The Runaway Cat and the Bunny Girl's Temptation
"That black cat you saw once in your studio apartment before moving, right?"
"..Yeah."
"I was wondering why you looked so down."
I had hoped to wrap things up during lunch, but the time it took just to explain the situation had already pushed me close to the start of the counseling session. Still, I was grateful that she had listened attentively to my story. Even though we were alone together now, nothing else had happened beyond her speaking more casually with me.
"I'm busy right now, but I'll check in on you whenever I have a spare moment. I should be able to find her today."
As she spoke, she tapped at the keyboard a few times, and the monitor in the bottom-right corner quickly switched to the feed from the security camera in the hallway outside my apartment. As expected from the response team. Even so, I couldn't help feeling uneasy about using official equipment just to search for a single missing cat. Of course, Nero was far more than just a cat to me...
"Sorry for making you go through all this trouble."
"Don't worry about it. It's actually easier for me to have you owe me a favor like this."
'Because I'm going to be relying on you a lot from now on.'
"..."
"Ah, before you go, there's one thing I'd like to ask."
"...?"
She licked her lips as if savoring the moment, then leaned back in her chair and looked up at me with expectant eyes.
"..Can you tell me how it felt?"
"How what felt?"
If she was asking about the bunny-girl outfit... it had definitely been attractive, but—
"Why do you look so surprised? Your superior is standing right in front of you after secretly cosplaying as a bunny girl at work. Are you really not going to do anything?"
..Of course. That was just like her.
"If you don't want everyone to find out about my embarrassing moment, then listen to what I say... something like that."
"..I wouldn't do something like that. And you said it was just a work uniform."
"It's more stimulating if it isn't."
I had never been the type to do something like that anyway—partly because of my compulsion about other people's gazes, and partly because, logically speaking, it was just a crime.
"You're so timid. You were so bold about it that night."
"..."
I had nothing to say about that night... She glanced at the time displayed on the monitor and waved her hand as if to say that was enough. If I didn't leave soon, I'd be late. Disappointment was clear on her face, but she didn't try to hold me back any longer. Maybe she was drawing a line between work and personal matters after all.
"Come find me in my room after work. I'll give you a ride. Depending on the situation, we can go look for her together."
"I'll leave it to you, then."
Click.
By the time I got off work, I might be able to find Nero. The thought brought me a small measure of relief. I just hoped she was safe. I had told her every day not to follow strangers... I might not have said it out loud, but she was smart enough to know better than me. So why had she suddenly left the house? The door wouldn't open on its own, so someone from outside must have opened it for her. That much was certain.
"Ah.."
How long had I been walking blankly down the now-familiar path? I arrived at Rav's containment room without being late. After authenticating my registered employee ID and stepping inside the open door, I saw a pitch-black box with its door wide open—unlike usual. What was that thing called again... the "Pitch-Black Box"?
Rav, who had locked me up and done whatever she pleased, had received surprisingly little punishment. It was thanks to the team leader agreeing to my unreasonable request to improve her environment for the sake of healthy self-growth. Before I could experience that tingling sensation again, the team leader had removed the dog collar from me and taken it somewhere without putting it back on Rav.
The containment room, which had once contained nothing but a single chair, now had a personal room for her. Passing through the open door and stepping inside the black box, I found myself in what looked like a jazz bar with soft colored lighting glowing in the darkness. As soon as I recognized it, a sticky-sweet jazz tune began to play from somewhere.
Just like always, the objects in this ever-changing space looked so real that you couldn't tell they hadn't been brought in from outside—down to the texture of every single thing.
"..."
As I walked deeper inside, tapping the chairs and tables with my fingertips while admiring the colorful liquor bottles sparkling under the lights in the cabinet, there was no sign of Rav anywhere. I wondered where she had gone, but since she couldn't actually leave, I turned around—only to hear a voice behind me.
"Ta-da~"
"?!"
Twitch!
And there she was.
"That's... impressive."
