I Took A Succubus's First Time

The Sano Faction.

More specifically, the Sano Yuka Faction.

Among all the factions that had emerged from the new generation of demons, the Sano Faction was currently considered one of the most capable and well-established groups. Its reputation wasn’t based on a single powerful individual either. The faction had accumulated a surprisingly large army, and the majority of those soldiers were demons who had already proven themselves to be competent in actual combat. On top of that, the number of demons belonging to the current generation was exceptionally high compared with the other newly established factions.

That combination gave the Sano Faction a considerable advantage.

They had numbers, they had talented members, and they had a leader who knew how to make all of those things work together.

Sano Yuka herself was also regarded as one of the strongest candidates for the position of Demon Lord among the new generation. In fact, several high-ranking demons had already openly placed her among the leading candidates. The decision made sense when her reputation and accomplishments were taken into consideration.

Yuka wasn’t simply someone who had inherited influence because of her family or position. She was a natural-born leader who had the ability to make people follow her without constantly needing to remind them of her authority. She was also highly capable herself, which meant that she could actually back up the confidence that other demons had placed in her.

More importantly, powerful demons respected her.

That particular fact carried a lot of weight within demon society.

Having a large army was useful, certainly, but an army full of people who didn’t respect its leader could become a headache rather quickly. Yuka seemed to understand that better than most. She had managed to gather people beneath her banner while maintaining enough authority to keep the faction moving in the same direction.

For that reason, it wasn’t strange that so many high-ranking demons considered her a serious candidate for the next Demon Lord.

And right now, the Kouhei Faction was heading directly into her territory.

The purpose of their visit was a joint training session between the two factions.

The car eventually pulled up in front of the Sano Faction’s mansion, and Kouhei looked through the window as the vehicle came to a complete stop. The mansion itself immediately caught his attention.

It was located in the human world, yet its appearance didn’t resemble the modern buildings surrounding it. The entire structure followed a traditional Japanese architectural style, with wooden construction and carefully maintained features that made the place look like it had been preserved for generations.

Actually, saying that it looked old didn’t quite do it justice.

The mansion looked ancient.

Kouhei couldn’t help wondering how long the building had actually been standing there. The architecture had such an old-fashioned appearance that it almost seemed as though the mansion had been around since the earliest days of civilization in that particular area.

That was probably an exaggeration, but considering that demons could live far longer than ordinary humans, Kouhei wasn’t entirely willing to dismiss the possibility.

The moment the group stepped out of the car, a woman approached them.

She was a demon serving under the Sano Faction, and her name was Asami.

Asami stopped in front of Kouhei and politely bowed her head.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Okumura Kouhei-sama. Yuka-sama is already waiting for you in the main hall, so if you would permit me, I shall guide all of you there."

"T-That’s appreciated."

Kouhei’s response came out slightly awkwardly.

Being addressed with "sama" after his name still felt strange to him. He understood that it was simply a respectful form of address, especially considering his position as the leader of his own faction, but that didn’t make him any more accustomed to hearing it.

Kouhei had never been in a situation like this before.

People weren’t supposed to treat him like some important noble.

At least, that’s what his brain kept telling him.

The reality, unfortunately, seemed to disagree.

Being called Kouhei-sama by a servant of another powerful faction felt so surreal that part of him still expected someone to suddenly reveal that this whole thing had been some elaborate prank. He wasn’t exactly used to people showing him this level of respect, and honestly, he wasn’t sure whether he would ever become completely comfortable with it.

Still, there wasn’t much point in standing around thinking about it.

Asami turned around and began leading the group into the mansion, and Kouhei and the others followed behind her.

From the outside, the mansion hadn’t looked particularly enormous. Once they entered, however, Kouhei quickly realized that appearances had been rather misleading.

The interior was considerably more spacious than he had expected.

The hallways stretched farther than the exterior would have suggested, while the traditional decorations gave the entire building an atmosphere that felt strangely peaceful. The place wasn’t flashy in the way some wealthy human mansions were. Instead, its beauty came from its simplicity and age.

As Kouhei continued walking, he noticed a large Japanese garden positioned along one side of the mansion.

The garden was carefully maintained, with trees, stones, small paths, and other traditional features arranged in a way that made the entire area look almost like a painting.

Several servants were working around the garden.

Most of them appeared to be demon maids serving the Sano Faction, judging from their clothing and the way they carried themselves. Some were tending to the plants, while others were taking care of different parts of the property.

Everything seemed incredibly organized.

Kouhei couldn’t help feeling that the Sano Faction had an almost ridiculous amount of manpower for maintaining one mansion.

Then again, when the faction itself was as powerful as this one, having enough servants to keep the place spotless probably wasn’t exactly a problem.

After walking for a while, Asami finally stopped.

She was standing in front of a large set of double doors.

A distinctive sigil had been carved into the surface of the doors, clearly representing the symbol of the Sano Clan.

