The Bizarre Consultation with Calathea
Hunter name: Calathea. Real name: unknown. …Correct?
“Yeees, that’s right♡”
She had shed her usual wicked smile and answered with an expression of pure innocence, making Calathea look like nothing more than an ordinarily beautiful blonde woman. I wondered which face was truly hers….
“…For starters, can you at least tell me your real name? I’ll keep it to myself.”
“Hmm… Really? Then I’ll trust you and say it.”
“Yeah, I mean it.”
Calathea paused for a moment, then ran her fingers through her hair as if she had no choice.
“…Kim Dahye.”
“That’s surprisingly normal. So you really are Korean—”
“Ah, wait. Was it Marie Holstein? Hmm….”
“……….”
“Yeah, I remember now! It’s Monica♡ Monica Ranieri.”
“You’re just making shit up, aren’t you?”
Calathea stared at me with wide eyes, as if surprised I had only just figured it out. The sheer audacity. I considered pressing her harder for her real name, but it was clear that even if she answered, I’d have no way of knowing whether it was genuine. I decided to move on.
“Country and region of birth: unknown. Year of birth: unknown….”
“Hehe, hehehe—♪”
The way she hummed while inspecting her nails made it obvious she had no intention of answering this either.
“Fine. Next question— Actually, never mind. Let’s start with this instead: what do you want to tell me?”
“My three sizes? My erogenous zones? Or whether I’m still a virgin? What do you want to hear first, Manager?”
“…Calathea.”
“What? Did you think you’d learn everything about me so easily? Unfortunately, I’m not that boring of a woman♡”
Calathea twisted a lock of her golden hair around her finger and lifted the corner of her mouth in a mischievous smirk. So that’s how she wanted to play it. In that case, I’d try a different approach.
“Manager, were you making such a serious face because you’re that curious about my body? Hmm, then where should I begin… Oh, that’s right. Actually, I—”
“The way you keep teasing me to entertain yourself. Does it have anything to do with why you refuse to tell me about your past?”
Calathea’s smile froze. Her lips pressed into a thin line.
“If it does, then at the very least you could tell something to me—the person directly involved.”
“…Let me give you one spoiler, Manager? There’s no need to dig so hard. It’s a story completely devoid of any fun.”
Her voice had suddenly turned uncharacteristically serious. But now that I had drawn a reaction out of her, I had no choice but to keep pushing.
“I’m not asking about your past for entertainment. As someone now sharing the same boat with all of you, as a colleague—”
“Ahaha♡ Manager, did you just call us ‘colleagues’? Do you really think of us that way…? Hmm?”
I could only stay silent, avoiding her piercing gaze. Of course it had been a lie.
“Tell me, Manager.”
Calathea rose from her chair, slithered across the desk like a snake, and grabbed the collar at the nape of my neck, yanking me close.
“That mouth of yours—the one spouting cute little deceptions like calling us colleagues while those trembling eyes stare at me. Is this the mouth?”
“Uhp—!?”
In an instant, her breath rushed against me. Something soft and wet pressed firmly onto my lips. Our faces were so close that I could see every single one of her long, delicate lashes with my eyes wide open.
I was being forcibly kissed by Calathea.
“Chuuup, chup, chuut— Mmm, smack, smack, smoooch—♡”
She let out seductive, pleasure-filled whimpers as if she were thoroughly enjoying herself. She rubbed her lips wildly against mine, alternating between biting my upper and lower lip, sucking noisily, then thrusting her sharp tongue through the seam of my lips to stir everything inside however she pleased.
“………♡”
With a strange, smiling gaze that observed my every reaction, she lightly swept the space between my lips and teeth as if tasting me. Then she dove deeper in earnest—gently scraping the hard palate with the tip of her tongue, softly licking the tender inner flesh of my cheeks….
That tongue stirred every corner of my mouth as though coating it with her saliva. When it finally reached my completely frozen tongue, I instinctively tried to pull back. But Calathea wrapped both arms around my head, locking me in place so I couldn’t escape.
“Uup, uh, ngh…!”
