The Fist That Breaks and Pleases
To find my mother, I first had to pay the price.
The street vendor I had met earlier bowed his head slightly as he stepped into the room, then pushed the door firmly shut and continued speaking.
“You’re surprisingly well-known around here, miss. A mage who sells flowers? How many people could possibly fit both of those descriptions? I found you in no time.”
He knew I was a mage… So I had been found out. Both of us made our living by selling our bodies, yet I had done something that should never have been done. For now, I would apologize. He didn’t seem particularly angry, at least.
“…I’m sorry for doing that.”
“Hmm. Well, at least you know you should be sorry. We can settle that later. More importantly, a young lady who steps forward herself when her man is in trouble? That boy sure knows how to pick a woman! Haha.”
I remained silent in front of the man who was loudly boasting as if nothing were wrong.
“So, are you getting married? Does that mean you’re quitting this line of work?”
“That’s…”
The words He’s dead rose to the tip of my tongue before I barely swallowed them back down. It wasn’t something to say to a man I was meeting for the first time, and there was no point in darkening the mood in front of someone who had clearly come to buy my body with money.
“We… broke up, I suppose. I can’t meet him anymore…”
“Oh dear, oh dear. That’s too bad. That boy really should have taken a beauty like you with him when he had the chance.”
I smiled bitterly. It was my way of saying I didn’t want to talk about it anymore. Then I quietly began to untie the knots of my clothes.
“Hey, what are you doing, miss?”
“What do you mean…? I’m getting ready for work…”
The man scratched the back of his head, where short hairs were sprouting, with a troubled expression.
“No. I didn’t come here to buy your body. I told you last time, didn’t I? I don’t do that kind of thing.”
“Then…?”
“I came to buy some of your time. Just like that young man did last time. I had a hunch when I saw you. I can’t just ignore someone in trouble.”
What on earth was he talking about? I stopped my hands from undressing and tilted my head, staring at him.
“Eyes as clear and red as yours are pretty rare. That’s why I remember….”
My heart jolted. Yes, eyes with visible blood vessels like these weren’t common. If they came with silver hair and red eyes as a complete albino set, maybe, but light brown hair with only the eyes lacking pigment and turning red was even rarer.
Then, the story about having seen bread-colored hair and red eyes somewhere… Was he about to expose me as the hero Kaira?
I waited for his next words in fear.
“Miss, do you happen to have a younger sister?”
“Eh…?”
The sudden, out-of-nowhere question left me speechless.
“Yes… I do…”
And then my lips moved on their own, forming the words. It wasn’t me speaking. It was that slime rooted in my head acting on its own….
Rin…?
You idiot mom! Of course you have to say yes! If he’s asking about a sister at this point, it’s obvious what that means!
Ah….
Someone with red eyes who resembled me, yet young enough for someone to ask if they were my sister. That could only be….
“Do you… know Pirel…?”
“Ah, so that little lady’s name was Pirel? I see. I was just guessing, but she really is your sister? How interesting. Well, silver hair might be different, but brown hair with red eyes isn’t something you see every day…”
“Pirel—where is Pirel?!”
I shot up from my seat and lunged at the man. The fabric of his clothes, already strained by his muscles, tore slightly. Only then did I regain my senses and apologize.
“Hic… I-I’m sorry…”
“Goodness. You shouldn’t throw yourself at someone who’s trying to help you.”
“I-I’m sorry, I’m so sorry… I’ll pay for the clothes…”
At that moment, the man’s eyes gleamed with interest.
“No, no. Tearing a bit of thin cloth like that is nothing. More importantly, since I bought your time, miss… Wait, what was your name again?”
“It’s… Karin.”
“Right. Karin. I paid the pimp for your time, so all you have to do is work properly during that time.”
The powerful man’s face was still grinning, but I felt a thread of unease creep over me. It was an instinct I had developed after living twenty years as a woman.
“Work… you say…?”
He said he didn’t do prostitution. So what exactly was he going to make me do? It didn’t seem like he would ask for a date like Iskil had.
“That’s right. I already talked it over with the pimp downstairs. From what I hear, your specialty is healing magic, right?”
“Y-yes…”
“Good.”
The man let out a refreshing laugh.
“Then would you mind taking a few hits for me?”
“Excuse me?!”
I thought I must have misheard. With that bright, cheerful smile on his face… what did he just say?
“Ah, yes. Since you’re a mage who specialized in healing magic, that’s what I was hoping for. Back in my adventuring days, I was a pretty famous fist-fighter who could send monsters flying with a single punch. These days I’m reduced to doing street performances, but…”
The man’s eyes suddenly sharpened.
