Eleven o'clock at night. The second floor of the detached home.

Ryohei Tanaka had already finished his bath; he was the first to wash up today. He was currently wearing the pajamas Yurine had bought for him, lazing comfortably in a single-person sofa, his fingers lightly swiping across his phone screen.

Click—!

Hearing the sound of the door opening and closing from the next room, Ryohei exited Twitter and sent Yurine a message on LINE.

Bling...

Yurine quickly replied with a question mark.

He typed out a new message:

「My shoulders feel a little sore, I need a master masseuse to rub them for me ✧｡ (ˊᗜˋ) ✧*｡」

「You've got the wrong person. There are no master masseuses here. That big-chested succubus might be one, though.」

『Yurine retracted a message.』

Ryohei replied with a string of ellipses: 「...」

He thought for a moment, then stood up, pulled aside the curtains, and opened the sliding glass door, crossing over to Yurine's side via the balcony.

His phone vibrated again. Ryohei looked down and saw that Yurine had also sent him a string of ellipses.

「Open up, open up.」

Ryohei sent the message, then lightly knocked on Yurine's sliding glass door with the back of his hand.

About seven or eight seconds later, the curtains inside were pulled aside.

Yurine appeared before him, having just taken off her eye mask. Her reddish-brown hair cascaded over her shoulders. Her features were delicate, her skin translucent and glowing, so fair with a hint of pink that it looked like water might drip out if you pinched it.

She had also just finished her bath and was still surrounded by a warm, misty vapor. She was wearing a light, lotus-pink pajama set. The collar and cuffs were trimmed with cute lace, and the matching shorts revealed a pair of slender, shapely, snow-white legs.

Shhhla—!

As the glass door slid open, a lovely fragrance of body lotion, mixed with the clean scents of bath soap and bath bombs, wafted out.

She looked at Ryohei standing on her balcony and pressed a hand to her forehead as if dumbfounded.

"You actually just ran right over..."

"But since you're already here, I guess I can help you for a bit."

Acting as if nothing had just happened, Yurine walked over to her chair, patted the back of it lightly, and motioned for him to sit down.

"Then I'm counting on you!"

Ryohei smiled and walked over, settling into the chair. He glanced at the desk in front of him, where everything was organized neatly. an apple macbook sat closed in the center, and next to it was a mug, still half-full of water. On the left, a two-tiered shelf held a delicate bamboo storage basket on the bottom, filled with neatly arranged cosmetics, while the top layer held a pack of tissues, looking clean and tidy.

"How is this pressure?"

Yurine placed her hands on Ryohei's shoulders, her fingertips applying gentle force, kneading along the line of his neck and shoulders.

"Mmm... a little harder."

Ryohei leaned back against the chair. He could tell Yurine knew what she was doing; it felt really good.

Yurine added a little more strength as requested and asked again, "How about this?"

"Mhm... just like that!"

Feeling the comfort spreading through his neck and shoulders and breathing in the sweet fragrance coming from Yurine, Ryohei closed his eyes in enjoyment.

"Yurine, let me give you a massage afterward~," he offered.

"No, thank you. My shoulders aren't tired."

After saying that, Yurine suddenly thought of a certain big-chested succubus. Would her shoulders get tired?

Just thinking about it made her unconsciously put more force into her hands.

"Hiss—!"

Ryohei instantly sucked in a sharp breath. He snapped his eyes open and tilted his head up to look at Yurine in shock. "Are you trying to murder your future husband?!"

Yurine's hands paused. A little embarrassed, she quickly patted Ryohei's shoulder and changed the subject. "Tanaka-kun, you seem to really like that big-chested succubus! Do you want her to live with us that badly?"

Ryohei was immediately distracted, feeling a pang of guilt. "Not really! I said from the start I'd help her rent an apartment, but she refused..."

"So you're just letting her have her way?"

"Well, summoning her... it feels like fate..." Ryohei looked up again, reaching out a hand to touch Yurine's fair, delicate cheek. He smiled and said, "Is Yurine jealous?"

"Not really. I'm just a little annoyed." Yurine lowered her head slightly, her reddish-brown eyes meeting his.

Ryohei: 'That "not really" means yes...'

"Mm-hm."

Ryohei pulled his hand back, clenched it into a fist, and declared in the tone of an oath: "I will always love Yurine!"

"What are you saying all of a sudden!" Yurine huffed, but the corners of her lips couldn't help but curve upward.

…

"That should be enough, right?"

He didn't know how much time had passed, maybe a dozen minutes. Feeling her hands getting a little sore, Yurine stopped the massage.

"Mhm."

Ryohei stood up from the chair, turned around, and stretched his arms. He smiled at Yurine, "That feels so much better."

"Well then, allow me to repay you properly~."

"Haaa~..." Yurine raised a hand to cover a lazy yawn, her eyes squinting. "I'm a little sleepy. If Tanaka-kun wants to 'repay' me, you can go back to your room and sleep."

She turned her gaze to the sliding glass door and pointed. "I'm going to bed now."

"That doesn't feel like a very sincere repayment."

Ryohei insisted he could show much more sincerity than that.

"Then... Tanaka-kun can give me a goodnight kiss!"

Yurine tilted her head, as if thinking it over, and then opened her arms toward Ryohei.

"That, I can definitely do!"

But Ryohei didn't hug her for the goodnight kiss right there. Instead, he walked over to her bed and gestured. "After you, Princess."

Yurine gave him a suspicious look.

'Do you need to be in bed for a goodnight kiss?'

She thought this, but still walked over to the bed, her heart pounding a little faster as she lay down. Her two fair, slender legs pressed together, and her cute, rounded toes curled slightly, betraying a trace of nervousness. Yurine reached down, pulled the corner of the blanket over her stomach, and looked up at Ryohei by the bed, her reddish-brown eyes nervous yet expectant.

'Could it be...'

…

Yurine, lying in bed, was overwhelmingly cute. Her reddish-brown hair fanned out on the white pillow, and her delicate face looked especially captivating in the soft lamplight. Her eyelashes fluttered, revealing her nervousness... and anticipation.

Ryohei felt his heart stir.

He placed a hand on the bed, leaned down, looked into her eyes... and gave her a goodnight kiss that was a little different from the usual.

~~~

Get early access to 20+ advanced chapters on Patreon!

https://www.pat-reon.co-m/c/Hollowborn

~~~

Every 5 new reviews = 1 extra chapters

Every 150 Power Stones = 1 extra chapter