Suffocated in Her Embrace
"Ugh... it's so stuffy~..."
Suddenly, my face was buried in the chest of an American S-rank hunter.
I wriggled desperately to escape because I couldn't breathe, but my frail little body couldn't even handle someone who'd just woken up.
...This is so pitiful.
Why don't I have any body-related skills even though I'm a tiger beastkin...?
Oh right, I set it up that way...
I let out a silent sigh inside and just surrendered to her embrace.
I won't die or anything.
Plip. Plop.
Something hot and wet dripped onto my cheek.
"Hm...?"
I tilted my head up slightly to look at Iris's face, which was clutching me tightly.
Tears thicker than before were now streaming from her eyes, which had held no spark of life moments ago.
...I have no idea what she's seeing in me, but hey, at least she's reacting. That's a relief.
She held me close in her arms, sobbing silently without a sound.
Cry it all out.
Pat, pat.
I carefully stroked Iris's back, slow and gentle. With each pat, her tears seemed to grow even larger.
"Iris...?"
Olivia, who had been staring blankly at Baek Arang and Iris, called out her sister's name in disbelief and panic.
It stung a little that her sister, whom she'd called out to so desperately with no response, was reacting to a total stranger—but right now, there was no room for such petty thoughts.
She was just grateful that Iris had finally awakened.
"Iris... are you okay now?"
Iris still didn't answer. She simply trembled as she ever so gently stroked Baek Arang's perked-up ears with careful fingers.
Baek Arang stayed quietly nestled in her arms, feeling the raw emotion in that pitiful touch.
A moment later.
Iris, who had spent a long time stroking my head while composing herself, finally loosened her arms and let me go.
"Haa...!"
I gasped for the breath I'd been holding and took a step back.
Iris glanced down at me with her reddened eyes, then slowly turned her gaze to Olivia standing by the door.
She still looked a bit wrecked, but it was nothing like the soulless shell she'd been before.
If she'd hugged me like this with those same dead eyes from earlier, I would've smacked her.
Iris's dry lips parted.
"......Sis."
"Ah, Iris......"
"Hi."
Her voice came out hoarse and cracked. She offered a tentative, faint smile with her greeting.
At that single word, Olivia dropped her bag to the floor with a thud and rushed to Iris, enveloping her in a fierce hug.
"Aah...... Iris! Sob, waaah......!"
Olivia buried her face in Iris's shoulder and burst into childlike sobs.
The realization that her sister—whom she'd thought was broken beyond repair—finally recognized her and greeted her sent ripples through her heart.
Olivia's heartbroken cries echoed through the hospital room.
At that moment, Han Serin, who had been watching from behind, quietly grabbed my shoulder.
"Arang."
"Yeah?"
"Let's step out for a bit. They need family time."
I nodded quietly at Han Serin's words.
I'm not so oblivious that I'd stick around watching this tearjerker.
Han Serin and I slipped out of the room carefully, without making the door creak.
How long had we been sitting on the sofa in the hallway outside, waiting?
Click.
The door opened, and Olivia emerged with puffy, swollen eyes.
The moment she saw me, she rushed over, grabbed both my hands, and bowed deeply at the waist.
"Thank you...... Thank you so much, Arang! Thanks to you, our Iris has finally, finally reacted......"
"It's fine. It wasn't free, anyway. Please, lift your head."
It was pretty embarrassing getting a bow like this right in the middle of the hallway.
"Sis."
Then the hospital room door swung wide open, and Iris stepped out in her patient gown—sans IV stand, completely on her own.
...What? Did she pull out the IV in the meantime? How insane is her recovery?
"Iris! You can't get up and walk around yet!"
Olivia freaked out and tried to rush to her, but Iris lightly waved her off to stop her.
She moved her body fluidly, loosening up her stiff muscles, then spotted me in the hallway and approached with a bright smile.
...She looks even prettier up close like this.
