Chapter 168: There's a First Time For ANYTHING
Yumiko sat beside the enormous bed in Ryuji's room, her eyes gazing down.
She stroked his soft blonde hair while trying to use her healing magic to help close the wounds on his body. Yet no matter how she tried, the bandages replaced several times already were clean for a few moments before bleeding heavily and turning red once again.
'Ryuji, it's the first time I have seen you suffering. Can't you wake up and just smile, telling me everything is okay? Why would they do such a thing when all you do is fight for them, never complaining about the pain you endure?'
"Ryuji... I'm sorry if only I killed her first..." Yumiko's lovely red eyes flickered—from the moment the battle ended, she remained in this form, even though her body and muscles started to hurt. Pain flowed through her body as she abused her magic to help soothe his pain.
Meanwhile, the door opened, and the blue-eyed Erika entered carrying an enormous pot of steaming hot water, which seemed to sizzle with dozens of bandage rolls attached to her belt.
"How is he, Yumi?" She asked while moving closer, taking a cloth and dipping it in the hot, steaming water full of special herbs and minerals that she got from Ryo, who can now identify all types of food and herbs for their properties.
With a splash, Yumiko gave a gentle smile, watching the careful Erika gently wiping his face with a soft smile on her cheeks.
'This girl, I cannot believe the loud and rich Erika Tendo has become like a caring wife. It makes me feel so strange but also happy. I never saw her looking so happy and fulfilled back in the classroom, even when she earned first marks.'
"Yumiko, I really envy you..."
"Hmm? How come you are not as affectionate and caring for our beloved now?"
"No..." Erika looked at the beautiful demon fox with a bitter smile.
"In the battle, I was too scared to use my form and fight to my limits. Yet you could do it so easily. Liana constantly maintains her form. So, it made me realise that my heart and mind were still too human to remain beside Ryuji, and I wanted to change. No, Ryuji wouldn't ask me to change. He would just smile and wait for me to accept him and my changes naturally..."
Her hand squeezed the healing water over Ryuji's burning forehead while brushing his cheeks with an affectionate smile.
'How lucky is this little bastard? Not only did he sleep with his teacher, his best friend's girlfriend... Why do I remember his file so well... Well, why was it filled with such things to begin with? Ah, I am jealous to be the second teacher he slept with!'
While the other girls thought Yumiko was filled with confidence and felt no doubt about Ryuji's feelings.
They didn't know she kept her human thoughts and memories and began to feel jealousy, insecurity and the same worries each of them did.
However, thanks to her long years as a beastkin, she reached a balance of confidence and jealousy that made her appear mature.
"It's nothing to do with our feelings or how much we accept or love him. Like you said, Liana hasn't returned to her former state once. Even during sleep, she retains her demonic form, but that is her and how she manifests her feelings." Yumiko then stroked Erika's hair, her tone like an elder or, rather, a teacher trying to help their student cope with their feelings.
"Don't be so concerned because that jealousy, those normal feelings you have are what Ryuji needs, and in this world, this situation, only you can give him that normalcy that helps his heart remain balanced. I cannot do it, Liana cannot do it, and neither can Alicia. It's only you, Erika."
Yumiko's soft hand reminded Erika of their teacher, a distant relative who knew her better than anyone else.
She couldn't help but remember Yumiko's name and felt a sudden sense of nostalgia before leaning against the shoulder of the tall demonic fox. "You remind me of my teacher, although she was like a distant cousin... When my mother scolded me for not getting an A grade, she would stroke my hair like this."
'You foolish girl, it's me, of course I know that. To think we would fall for the same man and would end up in this situation makes me quite amused. Should I tell you now? Or wait for a more interesting moment to tell you?'
At first, when her memories returned, Yumiko was shocked at the fact she had basically corrupted her distant cousin and student. But realised she was sucking her student's cock on a daily basis. That and maybe her beastkin or demon blood made her shrug it off.
'I might have really changed...' Her hand then moved to hold Ryuji's, feeling him suddenly grip her tight and almost crushing her bones. 'Yeah... because of you, what a big fool. You changed my body, then my heart and now my soul cannot even exist with you.'
"So wake up... idiot."
***
Ryuji thought he was dreaming. He found himself walking through darkness in a strange place, with a constant weight on his shoulders and a feeling of mystery. It reminded him of the sensation of the fairy woods from the dungeon with the Sprig Prince.
A magical aura with a sprinkle of Ethereal smoke and mist floated around him as he walked towards a strange opening in the centre of the darkness.
'Where am I... Is that a person? I feel that figure is familiar.'
His ruby eyes pierced the darkness, with long silvery white hair draping down his bare back and the loose black pants, like a Tobi style on his legs.
In his demon lord form, he walked through the darkness. The fear that he might have died as the last thing he remembers is the bright light from the sky and the sinking feeling he couldn't protect the woman he loved anymore.
The path was winding and filled with an isolating silence. Even his words refused to come out when he tried to speak, causing his thoughts to become louder and more pronounced inside his mind.
'It's a person. I can see it now. This feeling... It's Liana. Why does she look sad and in pain? Wait, is that a cage?
Is she a prisoner? Who could do such a thing to her? Damn it, where is my voice?'
However, as he approached, her figure vanished, like a vision of smoke... replaced by a distant image of a female knight, clad in black armour on her knees with a broken pair of swords stabbed into the ground... Her armour was filled with dents and damage, and a long golden spear penetrated her chest.
