Me and the Tigress Volume 4 Chapter 2 part3

When I got home, Chii welcomed me back while dressed in the same apron as this morning.

“Welcome back, Big Brother.”

I had no idea being welcomed back home after going to school could feel so good. All my dad would say was, “What, home already?” and that was it.

“Yep. Nothing happened while I was gone, right?”

I meant nothing by what I said, but Chii's face went through a strange transformation when she looked to see who was behind me. She almost looked scared. Wait, did something really happen? I should introduce her to Narae and then ask her what happened. I took off my shoes and moved to the side so that the two of them could clearly see each other.

“I'll introduce you. This is my friend, Narae. And over here is Chii.”

When I finished introducing the two with stock sentences you'd expect to find in a foreign language textbook, Narae spoke.

“Hi. I'm Seo Narae. So, you're Chii? Sunghoon told me all about you.”

Narae was already smitten with Chii, and she looked like she wanted to pat Chii on the head the first chance she got. But something was strange. Chii hid behind me, keeping her tiny body blocked from Narae's view as if she really were scared. Both Narae and I were confused by Chii's behavior when Chii said, her voice quivering:

“Sh-she's one of the Bear Clan!”

I wanted to ask her how she knew that, but from the way Chii clung even tighter to me, I could see that now wasn't the time.

“What in the world is a Bear Clan member doing here?!”

Chii had only her head poking out from behind me, her face a mixture of fear and hostility aimed at Narae. In contrast, Narae was obviously shocked.

“No, I'm just….”

I didn't want to see Narae like this. I wrapped one arm around Chii's head, hugging her, and asked:

“What's wrong? So what if Narae's one of the Bear Clan?”

“She must have come here to end the relationship between Big Brother and me. I-I did do a bad thing to Big Brother once, but that doesn't mean I should be exterminated!”

I did hear that the Bear Clan's primary duty was exterminating any phantoms who harmed humans. It made sense that Chii would come to that conclusion. Narae was so taken aback by Chii's blatant hostility that she was utterly helpless to do anything. At a time like this, I had to do something.

[What's going on?]

But before I could, another phantom showed up. Pyeii breezed towards the entranceway, a laptop in her arms, when she saw Narae with an awkward smile on her face. Pyeii's hair lifted in surprise, and she dashed towards me so that she could hide behind Chii. From the side, it would have looked like we were playing the train game.

[I already payed my phantom tax.]

That was something I couldn't ignore.

“What's a phantom tax?”

[The tax phantoms pay when they make money in the human world.]

What a simple explanation.

[If you plan on illegally exterminating me, I'll file a civil complaint to the phantom law agency. I'm going to record a video of everything.]

“…Sunghoon.”

“Hm?”

Narae was on the verge of tears as she asked:

“What am I supposed to do?”

Please ask someone other than me.

We sat down at the table, where I explained to Chii and Pyeii that I'd been friends with Narae since before either of us knew she was a member of the Bear Clan and that she was only here because she wanted to see the two of them, but they continued to regard Narae warily.

“Don't you trust me?”

“Awooo … I do, but trusting Narae-unni is another matter entirely.”

“Why's that?”

“…That is just how it is, Big Brother.”

It seemed like there was a particular reason why she was so wary of Narae. This not only meant that Chii couldn't relax, but I couldn't relax as well. We were all seated, Chii sitting beside me and Pyeii clinging to stubbornly to Chii's back. They weren't lying when they said Pyeii was an introvert. But then, even Chii, who appeared calm, was actually tightly holding onto the end of my shirt. …The awkwardness hanging between the Bear Clan member and these two phantoms was palpable. Maybe throwing them into the deep end would actually be for the best. Sink or swim, I decided to leave them to it.

“I'm going to go get changed.”

Narae looked at me and said with her eyes, ‘You're leaving me here?!' I only grinned in response. I figured this would be a good chance for them to get to know each other. Because being here was a pain for me. They were good kids, so I was sure that all three of them would get along. …But what if they didn't? For fear of that outcome, I decided to leave as quickly as possible. I removed Chii's hands from my shirt, held them reassuringly, and told her:

“I'll be back soon.”

“Awooo….”

Chii didn't stop me, and I went to my room. I quickly changed into a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, then cracked open the door so I could peer into the living room. It was as if I were watching an awkward first date.