“Sometimes you have to hit living things to keep your skills from getting rusty. Dealing with mediocre opponents has been stressing me out, and I don’t know when I might want to head out on another adventure. Originally I should be relieving stress by fighting wild monsters, but…”
I couldn’t answer. I just trembled, unable to tear my eyes away from arms that looked as thick as my torso.
“And then a fun opponent like you appears right in front of me. You sell your virginity with that magic, right? It’s going to hurt quite a bit, so I’ll pay you at least as much as your virginity is worth. You caused me some loss last time, and you’re also getting information about your sister, so if you weigh it all out, I’m actually the one taking the loss here, don’t you think? And like I said earlier,”
The man glanced back at the door.
“I’ve already made arrangements with the pimp and that scary-looking young bouncer. Just three solid punches. That’ll be enough.”
“Y-yes?!” I reflexively asked back. For a moment I thought, What did I just hear? But… there was no way I misheard. The request was simply insane.
What kind of man is this? He’s grinning like that, but he’s completely crazy… He’s lost his mind, there’s no way he’s sane… No….
Was the world filled with nothing but lunatics?
My body shook violently. But this was a job where I sold my time and lent out my body. I couldn’t refuse just because I didn’t like it.
Besides…
I didn’t want to refuse. Because…
I-I’m scared, but…
Gulp.
I swallowed dryly as I stared at the man’s statue-like, gleaming arm muscles. If those hit me, a single blow might be enough to burst the organs of a small woman like me and shatter my bones.
But…
But…
I… I want to get hit…
Yes. Because I, too, had been crazy for a long time.
Whether I had the right or not, any woman with a sound mind would naturally refuse. Yet the desire to be destroyed bubbled up inside me, stealing away my reason.
Three hits. Just… three hits should be fine… right?
While thinking such absurd thoughts, I barely managed to open my mouth.
“Yes… Please do it…”
As I spoke, I slightly lifted the hem of my camisole. In a voice that crawled like a whisper, yet trailing off as if unable to finish the sentence.
“You can see my stomach, right…? My intestines are here. And my womb too… Please hit me right here… I’m begging you… hehehe…”
I was already smiling. Not the fake smile for customers, but the expression of a bitch who genuinely craved abuse.
The man raised an eyebrow as if surprised.
“Oh.”
Then he grinned.
“Good. That reaction was excellent.”
He clenched and unclenched his fist a couple of times. Half in anticipation and half in fear, I watched his hands as if he were warming up.
And then—
“……!!!???!”
I couldn’t see it. My eyes, grown soft from the peaceful life in the brothel, couldn’t catch the moment his fist flew forward.
Even though I couldn’t see it, his fist had already crushed my stomach as if it would pierce straight through and returned to its original position.
Not even a scream came out. Before the feeling of pain, the impact of my body flying backward hit first, and only then did the pain race along my nerves.
I slammed into the wall with a loud thud. It was hard to believe a person could send another person flying like that.
“Kuh… heuk… U-ugh… Urk, ugh, ugh…”
My vision began turning pitch black from the edges. A heavy pain spread from my crushed internal organs.
“Khak, krr… hek… U-eck…”
I slid down the wall and barely managed to brace myself on the floor with both arms.
“Urrk… ugh… urk…”
Since I hadn’t eaten anything all night, sour liquid rose from my convulsing stomach and poured from my mouth. Mixed with the faint scent of blood.
“It… hurts… It hurts…”
With a tongue that barely obeyed me, I managed to utter those few words. The fact that he had trained in martial arts meant he knew exactly where to hit to cause injury… and also where to hit without causing fatal damage.
Despite this horrific pain, my body probably hadn’t suffered any truly serious damage.
“You’re holding up well, miss. I’ve never properly hit a person before—only thieves or the Demon King’s underlings—but the sensation is excellent.”
To say such things with a smiling face. This uncle was quite mad himself.
Hmm. Mom?
Rin’s voice rang lightly inside my head.
U-ugh… What is it…?
I’ve analyzed Duke Mittenburg’s drug signal quite thoroughly during this time. If I inject it now, I can convert the pain directly into pleasure. Would you like to try?
Rin was tempting me.
Some of my senses flowed into Rin as well. She was probably… looking forward to it. The supreme pain and pleasure that could only be felt when using a human as a host.
At first, I refused.
No… thanks…
Groaning, I forced myself to stand. So I could continue providing the service that the martial artist had paid a high price for.
…And to clearly realize that I had already become a perverted masochist, leaking sticky fluids between my legs—where I wasn’t even wearing underwear—while suffering this kind of treatment.
