Kairen genuinely thought Sai Akuto was a pervert.
There was no doubt that what he'd just said meant he was looking at her as a "thing," not as a person.
Calling her over to warm his bed just because he liked a point or two about her—too domineering, too self-centered, too much like the world revolved around him.
But once she'd made that clear to herself, along with the helplessness, an unprecedented sense of relief welled up inside her.
No matter what, Akuto at least liked her, didn't he? No matter what, the things he liked about her weren't only because of "Liliana." He liked her maid outfit, and he liked her ankles—so that still counted as liking her, didn't it?
So after handing down the verdict of "Akuto-sama is such a pervert," most of Kairen's irritation had already dissipated.
As Akuto's intentions came into the open, the biggest stone in her chest finally dropped away—sure, Akuto was a pervert who liked maid outfits and girls' feet, but he really did like her, at least a part of her. He wasn't treating her as some accessory that came packaged with Liliana.
As long as Akuto didn't see her as Liliana's appendage, Kairen wouldn't feel so awful. That so-called "inferiority" would naturally vanish into smoke.
If anything, because of this slightly perverted confession, Kairen's affection for him rose by quite a bit.
To begin with, Liliana's novels had already left Kairen full of curiosity and fondness toward Akuto. And later, Akuto had awakened that succubus bloodline—something with the ability to make people who already held goodwill toward him gradually fall for him.
Now that everything had been laid out plainly, the disgust Kairen had shown at being called over to warm his bed instantly flipped into something far more dangerous.
…
[By the way, Kairen, there's something I need to remind you of.] Akuto's gaze turned a little more serious.
"Yes. Please instruct me, Akuto-sama."
[This has to do with Liliana.]
"…" The moment Liliana came up, Kairen felt a little sour.
But that sourness came more from her own guilt and unease, not from any real grievance against Liliana herself. People were naturally inclined to pin their own faults and shortcomings on others.
[Kairen, I know you're pretty black-bellied. You mess with Liliana all the time, and you even showed Liliana's novels to Erica… am I wrong?]
"Yes, I understand, Akuto-sama. I won't tease Liliana-sama anymore," Kairen replied, obedient and by-the-book.
However, Akuto's next line made her lift her eyes at once.
[No, you can keep teasing her. You can even keep handing Liliana's diary to Erica to read. If you weren't black-bellied, you wouldn't be you. Besides, I quite like that side of you.]
[What I need you to pay attention to is this: from now on, you can't do anything like "handing your master's diary to her nemesis" again. Put harshly, that's not much different from betraying your master.]
Akuto could understand Kairen sneaking a peek at the diary herself.
But he absolutely could not understand—or accept—Kairen giving Liliana's diary to Erica.
Even if Erica counted as Liliana's good friend, and the two of them had even obtained "Godslayer-level Kotodama" together—close enough to call it deep friendship—
No matter how you calculated it, Erica was still an outsider.
"I… I understand."
Kairen lightly pressed her lips into her signature smile, looking away instead of meeting his eyes.
It wasn't because she had no intention of obeying. She only turned her head because she was embarrassed to hold his gaze.
Akuto had just said… he knew she was black-bellied, and he even liked her that way?
If an ordinary person said something like that, Kairen wouldn't have cared. But the one saying it now was the supreme Godslayer King. Everyone knew a Godslayer King had no reason to lie to ordinary people.
Which meant Akuto truly did like that side of her.
And on top of that, through her contact with him, she could sense how serious his emotions were…
Thump.
Thump-thump-thump…
Once she realized it, Kairen's heart started pounding harder than it ever had before.
Because the black-bellied side was her real self.
Because she'd discovered Akuto understood her deeply—he wasn't simply lusting after her body.
It's all there. It's complete now.
Akuto liked her body, and he liked her personality. Put those together and that meant…
He liked her body and her personality—he liked her, in the truest sense.
Precisely because she'd realized that, her heart beat even more violently.
In less than a second, Akuto sensed the change, and deliberately stirred his succubus bloodline, pushing Kairen's already-surging affection even higher.
Overwhelmed by shyness and fluttering emotions—and with the succubus bloodline's effect far too strong—Kairen's pale skin gradually flushed a soft pink.
[So this is what Liliana-sama described in her novels?]
[So when a girl faces a man who makes her heart race, her legs really do go weak, and all she wants is to fall into his arms?]
