I Took A Succubus's First Time-Chapter 37: Pride As A Man

The Saonji Mansion was… well, about as bad as they'd expected. Molds crept along the wooden walls, their dark stains adding an eerie gloom to the place, while webs clung to the windows like faint veils. Veins—thick and twisted—spread across parts of the mansion, and the grass was so overgrown it reached knee-high, wild and untamed.

"Ugh…" Himekawa Katsuko groaned as she took in the sight of it all. This was no ordinary cleaning job; it was practically impossible. "Hina-senpai, you could have at least tried to trim the grass…"

Though Katsuko and Hina were the same age, Katsuko still called her "senpai" since that was their school ranking. Yet, Hina looked far from remorseful; in fact, she seemed utterly detached. Normally, her face would show some trace of emotion, but right now, it was blank, like she was seeing the mansion's decay for the first time.

"Well, the grass won't cut itself, so how about we get started?" said Yuuna, gathering up tools for them to tackle the yard, front and back, where the grass had swallowed the grounds.

"It's not like the yard's the only thing we're cleaning, Prez," added Nagisa, who stood ready with supplies in hand. "The inside's probably just as bad, if not worse."

"Right." Yumi looked the place up and down, wincing. "Just looking at the outside already feels like a nightmare… I can only imagine what's beyond that door."

"Oh, don't worry about the interior!" Nagisa grinned as she slid up next to Kouhei, wrapping her arm around his. Her chest pressed up against him, soft and deliberate. "Kou-kun and I can handle it ourselves, right?"

With a huff, Kozue pulled Nagisa away from him. "Stop messing around, Nagisa-san. I know you want alone time with him, but we don't need to talk about whatever you two were planning last night."

"We're not doing anything like that while we're supposed to be cleaning," Nagisa said, though she slipped back to Kouhei's side, pressing up against him again. His cheeks burned, and the tips of his ears reddened every time she leaned into him, her chest soft against his arm.

"P-President," Kozue groaned, "please tell Nagisa-san to stop this."

"Why don't you let them?" Yuuna replied smoothly. "We need to bond with Okumura-kun to get stronger. In fact, you should join them, Kozue."

"Join them? I want nothing to do with him!" Kozue scoffed, crossing her arms. "I don't want him touching me. The guy's totally lusting after us!"

Yuuna chuckled. "Hehe, Okumura-kun does have quite the appetite for us."

When did I do that? Kouhei thought, though a tiny blush betrayed him. Yuuna wasn't entirely wrong. Kouhei might have had the appearance of a soft-spoken guy, but his eyes held a hungry edge he rarely gave himself credit for. Yuuna found it cute, endearing even.

I want to tease him, she thought, licking her lips, her gaze locked onto him.

"W-Why did you just lick your lips, President?" Kozue's eyes widened as she watched.

"Whatever do you mean, Kozue?" Yuuna replied, brushing her off nonchalantly.

Kozue narrowed her eyes, suspicious. But with Yuuna pushing this whole "bonding" idea, whatever the president had in mind was probably something she'd rather not know.

On the other side, Hina was watching Kouhei too. Her face remained emotionless, but her eyes gave her away, a subtle gleam of lust flickering within them, directed solely at him.

Looks like Hina's lust is kicking in again, Yuuna observed with a hint of amusement. A virgin succubus doesn't get horny often, but after experiencing sex… She glanced at Hina, who was practically brimming with desire. She's bound to be on edge.

Hina, despite being a succubus with a nature known for boundless lust, typically kept herself in check, only getting aroused when absolutely necessary. In those moments, she'd simply take care of things on her own. But now that she'd experienced sex, her desire was sparking back to life with a force she hadn't known before. And since Kouhei was the only one she could touch, he was the only option.

Kouhei shivered suddenly, feeling a chill crawl up his spine. Scratching the back of his neck, he turned and saw Hina watching him intently. He didn't think much of it at first, but there was something in her gaze that made his instincts scream danger.

