「Now then, please lie down on your side and face your rear this way.」
「Wha–! Wh-what…!? You suddenly show up in my room and ‘this’ is the first thing you say!? Did grandpa’s ‘if pushing doesn’t work, try pulling’ strategy actually succeed!?」
「…No. That old man told me you’ve been struggling with insomnia, Your Majesty, so he asked me to help with grooming and massage.」
I’d been told about it before we arrived in Roukaku and had been waiting for the right time, but with everything that happened back then…
Now that things have calmed down, and with the old man reassuring Renge that it’s safe, right before she clenched her fist, I decided to go through with it.
For the record, I haven’t said it aloud, but Shiro is standing guard outside the room.
If she tries to get ‘too’ creative with this…
「Grooming? Ah, you mean my tail… I’ve heard about it. You’re that pervert who gets excited by tails, aren’t you?」
「…Who told you that? No, wait, never mind, I think I can guess.」
It’s probably either Sorte or Renge.
If someone’s calling me a pervert, it’s one of those two.
Aina might say it too, but she wouldn’t bring up tails…
And if she ‘did’ say it, it would be with her cheeks flushed, whispering 『…pervert』 in that irresistibly embarrassed tone that makes you want to push her down right then and there.
「…To entrust one’s tail to the opposite sex is a sign of deep trust among beastkin. But very well. Grandpa said it felt so good it was like ascending to the heavens, and truth be told, I’ve been wondering when to ask you myself… I may have gone a bit too far before, so I was holding back.」
So, she’s been acting more reserved lately out of self-restraint for going too far that day, huh.
Well, I guess that means she ‘can’ behave properly when she tries.
Seeing her like this, quiet, refined, and composed, she really does look beautiful and elegant.
「Then, please take care of me.」
「…You don’t have to pose like that, just lie on your side or on your stomach normally.」
But Koren-sama got on the bed, went on all fours facing me, and lifted her rear, assuming a rather impressive position.
「I–I see… It’s just that this is my first time having a man do this, so… um, is this fine?」
「Yes. Then, I’ll move you onto my lap.」
「Ah…」
I grasped her by the waist, lifted her light body onto my knees, and her fluffy tail, about as full as Renge’s, swayed softly as it fell across my arm.
「Alright, let’s begin. First, some prep work…」
「Hyaaah!」
A rather cute sound escaped her lips as Koren-sama blushed in embarrassment and covered her rear with both hands.
For a moment, I couldn’t help but think she looked her age, and kind of adorable.
「Sorry, was it too cold?」
「No, I was just startled… Um, that was… liquid?」
「It’s a skincare lotion made by my senpai. It keeps the skin from getting irritated. Alright, I’ll start easing it in now.」
I spread the lotion across my palms and began to massage it deeply into the base of her tail so it would blend into the skin.
It’s to prevent scratches when the comb touches the area and also works as a finishing hair treatment to add shine and protect from dryness.
「Mmm… ahh… such delicate movements… I can hardly believe these are a man’s hands…」
「Well, I’ve had plenty of practice.」
「So, these fingers have made many women cry, haven’t they…?」
「No, that’s not, well…」
Yeah, I couldn’t really deny it.
There ‘were’ plenty who ended up teary-eyed afterward, though not in a bad way.
「You’re a terrible man. But your skill really is impressive… Do you do this for onee-sama as well?」
「Yes. She seems to enjoy it quite a bit, so lately she often asks me to include massages too. Anyway, it’s about time for the main part…」
「…Should I remove my underwear?」
「No, not ‘that’ kind of main part…」
「Oh, honestly, you’re so stiff. Just once wouldn’t hurt, would it? It’s not like anything’s going to decrease or anything…」
That line is such a classic, and in Koren-sama’s case, it ‘would’ decrease, or rather, break something important.
And if the situation were reversed, there ‘is’ something that would decrease.
Though… it usually recovers in about three days.
「By the way, grandpa told me, you know? He said you seemed quite willing when a woman you’d just met made advances. That’s unfair, so unfair. I wouldn’t mind if it were just a casual arrangement.」
A woman I just met… She must mean guide-san, huh?
