Risk Level 2: Harpy
"So… once a month, for about a week."
"Yes, it's similar to menstruation, in simple terms. Each egg is essentially an ovum. Harpy is already at sexual maturity, after all."
"I see…"
I had been certain she was comforting herself, but apparently this was simply the routine process of laying eggs. The team leader had deliberately set up the situation to invite that misunderstanding, and I had no excuse for falling for it so spectacularly.
"How is Harpy doing right now? No egg blockage, no bleeding, and she looked generally healthy."
"She… hasn't laid it yet."
"Ah, of course. She must have sweated quite a bit, so she'll want a shower. She's at the age where she wants to look pretty for others."
"…Yes."
With the sound of running water from inside as background noise, I sat awkwardly at the same table where I usually conducted counseling. Whether this counted as fortunate or not, neither Harpy nor the team leader seemed inclined to press me further about my earlier behavior, so the scheduled session hadn't been canceled.
…Still, the current situation was incredibly tense. I probably should have stepped out for a while. Knowing she was showering so close by made it impossible not to imagine things.
"I misunderstood on my own and then showed an embarrassing side of myself. I'm sorry, Team Leader."
"Hm? Misunderstood?"
"I had no idea Harpy was laying eggs… I even turned around. I was convinced she was—"
"If that's what you mean… Puhuhu. You didn't misunderstand."
"Excuse me?"
She hadn't misunderstood? What did that mean? I had been certain she was touching herself. Or was she deliberately leading me to say it out loud while already knowing?
"Ah… did I forget to mention it again? The first three days of that week each month are also Harpy's estrus period."
"Estrus…?"
Had I heard that correctly? Surely—
"She's arrived. Please excuse me for a moment."
"Team Leader…? Team Leader?"
Drip… drop… plop.
"…!"
While I had been distracted by the earpiece, the sound of dripping water had grown much closer. I jerked my head up.
"…Harpy?"
"…"
Standing there was Harpy, freshly out of the shower, water droplets still falling from her damp hair. And she was wearing nothing but a bathrobe.
"…Harpy?! What are you wearing?"
"W-well, um…"
Looking at her standing before me in that flustered outfit, the team leader's words suddenly came back to me. It had just started. The first three days of the week. And… estrus.
"Huu… hauu…"
Her breathing seemed a little rough. Wait, wait a second. Harpy. Weren't you supposed to stay away from me? Don't tell me the team leader deliberately cut the transmission—
"Harpy, just a moment. I need to prepare myself mentally too—"
"If you try to stop me… it'll take a long time… so… counseling… might be delayed…!"
…?
Just as I was about to spout some sympathetic nonsense, Harpy squeezed her eyes shut and spoke in a trembling voice. It would take a long time to stop her? More importantly, had she just spoken directly to me?
Her voice was shaking so badly that I didn't immediately grasp the meaning, but for the first time, a proper exchange of spoken words had occurred between Harpy and me. The emotion welling up inside me was pure joy at the progress between us, untainted by any ulterior motives. But that feeling quickly shifted into something else because of her defenseless outfit.
Moreover—
"It smells nice…"
The damp hair carried a strong shampoo scent that proved she'd just finished washing. It was as sweet as a fruit bursting with juice held right under my nose. The stimulating fragrance was so intense that my vision briefly swam.
The bathrobe was just as loose as her usual clothes, enough to cover her wings and hands, but for some reason she hadn't worn her usual leather boots. Her feet were completely exposed.
'…He's looking at my feet… uuu…'
Slowly lowering my gaze from her pale knees beneath the robe, I saw her smooth calves—usually hidden by boots—followed by fluffy light-brown tufts of fur around her ankles that looked like thick sleep socks, still slightly damp. Below them were the long, sharp black talons of a bird of prey.
"…"
Her abilities might not have been ordinary, but I'd lived an ordinary life until now. Honestly, the sight was alien to my eyes. Still, compared to the horrifying mermaids the team leader had shown me on the first day, this was almost cute. Had the team leader deliberately shown me those things on purpose? No, thinking about it, she had looked like she enjoyed watching my reaction.
Anyway… thanks to having already seen photos, I felt no discomfort at the real thing. I felt a little guilty that Harpy had mustered the courage to show me her feet, but right now I couldn't help but keep looking.
She was wearing a bathrobe. And people usually didn't wear underwear under a bathrobe. Harpy fell into that usual category. Therefore, the bathrobe, secured only by a simple waist tie, couldn't withstand the pressure of her exceptionally prominent breasts. The front had parted, revealing a rich, deep cleavage right in front of me.
Harpy seemed entirely focused on her newly exposed feet, so I was free to appreciate the view—
Jiggle.
"…"
Jiggle…
"Huu…"
With each careful step she took toward me, her soft flesh—surely filled with that sweet scent—swayed gently, drying my mouth and drawing out a helpless sigh. Given what the team leader had told me about her current estrus state, her face looked even redder than usual, and her nervous breathing sounded almost like… No, no, no. That was just from the hot shower. Steam was still rising from her body. So… burying my face there would probably feel amazing.
"…Gulp."
