Case 41: Therapy date – I
Aikawa Yurika. Magical Lily.
A petite girl whose skin was as fair as jade, with long, silky silver hair and amethyst-like purple eyes. A girl who was often mistaken for a life-sized doll. And, as Moeka knew it—Yurika was a perverted brat who loved to torment others.
'Her pheromones had a touch of lily flowers...'
''...Ugh.''
Moeka let out a noise as she was making her way toward her destination. When did she have the habit of remembering other girls' pheromones...? And why did her own body react slightly when she recalled that scent...?
'No, it must be because she marked me the other day.' The Omega desperately thought, 'Yes. That must be it. This is just a biological response.'
Otherwise, for her to still crave an Alpha's scent when she was still covered with traces of two others... Moeka would die of embarrassment. Slapping herself lightly on the cheeks, Moeka decided to strive for a better version of herself—chasing out the lust demon! Having been matured before her age, she found such self-motivation trivial.
'By the way... is she following me properly...?'
Being Moeka's bodyguard, it was Himeko's job to accompany her target around the clock. For personal appointments, she must remain within a close distance of Moeka while maintaining secrecy. Thankfully, a prominent magical girl like Marigold could accomplish such tasks with ease, so much so that Moeka herself could hardly spot a strand of blond hair around her.
Putting aside a brief worry, Moeka soon arrived at a street-front café, one belonging to a popular chain domestically. Pushing the door open, a short ring resonated, and Moeka began looking around.
'There she is.'
Aikawa Yurika sat cutely in a quiet corner of the building, already busy entertaining herself with treats and drinks. The sight of a silver-haired beauty humming to herself while basking in the morning sunlight was picturesque, framed almost like a painting. Except that the girl who looked so soft and harmless was a cunning Alpha whose desire to devour Moeka did not fall short of her charms.
Nevertheless, Moeka could only lament and accept her fate. She walked up to Yurika and sat opposite her, ''Good morning, Miss Aikawa.'' She greeted softly.
The doll-like girl smiled back, ''Good morning, Miss Kisaragi.''
The atmosphere between them was surprisingly serene, perhaps because both of them were practically-minded. Yurika was here for relief, and Moeka came to fulfill her contract with The Federation. As the two had agreed upon in their earlier exchange, they would briefly meet up here and enjoy a moment before getting down to the real business. After all, creating a good mood was also crucial to appease the Alpha's psyche... that was what Moeka thought.
After placing an order, Moeka immediately turned to Yurika, ''Do you have somewhere in mind? The club room is still unavailable...''
''Hm... I'm not quite sure yet.'' The silver-haired girl pondered, ''I prefer somewhere peaceful. Would you come to my apartment?''
''Sure.''
Yurika paused. The Omega's answer came rather quickly, which she found strange. The woman who rejected kisses during a marking was now willing to visit her house.
'For someone usually so reserved to agree to readily...'
The magical girl, renowned for her precision and acute tactical analysis, began scrutinizing Moeka. She zoomed in far enough to catch a drift of changing emotions, yet covert enough not to alert a soul. Moeka's fidgeting attitude. Her dazed look. Her shifting fragrance.
'Aha.'
And eventually, she had pieced together what must have happened. Being a serial teaser and a terminal brat, Yurika could not help but voice her thoughts, ''By any chance... did you sleep with Miss Haruno?''
Facing Yurika's sly smile and her pointed question, Moeka flinched. She thought she had hidden it well with perfume, but it seemed the scents of those Alphas could not be concealed so easily, especially in front of someone as perceptive as Lily.
''I sense her presence on you,'' Yurika added, ''And senior Hibiscus, too. Are those two actually getting along well?''
Seeing as though the girl would eventually come to learn her circumstances anyway, Moeka admitted with a sigh, ''...I slept with them the night before yesterday.''
A look of surprise and amusement fell onto the doll's face, ''Oh, my. Raunchy.'' Her grin crept further up, ''I'm curious. Are you three in a relationship?''
''N-No, it just happened to be that way... I only have one girlfriend.''
Moeka's sense of shame was catching up to her, but Yurika appeared completely unfazed, ''I'm not judging. Rather, isn't it a good thing that Miss Kisaragi has found the courage to accept her role?'' She mused, ''As a on-duty relief magical girl, I mean. With your previous mindset, I'm afraid serious accidents would have occurred sooner or later. Things like lust are hard to control for us, after all.''
''...''
The girl's honest remark seemed to hit right in Moeka's conscience. She was, by all means, a confused mess before Fumiko reassured her that night. She knew she had to throw herself to the wolves to prevent them from losing control. Even then, she tried to keep herself 'clean,' believing in her faithfulness to her girlfriend.
'...No, that's just an excuse.'
Moeka knew herself best. She enjoyed what had transpired that night. With Fumiko. With Himeko. Being faithful... was just an excuse. She, truthfully, was afraid of the stigma that people would put on her.
A succubus. A seductress. A promiscuous woman.
Moeka did not want herself to be looked down upon. She did not want to be known as just 'the Omega' who slept with many of her colleagues. A mere vessel for relief. Kisaragi Moeka was her own person—she wanted the world to see her in this light.
But the way things were unfolding... Moeka had little confidence. Perhaps because Moeka had to grow up earlier than her peers, her view of the world was not so positive. Being in this line of work, it was inevitable that she had seen many bleak sides of society. Sometimes, she envied those who could stay so optimistic. So leisurely.
Even with her girlfriend's reassuring presence, even with her family and friends' presence, the road ahead looked bleak. And she was already two steps into that road. By accepting Himeko's advances, Moeka was, as Yurika said, admitting her role.
''...Do you think I'm pathetic?'' Moeka smiled bitterly, ''Doing this kind of thing.''
A period of silence passed. Moeka had her head down, gazing blankly at her reflection on the table. Ahead, Yurika sipped her drink as if contemplating. It was but frustrated mutters Moeka had said out loud for no particular reason, yet the words she received were unexpectedly... encouraging.
''Why?'' Yurika asked genuinely, ''It's not like you have a choice. The Federation would have forced you into this either way. If you can't fight it, better enjoy it.''
''Well...''
''Besides, what's wrong with 'this kind of thing'?'' The girl continued, ''Sex is not inherently shameful. It's neither noble nor vulgar—it's the answer to human desires. Miss Kisaragi, you became an Omega. Whether you are proud of it or not is not up to me, but I think you should consider yourself lucky. You are in a unique position where you can help many people. Getting fulfillment and recognition out of it is also a plus. Should you put value and pride into your own work... I don't see how you can be a 'pathetic' person.''
''...''
Yurika's words sounded a little like drunken ramblings, and clearly, some of her own ideologies were mixed in, yet Moeka found no way to refute them. Before long, she was staring at the silver-haired girl's face, being uncontrollably liberated by her unwavering, confident smile. At the sheer conviction in her amethyst eyes. And at that point, Moeka instinctively understood—
'Ah... this person will always have my back.'
''How's this, Miss Kisaragi? Will you accompany me on a date? Spending leisurely time is also important to your mental health, you know?''
Strangely enough, Moeka found herself willing to accept Yurika's invitation.