Lauren ended up joining the journey on her own accord. (This episode contains slightly mature content; those uncomfortable may skip it without impacting the story’s progression.)
I sat down on the sofa where Philiana had been. It looked old but was quite comfortable, and rather large, too.
As I was enjoying the sofa’s comfort, Pauline approached me.
“Oh, you didn’t go? Then let’s take a break together.”
Pauline sat down next to me, looking a little nervous. A doubt suddenly popped into my head.
“Speaking of which, Pauline, you resemble a bee, so are all your soldiers girls, like bees?”
“Yes, most of us are female. The males have small wings and are few in number, so they rarely go outside.”
I hummed in acknowledgment of Pauline’s words.
“Come to think of it, I’m kinda hungry. Should I eat some of what I bought earlier?”
“Ah, then please have this.”
Saying that, Pauline suddenly started to undress.
“Here, please have my breast milk.”
“Huh? Wha- What are you doing all of a sudden? Put it away quickly!”
Pauline looked bewildered at my words.
“Also, breast milk? Do you perhaps have children?!”
“Children…? No, we don’t. Only the Queen can give birth to children. We cannot bear children.”
Pauline replied with a smile. If only the Queen can give birth, then why does she have breast milk… And is she a mammal? She looks like an insect.
“We all take care of the children that are born. That’s why we sometimes produce breast milk like this. I don’t have any children to give it to anymore, so it would be wasted, but if you’d like, please have it.”
I looked at Pauline, half-believing. Just as she said, there were small nipples on her chest.
For some reason, it felt rude to refuse forcefully, as if I were rejecting her, so I leaned in and licked it a little.
“Ah, sweet!”
It tasted like condensed milk diluted with water. Frankly, it was delicious. I had forgotten the taste of sweetness for so long. I remembered how I used to be able to easily buy sweets at convenience stores when I wanted something sweet.
“Hehehe, right? Come on, don’t be shy, have some more.”
I succumbed to temptation and savored the sweet breast milk. If anyone saw me at this moment, they’d completely misunderstand.
“I’m home! Ah, Hiro, what are you doing?”
It seemed everyone had returned. I had already noticed their footsteps on the stairs, so I wouldn’t be seen.
“Ah, welcome back. I was just giving Hiroaki-san my breast milk. Would you like some too, Piyo-chan?”
At those words, everyone turned to look at me all at once.
