Chapter 9
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 9
Chapter Title: 2. Teaching the Apprentice Witch (3)
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Having talked things through with Neria this far, there was probably nothing else I needed to worry about.
"S-So? What now?"
"First..., um, please sit comfortably on the bed there."
In the end, after getting her clear permission to hug her from behind, I casually walked over to her side.
Following the faint sound of my footsteps, Neria's pale blue gaze trailed after me from where she was already seated.
She was the type who usually stared boldly right at my face, so this evasive look she'd had ever since earlier felt strangely unfamiliar.
Honestly speaking, part of me wondered if I might have to stop the moment I started caressing her.
With Neria this tense, she could easily declare our agreement from just now never happened, and it wouldn't feel off at all.
Hell, she might even reject me before we got started.
But unlike my pessimism, Neria was still behaving herself, so I quietly settled down next to her, our hips touching.
"Lady Neria. No need to be so tense. If you say you don't like it, I'll stop anytime."
"...I-I'm not tense or anything. It's just... this feels kinda awkward."
"Is that so?"
"Ugh... You've gotta be used to this stuff as a male prostitute...! ...This is my first time ever..."
"...Well, my job might be a little like that, but this is my first time dealing with a witch lady too..."
"...Talking back? Wanna die?"
"Sorry."
Her voice was already trembling like a leaf, but she sure could talk tough.
And the moment I sat down about half a handspan away, she scooted off to the side.
Then she has the nerve to claim it's just awkward.
Who does she think she's fooling...?
But pointing that out would just set her off, so instead of pressing, I changed the subject.
"Does Lady Neria never do anything naughty at all on a normal day?"
"Of course not, idiot... Aside from you, I've never even talked to a guy this long..."
"I don't mean stuff with guys. I mean what Lady Neria does by herself."
"By myself...?"
"Yes. You know what masturbation is, right?"
"...Masturbation...... I know what it is.... ......Just never bothered trying it."
"I see."
That figured.
If she'd ever done it, she'd have some grasp on pleasure already, but she'd looked at me like it was the first time she'd heard about pain or anything like that.
In other words, Neria was a girl who'd never experienced even a single lewd sensation in her life.
...Just being this close to a guy must be pushing her to her limits.
Everything had to feel overwhelmingly stimulating in her position.
I'd need to give her plenty of time to get used to this until it stopped feeling awkward.
Start with distant, less sensitive spots. That sort of thing.
"Then, excuse me for a moment."
"Wh-Wh-What?"
"What do you mean? Didn't I just ask if I could hug you from behind?"
"...Oh. Right. Okay..."
"And it'd probably be easiest if Lady Neria sits on my lap at the same time."
"On top of you...?"
"Yes."
"Uuuumm..."
As I closed the distance from where we'd been sitting apart, Neria naturally pulled her body away.
Even just the suggestion of straddling me had her hemming and hawing, but after a moment...
With a look like something had occurred to her, she reached toward the corner of the bed.
"...I'll give you a blanket. Cover your junk with it."
"...Even though my pants are still on?"
"Th-That doesn't mean you won't feel it if it touches..."
"......"
I had no idea if this was really so crucial, but whatever.
"Done. Better now?"
"...A bit. Okay then..."
"......"
"Up I go..."
Still, she was a witch.
I was just an ordinary civil servant.
If the witch lady said strip, I'd strip.
It was just a light complaint anyway, so I obliged easily, and only then did Neria nod and straddle onto my lap.
She looked slim enough that her weight was no burden at all.
If anything, it just sent a pleasant pressure along my thighs.
As I lightly wrapped my arms around her waist, the small shoulders right in front of me and her pale blue hair twitched upward.
"S-Stop. You promised you'd stop right away if I said no, right?"
"...I remember. But this means scoot back closer. If you sit that far forward, all I can do is a back massage."
"...Huh, yeah, that makes sense. Okay."
"Besides, we'll be touching even more intimate spots soon anyway."
"I get it, so shut up already...... Geez..."
"......"
"...Anyway, this good? Your body's starting to press against my back..."
"Yes. That seems fine."
Guess my persuasion worked a little.
Even Neria, who'd been freaking out, was finally settling in close, so prep was more or less done.
