The Clown's Advantage
When I got home, I wondered if I'd left the boiler on. My face felt flushed, though it was probably for an entirely different reason. It was hot. Unbearably so.
"Ughhh..."
Glancing down and to the right, I caught sight of her golden hair swaying gently. It was a good thing the delivery had arrived early. If it had been even a little later, neither of us would have been in any state to answer the door.
"Mmm... ahhh..."
"Yerin, if you're struggling, you can stop now. I'll lay out a blanket for you."
"No... I can't... I'm doing this."
I wanted her to give up somehow, or at least put a little distance between us. But that was impossible. There was simply no way for me to push her away.
"..."
Literally no way. The only thing covering her body right now was a cute, bright orange set of underwear. That was why my hands couldn't touch her.
It wasn't the first time I'd seen a woman's underwear. This was the second... no, the third. But when it belonged to the team leader from another department at work, my brain struggled to process the situation.
Whether by accident or on purpose, the fabric kept brushing against my arm. Combined with the soft warmth of her bare skin, I could only sit there holding my breath and twitching in place. I knew this was wrong, yet I'd let the atmosphere carry us this far. The thought of facing her tomorrow already made me shudder.
"Ung, I'm thirsty..."
"Shall I get you some water?"
"...I told you I'm barely even drunk."
Your voice is slurring, Yerin. More importantly, she's touching me again—ah, there it is.
"...!"
After insisting she wasn't drunk, she finally wrapped both arms tightly around mine. Now one of my arms was completely immobilized. The sensation of her modest chest pressing against it felt far more vivid than before. I couldn't even mention it. This was beyond awkward.
"...Haaah... I'm a little dizzy. I'll just stay like this for a while, okay?"
If someone asked whether I'd bombarded her with outrageous questions to strip her, the answer would be no. The questions had been simple: her weight, her bust size, how many times a week she... well, that last one had crossed the line. Still, even the easy questions had left her unable to answer properly, one layer at a time, until we reached this point.
"...At least move away a little."
"I can't...! If I do... everything will show..."
And that was her final reason for clinging to me. Showing her underwear was embarrassing enough, but she didn't seem to realize that pressing against me like this was far more revealing.
I already knew she was a lightweight despite liking to drink. Last time we'd shared a drink, it had been obvious.
Clickety-clack-clack-clack!
The roulette wheel spun on, completely indifferent to us. The turns kept passing between the Team Leader and the Field Team Leader. That didn't mean we'd lost yet. Yerin was still barely hanging on in just her underwear, refusing to quit. I still had my white undershirt beneath my button-up, plus my pants and boxers.
Obviously the underwear was off-limits, and the pants were... well, currently problematic for reasons I couldn't exactly explain.
Clickety... clack... clack... tap.
Once it became the Field Team Leader's turn to spin, something strange happened. The arrow kept landing on the Team Leader, and when the Team Leader spun, it landed on the Field Team Leader. Whether they were using some ability I didn't know about or simply manipulating probability, the tension between them rose sharply.
"...Hmm."
The living room had grown noticeably warmer because of it.
"So that's how it is? Fine, let's do this properly."
"Hehe. It's my turn to ask a question."
The Field Team Leader had already tossed aside her stockings. Now only a thin blouse and short skirt remained. Whether from the alcohol or sheer competitive fury toward the Team Leader, her face was flushed. She looked completely unguarded. The black underwear beneath her sweat-dampened blouse was now clearly visible, and my eyes kept drifting to her toned thighs—especially those healthy, powerful legs.
She seemed to be trying to pace her drinking, but my mind was hazy. Even knowing it was rude, every time I regained focus, my gaze wandered over her body on its own.
Luckily, the Field Team Leader was too focused on the Team Leader to notice my impolite staring.
"Shall we start getting serious?"
"Hah, as if I'd be scared."
"Then... I'd like to know what you thought when you heard Ung's answer earlier."
"...That guy's answer?"
She shot me a sharp, irritated glance before looking away again.
"You asked if he'd die in Harpy's place. I'm curious why Nine Tail suddenly asked something like that."
"..."
"So? Was his answer satisfactory?"
"Don't talk nonsense. Of course it wasn't."
Despite the terrifying expression on her face, her voice was calm. The Team Leader shook her head in displeasure.
"We agreed to tell the truth, remember? Of course, there's no real way to catch a lie if someone is careful about it. But winning that way would make the game meaningless."
"...Tch."
"Haha, Ung. That was your housewarming gift from me."
Tap. Tap-tap. Rustle... rustle.
Even without being told, the sound snapped me out of my remaining drunken haze. My eyes had been fixed on her this whole time.
"..."
"Ugh... why are you staring so hard? If you want to get hit, just say so."
"It's not... it's not like that..."
Though it kind of was.
Tap. Tap... tap.
With every button that came undone, more of her sweat-slicked skin was revealed. Even as she stripped herself, she kept growling in resistance. The clear message of "I hate this" only made the sight far more stimulating than if she'd removed her clothes willingly. I wondered if she realized that.
Slide... thud.
When her blouse finally slipped off and fell to the floor, a wave of sweet, warm scent hit me. It was as if someone had blown hot breath directly onto my face. The fragrance hidden beneath the thin fabric grew stronger, filling my nose.
Her chest was exactly as impressive as she'd once proudly claimed. It couldn't match Harpy's, of course, but unlike Harpy's soft, gentle image, she carried hers with tall stature, perfect proportions, and unshakable confidence. The way she held herself upright made the size look completely natural.
