Is It Strange for a Succubus to Wear Clothes?

Chapter 1: The Succubus Empress Pulls Out a Suit. 1

“Welcome.”

The voice of a convenience store clerk, weary from fatigue and boredom, served as background noise as I headed for the refrigerator.

Ah, it’s that time of night when every customer becomes a source of irritation for a tired night-shift worker.

I did come late, after all.

But hey, that’s what convenience stores are for.

Besides, it’s hard for me to go out during the day.

Anyway, what should I eat today?

It’s not that I dislike carbonated drinks, but the tingling sensation they leave in my mouth and throat feels a bit too stimulating.

Succubi, by nature, have heightened sensitivity to physical sensations, even the trivial ones, which makes it easy to feel “pleasure.”

And as the Succubus Empress, my sensitivity is even greater, making even the act of choosing a drink a careful consideration.

It’s not that drinking something fizzy would necessarily make me feel “pleasure,” but if I’m trying to enjoy the serene night sky, such sensations might ruin the mood.

‘Should I just pick something that goes down smoothly?’

I considered an electrolyte drink, but lately, even those seemed overly sweet.

That’s when a new product caught my eye.

[(New!) Strawberry-Flavored Protein Drink]

Oh.

The sweetness level of protein drinks is usually just right.

Even if they claim to be chocolate or strawberry flavored, they don’t tend to be excessively sweet like real chocolate milk.

They also go down as smoothly as yogurt.

Hmm, yogurt.

That sounds good.

Yes.

I grabbed all the strawberry protein drinks from the fresh food shelf.

And there’s a 2+1 deal.

Lucky day.

I picked out a snack to go with it—a bag of chips with a drawing of sea shrimp on it.

For some reason, it felt nostalgic.

I used to eat these often before becoming what I am now; I wonder if they’ll taste the same.

Loaded with my choices, I headed to the counter, where the clerk didn’t even look at me, mechanically nodding and scanning the barcodes.

“Your total is 7,200 won…”

The clerk’s tired and weary voice made me feel an almost contagious sense of fatigue.

Oh dear, they seem very exhausted.

“Can I pay with Hunter Pay?”

“Oh, yes… Oh, so you’re a Hunter. For Hunter Pay, you just need to place your fingerprint here… Ah.”

Only then did the clerk make eye contact with me, freezing on the spot.

And then came the flow of energy.

The foundation of it was admiration, fondness, curiosity, affection, and intense impulses.

The hue of the impulse was the crimson shade of lust.

Ah, this again.

I wasn’t planning to feed tonight…

“Are you alright?”

“…Ah. Yes, yes!”

The clerk seemed to snap out of it at my voice, their previously exhausted expression replaced with alertness.

For succubi, energy fundamentally comes from physical contact.

Specifically, sexual acts are the basic method of obtaining it.

However, I could also absorb energy from other intense emotions directed toward me—admiration, love, respect, joy, and even hatred.

Because of this, if I walk around exposing my face, I’ll end up overfeeding, figuratively bursting from the intake.

No matter how much someone loves fried chicken, they couldn’t eat it three times a day, 365 days a year.

If they tried, they’d eventually get indigestion.

It’s the same for me with energy.

It’s like fried chicken—always available, always overwhelming.

After all, even I have to admit that my face and body seem to embody the pinnacle of aesthetic pleasure.

“Here, here you go…”

See?

Even now, this poor clerk is getting drained of energy just by seeing my veiled face.

Their eyes are gradually losing focus and reason.

If this keeps up, they might collapse from exhaustion despite being a night-shift worker.

Before that could happen, I snapped my fingers, forcibly cutting off the flow of energy to me.

Only then did the clerk manage to regain a semblance of composure.

“Ah, w-why am I like this. I-I’m sorry.”

However, the aftereffects caused a thin stream of blood to trickle from their nose.

The blood dripped and landed on my hand as I was about to complete the payment.

“S-sorry…”

“Here.”

At some point, I had pulled out a handkerchief and handed it to the clerk.

A handkerchief is a must-have for a succubus when going out, so I always carry several. It came in handy.

