I Took A Succubus's First Time-Chapter 54: Improvement

"I don't want to steal your love, Hina," Yuuna said, her voice firm yet tinged with sympathy. Her crimson eyes softened, but the weight of her words pressed down like an unyielding force. "Especially since you've been loveless your whole life. I truly feel for you, knowing you've carried that burden for so long. But that doesn't mean I can let you monopolize him."

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If Kouhei's affection stayed solely with Hina, the others wouldn't stand a chance. The room seemed heavier with the unspoken truth, like the air itself was dense with tension. Sure, the others could form shallow bonds with Kouhei—maybe maintain surface-level connections like Aria's professional teacher-student relationship. But that wouldn't be enough to win a war. A real war.

Hina tilted her head, her glossy silver hair shifting over her shoulders. Her crimson eyes gleamed with a dangerous kind of curiosity. "Monopolize?" she asked, her tone sharp yet unreadable.

Yuuna forced a smile, her lips curling into something gentle but unshakably resolute. "You might not see it yet, but that's exactly what you're doing. I get it, though. You don't want to share the person you love—it's only natural to feel that way. But you have to understand, Hina. Okumura-kun isn't just a man. He's the only thing standing between us and annihilation."

The silence stretched, heavy and palpable, as Yuuna's gaze drifted toward the window. Her reflection stared back at her, almost as if accusing her of the truth she'd been avoiding. "The Heavens will come, Hina. They'll stop at nothing to destroy him, to destroy us. And for us to have even the smallest chance of survival, we all need to get closer to him. We need to share a place in his heart. I hate saying it like this. I hate that it sounds like we're treating him as a tool for war. But the reality is, if you keep him all to yourself, we'll all fall. You've become strong, Hina, stronger than anyone expected. But even with all your power, you can't defeat the Heavens alone."

Hina's neutral expression didn't waver. Her crimson eyes remained cold and piercing, but not with anger. It was just how she was, an unyielding wall of calm calculation. Only Kouhei had managed to chip away at that exterior.

Finally, Hina broke the silence, her tone clipped but even. "I think you're the one misunderstanding something, President."

Yuuna blinked, the bluntness of Hina's words catching her off guard.

"I don't plan to monopolize him at all," Hina continued.

"Eh?" Yuuna's confusion bled into the air, her earlier certainty crumbling like sand slipping through her fingers.

Hina's lips curled into a slight smirk, her demeanor shifting ever so slightly into something more predatory. "You're accusing me of something I'm not doing," she said, her voice a low hum that sent a shiver down Yuuna's spine. "But the truth is, you're the one who wants to monopolize him. You've convinced yourself otherwise, spinning your feelings into a convenient lie just to keep them hidden. But deep down, it's you who wants him all to yourself."

Yuuna's breath hitched. Her crimson eyes widened, the weight of Hina's words hitting her like a physical blow. "You…" she managed to say, her voice barely above a whisper. "You're looking into my heart, aren't you?"

Hina's smirk didn't fade, her tone carrying a quiet intensity. "I don't know when this power awakened, but I can feel it's tied to my bond with Kouhei. I can sense people's emotions now, see through what they're hiding—even from themselves."

Yuuna's chest tightened. "That's… an incredible ability," she said. "I didn't realize Okumura-kun's power could awaken something like that in you. His power is… beyond anything I imagined. And I didn't realize…" She faltered, her words catching in her throat like they were fighting to stay hidden. "I didn't realize that's how I really felt," Yuuna admitted, her voice trembling as the truth finally spilled free. "All this time, I've been telling myself you were monopolizing him. But the reality is, I was just…"

"Jealous," Hina finished for her, her tone cutting yet strangely gentle. "Jealous that Kouhei's attention was all on me."

That was it. That was all her feelings boiled down to—jealousy. Yuuna just wanted Hina to give her a chance to get closer to Kouhei. But now, with Kouhei's love for Hina burning stronger than ever, Yuuna felt like there was no room left for her to even try.

Hina's hand slowly reached out toward Yuuna, the motion deliberate, almost hypnotic. Yuuna's body stiffened, instinct kicking in as she moved to dodge. It wasn't without reason. Everyone knew Hina couldn't touch anyone—not without making them cum on the spot. And if the contact lingered too long? That person could die, consumed by the uncontrollable waves of orgasm tearing through them.

Hina had always been cautious. She avoided physical contact, keeping her distance even from those who knew her secret as a succubus. They, in turn, respected that boundary, maintaining at least a meter's gap between her and themselves. Yet here she was, breaking her own rule, deliberately reaching out to Yuuna.

Before Yuuna could fully step back, Hina's soft, steady voice cut through the moment. "Don't worry. I won't do anything that could hurt you."

