"Tomie, come here obediently, let me draw some blood."
"Muxiao Xiao! You bastard! Drawing my blood again—are you even human?"
"I'm obviously not human. Haven't you seen that already?"
When the tentacle monster approached Kawakami Tomie with a syringe, the black-haired woman erupted into a frenzy of curses. But no matter how much she swore, it couldn't change her fate of having her blood drawn.
You think I'm keeping you here to eat and drink for free?
You're my treasure girl, meant to boost my evolution points, got it? But lately, Tomie's been bled a bit too much. Look at her—face pale, practically anemic from my harvesting.
Muxiao tucked away the syringe, satisfied. "Alright, as a reward, you can move freely for the next two days. Consider it a vacation."
"Don't even think about escaping. No matter where you go, I'll drag you back."
Tomie stormed off, grumbling.
Ding-dong—ding-dong—
Shima Izuki handled the cult's external recruitment, while Miss Reina managed internal affairs. She hadn't yet wrested full control from Izuki, but taking care of Muxiao's daily needs was no issue.
After all, as a tentacle monster, he couldn't exactly go out without a private car—super inconvenient.
So the Leader says he wants me to control the Himegami Society, but I feel like a nanny now. Still, Reina didn't mind.
Being a nanny's not so bad…
"Coming, coming!" Natsumi Sakura, notified earlier, opened the door to see a stunning, elegant woman who didn't look her age. Though they'd met at the hospital, Natsumi couldn't help but marvel. So beautiful.
Miss Reina is gorgeous.
So what was her relationship with Muxiao? On the surface, they were colleagues, but Natsumi wasn't naive—she didn't buy that it was that simple.
"Hello, I'm Reina. You must be Natsumi Sakura, right? The Leader mentioned you." Reina gave a kind smile.
"Oh, um… I'm Natsumi Sakura. Just call me by my name, Aunt Reina."
A-Aunt?
Sure, her age was a bit… well, she was a mother of five. But being called "Aunt" outright was rare. Reina's smile froze, nearly breaking.
"Returning the courtesy, Natsumi, just call me Sister. Aunt is… heh," Reina thought. This girl's hostile—because of the Leader? A non-human tentacle monster being loved by such a pretty girl felt bizarre.
"Wouldn't that be rude? You're an aunt, after all…"
That's even ruder!
"Call me Sister!"
"Fine, Sister Reina… Muxiao's upstairs, I'll take you," Natsumi said, cautiously asking, "What's your relationship with Muxiao?"
"You care a lot, huh? I'm curious too. The Leader's appearance is… unique, but you seem to feel strongly for him. Aren't you scared?"
"Of course not. Muxiao's different from others. Forget monsters—even humans can't compare!" Natsumi's heart softened, recalling how he'd saved her multiple times. "Besides, Muxiao's pretty pitiful…"
Reina agreed. Despite his monstrous form, he was better than some human scumbags. In her mind, Muto wasn't worth one of Muxiao's tentacles.
But wait—what did she say?
"You said the Leader's human?"
"Yeah, Muxiao's pitiful. He was human but turned into a terrifying monster, unable to go out, enduring his body's torment…"
Reina's mind reeled, though it made sense. A talking, intelligent monster, indistinguishable from a human except in appearance.
It all clicked.
"What are you two chatting about? You seem close."
"Leader…"
"Stop. Outside the cult, call me by my name. 'Leader' this, 'Leader' that—it's weird," Muxiao said, lounging on the floor by the bed. A torn snack bag sat nearby, a tentacle grabbing a chip and tossing it into his mouth, crunching away.
A computer sat in front of him, other tentacles furiously tapping the keyboard.
Reina walked in to this scene. Ugh, all that earlier sentiment—ruined. He's giving off total otaku vibes.
"Tch, tch, so many tentacles—so convenient. Reina, wait till I finish this round," Muxiao said, munching another chip, typing faster. "These trash teammates, total noobs."
You never know who your gaming teammates or opponents are.
"…"
"…"
The two women exchanged glances. Natsumi covered her mouth, giggling. "Sister Reina, sit on the bed. I'll make coffee~"
"Lea—Muxiao," Reina said, unused to his name but adjusting quickly. "Natsumi's a great girl. The way she looks at you seems… special."
"Of course Natsumi's great. But what are you getting at?"
"Nothing, just an observation. You're quite popular, Muxiao. Oh, Natsumi mentioned you're human?"
"That's not important," Muxiao said, closing the computer, done gaming. He turned to her. "What matters is you, Reina. Your health's the real issue."
"You can save me, right? I trust you."
Her relaxed demeanor showed genuine trust in Muxiao.
"Phew, that trust puts a lot of pressure on me," he said, opening his system, eyeing the interface, especially the evolution points: [3218/1000].
He grinned. "At this point, I'll definitely cure you."
System, add points!
This time, he upgraded [Healing Tentacle].
Spending 500 points to evolve it into [Touch of Healing], then 1000 more to become [Light of Healing].
Not only did recovery power increase, but while the old Healing Tentacle could only treat external injuries, now… Reina's illness could be healed, though it'd likely consume significant magic.
"Reina, let's begin—"
Muxiao hesitated, tentacles swaying. "It might… require touching your body…"
The stunning young mother gave a gentle smile, seemingly unbothered, calmly unbuttoning her collar. "It's fine, Muxiao. Please, go ahead."
Muxiao took a deep breath, his expression serious, and pressed a tentacle against her.
The woman let out a soft hum, her body trembling slightly. Muxiao sensed she wasn't as calm as she appeared. Feeling her smooth, tender skin, the sensation was striking.
Suppressing his emotions, Muxiao activated his ability.
Buzz—
A faint glow enveloped Reina, a warm sensation like soaking in a spring washing over her. Comfortable, she couldn't help but moan.
So good.
Her body felt revitalized.
But beyond the healing, Reina bit her lip, a strange, subtle pleasure coursing through her, making her shift.
Her face grew redder.
Is it because of our earlier intimate contact? I'm a normal woman, after all—especially now, with my vitality restored, it's natural to feel… desire.
When the treatment ended, Muxiao looked at the woman feigning calm, his expression wistful. "Reina, one good news, one bad news."
"Hm?"
"Good news: the treatment worked. You're healthy again," Muxiao said, rubbing his brow. "Bad news: it's not a permanent cure. It'll flare up again, so… we'll need regular treatments."
"So, we'll have to keep doing… this?"
Reina was stunned.
"Look, I'm not saying this to take advantage of you. It's genuinely hard to eradicate—"
Chu~
A kiss from the beauty landed on his head, silencing Muxiao. He stood frozen. Reina, initially shy, saw his flustered explanation and, amused, kissed him.
After, she smiled softly. "I didn't doubt you. You're helping me, Muxiao. This is enough—I'm satisfied. As for future treatments, I don't mind. After all…"
My life already belongs to him.