14. This Is Too Much Like Sex Between Lovers (2)

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It resembled a device used in a novel.

Hearing that expression naturally brought one of Team Leader's secrets to mind.

…Even the countless erotic novels she'd written as a hobby were, technically, a kind of fiction.

"She's such a fox—a fox. For a mere Eve, she thought things through pretty well, didn't she?"

A small hobby became an ingrained habit.

Eventually, that habit began to show in her actions, too.

While I was making those reasonable guesses, Erzel's splashing footsteps caught up beside me.

The heavy rain was still pouring, and the ground was thoroughly soaked.

"Or did she use me as an excuse to avoid Mr. Dowon? Hmm~ There's a tiny chance of that, I suppose, but surely that's not it. She bragged about Mr. Dowon to me so much."

"You mean those messages you showed me last time."

"That's right. The ones full of praise for Mr. Dowon."

"Then Team Leader really did it deliberately…."

"One hundred percent. Someone even warned her not to do it, and she secretly went ahead anyway without getting caught? She really knows what's hot…, ahem."

There must have been some real understanding between them. Was it a kind of female solidarity?

I didn't think there was any need for me, a man, to weigh in, so I merely smiled.

"…Even so, don't get so distracted by Eve that you forget Neria. Got it?"

"Understood."

"Eve can wait a little longer for her charging. First, let's thoroughly ravage our Neria until she's soaked in the smell of semen…, ah, right."

As though she'd just remembered something, Erzel stopped and turned toward me.

Once even her softly swaying dress had come to a stop, she rested the umbrella comfortably against her shoulder and asked,

"This reminds me—how often are you doing it with Neria? I mean, about how many times a day?"

"Usually, we do it consistently once a day."

Even that wasn't every single day.

One day we'd do it. The next day we'd rest. Then we'd do it the day after.

I think that's how we'd been spending our time.

Thinking about it again, from her teacher Erzel's perspective, that did seem rather unsatisfactory.

Sure enough, by then she'd become a parrot with her head tilted sharply to one side.

"Consistently once a day…? Once? One time? That's all?"

"Since Lady Neria is still inexperienced…, she often throws me out after just once."

"Then, since she's inexperienced, you need to make up for it by doing it a lot now, right?"

"…I have nothing to say."

Neria was still inexperienced at sex and regarded it as an embarrassing sexual act (which was probably the normal perspective, in fact), whereas for Erzel, sex was likely little more than a way to restore mana while feeling good.

I suppose Erzel couldn't help looking like a trainer shouting, 'Just one more set!'

And I could understand Neria fleeing red-faced to escape Erzel, too.

Whatever the case, wouldn't time resolve it in the end?

I was lost in that more optimistic thought for only a moment.

A pair of watery-blue eyes like Neria's came one step closer in front of me.

…Her prominent breasts were one thing, but the pleasant scent brushing my nose was a little troublesome.

"From what I'm hearing, it sounds like Neria is the one throwing you out. So may I take that to mean you want to do it more, Mr. Dowon?"

"Um……."

It was true, in fact. If I were given the chance, I did want to have sex with Lady Neria until we collapsed from exhaustion.

If it had been Team Leader, she would have realized that inner thought just by looking at my expression.

…But the person standing before me now was Lady Erzel.

With the sound of rain, hidden beneath our conversation until now, ringing out rhythmically, I cautiously nodded.

"Then I suppose it can't be helped. I was planning to make small talk with you until we reached the elevator today, but…."

"……?"

"I'll help you for a little while."

*****

"…Master?"

"Have you been well?"

"You were here just a few days ago, so asking if I've been well again is a little…."

"Anyway, excuse me for a moment. The rain shows no sign of stopping."

"Huh…? If it's you, Master, couldn't you just make it stop…."

"When a guest arrives, offering them something to drink comes first."

What came of that was the ultimate weapon against Neria.

Even though Lady Erzel usually exuded nothing but a lewd atmosphere like a pervert, the moment she stood before Neria, she finally became every inch the teacher.

As I crossed the entryway with her, Neria's expression—bright only moments earlier when she'd hurried over to open the door—grew subtly complicated in real time.

Apparently witches didn't have anything like an 'automatic witch-detection sensor'; she must have assumed that, as usual, I'd arrived alone at the usual time.

…I never expected to be able to see stress piling up in real time so clearly from nothing but an expression.

I wondered what on earth would happen after Lady Erzel left.

With that cruel thought in mind, I took off my shoes.

"For drinks, we only have bottled water and cola…."

"Water."

"…Just a moment."

"Ah, before you go get it. Wait a moment."

But Lady Erzel was too busy acting like a teacher to care about my future.

