A Reversed Role and Unbearable Closeness

Satisfying skinship. 'Is this really the same girl who was crying from embarrassment just yesterday?' It felt like our roles had completely flipped in a single day. This was clearly not part of my calculations. I had only come up with the plan yesterday—to slowly win Yeonhee over, influence her, and make her move according to my intentions. 'She's not easy to handle... Given the current structure where I have no choice but to obey her commands, it's going to be difficult to shift into the kind of relationship I want quickly.'

Maybe Yeonhee had jumped into this power struggle just like I had. If that was the case, it was an incredibly unfair fight. How was I supposed to win this?

"Come here, quickly..."

"Uuu..."

But at a single word from her telling me to come closer, all the complicated thoughts in my head were swept away cleanly. I tried resisting once, refusing to move.

...... It didn't work.

'This is impossible. It's completely beyond my control.'

Her words carried the powerful will of a summoner, making it impossible to refuse. Wasn't using that kind of intent at a time like this basically cheating? With no other choice, I carefully, almost sliding, slipped my body under the blanket she had lifted.

Without realizing it, I curled up tightly and lay on my side, keeping about fifty centimeters of distance between us. Yeonhee didn't seem to like that at all. Her cheeks puffed out in displeasure before she grabbed my arm and yanked me toward her with surprising force.

"Ahng!"

I let out a strange cry without meaning to. Moaning in Yeonhee's voice? This was driving me insane.

"J-just a little closer..."

What on earth did she want to do? I couldn't begin to guess what she was trying to accomplish with someone who looked exactly like her. Was she really just going to lie next to me like she said?

Yeonhee didn't stop at pulling my slender arm—she grabbed my waist too. Before I knew it, I had ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠been dragged close enough that we could touch each other's faces with just an outstretched hand. Inside a single blanket, in a space barely meant for two people, we were now sharing each other's breath.

"Huuu... Haa..."

"......"

Yeonhee's breathing, which seemed like it might break at any moment yet never did, felt as precarious as standing on the edge of a blade with one foot. Should I breathe along with her? I still felt some resistance toward breathing artificially. If I stayed still without thinking, my body would naturally exhale, but my skeleton's mind was blocking it.

"Did I suddenly do this and surprise you...?"

I nodded my head vigorously. Yeonhee's already flushed face turned bright red like a ripe tomato. Yet there was also an expression on her face like she was barely holding back laughter. Was teasing me really that fun? So this was revenge for yesterday after all!

Swish—

'Mmm...'

Yeonhee began touching my face all over, as if trying to commit it to memory. "The more I look, the more amazing it is... It's different from when I see it in the mirror. And your expressions are really... you know?"

"Ah?"

'What does she mean by that...'

Even though I'd transformed into an identical appearance, it seemed ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the feeling was different when I was the one changing. Her hand moved from my face to my hair, stroking it gently. Her fingers brushed across my scalp, twirled strands of hair in circles, even brought some to her nose to smell. All the while, her gaze stayed fixed on my eyes.

"Pretty..."

"Eh?"

Calling her own face pretty... Well, it was true, but that was pretty shameless.

"It's strange. Yesterday when you turned into a man, I could barely approach you. I shouldn't be doing this just because you've ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠changed appearances. It's still Ilwol inside. Whether it's a man or my own form."

Nod—

Yeah, exactly. So could you please let go of my waist? It's getting stuffy. And stop twirling my hair.

"Hng... But you know—what I wanted to ask is, why did you transform without wearing underwear today?"

"?!"

Startled by her words, I quickly moved my hands down to feel my body. 'Huh...? It's really not there? Why isn't there any underwear? Wait, what?'

It wasn't just that there was no underwear—the clothes themselves were made of an extremely thin material that felt exactly like underwear. It seemed like I had mimicked the pajamas she wore to bed... This meant she'd caught on to the fact that I was always scanning her. But why hadn't I manifested underwear?! What was I thinking?!

"Hehe... I don't think you've ever come out to the living room wearing this... And you've never been without underwear either. Ilwol... I didn't know you had such a perverted side."

"...... Ah, th-that's not—!"

"It's not? Fufu... It seems like it is, though."

"Uuu... Ah-ia... Eou-ae (This is unfair.)"

"Pffft..."

Her face, which had been slowly drawing closer while she laughed, was now right in front of me. I instinctively squeezed my eyes shut. I felt like I needed to send some kind of signal of resistance, so I tried to pull my body back, but her arm that had been around my waist had already wrapped completely around my back, preventing any escape. Why had she gotten so strong? Had she switched her rune to the Rune of Giant this time? She was getting really good at swapping runes... But this definitely wasn't the kind of technique it was meant for!

"Ilwol... you really do get weaker when you use Mimicry..."

"Auu..."

"I've learned something good..."

"Eh?"

"Hehe... Nothing. Never mind."

Swish—

'Wait... even there?'

Her leg, which had been stroking the top of my foot, slowly slid up over my thigh and wrapped around my hip. Then she pulled me in with surprising strength, completely immobilizing me.

"See? I can do this too. If you looked different, I would've been too embarrassed to do it. But since it's my own appearance... it feels like I can do whatever I want..."

"Auu......"

"Your lips... they're really red... Do I turn like this when I'm embarrassed too? Is that how it looks? How do I usually seem?"

Her index finger kept pressing and poking at my lips. Her eyes were staring intently at them, as if trying to pierce through.

