Who Is the Partner? 1
“…Haha. Doesn’t work after all, does it?”
The atmosphere was rigid. Sprawled on the bed, Seres tugged the corner of her mouth into a soft smile. But to Netoru, it looked like she was just pretending to be at ease. It was pure bravado.
He had no idea exactly what she wanted, but…
“Seres.”
“…Yes?”
Netoru had no intention of playing along with her petty prank. He closed the distance to where she lay on the bed, planting both hands beside her face and gazing down at her from above.
“……”
“……”
With just a bit of space between them, their eyes met, Netoru’s shadow falling over Seres’s face. The moment she ended up pinned beneath him, her eyelids trembled faintly. She looked like a herbivore frozen in fear.
Netoru spoke coldly in that state.
“Spit it out already.”
“……”
Of course, Seres didn’t listen. Instead, she averted her gaze slightly, turning her head with a curt mutter.
“If you figured it out, just take it yourself.”
“You sure that’s fine with you?”
Netoru let out a cold laugh. Was this her idea of rebellion? Seres, who’d been pondering something at his smile, seemed to realize too late that this wasn’t it and backpedaled.
“Ah, no. On second thought, that won’t—”
“Sorry, too late.”
“Ah!? W-what are you touching right now… Kyaa!?”
Without hesitation, Netoru laid his hands on Seres’s body. No—more precisely, he rummaged through her clothes. But it wasn’t to toy with her.
This must be it.
Soon enough, something hard caught at his fingertips as they trailed over her skin. Netoru confirmed what it was and twisted his lips into a smirk. Seres’s face darkened visibly.
“…A recorder, huh.”
What Netoru had found was a magic tool. Probably enchanted to store sound. It even looked just like a recorder from the real world—small and light, perfect for hiding.
Her plan must’ve been to tempt him, let him pounce, record it all, and snag some leverage. Pretty devious. What was funny, though, was that he wasn’t even mad.
If she was gonna scheme like this, she should’ve at least acted the part convincingly. But from the moment she showed up at his door, Seres had been a mess… It didn’t piss him off so much as make him sigh.
With a body built to seduce any man, what the hell was she trying to pull with that flustered act? She probably didn’t even realize it herself.
“…How’d you know about this?”
“Dunno. Call it a hunch? Your whole approach to seducing a guy was fucked from the start. Walking in with a face that tense? Anyone would clock something’s off.”
“……Ugh.”
Seres flushed at his mocking laugh. Shame? Humiliation? Maybe both. Just moments ago, she’d come off like some innocent virgin girl clumsily trying to act slutty.
Netoru smirked down at her.
“Guess you don’t have much experience with guys even at your age, huh?”
“…Don’t mock me. I’ve just never tried seducing a man before.”
Seres turned her head away with a pouty expression. Fair enough—she was a yeogisa. No way she’d been taught how to flirt. And since arriving here, she probably hadn’t seriously tempted any men either. Paired with a kid like Takuya, why would she need to? Hell, she wouldn’t even have to try—guys would fall over themselves for her body alone.
Takuya that brat was probably already smitten without her lifting a finger. Great figure, gentle and warm big-sis vibe. The kind of woman most boys dream about.
Whatever. Point was, this girl had pulled some shady shit. Of course he found her brazen act irritating.
──Creak.
So he grabbed both her wrists and yanked them up above her head.
“Ky? W-wait…! What are you doing!?”
“What’s it look like? You came here planning this, right? So I’ll give you exactly what you want.”
“……!”
Yeogisa or not, she was still a woman—her wrists thin and delicate. She tensed and resisted, but it was pointless.
“L-let go…!”
No way a female pilot could overpower a male one physically. Their mana nerve systems were built differently from the ground up. Women housed theirs to connect with Holy Knights; men were optimized for body enhancement. In firefights, you needed every edge in reaction speed, so male pilots pushed their physical limits.
“Ngh! Urgh!”
But Seres didn’t give up, thrashing against his grip on her wrists. Her legs kicked wildly, her whole body bucking. She even headbutted his chest. The neat blankets she’d straightened earlier tangled into a mess.
Each time, her scent grew thicker. Fresh from a bath, her body was stimulating enough on its own. The feel, the smell—nothing bad about any of it.
Clumsy acting aside, she prepared thoroughly.
A sheer white shirt that hinted at her pale skin beneath, dolphin pants exposing just enough. She knew what men wanted, at least.
Netoru admired it unconsciously.
“Let… let go…! I just…!”
“Just what? Tell me what you were planning, Seres. Say it yourself.”
“…W-well…”
Exhausted, maybe. Seres’s face was flushed beet red, her breathing ragged. Then she stopped resisting, going limp as she mumbled.
“…I messed up. So let me go now.”
“What’d you mess up? Won’t let go till you say it.”
Did she think a simple apology would end it? She knew she was wrong, though—wilted under his cold glare, dropping her eyes submissively.
At this point, he was curious what had possessed her to try this. Did she really think her scheme would work?
Netoru activated the confiscated recorder. Seres’s eyes went wide beneath him.
“…Ugh? W-wait. What are you doing with that?”
“Recording your confession, obviously. So spill everything you planned. Or I won’t let go.”
“……Ngh.”
She clearly hadn’t expected this—her face turned pitifully blank. Not intentional, but that look was surprisingly tempting. Her clumsy moves only stimulated the eyes more.
But he couldn’t let her clam up.
“Kyaa? S-stop…!”
Netoru gripped both her wrists in one hand and pulled them higher. With his free hand, he slowly tugged up the hem of her shirt. Her pale navel gradually came into view.
She was completely pinned now. But Netoru had no plans to cross that line rashly. If she actually screamed, it’d be chaos—and he’d be screwed too.
This is a bit sleazy.
Seres probably knew that much. It was likely her last resort. Maybe she firmly believed he wouldn’t go too far.
So Netoru teased her right on that razor’s edge. As the rising hem caught on her soft curves, her pilot bra faintly visible—
Seres, after agonizing, issued the threat he’d expected.
“…Netoru. Stop right now. Or I scream bloody murder from this spot.”
Far from scary, it was almost cute. Couldn’t she at least glare venomously? Glaring with all her might just to show she was mad only turned a guy on more.
“Then scream. But can you? You won’t.”
“Ugh… You’re really gonna do this?”
Screaming really was her final card. What she wanted was leverage over this guy called Netoru. Mutual destruction wasn’t the goal. The unit was already a mess; anyone thinking straight wouldn’t scream unless it was actual rape.
After chewing her lip awhile, Seres surrendered with a weary voice.
“…If I tell you, you’ll stop?”
“We’ll see. Depends.”
“……”
She hesitated. But realizing how serious it was, she squeezed her eyes shut and started talking.
“…I was gonna… pretend… you raped me…”
Her trembling voice sounded on the verge of tears, heartbreakingly small. Ant-level whisper.
Netoru held the recorder closer.
“Seres. Can’t hear you. Say it clearly.”
“A-again? B-but…”
“Now.”
“Ugh… I was gonna… pretend you raped me…”
Still quiet, but audible enough for the magic tool this time. Netoru watched her confess.
Then—
──Thud.
A mysterious noise from the corner of the room.
“……”
Seres, barely managing to continue, clamped her mouth shut. Her eyes slowly scanned around, then fixed on Netoru.
No words, but her purple eyes asked: What was that?
Netoru pondered briefly, then pretended not to hear, keeping a straight face as he told her.
“What’re you doing? Keep talking.”