The Thread's Secret
A single thread pulled taut before loosening, gradually extending its length. The silk of the facility's friendly entity Arachne was tougher and more durable than high-strength carbon fiber, and it possessed strong resistance to extreme environmental changes, making it highly regarded as suitable material for combat uniforms. Yet the one who produced it used it only for everyday life and cooking. The condition of the silk she could draw changed according to her own state, and even silk she had already spun was affected by the main body's condition, as if it were a colony organism, which made it somewhat troublesome to use. And right now, the single strand she had attached to the Counselor's hem and sent off with him was one she had made as thin, strong, and elastic as possible, allowing her to secretly eavesdrop on his voice from afar. Her moral standards, different from those of ordinary humans, her interest in the Counselor, and her low self-esteem had combined to lead her into this harmless act of wrongdoing.
"D-Date... So the woman can suggest it first too." From the content of her muttering, it seemed she was currently listening to the conversation between the Counselor and the Field Team Leader when they had run into each other in the hallway. So that guy was really popular with women, just like he said... She thought quietly to herself, and before long the date she had begun to anticipate—even though it wasn't her own—finally arrived. Yet the date was quite different from the atmosphere she had imagined. The Counselor was unable to hold his head high, acting like a sinner who had committed a grave mistake, and was being swept along by the mood. Was this the story she had heard back then? Three people... at the same time... Anyway, the date partner seemed to be a woman with a strong possessive streak. To Arachne, who thought that having many attractive women around yet still being looked at by him was rather proof of sincerity, it all sounded like the complaints of someone who was already full.
"Hmph..." She had never spoken directly with the Field Team Leader, the one who kept putting the Counselor in awkward situations, but she at least knew her face. Even as a fellow woman, she had an alluring face that could easily enchant someone, and a body that looked seductive at a glance. Arachne had imagined the date would have a more heart-fluttering atmosphere, but it seemed it would end in this uncomfortable mood after all. Yet soon she straightened her posture. It was probably because the old story that began to reach her ears was something that could draw out her empathy. Kind-hearted as she was, she even wiped the corners of her eyes, which had begun to sting, with the back of her hand. She had thought it was fine up to that point, but then, somehow, things had turned out this way. The intoxicated partner had become so unsteady that the Counselor, who had come to take her home, appeared to have walked into the bedroom without suspicion. He had only meant to lay the unconscious woman down and leave, with no ill intentions... but this cunning partner had only been pretending to be drunk, and in the blink of an eye he was pinned down.
"...Ugh..." Honestly, once she had heard this far, she had thought listening any further to the private progress between the two would be bad for herself, for him, and for the date partner alike, so she had tried to cut the thread. But the woman who had an immense interest and curiosity in male-female relationships—namely, that sort of thing—could not bring herself to touch the single thin strand after all. With her hands placed neatly over her pounding chest, she was imagining the situation in her head from the sounds alone when... something felt wrong. The Counselor's voice sounded as if his strength was gradually draining away, and by the time she realized something was amiss, albeit a little late, her legs were already moving. And just then, conveniently, she ran into someone who had come out for a nighttime walk.
*
"...Ah!" With a somewhat dazed voice, I tried to recall the last thing I remembered. "...Chest." Why was the chest the first thing that came to mind? "You've woken up, dear." "Arachne...?" When I turned my gaze toward the voice, I saw Arachne wearing thick restraints on both wrists. The museum was brightly lit even though closing time had long passed... probably because Arachne had escaped her containment cell at will. "These restraints..." "I put them on myself with the ones you gave me, so you don't have to look at me like that. Since my legs aren't bound, only my arms, it's already just a formality." "That's... true, ugh..." "You don't have to force yourself to get up. They said it was because you had too much of your vital energy absorbed." Still, I couldn't just stay lying down, so when I sat up, I finally realized where I had woken up. It was a bench prepared for tired visitors in one corner of the white wall in the first-floor viewing area of the main museum building. "You were wondering how you got out, right?" "That person..." I was sitting on the bench, and Arachne was leaning against the wall beside it, resting with her legs neatly folded. I wondered why she was waiting instead of heading straight down to the facility... and then I realized we were waiting for someone to view the exhibits. That also seemed to be why the museum was lit up. "Miss El Dorado happened to be out for a walk." El Dorado... Miss El Dorado. Her skin had a healthy, elastic bronze glow. Numerous golden ornaments draped over her sensuous figure instead of clothes barely covered the important parts and clinked softly with every movement. It was a unique yet undeniably noble outfit no matter how many times one saw it. With her long black hair cascading down to her ankles, she stood with her arms crossed haughtily, viewing the artwork—an appearance that made it hard to believe she was a containment subject who should be locked deep below. "I heard she was Elisse's girlfriend... This is the first time I've seen her in person." "Why? Jealous?" "...!" I flinched at the same time as Arachne when the President suddenly appeared and wrapped her arm around Arachne's neck in a hug. It was probably because I had been involved in this escape incident, whether intentionally or not. "You... I told you not to go around saying my name however you like." "I-I just said it for the first time...! And the Counselor already knows anyway." Come to think of it, she had always called her "that guy," but this was the first time she used the name while the President was listening. Yeah, there were these kinds of petty injustices sometimes. I didn't know exactly what was so embarrassing about the name Elisse, but this brief exchange alone made it clear how close the two were. