Instinctively (2)

Baek A-young immediately dropped the lifted corners of her eyes back into place and went on with a look of perfect innocence.

"Still, I have so many teammates looking out for me that it's fine. We've been working together long enough that our coordination is pretty solid. Come to think of it, Ho-yeon — how about you? Do you mesh well with your dungeon practice teammates?"

Her talent for changing the subject was no joke. Typical of Baek A-young, the woman who'd managed to survive in that dreary Hunter Association staffed by nothing but old men.

"Honestly, it's been harder than I expected. Even among classmates we don't always click. I can't imagine how active hunters manage it. They have to coordinate with people they've never even met."

"You're actually on the lucky side, you know. It's better to run into teammates you don't click with while you're still an academy cadet. Out in the real field, you'll meet people who make you wonder if they're actively trying to get the whole team wiped out."

Ugh. Baek A-young shook her head hard, as if a bad memory had just surfaced.

"Hearing it from the Saint herself — someone who actually works in the field — yeah, that really hits home."

"Hey. I told you not to call me that."

Baek A-young clenched a fist and threw a punch at my shoulder. It was a cotton-soft punch, of course. Didn't hurt at all.

"I hear you're a real all-rounder. Good grades, student council officer, solid practical scores, and you even do volunteer work on weekends. What's your secret? When I was at the academy, I was already drowning just trying to keep up with my studies."

"Well, I appreciate the compliment. Me? I just have that kind of personality."

"Personality?"

Getting Baek A-young interested wasn't hard. The kind of man she wanted was someone honest about his instincts — someone who followed his desires and had no self-control was even better. Throw in a sturdy, masculine physique and you'd have the jackpot. Put simply, she was a pervert who wanted to get pinned down by a muscle-bound pig who lived for his lust.

My body was attractive enough, but it was the lean, aesthetic kind of muscle. Not quite what Baek A-young was looking for. Fortunately, I had other advantages. If my body fell short, I'd just have to make up for it with my face. It had worked in the original game, so it would work here too.

"Yeah. When it comes to something I want, I don't compromise. I have to make it happen. I have to have it."

"Hmm. I wonder why. Ambition is a good motivator, but if you follow your desires too faithfully, you'll end up becoming a bad adult."

Says the woman who wants to get raped by exactly that kind of adult, while pretending otherwise. She still didn't trust me, apparently. I'd have to dig a little deeper.

"But I've been like this since I was a kid. Things were hard, so I couldn't have anything I wanted to eat or anything I wanted to own. I was around the same age as the kids at the orphanage now, so you can imagine how miserable that was."

I sniffed, swallowing for no particular reason. Of course, I didn't remember a single thing about Lee Ho-yeon's past. I'd grown up warm and loved under good parents.

"..."

Fortunately, Baek A-young seemed to sense the serious atmosphere and waited quietly for me to continue.

"Before I knew it I was an adult attending the academy, and I realized I'd become someone who has to have whatever he wants and do whatever he wants to do."

"I see..."

Baek A-young looked at me with warm eyes and clasped my hands in hers. Sudden physical contact. The sympathy play was working better than expected, which was nice, but...

Why is she dropping into casual speech so naturally?

Baek A-young's affection had climbed to 45. It had started at 30, so that was some real progress. Meanwhile, why was her lust that high? Had it been building up lately?

Anyway, I needed to finish the sob story I'd started. I also needed to upgrade my image from "sad little boy" to "viable candidate to pin her down."

"I don't want to miss out on academy life. I want to do well on exams. I want to be on the student council. I don't want to give up volunteering. If I hate something, I have to destroy it. If I like something, I have to have it. That's why I fought when I saw those Demons."

"...It's okay. From here on, Ho-yeon, all that's left for you is to succeed."

Baek A-young, who'd been holding my hands and looking into my eyes, suddenly cried "Oh my!" and let go.

"I-I'm sorry. I made a mistak— no. I made a mistake. I'm sorry. Really."

"Heh. It's fine. I liked it, actually. And please, speak comfortably. You're my senior, after all."

"S-should I?"

The corners of her mouth were slowly rising. She liked that. She was the type who really enjoyed showing off that she was the adult here.

"Yes, of course."

"Thanks. You know, Ho-yeon, you've got a way cuter personality than you look. You're a total little rascal, huh?"

"Nah, I just have a dumb personality."

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

Baek A-young seemed to be turning something over carefully in her mind.

"Hmm. Still, it's cool. Honestly, I like that kind of personality... ah, is it getting warm?"

Baek A-young muttered ah, it's so hot~ to herself and popped two buttons on her blouse. Sure, March weather was on the warm side, but it wasn't hot enough for that.

