A Minor Incident (2)
After pulling Kim Isabel out of the Cheonmu Academy Church, I wasted no time hitting her with the Succubus Heart suggestion.
After all, that step marked the beginning of her 'androphobia training.'
"How is it, Isabel? Did the buff take effect properly?"
"…Yes, I think it did."
The body that had been trembling uncontrollably just moments before went quiet and docile the instant she received my suggestion.
And the moment her mind settled, as if remembering what had happened earlier, Kim Isabel immediately brought up Yoon Selena.
"I'm sorry about earlier, Seonho. I'm sure Sister Selena didn't mean anything malicious by it."
"It's fine, it didn't bother me at all. If anything, I'm sorry I spoke so rudely to her."
"You really are broad-minded, Seonho. Sister Selena isn't the type to hold grudges deeply, so I'm sure she'll be fine too."
Oh no, she'll hold one alright. She just won't let it show.
Unlike Min Yewon, who only got tangled up with things by accident, that woman joined Black Moon of her own vendetta. There was no way someone like her had a properly functioning head on her shoulders.
"It's been almost two weeks since we saw each other at the amusement park. Have you been well?"
"Yes. The sisters at the church are so kind that every day has been pleasant. And none of them think it strange that I wear my veil, the way you do, Seonho."
"Well, you all share the same faith. I'm glad you've been doing well."
Of course, that was only how it looked from the outside—in truth, the church was an organization rotten to the core.
If it weren't, Kim Isabel wouldn't still be stuck as a mere saint candidate.
Not knowledge worth sharing with the current Kim Isabel, anyway. Not that she'd believe me even if I told her.
"Is there anywhere you'd like to go? I'll take you."
"Anywhere you take me, Seonho, is fine with me."
"Still, it's a rare outing. You must have somewhere you want to go."
"Then… how about somewhere no one else's eyes can reach, where the two of us could be alone?"
"Hm?"
"Ah, that was a joke. Just… yes, a joke."
It wasn't a joke, was it.
Frankly, if I dragged Kim Isabel off to a motel right now, she wouldn't resist. Of course, if the church people found out about that later, it would cause quite the stir.
And when courting a main heroine, I always had to think about the 'after the suggestion wears off.' Without Succubus Heart, Kim Isabel's androphobia would return, and her affection for me wouldn't be as large as it was now.
Women like Min Yewon or Yoon Selena were a different story, but for the 'heroines,' at least, I wanted to keep them smiling as much as possible.
"Alright, then let's go there."
"…Pardon?"
"Somewhere no one's eyes can reach, where the two of us can be alone."
"…Do you mean that?"
"Yeah, come on. I know a good place."
Kim Isabel asked cautiously, as if she'd never expected me to actually take her joke seriously.
"……"
Yet she showed no sign of refusal, quietly falling into step behind me.
"Doubles! That means I can escape the island now, right?"
"That's right, well done. Now roll again."
-Rattle rattle rattle.
A pair of dice rolled across the table after slipping free of Kim Isabel's fingers.
Yes. Right now I was sitting alone with her inside a board game cafe.
There was simply no better date spot for spending time together as a pair without worrying about anyone else's eyes.
It'd still be too early to take her straight to a DVD room or a private café, I suppose.
Honestly, even if I did take her somewhere like that, there wasn't much further I could push things at this stage.
If it were Cha Eunju, I could sneak a feel under the pretense of having gotten trapped in a private room together, and she wouldn't resist—but Kim Isabel wasn't ready for our relationship to go that far yet.
Besides, while this place was curtained off, it wasn't a 'completely sealed room,' which meant less backlash from lingering unease once the suggestion wore off. In more ways than one, the board game cafe was the only option.
She did make a slightly disappointed face when she first found out it was a board game cafe, though.
-Rattle rattle….
"Oh, Seoul! I can buy this one, right?"
But that disappointment was short-lived. Before long, Kim Isabel was thoroughly enjoying herself.
"Yeah. It's the best value property on the board, so buy it if you want."
"Yes! Then next is… oh, a Golden Key! A birthday gift of 100,000 won for every player…."
…Still, her luck was genuinely ridiculous.
I'd deliberately picked Blue Marble, the game with the simplest rules for beginners, but who knew she'd run the table like this.
She almost never landed on my properties while devouring the prime lots one after another. It was absurd. Was this what being blessed by God looked like—lucky at dice too, for someone of the cloth?
Not that I'd brought her here to win or lose in the first place. As long as she laughed and enjoyed herself, I was happy. Even if her smile was hard to see under the veil.
"Whew, it's a little warm in here. Would it be alright if I took off my coat, Seonho?"
"Go ahead. The staff don't come in here anyway, so nothing to worry about."
"…Hmm, the staff don't come in here, you say."
-Ziiip.
With a strangely deliberate tone, Kim Isabel pulled down the zipper of her long padding, baring that devastating figure.
Her lewd body, the curves of her chest and hips on full display, rose from her seat and sidled right up next to me.
"Isabel…?"
"I was just thinking—it's a four-person table, but there's really no need for us to sit across from each other. Wouldn't sitting side by side like this be better for my 'androphobia training'?"
"…W-well, yes. It would."
"Go on, Seonho. Roll the dice."
"……Right."
