Akane Nanao's family wasn't particularly wealthy. Her parents were ordinary office workers, living in a typical Japanese detached house. Even the bed wasn't very large; when Kazuma lay on it, he had to hold the girl close, their bodies tightly pressed together.
However, Kazuma especially liked this cozy little room filled with a girlish atmosphere. The strong, sweet scent of the girl lingering on the bed, along with the cute stuffed animals full of youthful charm, even gave the room a bit of a fairytale feel.
"So this is Akane's bedroom? It's really cute."
"It's just an ordinary room," Akane Nanao said lazily, snuggling in his arms.
"What's ordinary about it? It's full of your scent—so fragrant it practically feels like our love nest."
"Love nest…" Akane Nanao couldn't suppress the joy in her heart. Perking up, she got out of bed. "Then, Kazuma, you'll stay here tonight? I'll go get you something to drink~"
"Sure."
Akane Nanao quietly opened the door and went downstairs. It was pitch black outside the room; her parents hadn't noticed anything. In truth, she hadn't been able to hold back a few sounds earlier, but fortunately, they hadn't been heard. She took two cartons of milk from the fridge and returned upstairs.
"Kazuma, I'm so sleepy~"
"I won't bother you anymore. Let's sleep."
Having been woken up in the middle of the night and then exhausted for so long, drowsiness quickly overwhelmed her. Akane Nanao couldn't hold on any longer and soon fell into a deep sleep.
When she woke up the next morning, she was alone in bed. Kazuma was already gone. Seeing the empty milk carton on the desk, she lightly patted her cheeks.
"Feels like he's been busy these past two days… Could it be related to Miyajima-senpai?"
"Akane, are you up? You're going to be late—"
Hearing her mother's voice, Akane Nanao quickly replied, "Coming!"
After changing her clothes, she rushed out the door with a piece of bread in her mouth.
Kazuma had left the Nanao household early. By the time Akane woke up, he was already standing beneath a tree along the street, holding a dowsing rod upright in front of him.
"Looks like that succubus still has no intention of showing herself… still hiding from me. I'll have to track her down myself."
"…Help me find the culprit who controlled Miyajima-senpai and Mrs. Miyajima—the one who turned them into nymphomaniacs."
Kazuma stated the conditions. However, after pressing the button on top of the rod and letting go, the rod wobbled slightly… then fell toward him.
Kazuma was startled and stepped aside, but the rod turned, its tip stubbornly pointing straight at him.
Kazuma: "…"
"The culprit I'm talking about isn't me!" he snapped. Although the device was convenient, its accuracy wasn't perfect. Situations like this happened occasionally.
…Though, strictly speaking, I am indeed one of the culprits.
"The succubus who hypnotized and controlled the Miyajimas! The one who planted the succubus mark on them—the lecherous woman targeting me! Show me where she is—!"
After adding more precise conditions and trying again, the dowsing rod finally pointed forward correctly.
Kazuma followed its direction at a steady pace. Since the distance was quite far, he had to keep adjusting the direction along the way. By the time he finally arrived at his destination, it was already noon.
"This place… looks familiar."
"Morita Hospital? It's actually here?"
Standing beneath a tree, Kazuma stared at the hospital in the distance with a strange expression.
"Now that I think about it, some of my essence was taken here by nurses for research… So that succubus got it from here and then noticed me?"
Morita Hospital had left a deep impression on him. Thinking back to those nurses with their unsettling and peculiar personalities, Kazuma couldn't help but sigh.
"Could it be that everyone here has been controlled by that succubus?"
"Are you sick?"
A girl's voice interrupted his thoughts.
A pair of clean little leather shoes appeared beside the boy. Following them up were a pair of slender legs, clad in an unfamiliar school uniform and short skirt. Looking further up, one could see a full figure and a beautiful face.
She was a very pretty girl, graceful and slender, though slightly on the thin side.
Sunlight filtered through the leaves, casting shifting patterns of light and shadow over her body. A breeze lifted her skirt and gently swayed her shoulder-length hair. The scene was beautiful—though her words ruined the atmosphere slightly.
"Are you sick?"
She asked again.
Kazuma's face darkened. "What do you mean?"
Couldn't she phrase that better?!
"If you're sick, you can go to that hospital," the girl said calmly, pointing toward it. "Although Morita Hospital seems deserted and few patients come here, their medical skills are quite excellent."
