A strange sound emerged from beside Damien's ear, almost resembling the tone of a drunk person.
Damien was taken aback. "Uh, Theo, are you okay?"
"…Huh?! Yes, I'm fine. I apologize."
When Damien called out again, Theo finally pulled back, his face returning to its normal state.
What was going on with him…?
This was starting to feel more frightening than simply curious.
"So, what did you think?"
Even though he felt like he already knew the answer, he still wanted to hear it.
"Huh? What are you talking about?"
"Theo!?"
"Oh, right! I'm sorry!"
It was hard to believe this was the same incredibly handsome big brother he had thought Theo was just moments ago; now, he seemed like a complete mess.
"Um, to cut to the chase… the conclusion is… there's a nice… female scent. Uh… but you really aren't a woman, right?"
"Didn't we already confirm that?! Do you want to touch again?!"
Damien's irritation flared up.
He hadn't meant to sound harsh, but…
"Um… then, I guess I'll follow up later…"
Theo seemed to fidget a bit.
How fascinated was he with Damien's body?
He might have said something careless.
If Theo brought it up later, Damien would just pretend he didn't remember.
"Ahem. That aside, there's no doubt that I'm a man. Do men ever have those kinds of scents?"
Damien decided it was time for a serious conversation.
"Um… well, yes, it's extremely rare, but there are stories about such things happening right before puberty…"
At that, Theo suddenly looked at him with a startled expression.
"...Just to clarify, I'm definitely well-endowed, okay? I'm not lacking in that department!"
Realizing he had just let a little too much slip, Damien noticed the implications of what he had said, especially since Theo had seen him earlier.
"...I'm sorry. I lied a bit. I'm, uh, average… but it's true that I'm going through puberty, okay?"
"Even when you're going through puberty, it can happen right after it starts, so that might be a possibility…"
"Wait, wait, wait. I know I have a baby face, but it's been quite a while since that phase, so I don't think that's the case!"
Just having a youthful appearance didn't mean he was particularly late in development.
Theo blinked at this revelation, clearly surprised.
Well, Damien was used to being mistaken for younger, so he didn't mind the reaction too much.
"Wait, Damien, are you that old?"
"Yeah, I get told I don't look my age a lot," he replied, offering a wry smile, anticipating the question.
"Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?!?!?!"
Theo's surprise was on par with when Damien had told him he was a man.
There was no need to be that shocked…
He glanced nervously toward the door, hoping Sebas and the others wouldn't come bursting in again. Fortunately, there didn't seem to be any movement.
"No way…"
After a moment, Theo spoke, still looking dazed.
"I can't believe you're older than me…"
"Hmm? What was that?"
Older? What did that mean? Older than who?
"Um… Damien…. I'm younger than you…"
It took a moment for Theo's words to sink in.
"...Whaaaaaaaaaaaat?!?!?!"
Just then, Sebas and the others came barging in.