One week later— Saturday.
After defeating Beatrice, life resumed as usual. The sword hasn't spoken to me in a while. Whatever was inside, be it the Demon Lord from Elza or another terrifying entity, has gone quiet. Selene was long gone by the time we returned to the Coliseum. She must have gone into hiding, because we haven't found her since.
Gouda and Yuuta took Hyogo Invitationals by storm, earning first and third place respectively. Their win secures us a spot for the Kansai Regionals in the fall. I couldn't be more proud of both of them and the team. But Gouda's taking first means we're going on a date eventually, which has me sweating bullets waiting for him to plan it.
But today, I'm nervous for a different reason.
I use a nearby telephone booth's glass to check my reflection. A cute girl stares back at me. Her silver hair frames a delicate face, adorned with red eyes and a small nose. Every piece of clothing was meticulously picked out to be worn, from the top, down to matching underwear.
A year ago, if someone had told me I would like being a girl, I'd think they were bullying me. Looking at myself now, I could never consider turning back to a boy.
Even if I have the ability to do it with the sword.
I lean against the side of a building, watching the cars race by. It just hit noon, and I'm feeling more and more anxious with every passing minute.
"Heeey!"
My heart jumps.
I see Mio flying down and slam into me. "I thought we agreed to keep flying to a minimum?"
"I'm invisible. No one's seen me! Besides, I can do this." Mio presses her lips against mine, drilling her tongue into my mouth.
"Wait— chu… chu, mmh!" I push her off and wipe my mouth. "J-Just because people can't see you, doesn't mean you should do it. Like I wouldn't walk around naked in public even if I was invisible."
"Kehehe. I remember you telling me that you've done that before."
My face gets ten times hotter and it isn't even that hot today. "I didn't do that on purpose!"
"But there's an idea. How about we go on a date, invisible and naked?" Mio grabs me from behind and squeezes my breasts.
"At least for today, can we have a normal date?" I plead, trying not to get turned on.
Mio releases me, dives into an alley, and then hops back out, seemingly dropping the invisibility during the act. She holds out her hand and I take it in mine as we start walking down the sidewalk.
"So how was your thing with the student council?" I ask.
The only reason Mio was late is because she promised Hitomi and Rika to help plan on sports day. It's set for tomorrow on a Sunday due to being forecasted as the least hottest day of summer. All of the third years are on high energy this year because the week after will be our week-long trip to Okinawa.
"Ugh, don't remind me. It was soooo boring. I don't know how Rika and Prez do it on a daily basis. Just being in that room doing nothing but thinking was a pain. Speaking of Prez, I still can't believe you changed them back to being human." She frowns.
Experimenting with the sword, I discovered I was able to do a lot with it— particularly changing people's genders. That explains why Hatsumi was able to turn me back to a boy. But using it drains a lot of power from me, which makes sense if we're connected. I was so close to frenzying from using it so much, fortunately Kana came by to 'study.' Suffice to say, there was no studying done that day.
I was able to revert Hitomi and my sister's imperfect succubus forms. Hatsumi never wanted to be a succubus to begin with, and Hitomi wanted a normal relationship with Rika.
"It was their choice. It's not like I was going to say no."
"Ahhhh, but Hatsumi was so hot as a succubus! I wanted a threesome before she changed back," Mio complains.
We head into the clothing outlet we visited last time, but this time we aren't shopping for clothes to wear, it's swimsuits we're looking for. With Okinawa just a week away, we're going to need to buy our own swimsuits. Otherwise, we're stuck with the one we get from school.
And Mio doesn't want to wear that again.
So the both of us decided to do some shopping in the city and make it a date. I was nervous the whole week leading up to this point. I know I shouldn't. We've had sex so many times now, I've seen her naked, she's seen me naked, so there's no rational reason for me to be nervous.
But I am.
My heart beats with more intensity around her, and the warm feeling in my chest is addictive and pleasant.
The moment we walk in, Mio wanders off as something catches her eyes from the lingerie section.
"Hey, hey. Try these on. I wanna fuck you in these." Mio holds up a lace lingerie with straps that look like a poor imitation of shibari play.
"No… I think I'll pass…"
She stares at the outfit, clearly still interested in it. "Then I'll wear it and you can screw me."
"Damn it, Mio. We're shopping for swimsuits, not lingerie!"
I actually don't know where the swimsuits are in this store. An employee is folding clothes nearby so I holler to get her attention.
"Excuse me—" A familiar and powerful aura blasts against mine, making my skin crawl.
"Yes, can I help you?"
As soon as the employee turns around, the blood drains from my face. "S-Selene?!"
"You were waiting here to ambush us, weren't you?" Mio rushes to my side and takes an offensive stance.
Selene puts her hands in the air. "No, actually… I'm on the clock, so I'd like it if you don't cause too much of a commotion."
"Eh?" Now that I get a good look at her, she has a nametag like the other employees in the store.
"Yeah, right. As if we're going to believe that," Mio scowls.
"I don't think she's lying," I say, trying to calm Mio down.
"It's true," Selene begins. "The Coliseum burning down put me in a lot of debt. As it turns out, the building wasn't insured…Nothing short of charming a slew of people will get me out of this mess, but that brings with it a heap of its own problems."
"Pfft… seriously?" Mio is clutching her stomach, about to erupt into laughter.
Just how far in debt is she? It's almost silly for a succubus to be bound by human rules. Yumi was able to charm her way to a rent-free condo, but there's probably less to deal with than having the government going after your taxes.
I recall there being a mental limit to a charm. There's a lot of issues behind charming a government agency versus charming a single landlord. If enough people start questioning a memory, the charm will break on its own even if it is done by a powerful succubus.
