When Yuuna entered the room where Kouhei was hiding, she saw him standing by the window, looking out. He must've sensed her presence because he turned to face her.
"P-President..."
"Okumura-kun, if you don't mind, would you have sex with me right here and now?"
"W-Wha—?!" Kouhei's reaction was immediate and understandable. They were in the middle of a fight, and yet, Yuuna was asking him to have sex with her.
"I told you earlier, didn't I?" Yuuna began, starting to strip off her clothes. "You can make us stronger by strengthening our bonds." She slipped out of her jacket, her fingers moving deftly to unbutton her blouse. "I'm completely drained of mana, so I figured the best way to recharge is through sex with you. Once I'm back at full power, I can help the others fight."
Her hands were now on the waistband of her skirt, slowly pulling it down. The way she moved was undeniably sexy, and Kouhei couldn't stop himself from gulping. His body was reacting, getting turned on despite the timing being far from ideal. Still, something inside him hesitated. As much as the sight of her stirred him, this didn't feel right.
Am I just a tool to her...?
The thought irritated him. The value of a tool lies in how useful it is, nothing more. And right now, that's what he felt like. He was only here to serve a purpose—help these girls win a war against the heavens, a war he didn't even know existed until now.
Most guys would be over the moon at the idea of fucking hot women to help them gain power, but Kouhei wasn't like that. He wasn't just here for the sex. He wanted something deeper, something real. He wanted to build meaningful relationships—something he'd never had before.
"I'm sorry, but I'm not going to do what you want, President," Kouhei said, his voice steady.
"Eh?"
"I think I finally understand something," Kouhei continued. "Saonji-san doesn't really like me. I'm starting to believe she only had sex with me because she's a succubus, and it's in her nature. That's why our bond is weak. Even though we had sex, she didn't get stronger, and I think it's because she wasn't interested in forming a real bond with me—she just wanted to use me for her own pleasure. But I still love Saonji-san, and I'm going to make her look my way."
That's right. Even if Hina didn't love him now, Kouhei believed he could make her fall for him. That was his goal. And considering his ability to strengthen women through their bonds, if he made her love him, their bond would grow, and so would her power. By making her stronger, he was helping her in a way that went beyond just sex.
"You told me my power comes from creating bonds with people, and as those bonds strengthen, so do they," Kouhei said, his voice firmer than usual. "But what you're doing right now, Sarushima-san, isn't creating a bond. You're using me like a tool. That's not how bonds work, and it's not how we'll get stronger together."
Yuuna blinked, taken aback. It wasn't just his words that surprised her, but the way he called her "Sarushima-san." He had never addressed her that way before. And the accusation? That they were using him solely as a means to defeat their enemies? She couldn't entirely deny it.
"I'm not a tool, Sarushima-san. I'm a human being," Kouhei added.
"I didn't mean it like that..." she murmured, pausing before continuing. "But... you're right. I'm sorry, Okumura-kun, for thinking only about ourselves."
The admission felt heavier than she'd expected. A wave of guilt washed over her. He was right—she'd been so focused on her own needs, her own lack of mana, that she'd seen Kouhei as nothing more than a quick fix. Sex to recharge. That was how she'd been thinking.
"You don't have to worry about it, Sarushima-san," Kouhei replied. "I'm not mad, really. But... I don't want you to see me as someone you just use when you're desperate. I don't want to be treated like a tool. I want you to see me for me. That's how bonds are made, right?"
Bonds. Real bonds were built on more than just convenience. They had to be mutual, real, based on shared emotions and experiences. If one person only saw the other as a means to an end, it was hollow—like those fake friendships people made just to get what they wanted.
"For the first time... you're showing quite a manly side, Okumura-kun," Yuuna said, her voice laced with a strange mixture of surprise and admiration. She hadn't expected this. "I never thought you'd say something like that."
"W-Well, I didn't mean to just blurt it out like that..." Kouhei stammered, clearly embarrassed now that the words had left his mouth.
Yuuna's lips curled into a soft smile. "It's fine. Actually, I think you're more manly when you speak with confidence like that. And... again, I'm sorry for treating you like a tool. However..."
Her eyes flicked back towards the battle outside, then to him again.
"You want to go back out there, right? Maybe sex is too much for now. But... how about this instead?"
Kouhei stepped forward, closing the distance between them, and gently wrapped his arms around her. The suddenness of the embrace caught Yuuna off guard.
"Something like this... it's still a way to strengthen our bond, right?" His voice was quieter now, close to her ear.
Yuuna felt the heat of his body pressing against hers. His embrace was gentle, but there was strength in it too, a surprising warmth radiating from him. Kouhei may have looked slim, but she could feel the subtle definition of his muscles, and more than that, the mana flowing through her—slowly, but steadily. It was working.
"Thank you, Okumura-kun," she whispered, her arms slipping around him in return. Her heartbeat quickened in her chest, and she felt a soft blush bloom across her cheeks. The warmth spreading between them was undeniable, but there was something else too. She smirked as she felt a hard stiffness pressing against her thigh. "But for all your talk about not wanting to have sex, it seems something between your legs is saying otherwise."
"I-I'm sorry!" Kouhei stammered, his face burning with embarrassment. "B-But I can't control this when you just undress in front of me, Sarushima-san! And now we're hugging, so, uh... yeah."
Yuuna couldn't help but chuckle, the teasing glint returning to her eyes. "Well, feel free to enjoy the moment."
After a few moments, she could feel her mana had fully replenished.