❖ 9 ❖

“Ahahaha… Haqua and I don’t wear wedding rings, silly. We’re not into that sort of thing…”

It was a desperate play that I knew wouldn’t work. But I guess some part of me still harshly rejected what it was hearing. Just completely refused to believe that this situation could be real.

“No no, your nipple rings, Senpai! I bet they look sooooo cute!”

That part of me was weak, and was killed off in an instant.

“You want to see my rings! Ahaha, of course you do!” I said, waving her away with my hand like she was teasing me.

Mio, bless her horny little heart, puffed up her cheeks like a hamster, then slammed a hand down on my desk, before leaning in so close to me I could smell the lust coming off of her. It was sweet and warm, just like her. God, I wanted to taste it so bad.

“I’m serious, Senpai! You don’t have to or anything... but they’ve gotta be adorable, right?”

“They’re just nipple rings...”

“Those can be adorable on the right nipples!”

I knew this was what I was going for, to get us to finally take a step forward and open up to each other, but she was really getting fired up, way more than I’d expected. 

It was kind of a lot… 

I mean, she’d pretty much just asked to see my tits, outright. Not a picture of the piercings on a store’s website or anything (which was a relief, I guess, considering they came straight from my desire, apparently), but on my body! Was Mio always this...fierce?!

“A-And mine are the right nipples?”

“Definitely! Everything about you is super cute, Senpai, so they’ve gotta be too!”

M-Mio, you realize you’re talking about way more than just seeing a piercing, right?! It’s not just my loser dog mind jumping to conclusions here, is it?

“Were they a gift from Haqua?” she continued pressing, leaning in even closer, though her eyes were definitely not fixed on my face. “If they were, then I bet she’d want you to be able to show them off a little, right?”

I mean, yeah… They kinda were, as was the whole body. And…she’d definitely want me to show them off…

“I-I picked them out myself, kinda...”

“Even better!”

How?!

“Please, Senpai? I just wanna take a quick look! A tiny, tiiiiny peek!”

A small part of me was halfway convinced I should argue a little, tell her that there’s no way I can just...do that in the middle of the office. I might be a succubus now, but I’ve spent most of my life as a human. I still know some restraint.

But above even being a succubus, I’m a far more desperate being of lust. One that can never really back down at all: A perverted loser dog. And right now, I had one aching desire that had been on my mind since she first said she wanted to see my rings: 

I really wanted to bare it all for Mio, to show her my chest like a good little mutt. I had to, there was no holding back a feeling that intense.

Especially now that she seemed one step away from ordering me to show her, though that’d be fun too.

“O-OK, I’ll show you.”

“Oh gosh! Thank you so much, Senpai! You’re amazing!”

Putting aside the completely wild fact that my adorable kouhai was praising me for being willing to show her my bare breasts, I took off my vest and slowly unbuttoned my blouse while she hungrily watched. I could see her biting her lip, practically squirming the whole time.

“That’s such a cute bra, Senpai! Ehehe...I bet you picked that out, too, right?”

“Yeah… I did…”

If you were wondering, I’d decided to wear black lingerie today, the type you usually wore exclusively when you were planning to go wild, complete with a thong that really rode up between my cheeks. Haqua once told me it made my ass look extra spankable, so I made a habit of wearing it whenever I really wanted to get punished.

Wan wan, etc.

Still, I could tell from her eager, horny eyes that the lingerie was just a taster before the main course she was so desperate to see and...well, I wanted to show her, too. Hardly able to bear it myself anymore, I put all theatricality aside and just pulled my bra down, my nipples stiffening the instant they met the cool air and my kouhai’s ecstatic gaze.

“Oh wo~w! Senpai, you’re so bold!”

“Y-You asked me to show them to you!”

“Ehehe...I guess we’re both pretty bold, huh? But those rings are just adorable! And your nipples are so cute and perky! The way they stiffened up, it’s like they’re saying hi to me, ehehe! Hi there little cuties, thanks for always looking after Senpai!”

Fuck...

