I Really Won't Do Anything
Even someone as brazen as Bae Jua couldn't bring herself to ask that. She must have thought about it, though.
"Shall we get going then?"
I nodded.
"Are you really okay with this? Going into that woman Heo Min-sol's house."
I nodded again.
Her face was full of worry. She'd told me not to hide anything from her, yet I had no idea what thoughts ran through her head as she lived her life.
"Mmm... How far can you be from me right now?"
I alternated between holding up four fingers and five.
"Four hundred and fifty meters?! When did it increase that much?"
"Clack clack clack."
"Mmm... I see... You're getting farther and farther away..."
"......"
"...Maybe I should just tie you up so you can't go anywhere..."
"Clack."
"Hehe— Huh? Should I?"
She pressed herself close to my side and asked playfully. It was only possible because I'd shifted all my spikes to my back. As expected, once I started using it in actual combat, my proficiency shot up quickly.
"Clack clack clack!"
"Huh? You're saying it's okay even if I tie you up?"
I nodded.
I told her to do whatever she wanted. After all, if she set her mind to something, what could she possibly not do? I simply did my best to match her wishes.
"Hehehe..."
By the time we reached home, it was well past midnight. For tomorrow's sake, it would be better if she went to bed soon.
Shaaaaa—
The moment we arrived she headed straight for the shower, and I habitually spread my sensory waves out thin.
Everything within a four-hundred-and-fifty-meter radius became so clear it felt like I could reach out and touch it. Cats leaping over walls, people strolling down alleyways with convenience-store bags, groups chatting inside old houses even at this late hour, students smoking and gossiping in the playground... Hey, kids, go home already.
The sensation grew slightly weaker near the sewer line, but I still caught occasional traces of the lowest-tier monsters—things like fog or weakened slimes.
As long as their numbers didn't explode, they wouldn't crawl up from underground. Better to leave those to F-rank hunters.
Click—
Yeonhee turned the living-room doorknob. I quickly looked out the window and pretended to be crafting bombs. With an abundance of corpses and bones to work with, I already felt like a rich man.
"......"
She stepped out, gazed at me for a moment, then headed back to her room. It almost looked like the corner of her mouth had lifted in a smile, but it must have been my imagination.
'Hoo...'
I didn't know why my body kept jolting every time her eyes landed on me. Sometimes it was frightening. Other times I felt a petty desire for her to look at me with favor.
I wondered if this was how a puppy felt, tail wagging furiously. As a summoned beast bound to her, was this the proper mindset I should have? I still found myself confused more often than not.
Rustle, rustle—
After changing clothes in a flurry, Yeonhee let out a long sigh and returned to the living room.
Stare—
'......'
Whenever she appeared before me like this and looked up with those sparkling purple eyes, all my tangled emotions vanished as if washed away, leaving only a soaring ecstasy that made me feel like I might float straight into the sky.
Sometimes I liked her so much I thought I would go insane. Now I understood why Wangwang spun around her every day like a dog with rabies.
"Today... um..."
She fidgeted with her fingers, lips moving hesitantly. What did she want?
It wasn't behavior befitting someone who held complete dominion over me, yet the gap between her status and that adorable demeanor drove me even crazier. Did she realize that?
"T-today... just... as me..."
'...? Ah… Mimicry, huh. It's already late—wouldn't it be better if you just slept?'
"B-but before you transform, there's one thing I'm curious about!"
"??"
"The... third perk of Mimicry was hidden. What is it?"
"......"
It seemed my domination level still wasn't high enough to view that far.
I gestured, calling over the interpreter named Ran.
(Ilwol, I'm not your personal interpreter—)
I let Ran's grumbling flow in one ear and out the other. The parrot never said anything new.
Anyway, the third perk of Mimicry.
- When using Mimicry, locates the position of one of the nearest lecherous groups.
'I should have told her sooner. A little late now.'
"Uh... there's an ability like that...?"
"Clack clack clack!"
Yeonhee couldn't close her mouth, stunned by what she'd heard through our link. It was the kind of skill that was hard to wrap one's head around.
The ability to accurately pinpoint humans meeting specific conditions. On top of that, it granted tracking for a set duration. Even an S-rank hunter would drool over it.
"Then—have you ever gone outside after using Mimicry?"
Hmm. Should I admit I'd left her home alone and gone out by myself?
'Are you crazy?'
"Clack!"
In times like these, playing dumb was the only option. I wasn't an honest skeleton who felt guilt over lying.
"Ah... yeah. Of course not. Ilwol wouldn't do that. You said you wouldn't hide anything from me anymore, right?"
"Clack clack clack!"
'I need to be more careful.'
"Then what will you do from now on? Should we punish people like that after all?"
"......"
I gave a small nod, but honestly I wasn't sure.
In terms of raising my stats and dealing with those who did evil, it was positive. Yet there was no absolute reason I had to be the one carrying out judgment, so logically the idea had clear holes.
"Yeah... Then should I go with you...?"
"Clack clack!!"
"Why? I can't? Is it because it's dangerous? I can at least protect my own body..."
"Clack clack!!"
"O-okay... Don't get too angry..."
'I wasn't angry. It's just dangerous.'
I would handle anyone who entered my range when the chance arose—swiftly and in secret. If I encountered strong opponents, I might have to risk my life to flee or fight.
Yeonhee could not be involved in any of that.
"Tch... S-still... while you're using Mimicry, you have to stay with me!!"
