"I should be the one asking that question, shouldn't I? Today is Getsuyoubi (Monday). Club activities shouldn't just be canceled like this, right?"
Alistair pointed at the empty dojo, frowning and questioning the two girls with a touch of severity.
"Well, I already reported to the superiors and got approval that we could take today off. That's why there's no one here. If you think I canceled it on my own authority, you can go and ask them." Senior Madoka looked Alistair in the eyes, speaking with confidence.
"Is that so? I understand." Alistair nodded, his tone softening. He was only concerned about their situation. After confirming their actions were legitimate, he immediately dropped his serious expression and adopted a more casual look, asking with some curiosity, "Then what is this hidden room? Why is there a room like this?"
"This room? We don't know when it was built. Actually, everyone knows about this room. It's a small private space, usually used for meetings between the club president and a few team leaders. Since we rarely hold meetings, it mostly serves as our private space. It's also where Minako and Natsuha come for extra guidance after club activities are over." Senior Madoka opened the door wider, stepping aside with Hikari Matsuda to give Alistair a clear view of the interior, and openly explained the room's purpose.
"It wasn't created by your current generation?" Alistair stepped into the room from the space they made, examining the setup, and asked curiously.
"Of course not. We are just ordinary students. How could we possibly have the means to build an extra room like this? Besides, this room can actually be discovered with just a slight observation from the outside. Only the entrance is somewhat concealed. Otherwise, this room is well-known within our club. Everyone just treats it as an unusual partition." Senior Madoka explained carelessly. Only the entrance to the room was unique. If one observed carefully from the outside, anyone could spot the anomaly, as the dojo was only so big, and the blank space near the corridor connecting to the other building was clearly suspicious.
"...I see. I understand." Alistair replied honestly, feeling a bit awkward. He had thought he had discovered some hidden "checkpoint" that would unlock a new "plotline." Instead, it was just a distinctive room. All his previous conjectures were just fantasies, leaving only the confirmed fact of their membership in that unknown religion.
However, Alistair couldn't just directly ask them about the religion. His relationship with the two seniors wasn't that close—he was only close to Minako Morita and Natsuha Shinomiy. Thus, Alistair wanted to ask about the religion but couldn't bring himself to.
This wasn't a game with cheats or dialogue options. Asking them about the religion abruptly, given their unfamiliarity, would only make them wary. That would make it even harder for Alistair to gather information about this unknown religion. And frankly, Alistair was lusting after their bodies.
Senior Madoka's figure was so ample it was almost on par with Minako Morita's. Her usually composed expression contrasted sharply with her voluptuous body, making one want to pin her down and thoroughly exploit her repeatedly to see if her expression could remain just as serene.
Hikari Matsuda, on the other hand, was more of a sporty wildcat. Her slightly tanned skin was radiant, and her two peaks, though slightly smaller than Senior Madoka's, were firmer. And they were only "smaller" relative to Senior Madoka's; in reality, they were still a handful.
Perhaps due to the partial cat-subspecies bloodline in her body, or something else, her movements had an even greater sense of fluidity, and her figure leaned toward a nimble, slender type. When viewed alone, she was the quintessential type: slender branches bearing abundant fruit.
At this point, Senior Madoka didn't know what to say, and Hikari Matsuda had uncharacteristically only spoken once at the beginning before falling silent. Senior Madoka then excused herself, stating she had things to do, and left. Hikari Matsuda followed Senior Madoka. Lost in thought, she seemed somewhat dazed, following Senior Madoka out without a word.
"Hmm... what's wrong with Senior Matsuda? Well, it's probably nothing serious… Wait a minute, didn't they forget to put away the training gear? Whatever, I'm running, too. It's not my fault. They'll be the ones getting reprimanded later." Alistair looked at the strangely expressionless Hikari Matsuda, pondered for a moment, and didn't reach any conclusion. He simply dismissed it, assuming it was nothing major, maybe a private matter. He then noticed they hadn't put away the used equipment. Since he didn't want to clean up, he just left as well.
"Hikari, what's wrong?"
