The Succubus's Heart (2)
"R-receiving a buff from you, Seonho… and then t-the treatment…."
"I'd say five minutes is plenty of time to work the treatment in. What do you think?"
"O-okay…. Th-that does seem like it'd be less… less uncomfortable for me, s-so…."
Being treated by me while still under my buff.
Hearing it laid out like that, it honestly made perfect sense. She probably found herself wondering why on earth she hadn't thought of the idea herself.
If I'm under the buff, I won't embarrass myself in front of Seonho… probably.
Ever since Kim Isabel had begun visiting my hospital room on her own, this was the one thing that had weighed on her more than anything else.
Treating me necessarily meant putting her hands on my body — and every time she did, some unseen thing radiating off my skin would wrap around her like a constricting coil of terror.
If that fear could be suppressed, then all those mortifying displays she made in front of me would disappear.
…And maybe her poor heart, hammering itself ragged at the mere thought of touching a man's body, could finally be calmed too.
"I-I'll… I'll t-try it…."
"Then let's get the buff going first. Bring your head over to my right hand, Isabel."
"Y-yes…."
Thanks to repeated exposure, my hand had become something she feared considerably less than before.
Once upon a time it had felt like sticking her head into the mouth of a demon — but now, it no longer frightened her quite that much.
Quietly registering, once again, that my training really was bearing fruit in ways like this, she leaned her head in toward my palm.
Succubus's Heart
"…Mmnh."
The buff settling over her still made her flinch and shiver every time she became aware of it. She quietly withdrew her head.
"Buff took hold all right?"
"…Yes. I think I'm getting fairly used to this sensation now."
"Good to hear it's improving. Then shall we carry on with the treatment while you're like this?"
"Yes, Seonho."
Hoooh.
She drew one deep breath, then quietly brought her hand to rest on the chest of the man lying on the hospital bed — to send her holy power flowing out from her heart and through his entire body, healing him.
What if the phobia came roaring back the instant she made contact? The thought crossed her mind, but running away now wasn't an option.
After all, the entire reason she'd sought treatment for her androphobia in the first place was to overcome that one crippling flaw — her inability to treat a man.
Tap.
"……."
Something was climbing up her.
That familiar black something, crawling up along her hand as it always did.
But… somehow, it didn't feel frightening.
The dread that normally swarmed over her whole body in a heartbeat was, for some reason, stalling out around her wrist, unable to climb any higher.
…So this is what it feels like.
So this was what it was like to touch a man's body while under the buff.
When they were merely talking, she'd assumed the fear had vanished entirely — but no, it had still been there, lingering the moment her skin met his.
One thing, however, was certain: it was smaller than before.
Vastly smaller than that moment when black tendrils of terror had come surging up her arm and over her body the instant she made contact — the sheer scale of it had changed beyond recognition.
"How is it?"
"It's still… a little scary."
"…So even this much can't suppress it completely, huh. Hmm."
"I-It's all right. Even like this, most of the fear is gone. Compared to what I've felt up until now… there's really only a tiny sliver left."
"Yeah? You're sure you'll be okay?"
"Yes. So please don't worry too much. This little remnant is something I need to overcome on my own."
Right. However desperately she wanted her androphobia cured, she couldn't lean on him for every last thing from start to finish.
This much of the fear, she had to conquer herself. As someone in the position of receiving his help, it was the bare minimum of her duty.
And if she couldn't even defeat this small sliver of fear, he would no doubt go and research some other buff for her sake. Knowing Lee Seonho's character as she'd observed it so far, it was a certainty.
To already be receiving help far beyond what she deserved, and then to burden him further on top of it — that was something she herself could never tolerate. And so this small remnant of fear, she would overcome through her own effort, whatever it took.
It was only the faintest trace of dread — but if she could conquer this, then even with the buff dispelled, she could gradually erode her fear of men, little by little.
"…Then, I'll begin the treatment."
"Take your time. I did say five minutes, but I'm not going to suddenly pull the buff mid-treatment on you."
"Thank you."
With her heart far lighter than usual, she channeled her holy power into him and began the treatment.
She could feel the flow of sacred energy passing from her palm and through his body — a steady, stable current, swiftly knitting back together everything that had been broken.
Until mere moments ago, the terror of touching a man's flesh had drowned out that sensation entirely, leaving her focused solely on pushing holy power into him. But with the fear suppressed, she could finally perceive the true state of his body with clarity.
He's recovered so much. At this pace, he may well be discharged by tomorrow evening.
Which would mean tomorrow evening was also the deadline for her own androphobia treatment.
A faint wistfulness welled up in her — part of her wanted to ask to stay at the church a few more days and keep treating him. But Kim Isabel was not so thoughtless as to make a request that selfish.
…And so, while this phobia-overcoming training lasted, there was nothing for it but to grow as accustomed to men as she possibly could.
Rub.
"……."
She hadn't noticed it until now. Only after the fear had thinned did the sensation begin to register.
The… faintly firm chest muscle that Lee Seonho's hospital gown had been hiding.
She feared men, yes — but that didn't mean she knew nothing about them. It didn't take an expert to grasp that his chest was decidedly not ordinary.
So this is how hard he's trained himself. No wonder he could keep running like that, even with a woman in his arms.
