Woooong- woooong-
Ignoring the vibrating phone, I buried my face in the pillow.
Ugh… why on earth did I do that….
It was like being fed, the finger smeared with sticky liquid kept entering my mouth and in my daze, I kept licking and licking it… then I fell asleep just like that.
I woke up on the sofa in the empty living room.
Seeing the blanket covering me, it seemed that Eunjeong had been considerate enough to cover me before she went home.
…And my clothes too.
Why are my pants, which should be soaked, completely dry….
Remembering last night's events, I felt a tightening sensation in my uterus and an itchiness below.
Ah, really…
"AHHHHH!!!"
While I was screaming into the pillow,
Ding-dong-
The doorbell suddenly rang.
What could it be? Did Eunjeong forget something?
I got up from the sofa like a zombie and moved toward the front door.
"…Who is it?"
"It's a passing robber. Please open the door."
...It's Kim Hanna.
Isn't it time for her to be helping out at her parents' store? What's going on?
When I opened the door, there stood Hanna in jeans and a light t-shirt, holding a shopping bag in one hand.
Her dyed blonde hair was sparkling in the sunlight, highlighting her attractive features.
"What, were you sleeping?"
"Oh, yeah... I'm fine, just come in for now."
Hanna paused, seeing my disheveled state.
Not wanting to show myself like this outside, I led her inside.
So, we ended up sitting side by side in the living room.
However, Hanna seemed to be fidgeting nervously.
Was she thinking that she had woken me up?
Hanna, who usually acts bold, can be unbelievably girlish at times like this.
"So, what did you bring? Is it a present for me?"
Oops.
Given the nature of the gifts I've received recently, if it's a present, it's probably not something ordinary.
At the very least, it would be comparable to thong panties, ultra-mini skirts, or hot pants that are barely different from panties.
...How did I end up in a situation where receiving a gift makes me nervous?
"This? This is a board game, I brought it so we could play together."
"Oh, really?"
What did she bring?
Since the three of us often had fun playing board games together, I secretly looked forward to it.
When I picked up the shopping bag next to Hanna, it was quite light.
At least it didn't seem to involve any special tools.
This almost eliminated the likelihood that it was something strange.
"Don't peek inside, we're saving it for the evening."
Hanna snatched the shopping bag from my hand.
What is it? It must be really fun if she won't even let me see it.
Feeling oddly disappointed, I fiddled with my now empty hands until Hanna handed me a gamepad.
"Let's play a game until then, I want to continue that zombie game from last time."
"...Oh, you gaming addict. I'll grab some drinks, so start the game."
Hanna's parents are quite strict, and they don't allow her to play games just because she's an Academy student.
Even though she's a 20-year-old adult...
Of course, there was no way she could have a gaming console at her house.
On days she didn't have to help at the store, she would occasionally come over to my place to play games together.
It was thanks to this that we really became close.
When I asked if she wanted to come over to play games at my house, Hanna's expression was quite something to behold.
It wasn't an invitation to have ramen after all... Although it did sound a bit like a tempting offer.
When I returned to the living room with two cups of orange juice, Hanna had already set up the game, ready to press the start button.
...Seriously, just how much did she want to play?
"Here, juice."
"Thanks."
I handed Hanna her juice and sat next to her with my own gamepad.
And that's how we started the zombie game.
Although Hanna was thoroughly enjoying herself, the game itself was quite ordinary.
It was a classic zombie apocalypse scenario, with the protagonists using various weapons to massacre zombies and uncover the root cause of the chaos.
Hanna's character was a blond delinquent guy smashing zombie heads with a baseball bat.
My character was a mysterious beauty providing backup with firearms from the rear.
Even though choosing a female character led to this situation, it was a preference I couldn't give up.
It's not like I'm going to get sucked into a game within a game within a game.
Watching Hanna's character swing the bat around brought back some old memories.
To be precise, when I first met Hanna.
"Come to think of it, Hanna."
"…Uh, what?"
"Remember those guys you fought the first time we met? Did they keep bothering you afterward?"
The first time I saw Hanna was because of an incident on the way to school early in the first semester.
At that time, Hanna was surrounded by some punks who were harassing her.
Even though a girl was being threatened in the middle of the street, the Academy students pretended not to have seen anything and quietly avoided it.
Seeing the situation, I felt a surge of anger and kicked one of the punks in the side.
