Chapter 8: Our First Try, and the Change in Our Relationship

Since that unexpected incident, Lilith and I both seemed to have changed in some way, but at the same time it felt like nothing had really changed. We were still as close as ever, except neither of us mentioned that accident, and I quietly changed where I worked.

Still, there was always a lingering shadow in my heart that refused to go away. It made me uneasy, like a silkworm chrysalis twitching from time to time, as if something were about to break through that thin layer of restraint.

“Lilith, Quise and I are going out to take care of something. We might be back around evening, so keep the house for us, okay?” I told her carefully, as always pressing a kiss charged with magic to her forehead.

“Got it, brother~” With two soft pecks, she kissed each of my cheeks. “If you two go out to eat something delicious, you have to bring me some. Otherwise I’ll be mad, got it?”

“Haha...” I gave an awkward laugh. She clearly knew what I was going to do, yet she soothed me and eased my embarrassment in such a considerate way.

Big brother is so moved, my little Lilith~ You’re the best little angel in the whole world... no, little devil~ Big brother will love you forever~

“So stupid. Stop getting emotional and go already. Watch the time; don’t be late.” My over-the-top acting must have amused Lilith, because she gently pushed me out the door.

After I got upstairs, I even waved back at her, where she was watching from the window.

This client was great, full of stamina, physically excellent, and generous with money. I should have been very satisfied with him, so why did I still feel so weird, so restless?

“Astaroth? What’s wrong? Is the client not good?” Quise must have noticed that my expression was a little off and wanted to know why.

“N-no, nothing. He’s great; I’m actually looking forward to the next time he comes to see me. I... uh, I was just thinking that Lilith asked me to bring her something tasty when I got back. How about honey cake?” I made up some random excuse to brush it off.

“Oh, then I know a really good place. Come with me...” Quise looked a little pleased. “Little girls like sweet things. Lilith’s such a good girl, right? You keep talking about her all the time, and she rarely asks for anything. This one’s on me, so she can know that besides you, her Brother Quise dotes on her too.”

The two of us lined up at the bakery on the corner. “Huh, this bakery actually has a line?” I was a little surprised.

“It tastes good. If I’m treating, I can’t hand out something crappy. We’ve known each other for so many years, have I really only ever given you cheap little things?” There seemed to be something in Quise’s words.

By the time the sun had set, Quise and I finally bought the honey cake and walked home together.

“All right, I’m not going to follow you in to see Lilith... Mm, remember to tell her that it was Brother Quise who bought the super-delicious honey cake. I’m heading back first.” That bastard Quise must have known what had happened a few days ago, and to avoid awkwardness he ran off first.

Hm? Why are the lights off? Isn’t it dark? I looked up after reaching the bottom of the stairs.

That kid Lilith was too stingy, wasn’t she? We weren’t actually poor; my business was doing fine. She could absolutely ask for whatever she wanted like any ordinary kid, and didn’t need to go out of her way to shortchange herself.

While grumbling inwardly, I climbed the stairs, but the ominous feeling in my heart only grew stronger.

The door wasn’t fully closed. My heart sank. “Lilith?”

From inside came muffled sobbing mixed with and the shaking of the bed frame. I shoved the door open hard.

In that instant, the whole world seemed about to collapse, shattering before my eyes...

What was this?

Why was that fucking man from a few days ago, the one I’d thrown out, on top of my Lilith?

What were they doing?

Why were they making those sounds?

What the hell were they doing?!!

With a snap, the bread bag fell to the floor. My fingers spasmed, my whole body went cold. Every breath felt icy. I could no longer make out what I was hearing; only the roaring of blood rushing through my ears remained...

“What... are you... doing? W-what are you doing!!” In disbelief and extreme rage, I rushed up and snarled as I grabbed the man by the shoulders and back, trying to tear them apart. “What are you doing to my Lilith? How dare you do this kind of thing? I’m going to kill you!! Unforgivable!! Unforgivable!! You could have come at me instead. I said yes to you, didn’t I?”

Pull them apart, pull them apart, separate them now!!

She was my treasure, the flower I had raised with my own blood and energy, the purest, cutest little devil in the world... How could she suffer something like this?

It’s my fault, it has to be my fault!!

If only I hadn’t gotten so addicted to that pleasure that day. I should have stayed like I always did, kept professional ethics, handled business as business, taken the money and left, instead of indulging in those old memories of demon life... Like a madman, I clawed at them desperately.

