Tatsuki didn't hurry to leave. Instead, he asked Talulah, "Which room is yours?"
At that, Alina and Annie both looked over.
Talulah's heart skipped a beat.
So it was finally happening.
Already mentally prepared, Talulah pointed at the bedroom in the middle. "That one."
Tatsuki walked straight over and said, "Come here. I need to talk to you."
"Do you want me to take a shower?" Talulah asked, calm and offhand.
"A shower? No. Just come in."
"...Okay."
Talulah hesitated, but still followed.
Click.
The door shut.
Annie and Alina looked at each other. They'd guessed roughly the same thing.
Annie stayed composed. To her, it was only a matter of time. Of course it'd be Talulah—still, she couldn't help feeling a little unwilling.
After all, she'd been the first to make contact with Tatsuki. She'd been the one who used Echidna's techniques to make fake milk tea. She'd been the one left a muddy mess, the one who could still remember the wet, intimate sensation with every open-and-close.
And yet the one Tatsuki chose wasn't her—it was Talulah, but when Annie's gaze flicked to Alina, she relaxed again.
Alina was more anxious. Her hands were clenched tight, her eyes locked on the door like she could somehow see through it. She was worried this might be too rushed.
Alina hoped Talulah would offer herself willingly.
She wanted Talulah to find happiness, the way she had, but Talulah's state of mind was ultimately different from hers.
The moment Alina had been revived by Tatsuki, she'd understood her future self would belong to someone.
In truth, her worry was unnecessary.
Tatsuki wasn't here to do something "fun."
He sat on Talulah's bed, quietly watching her step inside.
Talulah shut the door without a word.
With her back to him, she crossed her hands at the hem of her white shirt.
Under Tatsuki's startled gaze, she lifted it straight up, pulled it off, and tossed it onto the table to the side.
Her back was smooth as snow—no bra.
Thinking about it, none of the three of them had seemed to be wearing one today. Was it just more comfortable at home?
Then her hands fell to her waist. With a soft rustle, her short skirt slid down.
In that moment—Talulah's dragon body was left with only a pure-white, lace lingerie bottom.
Her silhouette looked like an elegant painting, and Tatsuki couldn't help admiring it.
Her short hair hung down, fluttering lightly with her movements. Her posture was straight and poised, the lines of her body smooth and beautiful—one soft curve after another, sketching out perfect proportions.
Her skin was pale as snow, sleek and delicate, like it could bead with moisture.
Light spilled over her back, casting a gentle glow that made her look even more captivating.
With her arms folded over her chest, Talulah slowly turned around and walked toward Tatsuki, resolute.
Her steps were light and graceful, each one carrying the rhythm of a dancer. Her ankles were slim and long, every step measured and steady.
There was a self-possessed air in both her figure and her eyes.
She stopped right in front of him, opened her arms, and displayed her perfect dragon body without reservation.
So similar, yet different from Annie's pale human body—not just in size, but in the smaller point on it, like a flowerbud about to bloom, swaying as if beckoning to Tatsuki.
It was fair to say a gourmet feast had been set right in front of him.
Who would've thought Tatsuki would be completely unmoved? He only looked her over with a pure, appreciative gaze. His lips curled as he said, "Tsk. I think you misunderstood me."
He tugged Talulah over, making her sit on his lap with her back to him.
Her back pressed tight to his chest.
Tatsuki slipped both hands beneath her smooth armpits and across her body.
His left hand settled naturally on Talulah's flat lower belly, and when it brushed past her breasts, her body shivered, but he didn't do anything further. Instead, he pinched her chin and turned her cool, pretty face toward him.
"I've been with plenty of girls. But except for Pandora—that special case—I've never forced anyone."
"You seem to have pictured me as some aristocratic lord who only knows how to play with other people's bodies."
"Even though I really am a scumbag."
As he spoke, Tatsuki tilted past her dragon horn and kissed her lips. His left hand moved up to her chest—as proof that his "scumbag" claim wasn't baseless.
Just a light squeeze was enough to make Talulah jolt.
Seeing how sensitive she was, Tatsuki didn't do more. He let her go.
Softly, he said, "I just wanted to tell you—I really do like connecting heart to heart."
"Get up. Put your clothes back on. I actually have something serious to talk to you about..."
Realizing things weren't what she'd imagined, Talulah stood after a short silence. Under Tatsuki's amused gaze, she slowly put her clothes back on.
"Come. Sit."
Talulah sat beside him as directed.
Tatsuki only wrapped his right arm around her waist. He truly didn't do anything excessive.
He asked right away, "You know Ch'en Hui-chieh, right?"
"!!!"
The moment that name left his mouth, Tatsuki felt the soft body in his arms tremble. Talulah's eyes filled with shock and memory.
"Ch'en... that's my sister's name. How do you know that name?"
"Ch'en is my friend." Tatsuki shrugged.
"..."
Waves rose in Talulah's heart. Her... master being friends with Ch'en—she'd never even imagined it.
Talulah said, "If you brought up Ch'en, what you want to say has something to do with her."
"Right. Ch'en found out you're with me, and she wants to see you."
"I don't really care either way. It's just traveling across worlds. I mainly wanted to ask what you think."
"If you agree, I'll take you and Alina back to Terra for a visit. If you don't want to, I'll refuse Ch'en."
Tatsuki explained it all like it was nothing.
Talulah understood too: he'd come specifically because he respected her personal choice.
She'd been the one who'd twisted it into something dirty.
"I'm sorry. I misunderstood you earlier."
Talulah lowered her head and apologized immediately.
"Sure, I wouldn't call it a misunderstanding. Just don't imagine me as that scary. I mean, I'm still planning to win you over—if you're too guarded, it makes it hard for me to make a move."
Tatsuki brushed it off with a light, self-mocking joke—though it was also honestly how he felt.
At that, warmth actually stirred in Talulah's dried-out heart.
Tatsuki—scumbag by nature, experienced with women—caught the softening in her expression instantly.
He took the opening without hesitation.
His other arm slid around her too, pulling her into his embrace until she was fully wrapped in him.
He rested his chin easily on her fragrant shoulder.
"So? Tell me what you're thinking."