Mio had, after just a few seconds of seeing my chest, found a way of embarrassing me that was as far removed from Haqua’s playbook as possible, but every bit as effective.

And it was getting me so damn wet...

“Mind if I tug on you a little, girls?”

Apparently, my rings are more worth asking than I am. I can’t say I disapproved.

I wasn’t too surprised that things seemed to be going further, though. She’d said she was just going to take a quick look, but Mio and I both knew it wouldn’t stop there. I had a feeling things would go much further than this before either of us even started to think about quitting.

Whether it was my own choice or my lust speaking for me, I nodded. Didn’t matter what part of me was saying it, honestly. I wanted it so, so bad, and there was no way she didn’t know that from the dorky, hungry gasp I let out the second her fingers touched my chest.

“Whoa, these feel great, Senpai! So soft and springy, ehehe…”

I’d have never imagined it, but I was learning a whole new side of humiliation from Mio. Turns out that the most embarrassing thing in the world isn’t being treated like a dog. No, it’s being faced with total sincerity. That’s what’s truly kinky.

And fuck, her hands were so gentle! caressing and teasing me so delicately it almost had me ready to burst right then and there, and she hadn’t even started tugging on the rings like she’d said she would! I loved when Haqua went all out, but holy shit, there was something to Mio’s feathery touch that was just so~ different! I couldn’t stop myself from shuddering as she ran a finger around my nipple, slowly and slowly getting closer until-

“Hyahn~!”

She pinched it, and I let out the most pathetic sounding moan.

“Ehehe, you’re so~ cute, Senpai!”

Mio giggled, hooked a finger around each of the rings, and gave them a light tug.

I don’t need to spell out just how pathetic that made me sound.

“Does Haqua do this kind of thing for you?”

“S-She, y’know, does a lot of things... She’s played with them a few times, yeah…” I panted, struggling to remember how to speak.

“I don’t blame her! Gosh, it’s so fun to see how into it you get! If I was with you, I don’t think I’d let a day go by without teasing your cute little titties!”

That sweet/horny sentiment was punctuated by another, firmer tug, and accompanied by the cutest smile I’d ever seen.

“Nnnh~!”

“I wanna get to know her better someday, Senpai! I bet we’d have all kinds of fun stories to tell each other about you!”

“Fuck, Mio...you two would love each other…”

My breathing was completely ragged and my chest was on fire. All she was doing was tugging my rings, but it was driving me absolutely nuts. 

Turns out, I’m even more pathetic than I’d come to believe. I’m an actual demon, but I’ve got nothing on my adorable kouhai here.

“Really?! Yay! I’m so glad you think so! Haaah, Haqua’s pretty busty. Does she have rings like you, Senpai?”

“N-no, just me…”

Kinda weird to ask all of a sudden, Mio…

She was getting strangely into this...

“Awww, that’s a shame. These rings look so, so good on your cute little boobies, but gosh…”

“M-Mio?”

Mio didn’t say another word as she squeezed my boobs even more, cupping them in her soft, delicate hands even though they barely filled up her palms. She definitely seemed to be enjoying herself, but her eyes and her expression looked somehow...greedy...

“I don’t know much about piercings, Senpai but, I’m really curious… I bet rings like this would look rea~lly great on a super huge chest, don’t you? Ehehe, especially if they were so big that the rings barely showed, like they were just swallowed up by big boobies…”

Fuck, yes, that’s incredibly hot, Mio…

Not much I can do about that, though. I’m a mutt, not a cow.

Well, that’s what I thought, at least.

It hadn’t come up at all between us, maybe because Haqua was more than entertained with keeping me as a runty, yappy bitch all the time, but she had explained to me that a succubus can alter their appearance based on the desires of their partner.

And, right now, I was just as curious as Mio about what things would look like if I was actually super stacked instead of a just a tiny runt with a killer ass.

What I’m saying is-

“Moo…”

“S-Senpai?! Did you just moo?!”

-that I may have inadvertently tapped into a bit of my succubus power.

