[TS] Surviving in a Yuri Visual Novel

A strange tension hung in the air of the room.

Behind me stood Leticia, who was wearing an unreadable smile, as I desperately tried to appear calm and nonchalant, my fingers brushing my still-moist lips.

The sticky saliva formed a long string trailing down my hand, but that was not my primary concern. For a brief moment, the mana that filled my mouth and then vanished had undoubtedly belonged to Leticia. Amazingly, the contract between her and me was clearly established.

‘…Is it a contract strong enough to bind souls?’

To be honest, there was no need for such a strong contract.

Despite that, it was by no means a weak binding. It felt as though a chain of mana, neither too strong nor too weak, wrapped around my body.

I could also feel the connection between Leticia’s mana and mine. Others might wonder what kind of nonsense this was, but to me, it was crystal clear. The point of connection with her was apparent, and it seemed the contract details were thoroughly fulfilled.

In my eyes, a quest appeared that no one else could see, detailing the contract I had established with Leticia.

[Main Quest: Contract with Leticia (CLEAR)]

[The summoner (Leticia Riciancia) wishes to establish a contract. Please agree to the contract with the summoner.]

[Reward: Increased intimacy with Leticia, +5 ability points and +5 skill points]

[Failure: Return to the abyss]

Both the rewards and the consequences of failure were outrageous. Returning to the abyss? I had no clue how that would happen, but it didn’t seem like a pleasant way to return.

Anyway, summarizing the contract with Leticia, it went as follows:

I would be by Leticia’s side for a year.

In exchange, I would be provided with a room to stay for a year and would provide her blood whenever necessary.

These two obligations were what Leticia desired as a reward and payment. In a way, it was a contract that prioritized me over the summoner, Leticia.

Of course, it wasn’t like I disliked it; being asked to stay by her side might be a ploy to use me in some way, making it, on the surface, a reasonably agreeable contract.

‘Whether she wants knowledge exclusive to the Mazoku or plans to make use of me as a maid, she’ll find ways to utilize me.’

So, there was no need to worry about a lacking contract—that was not Leticia’s style. She was quite cunning, and she would never make a contract that was disadvantageous to herself. She must have thought things through when forming a contract with me, whom she had never met before and let alone a Mazoku.

There was no way she would breach the taboo of summoning a demon without a reason. In reality, I was the one who needed to worry about my future living conditions.

Honestly, being unexpectedly kissed by Leticia wasn’t bad at all. In fact, it felt rather nice. After all, how could I feel displeased, no matter what I did with a woman I had loved until the last moment?

Moreover, since we were already deep into this, there was no reason to fret over a mere kiss.

What surprised me was that Leticia initiated the kiss so willingly. Among the many ways to establish a contract, she chose to exchange saliva through a passionate kiss.

Maybe because we were both women, there was no aversion to kissing each other. Perhaps she didn’t like the idea of a blood contract.

It was simply a contract and a healthy one without any private demands…

“It tastes slightly like peach. It’s sweet, almost makes me want to have more.”

…Is that right?

“The contracting party is right in front of you, saying such things.”

“I said it for you to hear. I think we’ll have many instances where I’ll need to borrow your lips in the future, so I’m just making a reservation.”

“…What?”

A lip reservation? I had never heard of such a thing. Leticia, who confidently declared I belonged to her, elegantly wiped her glistening, saliva-coated lips with her hand and flashed an enchanting smile that seemed to pull me in.

Her smile was so seductive that one could say she looked like a succubus. This might be what it feels like to be entranced by a nine-tailed fox.

“Now that we’ve concluded the contract, since I’m the master, can’t I do as I please?”

“Master, you say? Enough with the nonsense.”

A contract is a form of business. Even if it turned into a master-servant relationship, that wouldn’t change. Master and slave—it feels a bit off, doesn’t it? Continuing a romantic relationship with Leticia in this way seemed a bit… unsettling.

Should I say I couldn’t accept it? Or that I couldn’t imagine such a thing happening between women? I was still feeling considerable aversion to it. It was still early for me, who was not accustomed to being a woman, to take such a step.

“Why? If you’re undertaking the role of my maid, you should call me ‘Master.’ It sounds much better than ‘Miss.'”

Dressed in a maid outfit. Leticia laughed as she saw my face filled with reluctance.

“Your face is overflowing with disapproval. It’s refreshing to be so honest, but I won’t change my mind, so just deal with it.”

“…There was no such mention in the contract…!”

“There was. Probably? Well, if you don’t want to wear a maid outfit, you don’t have to.”

“…?”

“But instead, you’ll have to wear a collar around your thin, white neck and be led around. How about that? Wouldn’t that be sufficient to signify you’re mine?”

I rejected the proposal outright. Leticia’s stance was firm. I felt more inclined toward passing away and returning to the abyss at this rate. Of course, there was no way she’d simply let me go back easily.

Whether I would obediently wear a maid outfit or endure the humiliation of wearing a collar while following her like a pet, the choice was practically made.

Leticia clicked her tongue, making a sound audible to me, and I said,

“I’ll wear the maid outfit.”

“Good thinking.”

Seeing Leticia smile for the first time in satisfaction made me resent myself a little for having my sulky mood eased. Right. Let’s think of it like a girlfriend dressing up as a character for her boyfriend’s birthday event.

