Chapter 292: The Calm Before the Storm.
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 292: The Calm Before the Storm.
Then came the weekend.
I had been summoned to meet the Doctor… that is to say, my aunt, though I wasn’t quite used to the title yet.
Even though it was a “summons,” it was actually because of a favor I had asked of her.
“The health check-up for the wolf you requested is finished. Fortunately, there are no abnormalities in its health. I did a thorough examination as you asked, but there are no signs of poisoning, and it’s very healthy.”
It was for none other than our wolf’s check-up and vaccinations.
“Arf! Arf!”
The wolf, who had been squirming in the Doctor’s arms, spotted me and immediately trotted over to my side.
We had only been apart for a short while, but seeing it circle around me as if asking where I’d been, it seemed it already considered me quite a close friend.
“Thank you. But I noticed you’re having candy instead of a cigarette today, even though Luna isn’t here?”
As I expressed my gratitude, I pointed out the slight sense of incongruity I felt. The Doctor replied as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
“…Animals have a sensitive sense of smell, so they might feel a sense of rejection toward the smell of strong drugs. I have to be even more careful with a creature as intelligent as this one.”
No wonder I didn’t smell anything strange today. Seeing how she even considers the feelings of animals, perhaps she really is a good person, just socially awkward?
“You’ve been looking after Luna lately, and now this… I feel like I’m always asking for favors. I’m sorry.”
“Personally, I’d rather hear ‘thank you’ than ‘I’m sorry.’ As I’ve said before, since you’re my only remaining blood relative, I want us to become closer.”
…No, maybe she is a scary person after all.
Her words were perfectly normal, but the look in her eyes as she watched me was clearly in the realm of curiosity—the kind of gaze one would direct at a test subject rather than a family member.
“I happen to have some free time. If you don’t have any plans afterward, I’d like you to cooperate with an experiment.”
Sure enough, the Doctor asked for my cooperation in an experiment, but fortunately, I had an appointment after this.
Since returning from the dungeon, my schedule had been constantly clashing with Cathy Noona’s, so we had agreed to meet over the weekend. I had told the Doctor I would leave as soon as my business was done, so Cathy might already be waiting for me.
“Hmm, is that so? Just a moment.”
However, the Doctor didn’t seem inclined to let me go so easily. She pulled out her smartphone and sent a text message somewhere.
Immediately after, the Doctor’s phone began to ring like crazy.
“I’ve received permission for the experiment. Cathy says she’ll come here to pick you up, so just cooperate with the experiment until then.”
“No matter how I look at it, it doesn’t seem like the messages being exchanged were that peaceful?”
“Oh, it was nothing. I just told her that if she didn’t come quickly, I would perform a rather… special experiment on you. The fact that Cathy is coming to get you remains unchanged.”
“Well, I’m curious what that ‘special experiment’ is, but I think it’s best not to dig too deep. It’ll be a hassle if I miss the Professor, so I’ll just cooperate quietly.”
“Good choice. You said you prefer green tea over… coffee, right?”
“Ah, thank you.”
After brewing the tea, the Doctor sat quietly and observed me. Whenever something came to mind, she would touch various parts of my body as if testing them.
…Honestly, if anyone else had done the same thing, I would have bolted immediately, but because her face looked so much like my mother’s, it was strangely difficult to resist.
“Hmm, stroking your hair or pinching your cheeks doesn’t seem much different from last time. Even with the same actions, the results might change depending on the level of intimacy, so I’ll have to keep testing. For now, there are no significant changes.”
“…Is that so? Then are we done for today?”
“No, hmm. Let’s try some stronger physical contact.”
Saying that, the Doctor took off her white lab coat and stood in front of me with her arms spread wide.
After a long, bizarre standoff, the Doctor suddenly frowned and asked.
“What are you doing?”
“I didn’t do anything?”
“That’s why I’m asking why you aren’t doing anything. I want to test a hug, so come into my arms.”
Ah, a hug?
