Risk Level <2>: Harpy
Soaking wet and barely dried off, I set Harpy down on the soft bed anyway. "Thank you..."
Her damp hair spread across the sheets in a calm cascade. I stood there admiring the sight, feeling the blood beneath my skin surge hot and fast through my veins. My heart pounded like I'd just run a marathon, my breaths coming in short, ragged bursts of heated air.
Even though we weren't in the bathroom anymore... showing her body like this still felt this embarrassing...
Harpy, completely exposed, slowly unfurled her wings to shield herself. The shy voice echoing in her mind only made it worse. I clenched my already-fisted hands tighter, trying to hold back, but that adorable reaction was impossible to resist. Right now, it was better to stop overthinking and just follow instinct.
Thud. Thud...
With every step I took toward her, Harpy's cheeks flushed deeper as she peeked at me. The trembling in her pretty amber eyes grew clearer with each passing second.
"Harpy, this is... my first time. So I might make all kinds of mistakes. If anything feels uncomfortable, please tell me right away."
"...It's my first time too. So... it's okay. I trust you, Counselor..."
She really did say the prettiest things. At her age, she must have received basic sex education, but it probably only covered the textbook level of ovulation and fertilization. Her nervousness made perfect sense. I wasn't exactly calm either, but after hearing what the Field Team Leader had told her—that once she showed me her underwear, the rest would be up to me—I finally understood what that meant in this moment.
I had to take the lead.
"...Then, excuse me."
"Yes..."
I climbed onto the bed, one knee at a time. Harpy couldn't even look at me anymore; her eyes were spinning. I smiled inwardly and placed my hand on one of her large wings first. She was probably just as nervous as I was. I needed to help her relax.
Swish... swish...
Running my fingers along the feathers, I felt their smooth, soft texture. The sensation was strangely addictive—I could easily spend hours just stroking them whenever I had the time.
"...Ugh... hnn..."
After focusing on her wings for a while, the tension gradually left her body. Her wings, which had been shielding her, slowly lowered. Once I gently spread the other wing aside as well, I finally faced her bare form properly.
Gulp...
Her hands and feet were different from a normal person's, and those two massive wings were the most striking feature. Yet to me, they only highlighted her unique charm. When we'd first met, with her body hidden under thick, baggy clothes, I'd been drawn to her simply because her face and chest looked no different from anyone else's. That initial attraction had been nothing more than ordinary interest in a pretty woman.
But after all the days we'd spent together through counseling—days where I'd hurt her with my inexperience as a counselor, felt disappointed in myself, and ultimately reached this point through honest conversations—I now felt something far deeper. I wanted to reassure her, to ease the shame she still felt about being different from me.
"Kyaa...? Counselor?"
When I reached out and laced my fingers with hers, she let out a small yelp. I met her eyes and slowly leaned down. The tips of her sharp talons brushed dangerously close against the back of my hand. She looked visibly flustered and tried to pull away, but I only tightened my grip, trusting that she would never hurt me.
My head lowered slowly, steadily. If it was now, maybe I could kiss her—even just a light peck. That reckless thought crossed my mind.
"..."
"..."
So close...
It was quiet. Even Harpy's usually noisy mind had gone still, holding its breath in anticipation. Our soft breaths mingled, faces so near I could feel her breath on my skin. Her sparkling eyes gazed at me with endless affection.
But then—
"...Heh."
"...?"
Just as our noses brushed and I tilted my head to kiss her, a flicker of anxiety crossed her eyes. Right before our lips could meet, she squeezed her eyes shut and turned her face away.
Startled, I pulled back slightly. At first I thought she was just embarrassed, but when she did the exact same thing on my next attempt, it was obvious—she was deliberately avoiding the kiss. A wave of disappointment hit me.
"..."
"Counselor... we can't do this..."
"...Harpy?"
I'd gotten ahead of myself. How presumptuous of me—
"...We really can't... *sniffle*..."
"? Harpy...?"
I was the one feeling rejected, yet she looked even more upset, sniffling. Only then did another possibility occur to me.
"I wasn't trying to do anything weird—"
"We can't... ugh..."
She was still holding my hand, so it wasn't that she disliked this. Then her thoughts reached me clearly.
'If we do this... the man always leaves...'
"You're... not going to leave me, right...? *Sniffle*."
"Huh?"
Ah. The movie we'd watched today. I'd spent the entire screening just staring at Harpy, but I did remember one thing—the male lead had shared a kiss right before dying. Harpy... was she misunderstanding this kiss as some kind of farewell?
"I'm not going anywhere. The kiss I was about to give you is just... normal? It's a way for people who like each other to express their feelings. Like how couples... greet each other."
"...Really?"
This might be my only chance. No matter what, I wanted to claim Harpy's first kiss today. Swallowing my embarrassment, I said all the embarrassing words—kiss, couple, everything.
Whether my desperate feelings reached her or not, Harpy mumbled to herself that I would never lie, then gave a timid nod.
"Then... I'll do it."
Permission granted. She still looked anxious, but the faint blush on her cheeks and her shy expression were so beautiful it made my heart skip. I couldn't bring myself to clutch my chest, so I simply endured and leaned in.
Chu.
A short, bird-like peck—just our lips brushing for a moment before parting. It wasn't even a proper kiss, but fireworks were exploding in my head. It was my first time, after all. And right now, both of us were completely naked on the bed. There was nothing ordinary about it.
"Ugh..."
Blood rushed to my head, making me dizzy. My face must be bright red. Harpy's plump lips had been soft. But more than the sensation itself, the act of our lips meeting carried far greater meaning.
'This is... embarrassing...'
The moment the kiss ended, Harpy and I both turned our heads away at the same time, waiting for our flushed faces to cool. ...I'd wanted to show her a more dependable side, but what a pathetic sight I must be. If I stayed like this, I might collapse from embarrassment first. Swallowing my regret, I started to push myself up.
But—
"...?"
I felt a gentle tug on our joined hands, pulling me back. Harpy was the one sending that silent signal. She fidgeted with her lips, hesitating, before finally mustering the courage to speak.
"...One more time..."
"..."
"Just... one more..."
Ah. Harpy looked up at me with quiet expectation in her eyes. She'd been worried because of the misunderstanding earlier, but now that she understood, she seemed to like the feeling quite a bit. Of course, I had no reason to refuse. I was thinking the exact same thing—one time wasn't nearly enough.
"Th-then..."
Chu...
This time she leaned in more eagerly, and I gave her another short kiss, our lips overlapping.
'I'm so happy...'
Harpy's mind overflowed with such pure joy it could melt my ears.
'People who like each other...'
"..."
'Their special way of greeting...'
"Ehehe... hehe..."
How could anyone be this adorable?
...Ah. I don't know anymore either.