I wouldn’t say I was that willing though.
It was more like I got swept up in her pace.
「I can’t exactly do that with a queen, can I?」
「Then treat me as Koren, the younger sister of onee-sama.」
「That only makes it even harder to think of it as casual… Come on, just relax and enjoy the grooming tonight so you can get a good sleep.」
「Eeh… are you really not going to? Isn’t this one of those moments that start with, 『I can’t believe a man’s fingers feel this good! But still…』?」
「How do you even know about that? Wait, is that some kind of trope?」
「No, it was part of my emotional education when I was learning to be queen. I happened to find an old book that said situations like this ‘might’ occur, so I studied it.」
That… was probably just an erotic book, wasn’t it?
…Maybe reading things like that from a young age is what made her dislike men in the first place.
「…Well, I’ll behave myself tonight. If I make onee-sama any angrier, she might truly start to hate me.」
「Yes. Please do.」
Especially since Shiro is on standby outside, so yes, please definitely do.
Still, the way she keeps pushing forward like this… Maybe, as Renge said, it’s because she feels pressured.
But since Kuduro-san and Renge both share a similar temperament, it might also just be a trait of their race.
「Then… shall we begin?」
「Yes… please do it the same way you do for onee-sama.」
Compared to Renge’s, Koren-sama’s tail had slightly less volume, but the texture was a perfect mix of fluff and smoothness, it was truly a fine tail.
She probably handles it herself most of the time.
Because of that, the base was a little rough, though I could tell this tail had the potential to become even more magnificent.
There’s no need to be satisfied with the current state. Let’s aim higher.
「Mmm… haah, mm… To entrust my tail to a man, it’s… quite nerve-wracking… Ah… that feels so good there…」
「Here?」
「Yes… ahh… I understand now why both onee-sama and grandpa became addicted to this… Your touch is so skillful… The base of my tail tingles, but it’s not unpleasant at all… nn, haah…」
「If you start feeling sleepy, it’s fine to drift off. Actually, Renge usually falls asleep halfway through.」
「She does? …Ah, but it feels like such a waste to fall asleep now… Since it’s such a rare opportunity, nn… maybe I’ll try to stay awake. Let’s talk about something.」
「Talk? Let’s see… then how about a story about Renge?」
I gave her a brief summary of how I met Renge and everything that had happened since.
Koren-sama laughed and gasped in surprise at parts of the story, clearly enjoying it.
She even shared stories of Renge’s childhood, apparently, she’d been quite the handful since she was little, which was exactly what I imagined, and I couldn’t help but laugh.
「Koren-sama, you’ve loved Renge since you were small, haven’t you?」
「Fwaaah… of course… Onee-sama has always been so cool ever since we were little…」
Gradually, Koren-sama began to relax her body, entrusting her full weight to me.
She even yawned, she must be getting quite sleepy by now.
Given her history of insomnia, I didn’t mind if she fell asleep once she grew tired, but maybe because the topic was about Renge, she was trying her best to stay awake.
「Fufu. You really do love Renge, don’t you?」
「…Yes… I suppose so. Ever since I can remember, onee-sama has always been… my hero.」
「‘Hero’, huh? That’s quite the exaggeration.」
「…It’s not an exaggeration. …Onee-sama has always been there to help me. When I was struggling, when I was crying, she would pat my head and smile at me with that radiant grin, telling me everything would be fine because she would handle it… That time too…」
Her voice grew soft and frail, as if she were drifting somewhere between wakefulness and sleep.
「…The truth is, I was supposed to become the Shrine Maiden Princess. The ritual of the Shrine Maiden Princess is a great honor, meant to protect one’s comrades and family. Every Shrine Maiden Princess before me carried out the ritual with pride and dignity… But on the night before the ceremony, I realized I might die from it, and I got so scared that I couldn’t stop crying… Then, onee-sama came into my room…」
…Or so I thought, but the atmosphere had shifted.
I instinctively stopped my hand.
