Amelia stomps her way out, ushering me along with her. Amber timidly follows behind. She seems like she wants to communicate something, but doesn't speak her mind after realizing how bad of a mood Amelia has right now.
We all head home. The silence throughout the journey is unbearable. Amber's head is still hanging down. Is she blaming herself for the shift in Amelia's temper? I feel responsible too, though the reason for her foul mood isn't all that clear to me.
After we reach home, Amelia opens the door with a loud clunk.
"Welcome home. Did you all enjoy yourselves?" Isabel greets us, but there's no response.
"Oh, did something go wrong?" She begins questioning us, realizing the unpleasant atmosphere.
Amelia doesn't reply and slams the door behind her with a loud bang. She ignores Isabel and goes upstairs, heading straight to her room.
"Oh, don't mind her. She has those moments, you know. I am sure she'll be fine by tomorrow." Isabel reassures us comfortingly.
"I think it might be my fault. I need to talk with her," I answer Isabel, still feeling guilty regarding what occurred.
"Aww, you look really cute when you're looking out for my daughters. Come here!" She comes near me, going in for a smooch on my cheek, but as she closes in, the shine in her eyes seems to fade away for a second. Her hand clasps to my chin and pulls it towards her before taking a small whiff.
"What's this smell… why do I smell the taste of other women? Don't tell me, are you cheating on Susan?" Oh, fuck, how strong is her nose even? I was suddenly put into a delicate position. I need to play all my cards right now if I didn't want to get caught red-handed.
"Mommy, it's nothing. I just happened to have a few drinks, you know how it is in crowded areas." I said in the most innocent tone I could pull off. But my plans soon come to ruination. Amber shivers from behind thanks to the tense atmosphere, followed by an audible gulp. Did this dog have to make it seem any more suspicious than it need be…
She took another few strong whiffs. "I can smell the scent of Amelia and Amber. Mike, just what were you doing?" She replaces her deadpan expression with an unnerving smile. Shit, I didn't have a chance from the beginning. Just how good are her olfactory receptors? There is nothing I can reply with, any response would just worsen my already precarious situation.
"Good, very good. You want to prove your innocence, right? Come to my room tonight, I want to have a good hearty chat with you." Her threatening tone nearly froze my nerves. I immediately nod to her discontented words. Her smile gradually loosens to a much calmer one.
"Alright, be a good boy until then, Mike~." She says before leaving. I am still shivering from the close call. This entire ordeal is a mess. Amelia and Isabel seem pretty pissed at me, but there is another important situation left for me to deal with. Turning around, I look intensely at Amber. She looks directly at me in response, her eyes brimming with curiosity.
Though I wasn't entirely sure, Amber probably has developed feelings for me, ones which I wish she didn't harbor. Maybe I noticed it at the start, but regardless it is too late to regret it. I can only clear up the misunderstandings. With a painful sigh, I ask her, "Amber, can we go to your room? There's something important I want to talk to you about."
She simply nods before entering her room with me. Her body casually lays down and rolling around the bed, indicating me to come closer.
"Mike, come. Pet." She begs, but now wasn't the right time.
"Amber, listen, this is serious." Noticing my grim tone, she gets up and listens intently.
"Amber, what do you think about me?"
She thinks for a short while before hugging me. "I like Mike a lot."
"How much do you like me? To what level?"
She embarrassedly tells me. "I want to be with Mike forever and marry him!"
Her reply confirms the worst of my fears. Truthfully, at first I was happy to receive attention from women who could bring down men begging at their feets, but I was just thinking like a fool; nothing more. I already had Susan with me. I didn't need to complicate things further with our relationship already being twisted enough.
"I am sorry Amber, but it's not possible."
Her wagging tails comes to a halt. She looks at me with tears overflowing her eyes; it broke my soul just to look at them.
"Why? I love Mike. Please, Mike, I love you." Her words gradually became riddled with slight hiccups. This is the second time I made a woman cry.
"I appreciate your feelings but… I am already in love with Susan, no, I am indebted to her."
"S-Susan and I hick can share. W-we are good friends. Surely, she would accept…" Her voice gradually sounds more distorted. I come closer before giving her a hug to calm her down. I knew she had grown dependent on me. I acted as a form of solace for her. It wasn't sure whether this was the right course of action, but I had to show the conviction behind my words.
"I am sorry Amber, but love isn't something which can be easily shared. I don't think Susan will be willing to share myself with you either." As I solemnly answered her, she looks back at me with her tender dim eyes, filled with devastation. Sorrowful cries drown the house as she grips me tighter than before.
"No Mike, don't leave me. I can't… breathe…" she hyperventilates. In a moment of panic, I squeeze her close enough that I could hear her drumming heartbeat. Words weren't helping. Rather, they taxed even more emotions out of her. I decide to just stay silent, trying to feel the warmth of each other's embrace. It allows me to settle down things for the moment.
She whimpers a bit more before trying to put up a brave front. She replaces bawling her expression with of broken determination, one which looked very forced.
"I will make M-Mike mine. I love Mike. I won't g-give up. S-so don't leave me, give me another c-chance. I need Mike." She declared with a sobbing voice.
Her hug loosens, but her hands were still clutching on my clothing, unwilling to part. I simply pat her back, hoping to get rid of her misgivings. I maintain the silent atmosphere as I avoid her earnest gaze. Within moments, her frowning countenance shifts to a sleepy one, just like a little child. Today had been a long day for all of us.
I lay by her side as she cuddles next to me. It doesn't take long for her to sleep with her arms wrapped around my chest. After confirming her unresponsiveness, I sneakily got out of her bed, removing the firmly placed arms. As I move, her face twisted with agony, despite still being stuck in dreamland.
"Mike, mike…" she sleepily mutters. It tore my heart apart to see things be like this. I just wished she could find others to depend on rather than myself, but that itself isn't likely. This world is too cruel. Despite how much it sounded like an ideal male fantasy, the same isn't the case for the monster girls living within it. They have to struggle their entire lives just to get a chance at having a romantic relationship. It twists their feelings into a form of desperation, one which led to the slavery of men.
It wasn't fair, but there's little I could do. I just hoped Amber could still find it in her heart to find someone else, to give others a chance too. But there was this discomforting feeling that told me otherwise, something which suggested that this wasn't the end of this relationship.