“Something feels strange.”


    The next morning.


    As I got out of bed, I looked down at it in a daze.


    All night, I felt an odd breeze through my lower half.


    When I checked the nket in the morning, something huge, like a pole, was pressing against it firmly.


    “This isn’t usually the case, even for me.”


    Could this be the power of the mating season?


    The change wasn’t only below.


    There was an unbelievable surge of vitality flowing throughout my whole body.My body temperature seemed to have risen by about 0.5 degrees.


    It felt like I’d downed an energy drink.


    A sense of physical confidence kept surging up, as if I could do anything.


    “…It’s hot.”


    I pushed off the nket. My body was already warm enough; no need to cover up.


    <em>Shhhh.</em>


    As I got rid of the nket, the cool morning breeze helped to cool me down.


    Oddly enough, despite my body heating up, my mind stayed remarkably clear.


    Maybe my rationality was instinctively suppressing my urges, like a silent rm.


    “Hmm.”


    Is that really it?


    It was the same when I identally stumbled onto Master, and also when I held onto Professor Violet.


    Even though I was fine rationally, there were moments when instincts broke through.


    Although I managed to hold back… situations kept arising by chance, and I had no choice but to go along with it.


    “The temptation was too strong.”


    Yes.


    It’s not an excuse; it’s the truth.


    For some reason, I kept getting put in tempting situations.


    Looking back, that’s exactly how it was.


    Professor Violet suddenly hugged me out of nowhere, pressing her chest against me.


    And then Master, acting jealous of Professor Violet, dressed in a thin outfit, and pulling me into an embrace as if it was nothing.


    Yesterday morning, Lina and Danya were the problem, to begin with.


    What the heck did they do in bed to leave me sopletely drained?


    “It’s definitely strange.”


    Whether it’s Professor Violet, Master, Danya, or Lina, none of them are the type to act so provocatively or suddenly jump on me.


    We’ve been fine until now. And then suddenly, from yesterday, they all started to tempt me?


    There are two possible exnations for this weird situation.


    First, they have also changed somehow.


    Second…


    “I might be the one who changed.”


    Maybe I got excited over something trivial and lost control.


    Looks like I’m not exactly in my right mind either.


    Yes, my current state is hardly normal.


    It’s likely that I’m too overwhelmed to see things clearly.


    “I probably need to calm down a bit… No, on second thought, maybe not.”


    Being too calm might actually be harmful too.


    The doctor said the same thing.


    If I keep holding back, I might explode even more.


    For about a week, I should just let it all out as ites.


    “Let it out, huh.”


    Luckily, I know a pretty good way.


    A way to burn off all this energy in both body and mind.


    Let’s properly burn off this vitality bubbling inside me.


    Not just a partial burn, but a full one.


    And it’s early morning.


    “Of course, I should call Danya and Lina…”


    They’vemitted sins, so they’ll have to serve me diligently.


    And then…


    “Maybe I should call Elena too. She might be helpful to have around.”


    ◆


    “Okay, I made a mistake… This, this is too, too thick…!”


    “No… It’s too big!”


    “Brother… ahhh, I’m sorry… I don’t know why, but I’m really sorry!”


    It was chaos. Handling three people at once was overwhelming.


    But it felt like I could manage it.


    Was this the strength of the mating season?


    This was enough to wear anyone out, yet the more I used it, the more energy surged within me.


    “I can’t hold on anymore…!”


    “Brother…!”


    This level was nothing to be fussed about.


    I could keep going for as long as I wanted.


    “Whew…”


    With each effort, a wave of pure energy seemed to sh around us.


    “Oops, watch out, Elena.”


    A slight miscalction led to some of the white stuff sshing onto Elena.


    “Nom… nom…”


    She eagerly licked it up.


    “I told you not to eat it…”


    “I’m innocent! It’s your fault, Brother! You couldn’t even aim the snowke properly!”


    <em>Hah</em>.


    She was right, so I couldn’t argue.


    With a sigh, I sprinkled the remaining snowkes on the other fruits.


    “This whole caramel apple is way too heavy…”


    “And these bananas are too thick… I can’t lift them…”


    The club members were struggling to keep up. I encouraged them.


    “Stop dawdling and let’s hurry up and carry these, everyone. If we don’t make money today, there’ll be no dinner.”


    “Noooo!”


    Elena cried out, and then she got busy carrying the fruits.


