The tsundere mistress and her fox-eared servant on a yuri journey to defeat demons - Volume 1 Chapter 3
The tsundere mistress and her fox-eared servant on a yuri journey to defeat demons
Chapter 3. Shen Hu’s “Meal”
“Here we go.”
They entered the inn room, which had just invested in facilities for travelers and wandering vendors, and placed the egg-colored pudding in a clear glass jar in the magical refrigerator provided to them. Lisa smiled and watched as the puddings were neatly arranged, one extra courtesy of the shopkeeper, and closed the door.
“Ah, it sure is a very nice place to stay. How long will we be staying here?”
“The inn is nice, but I don’t feel like staying in this city for too long.”
Shen Hu, who had moved the table and chairs to the window, spread out the food and liquor she bought in the city and was already a bit tipsy.
“…It would be a good city if there weren’t serial disappearances happening.”
“That’s a big problem, isn’t it? I’ll take a shower first.”
“Do you want us to go in together?”
“You silly.” Ignoring Shen Hu’s cheerful comments, Lisa entered the bathroom. “Are we clear? Don’t go spying, okay?”
“Yes, ma’am…”
When she reminded her before closing the door, she received a dry response.
“If you’re going to spy on me, I’ll pour tap water on you…” Muttering, she undressed and turned on the shower faucet.
As soon as she thought she heard a faint growl, the properly warm water fell onto Lisa. Upon reaching for the soap, she found that its surface had been beautifully shaved like a gem, with a flower placed inside. Perhaps it was scented with flowers, and as she lathered up, the bathroom filled with a delightful fragrance. She foamed up a generous amount of soap and slid it over her body with her palm.
While carefully washing every inch of her body like this, her agitated mind began to calm down gradually.
“I wish I could eliminate that abominable mist as easily as I wash away the dirt from my body…” She murmured to herself and poured hot water to rinse off the foam. By the time the soap bubbles disappeared down the drain, her body was wet and warm from the hot water.
She emerged from the bath feeling fresh and clean, with her hair brushed with honey oil and her entire body purified.
“Now, time to eating that pudding.”
She changed into dry clothes, dried her wet hair with a simple towel, and returned to the room.
Shen Hu was eating and drinking by the window as usual, but Lisa could see that her fox ears, which were raised, were moving frequently, as if she was concerned about the noise outside. It must be this kind of attention that allowed her not to miss key points, even though she looked so insolent. When she opened the magical refrigerator with admiration, she found that all three puddings had disappeared without a trace.
“What? Shen Hu…”
“What’s wrong, mistress?”
Shen Hu turned around, holding the pudding containers in her hand. The spoon in her right hand was scooping up the last bite of the pudding and bringing it to her mouth.
“Ah… ah…”
Looking closely, there were already two empty bottles stacked on the table.
“Hmm? Do you mean this? They were pretty good.”
Shen Hu tilted her head and offered the last spoonful.
“I know, say ah~!”
“M-my pudding…”
Trembling, she approached Shen Hu, took the offered spoon, and took the final bite. The chilled pudding mixed with the fragrant burnt sugar, and the indescribably smooth texture slid down her tongue.
“Why are you angry? I did everything you told me to do.”
“But I wanted some too! There were three puddings, and you ate them all!”
The pudding she was supposed to enjoy after bathing ended up being nothing more than a single bite.
“I thought you said I should eat them…” Shen Hu furrowed her brows, confused.
“Sit there! That’s not what I meant; you always, you’re always…” Lisa’s anger was relentless as she ordered Shen Hu to sit.
She knew with all her rational mind that she was taking it out on Shen Hu, but the joy that had been suddenly taken from her was not going to return.
Lisa’s anger also turned towards Shen Hu’s daily behavior, and the scolding continued.
Shen Hu lowered her head and remained silent, calmly listening to Lisa’s reprimand.
Lisa’s anger was further aroused by Shen Hu’s unusually calm behavior, even though she appreciated the lack of petulant retorts.
“Hey, are you listening?” Lisa crossed her arms and glanced sideways at Shen Hu.
“Yes, I’m listening…” Shen Hu, who seemed agitated, looked up at Lisa and dropped her gaze to the ground again.
“A-alright…” When she looked at Shen Hu again, she saw that her tail was also limp, without strength. Lisa turned to look at her, her anger dissipated due to her unusual restraint. “I-I get it. What’s wrong with you? You’re going to drive me crazy…”
“Can you forgive me?” Shen Hu, observing Lisa’s face from below, had teary eyes as if about to cry.
