Jealousy (Yuri)
"Ah~ This is the stuff... Maybe it's because it's my first cigarette in a month, but it tastes even better."
When I was forcing myself to quit, it was bearable, but now that I can smoke, there's absolutely no reason to hold back.
"......"
And there was Adorian, staring at me with a pout on her face.
"Ah, do you not smoke?"
"It's not that. Yesterday, when you said you had something to discuss with me and Armeria together, I thought you wanted a threesome."
"Cough! Cough!"
I stared at Adorian in utter bewilderment, while she stuck her tongue out with a half-deadpan expression.
"In what world does that make sense? Shagging the mother behind her daughter's back is already a massive secret. Why on earth would I suggest taking you both down at once?"
"And shagging your lover's mother is common sense?"
"Meria isn't even my lover... and besides, you're the one who seduced me first."
"And shagging your lover's mother is common sense?"
This woman, seriously.
"Syaruen, you're not a lesbian, right? Or are you? Did you mention it?"
"I'm bisexual... technically. But I've never actually dated anyone, and Meria was my first. To be honest, I just lived my life without thinking much about it. I've had crushes on guys before, but as for women... I've never fallen for one."
"...Erectile dysfunction?"
"I'm a girl, you know?"
Shaking my head at the sheer absurdity of this conversation, I turned away to take another drag. Only then did she finally focus on her meal.
Back in my academy days, I somehow managed to smoke secretly without ever getting caught by my parents. I used to smoke way more back then, too.
Come to think of it, did sharing cigarettes with Mirael back then count as an indirect kiss?
No matter how blunt I am, I wouldn't normally cross my legs and puff away right in front of an elder. But Adorian is only twenty years older than me, so she doesn't really feel like a proper 'elder.' Once you're an adult, a twenty-year gap just makes her an older sister figure.
And more importantly, we'd already tangled passionately between the sheets.
"Syaruen, you look like a middle-aged man."
"Yeah, yeah. By the way, is it really okay for Elves to sell tobacco? Isn't this made from plants? And using fire... well, I suppose Elves use fire for plenty of reasons anyway."
"It's for money. It's an export business to bring income into the village. I'm not originally from this village either, so I don't know the details."
"True, Elves have always done external trade. Elven accessories, Elven weapons, armor... I didn't know they made tobacco, but I might have seen some of their other goods back at the academy."
"Ah, you went to the academy?"
"For about ten years. I focused on swordsmanship, but I also studied academics—history, math, and magic theory, since I can't actually cast spells. My family's business was doing well enough that they could afford to send my older sister too, but she didn't have much interest in that sort of thing. She just studied for a few years, dropped out, and helped with our parents' shop. Her massive breasts brought in a lot of customers, actually."
"Hmm... I don't really remember your sister. I'm not sure if it's because it was so long ago, or if I just never ran into her."
"Mom? Sis?"
"Cough! Cough!"
A familiar voice suddenly sounded from behind, causing me to choke on my smoke a second time. I whipped around to find Meria and Milia staring right at us.
It looked exactly like a cheating scandal caught red-handed.
No, wait. Compared to getting caught mid-sex with Milia, we were literally just eating breakfast.
I was just letting my guilty conscience get the better of me.
"We ended up staying out all night. Have you two eaten breakfast yet?" Adorian asked first.
"Ah, yes. Since you didn't say when you'd be back, I decided to take Armeria out for a leisurely stroll to show her around the village, since she hasn't been here in a while." Milia replied.
Fortunately, they didn't seem suspicious. It looked like we had genuinely just bumped into each other.
Meria and Milia. There wasn't much of a height difference between them, and standing side-by-side, their impressive chests really stood out.
"Syaruen, were you smoking?"
"Ah? Oh, yeah. I've been so busy lately that I completely forgot about it after getting out. The only good thing about prison was being forced to quit and getting healthier, but now that I'm out, that's out the window."
"There you go again with those hard-to-read jokes."
As Milia fidgeted awkwardly, Meria puffed out her cheeks and glared at me.
"This is perfect, actually. Let's buy Syaruen some new hair accessories to replace the ones she lost. There should be plenty of pretty ones here. We can get her some clothes, too."
"Sure, sure."
Terrified of letting a slip of the tongue ruin everything, I hastily stubbed out my cigarette and pulled Meria down into a seat.
A girl who had just become an adult, a married woman who had a child at a young age, and a bullied futanari.
The common denominator? I had slept with every single one of them.
Instead of feeling like a glorious harem king, I felt like a criminal on trial.
"Meria... has an older brother?"
I desperately racked my brain for a conversation starter and remembered a detail from earlier.
"Yeah, he's two years older than her. His name is Albert. Surprisingly, he's really interested in spirits. He's still a beginner, but his skills aren't bad."
Two years older than her meant he was the same age as me.
Two years older?
"Didn't you say you were forty?"
"Sis?"
Oops.
Meria's sharp reaction caught me off guard.
Her eyes went wide as she stared at me, completely bewildered by the fact that I was calling her mother 'Sis' after just one day.
"Uh, well... there's only a twenty-year difference. No, it's not like I wanted to call her that! Your... your mother made me do it."
"Mmm..."