    The concept for today’s Dessert Research Club stall was [Giant Fruit Research].


    We’d done simr events before with snowke-topped fruits, but I thought selling only the same snowke fruits might get boring, so today we went with a giant fruit theme.


    The sess was uncertain at first.


    “My arms are shaking…”


    “So many people… next time, I’ll bring fewer friends.”


    So many customers came that everyone was exhausted.


    Once we wrapped up sales for the day, the half-zombified members gathered around the chairs.


    “I thought I’d die…”


    “I’m still tired from yesterday… <em>Whew</em>!”


    “I, Elena, am still full of energy!”


    Each person’s reaction was different.


    Unlike Elena, who was munching on the Snowke Fruit she had failed to make, Danya and Lina looked quite exhausted.


    Reactions varied. Elena was munching on some failed snowke fruit with a sparkle in her eyes, while Danya and Lina were visibly worn out.


    Danya slumped in her chair, and a bead of sweat trickled down her face, following her jawline until it fell onto her shirt.


    <em>— Smack!</em>


    A light sting hit the back of my hand.


    “Ian.”


    I turned to see Lina looking up at me with a rather strict expression.


    Lina, usually smiling, had a clear reason for her serious look.


    <em>— If I’m ever staring at a woman’s attractive features, they’re supposed to stop me.</em>


    I’d asked all the club members for this favor.


    ‘S*xual stimuli seem to trigger my mating instincts.’


    After much discussion about what counted as “attractive features” — chest, hips, stomach, feet, neck, etc. — we’d agreed that club members would warn me if I stared for too long.


    For example, if I find myself thinking about how alluring Lina’s curled fingers looked as she smacked the back of my hand and even wishing she’d do it again…


    “Get a grip, will you!”


    Danya then steps in, covering my eyes with her small palm.


    However, this presents another problem of its own.


    Ever since my mating season began, simply catching a whiff of Danya’s scent is enough to set me off.


    Though it’s been days since her heat ended, the pheromone scent still lingers on her.


    ‘My sense of smell has definitely sharpened.’


    I barely held myself back from taking a deep inhale and forced myself to open my eyes.


    …At least, with my body and mind feeling a bit worn out, I’m not bursting with energy as recklessly as I was this morning.


    “Let’s go over the earnings, shall we?”


    As today’s event wasbeled the “Dessert Research Club’s Giant Fruit Festival”, we naturally charged double the usual price.


    Yet, the number of customers stayed about the same…


    “Wh-what?!”


    Peering over my shoulder, Elena stared in shock at the endless string of zeros in the ledger.


    “We’re… we’re going to be rich!”


    Indeed.


    At this rate, we might actually be rich soon.


    “Alright, it’s payout time.”


    With the Dessert Research Club doing so well, I raised the members’ payouts ordingly.


    Each member was visibly shocked as they held their earnings.


    “My… my wallet feels heavy!”


    “I haven’t seen this much money since my family went bankrupt.”


    “I-I’m fine without the money, Brother. B-but if I get all of this in snowke fruits… oh no, I’m going to burst!”


    Elena’s already thinking about eating it all.


    “I’ll make as many as you want.”


    Of course, I’ll just give her the rest of her payment in supplies instead.


    “You’re the best, Brother Ian!”


    She clings onto me, and her small but firm belly presses right into… that area.


    ‘Get a grip, Ian.’


    “Maybe you should… ugh!”


    Then Lina and Danya pile on too, enjoying the cash.


    With Lina’s chest and Danya’s thigh pressed up against me, I feel my rationality slipping.


    “…Hey, you two.”


    Aren’t you supposed to be stopping me?!


    ◆


    After exerting superhuman patience, I finally made it back to the club room.


    “…If I hadn’t beenpletely exhausted, something might have actually happened back there.”


    To think I’d be tested like that by the members I trusted.


    …Then again, they are partly responsible for this problem.


    “<em>Hah</em>. It’s like trusting a cat to guard fish.”


    With a deep breath, I tried to calm myself.


    But the persistent heat in my lower half… When will this settle down?


    “It seems to be getting worse.”


    For the next few days, I really hope there’s someone who can keep me grounded. Preferably, someone who won’t get swept up in emotions and can stay rational.


    “…A rational person.”


    One face immediately came to mind.


    Maybe I should ask Silvia for help tomorrow.