Silk Blond (1)
There were three bitches in Liar's Trap who treated me like utter shit—no guilt whatsoever about using the Hypnosis App on them. The first was my childhood friend and lifelong nightmare, Ska Rate—a beast wearing the skin of a human who lived purely by her whims. The second was Lapis Julie, my academy junior turned equal and now direct superior, who taught me that words alone could kill a man with her vicious tongue. And the third was Silk Blond, right here under my desk, gazing up at me with those languid eyes.
"Ah, no, 3rd Team Leader, how the hell did you get in here...?"
"Call me sunbae. '3rd Team Leader' isn't cute. 'Sunbae' is cute."
She ignored my question entirely, spouting nonsense instead. So I wasn't hallucinating. That meant the real Silk Blond was under my desk. But how the fuck did she get in here?
The Scout Leader's Room lived up to its name—it was a vault packed with all the intel I'd gathered. Exclusive dungeon data the guild monopolized, info on S-rank dungeons we'd secured first-clear rights for and were scouting... pretty much everything critical was here. In short, second only to Dr. Emme's lab in importance within Liar's Trap.
Without permission from the guild master or me, even S-rank team leaders couldn't enter. Unauthorized intrusion triggered alarms and sealed every guild passageway. A high-security zone...
"Looking up at my Potsi from down here is kinda fun and novel. But I've been stuck here a while, and my body's getting stiff. Mind scooting back so I can get out?"
How did you get in here, you psycho?
Of everyone I'd met, Silk Blond was the most unpredictable, whimsical type. Like Ska Rate, she'd do whatever she wanted by any means necessary. But while Ska was chaotic daily without causing real disasters, Silk pretended to be disinterested in the world... then dropped massive bombs out of nowhere. Ska wore you out; Silk shaved years off your life.
I slid my chair back to give her space, as she wanted. She crawled out on all fours, then stretched like a cat.
"Nnyaaaaah~!"
Her waist dipped low, ass thrust high, T-shirt riding up to bare her pale side. The epitome of a cat stretch, all in one fluid motion.
"Whew. Much better."
Finishing her perfect cat pose, Silk Blond stood, rested a hand on my shoulder. Her golden bob smelled of good shampoo. But no fragrance or casual touch could bridge that gulf—I stayed on guard.
"Potsi looks scrawny clothed up. But touching your shoulders like this? You jump every time. Wider and firmer than expected."
Her slender fingers drummed my shoulders like piano keys. Humming "hm-hm-hmm~" in a nasal tune, mimicking notes. I furrowed my brow and asked again.
"So, how did you get in here? You know you're not supposed to just barge into this room."
"Potsi, it's been ages since we hung out, and you're so prickly? That curious about how I snuck in?"
Curious? I need to know to block it next time, damn it.
The Scout Leader's Room was one of the few spots I could truly relax, thanks to its airtight security. I couldn't let some insane S-rank invader breach my sanctuary. I had to figure out her method and prevent it. My penthouse was already gone—I wouldn't lose this too. Especially not to her...
I glared up at her warily. She giggled cutely, patted my head. Stroked from crown to cheek like petting a dog, then cupped my face.
"Took a stroll to an A-rank dungeon recently. Met the cutest thing I've ever seen. Gonna introduce you, Potsi. Come out, Kotsi."
Wrrrrrrrmmm...
She held her free hand to her mouth, calling "Kotsi." The air shuddered like an earthquake. Something translucent phased through the wall.
A monster straight out of a ghost flick—draped head-to-toe in white cloth—floated over, hovering beside her.
"Say hi to Potsi. New family member, Kotsi. You say hi to my Potsi too."
Wrrrrrm...
At her words, the thing called Kotsi bobbed its round, head-like part in greeting. I awkwardly nodded back, then turned to Silk.
"You can tame that? I thought it was only living creatures?"
"Potsi, what a weird thing to say. Kotsi's alive! See? Breathing fine."
Whiiiiiirrr...
Kotsi responded with a chill gust my way—damp, musty, unsettling on bare skin. It tousled my hair as it passed. Seeing her innocent, drowsy eyes and Kotsi floating happily beside her, I sighed.
"Haa..."
From Kotsi phasing through walls undetected by sensors, I pieced it together. She'd used its power via her taming to slip in.
Silk Blond had reached the pinnacle of Taming. It let her domesticate subdued monsters—a rare ability among awakeners. Tamed beasts obeyed unto death. Sounds OP, but limits kept it balanced: couldn't tame anything stronger than yourself. Thus, tamers were rare but undervalued, often training combat skills instead, using taming as support.
But Silk Blond, petting what I assumed was Kotsi's head, had shattered those limits. The only one.
"Kotsi, your snowy white cloth is so pretty, like fresh snowfall. Mind if I tug it?"
Wrrrrrm?!
"Dissolves if removed? Hmm... too bad. Would've made a great tablecloth."
Her casual plan to repurpose a monster with mana control evading Dr. Emme's sensors showed her prowess. Her Taming wasn't ordinary—it transcended it. She tamed anything: people, awakeners, high-rank beasts. Even borrowed their powers. The perfect tamer—a walking Hypnosis App.
"So, Potsi, why'd you skip work yesterday?"
Her question snapped me from thought. She stroked Kotsi's cloth absently, not even glancing my way. Seeming indifferent, but surely watching via Kotsi. Faking disinterest to lower my guard.
But how'd she know I skipped yesterday?
"How'd you even know that?"
Silk was Liar's Trap's 3rd Team Leader—and its sole member. Isolated in her annex to prevent accidental taming disasters. So far apart—how'd she notice one missed day?
The answer emerged from her eerie, lightless eyes and Kotsi's grim aura.
"'Cause I was waiting under your desk since before shift yesterday—to surprise you. Obviously I'd know."
"...What?"
I couldn't believe it. Under my desk since yesterday morning? Until just now?
"Why the hell?"
"You don't wanna be my family. Thought you'd like it if I became yours."
What kind of bullshit is that?
To Silk Blond, "family" meant pet—like our pets, not blood kin. Born to a Blond family maid, she'd been treated as a plaything, not a child. Twisted her view: family = pet... or so she'd told me once.
Her eyes void of light fixed on me as she straddled my lap. Behind her, Kotsi spewed ominous blue chains.
"Potsi, did you agree to be someone else's family? Is that why you skipped?"
"Huh?"
"You smell fresh and crisp. Like Lapis Julie... Gonna be her family? If so... I might get mad."
Now Kotsi's chains filled the room like thorny vines—a threat to obliterate everything if I tried anything. Frozen by the menace, I stiffened. Silk grinned, pulling a dog collar from her pocket.
"Potsi, a gift. You'll wear it, right?"
I knew why this girl—scarred by humans, indifferent to them—obsessed over me. Unlike the others, I knew this one bone-deep.
The reason: I was the only one she couldn't tame.
"You're the only thing I can't tame. If you became my family... I'd be so happy."
For some reason, Silk Blond's Taming didn't work on me.