“I said it’s okay. You can go back to acting like you always do.” As soon as she saw Shen Hu’s face, Lisa felt remorse, wondering if she had overreacted.
“Really?”
“Yes, I won’t repeat it.”
She nodded and answered Shen Hu’s question, confirming it. The moment Shen Hu heard the response, a smile returned to her face.
“Kukuku, I’ve been waiting for you to say that.”
“Eh…?”
“You want me to act like I always do, right?”
Shen Hu didn’t give her time to think. Lisa knew she was up to something, but it was she who said it would be okay if she acted like she always did. Lisa’s pride didn’t allow her to retract so soon.
“I-I said it’s okay.”
Shen Hu smiled and stood up, responding to Lisa with a smile on her face.
“Then, as you promised, it’s time for a ‘meal’.”
Lisa instinctively shuddered at Shen Hu, who wiggled the five fingers of her two hands in a beckoning motion.
“Wa-wait a minute…”
“Stop your useless resistance, mistress.” At the same time as Shen Hu’s words, the curse of the collar was activated.
“Ah, uh…” As soon as she felt the numbness coursing through her body, she was physically incapacitated.
“Kakaka, look at how the tables have turned, mistress ?.” Shen Hu held Lisa firmly as she staggered.
“…Uugh…” She tried to argue, but she was so sleepy that she couldn’t even speak. Lisa’s consciousness ceased there, unable to gather the strength to lift her eyelids, which fell heavily.
“…tress… oh, my mistress…”
Her shoulders were being shaken.
Her body felt heavy like mud, but she could barely open her eyes.
“…It’s time for you to wake up…”
“Wha…!?”
Shen Hu’s face suddenly interrupted the white ceiling in front of her.
Instinctively, Lisa jumped up and stared at Shen Hu, realizing her disheveled appearance.
“Wait, it can’t be that you… Kyah!” Even though her consciousness should have awakened, her body still wasn’t doing what it was supposed to.
She tried to escape by getting out of bed, but unexpectedly, she was held back by Shen Hu.
“Are you okay, mistress?” Shen Hu, who quickly grabbed her by the chest and hips, pressed his nose against Lisa’s still-damp hair. “I never get tired of this smell. It’s exactly the scent of a beautiful girl after a hot bath.”
“You’re the worst! Putting people to sleep and then doing that…!” She put her hand on Shen Hu’s cheek and made her move away, raising her voice. Shen Hu blinked and looked at Lisa’s face with curiosity.
“No, I haven’t done anything yet. It’s been too long, and I just made a mistake. Do I seem so heartless to you?”
“Uh… and this appearance… so it wasn’t because of…?”
Upon hearing Lisa’s candid and confused response, Shen Hu placed her hand on her forehead in an exaggerated swaying gesture.
“Oh, you just don’t trust me. At least you can see the changes in your own body.”
With those words, Lisa cautiously inspected her own appearance. Although she was almost unclothed, there were no signs that Shen Hu had done anything concrete.
“Besides, mistress, you yourself promised to give me a ‘meal’ later.”
Shen Hu’s eyes gleamed as Lisa let out a sigh of relief, and she made a wry face.
“Aren’t you lying?” Lisa slowly averted her gaze when she brought up the promise they made in Hazelnigrad. “I hope you’re not lying to me…”
Trying to prevent Lisa from looking away, Shen Hu put her hand on her cheek and made her turn. Lisa, realizing there was no way to escape this, asked with a tense voice.
“If you’re not lying, why am I like this…?”
“Now that we know the mission is related to demons, we have no idea when they will attack. Besides, mistress, I think you mentioned earlier that my foxfire wasn’t powerful enough.”
“Ugh…”
Shen Hu began to present a list of perfectly sensible reasons.
“If I eat, my mystical power will also strengthen. I suppose it’s part of the mission, right?”
“…It’s a fair point.”
Was she trying to make it easier for Lisa to accept? Shen Hu skillfully got Lisa to nod in agreement.
“So we’ve clarified that. Let’s begin then.” Shen Hu, lying behind Lisa, began to touch her body from behind.
Lisa’s shoulders jumped as Shen Hu cupped her palms over her breasts, as if wanting to envelop her exposed underwear.
“Oh, wait…” Lisa, still unable to free her body, looked at Shen Hu behind her, lips pursed, and breathless.
“What’s wrong, mistress?” Shen Hu looked at her face and brought her fox ears closer, and Lisa’s subdued voice sounded in her ears.
