Chapter 17.5 The Confusion of a Pure-hearted Succubus
The Confusion of a Pure-hearted Succubus:
“…Ugh…”
I sighed and, after filing the last document into the file bag and putting it away in the drawer, slung my bag over my shoulder and walked out of the library.
After locking the library door, I began the heavy walk home. My body was exhausted, my eyes felt swollen, and a gloomy mood made me sigh repeatedly.
“Ugh…”
They say sighing makes happiness slip away? I feel like that’s putting the cart before the horse. Happiness slips away, and *that’s* why one sighs.
Taking a few deep breaths of fresh air outside the general building made me feel a little better. Plus, the moonlight was good tonight, and it could replenish some of my vital energy.
Today might be the worst day of my life… No, I can’t call it the worst. Should I call it the most memorable day?
Hmm, I don’t know how to describe it…
If you ask why, it’s because just a few hours ago, something incredibly, incredibly, incredibly… unexpected happened. It’s something I never dreamed would happen, something I thought I’d never experience in my lifetime, but it did.
That is, I have a Master now.
And this Master is a student I know.
Juncheng An. I first saw him half a year ago in the autumn. He came to the library asking, “Are there any manga or light novels here?” As a prestigious school, Gunswater High doesn’t typically house such recreational materials in its library. The most exciting reads might be Sherlock Holmes or Harry Porter.
But for some reason, I told him, “Yes, but they aren’t on the shelves. If you’d like to read them, I can find them and put them on the shelves tomorrow.” The next day, I placed the manga and light novels I brought from home on a shelf in the corner.
Since then, he’s been a frequent visitor to the library, and I’ve continued to purchase manga and light novels online, updating the collection periodically.
Thinking back now, why did I lie like that back then?
Perhaps it was because, the moment he saw me, he didn’t frown…
I’ve unconsciously arrived at the apartment building where I live. It’s not a fancy apartment, just a regular twelve-story building. The advantage is its proximity to the school, only three blocks away. Perhaps because of rumors that the building is haunted, the rent is very low. Combined with my use of an illusion to deceive the seller, I managed to buy it at an extremely low price. Even so, it drained all my savings. After all, as a recent university graduate, I didn’t have much money.
And my mother… she really said, “If you don’t have money, go get some [*censored for safety*]. For a succubus, draining a man’s vital energy is only natural. You get money and pleasure, killing two birds with one stone~” She’s so hateful!
I will absolutely not compromise!
Why do succubi have to be depicted as promiscuous beings!
No, why do I have to be a succubus!
“Annoying!”
I kicked a utility pole in frustration. The concrete pole indented upon impact, but my foot was unharmed.
…Perhaps the only benefit of being a succubus is having a sturdy body. Although my unprincipled mother told me that a succubus’s sturdy body is meant for enduring all sorts of play… Idiot! Why did she tell me such things! Idiot, idiot!
Countless times, I’ve wished I wasn’t a succubus. Then, I could live a normal life…
Sigh, what am I even thinking?
That’s something that’s simply impossible, isn’t it?
The elevator’s floor indicator lights up with “1,” and the doors slowly open. I step inside, and a man follows me.
It’s the man who lives downstairs. I encounter him around this time every so often. He always carries a faint scent of blood. I don’t know what he does, but does he go out fighting every day?
Normally, I walk with my head down deliberately, but today, due to my melancholy mood, I looked straight ahead and tucked my bangs, which covered half my face, to the side.
The moment the man saw my face, he displayed an expression of extreme disgust, frowning and clicking his tongue.
My hearing, more acute than a human’s, caught his mumbled words: “I really should move… Even if it’s not haunted, I see a ghost every day… This is driving me nuts…” He was probably referring to me when he said “seeing a ghost.”
This reaction is expected.
Yes, the illusion is still working.
To others, I appear as a very ugly woman.
The illusion I cast on myself is one of inverted perception; it makes others see the opposite of my true appearance.
I can’t see what it looks like myself, but since it can make a neighbor consider moving, it must be quite hideous… Hmph…
“…”
Reaching the eleventh floor, I watched the man unpleasantly exit the elevator. Finally, I couldn’t help but call out to him.
“Hey.”
Then, as he turned to look at me, I dispelled the illusion, flashed him a smile, and gave him the middle finger.
“Hmph! Go to hell!”
Under the man’s stunned gaze, the elevator doors slowly closed, beginning their ascent to the top floor.
*Phew~* I feel so much better~ It’s good to let off some steam.
I took out my key and opened the door to room 1203. The first thing I saw was the utter chaos inside… Juncheng An said he was coming over. If he sees my room like this, he’ll definitely look down on me…
No, no, why should I care about his feelings!
