I Took A Succubus's First Time-Chapter 117: The First Recruit

"Yuuna-san, is there… something I can do to help?" Kouhei asked Yuuna.

He already knew. He knew there wasn't much he could do, yet he couldn't suppress the gnawing need to offer himself in some way. The thought of standing idle while the people he cared about risked everything left a bitter taste in his mouth. This wasn't some trivial issue he could overthink his way out of—it was war. Yet, here he was, desperate to make a difference, no matter how small.

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Yuuna turned to him, her soft, warm smile radiating a calmness that sent shivers down his spine. "Just support us with all of your heart. That alone is more than enough," she said, her voice like silk. She reached out and gently tapped the tip of his nose, her touch delicate but grounding.

"Okay…"

It felt pathetic to him. A single word, powerless and hollow, yet it was all he could manage. He clenched his fists beneath the water, nails digging into his palms, the frustration of his own inadequacy churning in his chest.

"I love you, Kouhei-kun," Yuuna said, her voice softening, but her eyes betrayed a flicker of sorrow. "Promise me… If we lose this fight, you'll stay alive. Leave this town and go to your aunt. No, don't just stop there—go abroad. Far away. Don't look back."

The weight of her words hit him like a punch to the gut. The idea of abandoning them felt like swallowing shards of glass, but the gravity of her plea pinned him in place. Her trembling voice, the subtle waver in her expression—she wasn't asking this lightly.

"Would you do that for me? For us?"

Kouhei's throat tightened. The silence stretched as his emotions churned—a storm of defiance, guilt, and grief. Finally, he forced the word out, barely above a whisper. "Alright."

He hated it. Every part of him hated it. But he couldn't let his selfishness become another burden on her shoulders. If this was what she needed to hear, then he'd swallow his pride and give it to her.

"Thank you," Yuuna whispered, her eyes glistening ever so slightly.

She leaned toward him, her lips brushing against his in a kiss so soft it made his heart ache. Her warmth seeped into him, their silent connection far more powerful than any words could convey. The water rippled softly around them, the steam curling in the air like a protective veil over their shared moment.

***

Deep in the Saonji mansion's basement, the air was cold, damp, and heavy with dread. Chains clinked faintly as Masaki squirmed in the chair, her wrists raw and her skin glistening with sweat. The gag stuffed in her mouth muffled her strained breathing, her chest heaving as she struggled against her restraints.

Yuuna stood before her, her usual warmth replaced by an icy aura that seemed to suck the air out of the room. Her gaze was sharp, unforgiving—a blade poised to strike. If Kouhei were here to see her like this, he wouldn't have recognized her. This wasn't the gentle, loving Yuuna he knew.

"Aria," Yuuna commanded, her voice steady but carrying an edge that made the air feel suffocating. "Remove the gag."

"Yes, Yuuna-sama." Aria stepped forward, her heels clicking against the cold stone floor. She reached down, gripping the cloth gag and pulling it free with a swift motion.

"Fuaa…" Masaki gasped, her breaths labored as her mouth finally tasted air again. Saliva dripped down her chin, a humiliating reminder of her helpless state.

"Now then," Yuuna began, her voice colder than ice, "let's talk, Masaki." She stepped closer, her shadow falling over the bound woman like a looming specter. "I already know part of the answer from Souichiro himself, but I want to hear it from you. Why did you attack the Child of Anti-Prophecy? Knowing full well his role in the war between Heaven and Hell, what made you think this was a good idea?"

Masaki panted, her lips curling into a bitter sneer. "You already know. He's your brother. His ego couldn't possibly handle the idea that he's not the chosen one. So, in his mind, if the Child of Anti-Prophecy is real, he has to kill him. And as a bonus, he gets to watch you suffer."

Yuuna's expression didn't waver, but the room seemed to grow colder as her presence intensified. Her nails lightly tapped against her crossed arms, each click like a ticking clock counting down to something dark.

Of course, she knew. She had known all along that Souichiro's ego was as vast as it was fragile. He viewed himself as untouchable, unstoppable—a self-proclaimed god. And naturally, someone like him would stop at nothing to maintain that illusion, even if it meant turning the world against him.

