Isekais Don't Exist, You're Just Trapped in a Social Experiment

6. Here Lies The Lonely One

"So, you woke up in someone's yard, and after climbing the fence to get out on the road, you decided to start...sniffing me out?" You ask, caught off guard by his explanation and his first choice of action. After a short pause, Tighnari nods affirmatively. "How were you even sure it was my world you woke up in, anyways?"

"Because your scent is not solely your chemical makeup, but a mix of you, your surroundings, and anyone else you may come in contact with. Depending on how much exposure or contact you have with something or someone, I can easily tell what part is a person's natural scent and what part comes from external sources. As soon as I woke up, I knew this was where you came from."

Your eyebrows knit together and you don't say anything more. Something he said before is coming back to your memory. Earlier, didn't he say it smelled "horrible" here?

...

"Do I smell bad?"

The fact he said your world had a "horrible smell" sort of makes you a bit nervous, but he quickly lifts his hands and waves your query off with a look of concerned objection.

"No, no! You don't smell bad, don't worry. While the scent clinging to you is the same as the environment here, it's very dilute in comparison. Your scent is not offensive, please don't be concerned about that," he promises earnestly, leaning against the edge of a small table.

The next thought that springs to your mind is what happened the night before last night. When you arrived in Gandharva Ville in that black little dress, you were waking up from a night out- and not just from alcohol, but from a sexual encounter.

He said he could smell the scent of different people on others, right? Then...did he know you had sex when he found you the night before last night? Prior to you mentioning it?

I shouldn't be having thoughts like that right now, but...

Your eyes shift to Tighnari suspiciously, although it's because of your thoughts rather than not believing him, he understandably interprets your expression for the latter reasoning though.

"I do have a strong nose, but I can sort of 'tune out' any undesirable scents if I have to. The only time that presents any difficulties is with intense smells within enclosed spaces...like the elevator earlier with vomit," Tighnari specifies, already getting comfortable since he's obviously not going anywhere else.

He gets to unwrapping the colorful rope and band around his waist, setting it on the table along with the cropped hoodie he has on over a fitted black bodysuit. One arm is completely bare of any sleeve, showing off the tone of his bicep and forearm as he folds away the more decorative articles of his outfit and sets aside the ornaments on his back.

Although you're listening, your gaze remains affixed to him as he adjusts his bodysuit and removes his shoes, giving you ample time to admire his figure as discreetly as possible. He's got a slender yet lean figure, a body suitable for the movement required in his forest ranger work.

You hum noncommittally, mostly distracted by him until you notice his ear twitch at your reaction.

"Don't you think I would say something or try to avoid you if you had a bad smell?" He presses as he turns back to you, making you snap out of your hypnotic state and shake your head in an effort to act natural. He's misinterpreting the reason for your reaction, but you're not about to make the correction that it's because you were distracted by the diameter of his waist.

"No, I believe you! It's just the other night when you found me...did you already know I had just slept with-" you cut yourself off when his expression twists into disbelief, prompting you to bite back a laugh. He's so expressive. "What? I'm just curious."