There Are So Many Different Kinds of Women in This World
Even though the sun had begun to set, the woman did not wake. I spent some time alone on the veranda, waiting for her to rouse from her slumber and seek me out of her own volition.
“Kree-look?”
“The moon is exceptionally bright tonight, isn't it?”
I stroked the head of the paper-crane Shikigami perched on my fingertip, and it let out a pleasant cry before fluttering into the air.
“I wonder how much longer she will stay.”
Every woman who set foot in Wolhyangsa became deeply intoxicated by the taste of a woman, yet none had ever stayed longer than half a month. As much as I found that regrettable, I had no choice but to let them go.
Just as they had entered Wolhyangsa of their own free will, I had to respect their hearts when they chose to leave. As the shrine maiden responsible for Wolhyangsa, I could not break the unwritten rule passed down from my predecessors.
“Shrine… Maiden…”
Just as I was looking up at the moon, which seemed particularly bright today, the woman’s trembling voice tickled my ears. I turned my head slowly to see her taking hesitant steps toward me.
“Lady Caris, you’re awake.”
“Oh… yes.”
Though the words she wanted to say seemed to be stuck in her throat, she couldn't easily bring them out. After spending such an ecstatic time with me, her appearance was overflowing with a newfound vitality.
It was a common change that appeared in women who had discovered the true taste of a woman for the first time. It wasn't so much a change in her physical appearance as it was an atmosphere of depth and maturity brought on by a new experience.
“I am truly sorry…”
It was an apology for asking a shrine maiden like me to perform such lewd acts. Most women want to forget the time they spent learning the taste of a woman for the first time, but strangely, after everything is over, they are the ones who bring it up first.
“It is quite alright, Lady Caris. I have no reason to scold you simply because you didn't perform your usual chores.”
Besides, that woman had promised to forget the time we had just shared. It seemed she had momentarily forgotten that promise due to her own confused emotions.
I quite enjoy talking about the impressions of those who have tasted a woman for the first time, but in the current situation, it would be a rash act. To keep her at Wolhyangsa for as long as possible, I must make her realize that I am a being she can trust.
“Because it is my job to provide you with a comfortable time, Lady Caris.”
I smiled lightly, mentioning the chores she usually did. Perhaps she finally remembered our promise, as she sat down next to me with a relatively relaxed expression.
“The moon is so beautiful. I’ve never seen such a pretty moon before.”
“The nights at Wolhyangsa always leave a deep impression.”
Just as I was looking up at the moon, the woman leaned her face close to mine. With a light smile and a faint blush, my mind, which had been calm, was once again filled with things a shrine maiden shouldn't speak aloud.
“Shrine Maiden.”
“Yes, Lady Caris.”
“Thanks to you, I was able to completely forget that person. Thank you so much.”
“I am truly glad that the time you spent at Wolhyangsa was of such help. Are you thinking of leaving now?”
“No. I’m thinking of staying a few more days. I know I’ll only have good times if I stay here.”
That "good time" would surely be filled with things entirely different from before. Of course, since the basic premise was that she would always be the one to bring it up again, I had no choice but to wait, however regretful that might be.
The woman’s gaze swept over my chest for a moment. Her look was so intense that my body felt like it was reacting just from the sensation.
“Now that I look, your breasts are really pretty, Shrine Maiden. Oh, I shouldn't be saying things like this to you.”
“It is fine, Lady Caris. It is common for women to compliment each other’s bodies.”
“…Right? I think that kind of compliment isn't strange at all if you’re close.”
A strange, erotic allure was deeply embedded in every word she uttered. I was certain it wouldn't take long before she begged me again.
I met her gaze. Her blue eyes, shining like jewels in the dark night, were somewhat suggestive. As the silence stretched, the distance between us narrowed bit by bit.
She would surely kiss me, as if it were an unconscious action. After all, the taste of a woman, once experienced, is not easily forgotten.
I prepared myself to move my hands easily, ready to push her shoulders away at any moment. I had to show her that I was not a debauched shrine maiden who indulged in lust, for that would only make her want to be held in my arms even more.
Just as I could feel her breath heavily, I raised my hand to push her shoulders away.
—*Gurgle!*
However, the sound of her empty stomach was too distinct to ignore.
“Ah…”
At that sound, the woman hurriedly widened the distance between us, clutching her stomach with both hands while laughing in embarrassment.
“It seems you are hungry.”
“I, I suppose so…”
“I will prepare dinner for you.”
I left the woman behind to prepare her meal, and as soon as it was ready, I headed to her room with a tray of food.
