I've Liked You Since the First Time I Saw You, Sister
My resolve wavers.
“I…”
The vow to see the princess only as my student. The promise that I must never cross that line with her. Both of them tremble inside me.
I drew in a shaky breath without thinking. A warm sigh slipped into my lungs. Our faces were far too close.
It was sweet. A fluffy, cloud-like sensation filled me until my thoughts grew hazy, as if my mind were wrapped in mist.
The princess stared down at me without blinking once. Those glowing crimson eyes seemed to press me for an answer.
I swallowed hard. Everything rested on my shoulders.
Becoming lovers with her would be wonderful, of course. Sharing love with her right this moment would bring me happiness, and I wanted it so fiercely I could hardly stand it.
But…
How many people would approve of a romance between a princess and her tutor? The servants would be bad enough, but if I earned the Demon King’s displeasure, it would all be over. Our relationship might sink even lower than that of mere teacher and student.
Besides, we could never continue the bloodline. Unless the princess took a concubine, but…
…Watch her play with another man? Watch her bear someone else’s child?
No. Absolutely not. That could never happen.
If that was the future waiting for us, it would be better not to begin at all. Better not to harbor any foolish hopes.
No matter how I turned it over in my head, no smooth path appeared. In truth, the solution was painfully simple.
I could simply give up on the princess. Abandon these feelings and leave the Demon King’s castle. Then I wouldn’t have to worry about prying eyes or the future of the demon bloodline.
But…
“……”
I looked straight into her eyes. Those red-tinged pupils still bored into me, unwavering.
Thump. Thump.
My heart raced toward her as though it had finally found its true master.
I knew this was wrong. I knew a painful future lay ahead. Yet now that I had acknowledged my own heart once, I found I simply could not let her go.
“…Princess.”
Having made my decision, I lifted my chin just a little.
Chu.
I dared to press my lips to hers. It was the first time I had ever kissed her on the mouth myself.
A thrill shot down my spine like electricity. I even felt a pang of regret for not doing this sooner.
But the princess had asked for a kiss, not a childish peck.
“Mmm…”
With clumsy, uncertain movements I tried to meet her expectations, layering my lips over hers. I nibbled gently at her soft mouth, coating her lower lip with saliva before delicately sucking on the upper one.
“Chuu…”
Only when her smooth lips glistened completely with my saliva did I finally pull back.
“Haa… That is my answer.”
It was my first real kiss. Awkward and inexperienced, yet—
“Hehe…”
The princess’s eyes curved into gentle crescents. She smiled, licking her own lips.
“Then it’s my turn, isn’t it?”
“…What? Wait, what do you— mmph!”
Before I could finish, she claimed my mouth again. Her kiss was nothing like my hesitant one.
“Slurp… chuu…”
Something warm and soft slid between my slightly parted lips. A plush, pink piece of flesh. Her tongue.
I panicked and froze like an idiot.
The princess paid no attention to my stiffness. She pushed deeper, exploring every corner of my mouth as if mapping its shape. My own tongue had nowhere to go, but that didn’t seem to matter. While mine rested, hers eagerly stirred everything inside.
Our tongues tangled without pause. I ran out of breath. My mind floated upward as though filled with helium.
After savoring my lips, my tongue, and every drop of my saliva to her heart’s content, she finally drew back.
“Hah…”
“Haa… haa…”
She released me just before I lost consciousness entirely. A thin silver strand of saliva stretched between us, lengthening like melted cheese before snapping.
Even that seemed precious to her; she licked it away with a quick swipe of her tongue.
“I like you, Teacher.”
“I… I like you too…”
We had already tasted each other so deeply. There was no longer any point in hiding. I let my honest feelings spill out.
Speaking those words while fully sober was mortifying enough to kill me, but—
“I really… like you.”
Once the words left my lips, the weight inside my chest lifted. It felt as if I had thrown off sandbags that had been tied to my arms and legs.
The princess smiled softly and stroked my hair.
“Don’t worry about what comes after. I’ll handle everything. All you have to do is love me and let me love you.”
“Yes…”
It was sweet. And so reassuring.
With a dreamy sigh, I pulled her into my arms. I felt I could stay like this, holding her, for the rest of the day and be perfectly happy.
A short while later, after we had been tangled together on the bed, we moved to the bathroom. Even though we had only kissed, we had sweated enough to dampen the sheets.
“We have to wash each other’s backs today, right? We couldn’t yesterday because you got drunk.”
“I know, I know, so please… cover yourself a little…”
The princess seemed to have a particular romantic notion about washing each other’s backs. She shook her generous chest and kept reminding me.
Yesterday I hadn’t been in my right mind, but seeing her naked while sober was far too stimulating. I squeezed my eyes shut and desperately tried to erase the image of her bare body from my mind.
“Teacher, do you realize how strange you’re being right now? You were completely naked on the bed the whole time earlier…”
“I know! I already know and I’m dying of embarrassment, so you really don’t have to say it out loud!”
It was true. I only realized it after we entered the bathroom and I watched her undress. I had been naked on that bed the entire time. When I tried to take my own clothes off to wash, there was nothing left to remove. The realization kept my face burning.
“You don’t need to be that embarrassed… Your body is so lovely, Teacher…”
“Aaaah! I told you not to say anything!”
I was already at my limit. If she kept praising me, I might actually faint. I shook my head frantically—more than ten times a second—until the princess burst into bright laughter.
“Why are you so adorable, Teacher?”
