Chapter 474: Assurance of Love and... a Dream Cookie?
Something was very wrong. A sense of deja vu came upon me, overwhelming and disorienting.
I was not in the entrance to the forest as I thought, and there were no women around. There was no sunset, no gathered crowd or any teary farewell.
I was naked on my bed, my thighs covered in semen, and it was early in the morning, not sunset.
The straw beneath me was cool, the air was fresh, and the sound of birdsong drifted through the open window.
Benjamin was beside me, his hand still on my shoulder from shaking me awake, his blue eyes wide with concern and confusion.
I turned to the also nude Benjamin, very confused, my mind still reeling.
The tears were still wet on my cheeks, my throat was still raw from screaming. "Hm? What is going on? Did you teleport us here? We were just outside...?"
"Awwwwwwn!" He quickly embraced me, his eyes sparkling with that familiar warmth, as he squished our cheeks together with unabashed affection.
His skin was warm against mine, his arms strong around my shoulders, and I felt the tension in my body begin to ease despite my confusion. "Tamar is so cute when she’s confused as well! That expression of bewilderment, those wide silver eyes, and the way your brow furrows when you are trying to understand something. It is absolutely adorable!"
"..."
"...?!" Benjamin suddenly flinched and left me alone, then started observing my face with intensity.
His blue eyes scanned my features, searching for something, his expression shifting from playful to contemplative.
He tilted his head, his brow furrowing, and I could almost see the gears turning behind his eyes as he processed what had just happened.
"What...?" I asked, feeling flushed from his godly face staring at me so much.
His proximity was overwhelming, his beauty almost painful to behold, and I could feel the heat rising to my cheeks as I met his gaze.
"How strange... normally when I say things like Tamar is so cute and stuff, you punch me or verbally blast me..." Benjamin put a finger in his mouth, deeply wondering, his brow furrowed with genuine curiosity.
His eyes narrowed slightly as he studied me, as if I was a puzzle he was trying to solve.
"M... Maybe I don’t want to do things like that anymore..." I muttered, as Benjamin’s attention came back to me, his eyes widening slightly at my words.
The confession had slipped out before I could stop it, born from the lingering fear of the dream I had just experienced.
"Maybe... Maybe I want to be soft and feminine. Maybe I want to also be like the other women, and not hurt you carelessly... I want to be the kind of woman who can accept affection without lashing out. The kind of woman who can say what she feels without hiding behind masks."
I took a breath, steadying myself, gathering every ounce of courage I possessed.
My heart was pounding, my palms were sweating, and I felt like I was about to jump off a cliff. "I... I..... I l-l-l-l-love you, so... I shouldn’t hurt yo— Okay, why are you looking so blatantly depressed?!"
Benjamin’s face had fallen, his eyes had dimmed, and he wore an expression of such profound sadness that it made my heart ache.
As I took the courage, needed to singlehandedly fight a demon, to make such a confession, he was sitting there looking like I was dissolving our relationship.
"Huh?! Because that’s basically what you’re doing!" Benjamin yelled... seemingly reading my mind. "Tamar is Tamar! Not the cute, feminine knockoff! You are not Lulu! You are the kawaii princess who punches first and asks questions later! The kind of woman who speaks her mind even when it comes out wrong, remember?! What the hell happened in your dream?!"
He leaned forward, his blue eyes blazing with intensity. "Bring back the Ape! Bring back the Ape! Bring back the tsundere Ape—!!"
SMACK!!
Thinking I was about to punch his face, he smirked and raised a hand to block it, his expression one of smug anticipation.
He had seen me strike out a thousand times, had dodged, blocked and countered my attacks with practiced ease in the past.
So he was ready for the familiar pattern, the predictable dance we had performed so many times before.
But my fist connected with his testicles... hard.
The sound was sickening, the impact was devastating, and Benjamin’s face immediately contorted into an expression of pure agony.
His hands flew to his groin, his body curled into a tight ball on the bed, and he began fidgeting in pain, his breath coming in short, sharp gasps.
"Idiot! And here I was thinking I should soften my approach!" I yelled as he stayed curled up on the bed, trembling with the force of the blow I had delivered. "You want the Ape version, huh? I’m very happy to oblige! You literally asked for this!"
As Benjamin, still shuddering, raised a thumb up in approval, his face still twisted in pain but his eyes shining with something that looked suspiciously like satisfaction, "G... Glad to have you back..."
I ran out of the chamber, my heart pounding, my face flushed.
"Ah, big sis, you’re still naked!!" I bumped into Lulu who was, in reality as well, watching me and Benjamin.
She was pressed against the wall just outside my door, her eyes wide, her cheeks flushed, her hands clasped together in front of her chest.
Does she do stuff like that? The thought flickered through my mind, but I was too elated to truly care.
She immediately began explaining what she was doing stalking us, her words tumbling out in a rush of nervous chatter, her hands waving frantically as she tried to justify her presence.
She spoke of coincidentally passing by, of hearing noises, of being concerned for my well-being.
But then she suddenly stopped and asked, her voice soft and wistful, her eyes filled with a longing that mirrored my own: "I see you can’t stop smiling, big sis Tamar... I’m so jealous..."
Yes. I couldn’t stop smiling.
The corners of my lips were turned up so far that my cheeks ached, and no matter how hard I tried to school my features into something more composed, the smile refused to fade.
Not only had that horrible event been a dream... In real life, Benjamin actually likes me when I’m being me.
He does not want me to change, does not want me to become soft and feminine or gentle. He wants the sharp edges, the violent outbursts, the "tsundere" nonsense that I thought was driving him away.
He accepts me completely, flaws and all.
Ehehe... What a daft masochist...
The thought was affectionate, warm, filled with a love so deep and true. He actually enjoys my violence.
I love him so darn much!
******
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"Ah, Princess Lulu!" A short, brown-skinned girl with light auburn hair waved cheerfully—just as Tamar came sprinting past, giggling uncontrollably.
Deva blinked in confusion, as she asked the blonde Amazon, "Why is Princess Tamar naked?"
Lulu’s face turned crimson. She glanced away awkwardly. "Ah... Deva? It’s... a long story. It’s complicated."
Deva leaned in with a sly grin, clearly eager to change the subject. "Ohhh? Anyway, how did you like the Dream Cookie I gave you yesterday?"
Lulu squinted, trying to recall. "Dream... Cookie? You mean that round little treat? Tamar ate it before I could even try it. She said it was delicious, though... Why do you call it a ’Dream Cookie’?"
"Hm? Ah, no r-reason..." Deva’s smile froze, then sweat began to trickle down her temple.
[Bad news!] she screamed internally. [I made that cookie as a prank on Lulu! I’m envious because she’s genuinely tiny and adorable, while I have to use tricks to make myself look just as small. But Tamar ate it instead... and she was laughing? That cookie was supposed to give someone their worst nightmare and scar them for life! Perhaps it was a failure, after all... Very well, then... I’ll make one so horrifying that whoever eats it will be emotionally shattered forever!!]
To clarify the backstory:
For some time now, Deva has been bitterly jealous of Lulu’s naturally petite, cute figure.. because Deva herself only achieves that look through sketchy means.
Every prank she’s cooked up to get revenge on Lulu has failed miserably, thanks to sheer dumb luck, and the universe siding with Lulu.
But instead of giving up, Deva takes challenge and keeps doubling down—and her schemes keep growing more extreme, often hurting other innocent Amazons (like poor Tamar) in the process.