I Became the Must-Have Character of the Academy City - Chapter 126



125 – A Pillow Found After Too Long

In the moment after the succubus’s neck was severed.

Ichinose, taking Rohan into her sight, considered.

‘Was Rohan a beastkin?’

At first, she’d wondered if a thick tail was somehow attached to his front.

But how could a tail be attached to the front?

Of course, he wasn’t a beastkin.

‘If not?’

The conclusion drawn in the girl’s mind was singular.

“…”

Ichinose possessed a wealth of cultivation and common sense.

Within that scope, naturally, existed s*xual knowledge.

Lacking in experience, she was thoroughly versed in theory. Ignorance would only lead to embarrassment, after all.

Ludicrous tales of storks delivering babies or of pregnancy resulting from mere kisses or holding hands.

Such things held no sway over this brilliant girl.

Therefore, Ichinose Yui.

Knew exactly what was occurring in Rohan’s lower body.

A phenomenon where blood flowed to a specific area due to s*xual stimulation, causing it to increase in size and harden.

A function developed so males could inject sperm into the bodies of females who engaged in internal fertilization.

Words she had the knowledge of, but had never spoken in her life, nor intended to ever speak.

‘E, e, e, erec….’

Encountering it directly rendered word completion impossible, even within her consciousness.

This wasn’t a photograph from an anatomy textbook. Even if the shape was obscured, it was her first time seeing the real thing.

How could one possess such fervor, such raw intensity?

Ichinose’s body, unable to face Rohan directly, spun away.

An awkward silence settled.

Rohan rustled slightly, then cautiously approached the frozen Ichinose.

“Ichinose.”

“…”

“Ichinose?”

“Ah, I know… I know it too well…”

“Knowing, yet refusing to even glance this way.”

“…”

An unavoidable consequence of the succubus’s allure.

That his mind had resisted at all was a feat. Ordinarily, one’s very essence would have been drained at the moment of enchantment.

Ichinose tried to grasp this rationally.

But effort was effort; the evidence of his dysfunction was painfully clear.

Watching the scene unfold, Rohan took a step back.

“Forgive me. I shouldn’t have interfered, forcing you to see what you didn’t need to.”

An apology from one who held no fault. The emotions Ichinose had been concealing now surged forth like turbulent waves.

The realization that he shouldn’t be acting this way pierced him like an arrow.

“Rohan. Perhaps… keep your distance for a while.”

“Hmm?”

Ichinose gently placed his sword on the ground.

Then, with both hands empty, he raised them and struck his own cheeks with force.

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!

His dumpling-like cheeks flushed red, but in a different way.

Ichinose found a sliver of composure.

“It’s not your place to apologize Rohan, This ends here!”

“Refreshingly decisive. Thank you.”

Embarrassment and the overwhelming desire to vanish filled Ichinose.

Seeing him act that way, Rohan felt his own shame diminish, just a bit.

“Huuuh…!”

Ichinose, her cheeks flushed the color of strawberry mochi, clutched her sword and tried to initiate conversation.

“Rohan. What sort of sensation is this… enchantment? I should prepare myself, just in case.”

Succubi were commonly known to enchant men, but women weren’t entirely immune.

The reverse was also true.

The allure of a dream demon was significantly weakened against heteros*xual individuals of the same gender.

“Hmm, put simply, it’s like the feeling of animosity fading? Like a cheat code to forcibly increase affection.”

“Animosity fading? How fascinating.”

“And there’s definitely a… suggestive feeling. A s*xual desire. Along with the certainty that this desire will be resolved if directed towards the succubus.”

“H-huh….”

The girl’s nasal voice wavered at the explicit explanation.

Finding herself suddenly unable to speak, Ichinose rummaged through the succubus’s dilapidated dwelling.

After confirming there was nothing of value, the two resumed their journey.

Rohan seemed slightly uncomfortable moving.

“…You said we could escape the dungeon by destroying the monolith inside?”

“That’s right.”

“And it’s highly likely to be with a host or a dominant individual.”

“Yeah. Probably a succubus that we can at least talk to.”

Ichinose pondered this, her expression turning grave.

“If the dominant entity here is a Succubus Queen, we’re in trouble.”

“Wasn’t that monster… the one that appeared in Tigrova and Noah’s father dealt with?”

There were records of a Succubus Queen appearing through a dimensional rift.

The only conclusion reached was that she had been hunted to a pathetic end by the Snow Fox Emperor, but existing data indicated that she was versatile and powerful beyond just enchantment.

“That’s right. If a second queen has since been born, then she’s not a monster we can handle. Even among the instructors, only the main instructors would be able to cope.”

“Hmm.”

The entity Rohan had just faced was a common succubus who relied solely on enchantment, but…

Named succubi who could communicate possessed unique special abilities beyond enchantment.