After changing their shoes and leaving the dojo, Madoka looked at Hikari Matsuda's strange expression and asked in confusion. After speaking that one sentence at the beginning, Hikari Matsuda had gone silent. Normally, she would interject a few comments, so why the sudden change?
"Senior Madoka, didn't you feel anything strange?"
Hikari Matsuda's expression was slightly glazed over, a look that Madoka was very familiar with. She had even shown that expression herself not long ago, often along with Hikari Matsuda, although their expressions were even more intense then. That was the manifestation of their instincts overflowing!
"Didn't you just take that new, enhanced version of the inhibitor that seems to strengthen physical attributes?! Why are you looking like this?!"
Madoka's expression instantly tensed. She turned and grabbed Hikari Matsuda's shoulders, using one hand to gently tap Hikari Matsuda's face, hoping she would snap out of it.
"I'm fine, un, I'm fine now." Hikari Matsuda grabbed Madoka's hand, shaking her head to indicate she was okay, then stared into Madoka's eyes. The seriousness in her gradually clearing eyes was evident.
"Senior Madoka, when you were talking to Junior Koan just now, didn't you feel even a little bit strange?" Hikari Matsuda asked with a serious expression.
"Uh, no, I didn't. Should I have felt something? Hmm? Are you interested in Junior Koan?" Madoka listened to Hikari Matsuda's words, feeling baffled. Then she suddenly thought of something, looking at Hikari Matsuda teasingly with a somewhat ambiguous gaze.
"I'm not talking about that. I'm serious. Did you really not feel anything? Not even a tiny bit?" Hikari Matsuda maintained her serious expression, refusing to be sidetracked by Madoka's teasing.
"You're serious? Hmm... No, truly nothing at all. Are your instincts acting up again?" Sensing Hikari Matsuda's earnestness, Madoka dropped her teasing demeanor. Her eyebrows rose, and she recalled the scene again. After confirming, she shook her head decisively, then asked with some concern.
"Hmm, you didn't? Is it just me? Strange. Why would my instincts suddenly become uncontrollable? Is Junior Koan perhaps something special? Oh, right, you haven't taken the enhanced inhibitor yet, have you, Senior Madoka?" Hikari Matsuda's thoughts became confused. This sudden, uncontrollable eruption of her instincts caused her great panic. If it fully erupted, she would truly be ruined. Social death would be a compliment. She would absolutely become a real-life hentai trope, completely degenerated into a mere breeding animal.
"Don't panic. Tell me first, when did this feeling start?" Madoka steadied Hikari Matsuda's trembling body. Her calm expression gave Hikari Matsuda a great sense of stability, allowing her to gradually cool down and recount the situation.
"So, the feeling started when you were talking to Junior Koan, and you felt it the moment you finished speaking. It only started to subside after you moved away from him, until it disappeared." Madoka analyzed Hikari Matsuda's situation step by step, quickly finding the key element: Alistair.
"Also, I have already taken the enhanced inhibitor." Hikari Matsuda thought for a moment and added.
"It seems Junior Koan has some connection with that woman, or with the Himegami Cult. No, that might not be right. That hateful woman said the believers would only be female, and she was the only one in charge of the main responsibilities. So, does Junior Koan have some special item or characteristic that can trigger our suppressed instincts? His surprised expression when he picked up the box didn't seem faked either. So... is this a coincidence?"
Although this conclusion seemed absurd, after careful deduction, Madoka had to admit that this was the most likely possibility. If Junior Koan were a high-ranking member of the Himegami Cult, he could simply use minor schemes to claim them; he wouldn't need all this trouble. So, this situation was likely a coincidence. But one thing was strange: why did taking the new inhibitor cause a reaction to Alistair?
After listening to Madoka's analysis, Hikari Matsuda felt something was off but couldn't pinpoint the unreasonableness. Then, she suddenly remembered something that woman, Shima Izuki, had told her about this new inhibitor.
This new drug would allow them to get closer to the Himegami Cult's Kami-sama and feel the Kami-sama's grace more profoundly.
Shima Izuki had said exactly that.