In Terra, a Hunter, and a Bad Woman

"Old Ch'en... can make sounds like that too?"

"I hope she'll be able to handle it physically in a few days."

The time spent changing clothes did not last long.

By the time Ch'en came back to her senses, Maria had already changed her clothes...

"Sorry, we don't have anything in a size as... as petite as yours, so we probably can't lend you any underwear."

Maria put it tactfully, but Ch'en could still hear the restrained helplessness in her voice.

What could she do about that?!

Honestly, her figure could not be called small. In fact, compared to other races, she was already very well-endowed. Unfortunately, Maria and Hoshiguma standing before her were both supermodel-level women. What they wore was naturally on a completely different level from what Ch'en wore.

So at this moment, Old Ch'en could only sit off to the side in Maria's fitted white shirt, wearing nothing underneath.

Her slender legs were pressed tightly together, afraid to leave even the slightest gap.

But... perhaps it was just her imagination, but the more conscious she was of her embarrassment, the more she could feel a faint breeze brushing past her.

Ugh...

Ch'en could not say a word.

After puzzling over Ch'en's mood for a moment, Maria shook her head.

"Hoshiguma said she had something to do and would be staying outside for a few days. Did you ask her what you wanted to know?"

"Ah..."

Hearing Maria's words, Ch'en froze. A moment later, she came back to herself and temporarily pushed down the embarrassment in her heart.

"I forgot. I was just about to ask her what the emergency mission was..."

"Then there's no point in staying here any longer."

Ch'en sighed as she listened to the washing machine running in the room.

After hesitating for a while, she raised her head and looked at Maria.

"If that's the case... then sorry, I won't disturb you any longer. Once the clothes are washed, I'll iron them and leave."

"..."

"What is it?"

Ch'en looked at Maria with a face full of confusion.

Although the other woman's expression remained as indifferent as ever, Ch'en could still sense her hesitation.

Just as she asked, Maria suddenly grabbed her hand.

A bad feeling rose in Ch'en's heart.

Wait...

Earlier, in the bathroom, they had been interrupted because Hoshiguma arrived, but... what if Hoshiguma had not come?

No way...

Ch'en's body instantly tensed.

After hesitating for a moment, Maria looked at Ch'en with her cool, detached face.

"Don't leave. I... am afraid of the dark."

Who would believe that?!

I Faint at the Sight of Blood

Her brain really had been affected by Originium...

With her body tense, Ch'en let her thoughts run wild as she cautiously raised her head to look at Maria beside her.

Not long after Maria spoke, the two fell into silence.

The two of them sat on the sofa without saying a word.

And so it continued until deep into the night.

During that time, Ch'en forgot what she had even been thinking about. All she could feel was her steadily accelerating heartbeat.

Then...

Then they ended up on the bed.

The two of them were now lying on Hoshiguma's bed, back to back.

Ch'en could clearly feel the skin pressed against her back... cold and cool, as though Maria's body temperature was very low.

"Gulp..."

Ch'en swallowed hard, her face flushed red and her entire body taut.

What the hell am I doing?!

Why did I stay silent back then?

Couldn't I have just made an excuse and said I had something to do, that I couldn't stay?

How could I be this stupid?!

What should happen next... no, what does Maria intend to do?

Are we going to do it? We're going to do it, right?

Should I resist?

No! I definitely have to resist!

I only came here to rest for the night, not to do something so shameless!

Just resting!

Resting!

Ch'en squeezed her eyes shut and kept telling herself that.

"Can't you sleep?"

Suddenly, a cool female voice came from behind her.

Ch'en froze completely.

Stiffly turning her head, she saw Maria behind her, propping her head up with one hand as she lay on her side.

Since she had lent her shirt to Ch'en, she was completely unrestrained at the moment.

Only a thin sheet outlined her imagination-stirring figure.

Outside the window, moonlight scattered a faint glow into the room.

"Ah..."

Ch'en only took one glance before her whole body stiffened.

She decisively turned her head away and answered in a low voice.

"Mm."

"...Then shall we talk?"

Maria still spoke calmly, her slender fingers gently touching Ch'en's back.

The slightly cool touch made Ch'en so nervous she was nearly cramping up.

The strange tickling sensation made her breathing grow uneven.

What exactly does this Maria want to do?!

Ch'en was completely bewildered.

But Maria's thoughts were very simple.

She still could not figure it out.

Simple skin-to-skin contact should not have been enough for an ordinary person to give off the scent of a beast.

So she felt there had to be some other reason.

The reason she had kept Ch'en here and deliberately slept in the same bed with her was to examine what was so special about her body.

Unfortunately, she was merely a butcher who knew how to kill. She knew nothing at all about physical examinations.

Fortunately, Doll was able to serve her purpose at this moment.

She guided Maria to touch the places she indicated, making it easier for her to conduct the examination.

So while it looked like Maria was unconsciously stroking Ch'en's body, Doll inside her body was actually examining her.

Thinking about it that way, it was rather amusing.

After all, this was a single bed, yet two people were sleeping on it.

And though there appeared to be two people, there were actually four...

Lost in thought, Maria turned her head again. Looking at the girl whose earlobes had turned red, she fell silent for a moment before speaking on her own.

"You are very righteous..."

"Hm?"

"Although I am not very good at judging people, at least through my contact with you, I can tell what kind of girl you are. I always liked calling you Detective Girl before, but I meant no offense by it."

Maria spoke softly, then rested her head on the pillow again and slowly spoke while looking at the back of Ch'en's head.

"But you are very tense..."

"..."

"You have built up a lot of pressure for yourself, haven't you?"

"..."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Maria's voice was gentle, her rising and falling tone like a lullaby as it slowly soothed Ch'en's taut heart.

It was surprising.

With Maria's words, Ch'en truly felt her heartbeat begin to steady.

After hesitating for a few seconds, she finally sighed.

"My story is nothing worth telling... But you, why are you in Lungmen?"

"To make money." Maria did not hide anything and directly stated her goal.

"I have something to do that requires me to go to Victoria. That means I need a large sum of money... and I chose Lungmen only because it was the closest place to me."

"...Is that so?"

Hearing Maria's explanation, Ch'en paused, then smiled helplessly.

"You really are a little hard to figure out..."

"Mm..."

"Then... what did you do before?"

"Before?" Maria paused. After hesitating for a few seconds, she slowly said, "I used to be a Hunter."

"A Hunter?" Ch'en sounded surprised.

"A Hunter shouldn't have skills like yours."

"It was a special kind... My prey were not ordinary beasts."

Maria silently shook her head and explained to Ch'en.

After hesitating for a few seconds, Ch'en asked a question.

"Were you... a Hunter who hunted those special primitive Infected? Like a bounty hunter?"