Painted in a New Light
Having grown accustomed to Maria’s light, subtly applied makeup that lent her a refined and haughty air, Ruya’s heavier, more vibrant style transformed the impression of my face so completely that it felt strangely awkward at first. Objectively, however, it was undeniable that I looked far more beautiful.
“All done. What do you think?”
“It looks good.”
“You have such an innocent face even when you’re expressionless, so I tried to balance it with makeup.”
“I accepted the photo before the makeup was applied. Will that be all right?”
“My older brother says that as long as a woman has a pretty face and a nice body, men are usually satisfied with just about anything.”
Do siblings normally talk about such things? It seemed Ruth treated Ruya like a close friend without any formalities, and her second brother appeared to be the same.
“Do you get along with your brothers like friends?”
“The age gaps aren’t that big. Let’s see… the oldest is 217, the second is 159, and the youngest is 32.”
That was not a small age difference. There was more than a century between them. Even the youngest sibling was older than me, who counted as twenty-eight in Earth years.
“When I remember the terrible things my oldest brother did back when I was young and clueless, it still makes me…” She shuddered as she lifted strands of my hair, shaping them this way and that. I wondered what exactly had happened to elicit such a reaction.
“What happened?”
“You can’t tell anyone else, understand? I’m only sharing this because it’s you, Elisha. It was something that happened while we were bathing together as children.”
“You bathed together when you were young?”
“Our parents were extremely busy then, so my oldest brother raised me. I was about twelve at the time.”
“Isn’t twelve already quite grown?”
“Elves age slowly, so their growth is slow as well. At twelve they’re still basically babies—about six in human terms. Anyway, we bathed together, and even though he was caring for me and washing me, did he really need to scrub every single inch of a girl’s body like that? I didn’t think much of it back then, but remembering it later was so embarrassing.”
“Ahaha.”
I had expected some grave incident when she called it an atrocity, but it was simply a complaint. From Ruth’s perspective he had only bathed his much younger sister, yet for Ruya the fact that her older brother had seen and touched her naked body seemed mortifying. Besides, her memories only went back to around age twelve; if he had raised her before that, he would have seen everything there was to see.
“After that I spent another four years under his care until Mother finally had enough free time to look after me. It was fortunate. If it had continued until I reached puberty, I can’t imagine how much more embarrassment I would have endured.”
“Still, it’s touching that he raised his little sister himself. He sounds like a good brother.”
“No, he’s incredibly mischievous. He constantly brags that he raised me and interferes in everything. It’s so annoying.”
“Isn’t that because he cares for his little sister?”
“He is mischievous, but his heart is kind. All finished. What do you think? Doesn’t it look amazing?”
The hair Ruya had been meticulously shaping with various tools and products was now utterly different from the simple tied style I usually wore. I had no idea what magic she had worked, but my once-flat hair now possessed volume and fullness, elegantly lifted and secured in a beautiful shape. The glamorous hairstyle, clearly crafted with great care, looked somehow familiar.
“Ah, I was wondering where I had seen this style before. It’s similar to the one worn by a girl I knew who worked at a brothel.”
“A brothel? The one you worked at?”
“No, the one I managed. I served as its madam for a time.”
I answered while cautiously touching my hair. Wow—how was it holding this soft shape without any visible pins?
“Now I’m even more curious about what sort of person you used to be.”
“Hehe, are you curious?”
“Of course. Shall we ask each other about ourselves?”
“Hmm~ I’ll do it if you promise never to tell anyone.”
“I promise. I can even swear it. Shall I write a contract?”
“Come on, a contract isn’t necessary.”
After linking pinkies with Ruya and promising to keep each other’s secrets, we decided to play our question-and-answer game while changing clothes.
“All right, everyone strip so we can change!” She grabbed the hem of my short-sleeved shirt and pulled it up over my head. Since I wore nothing underneath, removing the shirt and shorts left me standing completely naked before her.
She crossed her arms and studied my bare body with a steady gaze, then nodded. “Hmm. It really is the body of a magnificent female. Above all, your posture is exceptionally straight and pleasing.”
“Your body is wonderful too, Ruya.”
“Thank you. But the mark on your stomach has grown. What happened?”
“Ah, this is the succubus pattern. It enlarges as I mature. I recently reached the adult stage.”
“Is it similar to the Yin Crest?”
“In the sense that it grows larger with maturity, yes. The Yin Crest on your own belly will become quite large when it fully develops. About this much?”
