I am Succubus!

Chapter 277

Selene poked her head into my office during lunch break. "Saeko, some of the girls have been coming to me about a problem that's troubling them. Do you have a moment?"

"Something's wrong? What is it?" I asked, motioning for her to come in.

"They confided in me first for fear of bothering you," she started and took a seat across from me. "However, I thought it prudent to bring it up to you when more and more came to me. Where do I even begin? A few have reported being watched. Intently."

I scratched my horn. We were succubi. It was a given that we drew a lot of attention. After all, our race and the dark elves were an uncommon sight for a lot of people.

"You're going to have to be more specific than that. I'm really not following. Or where the problem even is," I said.

"Yes, normally it wouldn't be an issue. We possess magic. We're able to seize control of one's mind. In the human world, little can threaten us. One succubus told me they saw flashes of light on the way home. When they went to investigate, there was nothing and no one there. Another kept hearing terrifying giggles in the distance. I've come to realize all their stories had a single thing in common— it occurred at night," Selene explained.

"Okay… Now this is starting to get troubling. Weird flashes? Giggling? I wonder if yokai are showing up and haunting us?"

"I tried looking into this myself, but I've yielded nothing. As this is your world, I felt you would be more suited to figuring things out. This started a week ago, if that is any help," she added.

If whatever was going on affected the girls negatively in any way, then Selene was right to bring this up to me. It might also bleed into affecting the clients, too. But what the heck was going on? Was Tsuki getting haunted by a ghost?

Of course, the best person for the job was a medium. I phoned my old friend and former boss, Mikami, the medium. Although she had lost the ability to see the supernatural, her experience in dealing with them was still useful.

Mikami came right away. She brought with her a couple of mystics-in-training, too. They performed exorcisms from numerous cultures, chanted mantras and litanies which originated from foreign religions, and carried something called a censer that billowed out smoke around the building. Actually, them doing all that was spooking our clients… And since most Japanese people were inherently spiritual, they probably thought there really was a ghost here.

"Worry not, my former acolyte! If there is a spirit, vengeful or benign, my new acolytes and I shall root them out soon enough," Mikami assured me.

"Thanks. Honestly, having you here is already a load off my back. But… is that really necessary?" I pointed to one of the mythics waving the censer in a man's face until he started coughing.

"Ah… You must forgive them, they are new. You there, acolyte! There's no need to get up in someone's face!" She raced over to scold her intern.

As night fell and we were nearing closing, Mikami and her mystics had finished 'exorcizing' the entire building. Suffice to say, they found nothing suspicious. No ghost, yokai, nor even a rat in the walls.

"I kind of expected as much." I sighed and followed Mikami outside to the curb. "If there really was anything supernatural going on, I'd probably have sensed it by now."

"Or it is just an incredibly elusive ghost! The best case scenario, and also the least exciting one, is that someone is playing a prank on you. My last few exorcisms have turned out to be children with a little too much time on their hands," Mikami explained with seething displeasure.

Everyone was leaving Tsuki, and the only ones to remain were the nightowls. Mio had gone home ahead of me since I wanted to stay until Mikami completed her exorcisms. I might as well do some investigating of my own. Selene did mention that the strange occurrences happened at night.

Around front, check. Behind the building where the dumpsters were, check. Rooftop, check. Nothing was out of the ordinary— at least until I flew over the parking lot.

"Ehehe…" A girl's ghostly voice giggled nearby.

I shuddered. The echo traveled across the empty parking lot. Someone or something was definitely here. As a succubus, and wearing the ring of my god-husband Uta, I should be able to see whatever it was.

"H-Hello?" I swallowed my fear and shouted, but only my own echo responded.

After waiting for a few minutes, it was clear I wouldn't be finding anything out. The giggling also freaked me out, so I bolted for home. I couldn't sleep that night, and for the first time since moving into the apartment, I slept with Mio in her room. Even our cat, Shadow, maybe having sensed my unease, cuddled up to me. ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs, ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴠɪsɪᴛ N0velFire.ɴet

The very next day, under the comfort of daylight, I double-checked where the strange flashes were supposedly happening. They didn't happen last night. I flew up to the canopy of the tree, only to find a family of squirrels staring back at me. Mio emerged from the building with ice cream in her hand to see what I was doing.

"Still looking for the ghost? I bet it's probably something else," Mio said.

"Probably. Until I know for sure, I don't want to just leave it at that though. Ugh. I kind of just want it to be a ghost and reveal itself already. This is getting annoying." I groaned.

Mio waved an extra popsicle at me, and I descended down to take it. The cold treat was a welcome relief to the heat of summer in Tsukiji. Living right next to the harbor, the humidity had been cranked up to max.

I wiped a layer of sweat from my brows and sighed. Something caught Mio's eyes on the tree. She drew closer to get a better look. Her eyes scanned the trunk, and she seemed particularly fixated about something around its base.

"What is it?" I came closer.

"Bark." Mio picked up some tree bark that must have chipped off from age and flicked it at me. "Bark, bark, bark!"

