Risk Level 4: Girl - A Gentle Promise
"Why is Observer blocking the door?"
"Shut up. Shoo~ You creepy clown girl. My sister can do whatever she wants."
"Haha..."
The Management Team Leader had been planning to rush inside the moment the door reappeared on the black box and fetch the Counselor, but the two lawless girls who emerged showed no intention of moving aside. The white-haired girl stood silently with her arms crossed, while the black-haired girl clung to her waist, repeatedly sticking her tongue out in their direction. Seeing that, the team leader quickly gave up and turned her attention to the monitor, which had regained its signal after the door opened and now displayed the interior once more.
Since the research team had already been evacuated, she had no choice but to sit in the chair herself. With her in-ear device broken, there was no other way to communicate with those inside. All she could do was watch the two naked figures sitting side by side on the bed in a room that felt very much like a newlywed couple's bedroom. At least the audio was coming through clearly, and more importantly, the Counselor—who had been free from supervision for over an hour—appeared to be safe. That was a small relief.
"I didn't expect Observer to come along as well."
"..."
"Well, I suppose Founder brought her."
The team leader had one earbud in to listen to the voices inside and tried speaking to the motionless white-haired girl again, but the doll-like figure showed no reaction. Even so, the team leader persisted.
"Still, there must be a reason for this behavior, right?"
"Ha... I just thought this side looked better."
"Yes, yes~ Of course. I have complete faith in your judgment."
It was only a single sentence, but the team leader leaned back against the chair in a relaxed posture with her legs crossed, as if finally at ease. She slipped the other earbud in as well and focused on the monitor. Whether "better" referred to the perspective of the Counselor and the museum or from the sisters' own viewpoint was unclear, but anything beneficial to the sisters was generally beneficial to the museum as well.
*
"Honestly, it's embarrassing. After enjoying everything I wanted thanks to your seduction, now you're asking me to listen to your story."
When I tried to hold her hand and interlace our fingers so no other thoughts could intrude, she surprisingly accepted it without resistance. Even to me, the words sounded arrogant, but based on everything I'd learned so far, I thought I understood her heart to some degree. Not the surface-level emotions or reactions like the voices in her mind, but something deeper.
"You... want me to genuinely like you, don't you?"
She nodded obediently. Seeing her respond so readily eased some of the tension in my chest. The first time Lav experienced an independent emotion was when my ability accidentally activated while I was treating her to a meal. Back then, I had desperately hoped she would enjoy the food I made, pouring all my attention into waiting for her reaction. That persistent interest in another person—that was the very first emotion she had ever felt.
Even that alone explained her obsessive affection, but the fact that it had grown in such a distorted direction was clearly my fault. This... how should I put it? The reason her attachment had taken such a sexually demanding form was probably because the dark desires I had secretly harbored toward her ideal image had been directly transmitted to her, making her mistake them for her own feelings.
Moreover, yesterday I had been involved with Yerin as well. Unlike her, who had been thoroughly satisfied until she passed out, I had been cut off halfway and still hadn't shaken off the effects of the Field Team Leader's pheromones when I came to counsel today. It seemed all these complicated factors had combined to create this situation. Of course, among all those factors, I held the largest share. That was why I felt this sense of responsibility now.
"At first... honestly, I was a little scared."
"..."
"Back then, you were driven purely by instinct, lying without even realizing it yourself, trying to seduce others."
I had no particular hobby for enjoying the thrill of dangerous situations, and there had even been times when I passed out after being drained of all my energy by her. "I can hear the voices in people's hearts. That lets me tell when someone harbors ill will or hidden motives different from what they show on the surface. But with you, that didn't work, so I suppose I was afraid."
Multiple management team members had been supervising me, her physical abilities were far below mine, and the special restraint around her neck meant a single word could easily subdue her. Those safety measures were why I had proceeded with the counseling. If even one of them had been missing, I probably wouldn't have been able to sit and talk with her so calmly. And even aside from that, I was the type who was easily swayed, so I had always been helplessly entranced by her seduction and lacked confidence.
"It might be rude to say this to you now that you have a new self, but the fact that countless people lost their lives because of the old you has always stirred rejection toward you deep in my heart."
"...I don't want to do anything that would put Ung-ssi in danger. Just now, I was only..."
"I know. You were just jealous that the person I think is ideal is carrying my child, weren't you?"
Ever since she learned that Harpy was pregnant with my child, it was true that I had come to see her as even more special and lovable. To someone who could instinctively sense everything about the women I considered ideal, this must have been... jealousy toward something she herself could never have.
"Besides that... I wanted to leave proof of Ung-ssi's feelings on my body."