Embarrassment aside, is it really normal for a fully grown nephew to hug his aunt?
A minor doubt flickered in my mind, but well, it didn’t seem like something I couldn’t do. When I hugged her, the Doctor nodded quite mechanically and began taking notes.
“…So, how is it?”
“Hmm, you have a cute face, so it’s somewhat enjoyable, but it doesn’t feel much like familial love. In fact, it feels a bit… immoral.”
“What kind of horrible thing is that to say…?”
“My honest impression is that, rather than a hug between family members, it feels more like I’ve called a good-looking cadet into my private office to embrace him. It seems our intimacy level is still lacking.”
She really says the most dangerous things without batting an eye.
“Hmm, still, it’s not bad.”
The Doctor, who had been repeatedly stroking my hair as if checking its texture, hugged me a few more times before slowly releasing me.
“I was thinking of taking it a step further, but it looks like she’ll be arriving soon, so I should stop here.”
…Excuse me?
“Ah, it’s nothing. I just think she’s about to arrive.”
Just as the Doctor sat down with her coffee, a thunderous roar began to echo from somewhere.
I wondered if a jet was flying low, but the sound grew closer and closer, eventually stopping right in front of the Doctor’s laboratory.
…Surely not, right? No human could make that kind of sound while running, right?
“It’s open.”
The moment the Doctor gave her permission, the door flew open, and a familiar blonde woman appeared.
It was Professor Cathy, and not a single strand of hair or piece of clothing was out of place.
Wait, that’s even scarier.
How can someone who ran at that speed look so perfectly fine?
“So-hyun, are you okay? Did the Doctor try to give you any weird injections? Did she try to hand you a drink with an impossible color, claiming it was a vitamin supplement? You weren’t sexually harassed, were you!?”
…Weird injections? What would I be ‘suffering’ exactly?
“Hmm, even I wouldn’t do such things to a frightened lab animal yet. It’s a hassle if they become wary.”
The Doctor sipped her coffee as if wondering what the fuss was about, but even if I overlook being treated like a lab animal, doesn’t that mean she might do it once I get used to her?
“It’s a joke. As I keep saying, I couldn’t perform such experiments on my only remaining blood relative. I was just teasing.”
Fortunately, it seemed to be a joke. It’s just hard to tell because her expression is always so blank.
“…Are you sure?”
“Of course. Even if you were just my nephew, I couldn’t touch my friend’s lover.”
With a faint smile, the Doctor pulled something out of her lab coat pocket and handed it to me.
“…What is this?”
“Pocket money. You’re going on a date now, aren’t you? If you feel uncomfortable taking it, think of it as a reward for participating in the experiment.”
Those were very kind words, but unfortunately, that wasn’t what I was asking about.
“Not that, the thing underneath it.”
“The condoms I always give you. You said you were all out, didn’t you? These are made of advanced materials, so they won’t be easy to find elsewhere.”
“And how on earth do you know that I’ve used up all my condoms, Doctor?”
“Hmm, come to think of it, I’ve never been called ‘Aunt.’ I should ask you to call me ‘Aunt’ next time.”
Blatantly changing the subject, the Doctor shooed us out, telling us it was time to leave.
“…No, I’m asking how you know.”
“Y-yeah. The Doctor is… really something. It’s mysterious.”
…It looks like my Cathy Noona is the culprit.
When I stared at her, Professor Cathy’s face, which was already red, turned an even deeper shade of crimson.
“So-hyun.”
“Yes.”
“I’m sorry. The Doctor said she needed the information for your health check-up.”
“…Well, since you’re being honest, it’s okay.”
The thought that my entire sexual history had been reported to my aunt made me feel like I was losing my mind, but honestly, it felt a bit silly to be embarrassed about it at this point.
Ah, um. This is bad.
It had been a while since we’d talked just the two of us, and because we’d suddenly started talking about this topic, the atmosphere had become awkward.
“Arf!”
“Oh my.”