I felt Baek A-young's gaze lingering on my face. She hadn't undone one button — she'd undone two. Her cleavage was inevitably on display, and my eyes naturally drifted there. Then I deliberately locked my gaze on her chest, so she'd be absolutely certain I was looking.

After staring openly at her cleavage for a few seconds, I lifted my head. Baek A-young's eyes met mine. She continued the conversation as if she couldn't care less whether I was looking at her chest or not.

"Even with that personality, you're still good at holding back. You say you do whatever you want, but if 'whatever you want' is exams, studying, student council, volunteering, and hunting Demons... you're not an idiot. You're just a hopelessly good person."

She wasn't wrong. But the whole "I do whatever I want" personality was something I'd just made up, so there wasn't much I could say. I really had been living like a good guy. I'd decided to become a bad man, but it wasn't easy.

Still, looking at Baek A-young's chest, a good excuse came to mind.

"Up until now, everything I've wanted has been perfectly legal. But if the next thing I want happens to be illegal..."

I slid my gaze back to Baek A-young's still-wide-open cleavage. Staring openly at a woman's chest in the middle of a conversation. An utterly outrageous thing to do. And I did it.

"I don't really know myself that well."

"Heeeh...?"

Baek A-young, as expected, didn't care at all. If anything, she seemed more interested.

"You know I'm joking, right?"

"Of course. But aren't you teasing an adult a little too much? Anyone else would've chewed you out."

It was an incredibly rude thing to do, of course. Society and the law — the walls Baek A-young hated most. Morality and reason — the leash around her neck. And yet, paradoxically, no one kept those rules better than she did.

Other people's gazes. Their respect. The title of Saint. The expectations piled on her. She didn't want to disappoint any of it, so she pretended to act more rationally than anyone. The truth was, she was a woman who'd fallen for the most primal things — a man's nature, desire, lust.

Which was exactly why I needed to show my desire even more strongly. If there were no eyes watching, and if the other person was a kindred spirit who felt the same instincts... Baek A-young would actually enjoy that kind of behavior.

"You know, today's conversation was actually really fun."

Baek A-young's eyes curved into smooth crescents.

Got it.

I really did have a talent for tugging at heartstrings.

"Nice. Very nice."

Things were going well. The special quest required taking the virginity of three heroines. I'd already taken Lucy's and Rumi's, so I just needed to figure out Baek A-young. Fortunately, I'd succeeded in catching her interest. The conversation had been full of pointless fluff, but we'd talked for a long time.

After chatting for a few hours, Baek A-young said she should get going and stood up. I handed out some snacks to the kids and left the orphanage.

It was five in the afternoon. A little early for dinner, but not a bad time.

"One fried chicken to go, please."

Should I order something for Liliana too? If she doesn't eat it, I'll just eat both. I can force it down if I have to. She might get sulky if I ate without her, so I ordered an extra one.

"Um, excuse me...?"

"Yes?"

"Y-you're Cadet Lee Ho-yeon from the PR department, right? I'm a huge fan...! If it's not too much trouble, c-could I get your autograph?"

A woman had appeared out of nowhere and was holding out her smartwatch. I just wrote my name and Be happy! and she squealed and vanished. I'd been in the PR department for a while now, but it was still weird that people recognized me. There were definitely more of them after the filming.

"When's the next shoot, though? A student council that only does something once a month is starting to feel a little guilty."

The PR department had become pretty important — it was my point of contact with two heroines, Elise and Mun Su-rin.

"This feels weird. Like I've become a celebrity."

Come to think of it, had Liliana gone live today? I opened her streaming channel on my smartwatch. I'd had a feeling — she was offline again.

"This is getting ridiculous. If she doesn't even stream to make money, she's just a freeloader."

If she's sick, she should say so. If she's not, she should come out of her room and at least play the role of a pet. She wasn't even doing that!

I headed back to the dorm with the packaged chicken.

Ding—

I opened the familiar door. Inside was quiet, as expected. I went straight to Liliana's room and knocked.

Knock knock.

"Liliana! I bought chicken. Want to eat together?"

"...Sorry. I'll eat it later by myself."

"Is something actually going on with you? Just tell me, it's fine. Did you gamble or something?"

"It's not that."

"Haa... Look, as your contractor, I have a duty to manage and take care of you."

"I said no!"

What the hell was her ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠problem? Had her rebellious phase finally kicked in after fifty years of slacking off?

Just open the damn door. Why so much talking?

Click!

I'd just been venting my frustration internally, but the door opened. Liliana was wearing nothing but a gray t-shirt that hung down to her hips and underwear underneath — the kind of comfortable outfit you'd only wear at home.

"Huh? Wh-what? What the hell!"

Slam!

Liliana, startled by the suddenly opened door, slammed it shut again.

