“There really are a lot of utterly useless creatures in this world. They’re nothing but eyesores, polluting the oxygen, drooling over what belongs to others. Honestly, there are far too many unnecessary beings crawling around this planet. Things would be so much easier if a few hundred of them just died off. Ah—better yet, a few thousand.”
…Huh?
“But that’s not you, Bee-Bee, so there’s no need to worry. Not at all.”
He spoke those words of comfort in an incredibly warm expression and a gentle, hushed tone. It felt like something soothing had just been whispered to him—like this was the moment he should be deeply moved—but the actual content was so deranged it made his head spin. No, wait—what? That pretty, innocent-looking kid whose only flaw was being a little slow… what kind of psychopathic statement was that supposed to be?!
“Why would Bee-Bee ever be useless? Where else would you find a creature who lives as earnestly as you do? That much, I know very well.”
Anyone would think so. A light kiss landed on his eyelid, and a hand stroked his backside as though praising a child. At first it was a gentle, placating pat, like soothing a toddler—but little by little, the touch grew richer, more intimate, probing into places it shouldn’t.
“Ah—ngh!”
“And you’re also being incredibly helpful to me.”
“H-Huh, how—ngh—your hands, stop it… Hani!”
Of course. Watching you cry while shaking that big chest under such a pretty face helps me tremendously.
Naturally, the spider never actually spoke those last cruel words out loud. Instead, he smiled brightly, innocently, pulled him into a crushing embrace, and planted loud smack! kisses all over his features.
“Don’t you remember? You saved my life, Bee-Bee. If it weren’t for you, I’d have collapsed in that grass and died miserably.”
“Ah…”
The honeybee’s eyes went wide.
“Bee-Bee is my savior. That’s why I have to stay by your side to repay even a tenth of that debt. Of course—forever.”
“Hani…”
This time, the honeybee finally recognized the correct timing to be moved. Glass-marble tears filled his pale blue eyes as he sniffled. Afraid that a sinister, cunning smile might slip out if he let his guard down, Hurel forced himself into something resembling an innocent grin—though it trembled ever so slightly—as he stroked the gold-blond head.
“H-Hani. I’m sorry for saying such weird things over and over. C-could you… listen to me for a bit?”
“Of course.”
“Uh, s-so… honestly, saving you back then—part of it was just that I really didn’t want to get eaten by that Goldeny bastard, and—ugh—and I broke my stinger and had nowhere to go, and you took me in, b-but then you messed up and pulled my stinger out and I got mad, and I’ve just been freeloading, eating your food and—ugh, ngh…”
This is driving me insane.
“Oh, Bee-Bee. I told you I’d listen to everything, so calm down, okay? Take proper breaths.”
“After running my mouth about communities and all that, and saying I’d save my comrades while dragging you and General and other people into trouble—and then I got scared and gave up so easily, and—ugh—I—I’m really… hngh, really…”
Ah. I’m losing my mind. I’m going to snap. Damn it. If I don’t pin him down right now and fuck him until he’s completely wrecked below, then I’m not even a living creature—I’ve got a malfunction in my sexual function.
The spider had long since forgotten to manage his expression. His face was now nothing but something ominous, eyes shining cold blue as he ground his teeth together. Oblivious to all of it, the honeybee continued blubbering through his confession, completely unaware.
“I-I’m supposed to be a brave honeybee… I shouldn’t get intimidated by wasps. I’m supposed to lay this life down and protect the Hive… ngh, sniff…”
“Mm, Bee-Bee, that must’ve hurt so much inside. It’s okay—let it all out.”
Yeah. It’s okay. But I’m not okay. I’m about to lose it.
“Hani, thank you. Ngh. Meeting someone as kind as you… sniff… really was a blessing.”
Ah. Seriously. I’m going insane.
The spider bit down hard on his own tongue with sharp fangs until it nearly tore, barely keeping hold of his sanity. Then he lifted one corner of his mouth into a smile. No—this won’t do. I don’t want to treat him roughly. I promised myself I’d dote on him properly.
