Arachne's Honest Heart
"What happened to your face? Those look like scratch marks..."
".. Haha."
Meeting Arachne's worried gaze—doubled by her multiple eyes—I let out an awkward laugh and immediately recalled yesterday's ordeal. When I got home...
It had been absolute hell. After being forced into a reverse cowgirl on the back seat of the car, my face buried deep in Scarlet's ample cleavage while she rode me relentlessly, I knew Nero would notice the scent. But her reaction was different from usual.
"...!"
Nero's face twisted with the kind of anger and sorrow you'd expect from someone whose most precious thing had been stolen. She huffed and puffed, unable to contain her fury. Until then, I'd assumed it was simply because Scarlet had taken something precious from her, but that wasn't it.
"This smell... what is this? Here, and here too... All the marks I left are gone!"
"Nero?"
"Everything... smells like that fox bitch... Ugh..."
Sometimes tears come not from sadness, but from sheer frustration. I didn't fully grasp how important it was for Nero to mark my body with her scent, but I understood it was a form of territory marking. Still, I hadn't expected her to get this worked up.
"Go away!"
Wearing a sexy camisole, she had been waiting for me. Instead, she spun around, stormed into her room, and locked the door. Of course, I ended up clinging to the doorknob, begging. I lost count of how many times I tried to soothe her. Using mini Undine's power, I could have melted the lock and gone in easily, but that would only trigger another one of Nero's runaway episodes.
"... Really?"
"I told you... Ah, no. Yeah, it's true."
Her mood finally improved only after I managed to convince her that nothing had happened between the Field Team Leader and me today. Apparently, Nero had mistaken the lingering scent of the Field Team Leader all over my body for proof that we'd been rolling around together. I felt wronged, since I had no memory of such a thing. Maybe it was because I'd held her fluffy tails in my arms, but to leave such a thorough scent, I'd have had to deliberately rub against her body... What on earth happened while I was unconscious?
"Lick... slurp..."
Just like the Field Team Leader, Nero ordered me to wash up first. I scrubbed my skin until it turned red, but apparently a beast's scent isn't so easily removed. Nero started licking my body to erase the smell herself. Her rough cat tongue ran over every inch of me... Honestly, it felt good. So good that I even considered deliberately picking up the Field Team Leader's scent again in the future.
"Hah... ugh, keck... cough, cough..."
Of course, when I saw how disgusted Nero was at having another female's scent on her tongue, I decided to stop. Even so, my traitorous body reacted to the wet, unique sensation of her tongue sliding across my skin, growing hard despite her distress. What followed was the same punitive sex as the day before yesterday—Nero's obsession and scolding mixed together.
So, to summarize...
"... Well, I made the cat I keep pretty angry."
"A cat? A cat..."
Arachne seemed to recall something at the mention of a cat—probably what Elise had told her—but right now, she looked happier just to see me again.
"Mm, anyway, I'm glad we get to meet again so soon."
"Yes, me too. I was worried when I saw the kitchen door closed on my way here."
"I tried to escape on my own. Still, this is just a show punishment."
When I saw her containment room door shut like when she had locked herself in before, I wondered what happened. Turns out she did receive some disciplinary action. After all, if a containment subject escapes, other staff would naturally feel scared and uneasy. I heard even the Management Team Leader got punished for this.
"So what did the Team Leader—no, the Management Team Leader—say?"
"I was told to reflect for a week. No meal prep, and the door stays closed like this. It gets lonely and stuffy... I don't know how long I waited for you to come."
A week of reflection. It sounds like a staff punishment, but since Arachne is a friendly entity who helps run the facility, it makes sense. Still, for the diligent her, even a week of extra vacation must feel like a painful penalty.
"Then at least until your reflection period ends, I'll come visit every day. This incident was partly my fault too."
"You don't have to... Well, I want to say that, but I'd be happy if you did."
I like how honest she is. Being with Arachne really puts my mind at ease... Her appearance, especially the spider lower body, takes time to get used to, and even I, who thought I'd grown accustomed, still get startled sometimes. But anyone who can see her inner self would surely think the same as me.
Even after watching her stand up to the Field Team Leader without backing down, I don't find her scary. I only feel reassured and safe. Those solid dark-blue armored limbs and the spider silk wires she controls freely—I feel like they'll all protect me. And since she already helped me once, any lingering rejection from our first meeting has completely vanished.
"Thank you for that day. I thought I was done for, but when I saw you come to save me, I was so surprised."