While it wasn't perfect, it looked like Narae was at least trying to talk with Chii and Pyeii. Keep trying, Narae. Chii flapped her hair furiously while she spoke. Pyeii remained hidden behind Chii, not writing a single letter as she passively followed the conversation. I wanted to watch a little longer, but I had a feeling that Narae would tear a chunk out of my side if I waited anymore. The second I opened the door, the trio of awkward girls stared intimidatingly at me. I avoided Narae's gaze as best I could and sat in my seat.

“I'll introduce you all, then.”

“There's no need for that. We already did that while you were gone.”

Narae's merciless verbal assault was followed by another.

“Exactly, Big Brother. It is bad manners to leave by yourself and leave people who don't know each other to talk for themselves.”

Chii furthered Narae's claim. And then, for the coup de grâce:

[Colossal dunce.]

Pyeii's finishing blow. Whether they were human or phantom, young or old, they swooped upon a common enemy as if they were a unified team.

“Why don't I get everyone some water?”

I was about to get up when Chii pushed down on my knee and stood up herself.

“I will go do that. Big Brother, please stay here.”

She practically dashed for the kitchen. I was happy to see how well-mannered a little sister she was, but I wished I could have run away instead. With her good friend now out of the picture, Pyeii looked back and forth at Narae and me until she inched towards me and hid behind my back, clenching my hand in hers. …So with the magpie gone, it was my turn. However, Pyeii's trembling hand told me just how terrified she truly was, and I couldn't find it in myself to say anything. When I saw how much difficulty Pyeii was having talking with a stranger in comparison to my first interactions with her, I realized just how important Chii was to Pyeii. Or maybe this disparity was because Narae was a part of the Bear Clan and I was just a weak human.

“Do you have a tough time talking with strangers, Pyeii?” Narae asked.

[Not really.]

Pyeii answered curtly. Narae, perhaps happy to have even gotten this much of a response, continued to smile.

“It's okay. Lots of people are like that.”

[It's just because you're part of the Bear Clan.]

So maybe it was the latter.

“I may be a part of their lineage, but I haven't formally joined them yet, so there's no need to be so on guard.”

[Even a bear cub has fangs.]

Narae looked at me. Why does she only look to me for help in times like this? She was just too cute! …I noticed this when she talked with Rangii and Baduk, but Narae adores cute kids. Granted, there isn't a person in the world who would dislike cute kids, but Narae was on the extreme even on that spectrum.

“What, did you commit a crime or something? Why're you so scared?”

Pyeii flinched and spun her twintails. When I looked closer, I could see that there was a cold sweat forming on her brow.

[No evidence.]

“…So you did commit a crime?”

[A mistake from my youth.]

That wasn't something a kid should say.

“That is why I told you to stop being so toxic on the Phantomnet.”

Chii arrived with a tray of barley tea and cookies. Pyeii immediately took a long drink of water, as if her insides were on fire, and she wrote:

[Doing that much is normal.]

…Um, making such rash generalizations doesn't make for a good example to follow.

“It's all right. I won't snatch you up just for that.”

Narae had a red glow growing on her cheeks, as if drunk on Pyeii's cuteness, and she happily brushed aside what Pyeii said. She didn't know how terrifying the toxicity of the Internet could be. Still, Pyeii seemed to have relaxed a little, because she inched away from me. Though, of course, I was mistaken. She simply moved so that she could sit be next to Chii. It was no surprise: I was a mere substitute. But our seating arrangement bothered me. There were the three of us on one side, and only Narae on the other. It wasn't like we were trying to bully Narae or anything. I endured the heavy gazes from three sets of eyes and sat next to Narae.

“Awoo?”

“Why'd you move?”

“No reason. I just wanted to sit here.”

I simply wanted to make Narae more comfortable.

“…You reek of sweat.”

Narae, with a blush beginning to grow on her face, struck a nail through my heart.

“May I go take a shower? Please let me go. Please?”

[Are you going to come out naked AGAIN?]

Pyeii nonchalantly wrote a horrifyingly dangerous question. The worst part was that the word ‘again' was bolded and in all-caps so that it immediately stood out.

“Again?”

This must have been what Pyeii wanted. Narae was about to move her hand towards me, her eyes narrowed and sharp as knives, when I desperately stopped her:

“Pyeii was just joking.”

I was at my mental breaking point.

“Hmmm….”