Even though he wasn't a Physical Enhancement Type, he still trained his body — which meant he'd never once been lazy about conditioning himself, all so he could be of use to others.
He truly was unlike ordinary men in every respect. All the more so for refusing to lean on the performance of his awakened ability, and instead doing the very best he could from wherever he stood.
Rub. Rub.
"…Hoo, hoooh."
A man who strove constantly to stand where he stood, and who never hesitated to spend the strength he'd gathered for the sake of others.
And somehow, Kim Isabel's hand kept drifting back to that "evidence of his training," again and again.
Rub. Rub.
"…Hoo, hoooh."
…Had it started?
The treatment — the part where holy power actually entered my body — had surely ended a while ago. Yet even after that, her hand refused to leave my chest, groping and roaming.
Her movements were oddly tentative, clearly an attempt to feel me up without getting caught — but from the receiving end, there was no mistaking that she was touching me consciously.
So the Succubus's Heart I'd hung on her under the pretense of a buff had finally started doing its proper work.
Until now, the terror of her androphobia had left no room in her head for anything so vulgar as desire. But two days of my steadily softening her wariness toward me had let her desire slowly, slowly open its eyes.
Of course, the most decisive factor was probably this physical contact I'd guided her into while under Suggestion. A succubus, after all, is a race whose thoughts can only drift in one direction the moment they lay hands on a man's body.
Right now, since it was her first time, she was merely fidgeting around the general vicinity of my chest muscles, so she likely hadn't noticed anything strange about it — but give it a few more sessions, and she'd inevitably catch on to what exactly she was thinking as she felt me up.
'Well, the buff's name is "Succubus's Heart" to begin with, so she'll figure out the cause soon enough.'
But whether realizing it would make her stop was a separate question entirely.
Either way, it was undeniably helping with Kim Isabel's androphobia treatment. And she was hardly about to make some shameless demand like, "The side effects are a bit… unusual, so could I have a different buff?"
She certainly didn't want to halt the training midway and abandon the cure. Now that she'd finally found a means of overcoming her own flaw, there was no way she'd give it up.
Rub. Rub.
"……Ah."
Inhaaale.
She kept rubbing her palm against my chest for a good minute after the treatment ended, before belatedly coming to her senses and stealthily withdrawing her hand.
Smiling to myself at the adorable gesture, I pretended not to notice and asked, casually.
"So? Feels a little easier than before?"
"…Yes. I think I can now focus entirely on your treatment, Seonho. To be honest with you… until today, pouring holy power into your body was all I could manage through the fear…."
"Being able to do even that much while terrified is what's impressive. Still, I'm glad. Even if it's only like this, at least you can get used to men."
"Ah, I-I still think it's not quite enough. I'll… I'll probably need to keep receiving the buff a few more times."
"You don't need to worry — I'll keep helping you regardless. At least for as long as I'm hospitalized here, I'll assist however I can, so don't feel burdened. Ask me anytime."
"Yes. Thank you, always, Seonho."
Thank me? If anything, I should be thanking you.
Keep this up, and before long she'd be unable to hold back her desires in front of me — taking me into her mouth, or begging me that it was fine back there as she spread herself open.
Just a brief flash of imagining the future Kim Isabel in all her fallen depravity was enough to make my lower half go rigid. Fortunately, the hospital gown was loose enough that it didn't show.
"Well, treatment's done, so I'll dispel the buff now, Isabel."
"Yes, Seonho."
Just like Cha Eunju, Kim Isabel now brought her head to my right hand without a moment's hesitation.
After releasing the Suggestion I'd placed on her, I watched carefully to see what reaction she'd have this time.
Succubus's Heart — effect dispelled.
"Hah, haaah…."
She couldn't quite suppress the startled sound that escaped her, but as calmly as she could manage, slowly lifting her head from my hand and straightening herself up.
"Th-thank you, S-Seonho…. I-I'll ask again l-later, too…."
"You did well too, Isabel."
"Y-yes…."
Bowing her head quietly from her seat, offering one last word of thanks before slipping quietly out of the room.
Watching her wariness toward me shrink by the day — there was no way my excitement wasn't surging in response.
'Haah, I seriously can't take this anymore.'
If only my body were free, I'd have stepped out to the bathroom and taken care of it. Maybe I should have asked her before she left whether it was about time to loosen my restraints.
I'd have to ask after the afternoon treatment later. Masturbating in a hospital room would give me away far too blatantly, so for now, I had no choice but to endure.
Click — the door slid open.
"Hm?"
Just as I was mulling all this over and laying myself back against the bed, the door to the room opened and someone walked in. Wondering if Kim Isabel had come back, I turned my head — and there stood Cha Eunju, the girl who'd finished off my blowjob yesterday and bolted home in a panic.
"S-Seonho…. H-how's your body feeling…?"
"Huh? Cha Eunju? Didn't you go home yesterday?"
"I was… a little worried…. Y-you, um… ah, n-no, anyway, I just wanted to ask if anything's been… uncomfortable for you while I wasn't here…."
…Seriously, every single time I see you, you go and do exactly the things that are cutest.
Well, nothing to be done about it. If she wants to be pampered by me that badly, then I have no choice but to live up to her expectations.