The Scent of Jealousy
Crunch..! The deeply gouged flesh swells back in real time. The sensation of blood droplets forming on my skin and trickling down has become indistinguishable from sweat, and judging by the mottled stains on the bedsheets, I must have been bitten quite thoroughly. It stings quite a bit, but now that I'm somewhat used to it, it's bearable.
"Nyahak, hyat.. kyahat... haeut."
By the time the next day arrived and I shamelessly showed up, I had no real choice left. So I laid everything out honestly without hiding a thing—from drinking with the Field Team Leader, to being pinned down after going to her place, all the way to the story about her tails.
"What is this, some new suicide trend?" she asked me, while I stood there holding the plastic bag full of churu ingredients I'd promised the day before, enduring Nero's needle-like glare. She radiated a menacing aura, as if she might unsheathe her claws and tear me apart at any moment, but after letting out a short sigh, she simply dragged me to the bed and threw me down. For the first time facing a woman, I experienced what real force felt like as the clothes I was wearing were ruthlessly torn apart.
"Was it good? Playing around with the bitch who tried to kill you? Or was it those vulgar tits that felt nice? Yeah, I should've grown mine that big too. It's all my fault, isn't it?" She pounded those lines of hatred and inferiority into my ears while slamming her hips down. Ironically, the more she did it, the harder I got, which only made her frown and scold me even more. Every time she came in a burst of frustration, she raked her teeth and claws wildly across my back, or sank her teeth mercilessly into my shoulders and arms. Above all, the intensity of her possessiveness made the whole experience feel strangely novel.
"One more time... haet, unyahuk.."
She kept me pinned until today became yesterday, only releasing me when it was nearly time for work. There seemed to be another reason for it.
"Hyak.. hak, nyahueu.. eut.."
'I have to cover you in my scent... so that thieving cat—no, that fox bitch—understands clearly that Master is mine.'
Calling me "Master" while claiming ownership was contradictory, but her affection, sharp enough to cut at the slightest touch, was burdensome. Still, I knew how insecure she felt, so I decided to think of it as paying my dues.
"...Come back safe.. hueu.."
"Yeah.."
Even as she came to see me off at the entrance wearing a thin robe, her hot sighs hadn't cooled yet, and I nearly got pulled back in. So this is what happens when she falls for someone for real—she turns completely female. Strands of sweat-dampened hair clung to her face, her lips slightly swollen from her own fangs, cheeks flushed, and those thirsty eyes stared at me. That heated gaze was drenched in pheromones meant to seduce a male.
"..Don't be late today."
"Mm, I won't."
Why did that sound like an invitation to continue right where we left off the moment I returned? In the end, I ended up staying the night again and didn't even have time to wash properly before heading to work. That was probably intentional. The kiss marks and blatant bite marks she'd proudly left all over my body could be erased instantly if I asked the mini Undine, but today I decided to keep them as promised.
"Did you mess up yesterday?"
Scarlet asked the moment she saw me, either because my appearance was ridiculous or because she'd heard the sounds of mating all night.
"..Yes. I made a pretty big mistake."
I admitted my guilt without argument, since there was nothing else to say. It wasn't like I was expecting comfort—it was just self-deprecating—but why was Scarlet looking at me with such playful eyes?
"Then.. huhu, I guess you can afford to make a few more small mistakes?"
"?"
"Wait, no—"
*
"Why do you look like that?"
"..."
The vivid lipstick marks on my shirt collar hadn't come off, and I'd already gotten an earful from the Team Leader. I hoped she wouldn't ask the same thing, but I supposed this was the price for that painful pleasure from the morning.
"..There were various reasons."
"Right. You really came back reeking after getting yourself all marked up."
"Do I really smell that bad..?"
Of course I did. Or maybe not. Either way, it was unpleasant, so she could back off. I wished she'd answered like that, but the Field Team Leader only pouted and muttered.
"You really pulled some childish stunt.."
"Um.."
"Forget it, come in. There's a bathroom over there, so go wash up."
"...?"
..Was I supposed to wash first? Was this that kind of room?
"..Don't get weird ideas. Your nose is probably burning from the smell of a horny beast.. and a beastly woman, so I'm telling you to wash it off."
"Ah.."
"..Hmph."
Just like the Management Team Leader's private room, the Field Team Leader's personal quarters I'd been invited to today seemed fully equipped with all sorts of amenities. Now that I thought about it, I remembered coming here with the Team Leader to get Harpy's outing permit approved. The door had flown across the hallway, and that was probably the first time I'd met Founder. Back then, I never imagined I'd be stepping into this room myself. As I walked in the direction she pointed..
