That was a damn good sleep.
The bed was soft and fragrant, with Natsumi's lingering scent on the sheets, blankets, and pillows—soothing and intoxicating. Plus, being hugged like a pillow by Natsumi all night let Muxiao Xiao shamelessly indulge in her vibrant, alluring body.
Emmm, being a tentacle monster isn't so bad after all…
After Natsumi got up and left, Muxiao woke up soon after. It wasn't that he couldn't sleep without her cuddling him—her scent enveloped the soft bed, making it just as cozy. He was simply disturbed by an unexpected visitor.
Emerging from the fragrant bedding, Muxiao released the pillow his tentacles were wrapped around and glanced at the window. There, sitting on the sill, swinging her legs, was a girl with orange twin braids. Why's she back again?
What does she want now?
"Morning, Tentacle Lord~"
Tohka Matsubara waved with a smile. "Looks like you slept well last night. Honestly, if I hadn't seen it this morning, I wouldn't believe that was the Natsumi I used to know."
???
Sensing Muxiao's confusion, Tohka hopped off the windowsill into the room. "Maybe you don't know what Natsumi was like before. She and my brother were really close—always have been, since they were kids. Childhood sweethearts, inseparable. Natsumi really liked him."
"But this morning, the way she spoke to him—threatening, ruthless, no mercy at all. If her personality hadn't stayed the same, I'd almost think it wasn't her."
Tohka walked to the bed, picking up a white lace camisole from the headboard and waving it. "Tentacle Lord, she's like this because of you. I'm dying to know—what did you do to make her so obsessed?"
Smack.
Muxiao snatched the camisole back, pulling out the phone from under the pillow. Checking the time, he yawned and typed lazily, "Your personality's changed a lot more. I'm curious—are you still the same Tohka Matsubara, or someone else entirely?"
"Ugh, we're talking about Natsumi, why drag me into it?" Tohka waved dismissively. "Besides, Tentacle Lord, did you even know the old me?"
"Natsumi told me a lot about the past last night, including you. She genuinely sees you as a friend."
"…"
Tohka's expression turned wistful. "A friend, huh… Of course, I see Natsumi-senpai as a friend too. If it weren't for my brother… The old me wouldn't have gone to such extremes. But now, as a monster, my way of thinking has shifted. Still, I'm Tohka Matsubara—that won't change."
"But that's not important now. Natsumi and my brother have no future. She doesn't like Nii-san anymore, so I have no reason to target her," Tohka said, propping her chin in her hands. "I should thank you, Tentacle Lord. You stole Natsumi from my brother—nice job."
She gave a thumbs-up.
Muxiao was speechless.
"So, how about considering my earlier suggestion? Steal Wakumu-senpai from my brother too. That way, Nii-san's all mine. What do you think, Tentacle Lord?"
"I think it's a terrible idea. Besides, I, Muxiao Xiao, love nothing more than saying NO to self-righteous people!"
Tohka huffed. "Why do you always reject me, Tentacle Lord? Even with the Natsumi thing… I didn't know you two had that kind of relationship back then. If I had, with our connection, I wouldn't have done something so extreme to her."
Tohka winked slyly.
What connection?
Muxiao was baffled.
"Why do you keep coming to me? Do we even have a connection?"
"Didn't you save me once before?" Tohka's face grew serious. "I'm genuinely grateful for that. If it weren't for you, that bug would've toyed with me, and I'd have been turned into a monster… Not like now. Sure, I'm a monster, but my purity's intact."
Her gaze complex, Tohka looked at Muxiao. Because of that, she felt goodwill toward him. If she'd lost her purity and become a monster, she'd have gone completely dark. Helping her steal a rival? That was trivial in comparison.
On reflection, both he and she were humans turned into monsters, yet he clung to human values. Tohka wanted to mock him for it, but as a beneficiary, she couldn't bring herself to laugh.
That's why her feelings were so complicated.
She didn't dwell on it, shifting topics. "Tentacle Lord, wanna form an alliance?"
An alliance?
"We're not exactly the same, but we're both non-human, so there's no major conflict. Plus, with you helping me before, we're natural allies. You've probably noticed this world isn't safe. An ally means more strength—for survival or our respective goals."
Tohka stared earnestly at the tentacled blob, extending a hand in invitation. "I need your help, and you'll definitely need mine, Tentacle Lord."
"You know what my goals are?"
Rolling off the bed, Muxiao didn't rush to answer her invitation. Instead, he typed curiously, "You know what I want?"
"I don't, but I know one thing—you're not exactly immune to pretty girls, are you, Tentacle Lord?"
No, I totally hate pretty girls!
Okay, even if Muxiao were a contrarian, he couldn't say that—it'd betray his heart. But what was Tohka getting at? Did she really plan to steal all the girls around her brother and hand them to him?
Tch, with a sister like you, your brother must be weeping tears of joy.
But… girls aside, an alliance could be useful. He didn't know this unfamiliar world well, and evolving required hunting. A knowledgeable ally could make things easier.
"I can work with you, but forget the girls. I need you to help me gather intel on this area and the city—especially about anything supernatural."
Muxiao laid out his terms.
"No problem!"
Tohka agreed instantly, waving her phone. "Let's exchange emails and numbers."
"Fine."
Tohka gave him a strange look. "Tentacle Lord, you're using Natsumi-senpai's phone? Tch…"
What's with the tch?
"As a first-meeting gift for our alliance, I'll give you something you'll like," Tohka said, sending a message on her phone. "You need intel, right? This might help."
Oh?
That's efficient.
Wait—did she mean those zombie tentacle monsters?
"Tohka Matsubara, I'll work with you, but that doesn't mean I'm okay with those disgusting creatures," Muxiao warned. "If I run into those gross tentacle monsters, don't blame me for showing no mercy."
"I know, just some useless small fry. Do what you want," Tohka said, her expression turning fierce. "Kin or not, even that tentacle monster queen can't control me!"
"…"
Hmm, sounds like interesting intel.