"Stop it… What are you? Five?" I rolled my eyes.

"Hey, what if we bring Shadow over to help? Cats on Earth are supernatural creatures, right?" she asked.

"What even gave you that idea? Hmm. Maybe that's not such a bad idea though, as silly as it sounds…"

Mio made a quick trip back home during lunch break and returned with Shadow in tow. She cradled our black cat in her arms like a baby.

"Alright, my little pookie. Time to sniff out a ghost for us. Go!" Mio put Shadow down in front of the tree.

The cat circled the tree trunk once, got distracted by birds flying overhead, and finally flopped over to start grooming herself. Maybe it was just desperation on my part, but what even had I expected a cat to achieve? I threw my hands in the air and gave up for the rest of the day. There were men who needed to be drained, and I was keeping them waiting.

For the rest of the day, Shadow had just been a distraction to the succubi employees of Tsuki. They played with her every chance they got. I couldn't blame them though, she was an extremely cute and affectionate pet. But her presence was taking away from my succubi working.

While waiting between clients, one succubus waved her tail back and forth. Shadow's eyes darted side to side, waiting for the right moment to strike. When she did, the succubus lifted her tail out of reach.

"Don't you have a client soon?" I asked.

"Oh! Sorry, Queen Saeko. I'll go now!" She quickly got up and left the break room.

Without anyone to play, Shadow hopped onto my lap and laid there. It was dark, and we were nearing closing time. Mr. Isami texted me, asking to meet up again. His messages were enough to stoke the hunger deep within me. But it would have to wait until after work.

Or so I thought.

"Saeko!" Mio bursted into the break room at max volume and startled Shadow.

"What?" I asked, thinking something had gone wrong in the building.

"I'm clocking out early. Hacchan and the girls want to catch a movie, and I'll be going with. Can you look after Shadow? I might be home late. Thanks, bye!" She dipped out without even closing the door.

"Wait! You can't just leave! That's not how a working adult is supposed to act— get back here, you idiot!" When I tried to chase her down, she was already long gone.

"Meow!" Shadow yowled in displeasure.

"Tell me about it…" I sighed.

My chances to of fucking Mr. Isami tonight had been thoroughly dashed. The last of the clients departed, and Tsuki's succubi began to head home. Some stayed behind to hang out. Officially, that wasn't allowed, but I let them as long as they didn't cause any troubles. I closed up the place and texted my older lover that tonight wouldn't be happening. On my way out of the building with Shadow in my arms, she suddenly perked up. Her ears stood at attention, and a distinct chittering of a predator seeking to hunt erupted from her.

I thought Shadow must have seen a squirrel and it triggered her killer instincts. She leaped from my grasp and darted off around the corner. Panicked, I flew after her. A cat could easily disappear into a big city, and Mio would be devastated if Shadow got lost. When I rounded the corner, my cat was sitting next to the tree we were checking out earlier in the day. She stared intently up at it.

A flash of light went off. I stayed invisible and drew closer to the tree. Again, a flash. As I neared, the same giggling from the other night could be heard more clearly. I'd have to reward Shadow with lots of treats later, but for now…

"Whatever you are, show yourself! I can cast spells, and I'm not afraid to blow you to smithereens!" I warned and conjured a small fireball into my hand.

"D-Don't hurt me— aah!" Whoever they were lost footing.

They fell from the tree, and in a split second glance, I recognized Kaede. My body moved in an instant and caught her before she hit the ground. A camera slipped from her hand and smashed onto the asphalt.

"Kaede? You were the ghost this whole time?" I groaned, dropping my invisibility.

"Saeko! Aha… F-Fancy meeting you… Hello to you, too, Shadow…" Kaede stammered nervously.

I loomed menacingly over my mangaka friend, who trembled like a cornered rabbit. The weird happenings turned out to be Kaede all along? Judging by the camera, I had a clue why…

"Alright… Explain yourself," I demanded.

"I'm sorry, Saeko! I've been trying to get new material for my doujins. Since Tsuki is the main employment hub for succubi, I've been coming out in the middle of the night to gather material. In the form of this!" Kaede picked up her digital camera, but the impact from the fall had broken it. Sulking, she added, "Well, the SD card is what's important. Thank goodness!"

That explained the 'flashes'.

"Damn it, Kaede. You've been giving the succubi a scare! We thought it was a ghost haunting the place. I even called a local spirit medium to come." I put a hand to my face and sighed.

"I didn't think I was bothering anyone! I always made myself scarce! In retrospect, I should have asked you for permission… oops." Kaede shrunk and laughed nervously.

"Seriously though. If you want to take pictures of my succubi, just walk through the front door like a normal person and ask"

"But I wanted candid shots!" She pouted.

I glared at Kaede, and she relented pretty quickly. There was no going against a succubus after all. Tomorrow morning, she would come in to apologize and formally ask permission to take pictures. No more of this sneaking around like a maniac nonsense.