Her long, slippery tongue seductively scraped upward from beneath mine, then coiled around it like a snake, sliding back and forth in a caressing motion. She briefly parted our lips, breathing hard, flicking her tongue side to side so they rubbed together, before pressing her mouth tightly against mine once more and driving her tongue deep inside.
With that deeply thrust tongue, she drew slow, teasing circles around my rigid one, toying with me. The entire time, her crimson eyes watched every single one of my reactions as I was all but violated inside my own mouth.
…She was kissing me however she wanted. Doing exactly as she pleased, toying with me for her own amusement. Yet for some reason, beneath her gaze I couldn’t move a muscle—like a mouse trapped in front of a snake.
Still holding me captive, Calathea pressed her face even closer as if she meant to devour my lips. She violently stirred our saliva-slicked mouths one final time in a finishing kiss, then slowly withdrew the tongue she had buried so deeply.
And then….
“Haaup♡”
“………!”
As our stickily adhered lips slowly parted, she gave my lower lip one last light bite and tug. It was as if she were leaving her mark on me—she left a small wound on my lip. Then, with a faint smile in her eyes, Calathea pulled away completely.
…Is it over now?
“Hey, Manager… Do you still want to know about me?”
Immediately afterward, she wrapped her arms around me again while I was still off guard, pulling me into a tight embrace. She brought her moist lips right up to my ear.
“If you do… you’ll have to cross the line first, Manager. That cute, dainty little line you’ve drawn between us….”
The hot, ragged breath against my earlobe felt like that of a beast moments away from devouring its prey.
“…Understand?”
Her voice was sweet yet somehow menacing as she whispered to me. Then, with a light hum, she released me from her hold entirely.
“So, Manager? Was the consultation helpful?”
“……I’m not sure.”
“Hmm, really? Looks like I’m not cut out to be a counselor after all.”
She had returned to her usual smiling face. She put the eye patch she had taken off back on and leaned back in her chair.
“Wake me when Madness’s consultation is over.”
With that, Calathea propped her legs up on the desk and fell asleep.
I watched her for a moment, steadying my breathing, then quietly rose from my seat and slipped out into the waiting room.
“Haa….”
The dizziness hit me the moment I sat down, and an involuntary heavy sigh escaped my lips. At the same time, I shivered slightly at the lingering presence on my mouth—the vivid sensation of that intense kiss where her breath had brushed against me.
…How should I describe it? It felt like I had glimpsed Calathea’s true face, if only for a moment. Those crimson eyes gleaming with fragments of her inherent madness… they definitely didn’t belong to the Calathea I had unconsciously underestimated until now.
The reason I had felt not even the slightest trace of ecstasy while being kissed by such a beauty was because it hadn’t been a kiss at all. It was the fangs she had bared at my throat after slightly lifting her playful mask.
“If you want to know about me, first cross the line I’m drawing… That’s what she said.”
Well. Is that even possible? Even taking into account that we had only met two days ago. Even though I fully understood the necessity of getting to know each other in order to synchronize our breathing.
I was skeptical. And it wasn’t simply because she was a criminal….
…It was because Calathea was seriously broken somewhere.
“No. If I think about it that way, I’m not so different from her.”
I raised both hands and stared at them quietly. There was nothing on them, yet I could clearly see those palms drenched in red blood. The blood of my sister that could never be washed away.
“Manager. I understand that Calathea has been tormenting you, but I would appreciate it if you could spare a thought for me, who has been waiting this entire time.”
“Audrey?”
At the sudden voice, I looked up to find Audrey leaning against the wall of the waiting room, watching me. For some reason, the pity in her gaze seemed to have subtly shifted into something else.
“Sorry for taking so long. The truth is—”
“There’s no need to explain. It appears you were simply enjoying yourself thoroughly with Calathea inside.”
“……Huh?”
“I’ll wait inside first. In the meantime, Manager, I suggest you visit the restroom and do something about that unsightly face of yours.”
Audrey gave a light nod toward my face, then turned and headed back into the consultation room. Wondering what she meant, I touched the spot her gaze had lingered on.
“Ah.”
When I brought my fingers in front of my eyes, they were clearly stained with the vivid red of Calathea’s lipstick.