"Ahaha... That makes me embarrassed again. I'm grateful you think that way."
When I glanced sideways, wondering if her grip on my interlaced hand had tightened, I saw her other hand clenched into a fist on her lap, her head bowed deeply as if frustrated. Through strands of her sweat-dampened lavender hair, slightly disheveled from our intense activity, I could see the tips of her ears flushed red.
"That child you're jealous of... is also a containment subject being protected in this facility, just like you."
"Ah...?"
She clearly hadn't known this external fact and reacted with surprise.
"The reason I was able to open my heart to you, Lav, was partly thanks to her. That said, I'm not saying you should simply be grateful to her."
When I first met Harpy, I had felt just as distant as when I first read Lav's profile.
"It's just... because of that child, I decided to listen to the honest voices inside all of you. That's what I came to believe."
Of course, my youthful male hormones had reacted strongly to their beautiful appearances as well, but I decided to set that aside for the sake of the atmosphere.
"...But... I don't want to. I don't want to be apart from Ung-ssi anymore."
"That's why I'm saying this."
"..."
She probably already knew the story, but it seemed she wanted to hear it directly from me.
"I'm sorry to say this, but it can't happen. The short time we spent alone together... I'm not saying I didn't enjoy it."
"If you didn't dislike it, then why..."
"Because there are many other things I want to do with you."
The management team was surely waiting outside, and if she didn't comply, I wouldn't be able to see her again. So I had no choice but to persuade her. My way with words wasn't particularly good, but I could only hope my sincerity would get through.
"Things you want to... do?"
"Yeah. You came from outside too, so you know. Walking together like normal people, eating delicious food, enjoying all sorts of games... going on dates."
"..."
"Because of what happened before, getting permission will probably be difficult for both of us, but I believe in the you of right now, Lav... I believe in you, so I'll do my best to make it possible."
She had spent a long time confined in a dark room, unable to see, hear, or touch anything, sitting restrained in a chair while crying out for help in her heart. Even if her new self wasn't the same as her past self, she still possessed all those memories clearly. Those must have been painful, lengthy times whenever she recalled them. To someone like her, I wanted to offer compensation instead.
The project the team leader had proposed. Creating a self for her—this was the only path where counseling could truly function properly. I was thinking that now.
"I know you want to monopolize me. But that's actually insecurity, isn't it? You're afraid my heart will be drawn to someone else and I'll lose interest in you."
"..."
"I know I'm saying this late, but you've... ahem, given me everything you have. I told you before. You're a girl too, so doing things so recklessly like that is..."
She pulled our interlaced hands toward herself and placed her other hand over the back of mine, enveloping it. Then she lifted her lavender eyes, sparkling with a mysterious light, and declared with more firmness than ever before.
"Ung-ssi is the only one for me. So I don't want to do anything that feels good like this with anyone but Ung-ssi."
"Hmm, when you say it like that... I feel a little—no, a lot—guilty."
"But... I think I understand what Ung-ssi wants to say."
"Huh?"
A hint of disappointment appeared in her eyes, making me restless, but her next words weren't far from my intention.
"...You want me to trust you, right?"
"That's right. It might sound selfish, but even if I develop goodwill toward someone else, that will never turn into disappointment or indifference toward you. More than anything, you're charming and beautiful enough that I could never be disappointed in you. There's no need to worry."
"..."
I wondered if it was right to say such things in front of a girl who claimed I was her only one, but since I couldn't betray Harpy either, this was the only excuse I could offer. Her ears had been red for a while, but her face seemed even redder than before... She wasn't angry, was she? Her inner voice was tightly shut, so I couldn't tell.
"...I understand."
"...!"
Contrary to my anxiety, she finally nodded, her pretty hair swaying gently.
"Feeling anxious when I can't see Ung-ssi, getting jealous of other women... it's true that it's because my trust in Ung-ssi is lacking."
"Ah... No, I wasn't trying to blame you..."
"Hehe, I know. Since Ung-ssi said you believe in me and will even make an effort... I'll just say that I'll try to believe in you too."
That was a relief, but... why did her eyes still look a little scary?
"Still, for today... you can spend at least one day with me, can't you?"
"Huh?"
"You're going to get scolded anyway. I'm just asking you to stay with me a little longer... until this time ends."
Clink. Her hand, which had been gently stroking the heavy restraint around my neck, naturally rose to cup my chin and pulled me in, overlapping our lips. It wasn't the messy, sticky deep kiss we had shared until now, but a light, gentle kiss, as if making a promise.
"Haa..."
But even that didn't last long. A sigh escaped between her soft lips, and before I knew it, the heat had risen again.