So Koren-sama was originally meant to be the Shrine Maiden Princess… but if Renge is the current one, that means…
「When Onee-sama found me crying, I knew she would do something to save me. I thought that would be wrong, so I desperately pretended to be asleep… But… Onee-sama just patted my head through the blanket covering me, saying it would be all right… and stayed by my side until I fell asleep…」
From her profile pressed against the bed, tears began to fall silently, one after another.
No doubt, the memories and emotions from that time had all come flooding back, and she could no longer hold them in.
「When… I woke up the next morning… Onee-sama had… taken the ritual in my place… When I asked Father and Mother, they told me that during the night, she had insisted on taking my place instead… and explained how I was the one more suited to be a ruler… Ah… but Onee-sama was always the one more deserving… more fitting than someone like me…」
…Yeah.
I can easily picture it.
That’s exactly the kind of person Renge is.
「When the ritual ended… and I ran to her, onee-sama patted my head again… She must have still been in pain, still frightened… but she smiled just to comfort me, who was crying…」
Her voice, tangled with sobs, grew faint as large wet patches began to spread across the sheets.
Even so, Koren-sama continued to pour out her regrets, as if confessing everything she had held inside for years.
「I was such a coward and so useless… so at the very least, I decided I would live up to onee-sama’s expectations and fulfill my duties as queen… But even now, I can’t help thinking over and over… what if onee-sama had become queen instead… The vassals must think the same… that instead of someone as unreliable as me, it should have been my beautiful, compassionate, kind, brave, wise, and perfect sister…」
…Yeah.
Even though she’s called “Your Majesty”, she’s still younger, about the age of a high school girl in my world. Just an ordinary girl, really.
I can only imagine how long she’s been struggling under the invisible weight of pressure and expectations.
And yet, she’s been fighting to stay strong, to be the dignified queen that Renge believed she could be.
The real Koren, the little sister, was someone who could only truly be herself in front of Renge.
While Renge was gone, she must have pushed herself to the limit, forcing herself to act as Queen Koren every single day.
Her sleeplessness likely came from the mental strain, her mind refusing to rest when silence fell at night.
If that’s the case, then my job now is clear.
「There!」
「Nyoaahhhh!?」
I had no choice but to knead, both physically and mentally.
So, I firmly gripped her hips.
Even through the dress, the elasticity was impressive.
So soft, yet resilient, youth in perfect form.
「The hips! The hips! Gunyoon!」
「W-What are you doing!? Hyaah… is that… part of the massage!?」
「Uh… yeah. It is.」
「That sounds suspicious!」
What’s she talking about? There are acupoints right around this area, Kanchou, Jiryou, Shoufu, Houmou, Taimyaku, Youyu!
All proper pressure points near the hips.
…And since Shoufu is good for lifting the hips, might as well throw that one in too.
TN: I have no idea what those accupoints are. I just googled them.
「Phew, my hands are getting tired. Break time.」
「On my hips!? You’re using my hips as a hand rest!? N-no, not there, ahhh…」
Because she had said she wanted it done just like with onee-sama…
When it came to Renge or Sorte, I was always allowed a little “bonus” like this to rest and recover my hands, it was part of the job.
「Ah… as I thought, men are so… rough… I-I was trying to talk about something serious, you know!?」
「Yeah. That’s why I changed the mood.」
「The mood certainly ‘has’ changed! Don’t people ever tell you you’re terrible at reading the room!?」
…Yeah, I’ve been told that a few times.
But still.
「What am I supposed to do if you keep dragging on and whining about pointless things forever?」
「P-pointless!? It’s not, it’s not pointless at all!」
「It is. What’s the use of regretting a past you can’t change?」
‘Smack.’
「Ah… I-it’s not that it can’t be changed…!」
「Sure, it can’t. Don’t tell me you actually plan to make Renge the queen now? I’m not letting her take the throne, and I’m not letting you step down either.」
「Wha….you just hit me… and you’re calling me without honorifics…」
‘Smack, smack.’
「So, what’s this about Renge being more fit to rule? From what I’ve seen, that’s definitely not true.」
「D-don’t insult onee-sama…!」
‘Smack, smack.’