The succubus pattern settled just above the uterus, slightly larger than that organ, whereas a fully matured Yin Crest would cover the entire lower abdomen and extend past the navel. When I indicated the whole area with my hand, her eyes widened in surprise.
“It gets that big? Wearing clothes that expose the stomach would become difficult.”
“Is there really any need to hide it? To others it doesn’t glow; it simply looks like an ordinary tattoo.”
“I don’t know the customs of the place you lived, but in Korea tattoos on certain body parts are still taboo. The lower abdomen is one of them.”
“Then that could be a problem.”
“Well, it can’t be helped. Besides, stomach-baring clothes aren’t healthy anyway, so I rarely wear them. Try this on.”
“Yes.”
The underwear she selected were black and red lace pieces. Compared to the blatantly obscene garments worn by the angels who had worked as prostitutes, these were almost innocent, yet they still revealed plenty of skin in a deliberately provocative way.
As I tried each piece on, I began answering her questions about my past.
“What? You mean angels are created by shattering a person’s ego and brainwashing them?”
“Yes. We try our best to preserve the original ego, but the conditioning is so intense that the person essentially becomes someone else.”
“You were one of those angels too?”
“I originally suffered from severe amnesia, so my sense of self was already weak. I didn’t change much. It would be more accurate to say I was simply reborn as an angel.”
“They say angels have their emotions removed—that’s why you’re always expressionless. Wow, that’s unimaginable on Earth. I doubt it happens in most dimensions.”
“It’s not that I’m expressionless because I’m an angel.”
“But you said you have no emotions. Isn’t that the reason?”
She handed me the next piece of underwear with a puzzled expression. I accepted it and continued while changing.
“We have no emotions, but we are made to imitate them. We learn and perform emotions in order to please our guests.”
“You even act? You did that too?”
“Yes. I studied very diligently. The true nature of angels is a secret to ordinary guests, so I had to learn to act convincingly and quickly enough that no one would notice.”
“That’s truly astonishing.”
She shook her head in amazement.
“It’s too early to be amazed.”
“Ah, not that one. Try the other. Is there something even more surprising?”
After changing several times, I finally wore an underwear set that met Ruya’s approval, and we continued layering clothes. The dressing room was enormous, and the endless parade of garments left me mentally exhausted by the time we finished.
“As expected, dressing you up makes a tremendous difference.”
“I can hardly recognize myself.”
The figure in the full-length mirror had become so glamorous and seductive that even I barely recognized it. The underwear pushed my breasts together to create deep cleavage, and the black one-piece dress plunged low enough to display it beautifully while clinging to every curve. Though the fabric was soft and stretchy, the skirt was so narrow it only reached mid-thigh, making walking uncomfortable.
“This dress is pretty, but it’s difficult to walk in.”
“There are things one must sacrifice for beauty. Still, even though I did the styling myself, the result is utterly captivating. Ah…”
“Wait, are you planning to masturbate right here?”
“No. Ah, no. Ahem. Anyway, preparations are complete, so shall we head out?”
For some reason Ruya had suddenly become aroused and was subtly reaching toward her own pussy. I stopped her, and we moved toward the entrance to leave the house.
While scanning the shoe rack, Ruya noticed my shoes, frowned, and said, “They look sturdy, but they aren’t pretty. Here, try these.”
“These are high heels.”
The ordinary black high heels had quite a steep lift.
“You know about them? Are high heels common in most dimensions that have humans?”
“I only know about the place I lived. I have no knowledge of other dimensions.”
Though slightly large, I slipped them on and took a few steps. I had not worn heels since my travels, yet they felt more comfortable than flat shoes.
“I’ve been noticing it for a while now—every movement you make is somehow… sensual? Or rather, erotic. Even now you’re swaying your hips on purpose while walking. Do you do it intentionally?”
“Hmm… Earlier I mentioned that angels are created for the sex industry, correct?”
“Yes. You said they remove emotions so the angels can serve any partner with ease.”
“Among the things imprinted during conditioning are methods of bodily movement. To seduce guests and heighten their satisfaction, we are taught seductive ways of moving. Because it is engraved into instinct, unless consciously altered it becomes the default posture.”
Of course, no angel ever tries to consciously change that body language. As a result, nearly every angel moves with subtly alluring, seductive gestures.
At my explanation Ruya’s eyes narrowed as she observed me more closely.
“The more I hear, the more it sounds like angels are literally sex dolls created by men who turn women into them. Is that why your walk is like that too?”
