'Wh-what… where am I?'
'You're finally awake.'
The black-haired girl glared at me.
She then tried to lunge at me, but found that she couldn't move.
She was bound by my magic.
'Let go of me you… you monster!'
She struggled with all her might. It was about as effective as yelling into a brick wall.
'I'm going to ask some questions,' I said calmly. 'You're going to answer them.'
'I'm not telling you shit!' She growled.
'Let's test something, then.'
I pulled a vial from my system inventory. Inside was a red liquid.
Blood.
Not just any blood, but the blood of the Demon King from my previous world.
Her expression froze.
'You will answer truthfully.'
'Y-yes.'
She blinked.
Her mouth moved without her permission.
'Huh,' I muttered, stroking my chin. 'Works, but kind of budget version.'
The Demon King was the absolute authority among demons. If he said kneel, they knelt. If he said die, they died.
That unity was what made demons terrifying.
Meanwhile, the rest of the races couldn't agree on lunch.
'I'm not sure if you're from my world,' I glanced at her, 'but your body is reacting to it. Interesting.'
'What's your name?'
'Morita Eri.'
She stiffened again, horrified.
'Demon name?'
'I… don't have one.'
'Every demon has one.'
'I don't know, I was born here.'
'Hmm.'
That narrowed it down.
Runaway demon parents or half-breed.
'Your parents?'
'Dead.'
She said it calmly.
But her eyes didn't.
Tears slid down her face and her body trembled.
'…'
I sighed and rubbed my forehead.
'What am I doing interrogating a kid…'
Years of fighting demons had wired me to treat them all as enemies.
But this…
She looked more human than most humans I had ever met.
I stared at the murky red blood in the vial before putting it away and releasing the spell.
She dropped to the floor with a soft thud and stayed there.
'Mama… papa… I miss you…' She curled up.
'…'
I said nothing.
Some things don't need commentary.
…
After a while, she looked up and wiped her tears.
'Sniff… you seem to know a lot about my race.'
'I know enough, but can't be too sure.' I shrugged. 'Did anyone teach you magic?'
She shook her head.
'No. I figured things out myself.'
'Yeah. I can tell.'
She frowned.
'I'll give you two options.'
I raised two fingers.
'One: you follow me and I will teach you control.'
'Or two: I seal your powers permanently.'
She stood up slowly.
'So… a slave or a slave.'
'Beggars can't be choosers.'
She stared at me.
I stared back.
'If… if I follow you…' She clenched her fists. 'Will you help me find who killed my parents?'
'Yes.'
She exhaled.
'… Deal.'
'Good. I like people who pick the option where I don't have to do extra work.'
I opened the system store and bought a pair of glasses.
'Wear these when I'm not around.'
She took them, inspecting them.
'What do they do?'
'Seals your powers as long as they are worn.'
'Side effects?'
'People might call you 4 eyes. Tragic.'
She slowly put them on.
Instantly, her little wings and tail vanished.
Her eyes shifted back to blue.
'Un.' I nodded. 'Stable.'
The wild mana leaking out of her settled.
While she admired herself in the mirror, I pulled out the phone.
'Hey, Eri.'
She turned.
'Already on a first-name basis?' Hands on hips.
I ignored her.
'You made this, right?' I shook the phone.
She grabbed it.
'Oh! This thing! Where'd you find it?'
'On a guy trying to hypnotise someone. He was quite the character.'
She winced.
'Would you believe me if I said it was an accident?'
'Yes.'
She paused.
'Wait… why yes?!'
'Because I don't think a rookie like you could make something like this constantly.'
'HEY! I spent over an hour on that!'
I stared.
Sweat formed.
'… Okay, maybe an hour-ish…'
Stare.
'Thirty minutes.'
Stare.
'TEN MINUTES, OKAY?!'
'Ten minutes. Quite impressive for a rookie.'
'It was an accident. I just awakened my powers, so I was testing some stuff.'
She poked the phone and pink lights flickered.
'Though I failed… so I threw it away.'
'But I guess… it works.' She scratched her head.
'You really are a rookie.'
'Hey! That's because I had no teacher!'
'Still a rookie.' I patted her shoulder. 'Don't worry. I'll fix that.'
'Th-thanks?' She tilted her head.
I walked over to the kitchen and began cleaning the leftover dishes.
'Who do you live with?'
'… Myself.'
'Income?'
'Umm…' Her eyes darted around. 'I hypnotised the landlord for free rent.'
I set the plate down.
'Speedrunning government capture, I see.'
'What was I supposed to do?!'
'Fair point, so I won't smack you for that.'
I washed a bowl.
'Still… I won't allow it going forward.'
'Then how do I live?!'
'I can either give you money or you live here with me.'
She narrowed her eyes.
'You want me here?'
'It's efficient.'
She crossed her arms, hugging her body.
'You're not planning anything weird, right?'
'Why would I be, especially to a kid?'
'We're the same age!'
'Sure… whatever you say kid.'
I dried my hands.
'Decision?'
She looked around.
Finding a sofa, she sat on it and tested its comfort.
'I'll stay. At least I get to live like a king here.'
'Okay.'
I showed her around the house.
'This is your room.'
I flipped the light switch.
'Whoa!'
Tatami floors. TV. Space to breathe.
'This is much bigger than my apartment.'
She flopped down immediately and did snow angels.
'Best decision of my life.'
I decided to leave her on her own accord.
Closing the door, I stepped out.
I stood in the courtyard, staring at the starless sky.
'So supernatural stuff exists here too.'
Now the "H" in H-world is starting to feel like it might actually be "Hardcore."
If so then it means the difficulty just spiked up compared to my previous world.
I clenched my fist.
My old world was already a nightmare.
If this one topped it…
'I guess I need to train more.'
Because this time…
I'm not letting things go to hell again.
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[Morita Eri] Succubus Yondara Gino ga Kita