We were about to leave until I got another text from Mr. Isami. It included a recorded video of him drunk, his tie wrapped around his head like a bandana, and from what I could tell, joined by coworkers. They looked like they were having a good time. He seemed to be taking post-divorce life in stride, if not a little too wildly.

Another text came, but it wasn't his usual manner of texting. This was more formal and polite, asking if I was Mr. Isami's friend and that he was too plastered to go home by himself. He needed someone to help him get home, wherever that was. Someone else must be texting in his place. Normally, I'd have declined. But after adjusting his memories, I felt somewhat responsible for him now.

"Who is it? Mio?" Kaede tried to get a peep, but I scooted away.

"I have to take care of something. Can bring Shadow home for me? There's an extra key to the door underneath the welcome mat. I'll let Mio know you're catsitting her. Don't worry. She's incredibly well-behaved!" I said, picking up my cat and putting her in Kaede's hands.

"Ehhhh? O-Okay." She held the cat awkwardly and relented.

I flew to the address texted to me from Mr. Isami's phone. It was an izakaya that catered to the late-night crowd, usually older gentlemen letting loose after work. Some of the neon light signs in Kanji flickered on its last legs, but the place was otherwise nice and abuzz with life.

A group of middle-aged men stood outside, barely able to keep standing from all the drinking they had been doing. I recognized one of them as Mr. Isami, and he was held up by a foreign gentleman with dark skin.

"Oh? Are you the Saeko from Isami's phone? You must be his daughter!" the man exclaimed with an English accent in fluent Japanese.

"That's not my daughter! She… hehehe… We're sex friends. That's right! This young woman right here is mine." Mr. Isami staggered over to me and grabbed a handful of my ass.

His coworkers gaped in disbelief, envy, and gloom. They eyed me lecherously, molesting my body with stares alone. I was getting wet, too. These men probably thought I was some slut or whore, but what kind of loose woman would give a drunkard the time of day? Their conclusion could only be that I really was in a physical relationship with him.

"S-Stop groping me in public!" I whispered, but secretly enjoyed being touched that way in front of other people. "And, uwah… You reek of booze. How much did you drink?"

"A little too much…" Mr. Isami mumbled.

"Hey, aren't you that woman from Tsuki?" One man pointed out.

Another agreed and said, "Ahhh, I recognize her! She runs the place. Shoto from accounting meets with a succubus from Tsuki. My wife forbids me from even looking at it."

Oh, no. They were beginning to realize where I worked.

"No looking at my woman. Saeko belongs to me! You know, I think we might go and have some fun. Guehehe." Mr. Isami stuck his hand under my shirt and fondled my breasts, and I was too weak to resist him.

"We better get going!" I steered him away from the group and hailed a taxi while his coworkers' eyes burned into my back.

Too bad there wouldn't be sex tonight. Mr. Isami passed out on the ride, and I asked the cab driver to take us to Tsuki. He threw up in the parking lot and needed help walking. Thankfully, the succubi who were still there came down to assist me. We threw the passed out man into bed in a random room.

I couldn't recall Mr. Isami ever drinking to this extent before. Was it because of the divorce? Whatever the case, he at least sounded happier earlier. I left him in the care of the succubi and went home.

Mio was already home when I arrived. She and Kaede were playing video games in the living room, and hadn't yet been informed of what happened at Tsuki. So, I told her with Kaede present and shrinking with every word. Mio didn't stop laughing for almost half an hour. Naturally, My girlfriend wiped tears from her eyes, and her abs got pretty sore.

The next morning, the three of us went to Tsuki together. According to the succubi who stayed at the building overnight, Mr. Isami left a few hours later. I found Selene and explained to her the source of the supernatural stuff going on. To my surprise, she expressed more guilt than shock. Her sharp eyes winced with shame.

"How could I have let a human slip by me? I checked that area multiple times!" Selene uttered a self-deprecating groan.

"Kaede also told me she switched up locations to get better pictures. It's not your fault. Really, the blame is on our Peeping Tom." I folded my arms at my friend, who was seated in the break room between the three of us.

"How many more times do you want me to apologize? For the hundredth time, I'm sorry! It won't happen again, I swear it on my integrity as a doujin artist. So… with that being said, I'm here to ask permission to take pictures of sexy succubi!"

Selene pinched the bridge of her nose and muttered, "The sheer audacity…"

"Kahaha! I say, why the hell not? Kaede ain't hurting anybody. The biggest problem was her doing it without us knowing, and we know now," Mio chimed in with her own unhelpful advice.

But Mio was right. We really didn't mind. Kaede was also a really good friend of ours, and any time she needed help, it was hard to turn her down. In the end, I agreed. Before she got too excited though, I explicitly stated that she needed to ask individual succubi if it was alright to snap their photos.

We were about to go around Tsuki to do just that when I got a text from Mr. Isami. He apologized and wanted to make up for last night with a date. The horny side of me accepted right away, and I was starting to run hot again… Fall was just over the horizon, and that was the time of the year where I became fertile and extremely insatiable. I was beginning to doubt I'd come out of it not pregnant this time…