“If it’s just a kiss, it’s fine…”
“Of course…” Shen Hu responded with a smile, and before she could finish, Lisa placed her lips on hers.
“Ah…” Lisa gently extended the tip of her tongue over their overlapped lips. However, Shen Hu lifted her body and pulled away before the tip of her tongue could touch her lips.
“Now, the much-awaited fun is about to begin ?.” Shen Hu’s attention was already elsewhere, though she wanted to feel the sensation of that sweet kiss a bit more.
“Don’t be so enthusiastic…” Lisa let out a slight sigh of dissatisfaction and glanced resentfully at Shen Hu.
“This is because we were interrupted by Averlla last time.” Shen Hu gently placed the palm of her hand on Lisa’s slender shoulder, and Lisa looked up at her.
“Nnnn…”
Shen Hu’s tongue emerged from the space between their lips, which met again. Lisa responded by sticking out her tongue and intertwining it between Shen Hu’s while the fox-eared spirit’s lips captured it.
Shen Hu sought Lisa’s tongue with the tip of hers, as if wanting to tickle her, and then kissed her deeply. Lisa responded to the long-awaited kiss with embarrassment and savored that sweet saliva with a taste of honey.
Unable to move her body freely, she couldn’t embrace Shen Hu as she wished. Instead, she held her in place and took her time to kiss her.
“Ah…” The night air suddenly touched her cheeks, which had become so warm that they melted with each other’s breath.
Lisa realized that Shen Hu had lifted the upper part of her body and opened her eyes, startled.
“I hope you get an idea of how I feel…” Shen Hu looked at her with furrowed brows and melancholic eyes.
“You idiot…”
Shen Hu let out a chuckle at Lisa’s sharp response.
“…Why do you have to do this when all you have to do is drain my vitality…” Lisa looked away, frustrated by Shen Hu’s calm demeanor.
“But, mistress. It’s vitality, but it’s still life. I’ve told you that for me, a ‘meal’ is like a ritual. And it would be better for you if you let me take my time.”
Her hot lips gently nibbled on her earlobe, and a seductive voice whispered in her ear.
“Admit that your body feels good…”
Shen Hu’s kisses, which she referred to as “meals,” had an effect not only on Shen Hu, a spirit that fed on life, but also on Lisa, with whom she made the contract.
Shen Hu let out a sigh and looked at Lisa’s face.
“Wha-what?”
“I’m glad you’re cooperating, mistress. It was about time you were more honest with your words, and…”
“You silly…”
Before she could finish, Lisa interrupted her. Shen Hu looked into Lisa’s eyes with an affectionate gaze and stroked her hair as if combing it.
Lisa closed her eyes and felt the comfort of the touch.
“I already knew it; you’re my ideal beautiful girl…”
“How can you say that after forcing me to live with this body…?” The fact that Shen Hu blatantly expressed affection for Lisa was so perplexing that she looked away and muttered something.
Shen Hu seemed unfazed and placed her hand on Lisa’s chin, looking into her eyes.
“I have decided to serve this beautiful girl for the rest of my life. Therefore, I must ask you to stay as you are.”
“Truly, you’ve cast a terrible curse on me.”
“But if you wish, I can free you.” Shen Hu, with a cheerful laugh, pressed her forehead against Lisa’s. “…Or would you have preferred to be with the fiancé your parents chose for you?”
“…You don’t have to be so mean.” Lisa looked into her eyes when she asked, quickly dismissing the topic.
“What do you mean, mean?”
“Ah…” Her eyes widened as she realized she had unexpectedly let out some of her true feelings.
“Mistress, could it be that…”
“No, you’re wrong! I don’t like doing this with you at all!”
Perhaps because she was in a hurry to change the subject, words she didn’t need to say slipped out of her mouth. She covered her mouth with her hand, but Shen Hu’s smiling face said it all.
“Mistress, that’s called digging your own grave, isn’t it?”
“Of course not!” She tried to appear strong, but her face was flushed with embarrassment.
Not wanting her expression to show, Lisa lifted the bed sheets and climbed inside.
“Hehe, I’ll ask you about that later.” Shen Hu, who had followed Lisa under the sheets, hugged her tightly, as if to assert that all of her belonged to her.
“Let’s go to bed early.” Lisa shook herself, turned her back to Shen Hu, and sighed heavily over her shoulder.
“Let me see if I can do that.” Shen Hu laughed as she said this and kissed Lisa’s hair.