After treating an apprentice witch like a mere water-fetcher, she comfortably sat down on the sofa.

Even so, Neria, who had obediently zipped up her tracksuit and started to move, stopped dead at a single word from Erzel.

As irritating as it was, it must have been perfectly normal between Erzel and Neria.

If anything, it would have looked strange for me to take Neria's side.

So all I could do was stand awkwardly somewhere nearby, looking ill at ease.

"Mr. Dowon?"

"Yes, Lady Erzel."

Erzel beckoned to me as though summoning a servant.

…It was such a natural gesture, as though she had plenty of experience with this, that I followed before I realized it.

"Mr. Dowon, stand here for now. Neria?"

"…What?"

"I hear you're only doing it once a day with Mr. Dowon. Do you have anything to say in rebuttal, even now?"

"……."

"……."

And Erzel abruptly moved straight to the main point.

While the flustered Neria and I stole glances at each other's faces, Lady Erzel leaned back more comfortably and continued.

"Starting today, do it at least three times with Mr. Dowon."

…Somehow, she said it with a hint of amusement that only I seemed to understand.

"Th-three times…? You mean you want me to charge mana three times a day…?"

"What's strange about that?"

"…Um……."

"You've got a lot of mana to replenish after being cooped up in your room for so long. If you simply want to recover quickly, this is the best way, isn't it?"

"……."

I know that too.

I could just barely see that thought written across her expression.

But it's embarrassing.

That thought was visible alongside her reddened ears, then quickly faded away.

Nam Dowon, say something too!

—that was what the snarling look she shot me for a moment seemed to say.

But I didn't particularly have anything to say.

It would be easy to understand if you thought of it as a class-president election.

Lady Erzel had promised more sex with Neria as her campaign pledge, so naturally I had no choice but to take Lady Erzel's side.

If Neria wanted my vote, she could promise something like maid-uniform cosplay sex someday, even if it meant reducing the number of times.

There had to be something to balance things out, anyway.

Seemingly unable even to notice this simple logic, Neria offered no pledge; only her gaze kept turning toward me.

She stared so persistently that my skin prickled unbearably.

"If you break this rule, Mr. Dowon, report it to me. Simple, right?"

"…Understood."

"Hey, how could you answer that?!"

Neria yelled angrily, but fortunately, that was all.

Though I could vividly imagine her grabbing me by the collar and shaking me back and forth, she seemed to be holding back because Master was watching beside her.

Which meant that once Erzel left and Neria and I were alone, my collar would be in danger….

Still, having secured sex three times a day in return, it was a profitable deal.

I had no regrets.

"Hey, Nam Do…, no, forget this perverted idiot. …Master."

"Go ahead."

"I know it's important for me to get used to mana charging quickly by getting his help. I know that, but…."

"……."

"I'm still not used to doing it several times right away. What if I increased the number gradually, taking my time…?"

"How much time do you need?"

"Well…."

Neria's head tilted faintly toward me as her voice trailed off.

Barely—she only looked at me for a truly brief moment.

Then Neria cautiously approached Lady Erzel and began whispering something at her side.

"…A day?"

"Ah, um…, …yes. Just today…."

Because Lady Erzel asked loudly—it was obvious she'd done it on purpose, given her personality—it didn't exactly remain a secret.

Perhaps because of that, Neria gave up whispering and spoke in her usual voice.

"Starting tomorrow, twice; then, once I get used to that, three times, four times…."

"I understand what you mean, but why only once until today?"

"…I promised to do something separately with Nam Dowon today, and ……it's a little, no, very embarrassing. …I absolutely can't do it three times."

"With Mr. Dowon?"

"Something related to sex…. It's roughly that, but…."

"Is that true, Mr. Dowon?"

As she spoke, Lady Erzel raised her head toward me.

Still seated on the sofa, she turned her head so she could see me standing directly behind her.

…In the end, it seemed both of them were waiting for my answer, so I opened my mouth haltingly.

"A promise…?"

"……."

…No, I genuinely didn't remember.

For now, I kept my voice low enough for only Neria to hear.

"……You seriously don't remember?"

"…There wasn't really anything you could call a promise, was there?"

"What do you mea…, ……Is that so? Thinking about it again, I suppose it wasn't exactly a promise…."

"When did this happen, by any chance…?"

"Yesterday…! Don't you remember what we talked about between ourselves after we had sex yesterday…?"

Since it had happened only yesterday, of course I remembered.

"That next time you'd let me have sex while kissing…."

"R-right! You said you'd let me do it while kissing! How could I do that three times…!"

Neria raised her voice, subtly softening the wording.

…Judging by her reaction, Lady Erzel had already heard everything,

but even belatedly, she lowered her voice and whispered.

"…Just once. Today."