And from what happened earlier, I'd learned to announce before moving.
Amid the faint new shampoo scent wafting around me, I pitched my voice low so it wouldn't carry too far.
"Starting with your thighs."
"......"
Neria nodded.
With her permission, I slowly slid my hands down from her navel-area hold to the boundary with her thighs.
"......"
First came the distinctive springy texture of the leggings she wore.
Until moments ago, only the smooth, swishy feel of the jersey had touched my palms, but now I was making contact with her body proper, even if just a little.
...Was she embarrassed? I could feel a slight tension ripple through her thighs at the same time.
"Is this okay, Lady Neria?"
"...Can I be honest?"
She probably couldn't see my movements from her position, but I nodded anyway.
"Of course. Your feelings matter most right now."
"......Your hand movements are way too lewd."
"Well, I'm doing lewd stuff. Like you said, it'd be a problem if it didn't feel lewd."
"...Ugh.... All talk..."
"So, is it okay? I'd like to keep going to level 2, level 3, and beyond like this."
"...It's fine so far, so go ahead and try."
"Got it."
Even now, she had to act tough.
Classic Neria.
I tapped her thigh lightly with my middle finger, then slid diagonally toward the inner side.
"......Hey, that kinda tickles..."
"Totally natural. Sensitive spots get ticklish when someone else touches them. Armpits and waist are the most famous, probably?"
I'd specified diagonally, so I wasn't aiming for her pussy.
Poking and rubbing her clit relentlessly right now, or plunging fingers sloppily into her entrance? Way too soon.
First, she needed to get used to this teasing atmosphere.
...Rubbing the clit of a girl who didn't even masturbate would just hurt her, not feel good.
Fortunately, her reaction suggested she could handle this level of teasing.
I'd figured she'd bolt the second I touched her for at least three days straight, but if she was holding up this well, that was welcome news for me.
"...Mm."
"Anywhere uncomfortable?"
"......Not uncomfortable exactly..., it's just... my body's being groped freely by a guy, and that's a little..."
"Hang in there just a bit. You'll start feeling good soon."
"Haaa.... ...This isn't feeling good at all, just like I thought..."
Neria grumbled briefly, then leaned her back more fully against me with a sigh.
A sigh packed with 'Caresses aren't all that, huh!'—adorable from my observer's vantage.
"......"
But slightly, well,
how to put it.
From behind, yeah, it was cute.
But at the same time, it poked at something I'd been trying not to ruin the mood with,
a strange reaction.
"...Lady Neria, you want to feel good quick, right?"
"Obviously. That's why we're doing this in the first place? So I can feel sexual pleasure, even indirectly..."
"If that's what you want, I have a way."
"...You do? Then don't drag it out—do it."
"...But shouldn't you at least hear what it is before deciding?"
"It's gotta be something lewd anyway. Won't change a thing."
"......Well, true."
"I permit you. Go for it."
I'd planned to ramp up gradually, but I skipped just a tiny step.
My hands, which had been busy around her lower belly
and fiddling with her thighs.
This time, upward.
I drew them up.
"......Sigh.... Men all love boobs like crazy, huh..."
"...You know that pretty accurately?"
"Heard it a lot in sex ed. My master even said, 'Men in bed are like babies.'"
"Ah..."
"...That's why I'm saying, groping my chest just makes you feel good, right?"
"Who knows."
It wasn't obvious under that baggy jersey, but in just a t-shirt, her size was definitely impressive.
...Even now, this heavy mass draping over my palms.
"Hey, cut it out....... You groping like that might feel good for you, but not me..."
I grabbed a big handful of it,
squeezed it hard with a man's grip,
"......"
through the rustling jersey,
slowly raking,
dragging her bra down,
".......... ...Ngh."
softly stimulating the tip with my fingertips,
stroking,
pressing,
pinching,
flicking,
"......Ha..., ......"
...tensing bit by bit,
this time, just letting it sit.
For a moment.
Teasing it.
"......"
At some point,
Neria's voice went completely silent.
"..., .... ......"
Twitching,
short, wordless flusters.
That was all.
I could feel it all,
through my thighs she was using like a chair.