'Erika?! Why does she look so desperate, and why do I feel so much rage and hatred?!' Ryuji stopped, his ruby eyes widening while the darkness transformed, showing the corpses of two people...
One was Sariel, whose head had been cut off and her demonic body mutilated while her head rested near her decapitated body, but her blood was being drained... into a goblet held by the queen!
The other... a burnt corpse hanging from a withered tree... her long ears and the cracked bow on the ground... It was clearly Alicia. He felt certain!
'Why...' Anger, hatred, rage... darkness! Ryuji's feelings swirled, churned and began to rage like a washing machine on max cycle. His insides turned and mixed with a vile feeling of vomit and disgust constantly surging up his throat, only to dissipate before release.
'WHY!? Liana vanished... Alicia is dead?! Erika is impaled, Sariel... no, that monster... She drank Sariel's blood and tortured her.
Why... WHAT KIND OF MONSTER IS THAT THING! I'LL KILL HER, AND I'LL RIP HER IN HALF AND FUCK HER SHITTY DEMONIC CUNT WITH A RUSTY SPEAR!'
A ripple sounded like a stone falling into a pond...
However, the sound, like a calming breeze, helped his angry thoughts and rage dissipate. He closed his eyes, and the darkness and the visions vanished as Ryuji found himself standing on a vast plain, with the darkness fading into the distance.
"You are angry. You want to kill her and rip her apart. Your rage, your hatred... It's like a raging inferno, but it's not the right way to release your emotions."
Sitting on a small stub beside him, wrapped in an aura of darkness, was a beautiful, unbelievable woman... with silvery white hair, nine fox tails swaying at her back, and a lovely black dress with elegant blue threat and lace sewn into the design.
'Yumiko... You're alive...?!'
"W-Wait...!" The female tried to speak, only for her to be overwhelmed by Ryuji's reaction.
Ryuji's heart leapt as he embraced the figure, her scent and body soft and alluring, a charm that only she could possess as he kissed her, unable to withhold his delight that even one of them survived.
"Wait... Ryuji, calm down a bit."
"Yumi...ko... Thank God. I thought you were all dead." He didn't realise he could speak again, kissing the fox maiden clad in darkness, his tongue prying her mouth open, despite the strange movements like a novice and how she froze up. Ryuji noticed nothing as his hands slipped down her back, his relief and affection pouring into his actions.
"Mmmnph!? Idio... Nnnm... Mmmn!?" The dark figure's heart raced, her tails all swaying and tapping the ground, a strange feeling that couldn't be explained flowing through her. While his hands touched, her body felt real, unlike the cold, empty feeling she had before. His lips, his tongue, his taste.
It was all so real and warm, causing her to reciprocate the kiss, her tongue extending and mixing with his.
"Mmnn... Hmmm!?" Finally, Ryuji's mind clicked as his ruby eyes opened, realising he was kissing someone other than Yumiko and released the figure. "W-Who are you?"
"Bastard, who taught you... ah..." The female's pale face looked bright red, while strings of drool dripped down her lips, covering her chin, while looking at Ryuji with furious, yet glazed eyes and trembling.
"W-What? Did I do something wrong?" Ryuji watched the strange woman wipe her chin, his ruby eyes gazing down at the stunningly beautiful figure.
"Idiot. First, you kiss me, then touch my ass... slipping your hands into my dress... touching my... Ah... what is this?!"
Ryuji felt a certain doom if he let her keep talking, so instead, he hugged her. The female's anger melted, her body frozen and unable to move as Ryuji kissed her once again, his hand reaching inside her dress, holding her chest.
"Mmmn... Idiot, stop... mmmnn." However, the woman's protests ceased while her nine tails swaying became frantic, slapping the ground furiously before wrapping around him, a sensation of warmth touching his skin before she bit his tongue after his fingertip slipped inside a tight, sticky hole that oozed with a warm substance.
"YOU?!" Ryuji watched the woman bite his tongue, the strange taste of blood filling her mouth. Yet, as she tried to release him, he embraced her tighter and kissed her, their tongues dancing inside her mouth while his fingers slipped inside, penetrating her divine garden.
The next moment, he was blown away, and a powerful force sent him flying and crashing into the distance before vanishing into the darkness.
"BASTARD, I SAID STOP!" Her furious voice resounded in his mind while the darkness consumed him, and his consciousness faded. He couldn't help but remember the soft moan and voice that sounded just like Yumiko.
However, he wondered who he had met in this strange dream since it felt so real... especially the wet juices that coated his fingers and the taste of her kiss.
***
"Ryuji, wake up." Erika's clear and pleasant voice sounded through his ears, his ruby eyes flickering open before seeing her smiling.
However, he felt intense pain and couldn't move... his eyes looked around to see Yumiko in the same form as his dream... her hand holding his, which made him sigh a breath of relief.
'So it was her...'
[The Goddess Serene is ashamed and shocked that you molested and took advantage of her!]
[However... because she promised a certain existence. She doesn't punish you and instead grants her full blessing despite being unable to forget...]
[Ahem! Forgive your actions.]
It would seem that he met a goddess in his dream, and not only did he insult her, but he also molested her...
'Oh...'
'...Fuck!'
THIS CHAPTER UPLOAD FIRST AT NOVELBIN.COM