“Senpai, you’re getting squishier…”

I wasn’t stupid. I realized what was happening, what my depraved, mutt brain had made a reality, but I was still a little doubtful that it actually was possible for me to be any bigger, so I couldn’t help but watch my chest with just as much interest as Mio had as she started finding herself with more and more to play with.

“Heavier, too…”

I was more than aware of that. My chest ached in a way I’d thought I’d never feel again after puberty, and I could feel the weight of my breasts increasing, even with the “support” Mio was giving them with her hands.

“Aww… Poor little things, they’re hiding away! All that attention must’ve made them shy…”

I fought against wincing in pleasure to take a look down at my chest, to get some idea of what Mio was talking about, and saw that the rings she’d been so desperate to see were practically swallowed up by...well, just really damn huge tits, frankly. Just like Mio had wanted.

I mean, I’d felt them swelling and pressing back more and more against Mio’s hands, but actually seeing my breasts that big, on a body as short as mine, I was really at a loss for words. Mio, on the other hand, looked like a kid peeking at her Christmas presents early.

Holy shit, they’re way bigger than Haqua’s! Is this really all because of Mio?!

“They’re so~ big, Senpai!”

Mio’s laugh, normally so light and airy, was filled with a lust that made me shudder. She looked absolutely ravenous, and with her leaning over my body, I was the perfect meal for her.

“I just can’t resist sinking my fingers in! I wanna squeeze these huge, bullyable boobs so badly~!”

“E-Eh?!” I gasped, as MIo suddenly stepped up her efforts, groping me harder than I’d ever expected her to.

W-Wait, what was that she was saying? “Bullyable boobs?” The hell’s that mean?!

That was about as much as I could think about, what with Mio kneading my chest like dough, her gentle touch giving way to a roughness that I still deeply adored.

“Haaaah, so fun… Bu~t, I’m missing those little cuties from before...I wonder if we can coax them out, Senpai…”

She didn’t even wait for me to answer before she carefully pinched the hint of the metal piercings still showing and tugged, wearing a huge, happy smile the whole time.

“Mooooo~!”

That’s how I moan now?!

“Aww, you really did moo! I knew that was what I’d heard, Senpai! Ehehe...guess that makes you my cute, cuddly cow! So small and so sweet, but also so~ stacked!”

“Moo~!”

I couldn’t help but moan as she pulled my boobs around by the rings, then lifted them up high and let fall back down.

We were both silent as we watched them bounce, both of us apparently very captivated by my sudden endowment.

“Mm. I-I’m just a cow…”

Fuck...that sounded pretty good.

Alright, it’s decided! I’m not a loser mutt anymore, I’m a cow! That’s totally more respectable!

“Ehehe...I was worried that was a bit much, but if you wanna be my moo cow…”

Mio leaned forward and kissed me deeply, her eyes locked on mine with the most loving, breathless horny expression I’d ever seen before standing back up and pushing everything off my desk.

“...Then I have no problem showing my sweetie ju~st how excited she gets me!!”

I let out a surprised moo as Mio grabbed me tightly, giggling as she hoisted me up in her arms.

Honestly, while I was shocked she’d just violently cleared my desk to fuck me, most of my surprise came from feeling my cowtits moving with the rest of my body. They were stupidly heavy, so it was impossible not to notice. Hell, I wouldn’t be surprised if I’d bought so much into the cow thing that I was producing milk now. 

Still, despite all the extra weight I’d put on in the chest, Mio had no problem effortlessly laying me down on the desk, my legs locked around her waist.

“You know I’ve got a thing for you, right Senpai?” she grinned, while her head moved toward my big, apparently bullyable boobs, that still looked ridiculously huge on my small frame even with me on my back.

“I-I’d kinda suspected, yeah...”

“And you never said anything? Awww, you’re such a meanie, Senpai~!”

My punishment, apparently, was Mio biting down on my nipple.

“Mooo~!”

Fu~ck, tugging them with your teeth feels so good, Mio…

“It’s OK, Senpai. I forgive you. We’re gonna get all those feelings of ours out now. Just me and my lovely little moo cow…”

Soon as she was done talking, she went back to happily sucking at my chest, one of her hands kneading and squeezing my boobs, while the other slipped its way under her skirt.