Asami raised one hand and gently knocked.

"Enter."

A soft voice came from the other side.

Asami placed her hands against the doors and slowly pushed them open.

Kouhei immediately saw a woman sitting calmly on a zabuton.

She was positioned in a proper seiza posture, sitting upright with an almost effortless sense of composure. In front of her was a low zataku, and sitting neatly on top of it were several teacups and a teapot.

The woman was currently taking a sip of tea.

It was Sano Yuka.

She lowered the teacup after taking her drink and calmly looked toward the group.

"You have finally come," Yuka said, greeting them with a relaxed expression. "I prepared another seat for you, Kouhei-sama, so if you would, why don’t you sit down as well?"

Kouhei glanced toward the others before responding.

He wasn’t entirely sure whether he should simply sit down or wait for someone else to give him a signal.

Yuka noticed his hesitation, but instead of commenting on it, she looked toward Yuuna.

"Is it not permissible for me to have some time alone with Kouhei-sama, Yuuna?"

Yuuna didn’t answer immediately.

She simply looked at Yuka.

Her expression remained relatively calm, but it was obvious that she wasn’t particularly comfortable with the suggestion.

Yuuna didn’t want to leave Kouhei alone here.

That wasn’t because she believed he was incapable of handling himself. Quite the opposite, actually. She trusted Kouhei’s judgment. The problem was that she still had absolutely no idea what Yuka was planning.

Yuka had invited them here for joint training, but she had specifically requested some private time with Kouhei.

That alone was enough to make Yuuna cautious.

There was simply too much uncertainty surrounding the situation.

Still, before Yuuna could say anything, Kouhei gave her a reassuring smile.

"It’s fine, Yuuna-san," Kouhei said. "I’ll be alright, so you don’t have to worry about me."

Yuuna looked at him for several seconds.

She clearly still wasn’t happy about leaving him behind.

However, she eventually nodded.

"If that’s what you want, then I’ll respect your decision."

Kouhei gave her another reassuring smile.

With that settled, the rest of the Kouhei Faction began leaving the room.

Asami also followed them outside, quietly closing the doors behind them.

The room soon became silent.

Only Kouhei and Yuka remained inside.

Kouhei sat down on one of the zabuton, and he did so in a similar position as Yuka.

Yuka picked up her teacup again and looked at him.

"This is the first time we’ve actually been alone in the same room together, isn’t it?"

Her tone was surprisingly casual.

Kouhei blinked.

"Now that you mention it, I suppose you’re right."

"We’ve certainly met before, but we never really had the opportunity to speak privately."

"That’s true."

Yuka smiled slightly.

"Still, I’m rather surprised."

Kouhei immediately became a little more cautious.

The conversation had started casually enough, but he had a feeling that Yuka wasn’t simply making small talk.

"Despite the warning I gave you," Yuka continued, "it seems that you’ve gone ahead and entered the race for the position of Demon Lord candidate."

Kouhei sighed quietly.

"It’s not like I was the one who put my name forward."

Yuka tilted her head slightly.

"I never intended to become a candidate in the first place. I already said that I didn’t want anything to do with becoming a Demon Lord. Unfortunately, once someone else had pushed me into the candidacy, there wasn’t exactly much I could do about it."

Yuka considered his response for a moment.

"Well, I suppose that’s true."

She reached for the teapot and calmly poured another cup.

The tea filled the cup with a soft sound before Yuka placed it directly in front of Kouhei.

Kouhei stared at the cup.

Yuka noticed his hesitation and quietly chuckled.

"Did Yuuna warn you not to accept anything that I give you?"

Kouhei looked up.

"She didn’t exactly say that."

"Her expression certainly suggested it."

Yuka smiled.

"It’s understandable, though. You should probably be careful around anyone you don’t completely trust."

Kouhei continued looking at the tea.

Yuka waved one hand dismissively.

"Still, you can relax. I didn’t put anything into the tea to poison you."

Kouhei raised an eyebrow.

"That explanation somehow makes me feel slightly less relaxed."

Yuka laughed quietly.

"I suppose I could have worded that better."

Despite his suspicion, Kouhei eventually accepted the cup.

He carefully lifted it and took a small sip.

The aroma reached him first.

The tea had a pleasant fragrance that was unlike anything he had tasted before. The flavor itself was smooth and surprisingly rich, carrying a subtle sweetness that lingered after he swallowed.

Kouhei lowered the cup.

"This is good."

"I’m glad you like it."

Yuka took another sip of her own tea.

For a brief moment, neither of them said anything.

Then Yuka finally set her cup down.

"I’m not going to take up any more of your time than necessary, Kouhei-sama."

Her voice remained calm, but her expression had become slightly more serious.

"Although becoming a candidate wasn’t your decision, you still haven’t withdrawn your name from consideration."

Kouhei remained silent.

Yuka continued looking directly at him.

"May I ask why?"