As soon as she closed her eyes, she was enveloped in a deep sleep.
A breeze, carrying the scent of the sun, gently caressed the bed. The numerous rays of light illuminated Lisa’s fair skin as the curtains swayed, letting in the bright sunlight.
“Nn…” Lisa softly groaned as the light fell upon her eyelids. Tangled in the sheets, her body shivered, and she blinked slowly as she awakened from her slumber.
“…Shen Hu…” She sat up and ran her hand across the bed. Shen Hu, seated on a chair that had been moved near the windowsill, squinted her eyes, watching Lisa who had just woken up.
“Why didn’t you wake me up?” Judging by the position of the sun seen through the window, it was already past noon. As she got out of bed, annoyed at waking up so late, Shen Hu tilted her head and chuckled.
“It’s because you looked quite comfortable sleeping. And it was a pleasant sight.” Shen Hu’s expression, as she smiled, made Lisa glance at her own reflection.
“You silly! Old pervert, shameless fox!” Lisa hurriedly grabbed her coat upon realizing she was still in her nightgown and hurled all the curses she could think of at Shen Hu.
“Yes, whatever you say. But you know my love for you will never change.” Shen Hu approached her with a smile and offered her a glass of water.
“……” Lisa, feeling thirsty, took it with a pout and drank it in one gulp.
“Ahh. The world is shining, and I feel like I’ve come back to life. As I thought, you and I make a perfect pair.”
“Oh, just shut up!” She pushed the empty glass away and gave Shen Hu a glare.
But Shen Hu’s expression remained unchanged as she received it; on the contrary, she gently stroked Lisa’s hair as if to pacify her.
“Don’t get so angry. I’m telling you, it feels good for you too that we can exchange our feelings in this way, right?”
“…Uh…”
She tried to convince herself that it was because she had slept past noon, but she guessed it wasn’t the case. Perhaps because it had been a long time since Lisa had a “meal”, she unexpectedly felt the benefits of it and let out a soft groan. Her body felt lighter than ever, and no matter how rigorous the training, she felt like she could endure it effortlessly. She had a lot of energy and stamina.
“Now, now, it wouldn’t kill you to thank me for a change, you know?” Shen Hu, perhaps noticing the effect on Lisa, encouraged her with a wry smile.
“…I’m not saying anything like that.” Even if it was for her own benefit, she couldn’t genuinely be pleased to hear that it was the result of engaging in “that kind of thing”. Lisa let out a deep sigh, feigning obvious dismay.
“I took more time than usual to respond to my mistress’s request.”
“I-I didn’t ask you in the first place…” In response to Shen Hu’s gaze, her cheeks flushed. It was as if her lips remembered that warmth.
“And now what?” Shen Hu, looking at her face, leaned their foreheads together to check the warmth.
“…!!” Shen Hu’s face, so close to hers, reminded her of the countless kisses and affectionate words from last night, and her heart naturally skipped a beat in her chest.
“I can’t help it. I’m in better shape now thanks to you.”
She pushed Shen Hu away and got out of bed with her coat still wrapped around her.
“I see, the effect is great! Well, today I’ll give it my all, mistress!”
“…Yeah, fine. Let’s get going…” After picking up her scattered clothes from the floor and putting them on, Lisa packed her belongings and left the inn without waiting for Shen Hu.
***
“Hey, didn’t you forgot something important!” After walking a while outside the inn, Shen Hu quickly caught up with her. “Seriously, I told you that you and I are one and the same…”
Normally, Shen Hu would have forced her to cross her arms, but today she didn’t. She glanced at Lisa, who simply blinked.
“Is something wrong with my face?”
“It’s nothing.”
They were walking side by side, but the distance between them was frustrating. When Shen Hu, who usually teased her frequently, didn’t get close to her, Lisa felt irritated as if she expected her to do so.
Why is Shen Hu so carefree in general? I feel like a fool for getting so nervous on my own.
She was agonizing over words she couldn’t say and strode through the city with determined steps. The more she thought about it, the more frustrated she became.
“What’s wrong, mistress? Your face is red.”
“Eek!”
Shen Hu appeared in front of her without warning.
“So, you do have a fever after all?”
Her face approached her own, and her breath was sweet.
“…!?” Lisa’s lips trembled as she felt the heat rise to her face, becoming aware of something she would normally never notice. “It’s nothing, you erotic fox!”
“Ouch! And why is that!” Shen Hu, who had received a blow to the head, groaned and crouched down instantly.