With her arms crossed, Leticia looked me up and down, mumbling, “It seems like your chest is similar to mine. Quite large. Then, the maid outfit size should be around this much….” I gave her a horrified stare.

“So what’s your real purpose for calling me? This can’t be the end of the contract.”

Just telling me to stay next to her didn’t sound like a reliable contract at all. Sitting cross-legged on the bed, I pressed her for answers, and Leticia replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

“Staying by my side means I’ll be borrowing your head. I have a friend who is cursed in a way that can’t be fixed without the knowledge of a Mazoku.”

“…A curse?”

“Yes, a curse. My purebred Mazoku friend has a strange curse on them, and my magical knowledge has limitations.”

She continued, stating that it resembled an ancient artifact’s curse often featured in fictional stories, and at that moment, I gritted my teeth, my pupils trembling.

“…Hah, if even the esteemed sage of the hero party is involved, it must be someone quite close to you, huh?”

“We were comrades who shared life and death; there’s no way we wouldn’t be close.”

A comrade who shared life and death. I figured that the individual wouldn’t be an emperor or a high-ranking noble, based on Leticia referring to them as a comrade. But sharing life and death had narrowed it down. Including me, there were only three people who could be referred to as Leticia’s comrades.

The hero Leo, the saint Chloe, and the archer Irina, whom I didn’t know that well but trusted despite her unpleasant personality. That made a total of three.

Leticia looked at me with narrowed eyes, and my lips quivered as I asked,

“A comrade with whom you shared life and death. There aren’t that many individuals you’d call comrades, are there? Did one of the hero party members get cursed?”

“Yeah.”

“…Is it a man or a woman?”

“That’s a secret.”

Thinking it must be the hero if it were a man or one of the saint or the archer if it were a woman, I asked my question, but Leticia chose to keep her lips sealed. I could only chuckle at her behavior, hiding something so important.

“In this contract, you’re hiding information about your comrade?”

“I trust you, but the ‘you’ I know and the ‘you’ now might not be the same. Contracts and trust are separate.”

“…Even if revealing the gender could at least provide a hint?”

“Except for my comrades, this matter is confidential, known only to the emperor, the pope, and the academy dean. And they happen to be on their way here… um, they should arrive soon.”

I didn’t even have time to ask who. A light knock echoed from outside the door, and I turned my gaze to Leticia, whose expression revealed she was smiling, clearly pleased with the timeliness of their arrival.

‘Could it be that the individual cursed is being called to the academy?’

That guess proved correct.

“Leticia.”

A soft, gentle voice echoed in the air—definitely a female’s voice. I quickly thought, well, it can’t be Leo, and I turned to the door with a tense expression.

This meant it could only be either Chloe or Irina. The thought of having to see one of my comrades who had shared life and death with me, cursed, sent a whirlwind of mixed emotions through me.

“I’ll open it.”

I hoped it wasn’t a serious curse. From Leticia’s casual words and demeanor, it didn’t seem like it was going to be that dire.

However, if she was summoning someone cursed to the extent that it required summoning a demon…

I was lost in my imagination as I rose from the bed and began pacing the room when I spotted a small envelope filled with short black hair on Leticia’s desk.

“This is…”

No matter how I looked at it, it resembled a man’s hair more than a woman’s.

It looked like a piece of my hair from the time I was Damien Redius.

Cradling the small envelope in my hand and muttering that I had seen it somewhere before, I hurriedly placed it back on the desk as I heard the door creak open and footsteps drawing nearer.

When I turned my head, I saw Leticia standing side by side with a blonde woman I had never seen before. I wore a puzzled expression, as what Leticia had said about a comrade who shared life and death didn’t seem to match the scene before me.

“Who’s that?”

“This is the comrade I spoke of, with whom I shared life and death.”

Thinking back, it could be someone I fought alongside briefly, but a fiery-haired person like that could only be Leo. Surely it couldn’t be Leo, allowing me to breathe a sigh of relief; I regarded the blonde woman with skepticism.

She seemed displeased with my gaze and furrowed an eyebrow at Leticia with a questioning look.

“What is it, Leticia? Did you really summon him?”

“I signed the contract properly, so don’t worry. He’ll obey me unconditionally. Right, Charlotte?”

Leticia casually asked, and I spoke, nodding resignedly as her smile widened. Perhaps my subservient demeanor intrigued her, as she rested her chin on her hand with an expression of interest.

“A demon? No, was it a Mazoku? Impressive, Leticia. Have you tamed a Mazoku now?”

“Let’s refrain from saying tamed. I’m not a pet.”

“Wow, you speak the Empire’s language quite well. It seems you summoned a rather high-level Mazoku, Leticia.”

“You’re saying he can speak without difficulty, even on our first meeting, huh?”

“Oh, and I realized I haven’t introduced myself yet.”

Engaging in an awkward gesture of scratching her head might have looked beautiful, yet it reminded me too much of Leo, which irked me. This was inevitable; I was seeing my most trusted friend reflected in someone I was meeting for the first time in this world.

I never expected this to happen.

“I’ll introduce you. This person is commonly known as Rea, but her real name is Leo Starfield. Saying she was a former hero might be more easily understood.”

“Though I appear like this, I am, after all, a former hero.”

With a troubled smile that contrasted her crimson eyes, Leo’s visage nearly caused me to faint.

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