Time for Reflection (1)
"Master, I was wrong..."
"..."
"Master, please..."
Master hauled me out of the training room by the leash around my neck, dragging me off toward some unknown destination. There was not a shred of consideration in the way he yanked that collar—only raw roughness. I was being pulled along in the most literal sense, the leather biting so hard it felt like my head might tear free of my shoulders. But I couldn't voice a single complaint. I understood just how grave my mistake had been. I could feel, in my very skin, the depth of Master's fury.
What's going to happen to me now...?
The last time I'd been in training, I'd wet myself for the first time while being conditioned as a slave, and I'd been demoted to a Meat Toilet for it—punished with treatment beneath that of a human being. This time I was already a bitch, a beast beneath humanity, when I'd accidentally soiled myself in the middle of having my ass remodeled. Whatever punishment awaited me was bound to be worse than being reduced to a Meat Toilet.
Is he going to use washing me as an excuse to put me through every kind of water torture this time...?
If that was all it came to, I'd count myself lucky. Water torture was miserable, but at least it might give me a chance to earn back Master's trust. What terrified me far more was the possibility of being abandoned outright.
He wouldn't throw me away, would he? He wouldn't say a perverted slut who just pisses herself isn't even worth training... right? He wouldn't...?
The image of Master dragging me into the living room and tearing up our contract right in front of my eyes sent a chill through my gut. Anything but that. I didn't want to be discarded.
Finding another Master who could satisfy my twisted desires so completely, while caring for me more than anyone else in the world, was next to impossible. Meeting him—being able to stay with him—had been nothing short of a stroke of extraordinary fortune. I absolutely, absolutely could not let myself be thrown away...!
"Get in."
"Y-yes...?"
"What are you doing? Didn't you hear me?"
"Yes, Master...!"
When Master dragged me up to the bathroom door and gestured for me to go inside, a little of the tension left my chest. Ah. So I wasn't being abandoned. Even at worst it would be water torture—or maybe, if Master's mercy ran deep enough, I'd simply be given a chance to wash. Relief and a flicker of joy welled up inside me.
"Hands on the toilet. Bend over. I'm taking the tail out."
"Yes... Please, Master."
"I'm pulling it out in one go, so brace yourself."
"Yes, Master..."
The instant Master gripped my tail, the plug began vibrating wildly again. I didn't think he should pull it out while it was doing that. I was just about to say something when the plug started working its way out, churning through my insides as it slowly withdrew. That was when I realized. Master hadn't made a mistake. He was pulling it out roughly on purpose.
"Hyaaah...! Nngh... Haaah...♡"
"Hold still. I'm taking it out in one pull."
"Y-yes... Kyaah?! Ahhhhn♡"
The warning and the yank came at the same time. The plug popped free with a wet, cheerful sound. It had torn through my insides on the way out, and the pain was considerable—and yet, strangely, once it was gone, a peculiar sense of release washed over me. It felt as though one of the shackles binding my mind had slipped free.
"There. Better?"
"Haaah...♡ Thank you, Master...♡"
"Stay just like that for a moment. I need to grab something."
"Yes, Master..."
Master left the bathroom, but I stayed where I was, hands braced on the toilet, my whole body trembling. The pain of that plug forcing its way out through my tight hole, stirring everything inside me as it went, had met the rush of release and transmuted into a strange, wrapping pleasure. It felt almost as if I'd been freed from being a bitch and restored to being human.
Maybe Master will treat me a little more gently now...!
My hope circuit was burning that brightly. It didn't take long to learn how wrong I was.
"Sorry to keep you waiting, Jihye."
"M-Master? That's..."
"Ah, this?"
Master came back carrying a blue tub and set it down right in the middle of the bathroom. I couldn't help but stare. At a glance it looked like any ordinary blue plastic barrel you'd see anywhere—except for the size. It was enormous, easily a meter tall.
You could fit a whole person in there... Wait. Is that what he's going to do with me...?