She was openly pressing her weapon—her chest—against my arm as she clung to me, so I played along, feigning flusteredness at her boldness.
This much was fine. She'd been the one to close the distance first, not me.
She'll probably be embarrassed out of her mind later, once the suggestion wears off.
And so it went—bodies pressed flush against each other, nothing but dice rolls for about two hours.
We played three games, and I went bankrupt in all three with perfect consistency, after which Kim Isabel and I stepped back outside.
"Once you learn the rules, it really is a fun game. Thanks to you, I had a wonderful time, Seonho."
"Glad you liked it, Isabel."
"…You're not upset that I won so much, are you?"
"Not a chance. I'm the one who suggested coming here in the first place—seeing you enjoy yourself was more than enough for me."
Besides, win or lose, thanks to her clinging to me for two straight hours, I'd gotten my full fill of the feel of her chest and thighs.
Because I played the embarrassed gentleman, she only grew more at ease and more actively pressed against me—those two hours were anything but wasted.
"What time do you have to be back at the church?"
"Evening prayer is at six, so I need to be back by four to prepare."
"Tough schedule. That doesn't leave much time after lunch."
"Those are the rules. But just being able to step out like this with you, Seonho, is more than enough for me."
…You might think it's enough, but I don't.
Once this incident raised Yoon Selena's guard, getting Kim Isabel out of the church again would only become more of a hassle. If I could, I needed to push things further with her today.
"Isabel, anything you'd like to eat for lunch?"
"Anything is fine, as long as it's with you, Seonho."
"How about we eat at my place? We'd probably just order delivery, but still."
"…Your home, Seonho?"
"Yeah, the place I live on my own is near the academy. If we eat out, we'll have to part ways right after the meal, but at my place we'd have time for at least another cup of tea.
If there's time left over, we could also continue that training from the church—the one for getting you comfortable around men. I just thought I'd ask."
"……"
"Ah, feel free to say no if it's too much. Even I know that going into the home of a man who lives alone can feel a bit…."
"N-no, I'll go. I think it's a good idea, Seonho."
The moment I mentioned what happened at the church, she nodded along, unable to hide her desire in the slightest.
Such a calm way of speaking—and yet she really can't play hard to get at all.
"Come on in."
"Excuse me for intruding…."
Kim Isabel stepped into the private house where I lived, glancing around with a hesitant, fidgety manner.
Compared to how she'd rubbed her own body against me at the board game cafe just a while ago, she was now painfully self-conscious, watching my every move.
"It's so clean. You said you live here alone, right?"
"Yeah. I do the cleaning myself. I'm in the habit of keeping things tidy."
"That's a good habit to have."
"Sit anywhere you like. Oh—want something to drink? Anything you need?"
"W-water would be fine."
"Really? I've got milk and juice too."
"…Then, milk, please."
After she picked the drink that matched the color of her habit, I brought Kim Isabel a glass of milk along with a few individually wrapped cookies arranged on a plate.
Not just a drink, but a proper little spread—so we could sit around the table and chat as naturally as possible.
"Here you go, Isabel."
"Thank you, Seonho."
"Anything you want for lunch? For some reason I feel like you'd prefer western food over Korean."
"I-I eat both just fine, so please don't trouble yourself on my account."
"Really? Then how about pizza?"
"Pizza sounds good too, yes."
"Do you like Hawaiian pizza? I'd love to order it if it's okay with you, Isabel."
"Oh, yes! I like that too!"
"Then I'll get half Hawaiian, half pepperoni."
It didn't show on her face, but I could tell she was delighted inside. Among all kinds of food, Hawaiian pizza was one of Kim Isabel's favorites.
Truthfully, I didn't care for it much myself—I just pretended to. Sharing a favorite food, especially one as divisive as that, was a solid way to build rapport.
It wasn't as though pineapple pizza was inedible or anything. I simply chose not to buy it with my own money.
I picked up a cookie from the table and deliberately kept the ordering leisurely. The meal needed to arrive late if I wanted to buy myself a window to move things forward with Isabel.
We sat chatting casually, one person on each arm of the L-shaped sofa, and shortly after I finished the order, a truly ideal message appeared on my phone: estimated delivery time, about one hour.
"Ah, they say it'll take about an hour if I order now."
"This is when the orders pile up, after all. But it's fine—we're not waiting outside."
"True enough."
An hour. More than enough time for the skinship with Kim Isabel that we'd left unfinished last time.
"Well, we have some time before the pizza gets here, so—shall we continue that training I mentioned?"
"…By training, you mean the one from the church?"
"Yeah. It seemed to have a real effect on your androphobia since we started it. Of course, if it makes you uncomfortable, we don't have to…."
"N-no, no…! I, I truly think it's a wonderful training…! Your body, Seonho, is a definite help in getting me used to men…."
If she stammered like that even without her androphobia acting up, it meant she was happy enough for her emotions to waver.
Kim Isabel's consent was firmly secured, so now all that was left was for me to play my part.
"You should probably take your top off again, like last time, right? That way always helps you get comfortable with men faster."
"Wh-whatever's comfortable for you, Seonho…."
-Shff!
"Here you go, Isabel. Don't be shy—go ahead and touch."
"…Yes, Seonho."
With tension threading her voice, Kim Isabel carefully approached my now-bare upper body.