acting strangely. She'd stood up at some point and was staring a hole into the bed while deep in thought. "Hina, what's the matter?" "Well, Master Kaito..." "Hmm?" "We are married, you know." Kaito broke into a violent coughing fit. He certainly wasn't dense enough to miss what she was implying. Flustered, he opened his mouth, then thought twice and closed it tight. Insecurity was welling up in Hina's big green eyes. Her gaze was imploring, and hopelessly forlorn. Kaito narrowed his gaze a smidge, then thought back to the earnest words Hina had once said to him. "I wish...to become a family with you...Master Kaito." She'd broken her body on his behalf, even going so far as to lose her arms and legs, and that had been the one wish she'd made of him. And his teary reply had been thus: "You've always been... The moment we met, you became my companion, right?" And that was how, at the end of that battle, after making the insane choice he had, Kaito Sena had finally found a family. "Master Kaito, if you don't find it objectionable... I think it would be an appropriate time to, you know..." Hina gripped her clothes tightly as she spoke. Her voice trembled as she went on. "...Do you...not want to?" Then her nervousness finally surpassed her limits, and her cheeks flushed the reddest they had yet. Completely losing her usual assertiveness, she shook her head in a panic. "Iâ€”I apologize for being so forward! I will take the floor, so please forget I saidâ€”" "Hina!" Kaito abruptly grabbed her slender wrists. Her expression turned to one of shock. Although he was on the verge of insisting on sleeping on the floor himself, Kaito shut his mouth. That wasn't it. No! That's not what I'm supposed to say here! Silently, the two of them stared at each other. Her eyes were as moist as a puppy's. About to reflexively look away, Kaito resisted the urge and opened his mouth. But at the last moment, he couldn't get the words out. Hina gently hung her head. When she did, though, Kaito silently pulled her toward himself. Then he hugged her tight. "M-Master Kaito?" Hina's voice was shrill. As he listened to it, Kaito felt his vision blur. The palpitations of his heart and the sounds of Hina's gears were deafening. For a moment, he was concerned the two of them were both just going to drop dead like that. But then Hina returned his hug, squeezing so hard that she was practically hanging on to him, and he knew he'd made the right choice. She's right. We are married. In sickness and in health, no matter what dangers befell them. Until death did them part, Kaito and Hina planned to stay together. "Hina, I'm never gonna let go of you again. That way, we'll never be apart." "Master Kaito, I'm undeserving of such blessed words. I'm so, so very happy right now. I feel like I'm in a dream." "So, I'll, uh...um... I wonder what I'm supposed to say now." "Give it your best try, Master Kaito!" "I'm trying! I am! So, I'll, uh... You know, after this, I want to spend the rest of my life with you. And I promise to take good care of you! So..." Then Kaito extended out his arms and suddenly let go of Hina. She was a good bit taller than he, and as he looked up at her face, he saw her waiting for him to finish with a serious expression on her face. Kaito inhaled, exhaled, and upon getting his breathing in order, posed his question. "Tonight, would you be interested in becoming one, together, as a couple?" "Yes! Oh, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes!" His tension had caused his wording to come out affected and overly formal. Hearing it, Hina nodded so fast that her head bobbed up and down, and a smile spread across her face like a flower opening its petals. The bed creaked. Hina had lain down in front of Kaito, her cheeks tinged scarlet. As he sat beside her silver hair, he gently placed his hands on the bed. It creaked again. While all she was likely doing was automatically mimicking human breathing, Hina's large breasts heaved up and down beneath her thin negligee as though to demonstrate how tense and excited she was. Kaito swallowed. But then he quickly lifted his arms and adjusted his posture. Still horizontal, Hina blinked repeatedly. "Master Kaito, if I may, why are you sitting with your legs folded underneath you?" "Oh, it's just that my old man and his mistresses would always just go at it like dogs in heat. I figured it'd be better to say something before we get started, so I wanted to sit more formally in seiza." "Say-za? How interesting! I'll do that, too!" Hina bounced to her feet, then knelt the same way Kaito was. The two of them were sitting facing each other. Both of their expressions were meek, but then, at the same time, they both burst into laughter. After the two of them finished giggling together, Kaito placed his hands flat on the bed in front of him and gave Hina a deep bow. She followed his lead. "Then, with that, please take good care of me. Thank you? No, that sounds kinda weird. Here I come? No, no, no, wait, that one doesn't count! Uh... I promise to take good care of you!" "Please, come at me all you wish! Until the day my steel heart stops beating, I, too, wish to spend my life with you, to protect you, and to eventually break by your side. But until then, I hope we spend many long years together." The two of them lifted their heads at the same time. As evidenced by the continued reddening of their cheeks, both of them felt somewhat embarrassed. Then Hina averted her gaze for just a moment. Kaito tilted his head to the side, wondering what was wrong this time. Rather hesitatingly, she posed a question to him. "The