Kazuma stared at her speechlessly for a moment, then smirked. "Their skills are good, sure. It's just that the people inside aren't exactly normal. If you hadn't said 'hospital,' I might've thought it was a psychiatric institution."
"…Is it really that bad?"
Her eyelashes trembled slightly. "If you're worried, I can go with you."
"But I'm not sick. I'm actually here to find someone," Kazuma said with a smile, looking at her.
"I'm familiar with that hospital. Who are you looking for? I can help." After a brief pause, she added, "…"
"Oh, I'm looking for a woman," Kazuma crossed his arms. "I've never seen her, but she's probably attractive. Besides that, she's likely a nymphomaniac—very promiscuous and lustful."
He looked at her with amusement. "Since you're familiar with this hospital, you should be able to help me find her, right?"
"I can. Follow me."
Rurikawa Tsubaki agreed without hesitation and led him toward the hospital.
So this is Kazuma…
As she walked ahead, she couldn't help but glance at him a few times. Although she had seen photos before, this was her first time meeting him in person.
She had already heard about his "special qualities." According to Dr. Amamiya, what he possessed could help revive their family. And after Miss Shizuka appeared, she couldn't deny it anymore. Even a succubus had been drawn to him.
Her heart was unsettled.
That was why she had approached him in the first place. Otherwise, given her personality, she would never start a conversation with a stranger.
"The person you're looking for is named Shizuka," Rurikawa Tsubaki said as they entered the hospital. "She's in Dr. Amamiya's office. Recently, she reached an agreement with the hospital—she lets them study her blood, and in return, they'll help her obtain that thing from you."
Hearing her reveal everything so bluntly, Kazuma glanced at her fair profile.
"You're selling her out just like that? What about your cooperation?"
He silently mourned for the succubus for three seconds.
The hospital was eerily empty during the day. Occasionally, nurses passed by, widening their eyes at the sight of Kazuma and Rurikawa Tsubaki before quickly pretending nothing had happened—though they kept glancing back.
Every nurse reacted the same way.
"My name is Rurikawa Tsubaki," the girl suddenly said.
"Kazuma."
"I know. Dr. Amamiya told me." She stepped into the elevator and looked at him. "Miss Shizuka also wants what you have… Since we'd have to find you eventually, why not cooperate with you directly instead of going through all that trouble?"
She saw things very clearly.
"That makes sense. So, Miss Rurikawa, do you want it too? It's very precious~"
"…!"
For the first time, her cold expression wavered. A faint blush appeared on her cheeks. She opened her mouth but couldn't say anything.
She knew deep down that her hesitation already meant she was leaning toward agreeing.
It was just too embarrassing to say aloud.
"Sigh… I've become like a cake - everyone wants a bite of it," Kazuma joked.
Rurikawa Tsubaki lowered her head, too flustered to respond. Seeing this, Kazuma stopped teasing her and turned serious.
"Aren't you worried I might refuse? You already betrayed that succubus. What if I refuse too?"
She stayed silent for a full three minutes.
When they stepped out of the elevator and stopped in front of Dr. Amamiya's office, she finally turned around.
Her slender body seemed somewhat malnourished, yet her ample bust was exaggeratedly full, perfectly illustrating the phrase 'a slender branch bearing heavy fruit.'
"Then… I will kneel before you and beg for your help."
She said it with a completely expressionless face.
Kazuma almost laughed. "You're quite determined, Miss Tsubaki. I might just help you."
No wish list appeared.
Kazuma wasn't in a hurry.
Whether it was cooperation or a wish list could come later. Right now, catching the succubus was the priority.
He pushed open the door. Inside, a red-haired woman sat on the sofa, reading a magazine.
"Miss Tsubaki, you're a bit late—"
She froze mid-sentence upon seeing Kazuma. Throwing aside the magazine, she spread her bat-like wings and tried to escape through the window.
But just as she stepped onto the sill, her tail was suddenly grabbed.
Kazuma had already appeared behind her.
"So this is a succubus's tail? Why does it look so strange?"
It wasn't the typical heart-shaped tail, but a peculiar bud-like appendage, like a blooming flower slowly opening, oozing a sticky fluid, even trying to bite him.
But he held it firmly, not letting it move at all.
"Miss Shizuka… got you~"
...
..
.
[image] Rurikawa Tsubaki
[image] Shizuka
*****
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