That's how the fight started.
…The outcome, of course, was a friendly trip to the police station.
I got a bit upset seeing Hanna grumble that she could have won without my interference at the time, but when she quickly turned her head and said thank you in a shy voice, my heart melted.
After that, we exchanged names and grades and became friends, a typical story.
Anyway, although the incident was resolved, there was always a possibility those guys might bear a grudge and cause trouble afterward.
…It's a bit embarrassing to ask about this now.
"Well, after that, they somehow came to our store, but my dad and I beat them up, and they haven't shown up since."
"Oh."
I've met Hanna's father once before.
He's a huge, rugged man, and just looking at him, you get an overwhelming sense of intimidation.
I wondered what Hanna's father did before working at the shop.
Those punks must have turned nice after meeting him and never came back.
"But why are you asking about something from so long ago now? I was waiting, wondering when you'd finally ask."
"Well, I mean…."
Hanna squinted her eyes and glared at me.
…I've got no excuse.
Seeing that she had been doing fine without showing any signs of trouble since then, I assumed everything was alright.
Feeling apologetic, I rubbed my cheek against Hanna's shoulder without saying a word, and suddenly, Hanna burst into laughter.
"I'm just kidding! Since when did I care about stuff like that?"
"…Still I feel bad now."
"If you feel that bad, then let's order pasta for dinner. That would make it better."
And that's how we ended up having pasta for dinner.
Although I wanted to have chicken instead…
After cleaning up the delivery containers, Hanna finally pulled out the mystery shopping bag.
So what on earth is that?
"What? Why are you looking at me like that?"
"If it's nothing special after hiding it like that, I'm going to scold you."
"Well… it is something a bit special."
What she held in her hand was a wide and thin black box.
Why isn't there even a name written on the surface?
When Hanna opened the box, I finally discovered the identity of the board game.
At first glance, it was an ordinary board game.
Except for squares labeled with things like 'Get Spanked.'
When I looked up with a grim expression, I saw Hanna grinning widely.
"I wanted to see that exact face. It's perfect!"
"…."
I can imagine exactly what kind of face the guys Hanna beat up saw on her.
But what happens if Hanna lands on one of those squares?
"If you land on it, do you experience the same thing?"
"Huh? Why would I?"
"…."
She looked shameless, as if asking why I would even question that.
"Well, if only I experienced the bad stuff, the game wouldn't make sense…."
"Look closely, there are good things too."
Good things?
I take another close look at the board.
Let's see….
'Get Spanked x times,' 'Remove one item of clothing,' 'Slap your palm against something x times,' 'Slap your palm against the chest x times,' 'Twist nipples for x seconds'...
...Good things???
I suddenly look up and glare at Hanna, but she just gives a small smile and begins to point at the board with her finger.
I follow the direction of her finger.
'Lick fingers for x seconds,' 'Lick toes for x seconds,' 'Bark x times with a dog collar on'...
Ha….
At a loss for words, I slump down, and Hanna, sounding excited, starts explaining the rules.
"When you roll the dice and land on a spot, you pick a card from this stack with numbers on it and do it that many times."
Hanna picks up a blue heart-shaped piece and places it on the 'Lick fingers for x seconds' square.
"So, if I land here, I draw a card…. See, it says 8 on this one? Then I have you lick my finger for 8 seconds to pass."
And then she suddenly offers me her index finger.
As I just stare at it blankly, Hanna moves her finger closer.
"What are you doing? You need to lick it."
"Huh, huh? No, we can just do that after the game starts…."
"…."
Hanna's expression instantly turns cold.
It's as if she's looking at a complete stranger, not me.
Seeing that look on Hanna's face, a sharp pain stabs at my chest.
I'm only used to her warm gaze; this coldness is unbearable for me.
I gulp and look at her finger.
A pretty and slender finger, with a bit of callus on it.
Okay, just lick it. It's not hard to just lick a friend's finger.
Rather than facing that look from Hanna, it's better to lick it for a few seconds or even a few minutes.
I slowly bring my face closer to Hanna's finger.
I part my lips and stick out my tongue, preparing to meet her finger.
Just as my tongue is about to touch the tip of her finger.
...Hanna withdraws her finger.
"If you don't perform the mission properly, you'll have to face a penalty."
"What?"
"Take off your pants and lie face down."