That was when I was about to knock on the door.
“I shouldn't be like this. Why do I keep… thinking about it…”
The woman’s self-talk drifted through the tightly closed door. I covered my mouth with the hand I had intended to use to knock and smiled.
She seemed to be blaming her body and mind for not being able to forget, even though she had promised to. It was the same reaction as any other woman, and it was a reaction that pleased me.
—*Knock, knock, knock!*
“Lady Caris, I have brought your dinner.”
“Oh, yes…!”
I naturally assumed she would want to eat dinner together. However, she chose to have her meal alone. Even though it was natural for me to have deep questions, I stepped away without asking for the reason.
“This is a first.”
Her reaction, different from the others, was a bit bewildering. While I was pondering why she had made a different choice than usual, the situation where we were about to kiss naturally came to mind.
“You cannot suppress it, can you?”
It had been so long since a woman waited for the "next time" more than I did that I couldn't help but laugh. If I didn't wait and approached her instead, she would open her legs for me whenever I pleased.
“Still, if you’re going to eat, you should enjoy it even more.”
I savored her lewd voice from outside the door for a little longer before returning to my room to think about the days ahead. That was when I felt as if I had forgotten something very important.
“Ah.”
A short sigh escaped me.
Perhaps it was because I had been momentarily intoxicated by the deep allure she exuded. I had completely forgotten an important daily routine that, as the shrine maiden of Wolhyangsa, I should never skip.
“My mind was entirely focused on her.”
I chided myself and untied the red waist cord of my shrine maiden robes. I shed the layers of clothing without regret, and tightly fastened the fundoshi made of tough fabric around my lower body. Wearing only a thin, white, martial-arts-style top over it, I left the room.
The night air was quite chilly, but it was perfect for cooling my body and mind, which had been strangely heated by the woman.
I passed the veranda and headed to the open space in the backyard where the moonlight seeped in. The cold wind touching my skin sharply swept over my bare legs, fully exposed outside the fundoshi.
This was the place where I performed my nightly purification and training alone to maintain the sanctity of Wolhyangsa and to keep my own center unshaken.
I sat on a flat, cold rock and closed my eyes. As I inhaled deeply, the cool energy of the forest, heavy with night dew, slowly permeated my body.
I focused my energy on my lower abdomen, steadied my breathing, and slowly let the woman’s red lips and panting breaths—which had been cluttering my mind—drift away into the cold night air.
Maintaining rational thought and emotion was crucial to helping a woman realize the taste of a woman.
It was a process to remain a shrine maiden who could fully dominate and be relied upon by women without being swept away by debauched pleasure.
As the training deepened in the silent stillness, beads of sweat began to form.
By the time my white top was soaked with sweat and dew, clinging faintly to my skin, I felt the complex, tangled energy within me finally clearing up.
“Hoo…”
I exhaled a deep breath, stood up, and scooped water from the shallow pool in front of me.
—*Splash!*
As I poured the water over my head, the bone-chilling cold water slowly drenched my body.
“Haaaa…”
I controlled my body so it wouldn't be shocked by the temperature, which had begun to drop with my breathing. When the slight trembling of my body stopped, I stood up and wiped my wet skin with a towel.
“…Shrine Maiden?”
Hearing the woman’s voice, I turned my gaze back. There was no way she could have known I would be here; she must have discovered me while out for a night walk.
“Lady Caris, are you out for a walk?”
“Oh, yes. I was… out for a walk.”
The woman’s gaze, which had been fixed on my face, seemed to move down my back, eventually lingering on my buttocks, which were clearly exposed by the fundoshi.
I watched her face quietly. This time, she glanced at my breasts peeking out from my top, but upon realizing I had noticed, she hurriedly looked at the ground.
“What… were you doing…?”
“It would be easier for you to understand if I explained it as mental training.”
“So it was… training.”
I walked toward where she stood, wiping my wet hair with a towel. She only hesitated, staying in her spot, which only served to narrow the distance between us.
“Oh…”
She had been so busy looking at the ground that she hadn't realized I had approached her.
“Lady Caris, are you feeling unwell?”
“Yes…?”
“Your face is red. You seem to have a fever as well.”
It was then, as I gently placed my hand on her forehead.
“W-well then, I… I’ll go to sleep now… S-sleep well, Shrine Maiden…!”
She offered a night greeting as if squeezing the words out with a trembling voice, then fled hurriedly without even looking back.
That retreating figure inevitably made the corners of my mouth rise.
“What a truly interesting woman.”