“You’re tougher than you look, mage lady. Getting up again like that—you must have quite a bit of adventuring experience? It almost makes me feel bad about hitting you again. But…”
The man lightly licked his lips with the tip of his tongue.
“The feeling transmitted through my fist is just too good. I’m having a hard time holding back.”
The moment he finished speaking, something flew toward my chest without warning.
T-this time I saw it…!
“Hngk?!?!?!?!”
H-here… my… ribs…
A grinding sensation traveled from deep inside my body.
It was the feeling of my ribs collapsing.
I-if this continues… my lungs will… get… pierced… I’ll… die… die…
This time I didn’t fly back, but my legs gave out and I collapsed on the spot.
“Haa… khk, ugh, urgh… Ha, aaah…”
I coughed violently. Something unbearable burst out past my lips. A metallic smell filled my mouth. Along with a strangely sweet aftertaste.
…Even my blood smelled like bread. What a wicked preference.
My lungs must be damaged. I instinctively knew it. This was an injury I couldn’t survive for long.
It wasn’t strange. After all, he had driven a fist that could once shatter a monster’s skull into the body of a slender girl like me.
Even so, I refused to faint. I writhed on the floor, struggling to get back up.
“Miss, you’re bleeding from the mouth. Are you okay? Can you still use magic? Hmm… Your spirit is admirable, but your body is so small I’m getting worried. Will you be alright?”
Mom, please don’t push yourself.
I ignored both the man’s words and Rin’s.
“I-I’m… fine… It… feels… good…”
Blood streamed from my nose and mouth as I spoke. With a face that looked like it might collapse at any moment, I forced a smile and somehow managed to stand.
The man stared at me with a surprisingly serious expression, then spoke in a heavy voice.
“Now that I think about it, I never introduced myself. I’m Wolf. I used to be a wandering fist-fighter, but as you can see, I now make my living with street performances. The pay is good in this area, so I’ve stayed a bit longer than usual.”
The man who introduced himself as Wolf lowered his right hand to his waist. Whether it was mana or ki, something seemed to ripple….
“In respect for your professional spirit, I’ll give you the last one with my full strength.”
What kind of thing is he saying with such a serious face…?
I couldn’t help but smile at the absurdity.
“I-I’ll… lie on the bed… If I fly off… you’ll be… disappointed…”
Muttering such insane words, I headed for the bed. Wolf watched with satisfaction as I staggered over, crawled onto the bed, and lay down, releasing all tension from my body.
“Good. I’ll make sure I don’t break the bed.”
And then something rang inside my head.
This is seriously insane. You too, Mom… Have you lost your mind? If you get hit by that, you might die before you can even rewind time! Or your mind might shatter from the pain… At least use a defense spell, Mom!
Ugh, hehehet… That’s right. You know, don’t you, Rin… I… I’m… crazy… heehee…
Even inside my head, I could hear the arrogant magic slime sigh.
I really can’t watch this anymore. I’ll just release that pain-to-pleasure conversion drug signal I mentioned earlier. If you’re going to go mad, at least go mad while feeling good, Mom.
Uh…? Eh…? What… Rin…?
There was no answer from the creature who believed herself to be my daughter. While I was lost in confusion from the conversation inside my brain, Wolf’s final punch flew toward me.
From above to below. Crushing my entire body with the full weight of those massive muscles.
My brain rang like a bell from the impact, shaking my whole body. And then the pain…
“Kuhk… Eh? Th-this… Why… is it…?”
It wasn’t… being transmitted…
This… feels… good…?
Wh-what…? It feels… good… The pain isn’t… pain… it feels… go-go-go-go-go-go-go-go-go-go-good?!
“Guh?!?! Ugr, u, huu?!?!? Grheeeeeeeeek?! Ah, ha…? Hahet…”
The agony was swallowed up like water droplets falling onto a sponge. What awaited me was…
Nothing but a surging tide of pleasure, pleasure, and more pleasure—the same kind that had destroyed my sanity in Duke Mittenburg’s basement.
“Ahhat?! U, uuu… Ut!!! Hngk?!?!! U, ugh, a, haa, ut, u, eheeeeeeeeee?!??????”
Like that, I let out hideous moans that would have sent even beasts fleeing. I squirted a mixture of bright yellow and sticky fluids from between my legs, lost control of my bladder, and even leaked what little remained in my intestines.
My face had gone completely slack, drooling saliva, nosebleed, and tears all at once. I collapsed as nothing more than a meat puppet whose consciousness and intellect had both been swept away by the tidal wave of agony and ecstasy created by Rin and Wolf together.