A Random in Re:Zero

Loop 5 - Part 30

Why was my hand holding the cup and bringing it to my mouth? I think my body was moving on its own or something. I definitely didn't do it of my own volition.

GLUP, GLUP, GLUP.

The temperature of the tea was perfect, warm enough but not scorching. As for the taste, I can't describe it, but it was different from what I had imagined. I mean, it's not like I'd ever imagined drinking Echidna's tea before, I just made an assumption...

"Looks like you're taking your time with your tea. Are you enjoying it?" Echidna asked in a mischievous tone.

"It has a strange taste, it's not like anything I've ever tasted before."

"That makes sense, since it's made from my body fluids."

She dropped that information like it was a bomb exploding in my face. Contrary to her expectations, my expression remained unchanged, and I took another sip of tea.

"I see. You should eat more fruit, that would make it sweeter."

"Ah... This is unexpected."

Finally, Echidna showed me a trace of puzzlement on her normally relaxed and impassive face. Her brow furrowed, as if she were trying to concentrate on something.

"If you keep looking at me like that, I'm going to blush." I murmured, feigning modesty.

Echidna snorted listlessly, giving the impression of someone who failed in her goal.

"I still can't understand how you think at all."

"Are you trying to decipher my personality? It's not that complicated: I'm a man like any other."

I wondered what Echidna's goal was in trying to get to know me better. I suspected she was doing it to figure out how to be most accommodating to me and use that to manipulate me. If the plot was canon, then she wanted to convince me to make a pact.

"In that case, I think I should try another approach." She muttered.

"Huh?"

His posture changed and he smiled at me again with that intense look.

"Do you know I'm a great scholar? I've been observing this world for many years. With my knowledge, I can answer almost any question you have." She stated, proud of that reputation. "Use me to satisfy your curiosity."

"Interesting proposal..."

But I, far from thinking like a decent, normal person, began to think about some dark possibilities.

"I understand you don't know everything, but as long as it's something you do know, can you back up your answers with evidence?" I leaned across the table, speaking coldly.

Echidna nodded once and smiled confidently. She took the bait.

"Yeah."

I was currently in a dream world, talking to a beautiful woman several centuries old, who wanted to make a contract with me and probably wouldn't mind doing certain things to get in my good graces. Being in such a setting, my mind was only thinking about one thing.

"What color is your underwear?"

"..."

While she remained silent, I drank the rest of my tea. Now it was her turn to receive the bomb.

"Do you really want to know that?" She asked, her expression unreadable, her hair covering her eyes.

"If you're that embarrassed, I can change the question." I said with feigned indifference, although deep down I was eager to get my way.

After half a minute, Echidna answered in a small voice.

"... Black."

"You say your underwear is black?" I asked for confirmation.

She nodded slowly, her face flushed red.

"Yeah."

"I don't believe you." I immediately refuted, sounding confident in my tone of voice.

"Huh?!" Echidna jumped, her eyes and mouth trembling.

"I said I don't believe you. How can you prove to me that what you said is true?" I challenged her with a triumphant smile, leaning back in my seat as I waited for her response.

"You... You... You're so..."

Sighing, Echidna covered her face with her hands. She seemed to be having trouble dealing with me.

"I can't believe you're so brazen and bold with a witch... Pfft."

Echidna's voice was a timid murmur, but then she started laughing joyfully, as if this was all a fun joke.

"How interesting! You've really captivated me!"

"..."

I didn't understand Echidna's reaction or the meaning of what she said, so I remained silent. The next moment she stood up from her chair and took a few steps back, putting some distance between us.

My brain may be a little messed up from porn, but what I saw next couldn't have been a mirage or a hallucination. Slowly and with suspense, Echidna pulled her dress up over her stomach, revealing the curves of her waist and hips, as well as an exquisite pair of white thighs between which lay a piece of black lace.

The inverted triangle of her crotch seemed to be some kind of black hole whose gravitational pull prevented me from looking away. Unfortunately, the spectacle didn't last long before she finally dropped her dress, eliciting a longing sigh from me.

"Did that satisfy your curiosity?"

"Ah..."

I was speechless, and breathless too. There was a hard bulge in my crotch, but I ignored it for the sake of my sanity.

Echidna had clearly regained the emotional upper hand, letting me know with a smirk.

"Why are you looking at me like I'm a witch? Oh, right." She started laughing at her own joke.

"Look at that, looks like you can do comedy too." I raised my eyebrows sarcastically.

I know I'm a virgin, but correct me if I'm wrong when I say she did things in the wrong order. I mean, aren't you supposed to break the ice before flashing me your panties? Ice-breaking jokes are useless when I'm already so horny that the damn ice melted.

So either she did it that way to confuse me further, or she's just a witch who's incredibly knowledgeable about everything except how to seduce a man (the ordinary way). I don't know what to think anymore.

"Will you say nothing? I'll answer any other questions you have."

"Have you-?"

"But there will be no more lewd displays, at least for this occasion."

She guessed my intentions and anticipated my next question, placing her hands in front of me like a stop sign. I pouted.

"In that case, let me think of another question."

There were many questions in my mind, at least a hundred. However, I filtered out the most important ones and, one by one, discarded the less relevant ones or those whose answers I could figure out on my own. Finally, I chose one of the most disturbing and enigmatic.

"What do you know about a woman with silver hair and blue eyes, named Pandora?"

Echidna's expression changed subtly when I mentioned that name. She clasped her hands together, interlacing her fingers and resting her head on them before she began to speak.

"The Witch of Vainglory... She's also known as the Saint, a user of the Vainglory Witch Factor. She's part of the Witch Cult you've fought, but she hasn't been directly involved in the sect's activities for some time. May I ask how you know her?"

"It's not like I know her... I've never seen her in person, she's a complete mystery. I was hoping you could give me some information about her."

"Oh, I see. So you don't remember, at least not completely."

"What do you mean?"

"Your relationship with Pandora, the bond that unites you two."