In the living room.
Sol sat comfortably on the sofa while Ellen stood behind him, gently massaging his shoulders.
Feeling the soft touch of her delicate hands on his body, he couldn't help but narrow his eyes in satisfaction.
Though it couldn't quite compare to his own [Lightning-Shadow Hand] technique, the girl's smooth, tender palms were still very pleasant.
As Ellen continued pressing, she still felt a bit uneasy and muttered under her breath, "If that's all I'm doing, it feels too easy… I feel kind of guilty earning Boss Lycaon's overtime pay for this."
"It's rare hearing that from you. I thought Ellen would happily enjoy her little vacation."
Sol said teasingly, eyes closed.
"Well, I was going to," Ellen sighed, then said, "But you're my friend, and Boss Lycaon values you so much. If I slack off here, I'll feel doubly guilty."
As a lazy Thiren shark, she normally did everything she could to save energy and rest.
But things here with Sol were far too easy—and since he was one of Victoria Housekeeping Co.'s most important partners, she actually felt like a salary thief for the first time in her life.
"I see. So that means we're not close enough yet. True friends should be able to act spoiled with each other sometimes."
Sol faked a hurt expression, clearly teasing the little shark girl.
Ellen increased the pressure slightly and pouted. "If I start acting spoiled, it'll be your turn to give me a massage."
Sol's eyes drifted briefly to Ellen's long legs wrapped in black stockings, and he chuckled. "That's not impossible. I'm not the kind of guy who minds being on the losing end—helping you relax a bit sounds perfectly fine to me."
Ellen couldn't help but give him a light punch, frowning in mock disgust. "Ugh, you're impossible!"
She felt a little embarrassed, though deep down, she didn't actually dislike it.
Without realizing it, she'd started to relax more and more during their conversation.
"Alright, I'm good now." Sol stretched lazily and said casually, "Let's sit down and watch something before you go get some proper rest."
Ellen sat beside him on the sofa; eyes fixed straight on the TV screen—but her tail slipped into Sol's lap.
Without looking back, pretending to focus on the action movie on screen, she said evenly with a faint blush, "This was part of the deal."
"Yeah, I know."
Sol wrapped his arms around the soft, plump shark tail, successfully unlocking a new body pillow.
Full and elastic—completely different from Nekomata or Baal's feel.
Not that the other two were lacking, but the thrill of novelty had its own charm.
"…"
Ellen's body shuddered slightly, her eyes glancing at Sol from the corner, full of quiet reproach.
They'd agreed he could touch it—not hug it.
Just as Sol could feel the tail's velvety softness, she could feel his warmth spreading through it in return.
It was already autumn, yet Ellen suddenly felt a wave of heat.
She blushed harder, her tail twitching slightly in protest as she stammered, "Sol, we agreed—it was just touching."
"Was it?" Sol didn't let go. Instead, he adjusted his position to hug more comfortably, smiling. "Well, Ellen's just too cute, and your tail's way too comfy to resist."
"Don't say things that'll make people misunderstand… I'm still a student. And you have Nicole."
Ellen's tone softened into a faint, unreadable gaze as she looked at him.
"You're already an adult, aren't you? And I really do like you, Ellen."
Sol said it shamelessly, completely serious.
After all, she wasn't Corin—so technically, he wasn't breaking any laws.
And a girl like Ellen—pure but cool on the surface—was exactly the kind that needed a bit of audacious honesty.
What? A guy should have class when pursuing girls?
Sorry, but girls usually get tricked by the ones without class.
"Ugh…"
Ellen flinched, completely thrown off by his straightforwardness.
He was too sincere—it made her go numb for a moment.
Aside from embarrassment, she found she couldn't even pull her tail away from him.
What the heck… is society outside really this wild now?
Girls seriously need to protect themselves. I need to warn Lynn and Monna later—they better not fall for smooth-talking guys like Sol.
Sol waved his hand and, in the next instant, popped a lollipop into her mouth. "Be good. As an apology, here's something sweet. Just think of it as a friend's little indulgence—forgive me this once, yeah?"
"Mmph… it's so sweet!"
Ellen's eyes brightened instantly as the fresh, fruity flavor spread across her tongue, her brows relaxing.
She sighed softly, finally deciding to let it slide.
It was just a little tail-hug—she'd let it go as a friend's small indulgence.
Still… it really did feel like they'd stepped beyond the boundaries of friendship.
However, a single moment of leniency only invited more boldness.
Sol found himself curious about Thiren shark anatomy—was the tail integrated or attached?
With a perfect live example right in front of him, of course he wouldn't pass up the chance to investigate.
"That part's off-limits! Absolutely not!"
Ellen instantly grabbed his hand before it reached the base of her tail, her voice serious and commanding.
That was way over the line—completely unacceptable!
"Alright, we'll save that for later research," Sol said regretfully.
"Not even later!" Ellen shot back righteously.
There was no later! She was still a kid, for heaven's sake!
And Sol's tone made it sound like he'd already claimed her.
But how could that possibly be?!
"Still," Sol said with a smile, gently squeezing her plush tail, "you're not getting away from me."
At that moment, Ellen was completely caught in his pace—unable to resist at all.
"Don't say things like that—and stop squeezing!" Ellen's body went weak as she protested, her face burning red.
"There's no such thing as not getting away! That's never happened!" she cried, stubbornly denying it.
Sure, her tail had been touched. Hugged, even.
But no—she refused to admit it!
Uuuugh!
Why had she agreed to take this easy job instead of sticking to normal work hours?
The conditions here might be great… but it really felt like she was the one getting caught instead.