“No need to refuse. I have plenty.”

“…T-thank you…”

It might seem like unnecessary meddling, but if someone’s nosebleed is my fault, shouldn’t I at least offer something to help?

Even if it wasn’t intentional, I had drained energy from a tired student already struggling through a night shift.

Judging by their expression, they seemed to be in a daze.

“Is the payment complete?”

“Ah…”

The clerk gazed at me with a lingering sense of regret clearly visible in their eyes.

Well, it’s not hard to guess what they’re thinking.

Perhaps they want my phone number, or they’re wondering if I live nearby—things like that.

Before they could say anything else, I grabbed the bag with my drink and snacks and left the convenience store.

“Take care.”

“Ah, g-goodbye…”

As I raised my hand, the clerk’s blood, which had smudged on me earlier, had already disappeared.

“Hm, I probably can’t come back here anymore.”

It was 3:38 a.m.

A late hour, but for me, it’s the time when I’m most awake and active.

My destination was a spot where I could clearly see the night sky.

Fortunately, given the hour, there were hardly any people around.

Perhaps it was due to the perception that monsters or goblins might emerge from alleys or sewers at such late hours, something that was common in the early days of the rift phenomenon.

‘Back then, monsters escaping from gates were said to hide in sewers, alleys, or abandoned buildings, forming ecosystems and attacking passersby.’

Nowadays, convenience stores and similar buildings have electric fences, and any monster approach triggers alarms that notify private security firms staffed by Awakened individuals.

Awakened patrols also maintain safety, but walking around unarmed at 3 or 4 a.m. is still not recommended.

Even so, I couldn’t remove the veil covering my face, not even at this hour.

If anyone happened to cross my path, they’d be instantly captivated by my bare face.

After walking a bit, I spotted a small hill—not quite a mountain—nestled in a residential area.

Atop the hill was a pavilion for neighborhood residents to rest during their walks.

In the past, even at this hour, elderly people or ladies out for exercise might have crowded the area.

But times have changed, and now it was completely deserted.

Perhaps rumors about goblins demanding tolls on hills or attacks during early morning walks discouraged such outings.

“Well, that works for me. I get to have this lovely place all to myself.”

I took a sip of my strawberry protein drink.

Ah, just right.

The subtle thickness characteristic of protein drinks and the mild sweetness of strawberries.

It’s a drink any succubus would likely enjoy.

Why?

Well, because it tastes good.

As I drank, I sat on the pavilion and swung my legs leisurely.

I decided against using earphones, as the sound stimulation was too intense, so I listened to music through my smartwatch’s speaker.

A random playlist brought up some meditative music I didn’t recognize.

Thankfully, it wasn’t intense metal rock with electric guitars.

“Ah, here it comes.”

At 4:04 a.m., the sky opened.

This wasn’t a metaphor—the night sky literally split apart.

Today, as always, new light and darkness fell from the rift.

Things from another world settled on Earth.

The government called this phenomenon the [Night Sea].

Using the Night Sea as a basis, they forecasted gate activity in affected areas, issued evacuation alerts, and even contracted Hunters for missions.

“It’s beautiful.”

For some, this phenomenon might spell trouble.

Others might wake up in the middle of the night to assist in controlling safe zones.

But to me, the Night Sea’s opened sky was stunning—a rare and extraordinary sight.

“So beautiful…”

As I gazed at the night sky, a radiant light filled my eyes without my realizing it.

For a succubus like me, beauty is both an abstract and essential instinct, a fundamental part of survival.

Put simply, beauty is a succubus’s hunting tool.

With their natural allure, physique, and seductive charm, succubi captivate others, absorbing their energy to sustain themselves.

Given this, it’s no surprise that a succubus’s subconscious harbors a deep sense of aesthetic appreciation.

The instinctual pursuit of beauty, maintaining one’s appearance, and sensitivity to beauty that differs from others—all of this is natural.

Lust, lewdness, allure, temptation, obscenity, sensuality, arousal.

I always did my best to suppress these impulses with reason.

That’s why I loved gazing at the night sky and the star-studded Night Sea.

