I Took A Succubus's First Time

Kozue’s father was Via, a fallen angel who was not only incredibly powerful, but was also known for being completely unhinged and, perhaps even more importantly, ruthlessly cruel. His reputation alone was enough to make people cautious whenever his name came up, and after everything Kouhei had already experienced, learning that someone like Via was Kozue’s father made the situation feel considerably more complicated than it had been a few minutes earlier.

Kouhei was completely speechless after hearing that revelation, so much so that he simply went silent for several moments. There were plenty of things he had expected Yuuna to tell him, but hearing that Kozue’s father was a powerful fallen angel who was both unstable and ruthless was definitely nowhere near the top of that list. Honestly, anyone would have been shocked after hearing something like that.

"I couldn’t tell you this before because I believed she would want to tell you about it herself," Yuuna explained. "But things have reached this point now, so I suppose I’m the one who has to tell you."

Kouhei could understand where Yuuna was coming from. If Kozue had been keeping something this painful hidden, then it would have been unfair for Yuuna to simply reveal everything behind her back. There were some things that belonged to the person who had experienced them, and this was obviously one of those things.

Considering that, it made perfect sense why Yuuna had never mentioned it to him before. Kozue might have wanted to tell Kouhei about her past herself once she trusted him enough, rather than having someone else casually drop the entire story on him. Unfortunately, encountering Via had completely changed the situation, and pretending that none of this mattered anymore simply wasn’t possible.

"It’s also the reason why she hated you at first," Yuuna continued. "You know she hates men, right?"

Kouhei already knew that Kozue hated men. That part had never exactly been difficult to notice.

When they had first met, Kozue had treated him like he was someone who shouldn’t even be breathing the same air as her. Her hostility had been so obvious that Kouhei had genuinely wondered whether he had somehow done something wrong without realizing it. He had replayed their first few interactions in his head more than once, trying to figure out whether he had accidentally offended her or stepped on some invisible landmine.

Looking back, though, the explanation made considerably more sense.

Kozue hadn’t simply disliked him because of something he had personally done. Her hatred toward men had clearly come from somewhere much deeper, and after hearing about her past, Kouhei finally understood that her behavior hadn’t appeared out of nowhere.

"Since I’ve already told you this much, I might as well tell you the whole story," Yuuna said, sounding somewhat resigned as she prepared herself to explain everything.

Yuuna then proceeded to tell Kouhei about Kozue’s past, revealing a story that was far darker than anything he had expected to hear. It was the kind of painful history that someone wouldn’t simply bring up during an ordinary conversation, especially when they were still struggling to trust the person listening to them.

Kouhei couldn’t help thinking that Kozue probably wasn’t going to tell him about this unless she eventually became comfortable enough to open up completely. It wasn’t exactly the kind of story someone casually dropped into a conversation while drinking tea. There were some subjects that required trust, patience, and probably more courage than most people realized.

As Yuuna continued explaining what had happened to Kozue and her mother, Kouhei gradually became more and more furious. His expression remained relatively calm on the outside, but internally, his blood was practically boiling.

How could someone be this cruel?

Via hadn’t merely done something unbelievably cruel and completely unforgivable to Kozue’s mother. He had apparently gone even further by making Kozue believe that she herself was responsible for her mother’s death. That was the part that bothered Kouhei the most.

Kozue had been forced to carry the weight of something that had never truly been her fault. Instead of protecting her from the consequences of Via’s actions, he had somehow managed to make her suffer even more by placing that guilt onto her shoulders.

The thought alone made Kouhei’s hands tighten.

Someone responsible for something like that needed to pay for what they had done. There was simply no reasonable excuse for treating another person that way, especially someone who had already been placed in such a vulnerable position.

Unfortunately, the person responsible was Via.

Via wasn’t some ordinary criminal or weak enemy whom Kouhei could simply hunt down and defeat whenever he felt like it. He was a powerful fallen angel, and judging from everything Yuuna had told him, he was the kind of opponent that Kouhei couldn’t afford to underestimate for even a second.

As much as Kouhei wanted to do something about him, the reality was painfully obvious.

He wasn’t strong enough yet.

That fact irritated him more than he wanted to admit. If this had been someone he could handle immediately, Kouhei would have had far fewer reasons to hesitate. Unfortunately, power wasn’t something that could be produced simply because he was angry enough to want it.

"I don’t want to tell Kozue about this yet," Yuuna said after finishing the explanation. "You understand the reason, right?"

