Her Tentacles 7

Chapter 7: Perfume

…Another scent?

Suddenly finding herself looking down at the other woman, Shu Yao’s mind had been wandering—fantasizing, for instance, about admiring this very view in the bedroom—but at these words, her expression changed instantly.

Could it be from the office—

Her trembling gaze fell instinctively on the other woman’s delicate, pearly-white nose. Shu Yao’s lips parted and closed for a long moment before, in a flash of inspiration, she said, “Ah, it’s a new perfume I bought.”

That morning, on her way to work, she had found a delivery box at her door. She had been in no mood to get ready, having slept so poorly the night before, but the thought that the box contained a sample set of sea salt perfumes—from the very brand she had intentionally bought after their date—brought a small sense of comfort.

It was just a scent similar to her girlfriend’s, but that was enough.

However, after half a day at the sports meet, she had long forgotten about it and could no longer smell the perfume herself.

Now that Lin Ran had mentioned it, Shu Yao licked her slightly dry lower lip and asked tentatively, “This scent… is it similar to the one you use?”

The person who had her answer had already straightened up.

The deep set of her brow bone made her eyebrows look like distant, ink-black mountains. The eyes hidden in shadow were like deep lakes nestled among them; when she smiled, they rippled as if stirred by a breeze, and when she didn’t, they were a masterpiece of static beauty.

Lin Ran’s gaze fell to the veins on Shu Yao’s wrist, capturing the sound of blood flowing beneath her skin. With every pulse of her heartbeat, the scent that did not belong to her, the one covering that skin, was diffused even further.

It was as if her entire being had been marked by this scent.

A scent that was not her own.

“It’s not similar.”

And so, for the first time, the beauty who was always so pleasant to her girlfriend gave an unexpected answer, even emphasizing, “I don’t like it.”

…

A little over ten minutes later.

The students still on the field saw Teacher Shu return with the mats. She had been alone when she left, but on her way back, she was accompanied by a stunningly beautiful woman, of a different type from herself but just as breathtaking.

The high jump, usually an event for padding numbers, was suddenly thronged with people. The area marked off by a plastic rope was so packed it looked like a veritable sea of people, even alerting the nearby school leaders. They thought a wild provincial or national-level athlete had appeared and rushed over, eager to witness a historic record being broken.

As more and more people gathered, the nearby spectator stands began to stir, with people standing up to look over in this direction.

Yet amidst this great commotion, two people were lost in their own worlds.

One was Shu Yao, her mind preoccupied with what her girlfriend had just said.

The other… was Wu Li, high up on the platform.

He hid within the murmuring crowd. Beneath the shattered, glinting lens, his eyes—no longer reliant on feeble human vision—saw it. At the edge of his complete pupil and iris, the image of another, similar eyeball materialized.

One, then two.

A multitude of eyes, like fish roe, crowded into the narrow socket, allowing him to see with perfect clarity the gorgeous figure beside Shu Yao.

It was the creature from that rainy night.

And the culprit who had planted a strange toxin in this body’s right shoulder, a toxin that was causing it ever-increasing pain.

Their clash back then, though fleeting, had made the entity inhabiting Wu Li’s shell realize that the other’s level was far above its own. The moment that dangerous feeler had pierced it, it had been dominated by a terrifying pressure, unable to move, unable to escape.

It would die.

No matter how much it grew, how much it evolved, if it ever faced that aura again, it would die.

But it had only just arrived, it hadn’t yet tasted enough of the delicious flesh of young women and tender children… Unacceptable! This was utterly unacceptable!

Perhaps because his gaze was different from that of other humans, it easily alerted the powerful being in her camouflaged state.

Even from such a great distance, the other’s dark eyes seemed to flit effortlessly over the crowd and lock precisely onto his.

Then, he saw her red lips curve into a smile.

…It was the satisfaction of a rancher, checking on their livestock and pleased to see them growing right on schedule.

The terror of being targeted again by a powerful predator caused Wu Li’s human body to suddenly exhibit symptoms of anxiety. He began to tremble in fear, and the shaking grew more and more violent.

Soon, Wu Li’s eyes rolled back in his head as he convulsed, finally drawing the attention of those around him. The extra eyes receded behind his eyelids, but the image of that light-brown-haired figure remained seared onto his retina.

That was the prey it had ranked second, after Fan Xin, the one with a child.

Why was she able to stand so calmly beside that thing?

Before it could find an answer, it heard a startled cry directed at him. “Teacher Wu?!”

….

The commotion in the stands became the second main event of the sports meet.

