"You still with me, kid...?" asked Professor Burnet, staring at Jason with a mix of curiosity and amusement.
Recovering from his slack-jawed stupor, Jason felt like a complete idiot but compelled himself to ask, "How are babies conceived in this world...?"
Blinking in surprise and raising her right brow curiously, Professor Burnet remarked, "That's an odd question to ask, but I'll bite. You see, when two people feel a strong bond with one another, they move in together. After a while, that bond matures into love, and they get married. From there, they start sharing the same bed and embracing each other as they sleep. After a while, their love takes root in the female's body, becoming the basis of a brand new life."
"..."
Noticing that Professor Burnet had conveniently left out any mentions of sex, Jason deliberated for a moment before asking, "When I say the word sex, what does that mean to you?"
Pointing to her face with her right index finger, Professor Burnet asserted, "Well, if it wasn't obvious, I'm a woman." Then, pointing the same finger at Jason, she smiled playfully and added, "And, unless I'm mistaken, you're a man. A very young man, but a man all the same."
"..."
Staring ahead and down at nothing in particular, Jason forced his brain to reconcile what he was hearing. It seemed completely ridiculous, but if he wasn't being taken for a fool, Professor Burnet was genuinely unaware of the concept of sex. It wasn't inconceivable that they had a different way of referring to the act, but he didn't think Professor Burnet was unable to understand what he was asking based on the context.
Noticing the utter disbelief on Jason's face from his side profile, Professor Burnet raised her right brow and questioned, "Alright, then, let me ask you the same thing; how are children conceived in your world? I can't imagine how, but based on your reaction, the process must be drastically different from ours."
Hearing Professor Burnet speak, Jason began formulating his response in his mind. Once she was finished, he avoided looking directly at her as he tentatively explained, "All things considered...the process isn't that much different for couples that love one another. One key difference is that we don't simply sleep in the same bed. Our process is a lot more...involved..."
"Like kissing and stuff as you cuddle...?" asked Professor Burnet, her sun-kissed, healthy brown cheeks tinting a darker shade of red as she couldn't believe she was discussing something so risque with a boy she had barely known for a week.
"That's definitely a part of it..." confirmed Jason, his face tender from how hot it was. He wasn't good with such topics, but since it was clear that he and Professor Burnet weren't on the same page, he swallowed hard, hung his head, and revealed, "But the main thing is that the male puts his penis in the woman's vagina...that's the basic foundation of what we call sexual intercourse..."
"Oh, wow..." muttered Professor Burnet, her eyes widening and her brows rising to their limits. She could tell from Jason's words and body language that he wasn't revealing to her everything, but what he had disclosed was so alien that she briefly found herself at a loss for words.
'How would that even work...?' Professor Burnet wondered, her confusion turning to scientific curiosity as she leaned her head back and attempted to imagine how a man would stick their penis in her vagina. She had holes for peeing and birthing children, so she assumed that it went in the latter. But every penis she had seen was floppy—cute even. It wasn't difficult to imagine them fitting, as there needed to be enough space for her to push out a baby, but she couldn't imagine it being a pleasant experience for the man or the woman.
Returning her gaze to Jason, who was hunched over, avoiding looking at her, various thoughts crossed Professor Burnet's mind before she noted, "Based on your reaction, I'm guessing these kinds of subjects make you uncomfortable? If you want, I can leave. But since you said my presence excites you, I'm curious to know how and why that's a problem. If I don't receive an answer, it's going to bother me."
"..."
After considering his response for several seconds, Jason decided to be honest, admitting, "It's because I find you attractive..." in a subdued tone. Then, steeling his resolve and surprising the Audino kneeling behind him, he stood up and showed her precisely what that meant.
"Oh...well, that explains how it goes inside..." remarked Professor Burnet, her wide and inquisitive yellow eyes fixed on a very prominent feature of Jason's body. Then, leaving the latter at a complete loss, she rose to her feet and very casually slipped out of both her form-fitting pants and pale, off-white panties before staring directly at him and asking, "Can you show me where your penis goes? I'm pretty sure I know, but why assume when I can verify it directly?"
Staring down at Professor Burnet's lower body, tufted by white hair that matched the color of her hair, Jason briefly forgot to breathe, his body as still as a statue as the bronze-skinned beauty unabashedly removed the remainder of her clothes, adding, "And since I don't mind if you're excited by me, I might as well join you."
'This is complete madness...' thought Jason, his eyes rising from what should have been Professor Burnet's most private region to her shapely and strikingly round breasts. He had only seen one other pair of breasts directly, but that paled in comparison to the sight before him. Professor Burnet should have been so far out of his league he could only imagine her naked body, but there she was, posing before him with her hands on her hips and a curious, amused look on her face...
Regaining his senses, Jason fought against his baser instincts to turn his head and mutter, "This isn't appropriate...I understand and accept that it isn't considered uncommon for men and women to bathe together in this world, but in mine, only lovers do this kind of thing. And you...you're way out of my league..."
