Honkai: Man(Sludge) From Future

"Director, please, just let me off the hook. I just want to be a normal person, run my flower shop, and eventually die peacefully of old age. If possible, I'd find a normal…"

Rita trailed off, saying resignedly, "That's probably not in the cards anymore."

Noldrei asked curiously, "Rita, have you ever been in love? Or even just… been with someone?"

'You're being awfully direct,' Rita thought.

She didn't know what expression to wear while answering. Was she supposed to admit that, up to this point, she was still a virgin?

That didn't quite fit her persona.

"You probably won't believe me, but... would you like to confirm for yourself, Director? I've heard that many organizations that train female spies take their virginity as the first step. If you have... similar requirements, I wouldn't be entirely opposed. After all, the face you've chosen for yourself is quite handsome."

Even now, Rita found it in herself to tease Noldrei. She needed it to lighten the impossibly heavy weight on her heart.

"You're not trained as a spy, are you? At most, you're a Valkyrie scout. Why would I take your virginity? Though, if you're really that sexually frustrated, I suppose I could lend you a tentacle."

As he spoke, a tentacle sprouted from his back. He had come to understand all too well just how terrifying the sexual repression of this era was.

Rita suspected Noldrei might have misunderstood her, but she couldn't deny her own curiosity about the... power of his tentacles.

Rita had always known Dr. Tesla to be an unyielding straight woman, with even some lesbian tendencies. Yet under Noldrei's "whipping," she had become a complete captive to his tentacles.

'Maybe... I should give it a try? No one's here to see, anyway.'

"Director... there's no harm in just... trying it a little, is there?"

The moment the words left her mouth, Rita regretted them, but it was too late to take them back.

Noldrei's tentacle whip had already lashed out, striking her.

---||---

As Sirin drifted in a drowsy haze, she thought she heard someone return to the room and start a shower.

She threw back her covers and looked toward the illuminated bathroom, its frosted glass door obscuring the view. Perhaps it was her imagination, but Sirin thought she detected a scent she shouldn't have.

Her brow furrowed, and she padded barefoot across the floor.

Unsure if her suspicions were correct, Sirin went to check Rita's discarded clothes. She found a faint scent of sweat on them, along with a certain strange, dangerous aroma.

Sirin didn't continue her "investigation"; she wasn't one to pry.

She was just dying to know what Rita had been doing with Noldrei. She didn't dare spy on Noldrei herself, so she settled for a covert examination of Rita's clothes afterward.

Sirin probably never imagined that she, a mighty Herrscher, would become so gossipy and weird.

When the sound of the shower stopped, signaling Rita was about to dry off, Sirin quickly tiptoed back to her own bed.

Rita glanced down at her clothes and noticed they had been moved slightly from where she'd left them. Being an incredibly observant person, she knew instantly that someone had touched them.

A strange flush colored Rita's cheeks, whether from the whipping or the hot water in the shower, it was hard to say.

She now truly understood why Dr. Tesla was so addicted. Anyone could become enthralled by the pleasure of that tentacle's lash.

Rita found it difficult to explain the feeling. It was completely different from when she used her usual "toys." It was a sense of fulfillment, like being held in a warm embrace, satisfying her on both a physical and emotional level.

It was as if she'd had a perfect spiritual connection with someone, an experience that had nearly caused her to lose all composure.

'The Director's tentacles are incredible. I never thought they could do something like that. No wonder Dr. Tesla gets so irritable when she can't be whipped regularly.'

Rita was convinced that the whip would be just as potent if used on a man.

She looked at her disturbed clothes, and a mischievous glint appeared in her eyes. An idea to tease the Herrscher of the Void began to form.

"Miss Sirin, would you perhaps like to try the Director's tentacle as well? It's a rare opportunity. I imagine you don't want to live under the Director's shadow forever, do you? They say the best way to conquer fear is to face it head-on. Or are you saying that you, a Herrscher, don't even have the courage to face your fears?"

Rita's words were a low blow.

As a thirty-something adult, she, Sirin, the Herrscher of the Void, wouldn't be swayed by such a childish taunt.

Sirin instantly threw back her covers, her face cold. "You think you can provoke me with that? Dream on. I won't fall for such a cheap trick!"

"Oh, is that so? What a shame. I brought out several changes of clothes. I just don't know if they'll be enough. Maybe I should have the hotel staff launder them? I just wonder if Miss Herrscher has the guts to change her clothes."

Rita's insinuation was clear: she was relentlessly calling Sirin a coward.

Sirin's temper flared. "I'm not falling for it!" she snapped. "You just want to see me make a fool of myself!"

"Now, now, you're misunderstanding me. After all, I'm not nearly as popular with the 'old folks' as you are, Miss Sirin. They do tend to prefer children, after all."

Rita held a grudge, and she quickly found the keywords to get under Sirin's skin.

The young-looking Herrscher had never been provoked like this before. Rita's goading was starting to get to her.

"I'm not a child, and I'm not afraid of him!"

Sirin tried to stand her ground, but Rita didn't believe her for a second.

"Really? I can't tell. You don't even have the courage to ask the Director what we talked about. What if I said bad things about you? You wouldn't dare confront me in front of him."

Rita smiled, her eyes full of encouragement as she looked at Sirin.

Feeling belittled, Sirin didn't even care that she was still in her pajamas. She bolted out of the room to prove her "courage."

Rita was taken aback by how quickly Sirin moved.

She hadn't expected the cute Herrscher to be so easily provoked.

It wasn't that Rita intentionally wanted to mess with her. It was just that crawling out of Noldrei's room with legs like jelly had been far too embarrassing. Luckily, no one had seen her, or Rita would have had to consider starting a new life somewhere else.

Based on her experience with that single lash, Rita was fairly certain Sirin wouldn't be coming back to sleep.

Once Sirin got a taste of the whip, they'd both be victims. Then no one could laugh at Rita's embarrassing predicament.

As it turned out, Rita's guess was spot on. Sirin didn't come back all night.