Case 25: Heat.
''Yeah, she's at my place now.''
[Are you guys injured? I can send medical staff over.]
''...No need. We can take care of this on our own.''
[Got it. Have a good rest, and be careful.]
Fumiko cut the call, letting out a sigh. Her wounds were still being tended to by Moeka, who appeared dead serious and quite devoted... like a loving wife. Just that alone was enough for Fumiko to forget all her pain, though the grudge toward that villain could not be quenched anytime soon.
When it was reported that Moeka had been kidnapped, Fumiko immediately dropped everything she was doing and rushed around the city to find her. Fortunately, thanks to their permanent bond, Fumiko could sense Moeka's presence more clearly, allowing her to locate the location in which she was held.
In the end, Fumiko gave Nacht a beating, but it felt nowhere near enough, especially when she saw the state Moeka was in. If she had come just a few minutes later... who knew what could have happened?
'...Well, at least I managed to save her.'
On the other hand, Moeka, who had just finished responding to calls and messages from her mother and the other magical girls, was in an ambiguous mood. When Fumiko took her here earlier, her expression had not been good. It was as if she were ready to kill anyone who would dare to upset her further. Perhaps because of everything that had transpired, Moeka's mind was still unsettled. Even now, in a safe place, her heart was beating fast.
''...Hey, what's that?''
''Huh?''
Yet, Fumiko's question took her out of the trance. Both of them were now finally facing the elephant in the room—the heart crest on Moeka's stomach. Recalling previous memories, Moeka's cheeks began to burn, yet she obediently recounted to her girlfriend how she got the crest.
''...''
The more Moeka spoke, the colder Fumiko's face became. At this moment, she wished she had hit that scum even harder. But in the end, no one could change the past, and it was certainly better to focus on the present.
''What does it do?'' Fumiko asked, touching the pinkish, glowing pattern on her girlfriend's stomach, ''How do you feel right now?''
''W-Wait, don't touch it...!'' Moeka flinched, her breath hitching, ''It's sensitive...''
Fumiko's face darkened another notch, ''Don't tell me it's some kind of lewd crest BS...''
The Omega bit her lips, seeming genuinely grieving, ''I think it is...''
For a long while, only silence persisted in the room as Moeka continued bandaging Fumiko's body. As the bearer of this fiction-esque, almost comical crest, she could only hang her head low. Of course, Moeka had gotten it forcefully, and both The Federation and Fumiko would find ways to remove it, but she still felt embarrassed nonetheless.
If people were to see this... the stigma of her being a succubus would suddenly gain much more validity. Fortunately, Moeka had no plans to show her bare stomach to anyone but her girlfriend, so everything should be alright, she thought.
''...I'm going for a shower.'' Moeka stood up after finishing her job.
''Okay.''
Normally, Fumiko would have pestered her Omega girlfriend and tried to enter the bath with her, but sensing her partner's mood, she decided against it. Moeka, feeling somewhat relieved, grabbed a towel and slipped into the bathroom. The facilities here at Fumiko's lab were unexpectedly decent. The washroom was spacious, equipped with hot water and a large tub.
'They must have anticipated people staying over, huh...'
Moeka had frequented this place for years. She knew many of the researchers practically lived in this building, only occasionally returning home. Fumiko was often one of them. Her parents were all on business trips abroad. The person herself nonchalantly said it was convenient, but Moeka was not so convinced.
Living alone in this cold place, sleeping beside chemicals and machinery... it did not sound healthy nor fun. At least Moeka herself was visiting Fumiko regularly, and now, she even had a good excuse to increase her trips. Smiling to herself, Moeka turned on the shower, ready to clean herself after that spiteful commander had made a mess on her.
'By the way, I hadn't seen Aloe for a while... well, whatever.'
The sound of running water echoed even outside the bathroom. Fumiko, sitting on the sofa, stared blankly at the door, vainly hoping to catch something beyond it.
''...''
In her defense, even if she had become a big pervert, one could hardly resist seeing their stunning lover in underwear running around, flaunting her beauty for hours inside their place. Fumiko tried to steer her thoughts toward something more useful, like how to deal with the aftermath of this incident or how to soothe Moeka, who had been through a traumatic experience. Yet, her mind had nothing but lewd scenes running on loops; those phantom sensations of embracing her Omega dominating.
'What am I doing...'
Only after noticing the sound of running water stopping for a long time did Fumiko snap out of it. Floating in the air at the moment was a faint but distinctly sweet, unmistakably an Omega's pheromones. There was only one Omega in this place. However, without being provoked directly, she should not have released it. Unless...
'Don't tell me?!'
Carrying a growing premonition, Fumiko ran straight toward the bathroom. Thankfully, the door was not locked, but as soon as she opened it, an unbelievably dense fog of pheromones hit her, sweet and enchanting to the point of diabolical. Her body instantly reacted to it, urging her to find and conquer the source of this invitation. And, she soon found Moeka, naked, leaning against the bathtub.
''Moeka!'' Fumiko held her girlfriend.
The Omega was, true to Fumiko's suspicions, in heat. Her body was scorching hot, marked with crimson flushes on her tender skin, and each of her labored breaths was stuck with a sticky, whimper-like moan.
But how could it be? According to current observations and fiction-based data, heat periods should only come once every month or two. It had not been two weeks since Moeka had first entered her heat cycle. Was the 'relief' at that time not enough? Then again, Moeka was a special case among special cases. It could also be this strange, glowing crest's fault. One could not use standards to measure Moeka's symptoms.
After rationalizing with herself, Fumiko decided to take measures against the immediate problem first. Moeka was in heat, and she was her Alpha. Nothing needed to be said further.
''Hold on.''
Fumiko carried Moeka to the large sofa. Even in her hazy state, Moeka instinctively clung to the familiar presence, showing her full trust. Fumiko, suppressing the inner demon, gently placed down her lover before wiping away the moisture on the woman's succulent skin.
''...Damn.''
One could hardly hold back. Under the Omega's rampant pheromones, her inviting moans, and her vulgar, irresistible curves, Fumiko's resistance barely lasted a minute. From then on, her memories remained as murky as those of the person she was pouncing on.