"Fufufu, Ilwol's slightly scared face is so cute..."

'What genre did she decide on for today... Weren't we supposed to be in an adventure story?'

I was an undead. Specifically, a skeleton soldier. The weakest of the weak. A body that had died and been reduced to nothing but bones. So in this life, I had never even considered a situation like this. What the hell was happening? This was completely different from when I had taken the initiative and kissed her forehead.

"Ha... This feels so good. I wish every day could be like this from now on. Forever."

"Auu..."

"Ilwol, do you hate it when I do this? Is lying together with me uncomfortable? I like it. You should like it too, right? It's not just today... If you keep acting like this, I'll make you transform into my appearance tomorrow too, okay?"

Her face was full of mischief. Just how far was she planning to torment me? Please, have mercy—

"Hehehe... I'm just kidding. By the way, Ilwol, you said you don't have memories from your previous life...?"

Nod—

"I wonder if Ilwol had someone you met before you died..."

"......"

Well, that's something I'm curious about too. I think I had some dating experience, but probably not right before I died...

"I probably shouldn't ask something like that to someone who says they don't remember, right?"

"Uuuung..."

"Ah...! Your answers are getting smoother little by little! Again, say it again."

"Uuuu...ng."

"C-cute! You're so cute! Ilwol, do you want to be my little sibling? Yeah?"

She finally couldn't hold back anymore and pulled me tightly into her embrace. Uuu... There was no way I could stay indifferent to this sensation... It was so soft and squishy... The temperature of my face buried in her chest seemed to rise by ten degrees. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to die like this. Who cared about Jo Giman or anything else?

"Puhah—"

"Hehehe."

After being held for a long time, I was finally released. I was rubbing my dry face when our eyes met, and I quickly looked down. Without realizing it, my fingers were fidgeting. This was exactly like Yeonhee! Seeing me like that, she gently bit her lower lip, then spent a long time stroking my head and cheeks. Looking at her now, it seemed she was trying quite hard to suppress her emotions. I was terrified of what might happen if the feelings she was holding back ever exploded.

It was clear that embarrassing me was her primary goal, but it didn't seem like that was all there was to it. It wasn't like she was feeling lust toward her own appearance... How should I put it? It felt like... 'She was lonely for human touch?' Something like that.

I didn't know how Yeonhee had lived with her mother. Maybe they had relied on each other every day and slept in each other's arms. So perhaps while holding me, she was remembering those times. Y-yeah, that must be it. Thinking that way made it a little easier to endure even though it still felt suffocating.

Swish— Swish—

Ack! Stop keep putting your leg between my calves and pulling it out! It was making me feel so strange that I squeezed my legs together with force to hold her leg in place.

"Ah... Ngh..."

She seemed to like it instead. I could feel a trembling vibration like a spasm running through her leg. Squeeze— The arm holding me tightened even more fiercely around me. Yeonhee even nodded her head as if saying that was the right thing to do.

'That's not what I intended... I'm losing my mind.'

Fortunately, she started talking about the dungeon exploration we had done that day. The physical contact continued, but at least it felt like I could breathe a little easier.

"Tomorrow I'll cast a shield for you. It might not help Ilwol that much, but wouldn't it be better for you to try it first? Just try it, and tell me how it felt afterward."

"Eoh?!"

"Hehe, you saw it last time, right? That slimy membrane I covered your leg with. It still takes some time to manifest, and I can't expect it to have as much defensive power as Lime's, but I'm sure it'll be a big help in our future dungeon explorations. Since Ilwol's neck area is particularly vulnerable, I'll wrap that part for you."

"Wao—!"

"Right? I'm pretty amazing, aren't I?"

"Uuuung...!"

"C-cute!! Ilwol trying so hard to answer! You're the best!"

Since she was positioned slightly higher than me, her breath kept tickling my face. And with those pretty eyes staring at me so intently, I didn't know where to look. We were pressed so tightly together that unless I closed my eyes, it was difficult to avoid her gaze in this position.

Yeah. I might as well just close my eyes. The moment I did, the third perk of Mimicry activated, and its ability came to mind.

'Huk... Only six minutes have passed?'

If I stayed like this for twenty-four minutes, my life points might get shaved away from shame. To think of something else, I focused on the locations of the sinister group.

'... Huh? There are so many dots? The people gathered in the residential area...?'

"Mmm... Ilwol, you can't close your eyes. You have to open them, okay? Hup—! Open your eyes. Good boy?"

"......"

I had no time to organize my thoughts about the identified enemy positions before Yeonhee's offensive forced me to open my eyes again.

"Hehe... You can't keep avoiding my eyes. Why? Is looking into my eyes too much for you?"

"Uu..."

It wouldn't be burdensome if ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠it was just looking into her eyes. But we were way too close. Having adapted so poorly to Yeonhee's body, this position was incredibly uncomfortable. Our faces were now so close that our foreheads were practically touching. If we got any closer, our lips would collide.

She must have realized she had pressed too close, because she slightly loosened the strength in the leg and arm wrapped around me. As expected, her request to just have me lie beside her before sleep had been a lie. It was on the same level as saying we'd just hold hands while sleeping... After a certain amount of skinship, she seemed satisfied and stopped coming any closer. Her leg was still draped over my hip, and she continued stroking my hair, but the atmosphere had shifted. Was this enough?

Thinking that I had satisfied my master brought an inexplicable sense of fulfillment, but... did I really have to endure this every day from now on? This was going to be a serious problem...