Closer by, the school leaders, after repeatedly confirming that no once-in-a-century athletic prodigy had appeared, ordered all students not registered for an event to disperse. They even called in the student council to maintain order, instructing them to ensure that no more than five students from each class’s “cheer squad” were gathered near the field.

The surrounding area emptied out in a rush. From Shu Yao’s vantage point, it was easy to spot the school medics hurrying toward the faculty section from the entrance of the field, carrying a medical kit and equipment.

Did someone get heatstroke?

As she thought this, she subconsciously glanced at Lin Ran beside her.

At that same moment, the dark-haired woman frowned in displeasure, not having expected this emergency ration to be not only bony but also so fragile, fainting from a single glance.

“Are you going over?” Shu Yao whispered, leaning closer.

“Yes,” Lin Ran replied without a second thought.

She did, in fact, want to use a scalpel to slice open that prey’s brain and check, one by one, if its nerves were healthy. If it had turned into an unripe fruit that had spoiled on the branch before being picked, then she would simply crush it.

She walked toward the commotion step by step. Under the brilliant sun, her shadow was darker and more substantial than anyone else’s.

Shu Yao watched her receding back. She couldn’t leave her post, as she had to help the judge. But just then, the judge, who had been chewing on his pen cap and had just finished recording the preliminary results, suddenly looked up. “Teacher, I’m fine here for now. You can go back.”

After the appearance of one beautiful woman after another, the PE teacher moonlighting as a judge had finally figured out the reason for the earlier spike in the pole-fault rate. He had thought he was overwhelmed, but after the recent episode of being fussed over by a rotating cast of school leaders, which only made him more flustered, he had a great epiphany—

Overwhelmed? He’d been doing this for years; how had he gotten so dramatic this year? He needed to reflect on whether he had been working hard enough, or if perhaps his stress tolerance had plummeted.

Noticing that Shu Yao was still hesitating, the judge immediately made an exaggerated “please” gesture toward the faculty stands, urging this great Buddha to go wherever it was cool and stay there.

However, Shu Yao didn’t get to witness Director Lin perform her first-aid skills.

Because Wu Li, the one who was supposed to be treated for what looked like either a sudden epileptic fit or heatstroke, sat bolt upright with a kip-up under everyone’s watchful eyes, before the medics could even touch him. Then, as if he had seen a flood or a ferocious beast, he scrambled down the tiered steps and fled, limping, in the opposite direction.

Seeing that the person being treated was him, Shu Yao’s brow twitched.

Then she relaxed.

She had been worried about Wu Li’s recent odd behavior and hadn’t wanted her girlfriend to come into his line of sight. Now that the creep had taken the initiative to leave, she could naturally take Lin Ran to a shady spot to rest.

…

Sitting in the stands again, Shu Yao’s mood was completely different.

She was a typical good girl. In school, she had focused solely on her studies and never dated early. She had never known the taste of a campus romance. But now, with Lin Ran sitting beside her, immersed in the youthful atmosphere of the sports meet, Shu Yao suddenly felt a strange sensation.

It was as if a missed, unlived part of her life was being filled in by someone in an unexpected way.

A smile unknowingly graced her lips. Then, remembering something, she carefully picked up her bag and, like a hamster checking its winter stores, practically stuck her head inside. She first took out a wet wipe to clean her hands, then announced with satisfaction, “Oh, right, I have a gift for you today, too—”

Ta-da!

As she provided a grand, internal fanfare, Lin Ran saw the gifts she produced.

There was more than one.

In her left hand was a small cactus in a transparent, round glass cup. Layers of yellow, silver, and brown sand were spread at the bottom like a cake, topped with small white pebbles. A tiny spherical cactus, both long and round, was planted in the center, its tips peeking shyly over the rim of the cup.

It was a desert landscape that could be held in one’s palm.

The gift in her right hand was simpler: a wide, square glass jar containing only pure white stones, but on top bloomed a succulent that had been exceptionally well-cared-for. Its fleshy petals unfurled from the center, their tips a richer shade of emerald, like a blooming lotus carved from jade.

Compared to the moss, which only needed to be kept in a cool, damp place, these gifts clearly required more attentive care. As if worried the other would refuse, Shu Yao explained softly, “These varieties just need to be placed somewhere sunny. You don’t need to water them often. They’re very easy to keep alive.”

Lin Ran lowered her gaze, staring at the proffered gifts, which were brimming with an ever-richer life force.

Just as Shu Yao thought she didn’t like them, she heard her ask, “Why are there two?”

“Because… it’s compensation?”