On top of that, they were likely to command Pleasure Dolls as subordinates, making it clear that the more they considered the conditions, the more troublesome the opponent became.

“Well, let’s look for it first. We don’t have to fight it no matter what. We can just smash the monolith.”

“…Alright.”

Reassuring Ichinose, who seemed deeply worried, Rohan continued onward.

“What was that succubus’s name again? I can’t recall.”

Rohan knows, of course.

The succubus ruling the Incubus Nest is just one of the named ones, not the Queen.

Succubi, as a race, have various other dungeons besides this one.

From noble mtl dot com

The Incubus Nest is more like a town or a city, if we were to compare it to human society.

“And while lodging will somehow work out, food is also a problem.”

“Eungae-nose. Are you hungry?”

“Eungae my foot… I’m fine for now. But later will be an issue. Looking around, there are many mushrooms and plants, but we have no way of knowing which are edible.”

Ichinose is showing her unease. At this point, Rohan has no choice but to show her.

He can’t have Ichinose doing something dangerous to procure food or water.

Just like the last dungeon, they don’t know how long they’ll be in the Incubus Nest.

“Eungae-nose.”

“Yes?”

“Close your eyes.”

“I already have them closed…”

“Oh, right.”

Cutting off the nonsense chatter, he opens the Shop skill.

[Purchased Fresh Water.]

2 points consumed.

Rohan pulled water from thin air.

“…Huh?”

Ichinose, sensing something strange, opened her eyes wide.

She looked back and forth between Rohan and the water, as if asking how this was possible.

“Don’t worry about food or drink. It’s not unlimited, but we have plenty.”

“What on earth is this…”

“It’s my skill. I’m telling you because I trust Eungae-nose.”

“!”

Rohan was reflected in Ichinose’s eyes.

She seemed incredibly surprised by Rohan’s sudden revelation of his skill, her lips even slightly parted.

“Cool your cheeks with this. They’re still red? You can drink it, too.”

“Th-thank you…”

“Tell me anytime if you’re thirsty or hungry. No need to endure.”

Ichinose tried to cool her burning cheeks with the water she received.

··

··

Eight hours since Rohan and Ichinose began wandering the forest.

Finally, light began to pierce through the fog.

As they drew closer, a building with a structure resembling Gothic architecture faintly appeared.

The sweet scent in the air also intensified.

Breathing through her mouth, it felt as though she could taste the sweetness on her tongue.

“Rohan. Shall we enter right away?”

“Shall we conserve our strength first? Replenish our mana, too.”

He had felled at least hundreds of husks, and dispatched four more succubi.

None of them spoke any understandable language, and they were dealt with before they could even use their allure, so there were no injuries to speak of.

Still, fatigue was undeniable.

He had used a considerable amount of mana, and the tension of moving from one unknown place to another was mentally draining.

Unlike Rohan, who adapted quickly to new environments, Ichinose hadn’t relaxed her guard, and her constant vigilance seemed to exhaust her especially.

“…Shall we borrow the succubus’ dwelling we dealt with earlier?”

“Good idea. It had some semblance of amenities.”

It wasn’t far. Returning wouldn’t be a problem.

He had consistently left marks along the way, after all.

“Shall we eat after a nap?”

“I’m sorry. Is it alright if we do that?”

“No need to apologize, I don’t mind. You sleep first, Nya-nose.”

“…”

Ichinose walked with her lips pressed tightly together, looking apologetic.

And so they arrived at the dwelling.

After tossing the headless corpse of the succubus far away, they settled in.

It was more lavish than the first succubus they had encountered.

Although the wooden house was shabby, it was still in a relatively intact state. There was no bed, but there was definitely a spot to lie down on the floor.

“Thank goodness the temperature is mild. And it seems the climate doesn’t change with the time.”

This world is perpetually night.

Even after eight hours, the moon hanging in the sky showed no sign of movement.

Scattering moonlight as if observing the world.

“Being like this, it reminds me of the deserted island.”

“It was rough at the end, but it was fun, wasn’t it? A memory now.”

Rohan handed Ichinose his jacket, urging her to sleep quickly.

Then sat on the only chair in the house.

“Rohan… not there, come and sit here.”

Lying down, Ichinose covered herself with Rohan’s jacket and patted the floor, calling him over.

“Sit? Should I sing you a lullaby or something?”

Even as he asked, Rohan rose from the chair.

And sat on the floor where Ichinose had indicated.

“…”

Ichinose, still lying down, slowly scooted closer and rested her head on Rohan’s thigh.

“…Ichinose?”

“Just… be still…”

The voice was soft, like a murmured secret.

Ichinose’s face wasn’t visible as she wasn’t facing Rohan.

But the ear peeking out from her black hair was dyed a bright red.