“Why are you narrowing your eyes at me?”

“I'm having a hard time believing you.”

“I'm not some pervert who'd tear off his clothes in front of little kids.”

“I think you are, though.”

“Exactly, Big Brother.”

[YES.]

The three girls bombarded me with words, spoken and otherwise. I suddenly wished I could go back to the corner of the room and talk with the wall, the only friend I had who hadn't betrayed me.

“I'm just kidding,” Narae said. “Why're you getting all upset?”

“Jokes like that aren't good for my heart, so please stop.”

Seriously, my heart couldn't take much more. Seeing me so downtrodden, Narae kicked my leg from under the table, and then she spoke to Chii and Pyeii.

“So, did you two come here to visit Sunghoon?”

Having found her mental second wind, Narae changed the topic in a good direction. I decided to simply listen to their conversation. Chii shook her head. What?

“Not at all. I am here to repay my debt to Big Brother.”

“Because of what happened back in Jirisan?”

This surprised Chii.

“You know about that?”

“Yeah. Sunghoon told me.”

“Awooo….”

Chii blushed, apparently embarrassed. Narae simply smiled contentedly at her.

“But I don't think there's any need for you to go out of your way to do that. Right, Sunghoon?”

Chii looked at me, and I nodded my head. However, Chii shook her head in response.

“Not at all. I must repay my debt.”

The firmness in Chii's voice convinced Narae to change the subject.

“And how are you going to do that?”

“I will s-serve Big Brother for the rest of his life.”

“Sunghoon.”

My rest hadn't even lasted for five minutes. Narae had a strangely scary smile on her face when I asked:

“Yes?”

“Watch out for your head.”

On this midsummer day, it should still have been a few hours until the sun set, but I was seeing stars. Moments later, I felt an intense pain on my forehead. And the moment after I realized that Narae had grabbed me by the back of the head and slammed my face into the table, Chii's scream pierced through my ears.

“Kyawooo?! Narae-unni! What are you doing?!”

“Chii.”

Narae's voice was firm.

“You can't say things like that.”

“If you do, then this lolicon pervert will take advantage of you and force you to do all kinds of nasty things.”

“E-even if Big Brother is a lolicon pervert pedophile, he still saved my life. So if he wants me to do things like that, then….”

“You can tell him no. This lolicon pervert pedophile human trash's sense of normalcy has been shot because of all the bad things he's done.”

“No matter how much of a lolicon pervert pedophile human trash piece of scum Big Brother is, I must still repay my debt.”

They apparently wanted to kill me using words.

[So that's what you normally do.]

I made a face at Pyeii and responded cuttingly.

“That's rich, coming from a toxic bully like you.”

[I don't get insulted back. Unlike you.]

Ah, is that so? Though, I had to admit, after hearing these insults so many times, it didn't make me feeling nearly as bad as before. Because I've said and done the kinds of things that would warrant those insults. …If I hadn't had a valid reason to do and say those things, then I likely wouldn't be alive to ruminate on my behavior.

“And what about you, Pyeii?”

With the spotlight now on Pyeii, she flinched, did a half-spin with her twintails, and wrote a response. It was way too obvious how uncomfortable she was.

[Meaning?]

“You first met Sunghoon yesterday, right?”

[Happiest day of his life. Pathetic guy.]

“…I guess so.”

I had no idea why I had to endure such slander at every turn. Seriously, what did I do wrong?!

“So you followed Chii here, right?”

The crow who followed her friend to Seoul wrote:

[I had a favor to ask him.]

“…Hm?”

This was Narae's first time hearing about this.

“To ask Sunghoon?”

Pyeii made an arrow out of the smoke that pointed at me and wrote:

[Dog turd.]

Narae understood what Pyeii meant.

“I doubt you'd need him for any kind of medicine.” (tn: Korean idiom meaning that even common things can be hard to find when you need them.)

“Did I do something to upset you two or something?”

[“You did.”]

They spoke and wrote in unison. Chii looked at me pityingly.

[But also, a pain when Chii's gone. So I came.]

“You two must be really close friends, then?”

“We are.”

What a wonderful friendship. I wonder if Narae and I could ever have something like that.

[My house becomes a mess when Chii's gone. Hard to live.]

“Awooo, Pyeii, do you only see me as a housemaid?”

[Are you mad?]

“I am.”