It wasn't like there was an actual problem, just a bizarre vibe, so she didn't press the issue.
"What about my age?" Adorian asked, leaving Meria to stew in her own thoughts.
Leaving Meria to her internal crisis, Adorian directed the question at me.
"So you had her when you were eighteen?"
"Ah~ Ahaha. It just kind of happened. I graduated early and was working as an adventurer. Our eyes met, and, well, we had an accident."
For someone who claimed to have sexual dysfunction, she sure went down the dating, marriage, and childbirth route in one straight, unbroken line.
"By the way, Syaruen, don't you need to stop by your house? Even if you're out on an adventure, you were kidnapped. Shouldn't you check in at least once? I'll sponsor whatever supplies you need."
"My original plan was to scrape together some money, take Meria to my place to prep, and then head to her house. But then we happened to find this Elven village she knew about. Stopping by my house was only ever to make sure Meria was taken care of."
"Well, if you're fine with it, then okay. I just wondered if it was really alright not to send you home."
Now it was Adorian's turn to sink into her own thoughts.
"Well, the crisis is over anyway, so it doesn't make a difference whether I go now or later. Since we're done eating, shall we chat on the way? You did say you'd repay me for saving your daughter—"
"Ah."
"Hmm?"
"Nothing. Just... yeah."
As Adorian stood up, Milia started to say something but quickly shut her mouth.
"How boring. Well, a debt is a debt, so I'll buy you some clothes and accessories. Think of it as a reward, a treat from an elder, and a perk of me being rich, so don't feel burdened. And, hmmm~"
Stealing a glance at me away from the other two, Adorian smirked. I was the only one sweating bullets, terrified that Meria would notice.
Milia and I followed behind Adorian and Meria as they walked toward the nearby market.
"This might be really rude to ask, but... did you two do it?"
"Is it that obvious?"
Milia whispered to me, keeping a wary eye on Adorian and Meria walking ahead.
"I saw a hickey near Adorian's collarbone."
Ah.
"Meria won't notice, right?"
"Well... the mark was pretty faint, and it only flashed briefly when she stood up. As long as she doesn't notice today, we might get away with it."
"Syaruen, you slept with my mom, didn't you?"
I figured I'd be embarrassed if we got caught, and I'd wondered what I would say, but I never expected her to be this direct.
Still, having anticipated this exact scenario, I quickly rolled out my prepared excuse.
"What are you talking about? Yesterday, we just grabbed some food and went for a walk, which is why we got back la—"
"There was a massive hickey right on my mom's collarbone, though?"
"I'm sorry."
After finishing our shopping trip at the market, I was currently kneeling on the floor of my room, begging for forgiveness from Meria, who was lounging on the bed.
"Did she seduce you this time too?"
"What do you mean 'this time too'? I told you, Milia was the one who seduced me first back then."
"Walking around dripping pheromones like that is basically seduction in itself."
That's so unfair. Well, actually, only the beginning was unfair. In the end, I was the one who enjoyed it more, so I really had no right to complain.
"Are you jealous?"
"Hmph! As if I'd be jealous of a loose woman like you!?"
I crawled onto the bed, pinning Meria down as she sat with her legs crossed. She didn't resist, simply staring up at me.
"So, does this make you my new stepdad? Or stepmom?"
"Why does it always have to jump to that?"
Like mother, like daughter. They literally said the exact same thing.
Meria wrapped her arms around my shoulders, pulling me down. She nibbled lightly on my collarbone, kissing and caressing me.
"Even if we're not dating, I can still think of you as mine."
Having grown completely accustomed to this dynamic, I naturally yielded my body to her.
"Am I... annoying to you?"
She suddenly sounded uncharacteristically timid.
"How could you be?"
"Just... when we first met, I clung to you. And even though we only slept together because of the alcohol, I kept clinging to you and getting jealous afterward."
"Taking care of kids has always been my job. Besides, having you around is what kept me going."
"Ehehe..."
It would be a lie to say she wasn't a handful, but it was also true that she kept things from getting boring. And if I had to be honest, I genuinely liked her.
"Mmph... Chu... ♥"
Stripped down to her underwear in no time, Meria rolled around the bed with me, caressing my breasts and leaving dark hickeys.
She always loved leaving marks, but today she was being exceptionally fierce about it.
Her upper breasts, side breasts, collarbone—she stamped them all as if claiming her territory.
"You know you're being way more of a pervert than usual today, right?"
"But I can't calm down otherwise! I mean, how do you manage to bed two strangers in less than three days?!"
Meria glared at me with a thoroughly pouted face, leaving me with no choice but to look away guiltily.
"You're the one who said we aren't even dating."
"Even if we aren't dating, I still hate seeing other people drool over you!"
"Then you won't complain if I leave some on you too, right?"
Pinning Meria's hands above her head, I buried my face in her modest chest.
*Click.*
"Oh my, sorry. I didn't realize you were busy making me a grandchild."
The door swung open, and Meria and I scrambled apart in a chaotic flurry. But Adorian was already leaning against the doorframe, grinning widely.
"W-What is it?"
"Sorry to interrupt, but if you're not in the middle of anything too critical, let's get moving. To our house."