The moment we got home, I threw myself onto the sofa. Before the front door could even latch shut, Mei climbed onto my lap. The red gem on her neck was glowing ominously.
"Li-An, my body has felt weird since a while ago. It's so itchy inside."
Mei's eyes were wetter than usual. She took my hand and guided it to the back of her neck. The skin where the necklace touched was burning hot, like a fireball. I knew it wasn't just a simple piece of gear, but I didn't expect it to be this intense.
"This... I think it's forcibly pulling up your mana. Mei, take it off for a second."
When I tried to touch the buckle of the necklace, Mei bit my hand firmly. It didn't hurt, but the sensation of her fangs sinking into my skin was vivid.
"No! Li-An gave this to me. I'm never taking it off."
She whined, rubbing her face into my chest like a cat. Chen, who came in late, saw the scene and snorted. She started throwing her wet clothes anywhere as she headed for the bathroom, then stopped.
"Mei, look at your tail. You've completely lost it."
Just as Chen said, Mei's leopard tail was lashing around like crazy—twice as fast as usual. Chen, looking jealous, stepped hard on Mei's tail.
"Aack! Sister, what are you doing!"
"Shut up. Li-An, I'm washing up first. You, come in too."
Chen pointed at me as if it were the most natural thing in the world. In this house, there's no such thing as personal privacy. Before I could even answer, Chen grabbed my shirt and forced me up.
"Wait, let me just rest for a second..."
"No. You got covered in dungeon dust today. I'll wipe it off myself."
Chen's hand reached for my belt. Her eyes were dead serious. But Mei, still sitting on my lap, clung to my neck and held her ground.
"Li-An is staying with me! This necklace is making me feel like I'm going to die!"
In the end, I was dragged into the bathroom, sandwiched between the two women. In that tiny space, our skin pressed against each other. The sound of running water started, and hot steam began to rise.
But then, something strange happened. As Mei's necklace began to glow, Chen's pupils also turned red.
"What is this... why is my body heating up too?"
Chen, looking flustered, placed her hand on my chest. The mana from the gem was resonating. The necklace I put on Mei was stimulating the instincts of any other beast-people nearby.
Mei was already losing herself, licking my shoulder, while Chen let out a ragged breath and began to pull off my pants. Beyond the walls of our old Xinghai apartment, their cries—half-moan, half-growl—began to leak out.
I had taken down the dungeon boss, but I felt like my real ordeal had just begun. As I gave in to their heated movements, I thought to myself: I definitely won't be able to leave the house tomorrow.