The Confusion of a Pure-Type Succubus:

...Sigh...

I let out a breath, slid the last file into its folder, and tucked it into the drawer. I slung my bag and walked out of the library.

I locked the library door and took heavy steps toward home.

My body was tired. My eyes felt a little swollen. My gloomy mood made me sigh again and again.

Sigh...

They say sighing makes happiness slip away? I think that cause and effect is flipped. It’s because happiness slipped away that I’m sighing.

I stepped out of the main building and took a few deep breaths of fresh air. I felt a bit more awake. The moon was lovely tonight. I could replenish a little essence.

Today might be the worst day of my life... No, not the worst. Maybe the most unforgettable.

Hmm. I don’t know how to describe it.

If you ask why, because just a few hours ago, something very, very, very unexpected happened. Something I thought would never happen in this lifetime.

I got a Master.

And that Master is a student I know.

An Juncheng. The first time I met him was half a year ago, in the autumn. He came to the library and asked, “Do you have manga or light novels?”

Qiangshui High is a top school. Our library wouldn’t stock entertainment books. At best, you’d find Sherlock Holmes or Harry Potter.

But I, for some reason, told him, “We do, but I haven’t put them on the shelves. If you want to read them, I’ll bring them out tomorrow.” Then the next day, I brought manga and light novels from home and set them on a corner shelf.

After that, he started coming often. I kept ordering manga and light novels online, updating them from time to time.

Thinking back, why did I tell that lie?

Maybe because he didn’t frown the moment he saw me.

Without noticing, I’d already reached my apartment. It’s not fancy. Just a normal twelve-story building. The good part is it’s close to the school, only three blocks away. Maybe because there were ghost rumors, the price was low. And I used an illusion to confuse the seller, so I bought it dirt cheap. Even so, it wiped out my modest savings. I’d just graduated, after all.

That mother of mine... she even said, “If you’re broke, go do compensated dating. For a Succubus, sucking a man’s essence is only natural. You get money and pleasure. Two birds, one stone~” Truly hateful!

I am never going to compromise!

Why does a Succubus have to be that debauched!

No—why am I a Succubus at all!

“Hate it!”

I kicked a concrete utility pole hard. The pole dented at once. My foot didn’t get hurt.

...Maybe the only perk of being a Succubus is a sturdier body. Though that shameless mother said it’s so you can endure all kinds of “play”... Idiot! Why tell me that! Idiot, idiot!

I’ve wished countless times that I weren’t a Succubus. Then I could live a normal life...

Ugh, what am I even thinking.

That’s impossible anyway.

The elevator’s floor indicator showed 1. The doors opened slowly. I stepped in. A man followed behind me.

He’s the guy who lives downstairs. Every so often I run into him at this hour. He carried a faint smell of blood. No idea what he does. Fighting every day?

I usually walk with my head down on purpose. But today, because I’m depressed, I looked straight ahead and pushed my bangs aside.

The moment he saw my face, he showed extreme disgust. He frowned and clicked his tongue.

My hearing is sharper than humans’. I caught his mutter. “I should move... Even if it’s not haunted, I see a ghost every day... Really seeing a ghost...”

He means me.

That reaction is normal.

Yes, the illusion is still active.

In other people’s eyes, I’m an ugly woman.

What I cast on myself is an impression-inverting illusion. It makes others see the opposite of my true face.

I can’t see what I look like to them. But since it makes my neighbors think about moving, it must be very ugly... Hah...

...

We reached the eleventh floor. I watched him step out, annoyed. I couldn’t hold it in.

“Hey.”

He looked over. I dispelled the illusion and gave him a bright smile while flipping him off.

“Hmph! Go to hell!”

Under his blank stare, the elevator doors slid shut and began rising to the top floor.

Phew~ I feel so much better~ You really do need to vent.

I pulled out my keys and opened 1203. The first thing I saw was chaos... An Juncheng said he wanted to come over. If he saw this mess, he’d definitely look down on me.

No. No. Why am I caring about his feelings!

...Mm. Time for a long-overdue clean-up.

