Is Lisa Okay?
I wondered if Lisa was really okay with it. Having sex with me, a guy she'd just met today? On top of that, I already knew how she'd been made. A synthetic human created by injecting mana from 19 hunters and shamans. Sure, she looked perfectly human on the outside, but who knew what she was really like inside. Still, judging from how confidently Valentina had spoken, I could at least be sure Lisa had the same kind of reproductive organs as any normal human woman.
"Don't worry. Of course it'll be fine."
Valentina said it to soothe Kang A-jin.
"We'll see about that. Hurry up and restore this room to normal."
Kang A-jin replied coldly. She'd been humming happily at the thought of reuniting with her master after so long, only for that master to smack her upside the head. Though, if you thought about it, it had happened because Valentina cared for her—even if her way of showing love was a little twisted.
"Sung-gi."
Kang A-jin approached me, her face etched with worry.
"Are you okay?"
"I'm sorry, A-jin."
"Why are you sorry, Sung-gi? Don't say that. Just rest easy for now. We'll handle everything else."
"Yeah..."
Her words about resting easy hit me all at once, unleashing an overwhelming wave of sleepiness. Of course I'd be exhausted. I'd been sleeping before Valentina woke me up. And I'd climaxed who-knows-how-many times... She claimed even five minutes of rest would help, but I hadn't managed that much.
"Then, A-jin... I'm so sleepy..."
"Yes, sleep well, Sung-gi."
Kang A-jin's voice drifted to me like a dream. My eyes drifted shut on their own, and with a profound sense of relief at being freed from Valentina's grasp, I plunged into a deep, deep slumber.
I had no idea how long I'd slept.
I woke feeling utterly refreshed. Sure enough, a glance at the time showed it was nearly noon. Valentina had put me through an unwanted ordeal, but the high-grade potion combined with solid sleep had eased the physical toll considerably. Naturally, my stomach was growling fiercely, drawing my steps toward the dining room.
But the moment I caught sight of the mood there, my feet froze solid, like ice.
Six women sat around the table. Teacups placed before each one might have suggested a pleasant tea time for bonding, but the atmosphere was anything but friendly.
As hunters or shamans, they each exuded an aura that shifted with their emotions, and starkly so. I'd stopped dead on pure instinct. Danger ahead—don't go there!
"Sleep well, Sung-gi?"
Even after knowing everything that had gone down yesterday—and being the one who'd saved me—Kang A-jin was the first to greet me with a smile. The fact that she could smile like this after witnessing that nightmare firsthand spoke volumes about her ironclad mentality.
"Yes, thanks to you. Thank you."
The icy tension at the table stemmed, of course, from Valentina. Yet no one openly condemned her, likely due to her social standing and the aura she projected. If only she'd read the room. But Valentina's face was utterly nonchalant. If anything, she looked delighted, surrounded by all these beauties she fancied.
"Honey! You're finally up? Took you long enough~ Gotta eat up and build that stamina."
Her brazen words made me flinch, but the other women seemed far more rattled. Especially since she'd called me "honey." The original four had consented to sharing me, but they'd kept a cautious distance from one another. Now this woman from the opposite side of the planet had shattered those unspoken rules.
Eat plenty and build stamina—would that even make ten rounds in a row possible? Hunter endurance could handle it with some grit, sure. But against Valentina? Yesterday's memory made my head spin. Mitigating the physical strain from our rank gap couldn't begin to cover that ordeal.
My gaze drifted naturally to Lisa next. She occupied her seat with that signature blank expression. The standout change was her outfit—different from yesterday, though still in that fantasy style. Probably a reflection of Valentina's tastes. Being her creation meant Lisa's path was doomed to hardship from the start. Not that anyone could deny she'd been born with extraordinary shaman and hunter abilities because of it.
Lisa's eyes met mine. Just like when she'd emerged from the warp zone, she held my gaze without flinching, staring straight through me.
Her demeanor unchanged suggested she hadn't heard about sleeping with me. Or maybe she simply lacked the ego to feel anything about it.
"Anyway, thank you all for understanding."
Kang A-jin bowed her head. That single line let me piece together what must have been said at the table before I arrived. They'd discussed Valentina's actions yesterday, and whatever she'd claimed to have figured out. It must have rocked them. They'd longed for intimacy with me but knew it was no easy, anytime thing. We'd only just started sharing our bodies a few days ago. And suddenly, a foreigner—a lesbian, no less—had toyed with me at will. I could only imagine their feelings. It wasn't my crime, but guilt gnawed at me anyway.
Of course, if that were all, this table's chill wouldn't have held. Like Kang A-jin had snapped at Valentina yesterday, they wouldn't even want to look at her. But then came Valentina's pitch. Talismans meant no need to rush through sex in a measly twenty minutes. And bedding Lisa could net massive experience points, fast-tracking S-rank. Hearing that, they'd have no choice but to swallow their anger, no matter how bitter. That explained the frigid yet intact atmosphere now. Valentina, the root of it all, remained obliviously chipper.
The first face-to-face with the group had felt like a huge win, but the women's numbers had ballooned fast after that. Jo A-young was one thing, but Valentina and Lisa felt abrupt. I cautiously wondered if the pattern would continue. My own will had played zero role in the growth so far. Restricting my actions to avoid triggering Unreasonable Favor on specific people was no simple task. As Kang A-jin had emphasized multiple times, all I could do was accept it as fate. The women would adapt somehow, and I, the sinner, had to keep my mouth shut.
"You should eat, right?"
Kang A-jin asked.
"Yeah, starving."
No matter how ravenous, sitting at that table was the last thing I wanted. Whether she sensed it or not, Kang A-jin came through with welcome words again.
"I'll bring food to your room. You must still be worn out—rest more."
"Ah... Thank you."
Just like that, I spun on my heel from the table and retreated to my room. A razor-close call.
All I could do was hope this frosty vibe thawed soon. Mountains beyond mountains, indeed. I'd barely escaped Valentina's sexual exploitation yesterday, only to face this arctic welcome now.
As I clutched my growling stomach in my room, a cheerful knock sounded.
Knock knock.
Assuming it was food delivery, I called out gladly.
"Yes~ Come in~~"
The door clicked open, and the woman who entered carrying a tray made me catch my breath. It was Lisa, blank-faced as ever, bearing a tray laden with food. She set it down before me.
"Eat."
"Ah, yeah..."
"Casual speech is fine."
"Ah... Got it."
She looked like an adult woman, but Lisa was fundamentally an artificial being. Even at most, she couldn't be older than me. I decided to go casual, as she'd suggested. Her fantasy outfit—giving off major maid vibes—made it easier anyway.
Beyond that... Food arriving right when I was famished was great, but Lisa delivering it? That was unexpected. There had to be a reason.