"…"
'He isn't looking at my feet with strange eyes…'
That was because I didn't have the luxury to look there.
'But… why does he keep looking at my clothes…? Is something wrong…?'
Did Harpy not find anything strange about wearing only a bathrobe? Surely she didn't think anything wearable counted as clothes? No, she might actually think that. And once I assumed that, I understood what she had meant earlier.
"So… you came out dressed like this because you thought you'd be late, right? Harpy."
Nod… She nodded slightly, accepting that I understood, then murmured the second reason she hadn't said aloud.
'And… because you said it was special… uuu…'
I see. That was the reason. Her wings and feet would take a long time to dry, even to my eyes. So she had rushed over wearing only the bathrobe, knowing it could get wet, without even putting on her large boots.
I was truly grateful that she had hurried to keep our counseling time. I was also genuinely touched that she had finally shown me her bare feet after my words gave her courage.
"That's right… The counseling time is fixed, after all."
Yet here I was, indulging in ridiculous fantasies again… shamelessly taking advantage of her innocence to satisfy my own desires. This was wrong, wasn't it?
"Still… Harpy, that outfit is a little too stimulating for me."
As much as I regretted it, I wouldn't have the courage to continue counseling unless she put on a coat or something else over it. The team leader had already hinted that my next task after opening up communication would be to teach her common sense. I couldn't forget that she was a blank slate untouched by the world.
The only thing she seemed concerned about in this defenseless, suggestive outfit was her newly exposed bare feet.
"…Sniff."
"H-Harpy?"
I had said it while holding back tears, yet Harpy's pretty eyes were now brimming with tears, and her small, round shoulders began to tremble.
Why? Had I said something wrong?
'I knew it… I'm… different… Sniff. You said I was special…'
Listening to her inner voice as she sniffled, I saw her eyes droop sadly, looking hurt.
'Sniff… Liar…'
Even though she hadn't spoken those words aloud, I reacted violently to them.
"No, that's not it. I meant your outfit shows too much skin and it's difficult for me. It has nothing to do with your hands or feet. Anyone would easily feel lust seeing you like this right now. So—!"
"…?"
'Sniff, huh…?'
Oh no. In my panic, I had directly responded to her inner voice. I couldn't let her fragile heart—fragile like glasswork—get hurt over such a trivial misunderstanding. But if she realized I could hear her thoughts, she might close her heart to me, especially since she had things she wanted to hide. That couldn't happen. More than that, I didn't want it to happen.
But what should I do? I couldn't think of a natural way to smooth this over. A round question mark floated above Harpy's head that shouldn't have been visible. Her cute head-tilt gesture unintentionally interrupted my attempt to find an escape.
…Was there no choice but to use that method again? The same one I'd used just moments ago to resolve the earlier commotion. I wouldn't lie.
"Harpy…"
"?"
"I think you're very attractive and beautiful."
"Hyaa…?"
"And you're incredibly cute, too."
Letting out a cute exclamation, she raised her arms like a startled meerkat. As expected, her mind quickly grew noisy. To keep the smile from forming on my lips at her loud yet adorable reaction, I had to restrain myself once. Then, when her flinch made her breasts sway heavily, I had to restrain myself again. Thanks to those two difficult acts of patience, my sincerity seemed to have gotten through.
Despite her violently curvaceous body, her defensive capabilities were pitifully low. She was clearly at a loss for how to respond to my not-too-excessive praise.
'…Me… me too… He said I'm cute…! He said I'm pretty too… I've never heard praise like that before… What should I… I… I-I-I… What do I do…'
"Eut, huuuu."
Harpy's face was so flushed that I almost thought I could see hot steam rising from her forehead. Both ears were bright red. She staggered and collapsed onto the floor, covering her face with her hands. But unlike usual, she didn't hide her eyes. Instead, she shyly rolled them toward me. Every time our gazes met, she squeezed them shut, only to peek open again and look back. That gesture was so lovely it made it hard to keep my hands and feet still, no matter how hard I tried.
"You say such embarrassing things so easily."
"…Do I look like I have any composure right now, Team Leader?"
The team leader chose that perfect moment to tease me, apparently having finished her business. She must have heard everything I said. …I wanted to bury my face in a thick blanket and scream. Even I felt my face burning after saying those words, but Harpy—who was far redder, cheeks wrapped in her sleeves as she sat flustered and fidgeting—was clearly lacking any sense of shame. It felt strange for me to say this, but Harpy… was incredibly easy. Part of it was probably because she'd been isolated here and hadn't met many people. Her file only contained records of safety experiments and singularity investigations. She probably hadn't had many opportunities for conversations like this. Thinking about it made my chest ache a little.
"Thank you…"
"Just now…?"
"At times like this… I mean… I know I should say 'thank you'… when someone makes me happy…"
Thump. Just now… Harpy's expression. Her eyes, melted with happiness and unsure what to do. Her face flushed bright red, her small mouth slightly open as if she didn't know what else to say. Even her hands, hidden in long sleeves, were frantically trying to cover her embarrassed face.
"Was I… wrong…? Then I can't…"
"No. I'm grateful too."
Seeing such a lovely face in person was enough to leave me with no regrets.
"U…?"