Fuck...I could feel her tongue snaking into the ring and tugging while her teeth grinded against my nipple… I almost passed out right then and there.

She’s so damn good! Where did she learn this?! I-I’ve gotta make her feel good, too…

Mio had done so much for me, I’d feel extremely selfish if I did nothing for her in return.

Wanna know one of my favorite things I’d learned since becoming a succubus? How to really utilize my tail. No matter how hard anyone was going with me (and Haqua went very hard), I could still do so many wonderful things with my tail, and right now, it’d be perfect for satisfying Mio.

I brought her in closer to me by closing my legs around her, then wrapped my tail around one of her legs, and snaked it up until it could push away her hand.

“S-Senpai?”

Seeing her looking up at me from my chest, a string of saliva linking my nipple and her lips, with a look of surprise on her face was a memory I never wanted to forget.

Her lust was undeniably clouding her judgment. She saw nothing wrong with me having a tail right now. All she saw me as now was her shortstack cow, after all.

I slipped my tail down her tights and into her panties, then started rubbing her with the tip.

Mio...you got so wet from me!

“Nnn~ Jeez, Senpai, that feels super good…”

The way she gasped and moaned was almost too much for my thirsty little heart to bear. The feeling of her breath against my nipples was driving me crazy…

“Mooo…”

Haqua and I could feed off of and sustain each other without issue, but as my body fed off of Mio’s lust, I noticed her movements growing just the slightest bit more sluggish. She was enjoying this to the very core of her being, but just being with a demon like me was hard on the poor girl. Still, she was working so, so hard, and all either of us wanted to do was make each other feel good, so I kept on going.

Shivers ran through my body as, collecting herself once more, she squeezed my breasts together, pressing them so tight that I wasn’t sure I could handle it, then, against all odds, managed to stuff both of my nipples into her mouth.

“M-Moo~!”

My chest felt like it was on fire, while Mio just wrapped her arms around my breasts, keeping them pressed tight together while she continued to lick, and tease, and tug at my nipples. I felt like my boobs were going to burst.

“Senpai...your milk...it’s so~ tasty…”

“M-Moo?!”

Holy shit, I really do lactate like this, huh?

Not that I could voice my own surprise. At some point I’d forgotten how to speak entirely. I was a cow, why would I be able to talk?

Still, I wasn’t sure if I’d heard Mio right. It sure felt like something was flowing out of me, and her words were muffled by my chest. When I saw her lips glistening, though, and a thin, white liquid streaming down my chest, though, I knew that I’d heard her correctly.

I was truly her moo cow now, and I honestly wouldn’t have it any other way.

I loved her, and I loved Haqua. I couldn’t bear to ever be apart from either of them, and I’d tell Mio that as soon as I could manage more than a horny moo, but it didn’t look like that would be anytime soon.

Whenever I thought I’d reached my limit, that I’d been milked dry by the hungry girl who was still squeezing and prodding my udders, she’d work some magic with her mouth and the flow would pick right up.

I slipped my tail inside of her at some point, or maybe she’d rocked her hips and guided it inside herself, but even with that, neither of us seemed willing to let up for even a second.

“Your milk is so tasty, Rina… It makes me feel so, so warm…”

I wasn’t sure if that was a succubus thing, or just a normal reaction to milking the coworker you’ve been thirsting after for years.

I wanted to tell her that everything she was doing was great, that her mouth was amazing, and that my tail felt so warm inside her, but all that came out was heavy, sultry, “Moo…”

I’m a very dedicated pet.

“You’re such an amazing moo cow, Rina… I could stay with you like this forever…”

“M-Moo~”

Her eyes had started looking kind of distant, like she couldn’t keep this up much longer. Everyone had their limits, and if the way she was clamping down on my tail was any indication, Mio might have finally been hitting hers.

I wanted it to be a hell of a finish for her.

