A Strange Agreement (Su Yanlan’s Perspective)

“That’s true… but you don’t have to treat me like this.”

Before me, the golden-haired girl forces a smile, gently pushing against the scissors at her throat.

And I find myself… increasingly amused.

My name is Su Yanlan.

In some ways, I’m a very strange person.

I love making beautiful clothes—crafting them with my own hands, just to see others wear them.

So much so that, even in the apocalypse, I opened a clothing store that almost no one visits.

But that’s not all.

I also enjoy things others might call… disturbing.

Peeling off an animal’s skin layer by layer.

Watching the muscles, fat, and blood beneath slowly come into view.

Each time, I feel ten, a hundred times more joy than when I finish a new dress.

It’s a twisted hobby.

It started with fish. Then birds.

Then cats, dogs.

Then larger animals—pigs, cows, sheep.

But eventually, they stopped satisfying me.

Their cries lacked emotion.

After a while, it all became dull.

So I turned to humanoid mutants.

Creatures that look almost human, yet are no longer counted among us.

I’m obsessed with their final moments—their desperate, emotional screams.

The way their life fades as their skin is stripped away, leaving them raw and helpless.

I love it.

But my girlfriend didn’t.

She betrayed me.

Fell for a man.

I couldn’t understand.

At the beginning, she swore she’d never leave me.

Yet she still did.

I don’t care about the man she loved.

In fact, I have no interest in males at all.

Even the specimens I collect are always female.

But today, on my way to the leader’s mansion to deliver custom clothing, I saw her—the one Qin Dai told me about.

The man who stole my lover.

Now turned into a girl.

Now the leader’s personal toy.

And somehow… I felt curious.

What did she have that made my girlfriend fall for her?

And now that she’s a woman… maybe I can finally touch her without disgust.

“Try to make me like you, Miss Qin Yue.”

In the middle of her stunned expression, I toss the scissors aside and pin her to the ground.

Her fake smile finally shatters.

Her grayish-brown eyes widen in shock.

Her hands fumble uselessly against the floor.

“I said—try to make me like you. Use the same tricks you used on the girls you deceived.”

I stare at her, calm.

Truthfully, I don’t know why I said it.

Maybe I just want to understand—what kind of magic does this person have, to turn my lover—someone I bent into a spiral—into a straight line?

In my heart, I wonder—if she fails to make me fall for her before the leader discards her… then she’ll be the first human I ever flay alive.

Yes… a recognized human.

I know most humanoid mutants are just poor souls caught in radiation, not monsters.

They don’t deserve to be called “not human.”

“H-hey… you’re not serious, are you, Miss Su Yanlan? Liking someone isn’t something you can just… do.”

Beneath me, the girl in the maid outfit struggles, but she can’t break free.

I’ve injected countless gene serums to enhance my body.

To me, an ordinary person is like a chick—easy to crush with my bare hands.

“Miss Qin Yue, aren’t you skilled at winning hearts? You charmed my lover. You please the leader. Why not try me?”

I lower myself, pressing my face against her neck.

The scent of bitter almond and lavender.

Lavender is mine.

Bitter almond? Strange. I don’t like it.

As for the lover I mentioned—I’ve already forgotten her name.

I’m not doing this for her.

I’m doing it because something that belonged to me was taken.

And because I’m curious about her.

Someone once told me—curiosity is the beginning of love.

I feel it now.

So, experienced veteran Qin Yue… surely you can win me over easily?

Smiling, my pink hair falls from my shoulder, brushing against her ear, tangling with her golden strands.

My hair isn’t natural. Not dyed.

A side effect of the gene serums.

But I like pink. So I don’t mind.

“Haha… Miss Yanlan, you know I can’t betray the leader.”

She laughs awkwardly.

But I notice—her tone has shifted.

Subtle.

Unintentional.

Has the game already begun?

Quietly, I think—there’s no way I’ll be charmed by her.

If I lose to my own challenge… that would be too ridiculous.

“It’s fine. I have no interest in primitive desires. As long as there’s no physical betrayal, it doesn’t count.”

This isn’t a lie.

I don’t crave s*x.

My ex rarely touched me that way.

To me, a partner is just someone a little closer to my daily life.

“Besides, if it’s you, Miss Qin Yue… you could make me fall for you one-sidedly, right? If only my heart and body remain untouched—what’s the harm in that?”

I gently bite her earlobe, running my fingers over the maid outfit—my creation, stitch by stitch.

The smooth fabric thrills me.

If she agrees… maybe I’ll give her clothes for free for a while?

There’s pride in seeing my work worn by someone else.

“…Hah… Miss Yanlan, your hobbies are… quite unusual.”

She closes her eyes, seemingly stunned into silence.

I hear her uneven breathing.

Perhaps she’s not as extraordinary as I thought?

I expected someone who seduced lovers so easily to be more eloquent.

If this is all she has…

I doubt she could win me over in a hundred years.

The outcome is already decided.

“…Miss Yanlan… do you enjoy seeing skin peeled away?”

After a long silence, she speaks.

Her voice is soft, but clear.

“In a way… yes.”

I nod.

I find skinned animals beautiful.

A unique kind of beauty.

Few would understand.

“If you don’t mind my clumsy hands… tomorrow, I can go with you to collect specimens.”

She smiles again.

Her once-helpless hands now have purpose—reaching up to touch my cheek.

Her fingers are delicate, smooth—not at all like the hands of someone in this ruined world.

“…Alright.”

If you think such a simple gesture will win me over, Miss Qin Yue… you’re truly foolish.

I think it to myself as I release her from beneath me.

A strange agreement… silently made?