Chapter 162
Chapter 162
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 162
Chapter Title: Day and Night #3
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Kids going through puberty love to adorn themselves with all sorts of things. Whether boys or girls, it's an age where they enjoy grooming and showing off.
I had many little sisters, so I knew the feeling well.
Especially for someone like Narmi, who was interested in dressing up her appearance, trying out earrings might spark some curiosity.
But grooming one's looks requires effort. Sometimes, it demands real blood, sweat, and tears. Piercing ears draws blood, after all.
"I can't do it."
Narmi hesitated as she held the pain-free needle tool she'd received from the nymph vendor at the stall against her ear.
It was only natural; stabbing your own ear takes some serious resolve.
In the end, she turned to me with her request.
"Theo, could you do it for me? I really can't do it alone."
"It won't hurt that much."
"It's not about the pain, exactly. How do I explain it? Anyway, just... you know!"
Narmi's explanation was vague. Unlike her meticulous sister Mirna, she seemed to know how to gloss over things casually.
I could roughly understand Narmi's feelings. Once pierced, there's no going back. She was probably agonizing over whether it was okay to scar her own body.
It was a body she shared with her sister, after all. So, to help her decide, I added a word of advice.
"If you think about it now, it's not too late. How about giving the earrings idea some more serious thought?"
"Hmm."
"Once you pierce your ears and put in the earrings, you'll have to keep them in for at least a month."
"What? A whole month? What do you mean?"
Narmi asked as if she'd never heard of it. I wasn't an expert either, but recalling when my sisters had pierced their ears and made a fuss, I explained.
"Because the earlobe can heal up. You have to keep them in for about a month so the fresh hole doesn't close. And obviously, no swapping out the earrings."
One of my sisters had changed hers because she didn't like the style, got an infection, and suffered quite a bit. The memory came flooding back vividly.
Narmi said,
"Oh, I see. I didn't know. But if I can't take them out for a month, my sister will find out I got earrings. She'd notice right away."
"Exactly. So now's your last chance to back out."
"Hmm..."
Narmi seemed deeply troubled. Then, as if trying to convince me—or maybe justify it to herself—she chattered on.
"My sister breaks the rules and does whatever she wants with her body all the time. Cutting her hair on her own and stuff. I've been holding back every day. I can't keep holding back forever."
Narmi harbored quite a bit of resentment toward Mirna. At this point, I couldn't stop her.
"Alright, I've made up my mind. I'm doing it."
Was it the built-up grudges against her sister Mirna? Like a rebellious teen lashing out at family rules, she declared her defiance.
Swish.
And so, I ended up piercing Narmi's earlobe for her.
"Theo, you have to do it without hurting too much. If I do it, I'll mess up and pierce it weird!"
"First, let's mark the spot. And we should disinfect the earrings too."
I bought some alcohol from a nearby underground general store and soaked the earrings in it for disinfection. That should kill off any germs.
Then, I took a pen nib from my pocket and marked symmetric black dots on Narmi's left and right earlobes. Narmi looked at me with sparkling eyes.
"Why ink?"
"This way, it'll be perfectly symmetric and look better. Also, rushing might hurt more, so we'll go slow. Even if it hurts, try to bear with it a little."
"...It will hurt, won't it?"
Narmi's eyes were filled with fear. Naturally, piercing your own flesh with a needle is scary.
If it were my ear, I'd be trembling in terror too. But since it was someone else's, I was fine.
"It'll hurt, but it's bearable. Just don't move, or you could get hurt worse. Stay still."
"Hmm..."
Narmi let out a whimper like a scolded puppy. Her red eyes, just like her sister's, soon turned to the faces of people bustling through the underground market.
I noticed she was eyeing the women's ears, especially those peeking out from their hair. Many of the passing women had earrings.
"I can do it too...!"
Finally gathering courage, she clenched her fist. She seemed truly resolved now. So, I brushed her obstructing hair back and tied it with a string.
This revealed the alluring curve from her ear to her neck and shoulder. If I were a vampire, I'd want to sink my teeth into that pure, pristine nape.
Now, I was about to bite into that clean earlobe with a needle and draw blood. First, I carefully applied the anesthetic from the general store nymph to Narmi's ear, front and back.
Soft and squishy earlobe, thoroughly coated.
Swish, swish.
"Eek, hnnng—."
Narmi shuddered.
"Are you okay?"
"Y-Yeah, I'm f-fine."
For someone saying that, her face was extremely flushed. She looked uneasy, like someone desperately holding in the urge to use the bathroom.
That's when I suddenly recalled the secret room incident with Mirna. She'd reacted so sensitively when I nibbled or licked her ear.
Twin sisters sharing one body—Narmi's must feel the same erogenous zones. In that light, I was kneading Narmi's erogenous area right now.
A strange thrill crept over me from this act of fondling a woman's flesh and piercing it to draw blood.
Probably the 'Lothario' class trait. Shoving aside those lewd thoughts, I spoke in a calm, clear voice.
"Okay, I'm piercing now."
"Eek—."
Grip.
Narmi clutched my collar. As I slowly applied pressure, her grip tightened.
Grrrrrip.