I picked up the pace with my tail, plunging in as deep inside of her as I could and stirring her up, teasing every sensitive spot I could zero in on. And, while I wasn’t sure how to control things yet, I willed every fiber of my being to produce more milk, to try and just flood her. She was thirsty, there was no denying that, and I wanted to be a good moo cow for her. I wanted her to have her fill.

And she was more than ready to take it, sucking and nibbling at me so, so hungrily even as her legs clamped together, desperate to hold on for just one more second.

So I went even harder. As amazing as this was, I knew from experience that pushing a human past her limit wouldn’t turn out great.

“Rina~!”

“M-Mooo~!”

Her floodgates burst, and as it happened she bit down on my nipples harder than she ever had, releasing the flood of milk I’d been hoping for.

I must’ve been wearing the dorkiest, most triumphant smile, I was so satisfied with how things had gone. Mio had done so well, and I was confident that I’d helped her time with me feel incredible, too.

“Rina…”

In her post-orgasm glow, she was so, so sleepy, but she was still lapping up every drop she could manage.

“You’re...such a good cow, so… I don’t wanna waste…”

Her head started lolling a bit, so I pulled her close and took my tail out from inside her, the tip still covered in her warm juices.

“You did great, Mio. That was really amazing,” I whispered, breaking cow mode just enough to say a few sweet words. I didn’t want her to feel even the slightest bit inadequate over any of this. Hell, if she could’ve handled it, I’d have gone for another dozen rounds. I never wanted this feeling to end. 

You’re incredible.

Slowly, her grip on my nipples began to ease up, the fatigue of going all out with a succubus—even one as pathetic as me—was really catching up to her.

Finally, she couldn’t keep it going any longer. No matter how energetic she was, she had a belly full of succubus milk, and anyone would need to rest up after all that. She let go of my nipples, then lovingly snuggled against my big, pillowy boobs.

Then, just as I heard a soft sound like a snore come from my kouhai, those pillows disappeared in a flash.

“Wha?!”

Poof! That was that, back to tiny tits in the blink of an eye. Even though Mio had just had her pillows cruelly stolen out from under her, though, she didn’t stir for even a second. Nope, she was still perfectly happy against what little boob I had left. 

Personally, though, I was a little sad to see them go, considering just how much fun they’d been. Still...I suppose mine are still bullyable, so maybe that’ll be enough for Mio.

“Shit, they really go away that fast? Or maybe I’m just that eager to go back to being a loser dog. I haven’t barked for anyone in hours…”

But maybe I can be a cow every now and then, if it makes Mio that happy…

...

Fuck, wait a sec! What do I do now?!

Dammit. I hadn’t really thought this through.

Look, I knew, once we started fucking, that Mio was probably gonna pass out afterwards. It happened to me back when I was a human, and even if I wasn’t anywhere near as powerful as Haqua, feeding on Mio happened whether I wanted it to or not, so this was inevitable.

The problem, of course, is that I had absolutely no idea what to do with Mio now. I’d have walked her home, but there was no way she’d be strong enough to walk, even if I could wake her up. I could carry her pretty easily—even the weakest succubi was still leagues above a human in terms of strength—but I didn’t have her address, and she was out cold, so I wasn’t getting any answers from her, either.

Geh...who am I kidding? I know exactly what I can do. I’m just not sure I’m ready to deal with both of them at the same time.

It’s that or I leave her sleeping here, and that’d be extremely shitty of me…

“Haaah, lucky you, Mio. You’re gonna get to know Haqua better really soon…”

I pet my adorable kouhai’s hair, gently kissed her forehead, and propped her up in my seat.

Then I turned to see the disaster zone we’d made of my desk, saw my tail was still slick with Mio, and realized I had a lot more work to do before I could even think about taking a step outside of the office.

“Fun as it would be to start some rumors, I’ve gotta clean up all this crap first...”

“...Rina…?”

My blood ran cold.

Slowly, I turned on my heels to see Iori standing just a few feet away, gazing at Mio and I in utter disbelief.

Fuck.

“H-hey, Iori, I…I…umm…”

I tried to think of an excuse, but got nowhere with it. What the hell was I meant to say after all that? Just how much had she seen, anyway?

