Around evening, just as Mo Wang was about to defeat the final boss and complete his daily challenge, the door to his room was casually pushed open.
Ellen, still in her high school uniform, walked in sleepily.
"Ellen? You're here early today," Mo Wang asked, surprised.
Ellen glanced at him on the sofa, then, as usual, slipped off her shoes, draped her legs over his, and lay down wearily.
Mo Wang stared at the long, black-stockinged legs resting on his lap. "Hey, mind your decorum a little? You're in a guy's room, you know."
Ellen, her eyes half-closed, hummed lazily. "Mmm... what does it matter... it's not like it's the first time..."
"That's not the point, is it?" Mo Wang sighed. "Weren't you supposed to be at a party with the girls from your class today? What are you doing here?"
"...Too sleepy." Ellen's voice grew softer as she snuggled into a cushion. "They were too loud... I'd rather sleep here..."
With that, her breathing became even and deep. She was out cold.
"Hey..." Mo Wang's mouth twitched. He looked down at her defenseless sleeping face, then at the slender, stocking-clad legs on his lap, at a loss for words.
The boss in his game was still unleashing a furious barrage of attacks, but he had completely lost the will to play. His fingers hovered over the screen for a moment before he sighed and turned the game off.
"Honestly..." he muttered, but his eyes couldn't help but drift back to Ellen's legs.
The black stockings hugged her well-toned curves, gleaming softly in the light. On a whim, he reached out and gave her calf a gentle squeeze.
"Mmm..." Ellen frowned slightly but didn't wake up, only unconsciously twitching her foot before relaxing again.
Seeing her slow reaction, Mo Wang grew a bit bolder. His fingers slowly slid up her calf to her knee, giving it a gentle press.
For the record, Mo Wang isn't one of those Ark guys. And just to reiterate, he is not one of those Ark guys.
But he had to admit, teasing a girl's feet was pretty fun. Especially when he touched Ellen's, her face would flush a little, and her tail would twitch. It was quite amusing.
"...Mo Wang... stop it..." Ellen mumbled, her face buried deeper in the cushion.
"So you were awake," Mo Wang chuckled, his hands not stopping. "This is what you get for just plopping down on people."
Ellen didn't answer, her breathing still steady, as if her protest had just been a dream.
Mo Wang watched her for a few seconds before shaking his head in defeat. He gently moved her legs aside, got up, and draped a blanket over her.
"Oh, well. Seeing as you're so tired..." he whispered, ruffling her hair. "Sleep well."
"Brother~ Huh? When did Ellen get here?" A moment later, Belle walked in and saw Ellen's legs draped over Mo Wang.
"Just a little while ago."
"Mmm, is she asleep already? Is it low blood sugar again?" Belle poked Ellen's cheek.
Ellen just frowned and turned her head away.
"Oh, she's probably just tired from work," Mo Wang said. "Juggling Victoria Housekeeping missions and school must be tough for her."
A normal high school girl by day, a super-agent for a secret organization by night. In a novel, this would be the classic female protagonist setup.
"Is Victoria Housekeeping really that busy lately? Come to think of it, I haven't seen Corin in a while," Belle said.
"Who knows? Those guys are always so secretive."
Victoria Housekeeping was a special kind of mercenary group, as far as he knew. They were highly skilled, had a good reputation, and were popular among the wealthy.
But Ellen... despite her strength, she was often hypoglycemic from overexertion and had to balance her work with school.
Lately, she had been using his place as a dorm room, crashing the moment she walked in.
"By the way, Ellen can't sleep on her back, can she? With a tail that big, isn't it inconvenient?" Belle asked, her eyes filled with curiosity.
"Definitely. If she lay on her back, she'd either break her tail or her back," Mo Wang said, and the two siblings found themselves exceptionally curious about her big tail and began to... investigate.
Ellen, still asleep, kept frowning, as if trapped in a nightmare.
Two hours later, she finally woke up.
"Yo, Sleeping Beauty is finally awake. How's your head?" Mo Wang chuckled.
"I feel like... someone was touching my leg and tail while I was sleeping," she said, rubbing her forehead.
"Oh, you were probably just having a nightmare," he said, denying everything.
"Really?" she asked, a flicker of doubt in her eyes.
"Ahem, anyway, it's getting late. Are you hungry?"
"Mmm, yes."
"Alright, what do you want for dinner tonight?"
"A hamburger will be fine."
"You really don't eat much," he said.
"My appetite is just this big. One is enough," she said flatly.
She has such a great figure even though she eats so little... tsk tsk tsk, as expected of Shark Girl, he thought, glancing at her toned abs. Ahem, I'm definitely not checking her out. I'm just appreciating her physique.
...
When Mo Wang returned with dinner, Ellen had already changed out of her school uniform and into her maid outfit.
"Proxy, I'm leaving my clothes here for now. I'll pick them up when I get back," she said, grabbing a hamburger.
"Leaving so soon?"
"Mmm, today's mission is a bit urgent."
"And you still took a nap? No wonder you're not going home for dinner."
"By the way, do you need any help?"
"No, it's not an unexplored area. We won't need a Proxy's help. We can handle it," she said with a small smile.
"Oh, well, take this. For when you get hungry," he said, handing her a box of candy. "Don't fall asleep from hunger in the middle of it again and make Lycaon carry you back."
"Thanks," she said, a faint blush on her cheeks.
"What are you thanking me for? If you really want to thank me, you should get more rest. You're going to burn yourself out," he nagged.
"I'm leaving!" she said, and then dashed out of the store, her face beet red.
"What's with her? Is she in her rebellious phase?" he wondered.
"Sigh, Brother. You're really a blockhead," Belle said, giggling.
"What do you mean, 'blockhead'?"
"Oh, nothing. I was just wondering why my brother, who is so gentle, doesn't have a girlfriend."
"Hey, are you cursing me to be single forever?" he said, pinching her nose. "By the way, we should probably get a kitchen installed. Eating out every day is a waste of money."
"Hehe." Belle just smiled. Her brother was strong, caring, and a great cook. No wonder all those other girls were always trying to get close to him. But for her, it was a good thing he was a little dense. At least she could always be by his side.
"Hey, aren't you going to eat?! If you stay up all night again today, I'll spank you!"
"Eeeh~ But I have so many dramas to catch up on. Why don't you just spank me now, Brother?" she said, cheekily sticking her butt out towards him.
"You brat! Go eat!" he said, and gave her a light swat.
"Ow, you actually hit me. I'm going, I'm going," she giggled, and then scurried away.
This little rascal is getting out of hand, he thought, and then paused, recalling the feeling of his hand on her butt. Wait, has she gained weight?
He pondered this for a good ten seconds. Yeah, she's definitely gained weight. Maybe I should put her on a fitness plan?
Belle, blissfully unaware, had no idea that her brother was already plotting her workout routine. If she knew, she'd probably cough up blood. Spanked and then forced to exercise... could anything be worse?