The thought had barely formed when Master's next words confirmed it.
"This is the thinking barrel you'll be using from now on."
"Thinking barrel...?"
"That's right. From now on, every time our Jihye messes up, I'm going to put you in here and give you some time to reflect."
"Ah..."
"I was going to introduce it gradually later on, but you made a serious mistake today, so I figured I'd kill two birds with one stone—punish you and show you how it works."
Master opened the lid and showed me the inside. At first glance it looked like any ordinary barrel, but a closer look revealed several differences. Holes had been punched through it in a number of places, and a small ring was fixed to the floor. He'd clearly modified it himself for training purposes, though I couldn't yet tell what those modifications were for.
"All right. Shall we get you inside?"
"Y-yes..."
"Good. Let's do a little prep work first."
Master gathered my hands behind my back and locked a pair of handcuffs around both wrists. They looked like the kind the police used—the kind you could only open with a key. I gave the cuffs a tentative tug and understood immediately. No matter what I did, these were never coming off.
Once he'd confirmed the cuffs were locked tight around my wrists, Master pointed at the barrel and told me to get in. I climbed in carefully, settled into a crouch, and looked up at him.
"You feel that carabiner on the inside?"
"Carabiner...?"
"The ring. You know."
"Ah..."
"Hook the chain between your cuffs onto that ring."
"Yes, Master."
I followed his order, groping carefully until I found the ring. It was right behind my ass. I worked my hands around and fed the chain linking the cuffs through the hook. The chain slid in, and the ring locked shut with a sharp click. A spike of fear made me yank my wrists upward, but the hook held the chain fast, pinning my hands so they couldn't move from just below my ass.
"It's locked in properly?"
"Yes, Master..."
"Good. Stay in there and take some time to reflect. Once I can see you're actually repenting, I'll toss the key in. You can unlock the cuffs and climb out."
"Understood, Master."
"All right. Since this is your first time, I'll give you a little while to reflect while I clean up. That should be plenty, don't you think?"
"Yes..."
I nodded slowly, and Master nodded back, looking satisfied.
"Good. And last of all, I'm going to gag you—so you can reflect in silence."
"Yes, Master. Please."
I opened my mouth, and Master fitted a ball gag between my teeth. It wasn't the kind that sealed the mouth completely, and it wasn't a dildo gag that would torment my throat, so I let out a small breath of relief—just as darkness began to settle over me from above.
I realized Master was closing the lid and tried to protest, but the only thing that escaped my gagged mouth was a crude, muffled moan. The lid shut. The inside of the barrel filled with a darkness so complete I couldn't see an inch in front of my face. A little light leaked through the holes punched in the lid, but it wasn't nearly enough to drive the dark away.
I'm scared... But this is the punishment Master prepared for me...
It felt as though I'd been abandoned, but I was in no position to complain. I hadn't been receiving a reward—I'd wet myself in the middle of a punishment. I ought to be grateful this was all I was getting.
I'll use this chance to pull myself together and take Master's training properly. No more mistakes. Perfectly...!
I settled into the barrel as comfortably as I could and resolved to wait until Master came back. That was when something landed on my shoulder.
Ah—that's cold... Is that water?
I looked up. Water was flowing from one of the holes in the lid. It was cold at first, but the temperature evened out and warm water began to pour in. I was already naked, so I didn't think much of it—until the water reached my ankles, and something felt wrong.
It's not going to keep filling, is it?
I'd seen holes punched in the sides earlier. Once the water rose high enough, it would drain out. That much was obvious. Still, a restless unease made me look around—and that was when I noticed. Several of the holes that had been in the walls were gone. They'd vanished while I wasn't looking.
Th-there were holes there, I know there were! Master! Master!!
The water was rising fast. Panic seized me and I tried to call for him, but the gag would not permit a single word. I tried to undo the cuffs and get out, but no amount of pulling would free them. By the time the water reached my waist, I understood.
There was no way out of this filling barrel. And there was no way to call for help.