Comradeship (2)

"Seoyun collapsed?"

"Yeah."

Deokgu asked with a serious expression. I nodded and explained what happened in the Dungeon.

Of course, I couldn't bring myself to say that the reason Seoyun collapsed was a side effect of her Ability, and that she went down from being in heat.

To say that, I'd have to explain the Ability I'd been hiding all this time, why I hid it, and whether I'd done anything bad to Seoyun or not.

"Hmm...... Well, Dungeon exploration isn't easy. And she's been going in and out without rest for a whole month."

"Then give her some time off."

"Yeah. You guys rest today."

"......You sure that's okay?"

I'd half-expected a no when I said it, but Deokgu replied like it was no big deal.

"We've got savings and you've gotten paid, so you won't starve if you take a day off."

If anything, he said we'd earned a good rest after a month of hard work. That's what Deokgu told me.

Having gotten the time off, I immediately called Seoyun and Eunha to let them know we had the day free.

"A day off?"

"Yeah. I'm planning to rest, but you two......"

"Let's go shopping. Come with."

"......Huh?"

"Eunha, you wanna come?"

"I wanna rest......"

"Alright, then it's just you, Dojin."

Seoyun said that and headed to her room to change. I grabbed her as she left and said,

"I wanna rest too......"

"So? Isn't shopping resting?"

"No, I meant I wanna roll around in bed."

"Tsk, Dojin. You gonna make me go alone? A girl by herself? Dangerous?"

I looked at her with a dumbfounded expression. Considering her Ability, there was no way she'd be in danger.

What threat could there be to a girl who could freeze dozens ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of monsters to death in an instant?

But I couldn't do anything but watch as she brushed off my hand with a "you gonna keep holding on or what?"

Because she was limping ever so slightly as she walked to her room.

'......I'll let it slide this time. Just this once.'

Yeah, it didn't feel right sending off a girl who'd just lost her virginity last night all alone, and if she caused some incident out there, it'd be a loss for the whole party.

I headed to my room to change. Then I paused.

"......Hold on."

In Korea, going out alone with a girl was called a date.

And right now, I was heading into town alone with Seoyun.

'Isn't this a date?'

I even had that sweet, absurd fantasy.

If only for a brief moment.

"What's with those clothes?"

"......Cheapest ones I could buy. All the guys got stuff like this."

"They're ugly."

"The clothes?"

"......."

Seoyun didn't answer. She just dragged me to a clothing store. Once there, she started rummaging through the clothes to find ones that fit me.

"How much money you got?"

"Money? None. From that thing before......"

"You're useless. I'll buy this time. Pay me back later."

She said that and held out some stylish clothes.

"Go change."

A moment later, as I came out ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠after changing with the clerk's help, Seoyun let out a hum.

"Hmm...... Not bad."

"Who picked 'em?"

"You don't have to butter me up."

Seoyun said that and started handing me clothes one by one. I began feeling the weight in my arms growing heavier.

"Hey, why so many clothes......"

"You'll wear them from now on. What's the big deal? It's less than what I make in a day."

"Of course! It really suits you, miss......"

"I'll let you know when I'm done picking. Stay quiet till then."

"......Yes, ma'am."

She shut up the approaching clerk, then dragged me to the fitting room.

She grabbed a few of the clothes piled on my arm, went in to change, and came out. Being a girl, it took her forever.

"How's this?"

"......What?"

"You're supposed to say it's pretty."

"......Pretty."

"I know."

Then the next one, and the next, and the next next.

She changed more than a dozen times, and I waited with my numb arms twitching.

"Decided."

"Finally......?"

"All of these, please."

"Yes! Thank you so much!"

The clerk swiftly gathered all the clothes from my arms and packaged them at lightning speed.

With the attitude of no turning back, she finished paying in an instant and called out the price with a smile.

"Three Silver Coins!"

"Cheap. Here."

"Thank you! Come again!"

Seoyun gestured at me as she eyed the mountain of packages.

"What're you doing? Carry them."

"......Why am I doing this."

I sighed and picked up the bags. Her Ability wouldn't help here, so I couldn't even tell her to use it.

Following behind her with my hands full.

'Pretty girl tax.'

Her personality was foul and cold, but Seoyun had such stunning looks that even with that attitude, she didn't get hated much.

Thanks to that, we looked like some noble or rich merchant's kid with his attendant trailing after.

Thinking of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠it that way, looks really were everything.

"Hey."

"Yeah?"

"I'm hungry."

"......And?"

"That one."

Seoyun pointed to a street food cart. The smell of grilling meat and sauce was no joke.

"Buy some."

"Sure, two skewers."

The cart owner skillfully sauced up the skewers he'd been grilling and handed them over.

After paying and grabbing the skewers, I hurried to the bench where Seoyun was sitting so she wouldn't get mad.

In the time I was gone, she was getting hit on by some shady dudes.

'Even this world has these types.'

Well, if curbing male lust was that easy, prostitutes would've gone extinct ages ago.

Especially since Seoyun was a rare Eastern beauty in this world.

I went straight to her side and held out a skewer.

"You're late."

"Sorry."

"Hey∼ Oppa. Can't you see we're talking to noona? Move it."

