I am Succubus!

Chapter 285

Thanks to Layla, the humans were safe and sound. She compelled them all to leave, completely eliminating the chance of anyone getting hurt or being used by the succubi as shields. Now it was just us and a group of scared lesser succubi.

I'd gotten changed into a rental swimsuit offered by Taiyou and joined the succubus, who first spoke to us, in the small private pool. Layla fetched me a non-alcoholic drink. The cold, refreshing mango and strawberry smoothie and jacuzzi contrasted well with each other, especially in the chilly weather of autumn.

"Uhm… May I get out of the water? I'm starting to get pruney," the succubus said.

"You made your bed, now it's time to lie in it. I have a few questions. Firstly, what's your name?" I asked.

"Erika." She sighed.

"Erika. Why are you all so opposed to being ruled? Not that I don't understand, I do. I just want to hear it directly from you."

Erika's lips peeled back as if to snarl. She swallowed the urge instead and shot a look to a few succubi behind me. Layla was making sure they didn't act up. At any point, they could all up and fly away. The two of us wouldn't be able to chase them all down. A lot of them could escape, but none seem interested in leaving their fellows behind.

"Simply put, we want to be free. There isn't a single succubus among us who want to be ruled over. The last time we swore fealty to a queen, she ordered us into a hopeless war to impress some demon sovereign. Maybe it's too much to ask the succubus queen, but how would you feel, being forced to serve?" Erika asked.

"I'd hate it," I answered promptly.

The succubus looked taken aback by what I said, but she quickly shook away the shock.

"I don't buy that. Easy for you to say as the queen. You will have to beat us into submission if you want us to serve," Erika replied venomously.

"You have it all wrong. I have no plans to force you to do anything. I'm not even interested in asking you to swear fealty to me. The only reason I sought you out was because I wanted to offer you a job. One in which you can have sex with as many people as you want. Or heck, as less as you want. You can even decline!" I explained.

"Uh huh. Well, our answer is no. We're in no shortage of humans to drain. We keep to ourselves and don't cause trouble. So, this is us declining," she said.

Erika didn't budge. I glanced over my shoulder, and the other succubi nodded in agreement. She likely didn't trust me at my word. I could hear it in her voice, and see it in her scowl.

"Okay. Like I said, I'm not going to force you. I still have another question: is there a greater succubus among you?" I asked.

"Why would it matter if there was?" Erika answered with another question of her own.

It became increasingly obvious that they weren't going to cooperate with me. I sighed heavily. I did tell them that they could decline, and they did… The wry look on Erika's face seemed like she was daring me to go back on my word.

Not wanting to make enemies, I relented and rose from the pool. Succubi flinched as I scanned the area.

"Like I promised, I'm going to leave you alone now. The job offer still stands. You'll likely be paid a lot more than what you're currently making. I won't treat you the way Beatrice did. If anyone wants to take it, you can find me living in Shinjuku. My aura won't be hidden from you." I grabbed a towel, wrapped it around myself, and gestured for Layla to leave with me.

I felt an incredible sense of relief from them as we flew away. They were scared shitless the entire time. Who could blame them? Hopefully, they were a little more trusting after we left without hurting them.

"Does this mean you're giving up on recruiting them?" Layla asked from my right.

"At the end of the day, it's up to them. If I do it by force, then we're just going to start a fight. If they come to me willingly, then it could cause a domino effect of more succubi coming to join. For now, let's just see what they do and keep a distant eye on them," I suggested.

We regrouped at a Korean barbecue restaurant to discuss what happened over some afternoon lunch. An array of marinated meat laid before us, with a large amount already sizzling on the grill. There was no shortage of vegetables, too, and Selene had taken a particular liking to kimchi.

Everyone picked the new plates of meat clean, so we had to constantly order more. It made me happy that I was able to provide for my subjects. As their queen, this felt good. If only Beatrice learned to be more kind and generous when she was alive.

"Reza, chopsticks off the briskets. Those are mine," Selene growled.

"What? You've been stuffing yourself with kimchi and ribs, and you still want more? Lay off and leave some for the rest of us," Reza fired back.

"Relax, you two. There's more where that came from, and we can keep ordering if you're still hungry." I grinned, raising a hand to holler for the waitress.

A beautiful, Korean woman with long black hair came by to take our orders. She returned a few minutes later with another stack of plates full of marinated meat, kimchi for Selene, and a round of beers. Reza and Emily cracked open their third today, and it wasn't even the evening yet.

"Saeko, why don't you drink with us?" Reza asked.

"Humans have a strange minimum age before they are allowed to drink, don't they?" Selene wondered aloud.