Still, hearing it spoken aloud made her stomach churn, though she refused to let it show.

"Why did you decide to join his faction, Masaki?" Yuuna's voice was laced with a calm coldness, her expression unreadable, yet her words sliced through the tension like a blade. "If you'd just stayed by my side, none of this would've happened."

"You know I couldn't, Yuuna-sama..." Masaki's voice wavered, her head bowing in shame. "Your brother has me in a noose I can't slip out of. If I dared to defy him, he'd make me taste punishment so brutal, I can't even

imagine it."

Masaki had once been Yuuna's most trusted ally, her first recruit when Yuuna decided to carve out her own faction from the shadows of the Sarushima house. Masaki was a cornerstone of her plans, someone she believed would stand by her no matter what.

But all of that had shattered the moment Masaki left.

"Is Souichiro the reason you betrayed me?" Yuuna's words were sharp, her eyes narrowing as they bore into Masaki's trembling form.

Masaki said nothing, her lips pressed tightly together.

"Does he have something on you?"

Masaki's silence said more than words ever could. Her shoulders tensed, her eyes darting to the side as if looking for a way to escape. Then, slowly, her teeth sank into her lower lip, trembling with suppressed emotion.

That was all Yuuna needed to see. The pieces of the puzzle began to fall into place. Masaki's betrayal wasn't born of choice—it was forced. Souichiro had his claws sunk deep into her, pulling her strings like a sadistic puppeteer.

"Tell me, Masaki," Yuuna demanded, her voice dropping an octave. It wasn't just cold now—it was icy, dripping with venom and controlled fury. "What does Souichiro have on you?"

Masaki's hands trembled against the chains binding her. Her voice came out barely above a whisper. "Souichiro-sama… He has my sister as a hostage."

Yuuna's eyes narrowed, darkening with anger that radiated from her like a suffocating heatwave. Her fingers curled into fists so tight her nails bit into her palms, drawing a thin trickle of blood.

Masaki belonged to a rare demon clan, one renowned for their ability to create clones. Most members of her clan could only summon a few clones at a time, as the ability burned through their mana like a wildfire devouring dry grass. But Masaki was different. Her mana reserves were vast, nearly endless. She could summon hundreds—thousands—of clones, each as deadly as the original.

That power had been what drew Yuuna to her in the first place. She had seen Masaki's potential and offered her not just protection, but a chance at a better life. A life where she and her sickly sister, who required constant mana support to survive, could live without fear. Masaki's sister suffered from a rare condition that required a constant infusion of mana to sustain her life, and Yuuna had vowed to provide that support.

"He threatened to cut off my sister's mana," Masaki confessed, her voice cracking. "If I didn't switch sides, he would've let her die. I had no choice, Yuuna-sama… I'm so sorry."

"You don't need to apologize," Yuuna said, her voice soft yet trembling with barely contained rage. "This isn't your fault. This is Souichiro's doing—he's always loved messing with me, and this is just another one of his twisted games."

Everything clicked into place. Souichiro's actions suddenly became all too clear. He wasn't just trying to assert dominance—he was actively sabotaging Yuuna's independence from the Great House of Sarushima. He couldn't stand the thought of her breaking free from his control, and pulling Masaki away had been his first move to undermine her fledgling faction.

Yuuna clenched her fists at her sides, her nails digging into her palms hard enough to draw blood. Her teeth ground together as her anger boiled over, her aura surging in a way that made the air in the room feel oppressive.

Masaki shivered as the raw force of Yuuna's power radiated through the room, its intensity far surpassing what she remembered. This wasn't the same Yuuna she'd known before. This Yuuna was stronger—far stronger.

"Now I finally understand why you left," Yuuna said, her voice steady but crackling with restrained venom. "It all makes sense. Souichiro has to be stopped. If I don't crush him, he'll never stop coming for us."

Her resolve solidified, sharper than a blade. The upcoming Faction War would be her chance to put an end to Souichiro's reign of terror. But first, she needed to grow stronger—strong enough to rip his ambitions apart and make him choke on his own arrogance.