“Brother!!” Lilith spoke. She was so calm, her violet, dreamlike beautiful eyes reflecting my terrified, furious face.

What was she going to say?

Was she going to say it hurt, that it wasn’t Brother’s fault?

“Brother, I did it of my own accord.”

Huh? What? What was Lilith saying? Was my hearing broken? Or was my head broken? For a moment, I felt like I was about to faint.

“Brother, don’t stop them... It was me. I invited this gentleman.” She repeated it again, her expression calm, with not a trace of resentment or regret, utterly firm.

“Brother, I already said it last time: I wanted to try, and you refused. I was actually thinking that you could feel good, enjoy this kind of thing... and so could I. Sir, please don’t stop, keep going. I... I also really want to know the kind of pleasure you can bring Brother...” Lilith closed her eyes and clung tightly to the man.

...Is this my Lilith? Is this Lilith? How could she say something like that? So strange... I sat stunned on the floor, my mind in complete chaos.

The man seemed to smile at me, a look of victorious superiority, but I had no time to care.

When I became aware again, he had already left.

Lilith was sitting on the bed counting money, looking innocent and happy.

Seeing me turn to look at her, she looked a little proud and pleased. “Brother, so much money~”

It was a lot, nearly three times what I’d received.

A huge emptiness and sorrow surged up. What was I supposed to do now?

Scold her hard? Teach her a lesson, make sure she never did this kind of thing again?

Impossible. Lilith might be obedient, but she wasn’t without her own opinions. Once she decided on something, she would spare no effort to achieve it.

Besides, hunting was an instinct every succubus was born with. No teaching was needed. See? She’d learned it on her own, hadn’t she?

Maybe my expression was too downcast, because she took the initiative to move closer and hug me from behind. So warm. The blood that had gone rigid and dead began to flow again.

“Brother...” Her voice was low and soft. “Lilith is the same as you now. Will you look down on me because I did something like this? Hate me?”

“No.” My nose stung and my eyes burned. Foolish Lilith, how could I ever look down on you? You have to understand, your big brother came through the same kind of life too...

“Mm, I know. I think so too. I don’t think there’s anything shameful about this. You raised me this way, using this method, and we’re both just earning our own way, aren’t we? This world has never treated anyone equally. We’re just protecting ourselves and the people important to us in our own way, without hurting anyone else.”

“I actually feel lighter now. Brother, I’m the same as you now. I can work together with you. I want you to ask Brother Quise to arrange work for me too. I don’t want you to work hard every day while I only know how to play. We could form a sibling duo, that way we’d get more clients and better prices. With the extra time, you can stay with me, okay?”

I didn’t answer. How was I supposed to answer? She was always so thoughtful, so sensible, taking everyone else’s feelings into account so carefully... And me, Astaroth, you’re utterly useless. Have you really been taking good care of Lilith?

...

Maybe the mood had become too heavy, because Lilith tried to change it. “What’s that? A gift you brought me?” She picked up the bread bag, opened it, and a rich sweet fragrance filled the whole room, easing the heaviness quite a bit.

“Honey cake~ Mm... so sweet, so good. Brother, you should eat some too~” Lilith’s face was lit with the bliss of being healed by sweets.

“Oh, this was specially bought for you by your Brother Quise. He asked me to make sure I told you that.” I remembered his reminder.

Lilith’s interest in dessert was visibly less intense now. “Oh, Brother Quise, then please tell him for me: thank you, it’s really delicious. Also...”

“What is it?” Lilith looked a little hesitant, as if she wanted to say something but stopped herself. Was there a problem?

“Brother, don’t you think... Quise seems to be treating you a little differently?”

“Of course. He’s been my partner for years, and I’ve made him a lot of money. It’s only natural that he’d be grateful to me.”

Bonus scene:

“Lilith, could you think about it a little more? What will your little friends do if they find out?” I still had to try to warn her. This kind of thing had to be considered carefully; once it was done, there was no turning back.

I wanted to treat this as an accident. Could we just go back to how things were before, okay?

“No, I’ve already thought it through.” She answered without hesitation, though there was a trace of uncertainty on her face, but only for a moment.

“If they know, then they know. They’ll know their boss has already become an adult and entered the world of grown-ups. They should be proud. And if I don’t have business, then I’ll use my own way to ask them for some living expenses. They’re not the ones getting the short end of the stick, after all!!”