"I'm old enough to drink as of earlier this year, but… not exactly a fan of the taste." I stared at the white can of Sapporo, one of the most popular and notable brands in Japan.

The others drank them like water. Even Selene partook. Layla and I were the only ones who opted not to drink.

"What about you, Layla? You're not going to drink?" I asked.

Selene started shaking her head frantically.

"I feel like I'm missing some important backstory here…" I murmured and turned to Layla for answers.

"Oh, about that… I may or may not become even more of a nymphomaniac when I drink… hehe…" Layla rubbed the back of her head.

"It's worse," Selene added, already slurring from being tipsy. "Given Layla's status as a greater succubus, that wouldn't end well for the humans involved. One time during the war, we brought back a division of captured light elves to the manor. Layla presided over them in the dungeons while the rest of us celebrated upstairs. Someone must have brought her a few glasses of wine, because when we came to check on her later, every single elf had been drained within an inch of their lives! Had we not checked, we would have lost valuable hostages."

"You can keep going for that long?!" I gasped.

"I blank out whenever it happens! It's also difficult to find someone with compatible lust. I almost always need to overeat in order to satisfy myself." She pressed her fingers together and blushed.

Usually, a succubus appealed to a certain demographic that was most attracted to them. Mio drew the attention of people who were masochistic or submissive, because she herself was a sexual sadist and dominant. Due to Hana's youthful appearance, men of older age tended to be easy pickings for her. Yumi, well… different kinds of people just exuded a lot more or less lust than others for each succubus. Then there was me, who as of late had it easy to find lust in people.

For Layla, wouldn't someone with a dominant streak be more compatible? It was also possible that wouldn't be the case. A succubus' taste was never constant and often changed.

After dinner, Selene returned home to Tsukiji. Reza and Emily came back to the apartment with me to pick up their cat, Taco. Our efforts in acquiring the rogue succubi to join me in the Tokyo branch Tsukiji failed, but hopefully my offer resonated with some. Layla didn't have anywhere to stay since I asked her to come to Earth on short notice, and Shayle's world-hopping mirror artifact needed charging to bring some succubi to Earth. I invited her back to my apartment in Shinjuku for the time being.

"I'm home!" I announced on the way in. "I brought leftover Korean barbecue and a Layla."

"Welcome home," Elendir said, her eyes fixed on the television.

The elven queen was the only one in the living room, watching a game show with comedian participants in an obstacle course. Swinging pendulum hammers knocked a man off as he tried to cross a narrow beam. Much of the furniture had been constructed, but a few were still in their boxes at the back of the room to be finished next week. The living room was starting to come together now with some of our belongings unpacked. I offered Reza and Emily to stay, but they opted to catch up with Selene, who was waiting for them at the train station. Snowball and Shadow meowed in protest to their smaller companion's departure.

"Where's Mio and Kana?" I put the food on the kitchen table.

"Taking a bath. Who knew constructing furniture could work up a sweat. How was the search for your wayward succubi?" Elendir asked.

"Found them, but I couldn't convince them." I shook my head.

As I entered, Layla hesitated to come any farther than the foyer. The succubus glanced left and right, studying her surroundings like a frightened kitten in a new environment.

"Is it really okay for me to be here? I can find shelter elsewhere! It isn't hard for a succubus," Layla said.

"Queen's order. You can take Elendir's room. She'll sleep with me tonight. And don't pretend you didn't take a sip of Reza's beer when I wasn't looking." I wagged my tail at her.

"Uu… but they pressured me into drinking…" She pouted.

"I knew I sensed Saeko and Layla! Aww, Rez and Em picked up Taco already?" Mio skipped out of my room in a light shirt and baggy pants, hair wrapped in a towel.

Kana trailed out after still steaming and waved. The others didn't notice, but I saw Layla's nose perk up. Like a dog she started sniffing the air, and her eyes locked on him even as he plopped down on the couch none the wiser.

"Layla… are you lusting after my boyfriend?" I whispered.

"N-No! I would never even think about coming onto your loved ones," Layla stammered nervously and stiffened up like a statue.

"Even if Mio and I give you a free pass?"

"Hueh?!" She turned beet red.

Mio had jealousy issues concerning me and other succubi. With Kana, however, she didn't care who he slept with as long as she eventually got a turn. Although I could be greedy myself, I liked the idea of sharing my toys. I always knew they came back to me eventually anyway.

At the end of the day, Kana was about as horny as an average healthy man. If I sent a succubus his way with permission, he would go for it. Especially a succubus as horny as Layla. It also thrilled me seeing her constantly so flustered.

