Arachne's Hidden Sanctuary
"I didn't expect the space above the kitchen to look like this."
"Ah... yeah, first time seeing it, right? I prefer the dark, so I always keep the lights off."
After she cut away the spider silk clinging to my body, Arachne sat with her legs neatly folded and offered me a gentle smile. I returned it with a grateful one of my own before glancing around. I'd visited this place many times, yet I'd never noticed the hidden space right above my head. The room felt lived-in, warm with personal touches.
"I... invited you here, but could you not look around too much? This is supposed to be a woman's... room, after all."
It's nothing special, but having such a large bed here feels a little embarrassing.
"Ah...? Oh, sorry, Arachne."
The unusual sight had stolen my attention, but I realized I was essentially invited into a woman's private quarters. There were various pieces of furniture, including one very large bed. Did Arachne sleep lying down like humans? I'd once wondered if she hung from the ceiling on silk threads instead. If she used a bed, how exactly did she lie on it? The mattress was wide enough for five adults to sleep side by side if they pressed their shoulders together—probably because of her massive spider lower body.
"Counselor..."
I told him not to look, yet he's been glancing at the bed nonstop. Typical Counselor... always so full of youthful energy.
"...?! Ah, I'm sorry!"
I apologized the moment she called my name in a scolding tone, but the "youthful energy" comment caught me off guard. Flustered, I added without thinking.
"...I was just curious how you sleep on the bed. Ah? Forget I said that!"
"..."
Is he asking me to lie down on the bed? Using that excuse just to see me defenseless again?
Again...? No, that's not it. The misunderstandings were piling up steadily, but I couldn't clear them without revealing my ability. Exposing its true nature to a containment subject required the team leader's permission, and even if it felt underhanded, keeping it hidden had helped with counseling so far. Still, she already knew I understood the misunderstanding, so there was no reason to let it continue...
"...Huh?"
Just as I tried to change the subject, Arachne, who had been hesitantly staring toward the bed, began to move her gathered legs. She stepped carefully onto the sparse threads beneath her feet with those sharp-looking leg tips, each movement sending ripples through the silk that I could feel even from my chair. Yet she walked without hesitation.
"Wait, hold on—"
My desire to stop her before more misunderstandings formed clashed with my genuine curiosity about how she normally slept, leaving my words trailing off unfinished.
"...I sleep like this. Is it strange?"
"..."
She reached the hanging bed suspended by silk threads and settled onto it as if to demonstrate. First she placed her spider body on the mattress, then spread her legs outward as though gripping the edges. Seeing her exposed back once again reminded me just how large her spider half truly was. With the bed now completely filled by that massive lower body, I wondered how her comparatively slender upper half would rest.
Her human torso extended from the spider body like a centaur from myth, making it difficult for her to lie forward on her stomach.
"...Ah."
As if answering my unspoken question, she flicked her fingers and a large teddy bear—seemingly hidden somewhere—descended from the darkness near the high ceiling. I stared in surprise at the enormous stuffed bear, easily over two meters tall. Before I could process why it was here, she tucked it between herself and the headboard, leaning back comfortably against it and hugging it close.
"..."
A teddy bear. Of all things, a teddy bear. Something I never could have imagined appeared, leaving me stunned. Even if it was just the appearance, the thought of cool, big-sister Arachne always sleeping while hugging such a large teddy bear made my mind go blank. Its light-brown fur looked soft, its black eyes round and shiny, and it even wore a little bow tie around its neck.
"...I put it away for a bit because I heard you were coming. There, better now?"
She probably thinks it doesn't suit me... He gave it to me saying it was cute, though.
"No, I didn't force you to—"
It wasn't as if I'd made her do it. But more than that—
"..."
Arachne looked incredibly embarrassed. With her arms wrapped around the teddy bear's neck and her face half-buried in its soft fur, she glanced toward me. A faint blush colored her cheeks, making it obvious even without reading her thoughts. The most telling sign was how her spider legs fidgeted restlessly, scratching at the side of the bed. It was a little unsettling.