"Ehh… I guess even succubus are subject to the law of the land," I muse to myself.
"Heh. Since you're an employee, you better treat your customers right if you want our patronage," Mio, having fallen into a power trip over Selene, says with an air of importance.
I can see the frustration in Selene's face. A greater succubus reduced to a slave wage.
"Are you really not out to get revenge after all that's happened?" I ask Selene.
She sighs. "How can I, when I have to pay almost 750,000 yen a month for the next ten years? At this rate, I'll have to resort to prostitution… Just how far have I fallen?"
"Serves you right." Mio says.
While I'm in agreement, I do feel a little bad for Selene. We were almost allies. Things might have been different if she didn't attack me the first time, but she was enough of a bitch to fight us twice. She may have been charmed the second time, but even if she wasn't being, chances are she would have betrayed us to get back on Beatrice's good side.
"If you will excuse me. I need to refold this entire section of clothes because customers keep making a mess." Selene turns back to work but Mio grabs her shoulder.
"It just so happens we need help. You won't turn down a potential customer, would you?" She says, smirking.
The frustration on Selene's face is transparent as glass, but she's holding it in as much as she can. "Tch… of course. How may I… help you, m-ma'am?"
"Kahaha! This is becoming my favorite store in the city!"
Selene guides us to the swimsuits section on the second floor of the store. I would have thought putting them on the first floor and at the front made more sense. It's summer after all.
It turns out the entire second floor is dedicated to swim attire because it has more space. Extravagant displays every few feet, mannequins and famous models wearing swimsuits, and large beach-themed banners, all of it screams summer.
"Whoa. Women have so many different kinds of swimsuits." I grab one from a rack at random and it's just a thin strap over the breasts and crotch. "H-H-How is this a swimsuit??"
Mio looks particularly interested. "Good eye. I kinda want that. You gonna buy it?"
"No! No matter how you look at it, this is way too revealing." I put it back on the rack and look elsewhere.
The women's section for swimsuits is nearly four times larger than the men's section. When I was a boy, all I needed to wear were swimming trunks. I didn't think about what to buy, a simple one works fine. But for girls, there are so many different kinds.
I'm only now learning what a bandeau is. It's just a strip of cloth that wraps around your breasts. And they call that a swimsuit? Then there are ones that make you look more lewd than if you were to wear lingerie.
"I have to get back to work—" Selene tries to sneak back downstairs, but Mio blocks her way.
"A good saleswoman needs to close the deal. What if we need help looking for something?" Mio wags a finger at her.
Selene has a mental snap and raises her fist.
"Selene."
She freezes the moment her name is called. Behind us, the manager of the store pushes two fingers against the corners of his lips to form a smile.
"Remember to serve our store guests with a smile!" He calls out before returning to work.
Selene's fist falls to her side, and the creepiest, most strained smile she could ever muster looks more like a dog baring fangs instead.
***
We ended up spending more time than intended picking out swimsuits because Mio wouldn't stop tormenting Selene. Eventually I picked out a sky blue two-piece bikini. I wanted to go with a one-piece, but Mio wouldn't have it.
Mio picked out two different swimsuits. One that she wants to wear, and the other as backup because I warned her the first one might get her in trouble. I don't know what her second swimsuit is, but the first one is a black two-piece strung over her neck, barely covering the nipples with a piece of fabric, and accompanied by a g-string.
One thing is for sure, she's going to pitch a lot of tents when we hit the beaches.
Selene didn't look like a threat anymore. Just a defeated husk, a shadow of her former self. Like a wounded vet coming home from war, she's lost her place in the world and is trying to fit into a new society.
Mio tugs at my sleeve and points to a crepes stand setting up in the city plaza. "Let's get some of that!"
We race up to be the first ones in line, and Mio orders the largest one topped with chocolate and caramel drizzle, fruits, candy, and pocky.
"How are you going to eat all that?" I ask, appalled by the sheer size.
"What are you talking about? We're sharing it, so don't you dare order your own." She needs both hands to keep the crepe from falling over from its own weight.
Her face lights up as soon as she takes a bite. Seeing her enjoy it so much is enough to make me salivate.
"I don't mind, you know?" Mio suddenly says.
"Mind what?" I ask.
She pokes my cheek. "I know how you look at the others. Especially Hitomi, Rika, and Kana. Sometimes even Hatsumi. You wanna fuck 'em whenever you want."
"Don't put words into my mouth! Besides… you and I are…"
Mio pushes the crepe into my hands and leans back on the bench.
"You're a succubus. Human social norms don't apply to us. I've been reading the light novels and manga you have at home, and you really seem to like this harem thing. Kehehe~" She grabs my hands as I go to take a bite, and pulls it over to her mouth to take another big bite. "So, I was thinking. Why don't we have a harem, too?"
"No— wait, what?!"
What an outrageous idea… that's somehow getting me excited?
She puts an arm around my shoulders. "Think about it. Daily threesomes— no, foursomes. Gangbangs whenever we want. Dicks and pussies. You don't have to choose between anyone, because you have everyone!"
"But I already have you." I mutter under my breath. I take a bite from the crepe, my taste buds are treated to the sugary delight of caramel and whipped creme. "Mm! This really is good."
Mio leans in really close. "You got some on your face,"
Before I can wipe my cheek, Mio dives in to kiss me. No tongue, no drool. Just our lips. I can't tell if it's the lingering taste of crepes in my mouth, or if she's always tasted this sweet. But from a simple kiss, I feel my heart soaring.
I really am glad that I met Mio.