Before I realized it, Elendir had popped up in front of me with a quizzical look.

"Sorry, I zoned out!" I apologized.

"I was just saying, we don't have very many snacks for guests. Shall we go downstairs and buy some things from the convenience store?" Elendir asked.

"You don't have to mind me!" Layla shook her hands.

"Hrm? If you guys are going down, buy me some spicy chips. I need some crunch in my life," Mio said with a mouthful of Korean barbecue.

"Alright, Layla. Just hang out. We'll be back in a bit. Kana, take care of my guest!" I pushed Layla into sitting on the couch beside him.

"Oh, uh… sure?" Kana said.

I grabbed Elendir's hand, and the two of us descended from the new apartment to the convenience store a block down. It was one of the larger kinds from a large franchise. The store was mostly unmanned and autonomous. Checkout lanes were similar to metal detectors, which scanned items as we walked out and charged us automatically. All I needed was an app with my credit card information on it.

Small, waist-high robots roamed the stores keeping the floors clean and polished. Occasionally, an employee would come out from the back to restock empty or close to empty shelves. For the most part, the only people I saw were other customers.

Elendir and I grabbed a basket on the way in. She steered away to the chip aisle, while I wandered over to the beverage fridges in the back. I stopped in front of a selection of beers. It might be high time I started drinking, or at least get accustomed to drinking. I grabbed a bottle of wine, a pack of beer, and a bunch of soda pops. That should keep our fridge in this apartment stocked for a while.

I froze to the sensation of an aura scraping against mine— one that belonged to a greater succubus. My blood went cold. Selene had gone home. Layla was back at the apartment. This foreign aura was threatening and fearful at the same time. My eyes darted all over the convenience store, trying to ascertain which of the humans was the succubus. Or maybe she was invisible.

"Elendir, where are you?" I asked aloud.

"I'm in the snacks aisle, looking for Mio's spicy chips. I can't for the life of me find it. Oh, never mind. A kind woman just pointed me to the correct aisle," Elendir replied from afar.

I hurried down each aisle in search of Elendir. My heart raced. My tongue went dry. I finally found Elendir kneeled down in front of some shrimp flavored chips. She was swapping glances between her phone and the chips, trying to figure out which ones Mio had wanted.

Standing behind her was a woman in an oversized gray hoodie. The hood was pulled over her head. Long, blonde hair with frosted tips draped down her chest. She was staring directly at me, a soft smile adorned her otherwise unreadable expression. Both hands rested firmly within the pouch of the hoodie. There was no mistaking it. She was a greater succubus.

"Hey. Looks like your girlfriend's going to be browsing for a while. You wanna hang with me for a bit and check out some desserts? I hear they got this super duper limited edition tiramisu mochi in stock in the cold foods section," the girl said.

"Sure," I said tensely. "Elendir, I'll meet you at the front in a bit."

"Of course, my love. Maybe I should just call Mio…" Elendir muttered to herself.

The new girl and I walked to the far corner of the store, where all of the ice cream, cakes, and other chilled foods were. Without even giving me a glance, walked right up to the mochi and glued her face to the door. She pressed a finger to her lips in thought. Her fingernails were painted and decorated with glitter. In brighter light, I could tell her skin was tanned a little too unevenly. It gave me gyaru vibes, like Hacchan and her friends.

Going by the hair and make up, that was probably the aesthetic she liked. When I joined her by the fridge, she pointed to the tiramisu mochi. There was only one box left.

"Aw, poo. Looks like only one of us is getting this. So, which one of us is grabbing it?" she asked.

"What? You are, obviously. You wanted it." I opened the fridge, pulled out the tiramisu mochi box, and handed it to her. "Listen, I know what kind of cliche this is. Using mochi as a test to see if I'm greedy enough to creep into your territory is silly. I already told the lesser succubi from Taiyou that I'm not interested in forcing them to do anything."

The succubus holding the mochi turned bright red.

"I-I thought I was being profound!" she exclaimed, cheeks inflated and pouting. "Just keep your nose out of Tokyo and don't come looking for us! You'll sorely regret it! Okay?"

Without even introducing herself to me, she bolted away clutching the box of tiramisu to herself. I stood there in utter shock. The dreadful presence from her aura that I felt was now replaced by sheer embarrassment, at least until she ran out of range from my aura.

I returned to Elendir, who had been waiting for me with a couple of bags of chips in her basket. Her gaze was fixed on the exit, where the succubus ran off.

"Saeko, what happened? That woman sprinted away like someone had humiliated her or something," Elendir said.

"I thought I was being friendly!" I protested.

Maybe this greater succubus wasn't as big a threat as I expected…