"F-first... could you come back to your seat? Yes, my curiosity is satisfied now."
"...You're not going to do anything?"
"What... should I do?"
Even with that expectant look in her eyes, the pressure was too much right now. Arachne's unusual reactions and the growing misunderstandings convinced me there was a cause behind it all. I'd heard her inner voice mention preparing a seat, which must refer to our counseling session. Then who arranged it? The team leader? No, Arachne and the team leader didn't seem particularly close. So if I thought of someone close to Arachne... one person came to mind.
...The President.
"Ahem... Well, you might find me a little mischievous today."
If it really was the President, she had almost certainly put some improper ideas into Arachne's head. She must have received a report about the previous awkward incident, so if she'd come straight here after meeting her... that would explain everything.
"Arachne."
"Y-yes...?"
From this morning through the afternoon, I would be spending quite a long time with her before the meeting started. Leaving things as they were seemed risky.
"I came here today for your counseling session. I'll also need to write a report afterward, so shall we talk for now?"
"...Right. That was the plan."
She sounded a little disappointed, probably because I'd tried to lighten the mood with a more businesslike tone. Hmm. Seeing that lonely look on a face that seemed like it would never feel lonely made it impossible to resist.
"After we're done... would you teach me how to cook like usual?"
"...Yes! Ah, I mean, sure."
She answered excitedly at first, then caught herself and softened her voice. I wasn't deaf, and I'd seen the whole process, so I found myself clenching my fist without realizing it. She rarely blushed, but once it started, her pale skin made it impossible to hide.
"First, I've already dealt with the staff members who spoke carelessly about you without knowing the full story. We'll also be strengthening employee education and monitoring from now on, so nothing like that will happen again."
"Dealt with them? You... didn't do anything too harsh, did you?"
Even now, she was worrying about them. It wasn't so much concern for their well-being as discomfort at the idea that others might suffer because of her. She didn't want to be hated, and that seemed to create a compulsion to avoid causing trouble for anyone, even at her own expense.
"Don't worry. I handled it in the most peaceful way possible."
"...Good. I'm glad."
Both of them had already lost all memories of the facility under Yerin's ability and returned to society. Of course, losing years of memories would leave a strange gap in their lives, but neither Arachne nor I had any obligation to worry about that.
"I'm glad. You said you were fine, but I was really angry."
"Huh...?"
"Honestly, I wanted to give them a harsher punishment, but it seems you truly didn't feel that way."
The fact that the person most disappointed and hurt by their actions held no hatred or similar feelings toward them was surprising. I'd known this about her, but Arachne really was a genuinely good person—almost frustratingly so.
"I... don't expect everyone to like me. I just want the people I care about to like me back, even if it's only a little."
"...I see."
"Yes. If possible... I'd like them to enjoy my cooking too."
In that sense... having you get angry for my sake is more comforting than anything else.
She swallowed the rest of her words, apparently too embarrassed to say them out loud. Of course, I heard everything, so I had to suppress the heat rising in my face.
I returned to the table and faced her as she leaned forward. Pretending not to notice, I gave her my answer.
"I'm always on your side, Arachne. So if something ever troubles you, I hope you'll think of me at least once."
"..."
I thought that sounded natural enough, but Arachne simply stared at me in surprise, blinking her eyes without a word. If she kept looking at me like that for too long, those red eyes—too many for my two to match—would make my gaze waver. I'd grown used to it enough to hold out longer now, but... it was getting difficult.
As if recognizing my effort, just as my expression threatened to crumble, she gently closed her eyes like savoring delicious food and offered a soft smile.
"...Hehe, thank you."
The gentle curve of her closed eyes and the pleased upturn of her lips suited the honest smile she rarely showed. It matched the kindness she kept hidden so well. At the same time, I thought to myself:
She really is beautiful, Arachne.