Chapter 84: Chicken Game
Spending time freely with Hoyeon, I had come to realize a few things. One of them was that she didn’t seem to have a heat cycle.
By nature, beastkin were supposed to experience their heat every month. Yet, for some reason, there was no sign of that with her.
Typically, a beastkin in heat would get noticeably dumber or lose control, clinging to just about anyone. But she displayed none of those behaviors.
Even that black wolf had visited brothels to deal with his urges, and other proud beastkin heroines in the story ended up rolling around with the protagonist during their heat.
Hoyeon, who reacted normally to catnip, somehow didn’t seem to experience the heat cycle. Was it because her bloodline carried divine essence?
I couldn’t help but be curious.
“So, uh… this might be a bit of a sensitive topic. Hoyeon, do you… not have a heat cycle?”
I was 90% sure she didn’t. Still, I wanted to confirm it directly from her.
I expected her answer to be, Of course not.
“…”
While I didn’t mean anything by it, I wondered if even our close relationship couldn’t make up for the awkwardness of the question.
When I first asked, I hadn’t thought much about it. But thinking it over again, it was almost like asking a girlfriend about her menstrual cycle.
Even with our closeness, maybe I’d overstepped this time. I was about to tell her she didn’t have to answer when she responded.
“…No.”
She said, No.
…Uh. Wait a second. What does a guy do when his girlfriend answers a terrible question like that?
“So… you don’t get a heat cycle.”
Desperately wishing for this to blow over, I tried to act like it was no big deal.
Can’t we just pretend this didn’t happen?
“…I do get one!”
But Hoyeon, seemingly oblivious to my hopes, firmly corrected me. She does have a heat cycle.
“…R-right. So, you do…”
Blushing furiously, she stared straight at me without looking away.
“…Why are you reacting like that?! I’m in heat right now!”
The one who asked the question had no idea how to respond. What was I supposed to do with this information?
Had she answered honestly just because I asked? Or was there another meaning behind it? Watching her boldly announce her heat cycle left me speechless.
Ah, so she’s in heat right now.
…And? What was I supposed to do about it? I still feared the people backing her too much to risk making a move.
More than that, I had a gut feeling that pushing any further would lead to something irreversible.
“…Alright, next round—”
“Hey.”
My attempt to move on was thwarted by Hoyeon, who didn’t seem willing to let it slide.
Her gaze bore into me with a dangerous glint I hadn’t seen in a while, her voice low and heavy with tension. If I tried to brush this off, my life might actually be in danger.
Specifically, I had the distinct impression she’d pin me down and kidnap me.
“…You can’t just ask something like that… and then act like it’s no big deal. At least act a little surprised or something…”
Expecting her to strike me, I squeezed my eyes shut, but the blow never came.
Her hand was raised, fist clenched, but she seemed frozen, unable to follow through.
“…Ugh. Pet me… or, I don’t know… just do something. Not now, though!”
I had no idea what she actually wanted, but at least my head was intact. Even with my semi-immortal body, her punches could make me see stars.
She stomped back to her seat in a stiff, awkward manner. Her behavior was off—though, of course, it made sense given she was in heat.
Still, something about today felt different. There hadn’t been a single instance of physical contact. Normally, she’d wake me by flicking my cheek with her tail or tickling my nose, and she’d always hold my hand in passing.
Was something wrong? Was it related to her heat? Whatever the case, I didn’t have the nerve to test her further after what had just happened.
…No, wait. I could just win another round of rock-paper-scissors and ask her outright if I could touch her.
I couldn’t let my curiosity go unanswered, no matter the consequences.
“…Uh, sorry. I’ll be more careful in the future. Let’s start again.”
“Hey, you…! Ugh. Fine. That’s just like you.”
I felt a twinge of guilt seeing how off she seemed, but I had no intention of going easy on her. I always gave my all in any game, even against my kindergarten cousin.
Since I’d won the last round by faking her out, I decided to use the same trick again.
“Rock-paper-scissors.”
Feigning scissors, I threw rock instead. But this time, she played with paper.
“I… I won!”
So the same trick didn’t work twice, huh? Well, I’d made peace with answering whatever she wanted to ask, even if it was something extreme.
“…You win. So, what’s your question, Hoyeon?”
“Well… then… do you… meet other girls because… I’m not enough for you…?”
My resolve wavered instantly. I could answer anything—but not questions tied to the original story or the future.
And yet, she’d gone straight for one of those exceptions. Her unexpected attack left me reeling.
“That’s… not it.”
I assured her firmly that meeting other girls had nothing to do with her being inadequate. I couldn’t risk any misunderstandings.
But that answer only seemed to upset her more. Her voice grew louder, and she pressed me harder.
“…Then why do you meet other girls?!”
Revealing the truth to her was out of the question. Telling her that this world was a novel and that I had to charm every single girl to reach a happy ending—namely, to deal with her mother somehow—was simply impossible.
To be honest, I wasn’t even sure if the so-called happy ending involved defeating Byeolbi. How could anyone possibly defeat a being capable of creating a moon in an instant and hurling it down to the ground?
In the original story, the depiction of her strength was terrifying. She wasn’t even fighting seriously, merely testing the waters and toying with the characters while gradually increasing her intensity.
“If I say it’s about building connections… Will you believe me?”
In the end, I had no choice but to come up with a pitiful excuse. It felt pathetic, but being honest would’ve been far worse. I had no better options.
“I… I’m a princess… so I’m just… not enough.”
“…But still, you’re the only one I’m this close to.”
“R-really? That’s nice… That’s good, but…”
I couldn’t help but feel like I’d set myself up for trouble with the rules of this game. If she had just hit me and ended it, at least my heart would’ve been at ease.
“…Should we stop here?”
I suggested ending the game as a draw, sensing that continuing would leave both of us hurt.
“You ask all your questions… and now you want to quit?”
Her tone carried a menacing edge, so I hastily denied it, but in doing so, I’d fallen right into her trap.
“Then… let’s keep going?”
Somehow, it felt like I had just poked a sleeping tiger awake.
– – – –
Gloria was currently in a coma, while Stefania had suffered irreparable injuries and disappeared after fleeing.
With the leaders of the major demon factions eliminated, the remaining apostles had disbanded the groups naturally.
Though the mastermind behind the beast attacks remained unknown, the Church considered the outcome a success, with minimal losses on their part.
But for Ethan, there was no good news to be found. All the credit for Stefania’s defeat went to Ena, while the hidden demons were hunted down by other apostles.
In essence, Ethan had achieved nothing of note, leaving his position precarious.
Some argued that his ability to sense demonic energy was no longer necessary, given the major demon force was eradicated. Others suggested studying his rare talent further for future applications.
It wasn’t just his role as an apostle at stake; there was even a possibility he might be dissected to uncover the secret of his abilities. Ethan was acutely aware of the danger he was in.
Yet every incident was swiftly resolved by others, leaving him stranded at the academy with no opportunity to prove himself.
It was then that someone approached him.
Was it a noble here to mock him? Or had the Church finally decided what to do with him?
Through his sole remaining eye, Ethan saw not a noble nor a Church official, but an elf.
“…You’re pursuing Hoyeon, aren’t you?”
He froze at her words. The only connection he had with her was observing her from afar during prayer. Why would she bring this up?
“…How do you know that?”
The elf cut him off before he could press further, making him an offer he couldn’t refuse.
“The spirits told me. I’ll help you. Let’s uncover Hoyeon’s secret together!”