Obsession: Albedo’s Desire

Yuri watched the second round from start to finish.

Lupusregina's high-pitched moans echoed. The two embraced, whispering softly, as she adjusted her disheveled clothes. It seemed over. But Yuri was wrong—Lupusregina knelt, face near his lower body, head moving vigorously as he stroked her hair and ears. He groaned softly; her throat bobbed slightly, visible to Yuri's dark vision. Now it was truly over. Lupusregina kissed his cheek and vanished into the night.

Yuri returned to the campfire, sitting on a large stone. What had she just witnessed? What did it mean?

She pondered until dawn.

Breakfast was Nazerick's emergency rations—small, filling, and delicious. Yuri, who'd tended the fire all night, prepared tea. Camping meant starting early, unlike in E-Rantel. Forest birds chirped faintly, the only sound in the quiet morning.

Unlike yesterday, conversation was absent. The man, oblivious to social cues, didn't mind the silence. Pleasing Albedo was his only concern. But the tea was awful—overcooked, flavorless, scorched, and black as an abyss. Bitter, astringent, clearly too many leaves used. Was this Yuri's taste? He drank silently, thinking ink-dissolved water might be better.

Yuri, a dullahan needing no food, touched neither tea nor rations, unlike yesterday.

The fire was doused, and the carriage journey resumed, both on the driver's seat. The early start meant they'd reach E-Rantel by residents' breakfast time.

Yuri remained silent, her eyes speaking instead, staring blatantly at him.

Finally, she spoke: "What do you think of me?"

"A beautiful woman, kind-hearted, responsible, as befits the Pleiades' eldest," he replied, adding flattery learned from Solution's books, noting her unusual "boku" speech but setting it aside.

"And… my large chest? Too big?" she asked.

"Depends on the size, but generally appealing. Yours is very attractive," he said.

"N-n-n-not like I was asking about myself!" she stammered, blushing.

"My apologies," he said.

She clenched her fist in a subtle victory pose. Was she inviting him? Her denial suggested otherwise.

"Then… do you want to touch my chest?" she asked, eyes forward, cheeks and neck flushed, her updo revealing her red nape.

Her bold question sent a chill down his spine.

Yuri, the Pleiades' eldest, was sharp-witted compared to her quirky sisters. She'd thought deeply.

The man's intimacy with Lupusregina surprised her, but a sister finding a good partner wasn't bad. Lupusregina once saw humans as fragile toys, so her change was welcome.

But he was lustful—she'd heard it directly, and he hadn't denied it. Nabe warned he was a beast in human skin, likely from experience. He probably saw Nabe the same way as Lupusregina last night. Solution's hysteria over a delayed return—unusual for someone who viewed humans as food—suggested similar encounters. Even Shizu, who'd doted on him during his brief Nazerick stay, might've been a target. Excluding the absent Entoma, all her sisters could be objects of his desire.

Why not her?

Lupusregina asked if he wanted to touch Yuri's chest, but his answer didn't matter—no one would admit that boldly. The issue was his glances lacked lust, unlike with others. Did she lack feminine charm? Despite her occasional boyish "boku" and tone, she'd been ladylike around him.

Self-doubt spiraled. When she thought, "What about Shizu?" it broke her. Shizu, her adorable comfort among troublesome sisters, was a target, but not her.

"My feminine charm is less than Shizu's!?" she thought, shaken. It was an identity crisis. Yamaiko created her beautifully; being undesirable insulted her creator.

Somehow, Yuri concluded this. Like Yamaiko—a teacher in Yggdrasil with a brutish avatar who punched first, thought later—she decided to confront and seduce him, offering her chest despite no escape plan, unlike in battle.

Yuri stared ahead, but her focus was on him, not the road. The forest thinned, fields nearing E-Rantel visible soon. The dry road let the carriage move swiftly.

He sweated internally, sensing trouble. The awful tea, untouched by Yuri, was likely brewed to spite him, using excessive fine leaves. Even he, socially dense, could tell she was angry—likely about last night.

He'd left her for Lupusregina, who came unexpectedly. Yuri might've waited, expecting attention. Despite her ladylike demeanor, she'd casually told Shizu to "keep sex moderate." As the eldest of a lustful werewolf, lewd slime, and milking doll, she might've had intentions accepting Albedo's escort order. The lavish carriage—comfortable for more than travel—hinted at ulterior motives he'd missed.

In truth, the tea was ruined by Yuri's distracted overuse of leaves, and the carriage's luxury reflected Albedo's pride in Nazerick's honor. Yuri followed orders as the Pleiades, under Albedo's command. Her comment to Shizu was a misunderstanding.

"Let me," he said.

"!?" Yuri gasped.

He closed the gap between them.

"You're going to touch!?" she asked.

"Is that okay?" he replied, implying, "Or not?"

Yuri missed the nuance. (Idiot, idiot, idiot! Asking that, of course he'll touch! I've never let a man touch me. But saying no now makes me weird, right? Just let him? It's just touching, Lupu's done it, it's nothing. She was… like that, but that was because of, you know, not just breasts. Breasts alone won't do that. Just breasts. I'm not jealous of Lupu! Just breasts!)

Yuri took a deep breath, straightening her back, her large chest accentuated. Her maid dress, like Nazerick's, had a blouse visible under the apron at the bust, emphasizing her size when she arched.

"…Okay," she said, granting permission—or rather, demanding it. As a subordinate, he had to read her intent.

Though Albedo's direct subordinate, equal to the Pleiades in hierarchy, their roles differed, causing this awkward misunderstanding.

"Hya!?" Yuri yelped.

Sitting on her right, his left arm was blocked by her shoulder, so she expected his left hand. Instead, his right hand slid behind her arched back, reaching her right side.

Holding the reins, her arms were raised, leaving her vulnerable. His hand aimed upward.

"!?" she gasped.

"What?" he asked.

Instinctively, she clamped her arm down, trapping his hand.

"Did you use a skill?" she asked.

"Skill?" he echoed.

Staring at his hand, she'd seen a vivid pink aura burst forth—surely a skill or magic.

"I don't have magic, skills, or abilities. Is there a chest-touching skill in Nazerick?" he asked.

"No… maybe I mis saw?" she mumbled.

The trapped hand was normal, no glow. She relaxed her arm.

"Let me try again," he said, palm open, larger than her fighter's hands.

(It's fine, just touching over clothes, nothing big. Maybe he'll rub, but I do that in the bath! Lupu had direct contact, so this is nothing. He won't touch there, right? Only breasts!)

To Yuri, a fighter, the moment before contact felt agonizingly slow.

Her back arched further, the reins pulled, and the horses stopped.

His hand touched her ample breast.