Chapter 89: Oh, no, I love your naked body so much

Chapter 89: Chapter 89: Oh, no, I love your naked body so much Cyrus stared at Isabella with those, confused pink eyes, his voice as soft as a feather. "Do you want me to put on a skirt?" For a brief, horrifying second, Isabella almost felt like he was the victim here. She peeked down at Glimora, who was still sneaking curious glances like a little pervert. With a dramatic gasp, Isabella immediately covered the small animal’s eyes. "Glimora! You innocent child! Do not gaze upon the forbidden sights!" Then, she let out the loudest, most theatrical scoff of disbelief. "Oh, no, I love your naked body so much," she drawled, thick with sarcasm. And—that was her next mistake. Because the moment those words left her mouth, Cyrus went red. Not just a little red. Deep red. His entire face, from his sharp cheekbones to the tips of his ears, flushed like he had just been struck by lightning. Oh no. He stood there, stark naked, glowing pink, and visibly flustered. No one had ever told him that before. And oh, did it do things to him. He could feel himself softening toward Isabella, his heart strangely fluttering. If she thought his body was beautiful, then— Wait. Wait, wait, wait. Did that mean she wanted him to stay like this? The silence stretched suspiciously long, and Isabella felt the shift in the air. A slow, creeping dread wrapped around her as realization slammed into her. She did not dare turn around. "Did you put it on yet?" she asked, cautious, her voice teetering on the edge of hysteria. A beat. Then—Cyrus, in the softest, most innocent voice ever, replied, "No. You said—" "OH, SWEET LEMONS IN THE SKY, NO, NO, NO—PUT SOMETHING ON RIGHT NOW, YOU BUTTERED NOODLE OF A MAN!" Isabella screamed so loudly she was sure birds outside dropped dead mid-flight. A second later, a piece of hide fabric magically appeared around his waist. Isabella let out a dramatic, exhausted gasp, like she had just been dragged through war. Meanwhile, Cyrus blinked, tilting his head. "...I don’t think I’m a noodle." Isabella turned slightly, just enough to confirm he was finally decent, then dramatically pressed a hand to her forehead. She did not really care where that came from, she was just happy he was decent. "No, no, sweetie, you’re definitely a protein-packed meal, but we can discuss that never." Cyrus stared, completely lost. "You are... very confusing." "And you are dangerous!" Isabella turned to fully face him, arms flailing. "Walking around like some kind of forbidden snack—" "Forbidden... snack?" "YES, and I need you to not do that in public unless you wanna cause a national emergency!" Cyrus nodded, solemn. "I understand." Then, after a pause—"Do you want me to take it off now?" Isabella choked. Glimora fainted. (Not really though) Isabella stared at him. Cyrus, the newly humanified snake beastman, was still standing there in all his tall, muscular, weirdly polite glory. And yeah. That was a huge problem. "Oh Lord, you’re tall," she blurted out, tilting her head back to actually see his face properly. Cyrus blinked. "Yes." "I mean, wow." She stepped back, hands on her hips. "Like, you’re so tall I feel like I need a permit to be standing next to you." He tilted his head. "A permit?" She waved him off. "Not important." What was important was the new problem forming in her brain at rapid speed. If the system expected her to house him, that meant— 1. He was staying with her. 2. He would be living with her. 3. And he was, in fact, a man. And sure, he was cute and innocent and had the best confused face ever, but no way was she living alone with a man! Her eyes flickered toward her tiny, already too-full hut. Ophelia was already here. Taking up space. Breathing her air. And now the universe expected her to shove a 6’5-foot-tall snake-man in here too?! Nope. Absolutely not. She’d have to beg Kain for a bigger hut, then. But— Ugh. She loved this hut. It was cozy and cute and a little tragic, but hers. ...Wow. She really just said that, huh? Unless—! Unless they just gave Cyrus his own hut! Yes! A man hut! A bro cave! Somewhere far away where he could do all his weird, probably raw-meat-eating activities. Her gaze flickered back to him. He was watching her with a soft, awkward expression, like he wasn’t entirely sure what she was thinking, but was willing to wait patiently for her to say something ridiculous. Which she definitely was about to. She cleared her throat. "Alright," she snapped into business mode. "So hypothetically speaking, if I were to, let’s say... house you, what exactly are we working with here? You got any skills? Any talents?" His lips twitched. "Many." She squinted. "Okay, braggy, but let’s break it down." She started pacing, muttering under her breath. "You’re huge. You’re strong. You have a tail situation that could probably help with carrying things..." "I can hunt," he added. "Fight. Track." She perked up. "Oh! That’s actually useful! We desperately need someone who can... uh... find food without getting eaten first." She waved a hand. "Right now, it’s just a bunch of people running after things with sticks and hoping for the best." His brows furrowed. "They don’t track their prey?" "They don’t do a lot of things." She sighed dramatically. "It’s pure chaos out there. Half of them don’t even know which berries won’t kill them. It’s a trial-and-error situation, and let’s just say... not everyone passes the trial." His tail flicked. "That’s inefficient." "Tell me about it!" She threw up her hands. "I’ve been dying for someone to introduce the concept of not eating things immediately after catching them." She frowned. "Wait, you don’t do that, right? You’re not like—a raw meat, straight-off-the-bone kinda guy?" Cyrus just... stared at her. Her stomach dropped. "Oh my god, you are." But honestly? Not even shocked. Not even one bit. "Well," she said thoughtfully. "You are useful." His expression didn’t change, but he watched her closely. "And in exchange?" She hesitated. Then sighed. "A place to sleep. No torches. No pitchforks." She waved vaguely at the hut. "I guess I could let you crash here for now, but only if you promise not to shed on my floor." A long pause. Then, finally, he gave a slow nod. "Deal." Isabella had no idea what she had just signed up for. But she was pretty sure she was going to regret it. Just as Isabella finished speaking, she heard angry footsteps pounding toward her hut, followed by furious voices screaming, "Where is the monster?!" Her eyes snapped up to Cyrus. "Oh, dear heavens above!" she gasped, her hands flailing dramatically. "Quick! Out of my way!" She gestured wildly for him to move aside, which he did, immediately—because of course he did. And with all the grace of a frazzled but fabulous queen, Isabella practically twirled out of the hut, smoothing down her clothes as if she hadn’t just been hiding a giant snake-man inside. She planted a charming, winning smile on her face. "Why, hello! To whom do I owe the pleasure of this very loud and slightly terrifying visit?"