Kouhei nodded quietly.

He understood perfectly.

If Kozue discovered that Via was currently here, there was almost no chance she would simply stay somewhere safe and wait for someone else to deal with him. She would probably go after him herself without giving much thought to the consequences.

Kouhei could already imagine it happening.

Kozue would hear that Via was nearby, become furious, and immediately decide that she had to confront him. Whether she was actually prepared to fight someone like Via probably wouldn’t matter to her in that moment.

"So you need to keep this a secret as well," Yuuna said firmly.

Kouhei nodded again, although he honestly had no idea how they were supposed to accomplish that.

Keeping a secret from Kozue wasn’t going to be easy, especially when the secret involved the one person connected to the darkest parts of her past. It would only be a matter of time before she noticed that something was wrong, particularly if Via remained around them for long enough.

Kouhei couldn’t help wondering how long they could realistically keep this hidden.

"I know what you’re thinking," Yuuna said, noticing his expression. "We still have to make sure the news doesn’t reach her. If she somehow finds out anyway, then we’ll have to stop her before she does something reckless."

Kouhei nodded once more, accepting that there really wasn’t another reasonable choice available to them at the moment.

"Good," Yuuna said with a small smile. "In that case, why don’t you get some more rest? I’m going to speak with my father now."

"Okay," Kouhei replied.

With that, Kouhei settled himself down again and returned to resting while Yuuna left the room.

***

Yuuna eventually made her way toward the main hall, where she found her father sitting quietly upon his throne while drinking his wine. Kazuhiro looked remarkably calm, almost as though absolutely nothing was bothering him.

Considering everything that had been happening lately, his composure was almost irritating.

He looked like a man enjoying a peaceful evening instead of someone who was sitting in the middle of a situation involving powerful demons, fallen angels, political maneuvering, and a potential future demon lord.

"Father," Yuuna said as she approached him.

"What is it?" Kazuhiro asked.

His voice carried the same authoritative tone it almost always did. Even when he wasn’t particularly angry or threatening anyone, there was still something commanding about the way he spoke. It was simply part of his personality at this point.

The only person Yuuna had ever heard Kazuhiro speak to in something resembling a genuinely friendly tone was Kouhei. Even when he spoke casually to Kouhei, however, there was still that same unmistakable authority underneath his words.

At this point, Yuuna was almost starting to wonder whether she had somehow been replaced.

She was beginning to suspect that perhaps she wasn’t actually Kazuhiro’s daughter after all and that Kouhei had secretly taken her place as his son without anybody bothering to inform her. Not that she minded...

"I came to ask you something," Yuuna continued. "Are you the reason Kouhei is currently one of the candidates to become a demon lord?"

"What if I am?" Kazuhiro asked calmly.

Yuuna narrowed her eyes slightly.

"Do you actually understand what you’re trying to do?" she asked. "Why did you choose Kouhei, of all people, to become a candidate?"

Kazuhiro remained silent for a moment.

He appeared to be genuinely considering his response rather than immediately throwing out whatever answer came to mind. After a few seconds, he finally let out a quiet breath before looking toward Yuuna.

"Well..." Kazuhiro began. "At this point in time, he is the only one among the new generation of demons who is capable enough to stand as a serious candidate, while also possessing the kind of character that would make him suitable to become the next demon lord."

Yuuna slowly sucked in a deep breath after hearing his answer.

That wasn’t quite what she had expected.

She had initially assumed there was probably some kind of hidden motive behind Kazuhiro’s decision, especially considering his own history and his ambitions. Instead, his explanation made it sound as though he had genuinely considered Kouhei’s capabilities before reaching his conclusion.

Kazuhiro wasn’t simply throwing Kouhei’s name into the running because it was convenient.

He actually believed Kouhei was qualified.

"...It’s not because you’re trying to benefit from this somehow, is it?" Yuuna asked, her tone becoming more suspicious. "If Kouhei wins, are you planning to control him and make him do whatever you want?"

The question was perfectly reasonable considering Kazuhiro’s personality and his long-standing hunger for power.

Kazuhiro himself had once considered becoming a demon lord and had spent plenty of time scheming around that ambition. He wasn’t exactly known for being the kind of person who ignored an opportunity to increase his influence.

Because of that, Yuuna couldn’t simply assume that his intentions were completely selfless.

For all she knew, Kazuhiro could be planning several steps ahead.