Yuuna froze mid-movement, her heartbeat quickening. Trusting Hina went against her instincts, but something about her voice, calm and unyielding, made her hesitate. Finally, she stopped trying to evade the touch, allowing Hina's hand to gently cup her cheek.

Warmth spread from Hina's palm, but there was no flood of pleasure, no debilitating rush that would leave her a moaning, writhing mess. Instead, all she felt was… nothing. Her crimson eyes widened in disbelief.

Yuuna blinked, startled. "Huh?" Her crimson eyes locked onto Hina's, wide with disbelief. "Y-You can control it now?"

Hina's lips curled into a small, confident smile. "It's not that surprising," she replied, her tone laced with pride. "Kouhei-kun is very special, after all."

Yuuna's shock deepened. Hina could now suppress the very power that had made her so dangerous. This wasn't just an improvement—this was something far greater. Hina had gained control over a power that had once made her untouchable, and in doing so, she'd become someone extraordinary.

Hina's smile shifted into a sly grin, a playful glint sparking in her crimson eyes. "And someone special deserves to have something just as special."

Yuuna didn't fully understand at first, but as the moment stretched, comprehension dawned. Slowly, a smile of her own curved her lips.

Elsewhere, Kouhei felt an unexplainable chill snake down his spine.

***

The moment class ended, Kouhei made his way straight to the training grounds. He couldn't afford to waste time.

Aria stood off to the side, her piercing eyes locked on him as she scrutinized every movement. Her expression remained neutral, but the approval in her tone was unmistakable as she spoke. "Your swings are much more polished now compared to before. That's a good sign—you're improving."

When he'd first started, Kouhei's strikes had been a mess—wild and unrefined, the blade curving unpredictably through the air. But now, each swing cut cleanly, the blade slicing through the wind with seamless precision.

Hearing Aria's praise sent a flicker of pride through him, but frustration bubbled just beneath the surface. Despite his progress, he couldn't shake the glaring fact that he was stuck. Three long weeks had passed, and he still couldn't cut the practice dummy in half with his wooden sword. The goal felt agonizingly close yet frustratingly out of reach.

His grip on the sword tightened, his knuckles whitening. "I need to break through this stage before the week ends."

"Now, try it against the training dummy," said Aria.

Kouhei's gaze locked onto the training dummy in front of him. He adjusted his stance, shifting into the most basic sword posture Aria had drilled into him over the past few weeks. As a beginner, he had no choice but to start with the fundamentals—footwork, grip, swings, and stances. They were tedious, frustratingly repetitive, and far from exciting, but Kouhei knew they were essential. If he ever wanted to master the sword, he had to first conquer the basics.

He glanced at the wooden sword in his hand, his eyes burning with intensity as if trying to pierce through the blade itself. Taking a deep breath to steady his nerves, Kouhei tightened his grip. With determination flooding his veins, he readied himself, muscles tensing in anticipation. In one swift motion, he swung the sword hard, aiming to slice the training dummy cleanly in half.

But reality was cruel. The blade didn't cut through. Instead, the force of his swing was so unbalanced that the sword slipped out of his sweaty hands, spinning through the air before clattering onto the ground a few feet away.

Kouhei froze, the sound of the sword hitting the ground echoing in his ears like a mocking taunt. A surge of frustration boiled up inside him, his fists trembling with the urge to punch the ground. He felt useless—pathetic, even. How could he not manage something so simple? Aria could do this effortlessly, as if it were second nature, yet here he was, stuck at the very first hurdle.

Aria, for all her flaws as a teacher, was doing her best to guide him. She wasn't great at explaining things, and her instructions sometimes lacked clarity, but she tried. Yet despite her efforts, Kouhei still couldn't improve. His self-loathing crept in, gnawing at his resolve. Looks like I really am nothing more than useless, he thought bitterly, his mind spiraling into self-deprecation.

While Kouhei sulked, trapped in the whirlwind of his own frustration, Aria approached the training dummy with a critical eye. Her fingers brushed over the hay, inspecting it carefully.

After a moment, she straightened, her sharp gaze cutting through Kouhei's gloom. "Okumura-sama," she called out, her voice snapping him out of his thoughts. "Come here."

Reluctantly, Kouhei trudged over, still nursing his bruised ego. Aria gestured toward the dummy, pointing to a spot on its surface. He squinted, unsure of what she wanted him to see.

And then it hit him.

Even though it was barely noticeable, he'd actually managed to slice into the hay. The cut was shallow—insignificant, really—but it was there.

"You're getting there," Aria said, her voice softer now, almost encouraging. "Little by little, you're improving."

The corners of Kouhei's mouth twitched as a flicker of hope sparked within him. It wasn't much, but it was progress. And for now, that was enough.