In the past, Kairen never understood why Liliana was always writing those unbearably cliché "domineering CEO" and "hero saves the beauty" stories.
But now Kairen found herself beginning to understand the feeling Liliana had when writing—how it felt to be faced with a man who was tyrannical and unstoppable to everyone else, yet could read her with delicate precision and never press too hard when it came to her.
That feeling of being protected and understood—a tiger in the heart, yet gentle enough to sniff the roses—was intoxicating in a way that made her dizzy.
And then there was the fact that Akuto had understood her true nature first, and still called her over. He still acknowledged it. He still liked it. He even still allowed her to show that black-bellied side in front of him…
Kairen found herself staring at a simple truth.
Akuto really did seem to be a pervert.
And… maybe it was actually pretty nice that he was.
Compared to being nothing more than Liliana's maid, she wanted Akuto to like her—her body and her personality.
And the fact that he could even like a twisted, black-bellied maid like her—and even approve of her continuing to be that way—made her feel as if her soul itself was trembling in release.
So… that meant she could act a little more unrestrained in front of Akuto?
If she acted a bit bolder and showed her usual self, what kind of reaction would Akuto-sama have?
No matter what that reaction was, Kairen intended to try.
…
Before Kairen could formally respond, Akuto struck first.
He had already clearly felt her emotional shift and realized she intended to be herself in front of him.
Compared to the overly restrained Kairen, Akuto truly did prefer the black-bellied version.
But even if he liked the real her, he still needed to test and settle accounts regarding what happened before—so she wouldn't really start flying off the rails later.
[Kairen, as a test of whether you truly understand my intent, I'm going to ask you three questions.]
[Do you know why I explicitly forbade you from doing anything similar again, yet I still agreed you could continue letting Erica read Liliana's diary?]
"Hm? The reason you forbid similar behavior, yet still allow me to keep letting Erica-sama read Liliana-sama's diary…?"
Kairen knitted her brows slightly. Now that she'd returned to her usual sharpness and black-bellied wit, it took only three to five seconds for her to reach an answer.
"Because, in the past, even though Erica-sama was Liliana-sama's good friend, the two of them belonged to different sides. As friends, they were even more often competitors—and sometimes, they were enemies."
"But on your side, Akuto-sama, that situation will no longer exist."
"Because Liliana-sama and Erica-sama will both be yours. Even the Copper Black Cross and the Bronze Black Cross will become forces under your command."
"In that case, Erica-sama won't be an 'outsider' anymore, and reading Liliana-sama's diary becomes something acceptable."
[Correct.] Akuto nodded in approval.
[Then Kairen—have you recognized your mistake from before?] Akuto asked again.
"My mistake was— I shouldn't have taken Liliana-sama's diary to Erica-sama just to use it to slap Liliana-sama in the face."
Now that Kairen understood Akuto's stance, she wouldn't give a wrong answer again.
After confirming her reply, Akuto smiled and loosened his grip, releasing Kairen's hand.
Kairen pressed her reddened lips together, looking at his hand with a hint of reluctance. She really did like the feeling of having him hold her hand. On one hand, it was only natural to want physical contact with the man who made her heart race. On the other, whenever Akuto held her hand, she felt an endless sense of security and happiness.
It was the feeling of being understood, accepted, accommodated, and liked—something that made her soul surge, yet also made her calm and steady, a strange sensation all at once.
Kairen liked it. More than that—she missed it already.
The next second, Akuto's smile turned playful.
"Since you know you were wrong, then come over here and accept your punishment~"
"Eh? Punishment?"
"That's right. Punishment. If you did something wrong, you accept punishment. Isn't that how it works?" Akuto countered.
"O-okay… How does Akuto-sama plan to punish me?" Kairen swallowed.
"Look at my posture. What do you think?"
As he spoke, Akuto patted his thigh, setting one leg out to the side, looking like someone settling in to make a point.
Kairen was a smart girl. She quickly understood what he meant.
"I… I understand…"
Her face flushed, her eyes shimmering with watery emotion as she leaned in close, draping herself across Akuto's thigh like a clingy little shadow.
Akuto lifted a hand and drew up the hem of her maid skirt just enough for a glimpse of the neat white lace beneath her black stockings to catch the eye.
"Mm? Kairen—if I'm not mistaken, your underwear style today is a little different from usual?" Akuto sounded genuinely amused, as if this were a matter of personal aesthetics.
(End of Chapter)
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