Arachne's Hidden Thrill
"Come on in."
She greeted me in a snug white short-sleeve tee and comfortable dolphin shorts. Honestly, it was obvious she was trying to show off her well-toned figure while pretending otherwise, so a small laugh escaped me the moment the door opened.
"You said it was a date."
"A weekend date at home counts as a date too, doesn't it?"
I had pulled out the expensive suit and shoes she'd gifted me earlier, thinking she might drag me out shopping again, but it looked like she had no intention of leaving the house today.
"You took off all the nail polish, and your hair's black now? Feeling like a change?"
"...Yeah. I was just feeling a little restless."
'With more and more women around him... I have to show him a new side of me too...'
After always seeing her bleached blonde hair, the sight of her jet-black locks tied back in a tight ponytail felt refreshingly different. A few stray strands fell along the side of her face, and my eyes kept drifting to the pale nape of her neck. Her usually sharp eyes now carried a more aloof, elegant air, giving her a calmer presence overall. Of course, nothing inside had changed.
"Come in. I've got coffee and snacks ready."
"Snacks?"
Looking at her slender back as she turned to lead the way, I found it hard to hold back. And since there was no real need to restrain my desires around her, I pulled her into an embrace from behind and gave her modest chest a light squeeze. She reacted with a mix of pleasure and mild embarrassment.
"W-well... we still have plenty of time, so..."
Soft and yielding. The white tee made it obvious she wasn't wearing a bra. Surprisingly, she didn't drag me straight to the bedroom. Keeping one hand on her chest, I followed her inside, where coffee and cookies sat on the low living-room table.
"You already ate, right?"
"Yeah. Perfect timing."
The aroma of freshly brewed coffee rising from the cup was pleasant. I took a seat, but instead of sitting across from me, she slipped right between my legs and settled there. She had more curves than Founder, yet her petite frame fit perfectly in my arms.
"You wanted to feel like a real couple?"
"..."
I couldn't stay silent when it was so obvious. The same guy who usually made nothing but perverted demands was now trying to share something this ticklish and sweet—it felt a little awkward, but...
"Well, sure. This isn't bad either."
With one arm wrapped firmly around her waist, I picked up the coffee cup with the other. Post-meal coffee was nice, but having a woman in my lap made my interest drift elsewhere. Besides, I'd come here expecting this, and it was the real reason she'd called me over.
"You're so slender. I keep noticing it."
"I've been... exercising hard. I sit so much for work that I gain weight fast otherwise."
After taking a sip, I gently stroked her waist. Her body twitched cutely in response to my touch. She seemed more sensitive than usual—maybe it wasn't just my imagination.
"You'd still be cute even if you put on a little weight."
"Absolutely not."
She answered instantly. I knew how sensitive women could be about their waists, so I let it drop.
"Feeling anxious?"
"..."
When I set the cup down and hugged her tightly with both arms, she couldn't answer. She was especially adorable today. That was probably why I felt like teasing her more.
"You have to answer."
"...I can't even finish properly without you anymore."
"That's a problem."
She really knew how to say things I liked to hear. Admitting she couldn't do without me must have been difficult, yet she said it anyway.
"...I've been taking the pill like you told me to..."
"...Mm."
That made me feel like the bad guy somehow.
"That's why I came. We probably won't need it today anyway."
"...Yeah."
She hadn't even touched her coffee. Maybe her real goal had been to sit and talk like a normal couple? I wondered if there was anything else I could do for her. Even though she gave me rides to and from work, I'd left her hanging and fooled around with Scarlet right in front of her. That was my fault.
"Huuu..."
I buried my face in her nape and inhaled. The scent of shampoo mixed with a faint trace of hair dye reached me.
"W-what are you...?"
"Up we go."
I leaned back while still holding her. Now lying on top of me on the living-room floor, she turned her head and blinked at me. She clearly didn't understand why I'd suddenly pulled her down like this.
"Aside from being a pervert to an unbearable degree, there's no better woman than you, Yerin."
"S-suddenly?"
"It's true. You're diligent, good at your job, pretty, and even though your chest is a little small, this compact frame that fits perfectly in my arms is pretty great."