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. "What are you doing over there? Elisse." "Hik..." And naturally, Miss El Dorado, who couldn't just stand by and watch, immediately turned her olive-green eyes on us with an overbearing glint and approached. Especially with her healthy, fertile hips swaying seductively, the golden ornaments clinking along and creating an unexpected spectacle. ...Miss El Dorado didn't say anything about calling her Elisse. "It's nice to see you again, Miss El Dorado." "You are... definitely." I had greeted her first in a friendly manner to appeal that I would never covet what was hers, and thankfully she paused her noble gaze on me for a moment. She stared at me quietly, as if trying to recall something. "Hmm, I still don't remember you. But you don't leave a particularly unpleasant impression." "...That's very kind of you to say." It seemed it had only been a vague feeling about my impression rather than any specific memory. I might feel a little disappointed. I had thought she remembered meeting me at the dinner gathering when she said "definitely..." up to that point. Not to mention how I had almost turned into a golden statue at her hands. "My lovely Dora, are you done with your walk?" "How could I focus on viewing when you're flirting like that?" "Aww... She's just a friend, okay? The only one I love is Dora. Right?" "...Haa." Her olive-green eyes shot a dissatisfied glare at Arachne and the President before looking away, now pressing her fingers to her forehead as if she had a headache. The mysterious pattern and letters on her palm, which I had seen before, were revealed, and when she raised her arm the ornaments on her chest lifted slightly... Gulp... The fact that simply raising an arm could create such a precarious sight was impressive. "Is viewing art exhibits a hobby of yours, Miss El Dorado?" "...Yes. Those things have value beyond their volume in gold even without being made of it." The brief pause earlier had felt like "Why is she suddenly talking to me?" but I was grateful she answered properly anyway. Her manner of speech and gestures really made one think of a queen. "I see. I once heard from the President that the reason she built the museum was for her girlfriend." "That's right! Exactly. You have no idea how much I think about Dora." The awkward atmosphere that had almost formed was fortunately carried on by the President. Thinking it would be best to leave the two of them together, I tried to step aside with Arachne, and Arachne, perhaps burdened by Miss El Dorado's sharp gaze, obediently stood up and followed me. Inhaling the cool air inside the museum made my hazy mind feel clearer. Clack, clack, clack, clack. When I turned my gaze to Arachne, who was moving her legs in rhythm with my slow steps, my eyes stopped once again on the thick restraints around her wrists. "You said it was just a formality. Does that mean you won't receive any separate punishment?" "It's fine. It's my first offense, and thanks to Miss El Dorado it'll probably be covered up together." She had said she was able to come out thanks to Miss El Dorado in the first place. For her, who had escaped the facility to save me... Wait, but how had Arachne known right away that I was in danger? Hmm... Well, it probably wasn't that important now. "That's a relief. I'll do my best to help smooth things over too." "Yeah, hehe... Thanks. As expected, want to touch my chest?" Ah, before I could react to that sudden and grateful offer, those words finally brought back clear memories of what had happened before I lost consciousness. I had somehow tried to stop the two of them from fighting... and then there was that promise about letting me touch the Field Team Leader's tail... something like that, and then Arachne suddenly asked if I wanted to touch her chest, and while I was flustered I must have passed out and collapsed. "What about the Field Team Leader? What happened after that?" "How disappointing, are you ignoring me? They're a bit small, sure... but I still think they're properly soft." At the sight of her grabbing her own chest and lightly kneading it a few times, I felt my breath catch while also feeling flustered by why she had suddenly become so forward. I had deliberately pretended not to notice in order to change the subject, too. She had reacted so strongly just from having her hands touched before, so had the Field Team Leader's bewildering suggestion made her skip several steps at once? "I don't really know if touching something like this feels good or not... but still." "Ah..." Ah, I see. So that's what it was. "She said she had to get ready for work, and asked me to take good care of you. We couldn't hear an apology or thanks to the end, but even that much probably means she lowered herself quite a bit." "I see... Wait, ready for work?" I had thought I had only lost consciousness for a short while, but when I hurriedly turned my head toward the outside of the museum, the sky that should have been dark was already faintly brightening. It meant dawn would break soon... and that also meant I had stayed out all night without telling Nero. "Ah... I'm dead."