thing is... I'd thought it best to ask you beforehand, but please, you must promise to try not to take offense." "Hey, what's the matter?" "Would it be preferable if I were to act bashfully? Or would it be acceptable for me to act somewhat vulgarly?" "Khak!" Kaito found himself having another coughing fit. He heaved as air forced its way out of his lungs. Hina reached an arm out to him in concern. With one hand, she gently stroked his back. Thanks to that, he managed to settle down. Upon sensing that fact, Hina slid her pale hand up to the nape of Kaito's neck. Her slender fingers tickled, sending a shiver down Kaito's spine. "Hi...na..." "Master Kaito." Then she shifted her weight backward and fell once more horizontally atop the bed. Spontaneously, Kaito ended up falling on top of her. Bashful as she was, a seductive smile spread across Hina's face. Her abundant breasts were pressing softly against the bottom part of Kaito's body. The sensation was warm, and they felt as though they'd melt between his fingers if he grasped them. Whoa. Kaito suddenly felt a violent spell of dizziness come on. Bringing her face close to his ears, Hina exhaled and gave a sweet whisper. "Please, Master Kaito, kiss me." "S-sure." As she'd requested, he laid his lips atop hers. Hina timidly surrendered her tongue. As their lips gingerly became acquainted with each other, Kaito clumsily followed her lead. Immediately, Hina's tongue movements became much more confident. Lascivious sounds filled the air, and the moment seemed to last an eternity. Eventually, Kaito withdrew his lips from hers. After taking a breath, he whispered. "I...I feel all dizzy, and giddy, and it's hard to breathe, and it feels like my head's gonna explode." "Hee-hee, how adorable." "If anything, you're the cute one. By the way, Hina. You don't have to worry about stuff like making sure you do it right, or about adapting to my tastes. I doubt I'm gonna be doing much of a great job, after all. As long as you do what feels natural, then I'm happy... Hey. What's that grin for?" Hina was giving a slight chuckle. On reflex, Kaito replied with a petulant frown. Hina stuck out a finger and poked Kaito affectionately on the nose. "I can't help it. It makes me so happy to see how kind you are, even in the bedroom." "I...I see." "There is one thing, though." "What?" To that, Hina replied by raising her face and nuzzled Kaito's nose with hers like a puppy. Then, like a small bird, she planted light kisses all over his face. Finally, she turned toward him once more. The smile she showed him was warm and blissful, and the voice she whispered to him in oozed like sweet honey. "I'm so very happy that doing 'what feels natural' is bound to be rather immodest." Kaito's face flushed scarlet. He tried to say something, but Hina stole his lips away with hers. After sharing a long kiss, they drew their faces apart. Their eyes met, and they smiled at each other. "Master Kaito, I love you so much." "I love you, too, Hina." Then, as if they couldn't help themselves, they pressed their lips together again and again. The bed quaked. And then came the sound of rustling clothes. 4 The Golden Torture Princess "...............................................................Oy. Butcher." "What do you require, Madam Elisabeth? Your voice sounds ever so threatening." "I know not why, but I feel a pressing urge to give a toast, strike a wall, and kick a certain someone from a certain somewhere so hard that they fall on their behind. 'Tis a warm feeling that strikes me, yet a brutal one." "Ah, what a coincidence. For some reason, I feel much the same way." The response the Butcher gave Elisabeth was slovenly. As always, the two of them were in the Torture Princess's bedroom. The forcibly built bonfire had long since burned out and turned to ash. In its place, the room was strewn with bones, plates, and empty bottles of wine. It was the remnants of a feast, to be sure. The room's condition was honestly quite dreadful. And in the middle of that disastrous scene, Elisabeth was lying atop the bed, and the Butcher was on the floor. Both of them were sprawled out and staring vacantly at the ceiling. Abruptly, though, Elisabeth came to a sudden realization and spoke with a serious expression. "Hold it. Could this strange feeling perhaps have been brought about by the fact that we've been gorging ourselves on peculiar meats?" "Hmm, I get the distinct impression that false accusations are falling upon me out of the blue." "And on that note, why were all the goods you came stocked with so ridiculous?" "How dare you! The rare slime-steak was surprisingly edible, wasn't it?!" Unable to move due to his overeating, the Butcher flapped his arms back and forth in protest. Elisabeth sullenly refused to answer, and the room returned to silence. All of a sudden, though, she sprang into motion. With a "Heave, ho!" Elisabeth gathered strength in her abdominal muscles and sat upright. Once she had, she whipped her neck back and forth. "Earlier, I realized this is no time to be relieved, and no time to be sleeping. That said, the fact remains that a human cannot just merrily waltz into beastfolk lands." Elisabeth crossed her arms, deep in thought. While she had resolve aplenty, the situation still hadn't changed. Unless they were invited by one of the beastfolk, it would violate the treaty for a human to enter the pureblood sector. And ever since news had spread about the Church's plans to burn her at the stake, the Torture Princess's misdeeds had become well known over an even greater area. It would be no laughing matter if