“I…I went to the izakaya, like you suggested. It was a lot of fun. The karaage was delicious, just like Mio had said…”

Iori smiled nervously, trying her best to keep the atmosphere light.

“Th-that so?” I asked, keenly aware of how much of my body was on display.

“The…the rings are cute. I didn’t take you for the kind to wear piercings, but they suit you.”

“Mio said the same thing…”

The hell am I even saying?

The two of us stood there for a moment, desperate for a way to break through the silence.

“I…I wanted to stop by and see how you two were doing before I went home, but I didn't need to worry, it seems,” she chuckled shyly.

"No, that's… I-it means a lot to us both…" I said, looking at Mio before correcting myself. "I mean, it'd mean a lot to Mio if she was awake right now, ahahaha…"

Shut up dumbass! Why'd you say that?!

"I-indeed…"

We both fell silent again, at a total loss for words.

"So," Iori started, too antsy to look me in the eyes. "You and Mio… You…"

She trailed off, too shy to ask what I knew she wanted to.

So I ripped the bandaid off. If I was about to lose my job, then nothing I could say right now would change that.

"We had sex, yeah…" I said, shy despite gathering my resolve.

"I…suppose that was obvious, but thank you for your honesty, Rina," she nodded.

"For what it's worth, and I know it's not much. Neither of us intended for this to happen. We sincerely just wanted to work on Mio's writing. I…I had plans to confess to her, since we've both had feelings for each other for a while, but sex wasn't something we planned on. It just…happened, I guess."

Iori's cheeks were steadily reddening.

"I suppose the confession went well, then?" she asked.

I knew it was just making things more difficult, but I answered.

"It worked out, yeah. We both like each other a lot."

"A-and Haqua? Does she know about this?"

"Ah crap, it totally looks like I'm cheating on her, huh?"

Surprisingly, Iori shook her head.

"I take it you know that she visited me recently?" Iori asked.

"Y-yeah, I heard about that."

Iori stiffened slightly.

"I dunno the details! I just know that she-"

"Don't worry, Rina. She's a succubus, isn't she? You're one now too, in fact."

?!

"B-but…I've got a glamor on! And-"

Iori, surprisingly, chuckled softly and smiled pleasantly.

"So you do, but Haqua told me about herself, and she didn't adjust any of my memories like she did with everyone else, so putting two and two together when I saw how different you look wasn't terribly hard, especially not after seeing this."

"She didn't tweak your memories at all, huh? Not that I'm upset, but she never told me that part," I sighed.

"I couldn't really say why she left things as is for me, unfortunately. She just helped…guide my heart, I suppose. I'm very grateful to her, honestly. I've been far more true to myself thanks to her."

"I…I'm really glad, Iori. B-but-"

"I won't tell anyone, I promise," she smiled. "You won't be fired, either. Nor will Mio. You're the only people who seem to want to be my friends after everything I did, ahaha. Maybe that's a misuse of my position, but…well, in this case, I think that's something I'm happy to abide by."

I breathed a small sigh of relief.

"Thanks, Iori. That's… You're really damn sweet, y'know that? I'm glad that Haqua could help you live so honestly."

Iori smiled pleasantly, then continued speaking.

"So I don't think you're cheating at all, ahaha," she chuckled. "You're both comfortable with multiple partners, is that it? Polyamory?"

I nodded, wondering where she was going with this.

"Good, good," she smiled, apparently satisfied. "Take care of little Mio, then. She deserves someone who can love her as strongly as you, Rina."

I was still in a post-sex haze, so maybe I was seeing things wrong, but I swear, as I listened to her speak and heard the quiet confidence in her words, it reignited something inside of me. A memory, distant and hazy enough that I couldn't recall it in full, yet I kept reaching toward all the same.

And yet I couldn't quite reach it, and the feeling faded as quickly as it had appeared. I wished I knew how to gaze into a soul the way Haqua could. That would've made this so much easier.

So I did the next best thing, and asked her.

"Iori, do I…know you from somewhere?"