"Hmmm...well, I can't deny that we don't have that kind of relationship..." muttered Professor Burnet, crossing her arms and staring at Jason's lower half with growing fascination as she asked, "But what do you mean by me being way out of your league? Does your world have rules and restrictions on who you're qualified to love and produce offspring with? I'm not ready to have kids just yet, but you seem like a good guy. I don't see any reason we couldn't be lovers or marry at some point."
Hearing Professor Burnet mention that they could marry at some point, a new thought entered Jason's head—the realization that he had arrived at a point in time where she had yet to enter into a relationship with and wed Professor Kukui. It was also possible that her world abided polygamy, but if children were conceived in the manner she suggested, he doubted that was the case.
"Do you still want me to leave...?" asked Professor Burnet, her voice a bit fainter, tinged with a gentleness that hadn't been there before. It wasn't her intention to make Jason uncomfortable, so if he still insisted that she leave, she was prepared to apologize and promise to be more considerate in the future.
"It's not that I want you to leave..." muttered Jason, his cheeks burning, and so much blood rushing to his head that he could feel it building in his ears. He imagined that, from Professor Burnet's perspective, his behavior was odd and needlessly inhibited. He didn't want things to become even more awkward between them just because of his own, ultimately foreign moral scruples, so with his throat tightening to the point he could barely swallow, he softly appended, "But I think we should shelve talking about sex and stuff until a much later date..."
"Fair enough. Just let me know when you're ready, and we'll talk about it on your terms," affirmed Professor Burnet, nodding approvingly at Jason's honesty and willingness to give ground even though he very clearly found the topic uncomfortable. Then, as she imagined that Jason might get too excited if she sat in front of him, she asked, "Do you want me to sit behind you, or are you okay with sitting side by side?"
Surprising the Professor quite a bit, Jason swallowed dryly before, very faintly, answering, "I'm already pretty much clean...so I'll wash your back for you..."
"Mmmn...thanks in advance..." responded Professor Burnet. She was tempted to tell Jason he didn't need to force himself, but as she didn't want to undermine the courage it had required for him to volunteer his assistance, she stepped into the bath and positioned herself in front of him—facing forward.
'This is madness...' Jason reiterated, his head feeling dull and heavy as his gaze followed the line of Professor Burnet's back from her well-developed back and shoulder muscles to the tiny dimples above her round and perky bottom. She was only five, maybe ten centimeters shorter than he was, so he had to be extremely careful as he used the soap thoughtfully provided to him by the Audino to begin slowly lathering her body—starting from her slender but resilient shoulders and working his way down...
'This feels...different...' noted Professor Burnet, turning her head slightly to her left and raising her right hand to her chest. She had had her back washed thousands of times throughout her life, but the consideration in Jason's movements and the way he barely applied any pressure, almost like he was afraid to hurt her, caused her heart to start beating noticeably faster. She typically only felt such excitement during Pokémon battles, so while she intended to respect Jason's request to discuss the topic of sex at a later date, her curiosity toward him and the intimacy of his world was growing by the moment...
As evidence of Professor Burnet's growing interest, Jason stared blankly at the notifications that kept appearing before him...
[You have become a [Possible Love Interest] of the 1-Star Entity, [Ellaine Burnet]. Current Bond Level: 1,348. Future gains will be increased by 40% for as long as your relationship status remains unchanged.]
[You have acquired the F-Rank Achievement [Requitted Intrigue]. 1,000 AP has been issued as a reward.]
[You have fulfilled the requirements for the B-Rank Quest [What the Heart Wants]]
[You have fulfilled the requirements for the A-Rank Quest [Propogator of Forbidden Knowledge]]
[You have fulfilled the requirements for the S-Rank Quest [Planting Seeds to Amass Flowers]]
[Your Bond Level with [Ellaine Burnet] has increased by 4.]
[Your Bond Level with [Ellaine Burnet] has increased by 5.]
[Your Bond Level with [Ellaine Burnet] has increased by 4.]
[Your Bond Level with [Ellaine Burnet] has...]
With his and Professor Burnet's Bond Level increasing every four or so seconds, Jason was able to confirm that the System had a four-second delay between notifications. Should that be what he was focusing on? Probably not. But if he gave in to the impulses rising within him, causing him to feel increasingly light-headed, he might end up doing something he would regret for the rest of his life. Professor Burnet might permit him to do so, but he would never be able to view himself as someone of high morals or integrity. From that moment on, he'd be a beast—a monster in the making...
"I think I'm about finished..." muttered Jason, unable to tell if only a few seconds or several minutes had passed. In response, Professor Burnet half-turned to stare at him, a glimmer of confusion in her yellow eyes as she asked, "Are you not going to wash my bottom...?"
"..."
Instead of responding with words, Jason applied more soap to his hands and began carefully, very carefully, washing Professor Burnet's soft and dizzyingly round bottom. He started from her hips, gently caressing them, and planned to work his way inward. However, without realizing it, he had been holding his breath. As a result, a prominent pulsing developed in his temples, his vision gradually darkening along the edges before he, rather abruptly, found himself submerged in warm water—his legs having given out from a lack of oxygen and his skyrocketing blood pressure...
...
..
.