The mature black bra only emphasized it further. It seemed a size too small, causing the upper curves to swell enticingly.
"..."
Following the straps, my eyes traced her delicate collarbones and smooth shoulders, then the pale nape of her neck. If I looked any higher, I'd meet that terrifying glare, so I saved her pretty face for another time. Instead, I admired her waist—slim and striking—before noticing the toned abs and the neat line of her navel. Not an ounce of unnecessary fat anywhere.
"..."
My body reacted before my mind could catch up. I swallowed hard, trying to keep it silent.
Under normal circumstances, I would never have seen the Field Team Leader in her underwear during a regular company dinner.
"Ungh... why are you only looking over there...?"
Yerin tightened her grip on my arm, as if refusing to be forgotten. Her breath against my neck made me shiver.
...She'd told me not to look because it was embarrassing earlier.
"...Why do I feel like this all of a sudden? My nose is tingling... and my head..."
"...Let's stop drinking for now."
"Yeah... we should..."
My heart was still pounding from being caught staring at the Field Team Leader's figure. It refused to calm down. When she looked up at me with softer, more intoxicated eyes than usual, it only beat harder.
From this angle... I could see it. The modest... no, the cute valley between her breasts.
Housewarming gift... It really was a gift. Something only the Team Leader could pull off—completely outside common sense.
"...I took it off. My turn now... wait, hold on."
While I was swallowing the strange mix of excitement and guilt toward Harpy, the Field Team Leader—now composed again—reached for the roulette. She didn't spin it immediately. Instead, she looked up and studied the Team Leader carefully.
"Have you noticed?"
...That was why I'd been deliberately avoiding looking at the Team Leader this whole time. The reason I'd focused only on Yerin and the Field Team Leader.
"How does she look to you right now?"
The "she" the Field Team Leader referred to was me—the one who had just been admiring her near-perfect figure.
At first glance, the game seemed fair. The Team Leader had the advantage of preparing the rules in advance, but both the Field Team Leader and I had assumed her coat—which she hadn't removed despite my suggestion—gave her only a minor edge. After all, that coat had been the first thing people noticed when the rules were explained.
But that was just a smokescreen. There was another trap.
The mask the Team Leader wore had a special property: it showed each person something different, like a mirror reflecting their own expectations.
"Hehehe..."
The two women had no reason to feel embarrassed stripping in front of each other if it meant winning. But my presence—an outsider and, for now, classified as male—created hesitation about removing clothes.
To me, the Team Leader simply looked like a man with the same build as myself. If she took off her dress shirt and was wearing women's underwear underneath, all I would see was the ridiculous sight of a man awkwardly wearing lingerie. Nothing like what the women feared would happen.
Until she removed the mask, that is.
So even if the Team Leader stripped down to nothing but the mask, she could still continue the game comfortably. The Field Team Leader, on the other hand, now had only a tiny skirt left before she was in nothing but underwear.
The Team Leader had started with several more "skip question" rights than her, even without counting the coat.
The Field Team Leader had probably seen the Team Leader's body as just another woman's until now. That was why she'd been slow to notice.
"Ha... haha. So that's how you're playing it?"
Even after realizing the truth, the Field Team Leader showed no sign of backing down. Instead, her fighting spirit burned brighter. I quietly cheered for her in my heart.
Both of them, do your best... Actually, no. I really didn't want to be seen wearing women's underwear. Still, maybe—just maybe—the Field Team Leader would manage to rip that creepy clown mask off.
Clickety-clack-clack-clack-clack!
The roulette spun wildly under the Field Team Leader's hand. It looked like there was no room for any trick this time. Yet once again, the arrow stopped as if by magic right in front of the clown mask.
"...Your turn. Answer. Why won't you take off that mask?"
Yes! The Field Team Leader had asked one of the questions I'd been dying to ask the Team Leader myself.
"Do I need a reason? It's simply more advantageous for me this way."
But that answer was far too simple. What I really wanted to know was why she wore the mask all the time. Of course I was curious about her real face after all the teasing she'd put me through, but wearing it must make seeing and breathing difficult. And it was hard to believe she actually liked the creepy clown design.
"That answer lacks sincerity. I'll have to change the question... Alright. Tell me why you don't want to show your face."
"...I should have just said I simply don't like showing it."
"Too late. Either take it off or answer."
A hint of hesitation crept into the Team Leader's mutter, making me even more curious. But she still had plenty of clothes left to remove, so there was no point getting my hopes up.
"...?"
Even though I expected nothing, I watched to see what she would remove next. Suddenly, the Team Leader turned her head toward me.
It wasn't because she was looking at Yerin clinging to my side. Somehow I knew. She was staring straight at me. For several long seconds, without saying a word.
"..."
The sudden silence made the room feel quiet. Then she spoke calmly, as if it were nothing complicated.
"I suppose you're right."
"...?"
"The reason I don't remove my mask... is simply a childish expression of self-loathing and hatred toward my own kind. There's no need for you to concern yourself with it."
The Field Team Leader's expression mirrored my own confusion. But while I understood nothing, she seemed to accept it with a reluctant nod.
"...I never cared in the first place. But the President seemed to know what you look like."
"Now, now. I'd appreciate it if you waited until you earned the right to ask questions."
I heard an annoyed tongue-click. The roulette began spinning once more.