The Anomaly
Lunchtime, art room.
As always, Miho, convinced I'd hypnotized her again, had me pinned to the desk and was showering me with intense kisses. Her lips pressed against mine without a single gap, noses touching, as she sucked on my tongue for a good long while before finally pulling back.
"Hah."
Miho's red pupils dilated. With a strange flush on her cheeks, she looked utterly entranced—incredibly sexy.
"Mm...?"
Maybe that's why—some instinctive reaction kicked in before I knew it. Miho, straddling my lap, noticed right away and grinned mischievously.
"Hanjun's super excited~."
Like it was the cutest thing, she tapped the tip of my raging erection with her fingertip.
"Too bad, I can't play with this one just yet~ Maybe later, once you confess and we get a little further... kyaa!"
Grabbing her cheeks, she let out a happy squeal, imagining who-knows-what, her tail thrashing wildly. The three tails whipped against my knees like propellers, spinning with relentless energy.
"Oh, right."
Miho's eyes sparkled as something occurred to her, and she turned to me.
Humming a little tune, she settled back onto my lap and asked, "What do you do after school, Hanjun~?"
My heart sank in that instant. My after-school routine—if she started meddling there too, who knew how far she'd invade? And if she found out I lived alone...
She'd definitely barge right into my place.
"Hmm~? What do you dooo~?"
Ignoring my inner turmoil, Miho leaned against my shoulder and pressed.
I swallowed hard and slowly forced the words out.
"I go to English academy. English academy."
Normally, I'd mention heading home to do chores or something, but luckily today was the one day a week I actually went to academy, so I could dodge any home-related talk.
"Yeah, academy...?!"
Miho's triangular ears perked up.
"Academy?!"
Excited, she peppered me with questions. I nodded quietly, and she bounced in place before scampering around the art room.
"Right...! Not just school—academies too! Hehe~"
Nodding as realization dawned, she whipped back to face me.
"Hanjun, which academy?"
"...Teacher Jeong's English Academy."
"Great! Then I'll sign up right now!"
Miho whipped out her phone, found the academy I'd named, saved the number, and flashed a bright smile my way.
"See you after school then, Hanjun."
"......"
I squeezed my eyes shut. It felt inevitable—my daily life was steadily being dyed in Miho's colors.
After school.
After getting home and changing clothes, I checked the text that had arrived and let out a sigh.
"What am I gonna do about this."
It wasn't just about attending the same academy. Once it ended, she'd drag me out for some reason or another and try to get "hypnotized" again. Obvious as day.
"Academy ends right around dinnertime... she'll probably want to eat together too?"
Dinner, then hypnosis. She was already claiming more than half my day.
"Haaah..."
I dragged a hand down my face, thinking about Miho.
She was undeniably attractive. As invested as she was here, she was kind and attentive to everyone. Maybe innately cheerful, she never went without a smile. Her face was ridiculously pretty, and her body... having felt it up close, I knew just how soft and devastating it was.
The only flaw? She wasn't "human"—something utterly irrational.
Take that away, and she was too close to my ideal type.
"Seriously, what to do."
Maybe that's why my resolve was starting to waver. The habit Grandmother ingrained—unconsciously pushing women away—was dulling.
And who could blame me? A beautiful girl confessing, seducing me daily with deep, sloppy tongue kisses—not shaking would be weirder.
"...Damn it."
Every time these thoughts hit, Miho's face and the dizzying pleasure we'd shared flickered in my mind. Realizing I was obsessed with her, I scratched the back of my neck.
"Maybe I should just go for it."
Scratching my neck, I bumped the necklace hanging there.
Grandmother's legacy. Touching it stirred complicated feelings.
"...Screw it, whatever."
I gave up thinking, stuffed my academy books into my bag, and headed out.
On the way to the academy.
Maybe because my life had been so stimulating lately, but walking mindlessly in the sunlight felt oddly calming. As I plodded along, a weird noise suddenly came from the side.
Crack, crunch!
A chilling sound that instinctively grabbed my attention. Whipping my head around, I realized it was coming from the same alley as yesterday—pretty close.
Crunching sounds, mixed with wet squelches now and then.
Having seen the cat corpse yesterday, I knew exactly what it was. The eerie crunch was bones shattering and twisting. The intermittent squelches were entrails spilling from a gaping hole.
No Kim Charyeok this time, but figuring it was just a stray dog, I approached the alley and yelled,
"Get lost!"
Thankfully, it heard me—the crunching stopped.
But then...
Splat!
Far in, the stray hurled the cat corpse at me in defiance. Just like yesterday—bones twisted, belly torn open.
"...!"
A chill ran through me. I glared deeper into the alley and locked eyes with it.
Something lurking in the shadows, blinking yellow eyes. It stared at me mockingly, then slunk back into the darkness with a rustle.
I stared blankly before muttering,
"...Crazy, that wasn't a stray dog—it was a wolf?"
Those huge yellow eyes were no stray's. A large hunting dog or wolf, I thought, and backed away cautiously.
"Who do I even report this to...?"
If it had gone mad and charged, some part of me would've been wrecked. Glancing down, I saw the cat leaking guts. Shivering, I hurried away.
After that creepy encounter, I arrived at the academy with a lingering unease. The alley incident kept nagging at me, but it faded once I got there.
"Hanjun, hi~"
Miho in casual clothes clung to my arm, acting all cute.
"Uh... uh, yeah. Hi."
Cold sweat beading, I scanned around. She'd been drawing a crowd with her usual charm—everyone from the academy was gathered near her. And they were all glaring at me like, Who's this guy?
"Oh, nice meeting everyone! Hanjun, let's go in quick. Gotta grab seats."
Miho looped her arm through mine and waved off the crowd dismissively. The glares intensified.
Not used to this, I stiffened up as she dragged me inside.
"Hehe~ Sit here, Hanjun!"
She slid into a middle row and plopped down. I considered another seat, but her sparkling eyes met mine, and I ended up next to her without thinking.
Thrilled to have me as her seatmate even here, Miho bobbed her head side to side. Something I'd noticed after days stuck to her: in fox form, happiness meant perky ears and tail, but as human, it was this head shake.
"Heehee."
Chin on her hand, she gazed at me seductively. Under that heavy stare, I gave an awkward smile and fumbled to prep for class.
Soon the teacher entered. He scribbled grammar on the board, and class began.
I tried to take notes and focus, but Miho's piercing gaze made it impossible.
"......"
But I couldn't tell her to stop. Her expression and eyes were just like during our passionate kisses—ravenous, madly adoring. Speaking up felt like tempting fate.
So I endured, stealing glances at her, until—
Out of nowhere, a scream pierced the air.
"Kyaaah!"
A bloodcurdling shriek from afar, yet it drilled into everyone's ears instinctively.
"Wh-what?!"
The teacher froze mid-write. Silence blanketed the room.
Everyone held their breath, thinking they'd misheard—then it came again.
"Kwaaaah!"
Different this time. The first was shock, shrill and tearing. This was agony, like lungs crushed, forcing it out.
And eerily...
Crack, crunch.
Something twisting, wet squelches.
The familiar sounds from yesterday and today, woven between the screams.