"Ah..! W-wait a second!"
"...?"
Why was she reacting like that? As if there was something she didn't want me to see right in front of me. I wanted to be considerate, but my hand was already pulling open the bathroom door. If it was just underwear or laundry, living with Nero had built up my tolerance, so I could naturally pretend not to notice..
"...It was a teddy bear."
The bear plush, which looked like it had been hand-washed, hung on the drying rack with its fur completely soaked, both arms raised as if happy to see me again. Of course, it was only because a large clothespin was holding it up.
"...."
"..."
"..I'll put it away quickly. Just wait a moment."
"...Okay."
Imagining the Field Team Leader lathering up her hands and scrubbing the giant teddy bear made her seem oddly cute. Washing up somewhere other than home wasn't exactly comfortable, but realizing I was now naked and wet in the same place the Field Team Leader bathed made me feel like a pervert. Thank goodness I'd already gone several rounds earlier—my body was still sore.
"If you're done washing, grab some clothes from the styler next to it."
"Thank you... Ah, but.. underwear?"
When I opened it, there was no underwear, so I was flustered.
"I threw them away. They smelled."
"..."
..I see. Forcing someone to develop this kind of peculiar preference felt like workplace harassment. Since I couldn't pick up the discarded ones, I tried to ignore the empty feeling and put on the freshly warmed clothes. When I came out, the Field Team Leader had already revealed her nine-tailed fox form and was sitting on the bed, carefully brushing her snow-white tails. She only glanced in my direction.
The teddy bear hanging nearby, still dripping water, was quite eye-catching.
"Come here."
"..?"
She set down the comb she was holding and stood up, walking over to me. Bringing her face close to my neck, she..
"Sniff sniff.."
"Huu.. Field Team Leader?!"
"..Still there. How thoroughly did you do it?"
"I.. scrubbed really hard while washing.."
She probably wasn't curious about how I'd washed, but I said it anyway just in case she thought I'd been careless. As expected, the Field Team Leader's cold glare poked at me before passing by.
"Haa.. I hate when the room gets smelly."
'Especially the bed.'
"Should I leave..?"
"It's fine. I made a promise."
'I can't let anyone else see me having my tails touched..'
It was fortunate the facility provided private rooms even after her house had been half-destroyed. I didn't know if she felt the same, but thanks to that, we could fulfill our promise this quickly.
"N-now that I think about it, I heard you spoke well on Arachne's behalf to the Field Team Leader."
"You want to talk about work even now? No, I'm more curious whether you're thick-skinned or just brainless for bringing up another woman even when you're alone with me in my private room."
"..Ah, no. It's not like that."
I'd only wanted to say thank you, but when she put it that way, it did sound reasonable, so I gave up on explaining.
"...You do remember what I told you back then, right?"
What she'd told me back then.. Rather than the conversation at the bar, it was probably the one she'd whispered in my ear while hugging me in bed. Honestly, every time I recalled it, I felt burdened about how to respond, so I'd been trying to forget it until now.
"I was drinking a bit back then too.."
She shot me a sharp look.
"No, I remember everything. So please stop glaring at me so scarily."
"You're really annoying."
Of course I remembered. If she'd truly given up on me, she wouldn't be this irritated. That was why she'd used the excuse of being drunk to hold onto me like this. But honestly, I still didn't fully understand why the Field Team Leader was so fixated on me. I knew she was conscious of her unique constitution, but.. hmm.
"I really am strange. Someone as frustrating and clueless as you, who gets a stupid grin whenever he sees a pretty girl and pops a boner at the worst times.."
..She wasn't wrong, but I didn't want to hear it stated so directly. And wait.. wasn't I here to receive my reward?
"Huu.. When I first saw you, you were just some weakling with no background to speak of."
"...Was I really that bad..?"
"I still don't know how you managed to save me twice. I can tell you have some backbone, but it's nowhere to be found in your daily life."
Being scolded like this reminded me of last night, and thinking about it.. actually made me feel a little good. Ah, no.
"Anyway..!"
"?!"
That startled me?
"..It's true that you bother me, and it's annoying.. ugh, come here."
"Ah?"
"Stop pretending to be innocent when you know exactly what's going on and get up here. As you wished, I'll let you touch my tails."
Somehow it ended up sounding like I'd begged and pleaded to touch her tails. I distinctly remembered it being her massive breasts—no, her chest—that I'd wanted to touch instead. I wondered what would happen if I asked to touch her chest instead, since it was my wish and all.
"...Yes."
Of course, that was assuming I had the nerve. I simply answered "yes" and followed after her swaying tails.