+18 Chapter 32: Punishment and Reconciliation

"Tell me if the pain becomes unbearable."

With those words, Kazuya gradually increased the strength of his embrace.

Honestly, the moderate pressure felt good—comfortable even. But soon, the pain began to outweigh the pleasure, and I couldn’t help but cry out.

"S-Stop! No more!"

The moment I protested, he loosened his grip slightly. But my relief was short-lived—the next thing I knew, two of his fingers were shoved into my mouth.

"Hya—!? Hyahn-fweh!?"

Wha—!? Why!?

I tried to say it, but my mouth wouldn’t move properly, leaving me unable to form coherent words.

"C’mon, you like my fingers, don’t you? Go ahead, savor them."

As he spoke, Kazuya toyed with my tongue—pinching it, tracing it.

Y-You bastard… getting carried away…!

But before I could retort, Kazuya sank his teeth into the nape of my neck from behind. He licked and teased the spot before finally sucking hard—Chuu~!—then releasing it with a loud Pop!

"Hyaa! Tha’sh gonna leave a mark, you idiot!!"

At least, that’s what I meant to say, but Kazuya’s fingers muffled my words into nonsense.

"No idea what you’re sayin’~. Also, Miki, your tongue tickles when you talk. Feels good?"

Like hell it does!!

That’s what I wanted to yell, but all I could do was helplessly lick his fingers, my protests lost in the act.

He didn’t stop there—my ears were next, alternating between nips at my neck and burying his face against mine, licking and sucking all the while.

At the same time, Kazuya’s hands roamed my waist and stomach, pinching my soft flesh, tracing careful circles around my navel. He even played with our tangled legs, rubbing and squeezing, applying pressure wherever he pleased.

The fact that he avoided my chest and between my legs was probably his way of being considerate.

But there was one thing that had been impossible to ignore from the start—something hot, hard, and undeniably Kazuya, pressed insistently against my lower back and hips.

Strangely, I didn’t feel disgusted by it.

If anything, I accepted it—because it was him.

By now, my body was burning. Without realizing it, I was actively sucking on his fingers, arching into his touch as he teased my neck and ears. My breath came hot and heavy, my hands overlapping his as he caressed my stomach, my legs tightening around him instinctively. My hips pressed back against him, moving almost of their own accord.

Kazuya, just as worked up as I was, whispered from behind:

"—Miki, hey… wanna just go for it?"

That single sentence snapped me out of my daze.

He must’ve reached his limit. I got it—after all, I used to be a guy too. There was no way he could hold back like this.

But… no. This couldn’t happen.

This wasn’t the reward for defeating the Demon King. It shouldn’t be.

Not that I thought I was worth that much, but… wasn’t that the deal!?

"H-Hyaah! N-No…!"

I meant to say "Stop!"—but the words wouldn’t come.

"Huh? What? Can’t hear you, Miki."

Liar. He had to know what I was saying. But Kazuya played dumb, tilting my face to the side as he pulled his fingers from my mouth—only to replace them with his lips.

His tongue invaded my mouth, dominating every inch—licking my teeth, tangling with my tongue, sucking greedily.

Then, for the first time, his hands wandered to my chest, cupping, kneading, teasing with practiced ease.

His kissing, his touch—it was all too skilled. No wonder he’d bragged about how many women he’d been with before meeting me.

The moment our lips parted, his fingers were back in my mouth, silencing any protest. He wasn’t giving me a choice—he was serious.

—For the first time, I was afraid of Kazuya.

The sheer force of his will, the way he refused to listen—it terrified me.

My mind screamed that I was powerless, that there was no escape.

Still, even knowing it was futile, I had to resist.

"H-Hyaah… nn… no…!"

Over and over, I begged, tears spilling helplessly.

Fear of Kazuya. Frustration at being unheard. Heartbreak at his disregard for my feelings.

—Not like this. Not like this.

Like a child, I sobbed, my voice breaking into incoherent whimpers, crying simply because it hurt.

"──!!!!"

Kazuya froze the moment he saw it.

He pulled his fingers from my mouth, removed his hands from my chest, untangled his legs, and separated our clinging bodies.
He sat up, put some distance between us, and then bowed his head to the floor in apology.

"Sorry, Miki! I got way too carried away! I lost control! I couldn’t hold back anymore! I’m really sorry!!"