I looked at the guy who said that. Oppa? I thought my ears were busted.

With his bulging muscles and bald head screaming testosterone overload, hearing that from him was peak disgust.

I dry-heaved and shoved him away.

"Urk. Oppa my ass......"

"Get lost?"

"A baldie saying that makes me wanna puke."

"─Guess words won't cut it."

The bald guy got pissed at my words and grabbed the hilt of his sword. Dumbass—better to just swing a fist......

I reached out and grabbed his wrist. That alone stopped him from drawing. No matter how strong your wrist, it's weaker than your whole body.

Then I softly gripped and twisted his wrist. Making it dislocate on its own, then adding my weight.

"Aaaagh!"

The guy rolled on the ground. Unless he was some freak who wanted his wrist broken, it was the natural reaction.

This was the culmination of joint techniques from Earth, only developed in the 20th century when all sorts of martial arts existed.

Hapkido.

"St-stop, aaaagh! Let—aaaagh! It's breaking, breakinggg!"

"It's not. I'm controlling it."

And if it did break, the Class President could undo it. That fact gave me the boldness.

Crunch.

"Gaaah!"

"Shh. Quiet."

"Mmph! Mmmph!"

"I'll let go if you shut up and scram. Got it?"

"Mmph!"

The bald guy frantically shook his head. If he had any follicles left, they'd grow back from the speed.

Only then did I release his wrist, and he clutched it as he bolted away.

Watching him flee while munching skewers was quite the sight.

"Hey, what were you doing letting those guys......"

"Thanks."

"......Huh?"

"I said thanks."

"Oh...... uh, yeah."

Hearing Seoyun's thanks made the situation feel oddly unfamiliar. Déjà vu.

And it didn't take long to figure out why. It was that classic manga scene where the boyfriend saves his girlfriend.

With the rare cherry on top of Seoyun's gratitude, the mood started turning pinkish.

"......With your Ability, you could've shaken those guys off. Why didn't you?"

"How?"

"Well, pretend to be a mage or something."

"Jealous?"

"Huh?"

"You don't want me talking to other guys?"

Hearing her oddly gentle tone, I plopped down next to her. Then I looked at her face.

It seemed a bit flushed. No way, her? I shook off the thought.

"No, not like that."

"......That guy from before. I'll go meet him."

"What? Why."

"Liked him."

"No, what the......"

Seeing her actually get up, I grabbed her wrist.

"What're you doing?"

"Why the sudden act?"

"Let go."

"Tell me why first?"

"I wanna get off too. Isn't free love healthier than buying a whore?"

She said that, and I was speechless, mouth agape. No girl should say that.

It was so crass, I thought I misheard.

"W-what?"

"They say bald guys got stamina. Gonna check if it's true."

"Wait. You...... serious?"

I knew her Ability's risk was lust. But, but this was...... too much.

'Well, last night she was ready to jump any guy......'

Just in case, I checked her Heat Level. Normal. Had the side effects gotten so bad she'd do this stone-cold sober?

"Why? Want you to handle it instead?"

"Can't do that between comrades."

"You did fine last night."

"No, wait...... what?"

I looked at Seoyun in shock. She grabbed my collar and shoved her face in mine.

Even this close, her flawless beauty had no blemishes. She stared right in my face, then slowly leaned to my ear.

"Thought I wouldn't know?"

"What're you......"

"Shh."

That moment, it felt like my heart stopped. And I remembered saying the exact same thing to the bald guy earlier.

"Found you."

Right after, an ice collar formed around my neck.

A woman's senses are sharp.

Especially when she's in heat.

After countless orgasms, with every cell in her body hyper-activated, her senses were razor-sharp beyond words.

At that moment, her sense of smell was beast-like.

Yeah, back when that mystery assailant raped her.

'This smell......'

It was awfully familiar. Trapped in a tight space for a month, it'd mixed with her own scent so much she'd been confused.

Realizing the owner was Dojin didn't take long.

But she couldn't trust unscientific evidence like smell.

She needed more proof.

"Let's go shopping."

So she dragged Dojin into town. Bought him new clothes to overwrite with his scent, and while he changed, buried her nose in them.

'Same smell.'

The instant she smelled it, last night flashed back, and a trickle of vaginal fluid slid down her thigh.

Her clothes ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠got stained, so she had no choice but to buy new ones and underwear to change into.

She stuffed his shopping bag between her new clothes, sat on the bench, and sorted her thoughts alone.

"That one. Buy it."

He must've had a guilty conscience or something, 'cause today he was weirdly obedient to her whims.

Everything was screaming he was the culprit. But she needed ironclad proof.

The kind that'd hold up in a modern courtroom......

And soon enough, she got it.

"Shh. Quiet."

Dojin whispering in the bald guy's ear. The voice she'd replayed in her head a thousand times.

'Found you.'

When he sat next to her, all her senses screamed he was the one. The one who did this to her.

The silhouette she'd barely glimpsed.

The voice she'd heard.

The smell she'd inhaled.

The touch she'd felt.

Even the taste of his semen on her tongue.

Everything.

He.

Was declaring himself her master.

"Found you."

Seoyun put the collar on him so he couldn't run.

This time, she wouldn't let go.