“Ah, the walk I learned separately after becoming a mare.”
“What is a mare?”
“That story will take some time, so shall I tell you on the way?”
“Yes, let’s do that.”
We left the house and walked toward the road near the village where the unmanned taxi Ruya had summoned with her smartphone would arrive. The gazes of the elf men strolling through the village stabbed at me with such intensity they almost stung.
“Look at those males’ eyes rolling around. They can’t tear their gazes away.”
“It is the instinct of males, so it cannot be helped.”
“I feel nothing in particular even when I see handsome men.”
“Elf females have extremely low sexual desire. Perhaps their instincts toward the opposite sex are equally weak?”
“Elf females— Ah. I keep saying ‘females’ because you do. Why do you keep calling us that?”
“Because you are females.”
My answer brought a frustrated look to Ruya’s face. I could not understand what was so strange about calling a female a female.
“Of course women are biologically female, but the nuance feels off. It sounds like you’re talking about animals.”
“Oh my, Ruya, you think of yourself as an excellent female, yet you react this way?”
“At least call me a woman in public. I’m afraid someone might overhear.”
“Hmm. Very well. In public I will call you a woman.”
So saying, I leaned close and whispered into her ear.
“Because the true nature of a lewd female should only be revealed before her master.”
“Eep. Thank you.”
“Hehe.”
The sight of Ruya blushing and thanking me in a tiny voice was so adorable that laughter escaped me. Hearing it, her face grew even redder and she hastily changed the subject.
“Ahem. Anyway, tell me what a mare is.”
“It is exactly what it sounds like—a female horse. In my country there is a sport in which human women are turned into horses, pull carriages, and race.”
“What kind of sport is that? Is it even acceptable?”
“In the past it was rather dangerous, but it has improved greatly and is now an established sport.”
“You learned it while participating in that sport?”
“No. I became a mare in the old days, before it became a sport.”
While waiting for the taxi I briefly explained how I had become a mare. When I described how I had been caught while infiltrating the underground city and turned into one by accident, she looked utterly dumbfounded.
“What is that? In the end that’s also brainwashing women into mares, isn’t it? What kind of country is this Eden you live in?”
“Such inhumane practices have decreased considerably now. My sisters created a new Eden and removed many of the worst elements.”
“That’s a relief. Civilizations that show too much disregard for life have difficulty earning favorable evaluations.”
“What happens if they don’t receive a favorable evaluation?”
“They are not recognized as civilizations qualified for dimensional exchange. They are monitored to ensure they do not invade other dimensions and become isolated.”
“Whew, that is fortunate.”
The old Eden would have had no chance. The only remaining issue was angel production, but that could be resolved simply by stopping it, so it likely would not cause major problems.
She was equally dumbfounded when I added that I had liked being a mare so much that, even after being freed, I had chosen to become one again.
“That earring is a tag proving you are a mare?”
“Yes. Isn’t it pretty?”
“The design is pretty, but… why on earth did you become a mare again? You said you were treated like livestock.”
“Running is enjoyable, and being treated like livestock feels good.”
“…It feels that good?”
Since I spoke so confidently, her curiosity seemed to be piqued. I explained in greater detail to the inquisitive Ruya.
“The vulgar pleasure that blooms from the shame and humiliation of being treated as livestock less than human, of being roughly handled however others please—you cannot understand it without experiencing it. But you can imagine it to some degree, can’t you, Ruya? You, who were handled freely by me and tasted supreme pleasure amid shame and humiliation.”
“Ahk!”
I stood before her, slipped my hand between her skirt and belly, and gripped her panty-covered pussy tightly. Even at the sudden action she offered no resistance, obediently letting her pussy be held as she let out a moan. Glancing nervously at the surrounding men, she whispered urgently.
“N-not here. Please let go.”
“How does it feel? Having your body handled freely by another person.”
“Eep. Honestly… it feels good.”
“Vulgar bitch.”
“Hngh.”
The moment she heard the words, the trembling in her pussy intensified. Feeling the panties already soaked with sticky nectar, I continued.
“Just from having your pussy grabbed in a place where others might see, you’ve become so excited that you’re dripping everywhere. You really are vulgar. A completely heat-stricken bitch.”
“Hah… calling me a bitch…”
“A bitch in heat needs a collar for control. Go obtain a collar that pleases you.”
“Th-thank you.”
When I withdrew my hand from her pussy and ordered her to find a collar, she bowed her head and thanked me.