…Well then, I should tidy up my room for the first time in a while.
By almost eleven o’clock, the room was mostly clean. It felt like I hadn’t seen the floor in ages.
Next, I should repair his school uniform.
From my nightstand, I took out a sewing kit I hadn’t used in a long time. It was the only gift my mother ever gave me… The most useful thing she ever taught me was probably needlework.
—”When you’re upset, embroidering will make you feel better~ Especially when you have someone you like, if you sew while thinking of them, your stitches will be even more beautiful.”
Hmm, why did I suddenly remember that? Juncheng An… Wait, why am I thinking of him! He’s just my student!
Shaking my head violently, I tossed the distracting thoughts out of my mind and began the mending work.
Stitching the school uniform, one stitch at a time, I was careful with each one, ensuring consistency in direction and thickness…
“Juncheng An…”
*Gasp!* How did I accidentally say his name!
An electric current shot through my lower abdomen, a stabbing pain that made my heart feel like it was being squeezed in a hand.
“Ah… Nngh…”
The overwhelming pain caused me to involuntarily let out a sound… It took quite a while to recover.
I can’t just call him by his name. I must call him ‘Master’ or ‘Jun Cheng.’
Even when he’s not present, I’m not allowed to address him so rudely by his name. That’s the extent of the contract’s power… because it’s a Master-slave contract.
I lied. The contract actually established wasn’t a Master-servant contract, but a Master-slave contract after he learned my true name.
After signing the Master-slave contract, I would become even lower than a servant, completely without freedom, a slave who obeys the Master’s commands unconditionally, possessing no autonomy whatsoever.
I feared that if he knew this, he would look at me with lustful eyes like other men, or rather, I didn’t want to see him become that kind of person…
That sliver of fear in my heart made me endure the pain of punishment and lie.
But in truth, I know Juncheng An is a kind person…
Before today, the me he saw should have been the same extremely ugly appearance that everyone else saw.
In a society where appearance is so important, someone with my looks would be ostrrodden by everyone. Colleagues avoided me, students disliked me, and everyone kept their distance.
But he was willing to approach me.
And he, like me, was alone. Perhaps that’s why I frequently asked him for help.
I never expected that the Charm Magic Circle I set up for him to escape his loneliness would ultimately become the catalyst for me to acknowledge him as my Master…
I never imagined there was such a strange ability in the world, one that can see people’s names and titles representing their identity. I know there are many humans with special abilities in this world, but most are things like generating electricity or fire. Such a peculiar ability is truly rare.
For us demons, it’s practically a super-weapon.
He must be troubled by suddenly awakening such an ability. I’ll definitely have to ask my mother about it tomorrow.
I haven’t contacted my mother in a long time. Even after coming to this school where she is, I haven’t dared to see her… Could it be thanks to him that I have an opportunity to see my mother now?
Speaking of which, he’s seven years younger than me… However, he looks much more mature than his peers.
I even cried in front of him, crying uncontrollably like a child…
“Ah~! How embarrassing!”
Only now feeling shame, I yelled like an idiot. In my haste, I accidentally pricked my finger.
“Oof, that hurts!”
I quickly put my index finger in my mouth… What bad luck. I shouldn’t have been zoning out while sewing.
Speaking of which, his reaction wasn’t that strong when he saw my true face. Could his sexual orientation really be problematic?
No, when he entered the library today, he was staring intently at me and said my true face was that of a sexy older sister. This indicates he *is* interested in women.
Boys his age typically have fantasies about girls. Could he be the subtle, outwardly reserved but inwardly passionate type?
However, even when he touched my hand, he didn’t show any sexual arousal…
When I handed him a note yesterday, I accidentally touched his hand. At the time, I thought it was because the contact was too brief, so it didn’t take effect. But today, when I was being unreasonable and we were grappling for so long, he didn’t react at all…
This means that even if he touches me, he won’t be driven to lust.
That’s why he didn’t do anything to me, and even made a vow, right?
The words he said to me before leaving today replayed in my mind.
—”Then I’ll head back first. Lily, don’t worry about the Master-slave contract. Just pretend it never happened. Starting tomorrow, we’ll go back to being teacher and student, okay?”
Pretend it never happened…
Continue our teacher-student relationship…
What is this sense of loss?
From now on, how will I face him? Maintain my identity as his teacher?
Can I truly maintain my teacher persona in front of him?
“Ugh… Jun Cheng… My Master… Nngh!”
Ouch… I pricked my finger again.
Am I an idiot…
I should finish mending the school uniform quickly and then go to sleep.