Despite her words, Chii was still smiling. Pyeii made a big hand with the smoke and patted Chii on the head.

[Don't be mad.]

It was impossible not to feel happy after seeing these kids get along so well. Narae seemed to feel the same way after seeing the pair reaffirm their friendship, and she asked me instead of them:

“So what was the favor?”

I knew it. This was bad. I was about to change subject, but Pyeii was one step ahead of me.

[This.]

Was it just my imagination? I thought I saw Pyeii's eyes glint in the light. As if she were some mischievous imp waiting for the chance to spring this trap. I hadn't imagined a thing. Pyeii showed Narae something on her laptop. She showed Narae that idiotic picture from yesterday. I should've taken the picture better; I looked really stupid.

But that wasn't all. This was the second time today I'd heard that bang! My already aching forehead swelled up even more. She slammed me into the table so hard that I was actually surprised that the table hadn't been split in half.

“Kyawooo? Big Brother?”

What kind of magic did Narae use for me to hear her low voice better than Chii's surprised scream?

“Explain.”

“It's a photo.”

“Longer.”

It's a good thing we childhood friends think alike.

[He said he wanted to show all the phantoms that he was a pervert.]

Narae's pretty hand lifted my head up in preparation for another hit, and I scrambled to say something in order to save my skull.

“That's not what happened! Don't forget that that photo was Pyeii's favor!”

[Tch.]

The heck was she clicking her tongue for?

“…I guess you're right.”

Narae agreed—though with whom, I had no idea—and she put her hand to my side.

“But that doesn't explain why you'd take that photo.”

I was truly against the photo. So the answer was simple:

“Pyeii asked me to do it.”

“…People pleaser.”

Narae mumbled this comment in a low voice before looking at Pyeii.

“Pyeii.”

[?]

“No matter how much of a lolicon-pervert-peophile-human-trash-piece-of-scum-inhuman-bastard Sunghoon is, you can't ask him to take a photo like this. I mean, he's still a living being, right?”

[He's just a lolicon-pervert-peophile-human-trash-piece-of-scum-inhuman-bastard-dog-in-heat so it doesn't matter.]

“…Now that I think about it, you're right.”

“Don't let that convince you!”

Narae pinched my side in response. Now, Chii was looking at me as though I were a lowly piece of human garbage, making me feel even worse.

“In that case, can you tell me why you wanted that photo?”

[No.]

Pyeii's answer allowed no room for negotiation.

“Why not?”

[Secret from you.]

“Really?”

Narae's shoulders shrunk a little in disappointment.

“Oh well, that's too bad. Still, don't ask for a favor like that again, okay? Because Sunghoon's actually a perverted old man who'd do anything for anyone as long as she has big breasts.”

“That is definitely true,” Chii said.

[…Ankle monitor incoming.]

The truth was that I gave up on improving my treatment halfway through their insults. Let those baseless rumors spread and multiply for all I cared. But the one thing I couldn't stand was being bullied like this!

“Narae.”

My serious tone and stony expression took Narae by surprise.

“Wh-what? Everything I said was true.”

If Narae truly believed that, then I'd better act the part. Just to make it very clear, I wasn't upset.

“Then I'm going to touch your boobs.”

“…What?”

“Awooo?”

[Real self showing.]

“I'm going to touch your boooobs! While I'm at it, how about all three of you at the same—gyaaaagh?!”

“The hell are you saying in front of kids?!!”

I very nearly ended up with a chunk missing from my side. The pain was excruciating. Ever hear of the phrase “tear someone a new one”? That was an apt description of my current situation.

[…Scary.]

“…You're scary.”

The image of Narae as a scary personage was cemented in their minds. Not that that was incorrect.

[Then can I ask for something else?]

Pyeii's words gave me a bad feeling. Because that meant she planned on asking me for some other favor. And there was no way Narae, who was smarter than me, would miss that nuance.

“Do you have another favor you want to ask Sunghoon?”

Pyeii nodded her head.

“What is it? If it's something I can do, then I'd be happy to help,” Narae said.

I was truly grateful for Narae's kind generosity. However, I knew the real reason why Narae offered to help. I mean, have I really done so many things to brand myself as a pervert? Had all my blood, sweat, and tears building up my image all been undone in less than a month's time? The world is such a cruel place.

[Not Narae.]

“Why's that?”