"Ah, um. But I was out of it too... Normally I would've asked what happened first..."
She must've been startled when I suddenly burst through the wall. I hope she doesn't think I'm violent...
"No, it was really an emergency. And what surprised me was seeing you outside the facility when you were supposed to be here."
"Ah...?"
She always says exactly what I want to hear, as if she knows my heart. I've been grateful for that since the first time we met... until now.
".. Want to touch my chest?"
"...?"
I understand why she feels grateful to me, but why does it always come to this? We haven't even been together for five minutes. Proof of that—we're still standing near the entrance of the containment room, not even sitting down for coffee like during normal counseling sessions. I've always believed a woman's chest is right no matter the size, but this feels way too sudden.
Come to think of it, Arachne said the same thing back then, but it got glossed over when I lost consciousness midway.
"My chest... want to touch it?"
"I-I heard you. I heard you properly! You don't need to say it twice...!"
Thinking I hadn't understood, she repeated it. It's an intense sentence that doesn't need to be heard twice.
".. Um?"
She clearly seems to like it, but this is... is she embarrassed? Or troubled?
"...!"
Don't tell me... I just said something incredibly embarrassing?
After her own deliberation, Arachne reached the correct conclusion on her own and grew flustered. No wonder—she only said it because the Field Team Leader had done so first. Back then, I'd given an immediate, desire-driven affirmation, and Arachne had simply followed suit.
"Um... You, I don't really know, so..."
"Y-Yes."
"What does it mean... for you to touch my chest?"
"..."
No, seriously. I didn't expect her to go straight for the jugular like this again. To think she'd ask directly. Unlike usual, her upper body—solid abs and bare shoulders fully exposed—only had a tiny tank top covering it. Though it didn't sway dramatically, the volume was clearly there, barely hidden by the fabric. I'd thought she wore it because she was embarrassed, but...
"So... what does it mean for me to touch Arachne's chest?"
I wondered if I was misunderstanding and about to say something rude, but it turned out both her casual offer to let me touch her chest and her asking what it meant were exactly as I heard them.
"Yeah... Elise always touches them when she sees me. I thought it was just an expression of friendliness... like a greeting. I didn't think it had any special meaning..."
"..."
This lecher... What the hell has she been doing? Though, I don't have much room to talk.
"Well, if it's between women... maybe it doesn't mean anything special..."
Between women, it could be playful, but it depends on how and how much they touch. Especially if it's the President, it would definitely be overflowing with ulterior motives. Taking innocent Arachne and... how enviable. No, wait.
"Anyway... a man can touch a woman's chest only when the woman has allowed him to some extent with her body and heart. So please be careful from now on, Arachne. Especially with the President."
"Is that so...?"
Never mind Elise, but if it's you... I think I'd be fine with allowing it...
...! I accidentally overheard a confession-like thought. At unexpected moments, she hits my heart with bold directness even she doesn't realize. To calm myself, I told myself it was just ordinary kindness, but even that feels too pure to dismiss as mere courtesy.
"I-I... if it's you... I mean, only if you think it's okay... then..."
Moreover, she didn't swallow the words she'd thought. Gathering courage, she voiced her inner feelings. And decisively, while cupping the underside of both breasts with her palms and slightly lifting them, she said:
"... I could allow it."
"Ah..."
"Really... only if...! Only if you think it's okay... yeah."
When I'm with her, my heart always finds peace, so this kind of directness feels unfamiliar. But precisely because of that, I think I need to stay composed and accept it properly. I never imagined we'd reach this point less than five minutes after meeting, but...
"So... Arachne, is this... a confession?"
That's why I barely managed to squeeze the words out, but—
"C-Confession?!"
"..? It's not?"
Even her reaction is flustered. She only spoke honestly and never thought it would count as a confession.
"Ah... Aah?"
Allowing someone to touch your body and heart could definitely sound like that...! No, actually, it can only sound like that...
"Arachne?"
"W-Wait... You, I... I mean, aah..."
Of course, if it's him, I'd be fine with confessing, but... a confession with no mood at all like this...
"I wasn't thinking of something like this..."
"Then... you were thinking of something else?"
"Of course...!"
Unable to finish the words that should have followed "Of course...!", Arachne met my eyes and froze. Because of her spider lower body, she was tall enough that I had to look up. Her pale skin with a blue tint and black eyes instead of whites, with ominous red pupils glowing—yet somehow, she still looked adorable.