It's Just Acting
"Hngh... hah... haaah...♡"
With a vulgar moan, the blonde saintess collapsed face-down on the floor. Having climaxed so many times already, all she could do was tremble, her body racked with residual shudders.
The dokkaebi took one look at her, bound her once more in a turtle-shell shibari, then turned to address the white fox.
"Big Sis? The yin gate on her lower abdomen has vanished. Looks like the goddess wiped the holy stigma clean."
"Of course she would. When a being tastes pleasure it has never known, fear is the natural response."
"So what now? Are we just going to sit here and wait for the goddess?"
"We are. She dotes on this child — she will come looking soon enough. All the more reason to be thoroughly prepared when she arrives."
The Fox God gazed steadily at the saintess, who was glazed head to toe in white fluid, then undid her bindings and held her out to the dokkaebi.
"Take her."
"...Just like that?"
"You seemed rather fond of her, did you not? From what I observed, the two of you were remarkably compatible."
"And how would Big Sis know that?"
"It was written all over your face. Does this lady look like someone who has only dealt with lechers like you once or twice?"
The Fox God sighed and urged him to hurry up and take her. The dokkaebi accepted the unconscious saintess, scratching the back of his head with an awkward little smile.
"You've always had a terrifying eye for these things. So — I can keep playing with this woman, then?"
"Do as you please. But if you get so absorbed in mating with her that you ignore my summons..."
"Ignore you? Other fools might, but this humble one is reliable, is he not?"
"That remains to be seen. Chasing skirts has a way of short-circuiting a man's reason."
The Fox God shook her head, then smirked as she pictured the Lily Goddess she would soon encounter.
"I wonder — does she realize she is nothing more than an ant about to tumble into an antlion's pit?"
"Who knows? If she did, she wouldn't have left residual traces of the stigma behind. Heh heh... if we use this woman as a medium to defile the goddess herself..."
"Just imagining it is already delightful. I can already picture her scrambling back to the celestial realm in pure terror."
The Fox God cackled until tears pricked at her eyes, then issued her next command.
"Call every youkai on this list."
"...They're all lechers cut from the same cloth as me. Can a pack of vulgar creatures like these really drive a goddess to retreat?"
The Fox God nodded at his doubt.
"Do not worry."
With the knowledge her Apostle had shown and taught her, victory against that goddess was all but assured. If the plan proceeded as intended, she could corrupt the woman into a heterosexual.
Smiling brightly at the thought, the Fox God spoke.
"All of it — for the sake of normal desire and pure love."
"Hey."
"What."
"How's the anniversary stream prep coming? Feels like you're just drawing commission pieces like always."
My ball-buddy fretted that, having taken a fat contract fee, I ought to put on something for the first-anniversary broadcast. I paused mid-stroke and answered quietly.
"Is there even anything to prepare? The contract caps the stream at thirty minutes, tops. Show off the cosplay, say hello, sketch one dirty illustration, drop a gacha massacre for the finale, and we're done. Right?"
"You're not wrong, but other than designing Celina's shrine-maiden outfit two days ago, you haven't done a damn thing. And even that one's unfinished."
"I finished that design ages ago. I already put in the production order."
"...What?"
"I wrapped it up and submitted the order while you were out. It should arrive three days before the stream."
I answered flatly and went right back to drawing futanari porn. Hyeok-jin immediately bolted over and demanded to see the design.
"Stop drawing futa shots and show me that shrine-maiden outfit for a second. I don't trust you, you bastard."
"Why are you butting in? What business is it of yours how I design a miko outfit?"
"If it's too slutty, the stream gets cut, you idiot! If the anniversary broadcast gets banned and never airs, are you taking the fall?"
"..."
Annoying as it was, he had a point. People's thresholds for "too sexy" really did vary.
That said — was I really going to leave the judgment call to him?
He wasn't wrong, but this guy was a deviant whose entire sexuality revolved around furries. I'd designed something I, a person of perfectly normal appetites, considered borderline. Wouldn't a fetishist like him just rubber-stamp it as fine no matter what?
Still, two opinions beat one. I showed him the design — and watched his face lock up in real time.
"This is getting the stream banned for sure. What the hell were you looking at when you designed this?"
"I was stuck, so I mixed the shrine-maiden outfit from Xtomy with the one Celina wears. Why?"
"You absolute maniac! Why would you mash an Xtomy-style miko outfit onto a normal one?! Cancel the order right now!!!"
Hyeok-jin blew up and bellowed at me to switch to a classic shrine-maiden design immediately. Worn down by his relentless pressure, I finally sent the maker Celina's original outfit and asked them to tailor it to my measurements.
I finished the chat, transferred the money, and showed Hyeok-jin the whole exchange. He still looked worried.
"You don't check community buzz, do you? Far as I remember, the only boards you hang around are commission ones."
"Lately I've been ego-searching on streaming forums too. But do I really need to check the game boards? I heard those people brawl the second anyone gives them an opening."
"Oh, they brawl constantly. But that game you got hired for? It's on fire over you right now. Wanna see?"
"Sure."
I was a little curious what had them so worked up. The only time I'd even mentioned the game on stream was when I announced — with entirely too much credit — that I'd landed the anniversary broadcast.
I peered at the phone Hyeok-jin shoved in my face, read every post, and couldn't help snorting out a laugh.
Of course I laughed. The posts landed exactly where I'd predicted — how could I not?
The majority howled about why they had to watch some nobody for the anniversary broadcast.
A few tried to shield her with cautious optimism — and got hammered for it.
And then there were the hopeless lolicon bastards fretting that the character would get spoiled.
The community was raging exactly the way I'd expected. I let out a dry little laugh, and my friend patted me on the back.
"You okay? You look wrecked."
"Of course I'm wrecked, fuck. I drew for fifty-eight hours straight over three days — it'd be weirder if I weren't."
"Not that, you idiot. I mean the stream. Is it actually going to be fine?"
He thumped his own chest in frustration, still shooting me those worried looks. So, to shut him up, I pulled out the Celina performance I'd been practicing in the scraps of free time I had.
The gaze I used on a friend I could treat without reserve shifted into the gaze of someone looking after a single precious child.
The rough, unrestrained movements no different from a man's melted into the soft, floating grace unique to a woman.
And finally, my crude, flippant way of talking transformed — tuned to Celina's character — into something tender and solemn.
Ready, I drew his head straight against my chest and spoke in a gentle, measured voice.
"You may set your worries aside. This body is not so frail as to need your fretting."
The moment I delivered Celina's most famous line, Hyeok-jin's smooth bald head flushed red enough to notice. He yanked himself free of my arms in a hurry.
"...Hey."
"What?"
"I don't know about the rest, but your Celina cosplay is definitely going to land."
"Really?"
"Yeah. Your chest was ridiculously soft and squishy. Wait — fuck, that is not what I meant to say."
Mortified by the slip, Hyeok-jin bolted straight out of the house. His words finally made me realize what I'd just done.
"AAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
I screamed and clawed at my hair.
You absolute idiot.
Acting or not — I'd voluntarily hugged that bastard? And shoved his head into my chest?
The self-loathing was... no. Wait. It was acting, so it didn't count, right?
Most of the viewers tuning in would be guys anyway. Getting the practice in early couldn't hurt.
Yeah. It was nothing more than acting.
I didn't like that guy...
Not yet, anyway.