Pyeii started to write something, but then brushed her hands together to conjure up a sketchbook. She then started drawing something using a mechanical pencil. Narae and I watched, our eyes full of curiosity, when Chii tilted her head and glanced at Pyeii's sketch, and then she lifted her hair sky hgih and said:

“Wh-what are you doing?!”

[Drawing.]

Was that her hobby?

“But why are you drawing me?!”

[Most used to you.]

“I can't allow a drawing like this!”

Chii lunged at Pyeii.

[Huh?]

Pyeii, taken aback by Chii's sudden assault, tossed the sketchbook towards me before getting into a tussle with Chii. Meanwhile, Narae and I looked inside. There was a full-body nude of Chii—yaaaagh!!

“Kyawooo?!”

“What do you think you're looking at?!”

Chii's embarrassed screech and my own scream of pain intermingled and echoed filled the room. My eyes! Aghhh, my eyes! No matter what I did, stabbing me in the eyes is going too far!

“What did I do wrong?!”

“That's what you get for looking at that!”

“You saw it too!”

“And?”

“I'm sorry.”

It was best to simply apologize. Yep.

“Kyawoo. Kyawooooo.”

Chii's face was bright red, and she couldn't even look in my direction as she made strange moans. Pyeii, having extricated herself from Chii, fixed her disheveled clothes and wrote as if nothing happened:

[I can draw girls, but not boys.]

“And?” I asked.

[I want you to be my model.]

“Hell no.”

As if I'd agree to that.

“There's no way I'm going to be a nude model….”

[…I never said it'd be nude.]

Narae's gaze upon me became knifelike. For the sake of my own survival, I quickly gave an excuse.

“Then why did you draw Chii….”

“Kyawooo.”

Either way I went, hell was my only destination.

“I'm sorry. I misunderstood you.”

[Overinflated ego.]

I sighed. Ah, what a day. It felt as though I were treading on thin ice with every word I said.

[C'mon, Chii, get yourself together. Fighting.]

“Whose fault do you think this is?”

[Mine.]

“Awooo, sometimes you're too mean.”

[You were naked for me all the time, though.]

“No I wasn't!! You would simply barge in whenever I was taking a bath!”

[I hate taking a bath by myself.]

Regardless of the method, it seemed Chii had calmed down. In order to help Chii move on from those bad memories, I asked Pyeii:

“So what's the reason this time? Is it the same as last time?”

Pyeii shook her head.

[Just drawing practice.]

From the way her hair was fidgeting up and down, I got the sense that she was lying.

“If you need a model, you could just look one up online.”

[Seeing with one's own eyes is best.]

“You'd still be using your eyes.”

[A girlfriend won't pop out of the TV.]

Sadly, that was true.

[That's how different it is.]

I had no idea what an artist's perspective would be on this issue, but I supposed what she wrote made sense. Besides, being a model isn't too difficult, so should I just do it? Pyeii is Chii's friend, so doing her a favor wouldn't be bad idea. More than anything, my beloved and open-minded sweetheart, Narae-nim, was here, and I would likely earn some brownie points in her book. Yeah. After all the terrible things Narae saw me do, I decided to use this opportunity to show her my great generosity and kind love for children.

“Well, I guess that's all right.”

Pyeii's twintails escaped Pyeii's confining hands and were now sky high.

[Then take this.]

Pyeii brushed her hands together to conjure up a shopping bag on the table. I peeked inside, and it looked like there were bulky clothes inside.

“Whatever you want.”

I took out the contents of the shopping bag out and unfolded them.

…The heck is this?

“Hey.”

[What?]

“The heck is this?”

[Clothes.]

That wasn't what I was asking.

“Don't these look a little weird?”

[They're not weird.]

“Yes, they are. Where the heck did you get a weird outfit like this?”

[From a place that prides itself on its history and traditions. Also, it's not weird.]

“Where, exactly?”

[Me.]

“And the history and traditions?”

[I'm 500 years old.]

Verily, that would indicate history and traditions.

“That's what butlers wear, isn't it?”

Narae apparently knew what kind of clothes they were. This was a first for me, though. To me, it looked like an ordinary suit with some stylistic flairs added her and there. Like how around the collar of the button-down shirt was billowy fabric, or how the tail of the coat extended downwards, or how there was a dog collar included with the outfit.

“And what's with this collar?”