"Eeee— It hurts...! D-Done?"
"I haven't even started. Lady Narmi, you're more of a wimp than I thought."
"What! Are you teasing me?"
Embarrassed, Narmi slapped my back with her palm. It stung. But the tension seemed broken; she shouted boldly.
"Alright, I'm really ready now! Theo, do it quick!"
"Then, don't move at all this time."
Sloooowly.
No more joking around—I got serious.
Sloooowly.
I aligned the needle perpendicular to the ink mark on her earlobe. Without hesitation, I pierced the soft flesh.
Pierce.
"Grrrrr.... It huuuurts...!"
Narmi was in pain, as expected.
"Ow ow!"
She even pinched my arm hard where she gripped it. It was so strong, tears nearly welled up in my eyes.
"Eeee— D-Done? Is it all the way through? To the end...?"
Her moist red eyes looked at me. Confirming the needle had gone fully through, I nodded.
"It went well."
Now, I inserted the disinfected earring needle into the hole and secured the back.
"Clean it with a cotton swab every few days and take good care of it. Never take it out. If it gets infected, see Arc's health officer."
Lady Kalira was highly skilled.
Saying that, I prepared to pierce her left ear next.
"Now for the other side."
"Y-Yeah."
Narmi was more composed than before. I pierced the second ear relatively easily.
Narmi touched the earrings on her ears and said calmly, as if appraising them.
"Once you've done it once, the second time is manageable. Even if it hurts."
"Now you have a sense of the pain level."
"For some reason, I feel like an adult. A grown woman. Hehehe—."
As if her earlier fussing was a lie, Narmi now seemed relaxed. The crescent earrings on her ears sparkled especially brightly.
* * *
Arc's underground market grew noisier and more crowded as it neared midnight. Like the real party was just starting.
Narmi and I settled at a nearby illegal tent shop and peered at the menu.
「Cold Flame, One Glass - 5,000 Coins」
「Goddess's Kiss, One Glass - 5,000 Coins」
「Nymph's Gutter Water, One Glass - ? 10,000 Coins」
Mysterious menu items everywhere. No clue what they were, but looking around, everyone was drinking colorful liquor from glasses.
This was a bar.
"I've passed by often, and this place seems super popular."
Narmi acted like she'd been here a few times. Unlike Mirna, who just had a bit of wine now and then, Narmi seemed to wander the nights alone, experiencing all sorts of things.
"Alcohol's not really my thing. Any non-alcoholic options?"
"No idea! First time for me too. Kinda scary to come alone. Lots of rough-looking guys."
I see. So it was Narmi's first time too.
Definitely not a solo spot. Especially for a pretty girl like Narmi—she'd draw tons of male attention.
Even now, guys from a few tables were glancing over. Some even approached despite me being there.
"You're Lady Mirna Draco, right? I'm Ignis, second son of the Thorvangs. I greeted you at your father Alaister's birthday banquet back when he was alive."
"Ah, yes. Nice to meet you. But I'm in the middle of talking with an acquaintance."
Narmi responded haughtily, like Mirna, brushing off the crowd. She was practiced at it. Swish— she unfurled her fan and muttered softly.
"Everyone thinks I'm my sister."
"Probably because few people know you, Lady Narmi..."
With that in mind, we ordered, and when the drinks arrived, Narmi grabbed the flaming cocktail glass and said, "Pretty, huh."
Her drink, Cold Flame, really had fire lit on top of the liquor. Blue liquid with red flames dancing—pretty cool.
But how do you drink that? Worried about burns, but Narmi stuck in the straw from the tray and sipped.
"Tasty. I wondered what it'd taste like. Fire flavor."
Fire flavor?
Her earrings sparkled as she spoke.
Suddenly, I realized I'd forgotten to compliment her.
"The earrings suit you really well."
"Yeah? Good thing. But now I've really done it. What now? I wonder what my sister will say tomorrow morning when she sees."
So she's the type to regret after acting.
Reminded me of Mirna too. She'd gone all the way with me in the secret room, swept up in the mood, atmosphere, and desperation.
Then acted regretful after. Both sisters seemed to act first, think later.
It seemed odd to get so anxious over just earrings.
I wondered what reaction Narmi would have if she learned her virginity was taken by her sister Mirna without her knowledge.
Curiosity mixed with a chill.
Her anger and resentment toward Mirna might not stop at piercing ears rebelliously.
It made sense why Mirna wanted to keep whatever happened a secret from Narmi.
"Lady Narmi."
"Yeah?"
"Just out of curiosity. If it upsets you, I apologize."
"Curiosity?"
Swish—.
Narmi narrowed her eyes. My ominous preamble made her wonder what I was about to say.
Then she relaxed, puffing out her chest magnanimously.
"Well, if it's you, Theo, it's fine. What question?"
"If you or Lady Mirna were to get married."
"Married?"
"Yeah, marriage. If one of you two got married."
How to phrase this. I suddenly realized how rude my question was.
But I'd started, and it was important, so I mustered more courage.
"If you get married, you share one body. I don't know how that works with the husband or between sisters."
"Hmm— So, Theo, you're curious about how our married life would go?"