her chest—nothing below. There was no need; as one descended, natural armor-like plates gradually formed over her exoskeleton, properly concealing anything that required covering.
And here, at the natural junction in the center...
She placed her fingertips lightly over the glossy exoskeleton and blushed once more.
"..."
In truth, besides the rear, there was one more section of exoskeleton she could open at will.