"Y-you! You commanded me, didn't you!"

"No, I didn't. You just opened it yourself."

"My body just moved on its own! It was you, you perverted bastard!"

Well, she was swearing, so she was ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠back to normal.

"I wasn't even saying anything. Alright, this time for real. Liliana. Open the door."

Click!

The gray t-shirt and underwear greeted me once more.

"Y-you crazy bastard! I-I'm not even dressed!"

"Then put some clothes on and come back out."

Slam!

Liliana closed the door at my command. I fell into thought, using the sounds of her rummaging for clothes and the occasional curse as background noise.

Why has the contract's power gotten this strong?

I remembered it clearly. The terms of the Hell's Delinquent Contract.

I had no idea what could have deepened the bond between Liliana and me enough to strengthen the command authority. If anything, I could imagine it weakening. There hadn't been any incident that would have made it stronger.

Anyway, it wasn't a bad thing. My command authority had gotten pretty strong, so Liliana would probably obey most orders now. I had a deep feeling that was the case. If she still wouldn't cooperate after we talked face to face, I'd just have to command her to tell me what she'd been doing.

The sounds from the room had stopped. A moment later, Liliana came out into the living room wearing a tracksuit.

"..."

"Liliana, what's been going on with you lately? You don't stream, you don't come out of your room. If you have a complaint, let's talk it out. Is this still about the Lucy thing? I told you, that was the only way at the time."

"No, it's not that..."

"Forget it. I'm checking your room first."

There was no telling what weird stuff she might be doing in there. She clearly had no intention of telling me herself, so I needed to check if there was anything suspicious or dangerous in the room.

"N-no! Absolutely not! I swear I'll kill you!"

"Liliana. Stay still."

I poured mana into my voice as I gave the command and headed for the room. I stepped into what used to be my room, now transformed into Liliana's. It had been a while. The nostalgia hit me.

But the moment I crossed the threshold, an overwhelming sweet scent hit me.

"What is this?"

Especially the bed. An enormous sweet smell filled the room, thick with humidity. The sheets were soaked, as if someone had spilled water on them every three minutes.

"What the hell is this?"

"I-I was working out by myself and I sweated! It's nothing, so get out already!"

Liliana had followed me in at some point and was grabbing my arm, straining to drag me out. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠What on earth had she been doing to sweat that much? I was starting to worry she might be on some kind of weird drug. If Liliana's health got damaged, that would all be my responsibility. I couldn't let that happen.

"Liliana, tell me honestly before I have to command you. What were you doing in here?"

"Get out. Please get out. I'm begging you..."

"Liliana. Tell me in detail, from start to finish, everything you did in this room for the past three days."

I slammed nearly half my mana into my voice. That should do it. I didn't want to go this far either, but Liliana's current state was clearly not normal. Something unusual was definitely going on.

At my command, despair settled over Liliana's face, and she slowly began to open her mouth.

"I-I masturbated by myself... for three days... The first day I rubbed my clit while smelling your cadet uniform, the next day I stuffed your underwear in my mouth and sucked on it while grabbing your uniform and rubbing it against my pussy... The day after that the smell was gone so I fingered myself thinking about you thrusting your cock into Lucy..."

"...?"

What? Masturbating? With my cadet uniform? Wait, hold on, huh? An incomprehensible flood of information was causing errors in my memory capacity. I needed to ask again...

"U-u-uaaagh! Y-you fucking bastard! D-die! Just die already! Get chewed up and killed by a hell hippo! Get your ass blasted open by an incubus! You perverted piece of shit!"

"...Uh, um..."

Liliana was screaming with a face gone bright red. I had no idea how to respond in this situation. Hold on. She'd been calling me a lust-crazed pervert this whole time, and she'd spent three days fingering herself? Was there such a thing as a perverted succubus?

"I-I said I m-masturbated, but th-that's not actually true, okay? Uh... uh..."

Liliana fanned her face with her hand as she continued, as if it were burning up.

"...Yeah."

"You know that, right...? You know I hate this kind of stuff! Say something!"

"Uh, yeah. I know."

Even as she spoke, Liliana's pupils were trembling more and more. I was starting to feel a little sorry for her. Well, in a way, this was a relief. She hadn't done anything dangerous. I'd just been jumping to conclusions.

I was about to offer her some halfhearted consolation and wrap this up when...

"Th-that was a mistak— I said it wrong! I-I, someone like y-you... hic.Hic! You son of a bitch... sniff... this is all your fault! And then you treat me like this! Why... why did you summon me when I was doing just fine and turn me into this... why, hic... wail!Hic!"

Suddenly, Liliana started crying.

Huh? Hey, wait a second.

This isn't precum, right?