58화 57화
Whose heartbeat is that, pounding so wildly? Whose saliva is that long, silver thread stretched between her pink, petite lips? Frey decided not to think about it. She didn't have the mental capacity to ponder such things. Dark blue hair, soaked in sweat, clung to Lucia’s cheeks. Her face was flushed so red that it made one wonder if she were suffering from a fever. Her eyes, hazy and unfocused as if she were dreaming, and her completely melted expression—it all stimulated Frey’s inner self.
This was already the third kiss. Every time their lips explored one another, their body temperatures grew uncontrollably hot.
'It's not enough.'
Frey caught her breath for a moment. At first, she had only attempted it as a "nothing to lose" gamble, but it was genuinely effective. She could feel Alice’s heartbeat, which had been impossible to track before. Lucia’s absurd plan to "awaken Alice through stimulation" had achieved a groundbreaking result. But it wasn't enough. This wasn't nearly enough.
More. She needed to deliver a shock so profound that Alice couldn't help but emerge.
Frey glared at the girl before her. The blonde girl, who had slumped to the floor as her legs gave out, was squirming her thighs. She couldn't even wipe away the flowing saliva, only gasping for breath. The sight of her with her tongue lolling out, panting like a dog, was truly pathetic.
'...Cute.'
A sharp pain pulsed in her chest. Fragments of emotions, slimy and clinging, spread throughout her body in rhythm with her heartbeat, as thick and black as tar. It was an impulse she felt from time to time. When she saw something small and cute, she wanted to pet it. Yes, just like when she heard a chick chirping; she would want to hold it in her palm. And then, she wanted to squeeze it until it burst. Yellow fur filling her palm, blood, internal organs, waste products. She had never actually done it. She knew Alice would hate it. But she had imagined it time and again. What would it actually feel like if she did it?
Frey was occasionally tormented by such desires. Destructive and sadistic. It was a sordid craving that did not exist in the innocent Alice. Superhuman abilities are affected by the mind. Conversely, the mind is inevitably affected by one's ability. It was unique, but not strange, for someone with a power as deeply destructive as "Heat Ray" to have such impulses. Although Heat Ray was Alice’s ability, Frey was a personality derived from Alice. The fact that Alice had an abnormally low level of violence compared to her power... perhaps it was because she had pushed all of it onto Frey.
'Now is not the time to be swayed by such trivial feelings. I have to bring Alice back.'
Frey grabbed Lucia’s shoulders. That served as a signal; Lucia shivered and gently closed her eyes. Their lips met again. Lucia, who had resisted in confusion at first, no longer fought back. Perhaps it was because she had offered it herself. Or perhaps there was another reason.
When Lucia first suggested they kiss, Frey had been dumbfounded. She had doubted Lucia’s true intentions and had only attempted it thinking she had nothing to lose. But she soon realized that the kiss Lucia had in mind was entirely different from the one she had imagined. She had felt so ridiculous when they had barely brushed their lips together and stopped. It made her look foolish for being so tense and guarded.
"Huu-ut..."
Lucia groaned, trembling. Every time Frey’s tongue tapped against her even, unblemished teeth, Lucia twisted her thighs. The lewd sounds, the sight—Frey stole kisses from her while observing every detail without missing a thing. Her face was flushed red, like a ripe apple. Her posture, unable to pull away while held by the shoulders, was helpless. She felt a sudden urge to bite that soft, slightly coarse tongue. Every time she exhaled, the hot air touched the bridge of Frey’s nose.
Cute. Not as much as Alice, but still.
Without thinking, Frey firmly pinched Lucia’s nose. Lucia, her air passage blocked, opened her eyes in panic. Her mouth was being toyed with by Frey’s lips and tongue, and her nose was clamped shut by Frey’s fingers like a pair of tongs.
"Uup, hu-ugh...!"
At first, she just blinked. She’ll let go soon. She’s just playing a prank for a moment. The expression on her face clearly showed she was thinking that. But as time passed and there was no sign of the hand releasing her nose, Lucia’s pupils began to shake. She grabbed Frey’s hand with clumsy movements. She tried her best to pull it away, but Frey didn't budge even an inch. Her movements became gradually more desperate.