Even though stars are essentially suns, to me, they’re like delicate frost on a winter’s night—softly descending and glimmering faintly.

If other succubi or incubi saw me, or if anyone with knowledge of demonkind did, they might call this nonsense.

A succubus, who thrives on stealing life and energy through physical and sensual means, seeking solace in stargazing?

But I’m the Succubus Empress.

I don’t need to mingle bodies or touch skin to drain others’ energy.

“Ah, is it over?”

The Night Sea phenomenon didn’t last long—five minutes at most.

Yet the blend of stars and rifts in the sky felt like gazing at a grand masterpiece.

I sipped my strawberry drink again.

Before the faint sweetness of the pink liquid faded, I popped a shrimp chip into my mouth.

-Crunch, crunch.

Mm, tastes just like it used to.

But why does the crunch feel oddly squishy?

The texture was the same, yet something was off.

Looking at the packaging, I noticed the shrimp content was now a whopping 50%.

Back then, how much shrimp did these snacks have?

I can’t recall exactly, but probably around 1%.

Perhaps the rift’s impact increased resources in the ecosystem.

It’s a minor benefit of the rift phenomenon.

“Ahhh. I feel a bit lazy today.”

Even though the Night Sea had ended, the starry sky remained beautiful.

When you gaze long enough, it feels as if unseen eyes etched in the darkness are watching you.

The neon signs and artificial lights of the city may dull the night sky’s brilliance, but the stars’ presence remains unwavering.

Staring at the night sky, you realize that even man-made splendor cannot erase the stars.

As I gaze at them, I feel as though they’re gazing back.

Spending time like this, slowly and peacefully, makes me feel as if I’m communicating silently with the heavens.

Perhaps a genius artist could draw inspiration from this, but sadly, I’m not gifted with artistic talent.

What am I, then?

I’m just a succubus.

A succubus who loves beauty.

Even if “Empress” is tacked onto my title, at my core, I’m simply a succubus who adores beautiful things.

-Beep!

“….”

Ah, so much for enjoying my time.

The jarring noise from my wrist and ears broke the moment, forcing me to rise.

“Sigh, if it were anyone else, I wouldn’t even bother answering.”

With a slight frown, I answered the call, hearing the sounds of destruction and chaos in the background.

And then, a familiar and frantic voice.

[Ms. Jaehee! Ms. Jaehee! I’m so sorry for contacting you at this hour!]

“Yes, yes. Good evening, Senior Officer.”

[Good evening?! Ahhh! D-don’t come here!]

A scream, followed by more destruction and chaos.

I waited about 30 seconds before the flustered voice returned.

[Huff… huff… Sorry, Ms. Jaehee! Actually, right now…]

“Is it because of the Night Sea?”

[Y-yes! Unidentified violent entities suddenly appeared, and the Gimpo field unit is in emergency response!]

“Is it so urgent that you’re calling me at 4 a.m.?”

[Huh? Uh, well…]

I could almost see the Senior Officer’s panicked expression through the phone.

They were probably thinking, *‘Actually, this might not warrant calling Ms. Jaehee, but the situation is so severe, and HQ insisted… Ah, what do I do?’*

Though I dislike most government officials, I had a soft spot for Senior Officer Dan Ahyeon—they were amusing to tease and endearingly clumsy.

“I’m joking. I’ll head over right away.”

[Huh! Th-thank you!]

Though initially annoyed at having my alone time interrupted, I felt better after teasing the Senior Officer a bit.

After all, someone might actually die over there.

I rose from the pavilion and brushed back my hair.

Though my suit covered my body completely, there was one exposed area: the small section on my lower back, just above my hips, where my wings emerged.

A defining feature of a succubus—our wings.

They’re quite convenient.

Flying feels fantastic.

Though why the wings on my back also sprout crown-like ones on my head remains a mystery.

What are these head wings for?

They don’t even help me fly…

“I’m heading over now, Senior Officer. Hang in there a bit longer.”

[Yes, yes! Thank you! Again, I’m so sorry! And thank you so much!]

Now then, time to help out that poor, beleaguered Senior Officer.