"??"
I could only be flustered watching Yeonhee suddenly cry out as if throwing a tantrum. What was she so upset about?
"J-just. Stay with me. If you're not going out, then stay with me. Understand?"
I nodded.
Doing as she asked was remarkably easy. In the end, she simply wanted us to be together while I was in human form... The thought made me excited, yet at the same time I felt a pang of regret because my skeleton self had never received this kind of reaction.
'Well... Look at yourself in the mirror, you idiot. Who would want to be with this face? You're not even Jason. Ha...'
Seeing my hideous reflection, I could easily accept that her reaction was perfectly natural.
"You can call me selfish if you want... Just... Ah, anyway, that's what has to happen. You'll do that for me, right?"
I nodded repeatedly.
"Good. Still... I'll allow you to go out for a bit after Mimicry. Since you'll only move within range anyway, it won't take long, right?"
"Clack clack clack."
"Yeah... That much... Ilwol should feel a little freedom sometimes too..."
"......"
At any rate, we reached a compromise. During Mimicry time, we would stay together. Afterward, I would get a brief period of freedom.
'It feels refreshing to have told her everything. Just knowing I don't have to sneak out anymore...'
While I nodded in satisfaction, she spoke in a tiny voice, an irrepressible blush blooming on her cheeks.
"T-then... now show me. You."
'...The wording sounds a bit strange...'
Her eyes, brimming with anticipation, held a mixture of many emotions.
The mysterious gaze where a child's playful eyes and an adult's strangely seductive ones coexisted.
'How bewitching. So bewitching.'
After steadying my mind for a moment, I activated Mimicry into Yeonhee's form.
'Ugh...!'
Unlike last time, the mysterious rush of her life didn't flood through me, but an enormous amount of information along with intangible things—different senses, emotions—still forced their way into my head, threatening to split it open.
Successfully used Mimicry as Summoner Lee Yeonhee.
"Heu... Heee..."
For the first time since becoming a skeleton, I let out a shaky breath. Even though it improved slightly each time I used it, the ability was far from pleasant. If not for the third perk, I wouldn't want to use it at all. Damn it.
At my ragged breathing, Yeonhee dashed to the refrigerator, grabbed some water, and held it out to me.
"Mwoo?"
I could only tilt my head in confusion.
Was she serious...? I couldn't even drink. Or could I? Maybe it would stay in my stomach.
"Mwoo, like this! Kyahaang— So cute. But maybe you can't drink it?"
"Mmmu..."
I experimentally poured the water into my mouth. Then...
'Huh? It actually goes in?'
It wasn't drinking in the sense of consumption, but my body had become capable of the motion of forcing liquid inside.
While I quietly felt the water sloshing around in my belly, Yeonhee suddenly grabbed my hand and pulled me toward her room.
'Whoa?! W-why?!'
Thud—
"Haa..."
Yeonhee threw me onto the thick mattress spread across the floor.
I'd only just activated Mimicry and my stats had been drastically cut, so I collapsed helplessly onto it exactly as she intended.
I'd entered her room several times before, but lying down here was a first.
'By the way, why is she doing this?'
The development was so abrupt that in all my life as a skeleton, I don't think I'd ever been this shocked.
My face burned. Feeling strangely embarrassed, I kept trying to push myself into the corner, unsure what to do.
Slide—
'Ah— My clothes...'
I hurriedly adjusted the garment that had slipped below my shoulders when I fell, unconsciously raising my arms to shield my chest.
'My chest is so big it doesn't even cover completely...'
It felt more like I was pushing my breasts together to emphasize them, so I panicked even harder.
'This makes it look exactly like... I'm copying Yeonhee.'
Yeonhee stared down at me sprawled on the mattress, breathing hard, before finally speaking.
"Haa— Ha— Isn't this strange? I-It's definitely my own body, but when I think that Ilwol is the one lying there... But don't misunderstand. It's not that I have some weird preference or anything. Don't worry. Haa— Haa—"
'You should probably calm down. Anyone looking at you right now would think you're about to jump me.'
"Grmmm..."
"Grmmm? Telling me to stop? T-that won't do. Ilwol... Just. Until I fall asleep, s-stay... stay next to me. We can talk a little..."
'What are you saying? You want us to lie down together?'
Yeonhee had already slipped under the blanket and was gesturing for me to join her.
She's incredibly fast. Did she swap everything out for the Rune of Swiftness or something?
"C-come here... Come over here. I really won't do anything."
"Uuu..."
It felt like I shouldn't go... but she was calling me, so I couldn't refuse. Somehow it was scary. I was trembling. Why was this happening? My heart was pounding wildly. If this had been the usual me, I would have only been mildly flustered...
I'd felt it last time too, but now I was certain. When I used Mimicry, I even took on the target's personality. This was truly dangerous...
"H-hurry! We don't have much time!"
"Ubuu..."
'That scared me. You startled me. Why are you suddenly yelling, Yeonhee?'
"Ah, s-sorry. I didn't mean to surprise you... A-anyway. Come here..."
"......"
She said she was sorry, but her face told a completely different story.
I'd never seen her face this flushed, even in battle...
It was different from the expression she'd made when I transformed into my original form last time. It was as if that look was... the kind I would have worn back then.
'Is this... revenge...?'
My mind reeled from the sudden turn of events. Now Yeonhee went even further, lifting the blanket with her left hand and gesturing for me to come in beside her.