She looked surprised for a second, caught off-guard by a question that must've seemed baffling coming from someone who'd worked for her for years now.

And then she smiled warmly.

"I'm your boss, silly. I'm not particularly fond of ranking above anyone here anymore, but someone has to watch out for you when Haqua can't."

"R-right. Yeah…" I smiled, letting out a small sigh despite my best efforts. That feeling would just have to linger a while longer.

"Mmm, senpai…" Mio stirred in her sleep, letting out a warm, happy giggle before she fell silent again.

"Poor girl," Iori chuckled. "You'd better take her home. Leave the cleaning to me, alright?"

"C'mon, Iori, I can't leave that all on you."

"Mio might catch a cold if you don't get her in bed," Iori lightly scolded.

Still, I didn't want to just leave her. As sweet as she was being, it felt like there was something beneath her smile that I couldn't just leave alone.

"Iori, I know how dicey things have been for you and me in the past, but with how much we've both changed, I just wanna say that I'm ready to move past it all, if you are."

She looked stunned.

"Come again, Rina?"

"I…I can't say what your reasons might've been, and it doesn't take away how difficult the past few years under you were, but seeing you now, I guess it feels like maybe something was trapping you, too. And maybe things would be easier if I just walked away for good after all that, or really laid into you over it all, but I know you know how much it's hurt. I don't want to kick you when you're down, I don't want that guilt to burden you forever. So let's move forward together as friends, OK?"

"You're…serious, Rina?"

Iori seemed completely taken aback. She'd accepted me being a demon with no trouble at all, but this seemed to shake her to no end.

Still, I didn't want to back down.

"Completely. I want to get to know you better, now that you get to actually be you. And while I know it might be hard to want to deal with a demon, I'm sure the feeling's mutual, right?"

"Of course. I-I just don't know if I deserve-"

"Screw that. That's my friend you're about to badmouth, so don't say whatever you were about to say, got it?" I cut her off, grinning happily.

Iori smiled and nodded.

"Right! It's…it's good to properly meet you then, Rina. Let's do our best for each other," Iori said, her cheeks painted an adorable shade of pink.

"You've got it, Iori," I chuckled. "Stop by my place sometime, OK? We'll get drunk and play videogames together."

As I gently picked Mio up to carry her on my back, I saw Iori's expression get just a little bit softer and gentler.

"That sounds wonderful, Rina."

Despite meeting that night in the worst possible way, we saw each other off with a smile.

And really, that was all I could ask for.

❖ ❖ ❖

As soon as the elevator doors shut and Rina began making her way home, Iori turned to head for her office with a spring in her step.

She had a lot of cleaning to do, but right now, there was something she needed to see.

Despite nobody else being around, Iori shut and locked the door to her private office, just in case.

She gave the room a basic check before opening her desk drawer and pulling out a photograph, still in pristine condition despite its age.

In it stood two girls. One tall and sporty, with a very sweet, open smile, and a refined beauty in her features; while the other was short, childish, and cocky, grinning impishly at the camera.

It hadn't always looked this way, of course. Once, the impish girl had stood even taller than her friend, and the cockiness she showed now was once a cool, collected beauty that made her so very popular.

Iori remembered it so clearly. She could never forget the time she'd spent with Rina back in high school, even if her own cruelty had robbed Rina of those very same memories.

Still, chatting to her tonight, she knew that the feelings they'd once shared hadn't left her dearest friend. In fact, they now seemed to be returning, however slowly.

Iori would wait patiently, and even if they never returned, she wouldn't be dissatisfied. She got to start over with the first woman she'd ever truly loved and see them living so much more happily than she'd been able to in years, and that was more than enough for her.

Shyly, she pressed the photo to her lips, and kissed it softly.

"It doesn't matter what form you take, Rina. My love for you won't ever fade away. And one day, I promise I'll share those feelings with you."

She whispered those words for no one but herself. After writing off her feelings for Rina for years, she was finally ready to declare her intent to try again.

She'd walk her own path, unburned by worry and guilt. 

Iori had found her happiness once more.