The Hunter System (3)
Backstage at the festival was a frenzy of activity.
The Hunter Popularity Vote was the main event of the Hunter Festival.
Its contestants were given the chance to appeal to the audience directly from the stage.
Shin So-yi, the favorite to win the whole competition, had used her opportunity brilliantly.
She'd worn a far bolder outfit than usual and even delivered a genuinely impressive song.
Waiting for my turn behind the stage, I caught her eye and gave her an awkward nod.
"That was impressive. Are you branching out into singing now?"
"A friend helped me out."
Shin So-yi smiled back at me.
A friend... Mirei, the one from the S University Festival incident?
A top actress learning from a top singer. That was basically cheating.
In fact, the contestant scheduled to follow Shin So-yi already looked completely defeated.
No matter what kind of performance they put on now, it couldn't help but pale in comparison to the previous act.
But whatever the other contestants might think, I had no right to blame her.
I decided to just apologize in advance.
"Shin So-yi, I'm sorry."
"Huh? Investigator, what do you mean all of a sudden?"
"Well... the Special Unit hadn't planned on entering this competition at all. If the prize had been something else, we would've just sat back and watched quietly."
"Excuse me?"
Shin So-yi mulled over my words for a moment, and then her face flushed with embarrassment.
She'd caught on a beat late.
I was talking as if I'd already secured the trophy.
And it wasn't an exaggeration in the slightest.
"Y-you're saying that even after seeing my performance just now?"
"Yeah... I'm doubly sorry, but just win next year."
"?"
Shin So-yi looked utterly bewildered, as if she suspected I was trying to fix the match, but...
A moment later, when Alice and Tia emerged from the waiting room, her expression changed instantly.
The chaotic backstage area fell into perfect order in an instant.
Staff and participants alike parted to the left and right for Alice and Tia.
Tia strolled forward slowly, as if savoring their attention.
I'd let out a dry laugh after witnessing Tia's transformation earlier, but...
That didn't mean I doubted she'd win.
With a haughty expression I never imagined she could make, Tia advanced straight ahead, eyes fixed forward.
The way she didn't even spare a glance at her rivals was almost goddess-like.
Shin So-yi glared at her and bit down hard on her lower lip.
"This is ridiculous. Where did she even..."
"Waaaah!"
The moment Alice and Tia finally stepped onto the stage, they were met with a roar of wild cheers.
Yeriel and I exchanged wry smiles and glanced over at Shin So-yi.
@
However, our premature celebration turned out to be for nothing.
Tia and Alice did not win.
They lost the vote as if all that earlier excitement had been a lie.
Alice's result wasn't second place... it was disqualification!
I had no choice but to accept the judging panel's explanation.
"Um, I'm sorry, but the use of charm abilities is prohibited during the competition..."
"So you're ruling that as an ability."
Well, fair enough. The bizarre charisma Tia had displayed moments ago definitely fell into the domain of a hunter ability.
Upon hearing the judging panel's decision, Tia had gone completely teary-eyed and was sniffling.
"Master. I didn't do anything wrong, right? Huh?"
"Yeah, just keep your mouth shut."
I let out a deep sigh, wondering how I was supposed to face Shin So-yi going forward.
'Well... it's not like I'll be seeing her again anyway.'
But the moment that thought crossed my mind, life proved me wrong.
As soon as Shin So-yi received her trophy, she appeared right in front of me.
I squeezed my eyes shut, ready to be laughed at as much as she pleased, when she held out a small mask toward me.
It was the competition prize and my objective from the start: the monster material, the Mask of the Thunderbird.
"Investigator, please take it."
"Huh?"
"Didn't you say the Special Unit entered the competition because of this? You don't strike me as the kind of person who covets things without good reason, so... it must be something you really need. Please, take it."
I was still at a loss for words when Yeriel promptly reached out and accepted it.
"Thank you, Shin So-yi. We'll compensate you based on the expected sale price."
"Ah, no. You really don't have to..."
"This isn't a cheap item, and selling it to us would be much more convenient for you."
"...If you insist, I can't really refuse."
Shin So-yi agreed to accept the compensation as Yeriel had proposed.
We packed up the mask and quietly headed home.
"As expected, Tia wasn't much help."
"Th-that can't be..."
"Ah. Ji-yu, you should come along with us too. Staying one night should be fine, right?"
"Huh? Me?"
Seo Ji-yu, who had been suddenly singled out by Yeriel, flinched in surprise.
I wondered what this was about but didn't bother to ask.
Yeriel wasn't the type to do things without reason.
"I just wanted to ask you a few things about the Special Unit's work."
"Ah... yes, if you're the one asking, Yeriel, I'd clear my schedule even if I didn't have the time."
"That works out well."