“Bee-Bee, are you done crying now?”
“…Ah. I wasn’t crying.”
Only now seeming embarrassed, the honeybee flushed red and turned his head away to hide his reddened eyes. His voice, which had trembled like soaked paper, finally settled into quiet, and even the awkward throat-clearing he made sounded calmer. With an embarrassed yet resolute tone, he continued softly.
“Still, thanks to you, Hani, I’ve made up my mind. I’m still scared of wasps, but… I can’t just keep going like this.”
“Yeees….”
“As soon as we eat breakfast, I’ll go find Bertie, hear what he has to say, prepare properly, and then go look for the wasps’ base.”
…
…?
“Even if I’m just one honeybee, if I plan carefully and prepare well, there has to be a way. Look—like you said, I defeated Goldeny too. Back then I really thought I was done for, but because I didn’t give up, a path opened up.”
The spider was barely holding onto his sanity. That was only because he genuinely wanted to treat this pretty, cunning little honeybee as gently as possible. Still wearing an unnaturally stiff smile, like a stone statue, he heard a faint snap sound beneath the honeybee’s constant chatter.
It was subtle—almost imperceptible—but unmistakably irritating. What was that sound?
Ah. Right.
It was the sound of the last strand of his reason breaking.
***
Spiders are secretive predators. He had never once made a loud display of himself in front of prey. Smoothly, elegantly, he would draw close, capture their attention, and quietly lay his trap—never missing the perfect moment to seize them in one decisive strike. The pitiful prey only realized they had become a spider’s target once they were already tangled in the web, unable to move. Of course, by then, it was far too late.
It was like boiling a frog alive in cold water. Until the venomous fangs sank into the heart—no, until the venom had already spread through every corner of the veins—the prey wouldn’t even realize they’d been caught. That was considered the finest form of hunting among spiders. The more secretive, the more perfectly the prey was deceived, the more one was praised as a skilled hunter.
And Whitey here possessed that kind of skill to the point of boredom.
This hunt, too, could be called a resounding success. Even when his limbs were bound tight, every escape route severed one by one, and he’d fallen completely into the spider’s grasp, the prey still hadn’t realized it—not even a little. Looking down coldly at the trembling face of the victim, frozen in shock and unable to understand the situation, the spider let out a chilling sneer.
“Why are you making that face?”
The voice he had carefully polished to sound soft and gentle now rang out cold and sharp, like a shard of ice. He didn’t even have the composure or the inclination to soften it after realizing his mistake. Gently stroking the damp jawline, the spider murmured in a mocking, frigid tone.
“I did everything I could. You brought this on yourself, didn’t you?”
“N-N-No…”
“All that comes out of that sly little mouth is ‘no,’ isn’t it?”
I’m too irritated to find it cute like before, you understand, right? As the one responsible for making me like this. When he applied more strength to the arm pinning the honeybee down, the body jerked violently, trembling. Tears that had pooled in his eyes scattered like dewdrops.
“Well, it’s fine. You’ll feel good soon.”
“Ugh… no, stop, I hate this… sob…”
The more he struggled, the tighter the threads drew. His silk-bound body felt like it was being sliced apart. Even so, he couldn’t surrender quietly. His wrists and ankles were tightly bound in beautiful, white silk, and though the honeybee writhed in resistance, additional coils wound around his thighs, waist, behind his knees, and his chest—forcing his lower body into a humiliating position, hoisted toward the sky, with no way to undo it.
“Untie this—ngh—right now…”
“You’re the one who did wrong, Blaine. You threw away your promise to me like an old shoe. I didn’t know you were that kind of honeybee.”
The voice was unquestionably gentle, yet utterly devoid of emotion, inflection, or warmth—and that emptiness made his skin crawl. It didn’t feel like Hurel anymore. The being standing before him looked like something else entirely—a vicious creature merely wearing Hurel’s skin.