Frey calmly watched the tears welling up in those pink eyes.
"Up, hup, uu-uuh...!"
Frey swallowed Lucia’s muffled screams with her own mouth. Unable to pull the arm away with strength, Lucia thrashed her body to shake it off. The sound of her pounding heart grew louder. She was in agony. Her flushed face was twisted in pain. Tears streamed down Lucia’s cheeks. Her legs thrashed wildly. Her fern-like hands struck at Frey.
Calmly absorbing the resistance that had gone beyond urgent to desperate, Frey thought:
'...Cute.'
I’m sure I’m smaller than you. I feel like I'm looking at a small animal. A chirping chick. A chick I want to crush.
"Puh-ha... ha, haak... ah..."
Frey pulled her hand away from the nose, and the long kiss ended. Lucia curled her waist, gasping for air. She coughed for a long time, dirtying the floor with saliva and tears.
"W-what are you doing...?" she barely managed to say once her breathing had somewhat returned.
Frey answered nonchalantly. "That’s already the fourth kiss."
"W-what does that...?"
"But Alice’s heartbeat is the same. It hasn't grown any stronger; it’s stuck in that state. There’s a limit to simple kisses."
It wasn't a lie. Kisses alone were insufficient to wake Alice. Having judged as much, Frey decided to make a change.
"Alice likes you. You’re her first and only friend."
I am not a friend; I am family. Frey swallowed the rest of her thought.
"She showed some reaction just by kissing you. So, if you are disgusted or in pain... wouldn't that be more stimulating?"
Frey wasn't doing this purely out of personal desire. She was still desperate. She didn't want Alice to stay trapped inside forever. She wanted to be with her for a long time. Alice had reacted to Lucia’s kiss for now, but stimulation loses its impact once you become accustomed to it. If she kept going like this, Alice might react for a moment and then fall back asleep. She had to find another way while she had the chance. If kisses had a limit, she had to add other methods to wake Alice.
There was also that rational and logical line of reasoning.
"I s-see..." Lucia muttered, rubbing the bridge of her nose. Whether she was convinced or simply intimidated by Frey, Lucia bowed her head.
Was I too harsh? Frey had that thought belatedly. Lucia was Alice’s friend. If this situation made Lucia fear her and distance herself from Alice, it would clearly be a huge wound to Alice. Sighing inwardly, Frey thought about what to say.
Let’s start with an apology. It would be very troublesome if Lucia refused to help now.
"…Okay."
But before Frey could utter an apology, Lucia lifted her bowed head. She rose silently. Looking at Frey, she gulped.
"...?!" Frey was taken aback. Because Lucia suddenly unzipped her loungewear. The top fell listlessly. Not stopping there, Lucia even took off her thin dolphin shorts. In an instant, she was in her underwear. Quite embarrassed, her gaze darted around, unable to meet Frey’s.
"If... if I do this... wouldn't it be more stimulating?"
She hunched her shoulders, but after taking a deep, heavy breath, she straightened her body. She knelt on the floor. Both hands were placed on her legs. Lucia looked up at Frey with eyes that hadn't yet lost their moisture and said, "I, I like Alice, too. I want to... help Alice. So, I mean..."
"Lucia, you..."
"Shall we... keep doing what we were doing...?"
It was an awkward smile. The corners of her mouth trembled. She looked as if she were enduring fear. Whether that was actually the case or not, Frey had no way of knowing, and it didn't matter. It was enough that she 'looked that way.'
Frey raised her hand. With a palm soaked in sweat, she stroked Lucia’s hair.
"Lucia."
"Y-yes...?"
"Alice hates it when you are in pain. So if you are in pain, if I make you hurt, she will come out—if only to stop me."
"T-that would be... right, wouldn't it?"
"So, what I do from now on, I have no malice toward you, and it’s not because I dislike you. You understand, right?"
At Frey’s question, Lucia tilted her head in confusion but nodded.
"Yeah, I know."
"Thank you."