[Dog collar.]

“Am I a dog?”

[Bark for me.]

“I'm not a dog, so how about no?”

[A dog that won't bark is scary.]

“At least act scared if you're going to say that.”

[Chii, I'm so scared.]

Pyeii didn't look scared in the slightest when she clung to Chii.

[Saying one thing and doing another.]

I'd never actually heard anyone say that before. But, still, wasn't asking me to put on these clothes even though all she asked was for me to model for her a bit much? It's not like we were the only ones here.

“Why don't you just do it?”

I suppose this is how Caesar must have felt when Brutus stabbed him in the back.

“Narae?”

“You're already modeling for her, so why not put on the outfit?”

“There's a strange look in your eyes, Narae.”

What are you plotting?

Excuse you? Just what are you accusing me of?

“I just want to see you in that outfit.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“I mean, I said that if you don't like the look in my eyes, then I'll close yours permanently.”

Scary. It looked like I could expect no help from Narae. Then what about Chii?

“Awooo, putting on clothes is no big deal, so please do it.”

Even Chii, whom I trust with my life, betrayed me.

“How come even you're saying that?”

Chii blushed a little and flapped the hair above her ears as she said:

“I-it's a secret.”

“…Whatever.”

It only takes three people to make one feel like an idiot, or so the saying goes. I took the clothes with me and I walked into my room. I felt like I was being toyed with, but if it made them happy, then I should go along with it. I felt more than a little sad at how willing I was to sacrifice myself for their sakes.

Because men's clothes are typically easy to wear, I was able to put on that supposed suit with little difficulty. Except for the fact that it was a little stifling, it was easy to move in. The only problem was the collar. I moved the leather collar in my hands and contemplated what to do. Do I really have to put this on? I knew that there were some people who put on collars as a fashion statement, but I was still reluctant to put on a dog collar. I knew that just wearing a collar wouldn't diminish my human dignity, but I still didn't want to. …Still. I should just put it on and rationalize it as preempting any complaints from Pyeii. I put the collar around my neck. I didn't like the feeling of it constricting my neck. If the time ever comes when I have to put a collar on Baduk, I'll refuse. …Or not. Baduk would actually probably enjoy it.

I sighed heavily and entered the living room. Narae was fiddling with her phone, and Chii and Pyeii were talking animatedly, then they all focused their gazes on me. I felt like a monkey in the zoo. I spoke brusquely in order to overcome my embarrassment.

“Okay, is this fine?”

Narae simply stared, her mouth open, as she took out a camera with a huge lens from within her cleavage and began taking pictures. Chii blushed and flapped her hair. Pyeii began drawing on her sketchbook immediately, not giving me an answer.

“Am I allowed to move?”

[Stay still.]

I guess she already started. What an impatient brat.

“So should I stay standing like this?”

“Yeah.”

Narae thought so too. Narae moved all about me, taking pictures from a variety of angles as if she'd been possessed by the soul of a photographer.

“…Can't I sit down?”

[Easiest to draw when standing.]

“It's easiest to take photos like this.”

…Do whatever you want. I realized that there was no point in asking Pyeii anything else, so I instead focused my gaze on Narae.

“But why're you taking so many photos?”

“Ah. Jeongmi-nuna and Saehee asked me to send them photos.”

Did she mean the same Jeongmi-nuna who sends my heart into spastic fits of joy every time I see her? It seemed like Narae added on a discomforting name as well, but I elected to ignore it.

“What photos?”

“I mentioned this to her, and she said she really wanted to see you in the outfit, too,” Narae explained.

“I still don't understand.”

“There's a reason behind this.”

I couldn't figure out what Jeongmi-nuna was thinking.

“Awooo, Big Brother. You look a little weird.”

“I already knew that.”

This was my first time putting on this kind of clothes. When I looked in the mirror, the person in the reflection looked like a college student dressed in some outlandish outfit. For a while, all I could do was sweat nervously from the overwhelming flashes of the camera and the scratching of pencil on paper, until Pyeii wrote:

[Do a pose.]

“What kind of pose?”

[A pose you think looks cool.]

…Fine, whatever you want.

I held my hair back with one hand, bending my head backwards, and placed my other hand on my waist with my hips thrust forward slightly, then said:

“LOVE ME DO.”

Their cackling laughter and applause seemed a little excessive.

Chapter end