「There you go again. If you’re so devoted to your sister, then why don’t you believe in her words? She’s the one who said ‘you’ were the one more suited to rule, didn’t she? Why don’t you trust that?」
‘Smack, smack.’
「Haa… haa… still, you can’t just go around smacking the queen’s hips so casually!」
「Don’t change the subject. And weren’t you the one who told me to treat you as Renge’s little sister, Koren?」
‘Smack.’
「Ah… haa… haa… but… everyone thinks onee-sama is the better one… all those eyes watching me, thinking I’m not enough…」
「Who’s ‘everyone’? You said all the people of Roukaku are comrades and family, didn’t you? There are no enemies here. So, who exactly is tormenting you?」
「That’s…」
「It’s Renge, isn’t it?」
「T-that can’t be…」
‘Smack!’
「Nnngh…!」
「Your ideal image of Renge, combined with your guilt over letting her take your place in the Shrine Maiden Princess ritual, has turned her into something far away, sacred, and untouchably perfect, hasn’t it?」
‘Smack!’
I had helped Renge and the others before.
But I didn’t think it was right to accept someone’s body as repayment, so I held back until things were properly settled.
As we spent more time together, she came to know ‘me’ for who I am, not just as the one who saved her.
And now, because of that, we’re together like this.
Nothing special about it, this is how it’s supposed to be.
「Ah… ah!」
「It’s time you wake up. Renge’s just a normal person. She laughs, she cries, she gets happy, just like anyone else. She’s my lover, and your ordinary onee-chan.」
‘Pat, pat.’
「It’s pointless to compare. Thinking about what would’ve happened if Renge had become queen is just a waste of time. That future never came, and it never will.」
「Haa… haa… are you saying that just to comfort me?」
‘Pat, pat.’
「No. I’m just stating facts. Thanks to you becoming queen, I met Renge. And what I’ve seen here is a people living peacefully, smiling, with retainers and elders who trust you… and an onee-san who can rest easy knowing her little sister is ruling well.」
When I walked through the city, the merchants and townsfolk all had bright, relaxed faces, living their days in peace.
It reminded me of Einzheil, gentle, calm, and full of people who trust their leader and live without worry.
And not one of her retainers looked down on Queen Koren.
No one thought of her as just a little girl. Everyone’s hearts were set on building a better nation under her rule.
「…Do you really believe that?」
「Yeah. Your ideal image of a ruler might be Renge, but for the people and your retainers, the ideal ruler is ‘you’. So, it’s fine.」
Just like Renge once told me, I said the same to her, ’it’s fine’, while gently stroking her.
…Though, the part I was stroking happened to be the same spot I’d just been smacking.
「…How humiliating. Those words shouldn’t comfort me, yet somehow they do… After worrying for so long…」
「That’s life. Take it easier. You’re still young, after all.」
「…I’ll take that as advice from someone more experienced. By the way… ah… how long do you plan on rubbing my rear like that?」
「If you dislike it, you can brush my hand away yourself. The fact that you haven’t, why is that?」
‘Pat, pat.’
「Ah… haa… haa… stop… nghh… nnn…」
…I see.
So, this girl’s a bit of a masochist.
I had a feeling her reactions were heading that way, so I might’ve gone a little overboard, but she’s probably just mildly so.
Though honestly, I wasn’t hitting her hard at all. Maybe it’s the humiliation of being spanked that gets to her… or maybe her backside is simply her weak spot.
「Haa… haa…」
「Are you alright, Koren-sama?」
「Ah… you’re not calling me… by my name anymore…?」
「Do you want me to?」
「…Haa… haa, because in the book…」
…Book?
Ah, maybe it’s one of those erotic books she read when she was younger.
So now she’s thinking, ‘Ah, this is just like that scene from the book!’ and getting a little excited.
…Well, if it helps her relieve some stress, maybe it’s fine.
「…Koren.」
「……」
「Koren? Shall I continue the massage?」
「…If it’s just a little more, then…」
‘Smack!’
「Hyaaah! I’m sorry! Please, a little more!」
…I might’ve just opened a new door for her.
Better keep this one from Kuduro-san.
He’d probably tell me to take responsibility or something.
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