But while I was thinking about how to fix this awkward atmosphere, the wolf beside me suddenly began barking at Cathy Noona.
“You said you brought this little one back from the dungeon this time, right? How cute.”
“Yes, that’s true, but…”
“Arf! Arf!”
Cathy Noona didn’t seem to notice yet, but the wolf’s attitude was strangely aggressive—hostile, even.
“There’s a good girl, come here.”
As she knelt on one knee to call the wolf, her vast heart came into view. I quickly turned my head away.
The wolf, clearly displeased by something, bared its teeth and lunged at her. Unfortunately, the attack of a young wolf was nothing more than a cute prank to her.
After gently catching the lunging wolf by the neck and pulling it into her arms, the Professor stroked its back as if to calm it down.
“This one is quite playful. It’s strong, too—it could be dangerous if you’re not careful.”
“Whine… whimper…”
The wolf struggled as if it couldn’t understand what had just happened to it, but there was no way it could escape. Only after it clearly recognized the difference in power did it finally settle down and get released.
“Awoo…”
Was it just my imagination that its cry sounded so pitiful?
“That’s a relief. It’s calmed down now, hasn’t it?”
Well, it was held helpless while its vitals—its neck and back—were completely exposed, so of course it would calm down.
I hadn’t planned on bringing it along anyway, but seeing how terrified it was, I thought it would be better to leave it at the dormitory.
* * *
When I brought the terrified wolf back to my room, I was surprised to find that Luna was already quite close to it.
Did they bond while the Doctor was looking after them?
The sight was so cute that I watched them for a while. Eventually, after having lunch with Ha-ni as well, I was finally able to go out with Cathy Noona again.
“I’m jealous.”
“Pardon?”
We were just enjoying a walk in the park without any particular plan when her sudden words made me ask back reflexively.
“I mean Ha-ni. I want to live with you too, So-hyun. We could eat together every day, and I could see Luna more often.”
“The phrasing ‘living together’ sounds a bit strange.”
…Well, actually, if you look at what we do, it’s not much different from living together, but still, facts are facts.
“Is it? Hmm, but I’m still jealous. She gets to see your face every morning when you wake up. And she probably gets to have more physical contact than I do~”
I couldn’t flatly deny it.
Since we’re together every day, there’s bound to be contact in various ways.
“Hmm, what if So-hyun falls completely for Ha-ni and pushes me to the back of his mind?”
“That will never happen. I’ll love you both equally and fairly.”
…Wait, this phrasing sounds a bit off too, doesn’t it? It sounds like something a total scumbag would say.
What even is ‘loving fairly’?
“I know~ I was just teasing because I felt a bit envious. I was thinking that if I were a bit younger, I might have attended the Academy with you.”
There it was again.
Hearing her voice sound strangely lonely stirred a peculiar emotion in me.
Rather than thinking about what to do, my body moved first.
I took her empty hand and pulled gently. The Professor’s body moved toward me without any resistance.
“Ah.”
As I reached out and gently stroked her hair, Cathy Noona burst into a laugh.
“Ah, really. You’re getting better at handling women by the day.”
“No, it’s just…”
“I know. You did it to comfort me, right? I was just sulking on my own, but you even went as far as to comfort me. You’re so kind.”
She closed her eyes and slowly felt my touch before opening them again.
“So-hyun.”
“Yes?”
“I’m making omurice for dinner tonight.”
…Are you?
“Do you want to come over to my place for omurice tonight?”
It was such an obvious appeal that I almost nodded without thinking.
Still, we hadn’t even finished our date properly yet, and I wondered if this was being a bit too driven by instinct. But the moment I tried to hold back…
“Yes, I’ll go.”
Squish.
Before I knew it, her vast heart had wrapped around my arm. By the time I snapped out of it, I had already given my answer.
“Really? Then shall we finish our date first? Where do you want to go?”
…Honestly, I didn’t care where we went. I just hoped we’d go somewhere where time would pass quickly. I felt a little pathetic for thinking that way.