After the exchange, Harker did receive 700ml of RH null blood in a temperature-controlled metal flask every week. He and someone that was working under Victoria would meet at BBB, and it was always a different messenger every week. The scientist was indeed discreet and precise in her methods.
It was a relief that he she took in the bribe on his first try. But Harker wondered if she was related to Professor Seward.
Professor Joan Seward looked nothing like Ms. Victoria Seward. Yet upon doing research, Harker learned that Victoria was actually Joan's older sister!
Adoptive older sister, that is. The Seward family was always related to science in some form. Her father was a children's psychotherapist. When Victoria lost her parents, they took her in and eventually had a child of their own.
"So Professor Seward is the youngest child, huh..... That kinda explains the behavior." Harker mumbled.
He was looking through files containing Joan's information that he gathered through Roland's intensive web of intel. Harker felt like a bit of a stalker looking through his professor's life, but he can't help but be curious since he now met her sister too.
"Such a small world." He thought.
He was sitting on the edge of the bed while reading this as Roland went out to buy some snacks for their game night. Harker bought the Chateuvania game and would now fulfill his promise for some bro time after all the help he received from his best bud.
Suddenly, the door opened.
"Oh.... Harker sir." Mina blinked, wearing only a towel around her naked body and another one on her hair. "I didn't know you were here."
Harker blushed a little. "Hey, Mina.... Why are you here? This is Roland's room, yours is below the stairs."
"I know. I was just about to ask if Roland had more of those cotton swabs. I ran out of them." Mina said nonchalantly.
Harker stood up and got some cotton swabs from the dresser, still unsure what to feel about this situation. But he did his best to stay cool.
"Here." He handed it to her.
"Thanks. I go crazy about these things. It just feels really good when I put them inside my ear deep and hard..... Ah....." She then went on to clean her ear.
The sounds she made while doing it was even worse than when she was laying fish eggs.
"Mnn..... Ohh..... Right there..... Ah, it's so good~~" She closed her eyes, really feeling it. "Doesn't it feel so good, Harker sir?"
"U-Uh.... Yeah, I guess so.... I get that feeling...."
"What are you reading, by the way?" Mina asked as she continued picking on her ear. "Who's that woman?"
Harker went to take all the files back to the folder and hide them. "It's nothing.... Just someone I want to know more info about."
"And I'm asking who is she." Mina said sternly, finally done with using the cotton swab. "Is she your enemy? A relative? A friend?"
"She's my professor."
Harker couldn't help but feel that there's some sort of strain in Mina's voice when asking who the woman was to him.
"Oh, a professor at school....." Mina seemed to be a little relieved. "She must be a professional then and know how to have proper relationships with her students."
"Pfff!" Harker waved his hand. "Joan is anything but professional."
Mina suddenly frowned. "So her name's Joan huh.... You must be really close if you call her by her first name."
Harker was also surprised with himself. Why did he suddenly call her Joan when he was so used to calling her Professor Seward?
But he thought there's no point thinking too much about it. Instead, he should focus on how Mina was acting strange lately. Always wearing a bright smile when seeing him, but pouting as soon as there was another woman involved, whether it was someone he was with in person or even just looking at in pictures.
"Does it really matter to you if I am close to her or not, Princess?" Harker probed her a little.
Unexpectedly, this brought a much stronger reaction that he anticipated.
Mina suddenly threw herself to him and knocked him down to the ground. Harker was in shock before the former mermaid suddenly said:
"It matters very much to me who you are close to and who is not. I know you are not oblivious to that, so please dont tease me. I can get really aggressive when teased."
"Tease you?" Harker tried to stand up. "I'm not teasing you. I just really wanted to ask since I have no idea—"
"If you play dumb even more, Harker sir, I'd have no choice but to show you just how much I dislike being teased or toyed with."
Harker finally confirmed his suspicions, but what cost? He certainly didn't expect that Mina could really get this aggressive, given her soft-spoken personality. He did see her go wild on her enemies like Mr. Xi, but never towards him.....
And this was a different kind of aggression, and her anger was different from the one she had for her foes. This was directed to him because she was fond of him. Just like the kind of fondness that Angela has for Roland.
Only that Roland would never fall for that type of girl, someone who wants to take claim of him so assertively.
But.... can Harker?
Of course jealousy and obsession was bad, especially if it harms others just like Angela does. But everyone feels it to some degree. There were just more honest and straightforward people out there, just like Mina.
Harker had always preferred people who say what's on their mind because it saves him from the guessing games. Someone so honest and also so determined like his Mom.... That was someone he could find himself admiring.
"Mina, I...." He found himself putting his hand behind her neck, and feeling the smooth and damp skin there.
Mina just looked at him so intensely, like she wanted him to do something already or she would do it herself. And Harker wasn't really the type to be fully submissive and just let others do the work either. He slowly leaned in....
Clang!
Bunch of beer cans fell, and their moment was stopped.
Roland was standing outside the door, seeing his best bud and his adopted mermaid laying on the floor entangled with each other.
"I thought this was supposed to be 'bro time'?"
Harker stood up. "We weren't…. I mean, we kinda….. Sorry."
Roland narrowed his eyes at Mina, who batted it innocently as if pleading him. Then, he sighed.
"Don't care. Just do it after our bro time and NOT in my room, please. I've been waiting to play this game for months with you. Mina should wait for her turn."
Mina's precious smile returned, 10x brighter than usual. "I'll go change and leave you boys be. I've been planning to shop for some make-up with Mr. Bodyguard for tonight anyway."
"Tell Alejandro to get you back home by 9:00, you can't stay too late." Roland picked up the fallen beer cans, his brows furrowed.
Mina chuckled and made a playful salute. "Yes, Sir. Will be back in a jiffy, Sir.""
Harker blinked. "You're taking that large bald bodyguard to go shopping?"
"Alejandro knows his stuff when it comes to cosmetics." Roland said. "He had done it a lot of times for his three daughters since his wife is severely allergic to make-up products. So he learned to do it himself."
Mina just winked at them. "He promised to use a good makeover technique today. See you boys later~"
As she left, Roland sat down on the floor beside Harker.
"You guys were seriously going to do it in my room?" He raised an eyebrow.
Harker shook his head. "No! I mean, we weren't even gonna do it…. I think—
"I'm not a cockblocker, Hark. You can relax." Roland chuckled. "In fact…."
"Consider this the beginning of Operation: Erase Harker's Virginity."
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