This way, she could pretend that Lin Ran, just like her, felt tormented by the days they couldn’t see each other.

“Compensation for what?” The reply came from Chen Le, who had been sitting in the row in front of them, her ears pricked for some time.

She turned her head, her gossipy eyes darting back and forth between Shu Yao and Lin Ran. “Oh, right, isn’t this the friend who was with you the other day?”

Lin Ran, who had long been subjected to the brazen stares of this pile of “unfamiliar and unappetizing” food, had no interest in satisfying her curiosity. She looked directly at the person beside her. “Shall we find another spot?”

….

And just like that, the scope of their date unexpectedly expanded to the entire campus.

Baiquan Vocational School was wealthy, and its retro red-brick style had once made it one of Nancheng’s popular scenic spots for photos. But in all her time working here, Shu Yao had never actually visited many parts of the school.

The sports meet had gathered all the teachers and students at the field, allowing her and Lin Ran to stroll along the deserted, tree-lined avenues, enjoying the magnificent spectacle of mango and lychee trees, heavy with strings of green fruit, posturing at each other from opposite sides of the path.

Their branches and leaves already blotted out the sun, but the air in the coastal city of Nancheng was still laden with humid steam.

Shu Yao was wearing a backpack today, its crisscrossing thin straps serving as a stylish embellishment on her black top. As she walked, the last perfume box in her bag clattered.

Initially, she and Lin Ran had each been carrying a gift. Hearing the sound from her bag and feeling the sweat about to bead on her temples, she looked up and asked, “Can you wait for me here for a second?”

Lin Ran nodded.

Soon, deeper in the dense woods, beside a simple washbasin, the pot with the cute succulent was placed on the upper right corner.

Shu Yao used the cool running water to briefly wash her face, rinsing away the summer heat and sweat. She even deliberately scrubbed the spot on her wrist where the fragrance lingered. After drying her face, she opened the rattling perfume box to check—

“Which one is it, anyway?”

She muttered to herself.

With Lin Ran’s dislike of the previous one, she didn’t know if she should even bother trying new scents.

The small samples in their transparent glass vials rolled back and forth in the large box the seller had packed them in. As she picked up another one and held it hesitantly to the light, she was interrupted by a voice like a clear spring from beside her:

“Do you want my scent?”

…

Shu Yao: “!”

She hastily put the perfume vial away, her eyes wide as she looked at Lin Ran, who had entered without her noticing.

It was only then that she heard the sound of the other’s shoe sole crushing fallen leaves.

Thinking she must have been too lost in thought, Shu Yao stood there dumbly for a long moment, not knowing how to answer. Finally, she steeled herself, closed her eyes, and nodded.

“C-can I?”

Can you tell me the secret?

This posture, in Lin Ran’s eyes, was that of a tiny creature seeking her protection.

Belatedly recalling the prey she had her eye on—the type on her menu should indeed be someone like Shu Yao—and thinking of the two gifts she had just received, the apex predator considered for a moment and decided she could grant this request.

Though she was still holding a gift in one hand, she stepped forward and opened her arms, drawing the other person into her aura.

Shu Yao, suddenly embraced: “!!!”

The sea salt scent, which had always been so faint and elusive, now suddenly became her entire world, surrounding her. She tried her best to open her eyes wide to see what was so close, but her vision was filled only with the other’s cascading long hair.

The embrace was so tight that she had the dazed illusion of being bound.

Looking down from the high branches of the forest, the light was blocked by the leaves into dappled specks.

But even those specks of light could not see the human trapped in the monster’s cage. They could only fruitlessly add luster to the monster’s long, straight black hair before being irritably swatted away by a soft fork that split off from the mimicked feeler—the one that had gathered into a single tendril to wrap around the human’s slender waist.

【The bottle! Mine!】
【More! More!】
【Cover her more!】

The feelers urged her with their childish voices to apply more of her scent.

Just then, Shu Yao lifted her head, seeming dissatisfied in her arms. Lin Ran thought for a moment, then tilted her head, pressing her long, cool neck against her girlfriend’s increasingly warm one. Their skin was intimately close, like swans with their necks entwined.

Her scent would travel along the main artery closest to the heart, and within a short twenty seconds, circulate throughout the entire body with the flow of blood.

Lin Ran counted a full half-minute in her mind before making her next move—

She turned her head. The delicate pearl of her thin upper lip brushed against Shu Yao’s soft white earlobe. Choosing such a close distance, she let her clear, cool voice flow distinctly into the other’s ear:

“Is that enough?”