My mind was still in chaos—the sudden release, my exhausted body, the lingering sensation in my mouth, the feeling of his hands on my chest, and so much more. My breathing ragged, I lay there motionless.

As my breathing and body slowly calmed, I sluggishly sat up to find Kazuya still prostrated on the floor, head down.

"Miki, I’m sorry! I ignored your feelings, even though I knew you were saying no, and tried to force things! I’m the worst kind of man!"

Gradually, my thoughts cleared, and I could think more calmly.
It really was awful that he tried to push things despite knowing I didn’t want it.
Honestly, I was still scared of Kazuya—even now, he could easily overpower me if he wanted to.

But Kazuya stopped himself. And if I traced it back, I was the one who caused this in the first place.

Sure, my sleeping habits at night weren’t entirely under my control, but in the morning, it was my own will that played with Kazuya’s hand, sucked on his fingers, pressed his palm against my stomach, and refused to let his legs go.

My proactive, almost provocative, seductive actions must have misled him, giving him the wrong idea that it was okay to go further. Before that, Kazuya had always been considerate of me. So in a way, this was my fault.
I was the one who pushed him to cross that final line. From that perspective, Kazuya might even be the victim.

But still, forcing things was absolutely not okay.

Teasing him, rejecting him when he responded, then making him apologize when he tried to push further—if I let things end like this, I’d just be a terrible woman. I wouldn’t care what anyone else thought, but I didn’t want Kazuya to see me that way.

So I decided to forgive him for what he tried to do. And I needed to apologize too.
But I still had to make one thing clear.

"Yeah, you’re the worst. Forcing yourself on someone like that is really the worst."

"!!"

"...But I think I’m also to blame this time. I was practically provoking you. So I won’t say we’re even, but… if you promise to keep your word from now on, I’ll forgive you. And… I’m sorry too. Really, I am."

I apologized to him like that.

"It’s fine. You don’t have to apologize, Miki. This was all my fault!"

That’s what he said.

"Well, let’s just call it even, okay?"

"Yeah… yeah, you’re right."

As we said that, we both lifted our heads.

"Hey, I have a favor to ask."

On the surface, it seemed like things were resolved now that we’d both apologized. But if we left it at this, there’d still be lingering discomfort between us. We might end up awkward around each other again, just like before. So I decided to make a suggestion.

"Yeah?"

"Um… well… I want to do the morning cuddling thing again. But—"

"—Huh? But… are you sure? You don’t have to force yourself."

Right. The fact that he said, "You don’t have to force yourself," meant there was still unease between us. If I let this chance slip, it’d take a long time to truly go back to how we were before. That’s why I had to do it now.
I felt like now was the only time we could really fix things.

"It’s fine. Come here."

I stretched out my arms toward Kazuya, urging him to hug me.
Hesitantly, he stepped into my embrace and tried to hold me.

Shiver!

My body reacted on its own, flinching back.
Ah… I see. Even though my mind said it was okay, my body was still afraid of Kazuya.
That’s why I needed this harsh remedy—to make my body understand.

"Miki, you really don’t have to push yourself…"

Kazuya said that out of concern, but it was fine.

"I said it’s fine! Come on!"

"O-okay…"

Timidly, he hugged me.
This time, I tensed my nerves to keep myself from pulling away and hugged him back.

Kazuya’s hands were trembling. They weren’t gentle like usual—he was scared I’d reject him again.
As he held me, my body shook too, the fear from earlier resurfacing. I had the urge to shove him away. I was still scared. But… it’s okay. It’s okay.

"Miki."

"...Yeah."

"I really… truly love you. I’m so sorry. I won’t do anything like that again. Please don’t hate me."

His voice was on the verge of tears.

"I know. I know. It’s okay now."

Yeah, it’s okay. It has to be okay.
I’ve reflected. Kazuya’s reflected. We should be able to go back to how we were before.

"Miki. Miki."

"Yeah. It’s okay. It’s okay, Kazuya."

Over and over, as if convincing myself, I repeated to Kazuya that it was okay.

"...I’m sorry for scaring you."

"Yeah."

After a while, without realizing it, the trembling and fear faded. Before I knew it, I was gently stroking Kazuya’s back, like soothing a crying child.
All I felt now was how precious this man was to me.