We passed through the still-bustling streets and finally reached home, stepping into the elevator without hesitation.
I stopped by Tia's room for the first time in a while and looked around.
It was smaller than our place, but for her, it was an almost too cozy and comfortable an environment.
"Hm. No shortage of daily supplies, and it's been kept spotless."
"That's because Alice takes good care of me."
"I know that."
When I shot her down without even looking at her, Tia suddenly smiled in a strange way.
She'd noticed that I'd been subtly avoiding her gaze for a while now.
I hate to admit it, but Tia's matured appearance was pretty effective on me too.
"Oh, Master. What's the matter? You haven't been able to meet my eyes lately, you know?"
"Enough. Let's put your leash back on."
"Ahh, isn't it a bit of a waste? I finally became a complete form!"
"What's there to waste?"
"Heh heh. I'll have you know I won't go down as easily as last time! Ah, even if that was just in a dream, I mean."
"Oh, really?"
I replied as indifferently as I could manage and looked at her.
Honestly, getting turned on by a creature that was practically a pet felt like a bit of a failure as a human being, but...
Right now, that image was completely gone.
Right on cue, Yeriel sent me a message asking for some girls-only time.
I decided to kill some time and play with Tia.
"So just because you've gotten a little taller, you've learned to talk back, huh?"
"Huh? Ah, n-no. That's not... Master. You're not angry, are you?"
"Angry? Why?"
"Ehehe. Just, you know... eek!"
Swish!
I snatched the outer garment Tia was wearing in a split second.
Pinned down on the bed with absurd ease, Tia squirmed wildly but didn't dare resist me.
"Let's see you 'not go down easily' now, shall we?"
"Ahhn..."
The outfit, riddled with slits everywhere, came off far more easily than it looked and was discarded onto the bedroom floor.
With her gloves and stockings left on and only her torso stripped bare, Tia's milky-white skin was laid exposed.
She'd been the one to mess with me first, but now that things had come to this, she seemed embarrassed.
But it was far too late to go back.
I smirked as I touched her chest.
"What's this, they're inverted?"
"I didn't expect them to be either... mmph!"
Her lips stolen in an instant, Tia worked her tongue desperately, as if trying to seize even a shred of control.
I let her tongue move as it pleased and slid my hand downward.
Her body's definitely gotten bigger, but what about down here?
As I slowly slipped my fingers into her still completely hairless mound, Tia's breathing became noticeably ragged.
"Hoooh, haah... mmph♥"
When I softly rubbed the inside of her tightly closed entrance, her clit popped right out in an instant.
I pressed down on the incredibly cute little thing with my index finger.
The look on Tia's face, which had been diligently working her tongue just moments ago, went blank in an instant.
"Ngah?! Gook..."
"Pwah... What's the point of just getting a little bigger? Your weak spot's exactly the same."
"N-no, that's... hiiik♥"
"Here. You like it here too, don't you? You love it when I rub the top like this, right?"
"Ahht. Aaahn..."
And since her insides were just as tight as before, I could toy with her easily with one hand.
I drove her rapidly to the brink of climax while scolding her.
"So what exactly changed? Huh? Come on, tell me."
"Ah, aahn♥ N-no way... There's no way I'd just take it like this... hic♥"
Tia's hips bucked wildly as she anticipated her climax, but only for a moment.
I stopped my hand right before she could finish.
Pinned firmly beneath me, Tia could do nothing but tremble in silent anguish.
"Ahht? Haa, haa... M-Master?"
"Ah, sorry. You still haven't come? You said something was different this time, so I took it slow."
"Ahh, th-that's... aaah..."
I waited until her arousal subsided, then started moving my fingers and caressing her again.
This time, Tia tried her best to keep a deadpan face, but...
Her expressions and her body's reactions were far too honest for her to hide it.
After being stopped a second time right on the edge of climax, tears welled up in her eyes.
"Haaht... M-Masteeer..."
"What's this? Still didn't come, huh? You went through all that trouble to transform, but aren't you kind of pathetic?"
"Uuh..."
Tia showered me with desperate, tongue-sucking kisses as if begging for forgiveness, but...
When I paid no mind and enforced a third denial, she looked like she was practically losing her mind.
With drool, tears, and even snot streaming down her face, Tia barely managed to pull her lips away and plead.
"Sob... Why are you doing this, Master... The reason you're doing this is... ohhoohk♥"
"Just because watching you act like that is funny."
"Hic! I-I'm sorry..."
"Hey, what's there to be sorry about? Should I keep going?"
"Hiiik... No. I got cocky... hic♥ just because I got a little bigger..."
Tia kept sobbing for a long while after that before she finally got honest.
I laughed along with her and snapped a single photo to serve as a fine memory.