***

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The cleaning began. They tackled the yard first—it was an exhausting job, but thankfully, none of them—except for Kouhei—were human. Aria wielded her katana to slice through the thick grass, while others used their abilities and spells to speed things up. Kouhei, equipped with a lawn mower, took over once Aria's blade had cut the grass low enough. For stubborn patches where the mower couldn't reach, he used a pair of shears, trimming trees and vines along the way. Misuzu and Yumi worked alongside him.

Inside, Yuuna, Hina, Kozue, and Nagisa, along with the two first-year representatives, tackled the mansion's interior. They cast water and wind spells to wash away mold and grime from the walls, sweeping webs from the high corners of every ceiling.

Or, rather, only one of the first-years worked—the other had vanished. Likely asleep somewhere, so Kozue went off to track her down.

"We're almost done here," Kouhei said, wiping the sweat from his brow. The speed of their progress amazed him; he'd never thought they'd finish so quickly, but the girls' abilities had made the work fly by. "How about we take a break, Aria-san?" he suggested to the maid, who was already drawing her sword to clear another layer of grass.

Aria looked at Kouhei, then silently sheathed her sword and bowed to him in acknowledgment.

Kouhei blinked, a bit taken aback. "Uh…"

Without a word, Aria moved over to the mansion steps, gracefully taking a seat for a break. Kouhei realized, maybe the bow was her way of saying, I'll rest as you suggested. He followed her to the steps, sitting a little ways off. Being near her, he realized, was… more embarrassing than he'd expected.

Aria was different. Sure, everyone around him was a woman, but Aria had a maturity that felt leagues above the others. Yuuna was mature too, and Nagisa carried a soft grace, but Aria… she had a refined, almost unreachable kind of maturity that left Kouhei feeling a bit shy. With her cool, collected demeanor, she exuded elegance, and her Victorian-style maid uniform, with every inch of her skin hidden, somehow made her all the more alluring. Her glasses and neatly braided bun added a layer of sophistication that made her presence nearly intimidating.

"What is it, Okumura-sama?" Aria's calm voice broke his gaze as she noticed him looking at her.

"N-Nothing, really," Kouhei stammered, his cheeks flushing. "It's just… I've never met a real maid before." He scratched his head. "Have you always served the President?"

Aria shook her head. "No, actually. I was once part of the demon army. After we were almost wiped out in an ambush by the Valkyries and Angels, I wandered alone for some time. When angels or demon hunters would find me, I'd fight—and kill—to survive. Yuuna-sama eventually found me, and I've served her ever since."

So, Aria had a whole life before becoming a maid to the Sarushima.

Kouhei lowered his gaze, feeling more impressed. "A-Actually, I saw you fight last night… You looked incredible with your sword," he admitted. "Do you, um, need mana to be that skilled with a sword?"

Aria tilted her head slightly, as though the question itself puzzled her. But she answered, "My people don't possess mana. Instead, we're gifted with double the strength. So, no, mana isn't necessary. The only requirement is learning how to use the blade properly."

Kouhei straightened, eyes bright with hope. "T-Then… could you teach me? To use a sword, I mean."

Aria tilted her head further, almost curiously. "To wield a sword?" she asked, her voice calm. "Why?"

"Because I want to be stronger, even if just a little," Kouhei replied. "I don't want to be a burden, and I hate always being protected. I want to contribute, even if it's only a small part, and fight alongside everyone."

Aria's expression remained unreadable, a trace of confusion shadowing her face. "I don't understand, Okumura-sama," she said quietly. "When we can fight and protect you, why would you willingly put yourself in harm's way?"

It was a reasonable question. He was surrounded by demons who'd give their lives to protect him from any threat, and Yuuna, especially, was committed to keeping him safe, even if it meant risking everything. To Aria, his protection was an unquestioned duty. Her loyalty had always been to Yuuna, but because Yuuna was intent on protecting him, Aria would do so too.

But Kouhei didn't want to rely on them entirely. He looked at Aria with a determined glint in his eyes. "Because… I have my pride as a man."

It was a simple answer, maybe even foolish, but it drove him to want to stand on his own. That need to have at least a shred of pride and dignity as a man—not as someone constantly shielded from harm.