Near eleven, the room was mostly tidy. It felt like I hadn’t seen the floor in ages.

Next, I’ll mend his uniform.

I took out a sewing kit from the bedside table. I hadn’t touched it in ages. It was the only gift my mother ever gave me. Maybe the most useful thing she taught me was sewing.

—When you’re upset, just do embroidery and your mood will lift, okay~ Especially after you have someone in your heart. Think of him while you stitch. It’ll look even prettier.

Mm, why did that line pop up... An Juncheng... Wait, why am I thinking of him! He’s just my student!

I shook my head hard, flinging the distractions away, and got to work.

Stitch by stitch, mending the uniform. Every stitch had to be careful. The direction and thickness had to stay consistent...

“An Juncheng...”

Mm! I accidentally said his name!

A jolt shot through my lower abdomen, stabbing like needles. My heart felt squeezed by a hand.

“Ah... mm...”

The pain was so sharp I couldn’t help letting a sound slip. It took a long moment to fade.

I can’t call him by name. I have to address him as “Master” or “Master Cheng.”

Even when he’s not present, I’m not allowed to be rude. The contract is that tyrannical. Because it’s a master-slave contract.

I lied. In truth, once my true name was known, the contract we formed wasn’t master-servant. It was master-slave.

With a master-slave contract, I’m lower than a servant. I have no freedom. I must obey my Master unconditionally. I have no autonomy.

I’m afraid that if he learns this, he’ll give me that lewd gaze like other men. Or rather, I don’t want to see him become that kind of person.

That trace of fear made me endure the punishment and lie.

But I do know this. An Juncheng is kind.

Before today, what he saw of me should have been like what everyone else saw. Extremely ugly.

In a society that worships looks, a face like that gets you rejected. Coworkers avoid me. Students don’t like me. Everyone keeps their distance.

Yet he chose to approach me.

And like me, he’s alone. Maybe that’s why I kept asking him for help.

I didn’t expect that the charm array I set to help him escape loneliness would end up being the trigger for me to acknowledge him as Master...

I didn’t think a power like that existed. Seeing other people’s names and titles? I know lots of humans have abilities, but most are things like discharging electricity or making fire. That kind of odd ability is rare.

For us demons, it’s basically an ultimate weapon.

He suddenly awakened that ability. He must be troubled. I have to ask Mother about it tomorrow.

It’s been a long time since I contacted her. Even though I came to the school she’s at, I never dared see her... You could say thanks to him, I finally have a reason to go.

Speaking of which, he’s seven years younger than me. But he looks more mature than his peers.

I even cried in front of him. I bawled like a child...

“Yaa~! So embarrassing!”

Only now do I feel the shame. I yelled like an idiot, and pricked my finger from the force.

“Ugh, that hurts!”

I quickly put my index finger in my mouth. What bad luck. You shouldn’t zone out while sewing.

Come to think of it, after seeing my true face, his reaction wasn’t even strong. Could his orientation really be off?

No. When he walked into the library today, he stared right at me. He even said my true face is a sexy big sister. That means he’s into women.

Guys this age all have fantasies about girls. Maybe he’s the quiet-but-lewd type?

But even when he touched my hand, he felt no sexual urge.

Yesterday, when I passed him a note, I accidentally brushed his hand. I thought the contact was too brief, so it didn’t work. But today, when I threw a tantrum, we tugged at each other for ages. He still had no reaction.

That means, even if he touches me, he won’t be induced.

So he didn’t do anything to me. He even swore an oath.

His words before he left replay in my head.

—Then I’ll head back. Lili, don’t worry about that master-servant contract. Just pretend it never happened. Starting tomorrow, we’re still teacher and student. That’s that.

Pretend it never happened...

Keep being teacher and student...

Why do I feel so lost...

From now on, how am I supposed to face him? Keep my role as his teacher?

Can I really keep a teacher’s image in front of him?

Sigh... Master Cheng... my Master... mm!

Ow... I pricked my finger again.

Am I an idiot...

Hurry up and finish mending his uniform, then go to sleep.