"Natsumi, be honest—are you a pervert?"
On the dark, deserted back alleys they deliberately chose, Natsumi Sakura walked alongside Muxiao Xiao, who typed rapidly on his phone to communicate. "Are you some kind of pent-up pervert?"
"Of course not! A pervert? How could I be that kind of girl?" The blue-haired girl with her ponytail retied twitched, huffing indignantly. "Saying that, Muxiao, you're too much!"
"Then you're definitely a weirdo."
"I'm not a weirdo either!!!"
"Really? But the way you took the lead back there was unbelievable. You were practically offering yourself up," Muxiao typed, giving her a deadpan fish-eye stare. "I'm a monster right now, and you just ignored it…"
Impressive, truly impressive.
Not afraid of your sanity points plummeting?
Natsumi was fuming, feeling like he was mocking her. I was trying to help him! She raised her hand and gave his head two sharp chops, glaring. "It's because I wanted to help you, you idiot Muxiao!"
"Didn't you say your body… was struggling, that it's hard to control your desires as a monster? That's why I thought… I thought I'd help you cool off," Natsumi said, her gaze starting to wander. "If… if you're really in pain, really struggling, I… I wouldn't mind doing those naughty things."
Her voice grew softer, barely a whisper.
"But you, Muxiao—why did you stop?" She sneaked a glance at the tentacle monster lurking in the shadows.
She had been ready to go all the way, especially with the mood back there. Natsumi had made up her mind—she didn't care about Muxiao's appearance, even as a tentacle monster, she was willing to give herself to him.
But… Muxiao had paused, then retracted his tentacles, leaving her stunned.
"You might not mind, but I do," Muxiao typed, covering his face in frustration. "Doing naughty things with this body… it's hard to get used to. Taking a little advantage is fine, but going all the way? It just feels weird. So, let's wait until I evolve into a human form, Natsumi. Don't rush."
Pfft! I'm not rushing!
"You can evolve?"
"Of course…"
After passing through several alleys, a stone bridge, and streets, Natsumi led Muxiao to her home—a traditional Japanese single-family house with a small yard. As she opened the door, her mother's anxious face greeted her.
"Natsumi! What's wrong with you, sneaking out again?" Her mother pulled her into a tight hug, her voice thick with worry. "After what happened at school, don't you know how worried I was?!"
"I know, Mom, I just went to see a friend…" Natsumi quickly reassured her, waving a hand behind her back to signal Muxiao. She tugged her mother inside. "I'm starving. I haven't eaten dinner yet. Did you make anything, Mom?"
"You know you haven't eaten, and you still ran off?" her mother huffed, slamming the door shut and locking it. Japanese households rarely locked their doors, but after today's events, she was extra cautious.
Natsumi watched helplessly as Muxiao was shut outside. Scratching her head, she pushed her mother away from the entrance.
"Dinner's ready, Natsumi…" Worried about the psychological toll of the school incident, her mother hesitated, deciding not to bring it up. "Rest at home for a few days to recover. I'll help you transfer to a better school. And tomorrow, we're going to the hospital for a check-up to make sure you're okay."
"Mm, got it," Natsumi replied absently, clearly distracted. "I'm going to my room."
"Wait, aren't you eating? Didn't you say you were hungry?"
"I-I'll eat in my room."
"…"
Watching her daughter grab a plate of food and dash upstairs to her bedroom, Natsumi's mother tilted her head in confusion. Why's she acting so strange? Is she really okay?
We definitely need to go to the hospital tomorrow!
"Muxiao?"
Back in her familiar bedroom, Natsumi rushed to the window, opened it, and poked her head out. She saw a tentacle descending from the rooftop. "Quick, come in! I brought food. You must be hungry, right?"
Natsumi's room was a quintessential teenage girl's space—blue curtains, crisp white bedsheets, a desk with books, a backpack, and some extracurricular reading, including… emmm, shoujo manga.
The bed was adorned with stuffed animals, dolls, and pillows, especially a very girly otter plushie.
Clean, tidy, and filled with the faint scent of a girl—her fragrance, familiar to Muxiao from their earlier close contact.
He didn't hold back, grabbing the bowl and shoveling steaming rice and dishes into his mouth. The hot food made him feel human again. Noticing Natsumi watching him with her chin propped in her hands, he pointed a tentacle at the food.
Natsumi understood and waved her hands. "It's fine, I'm not hungry…"
Grrr—
Her face flushed.
She hadn't eaten dinner, and seeing Muxiao eat so eagerly, she was hungry. Muxiao promptly handed her the bowl and chopsticks, urging her to eat.
"It's okay, Mom made plenty. There's more in the kitchen," she said, but still took the bowl and chopsticks Muxiao offered. The used chopsticks and half-eaten rice made her cheeks burn.
Eating from the same bowl feels so much like something lovers would do.
They quickly polished off the rice. Natsumi ran downstairs, grabbed another big bowl, and after eating her fill, watched Muxiao devour his food. Seeing him eat so heartily filled her with a strange sense of satisfaction.
"You can stay in my room from now on, Muxiao. If Mom comes up, hide under the bed or lock the door… Whatever you do, don't let her see you," she said. She could accept Muxiao's appearance, but her mother definitely couldn't.
Natsumi cupped Muxiao's face—or rather, his jellyfish-like head. "Muxiao, you can't let Mom find you, or she'll make me leave you."
Muxiao nodded repeatedly.
"Then it's settled," the blue-haired girl said with a smile, standing up and tugging at her collar. "I feel gross. I'm going to the bathroom to clean up. Wait for me—"
Whoosh.
A tentacle grabbed her skirt. Natsumi turned to see Muxiao pointing at himself.
She blinked. "Muxiao, are you saying you want to bathe too?"
Muxiao nodded.
Natsumi: "…"
It wasn't a problem for him to bathe, but he'd definitely be caught—unless he bathed with her… But bathing together? A shy couple's bath? She'd never done anything like that!
Her hand clutched her chest, feeling her rapid, embarrassed heartbeat.
In a voice as soft as a mosquito's hum, she said, "O-Okay… But you'd get caught bathing alone, so… Muxiao, you'll have to bathe with me."