Earlier, she seemed like a doll, but now with life in her eyes, it really hits home.
Stroke.
Iris reached out and gently patted my head.
"Feeling better now?"
Iris nodded at my question.
"Yeah. I'm okay now. Thanks."
What was that? Those eyes are staring way too intently.
I caught her gaze boring into my ears and took a subtle step back.
That's the same look Kim Hyunah gives me.
"Um...... Could I maybe touch your ears? Just once?"
At her earnest plea, I firmly stepped back further and covered my ears with both hands.
No way... these are premium ears.
"That's gonna be tough."
I'd allowed it earlier due to the mood, but I don't even let the guild leader touch them freely—can't just let her grab away.
At my firm refusal, Iris looked like the world had ended.
"Ah...... Lily, you're so mean..."
"Lily?"
Who's Lily?
I tilted my head at the unfamiliar name and looked at Iris.
She smacked her lips regretfully but nodded obediently.
"...Sorry, that was rude of me... Could I at least hold your hand?"
Her dejected look made me feel a twinge of guilt.
Did I come off too cold to someone who just woke up?
"Sure, holding hands is fine."
As I readily offered my hand, Iris seized it with both of hers like she'd been waiting, pressing it to her cheek and nuzzling against it.
"Haa..."
"Haa......"
A languid sigh of relief escaped her lips. Feeling the warmth of my hand, her expression melted into utter peace.
...S-rank prerequisite: total pervert. Confirmed.
Olivia, witnessing my hand being toyed with, looked horrified and hurried over to gently pry Iris away.
"Ah, Iris! Arang looks embarrassed!"
Olivia tried urgently to pull her off, but Iris clung to my hand like she'd never let go.
...Did I secretly slather honey on myself or something?
"It's okay, let her be."
I stopped Olivia.
Iris's hand against my cheek was ice-cold, trembling faintly.
An S-rank, scared of what? Enough to shake like this.
Well, going from corpse-like to fine in an instant would be the weird part.
I gripped her trembling hand in return and spoke softly.
"I'm okay with it, so hold on as long as you want."
At my permission, Iris gratefully buried my hand deeper into her cheek. My tail swished on its own.
Zing.
A chilling glare stabbed into the back of my head from behind.
No need to look—I knew exactly who it was.
Han Serin was totally glaring daggers at me and Iris.
I pretended not to notice the prickling stare and didn't turn around.
A little later, I led the now-calmed Iris by the hand back to her bed in the room.
I subtly checked her condition.
Her eyes had focus now, and she could speak, but her body was still rigidly tense.
Like dough that's too dry and forced into fermentation.
It was obvious to everyone, including me, that she was barely holding on without full recovery.
Before feeding her bread, I needed to loosen up that tension first.
I stroked my chin and looked at Iris.
"Hey, mind lying face-down on the bed for a sec?"
"......Face-down?"
"Yeah. Just get comfy like that."
At my out-of-nowhere request, Olivia and Han Serin both gave me puzzled looks, but Iris herself climbed onto the bed without question and lay down obediently.
"L-like this?"
"Yep. Just hang on a moment."
I rolled up my hoodie sleeves and hopped onto the bed, positioning myself lightly around her waist.
"Excuse me for a bit."
"Arang? What are you—"
Olivia panicked to stop me, but I ignored her and placed both hands on Iris's back.
Kkneading Lv. 3
A familiar, warm energy began flowing from my fingertips.
I started pressing her back rhythmically, just like kneading dough.
Squish. Squish. Squish. Squish.
"Hng......!"
The moment the first kknead hit, a muffled moan burst from Iris's lips.
I could feel her body gradually softening under my fingers.
"Grr...... Purrrr......"
A fluffy, dreamy sensation washed over me as I closed my eyes, surrendering fully to the feel of my hands.
"Haaaah......"
As my kneading continued, sweet, languid sighs poured endlessly from Iris's mouth.