Frey smiled brightly. It was a fresh, radiant smile she had never worn before. At her smile, Lucia followed suit and smiled back.
SMACK!
That was until her cheek snapped to the side. There was a palm print on the cheek that was now throbbing and swelling. Lucia had a vacant expression, a single tear leaking out.
"Au...?"
Her nose started bleeding. Her lip was torn. Lucia made a dull sound at the fishy smell and the taste of iron.
SMACK!
This time, her head snapped the other way. She had hit her so hard that Lucia’s body jolted violently. Lucia, who had barely avoided falling over, could not hide her trembling gaze. That sight ignited a strange fire in Frey’s chest.
"Stay still, Lucia."
"F-Frey..."
SMACK!
Something white flew out of Lucia’s mouth along with blood. It hit the floor and rolled, stopping at Frey’s feet. It was a tooth.
"Ha..."
Frey stared intently at her own palm. A tingling sensation remained. The sensation of hitting Lucia’s cheek lingered vividly. She turned her gaze to look at Lucia. She was clutching her red, swollen cheek, letting out an incoherent groan.
"Why? Shall we stop? Alice’s heartbeat is growing, but if you don't like it, I'll stop."
"...N-no... you can... keep going..."
Lucia said, her teeth chattering. Frey tried to suppress the laughter that bubbled up instinctively. She had never felt this way before. This was her first time feeling such a sense of liberation.
"Open your mouth."
"Y-yes, y-yes... ah... no... uun, uun..."
Lucia obediently opened her mouth wide. Perhaps because her lips and the inside of her mouth were injured, she looked pathetic. Frey liked that wretchedness. She peered into her mouth. Looking closely, she could see the gap where one tooth had been lost.
"Doesn't it heal with super-regeneration?"
"I, I can do it."
"Really?"
Frey grabbed Lucia’s front tooth. Lucia’s face froze cold. Savoring that expression, she applied force to her fingertips.
CRACK.
The tooth was pulled out so easily. Frey discarded Lucia’s tooth like trash. It came to a stop near the tooth that had fallen out earlier.
"Oh, you're right."
Frey grabbed Lucia’s mouth and forced it open to observe the inside. A new tooth was growing in the place where the tooth had just been pulled. A new tooth, filling the empty space as if it had never been lost.
"Super-regeneration... so, super-regeneration..."
No matter what injury she sustained, she healed immediately. Her output was such that even if her neck were cut off, she would reattach it, so she wouldn't die from anything trivial. No matter what she did, no matter what she tried. It was fine.
"Lucia."
"...U-uu... haa..."
SMACK!
She slapped Lucia’s cheek without mercy. This time, Lucia couldn't endure it and collapsed sideways. Frey climbed on top of the trembling girl. Her heart had been beating so fast since earlier that she could barely control her body.
"Answer me, Lucia."
"Ah, u-uh, u... un... why...?"
"As I said before, I don't hate you. This is all to save Alice... so you understand, right?"
Whatever. I. Do.
"Right?"
"............Yes."
The answer was a little slow, but she didn't care. Frey stroked Lucia’s cheek a few times and rose to her feet. She looked around. She moved slowly as if she had discovered something. Under the desk. She grabbed a toolbox and dragged it along.
Clack.
As the box opened, Frey pulled out something she could grab. It was a pair of pliers, the perfect size for one hand.
Clack-clack.
Repeatedly opening and closing the pliers, Frey smiled.
"Lucia. Have all your baby teeth fallen out?"
"I-I guess so...?"
"No. They haven't. Lucia, your teeth are still baby teeth, so even if they fall out, they'll grow back."
Clack. The pliers made a hard sound again. Lucia shut her mouth. Her gaze moved from Frey to the teeth scattered on the floor.
"...Yeah. I still have baby teeth, so I need to pull them all out."
"That’s a relief."
Frey approached her and patted her head. After waving the pliers in front of Lucia’s eyes as if to show her, she brought them toward the mouth that was slowly opening.
This is all for Alice. It’s not a lie. I just left out a little bit of the truth.
The third tooth fell to the floor.