"..."
She twisted her shoulders in mild protest at the chest comment, but I was just being honest.
"And lately... I think I've started to become like you. Even the fact that you're a hopeless pervert is starting to grow on me."
"...Ah... ugh."
It was the honest truth. I could hear a desperate voice inside her mind trying to suppress something, but I kept going.
"So you don't need to feel anxious. You don't have to force yourself to change. Ah, I'm not saying your current look doesn't suit you. The black hair actually feels fresh, and I think it's pretty."
She'd always done things for my sake, yet I'd spent so long crushing her pride with humiliating words. Now that I was speaking gently instead, she had no resistance to it.
"..."
The way she tried to slip out of my arms without actually using any strength told me everything. She could have escaped easily if she wanted, but she was only pretending to struggle. That was cute.
"Let's stay like this a little longer."
"...Eek, okay..."
Her breathing was quiet and controlled, and she occasionally twitched. Was the position uncomfortable?
"You seemed so prim and proper when we first met."
"I think... I actually was like that back then."
"No. No one was kinder to me than you."
Team Leader, President—when I first joined, she was the only one I could rely on.
"Well... I was interested in you to some degree..."
"So I was being targeted? Makes me happy."
She'd lent me nail polish for Harpy and taught me how to apply it. At the first company dinner, she'd called in El Dorado to save me from President. Of course, once her true colors showed, she became quite the handful... but if asked whether I disliked her for it, the answer would be no. I suspected she had the biggest influence on how my once-timid personality toward women had changed. That had helped immensely in later counseling sessions too.
"I like you. Not just for your body, either."
"Eek... ugh..."
"I think this kind of relationship we have now isn't so bad."
"...Eek, haah... haah..."
Whispering in her ear was getting embarrassing, so I stopped there. I was about to kiss her lightly and shift into a gentler mood when I noticed something off.
"Wait a sec—"
"...Sec?"
"Ugh... ugh... sorry."
Sorry...?
"Aah..."
'Ah... aaah... I'm caught... I've been found out.'
Found out...?
"I can't... hide it anymore... eek..."
'He's treating me like a normal lover... speaking so kindly... but I... I...'
What was going on? Why was she acting like this?
'I'm trying so hard not to think about the toy I put in my backdoor earlier... ah.'
"Now... you've found out... hehe..."
Don't tell me... this girl. The reason she didn't drag me straight to bed and instead tried to create a normal situation wasn't to feel like a couple at all. It was just... she had a toy stuffed in her rear and wanted to enjoy the thrill of when I'd discover it.
"No... that's not it."
It wasn't about the thrill. Look at that face and those eyes, twisted in blissful ruin. It wasn't even the excitement of whether my ability would catch her thoughts. She needed to be caught. She had been waiting for the moment my gaze would turn cold and my reaction would be filled with shock. The moment everything inside her came crashing down in that deliciously terrifying way.
"Well, this is something..."
What had I even been doing alone?
"Right... there's no way a pervert like you would sit around drinking coffee for no reason."
"Haah... haah... uheuk..."
My voice, almost like I was grinding my teeth, only made her moan even more excitedly.
"I don't know what fun little thing you've got stuffed back there, but managing to get this far without triggering my ability is either impressive or completely shameless..."
The slightly unnatural movements, the way she flinched whenever I touched her waist—everything made sense now. I'd seen everything there was to see between us, so her sudden shyness over simple skinship had felt strange. But when she mentioned feeling anxious because of the other women around me, I'd stupidly assumed it was all about that.
"You even dyed your hair... quite the plan."
"N-no... this was... eek, I just wanted to show you a different side of me...?"
"You?"
"M-Master..."
I wrapped both arms tightly around her slender waist and sat up.
"Aah... if you hold me too tight... it'll come out..."
"Shut your mouth."
"Hik..."
I couldn't believe I'd seriously tried to play along with the couple act. Knowing she'd been desperately trying not to let me notice the toy in her rear the whole time only made me angrier.
"Huu... actually, this works out better."
So I put on a bright smile instead. Now I didn't have to hold back either.
"...Undine, would you come out for me?"