Airachnid was preparing to leave the apartment like a shadow in high heels, moving with stealthy confidence and completely unconcerned about blending in. Lux was sprawled on the couch, fast asleep, as if life had an off switch he'd mastered.
It took her two days to memorize Japanese when she arrived with Lux in this country; within 36 hours, she was forming complete sentences with an impeccable accent. A handy skill when you're a machine with time to spare.
"Alright, before we leave this country, I'm going to try everything I haven't yet," she murmured, adjusting a stray lock of hair in front of the mirror.
Her look didn't scream subtlety. Airachnid wore her Western gothic style with pride: tight jeans, black boots, and a top that covered only the essentials in front, leaving her back exposed like a well-placed warning. Her short haircut and striking purple eyes completed the ensemble, sensual and deliberately provocative.
"Hmm… should I get a tattoo? That could be interesting," she mused, turning to the mirror and studying her bare back with practical curiosity.
When the door to the building's exit opened, she burst onto the street like a vivid bolt of color in a neutral painting. It was hard for anyone *not* to notice her.
Her immediate destination was the food stalls. Airachnid had priorities: eat, taste, devour, and if it fit within Lux's budget (or his card), tip the vendor extravagantly. She attacked whatever crossed her path with the voracity of someone who'd never heard of restraint.
The takoyaki caught her eye instantly. Crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, the octopus-filled balls were a perfection that nearly stopped her in her tracks. She bought one portion, then two, then enough to make the vendor's month. Handing over generous bills, she flashed a smile laced with a mix of delight and mischief.
While Airachnid browsed the shelves, her purple eyes gleaming with curiosity, a particular section caught her attention like a beacon in a dark alley: covers displaying exaggeratedly drawn female figures, their poses and expressions bold in a way that, for the first time, left her momentarily flustered.
She picked up a volume, tilting her head. The images were daring, far more provocative than the superhero comics she'd devoured, with characters striking poses whose purpose eluded her.
"Curious," she murmured, flipping through the pages with the calm precision of someone inspecting a new weapon. "Why are they so… exposed? Why these expressions?"
The shop clerk, a young man with headphones draped around his neck, noticed her intrigue and approached with a restrained smile. "Oh… that's the adult section. Those are mangas for mature audiences. They're called hentai. Not everyone's into it, but it's got its fans."
Airachnid raised a purple eyebrow, a gesture almost human. "Adult? So, it's forbidden for children?" She pronounced the word as if it were an exotic concept, a curious social rule she needed to decipher.
"Exactly," the clerk replied. "It's material for adults. More explicit content, you know. Someone like you probably gets it." His eyes flicked briefly to her striking appearance. "I can bag it for you if you want."
She closed the manga, her fingers tracing the cover as if analyzing the texture of an unfamiliar artifact. For a moment, she seemed more intrigued by the culture that produced it than by the content itself.
"Interesting," she murmured, her voice tinged with amusement and a near-scientific curiosity.
Carrying a stack of those volumes, Airachnid found a corner of the shop and settled into a lotus position. She opened the first book with an unusual seriousness for someone like her.
Minutes passed. Gradually, the stoic expression that had defined her face began to soften. Her eyes, initially cold and analytical, widened. A flush crept across her cheeks, a strangely human hue on her otherwise otherworldly countenance.
She drew back slightly, her hand resting on her chest as if touching it for the first time, grasping why some humans stared. She studied her own form, now with a newfound awareness of her beauty, the features she'd previously seen as merely aesthetic.
"Now I understand why Lux got so strange when I…" she murmured to herself, her words trailing off into a brief, self-conscious smile full of discovery. Silently, with the candor of someone unraveling an amusing puzzle, she added, "Oh. It makes sense now."
She furrowed her brow, clutching the pages between fingers that still felt foreign against the texture of paper. "Still…" she whispered, her purple eyes fixed on the illustrations. "Something like this inside a person is… very strange."
She grabbed two volumes, one in each hand, and began flipping through them at breakneck speed. Words and images streamed past her like data, processed at an accelerated rate, absorbed into her internal database. Within seconds, she'd read enough for the content to shift from enigma to recognizable pattern.
"Hmm… I'm not sure if I should be embarrassed or just intrigued. Technically…" She glanced at her body again, realizing she surpassed beauty standards more than she'd imagined based on her research. She noticed the shop clerk watching her with a less-than-innocent expression; with a restrained gasp, she returned to her reading, determined not to give in to her killer instincts.
Her curiosity, however, carried a different tone.
"The term 'pervert' makes sense now, in a way," she admitted softly. Gradually, what had once seemed alien became immensely entertaining with each new understanding.
"Maybe I'm getting… more intrigued." Airachnid laughed, biting her lip in an almost human gesture. "It's not something I'd do with just anyone… but I want to try."
She returned to flipping through the pages, studying the drawn outfits, so different from the clothes she'd seen in her daily life among humans.
"From what I've gathered through my research, Lux is clearly attracted to my form," she murmured, as if debating hypotheses with herself. "He's done a remarkable job of holding back. Maybe it's self-control. Or perhaps he prioritizes a deeper emotional connection. Hmm…" Propping her head on her hand, she let her mind sketch out scenarios, already rehearsing subtle ways to tease him. "If I tried something now, I'd probably give him a heart attack. I need to come up with something unforgettable to rattle him."
She stood and approached an old computer in the corner of the shop. It wasn't modern, but it was connected, and that was enough. Her index finger extended, transforming into a metallic tip. Within seconds, she was immersed in the internet, devouring terms, slang, and videos at a speed only a machine could manage.
Suddenly, she jolted back, her purple eyes wide, her face tinged with a metallic flush.
"What in… by Primus!" she exclaimed, half-startled, half-amused. "I had no idea humans had this side…" she whispered, a mischievous smile creeping across her face. "Lux, you sly dog… did you really think you could hide this from me?"
Her eyes gleamed as she calculated dozens of possibilities. It was the spark of a dangerous yet delightful idea: how to turn this discovery into an irresistible, unforgettable game for her unsuspecting companion, still fast asleep on the sofa.