Chu.
She stole a quick butterfly kiss from my lips while my eyes were closed. How unfair, attacking me when I couldn’t see.
“Open your eyes now and wash my back. Or should I go first?”
“I’ll… I’ll do yours first.”
I carefully lifted my eyelids. No matter how embarrassed I was, I couldn’t possibly let the princess serve me first. Thankfully, the first thing I saw was her smooth, elegant back.
“Then… shall I begin?”
“Yes.”
I lathered the shower ball and carefully scrubbed her back. It was sleek and firm. Did she train in secret? I thought I had glimpsed defined abs on her stomach earlier.
Gulp.
Just thinking about those abs made saliva slide down my throat again.
“Mmm… You wouldn’t let me ask you to wash my front, would you?”
“Of course not… You can wash the front by yourself…”
At her mischievous tease, the memory of her naked body flashed through my mind again. I had been trying so hard to forget it!
Steam practically whistled out of my ears. The princess chuckled at my reaction.
“Stop teasing me, Princess…”
“I can’t help it when your reactions are this cute. Now turn around. It’s your turn.”
“Okay.”
I spun around quickly, avoiding the disaster of seeing her most private places. Soon the foamy shower ball touched my back. Knowing it had just been on her skin made my face burn all over again.
“What are you thinking about that’s making your earlobes so red?”
“N-nothing at all.”
“Hmm? If you lie, I’ll eat your earlobe.”
“…It just felt strange thinking that the ball that touched your back is now touching mine.”
There wasn’t a hint of playfulness in her voice. When I answered like a machine, she stroked my back with her bare hand in approval. The touch sent shivers down my spine and made me straighten instinctively.
Instead of the shower ball, she used her palm to clean my back, then gave me a light pat.
“All done. Rinse off and let’s get in the tub together.”
I nodded under the warm spray she directed over me.
Once we were both in the tub, the water hid enough of my body that I could finally lift my head properly.
“Huu…”
Sinking into the warm water felt like every ounce of fatigue melted away.
“Teacher.”
“Yes…?”
I answered drowsily.
“Why did you stop me earlier from going further?”
“Pfft! Glub glub…”
The sudden question made me inhale a mouthful of bathwater. After spitting it out, I stared at her.
“…Pardon?”
“I wanted to keep going after that kiss… but you stopped me.”
“…Was it that obvious?”
“Very.”
I had tried so hard not to let her notice. I had grabbed her collar on instinct, hoping to keep her from undressing. Apparently I had failed spectacularly.
The reason I hadn’t gone all the way wasn’t complicated.
“It’s because I’m still too young… isn’t it?”
“…Yes.”
“Hmm… What exactly is the problem? I’m clearly an adult.”
I knew she was an adult by this world’s standards. She had come of age long ago here, and even in my previous life, nineteen was considered adult. But the word “nineteen” kept conjuring images of exhausted high-school seniors dragging themselves around like over-boiled bean sprouts. The comparison was odd, but it made her feel like a minor to me.
“Is it… that you don’t like my body?”
“No! Of course not! There isn’t a more perfect figure in the entire world than yours, Princess!”
I waved my hands wildly. If she drooped her head like that, looking so uncertain about her own beauty, the very concept of an attractive body would cease to exist.
“It’s just… I’m not used to the demon world’s age standards. In my homeland, you become an adult at twenty.”
I carefully left out the part about nineteen also counting as adult. Saying that here felt dangerous.
The princess tapped her lips in thought. After a moment, she spoke.
“I want to do it with you, Teacher.”
“E-eh?!”
“But you’re saying it’s still not allowed?”
“Yes… I’m sorry, but…”
“You don’t need to apologize. I can’t force you to forget your homeland’s customs.”
She rested her chin on her hand, then reached out to tickle my chin with gentle fingers.
“Mmm…”
“Having to hold back when such soft, lovely skin is right in front of me… How long must I wait?”
“J-just a year or so…”
“I understand. I respect your wishes.”
…This was suspicious. The Regrita I knew would never accept something like this so easily.
“Instead, grant me one request.”
Ah. There it was.
She wasn’t the type to let things go so simply. Still, knowing how much restraint she was showing, I nodded.
“If it’s something I can do, I’ll definitely do it.”
“You promised just now, right?”
“Y-yes…”
She slid closer through the water. The more the distance closed, the more bare skin pressed together. By the time it felt like my entire body was underneath hers, she whispered.
“When we’re alone, call me by a pet name. And drop the formal speech completely.”
She smiled mischievously and blew a soft breath against my ear.
“Huu… If you refuse even this, I’ll keep blowing on you.”
“Haa… F-fine, Reta…”
A shiver ran through me and my strength drained away. If she kept this up I would lose my mind, so I gave in and used her pet name.
To casually call a member of the demon royal family by a nickname… The guilt nearly crushed me, but she had said it was only when we were alone. I would endure it somehow.
“Hehe… My cute Melly sis…”
She must have loved hearing it. Regrita let out a silly laugh and buried her face in my chest, which looked hopelessly plain next to hers.
I had always been the one being held, so I never realized how nice it felt to be the one doing the holding.
“I like you. I’ve liked you since the first time I saw you, sis.”
Her warm breath brushed against my chest and scattered. A pleasant shiver ran down my spine. Just hearing the word “like” from her lips made my heart feel ready to burst.
“…I like you too, Reta.”
Today was a monumental day—the day I overcame the taboo between teacher and student and became connected with Regrita.