As if trying to fulfill the lingering regret I had felt when seeing Yerin's bunny-girl outfit earlier, Rav stood there in a perfectly executed bunny-girl costume that accentuated her explosive figure, striking a pose. I couldn't help but let out a genuine exclamation of admiration. If she had real rabbit ears and a tail attached, it might have killed the mood a little, but she knew better—she had placed a white bunny-ear headband properly on her pretty lavender hair. Her usual plain white dress had transformed into a glossy white leotard that hugged her voluptuous body, cinching tightly at the waist. She hadn't missed a single detail: high heels, choker, cuffs, and in her hands, she held a round tray with a glass that looked like it contained a cocktail, perfectly balanced as if she were serving it.
To become a proper bunny girl... even wearing that uncomfortable, design-focused outfit, every single one of her refined serving gestures must have taken real effort. It gave off a different kind of charm than actually having animal ears and a tail. Maybe it was the gratitude I felt from her willingness to become this for me.
"You haven't placed an order yet, but I thought you might like something to wet your throat..."
"...?"
Completely immersed in the roleplay, Rav approached me with steady steps, her heels clicking, while saying I should wet my throat. Then, for some reason, she pulled the drink on the tray far back and casually set it down on the bar table. When I looked confused at the contradiction between her words and actions...
"Here, enjoy as much as you like."
She parted her glossy lips slightly, as if she had been waiting for this, and slowly ran her tongue along her lower lip from side to side while begging me for a kiss.
"..."
It would be a lie to say I wasn't tempted. But unfortunately—truly unfortunately—I knew the management team was still remotely recording and observing the feed from inside the containment room, even after the on-site staff had withdrawn. Just like with Harpy, it would be difficult without the team leader's permission. It wasn't so much that I was embarrassed... I simply didn't want anyone else to see her in such a defenseless state.
"Everyone's watching, so behave yourself. I'll at least pull an all-nighter once a week, so wait until then."
"But... I'm already completely wet down there."
"Ugh, this is also training to build your patience..."
Where did she even learn things like that...? The moment she noticed my gaze drifting toward a certain part of her ample body, Rav gave me a seductive smile, slightly lowered her waist, placed her hands on her knees, and looked up at me. The high heels made her posture a little awkward, but the elegant curve from her subtly twisted shoulders down to her toes already emphasized her selfish figure and breasts in a way that was more than enough to captivate me.
"..Gulp."
Even though they were barely contained by the leotard, the two ripe fruits of her ample breasts swelled as if they might burst because she had leaned her upper body forward slightly... making a certain part of my body swell as well.
"Rather than my patience... ufufu, it seems like Master needs more training in that department, don't you think?"
When she confidently stepped closer and traced my waistband with her slender fingers, I couldn't help but take a step back. She really was capable of fulfilling every male fantasy—if she set her mind to seducing me, there was no way I could resist.
"..Still, we can't. It hurts me to keep saying no to you, but this is for our sake."
"Tch."
But if we lost control of our desires again during counseling the very next day after causing an incident, there would be no hope of passing the first review.
"I understand. But a light kiss should be fine, right?"
Smack.
Without waiting for my answer, she took one more step closer and pressed her soft, plump lips against mine for a moment before pulling away.
"Well... I guess that much is... fine."
Maybe it was because of how nonchalantly she was smiling, but even though we had done far more than that before, I could feel my face heating up from just a single kiss.
"Thank you. For understanding."
"I'm the one who should be thanking you. Because you're holding back your desire to pour everything out on me for the sake of our future together."
Rav, who had obediently stepped back as if her hunger had been somewhat satisfied, gave me a bright smile and said something thoughtful. That smile put me at ease, and the stiffness in my lower body seemed to ease a little as well.
"Yeah... but are you going to keep calling me 'Master'?"
"Of course. Today, I've decided to become the ideal bunny girl according to Master's preferences."
Of course, even as she made that cute gesture of lightly clenching her fists beside her ears and going "pyong pyong," the slight bit of composure I had regained was immediately stolen away again by her swaying upper chest.
..If Yerin saw this bold, curvaceous bunny girl right now, she would definitely get angry.