I Sealed Sukuna’s Finger#384+385: Let's Be Good Sisters! Stringing Up Natsuki

Who would've thought the legendary, fearsome Witch of the Notaria would... embarrass herself in front of a man.

That splash of water didn't just freeze Natsuki—it stunned Aya Tokoyogi herself.

Even after Bokue closed the door behind him, both witches remained frozen in the break room.

Ugh...

Natsuki's mouth twitched internally.

She'd guessed Aya had been thoroughly worked over by this guy, but to react like this just from seeing him was way too extreme!

What the hell had been done to her to end up like this?!

For the first time in her life, Natsuki genuinely wanted to run away.

She didn't want to end up like this too!

"Um..."

After maintaining that leaking position for about ten seconds, Aya finally managed to recover somewhat. Taking a deep breath, she gripped the nearby sofa for support and struggled to speak:

"W-why are you in a place like this?!"

"...You've got it backwards."

Bokue spread his hands.

"More accurately, I was here, so Yuuma sent you over. Remember we agreed to let you live a normal life? Now you can work as a maid for Natsuki, earn your own living. I'm like... a reference? Also, why are you in this state? Didn't you shower?"

The youth suddenly noticed something seemed off about Aya's appearance.

Why had she arrived covered in a mixture of champagne and spiritual energy?

"..."

Aya didn't plan to answer that question, just glared at the youth with eyes full of resentment.

Why was she like this? Shouldn't you know better than anyone?!

The former Library Grand Secretary conveyed this message with her eyes.

"Fine, Yuuma really is something..."

Understanding the cause and effect instantly, Bokue shook his head internally, then stepped forward, ignoring the faint champagne scent as he approached the disheveled twelve-layered beauty.

"Let me clean you up first."

"Don't—!"

Aya tried to refuse, but before the words left her mouth, her hand was already grasped.

Warm power flowed from his fingertips, spreading as golden light across her entire body, removing all those attachments she'd considered filth.

This should've been a satisfying and pleasant process, like thoroughly cleaning an old blanket.

But Bokue had forgotten Aya's current hypersensitive state—just seeing him made her leak, and now with actual physical contact...

!!!

Like being electrocuted, the moment her hand was held, Aya trembled three times in succession, then could no longer stand steady, swaying and falling into the youth's embrace.

When she lifted her head again, the twelve-layered beauty's wine-red eyes were already misty with tears.

Bokue: "..."

He could tell—Aya wasn't at some "seven-star entertainment" level anymore. She'd skipped multiple stages, fast-forwarding straight to the "latest" phase.

Three times in a row, even.

This was too extreme...

Bokue couldn't help complaining internally. Yuuma had told him this "original version" was an ascetic who'd never been with anyone—even her nominal daughter was just a clone created using herself as a template.

But with this level of sensitivity, she seemed more like a natural-born succubus constitution.

Though if she'd already finished, that worked out fine. After all, Natsuki was still watching. He couldn't exactly start with Aya right here in front of her.

So Bokue turned to Natsuki, still sitting on the bed's edge.

"I'll leave her with you then. Whether she wears a maid outfit like Astarte is up to you."

"...Got it. Just put her on the bed here."

Natsuki paused, jumping down from the bed's edge to the floor, discreetly wiping away the moisture her stockings had left on the sheets.

"Huh?"

Bokue made a confused sound.

"What's with the 'huh'? I said put her on the bed."

Natsuki desperately hid the flush on her face from the sounds she'd heard through the wall, adopting her classroom lecturing tone as she rapped her knuckles on the bed.

"You can't think she can work today after what you've done to her. Let her rest today—she can start working tomorrow. I don't keep freeloaders here."

"...That's how it is then."

After thinking it over, deciding Natsuki's lecture wasn't aimed at him, Bokue looked down at the teary-eyed twelve-layered beauty in his arms.

But Aya was already panting breathlessly, unable to process anything.

Looks like last night plus this morning had been too intense...

With that thought, Bokue carried Aya the few steps to the bedside.

Just as he was about to set her on the now-empty bed, the gothic girl by the headboard—stockings completely soaked—suddenly swayed slightly.

The air current from Bokue's movement carried his scent to her face, making the already restless and sleepless Natsuki tremble slightly. The strange feeling she'd barely suppressed threatened to resurface, her cheeks growing increasingly hot.

N-no, this feeling is—!

Natsuki urgently grabbed the headboard, taking a deep breath that trembled with each inhale.

No good, she had to suppress this feeling quickly!

That's what she thought, but just then, Aya—who'd just been placed on the bed and seemed completely out of it—lifted her head.

Before Natsuki realized what was happening, her wrist was grabbed.

?!

Looking down, the one gripping her was Aya, now lying on the bed.

"What are you doing? We're both just ordinary people now—"

Natsuki thought she was trying to get revenge for being imprisoned in the Prison Barrier for ten years.

But Aya just smiled slightly.

"Natsuki Minamiya, you don't seem as composed as you're pretending. Let me guess—has he done something to you too?"

The supposedly limp Aya suddenly found strength somewhere, yanking hard to pull the weak-legged gothic girl from the headboard, then pushing her directly into Bokue's embrace by the bed.

"What—?"

Only now did Natsuki finally understand Aya's plan, but it was too late.

The youth's scent, far stronger than before, instantly overwhelmed her, drowning her completely.

That strange feeling, triggered by his presence, could no longer be contained and exploded outward.

Natsuki had no way to stop it. She could only use her last bit of rationality to lift her flushed face and grit out:

"Let me be clear—if you dare try anything, I'll— ngh!"

Before she could finish, the fully-loaded spiritual charger lifted the gothic girl up through her stockings.

<><><><><><><><>

Meanwhile, in the royal suite atop a hotel in central Itogami Island—

"Hmm~ So Bokue's not there, huh? Got it, thanks Yukina."

Standing by the floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the sunlit city center, Sayaka Kirasaka hung up the phone, then turned to the silver-haired princess on the sofa behind her, shaking her head helplessly at those expectant eyes.

"Sorry, Princess La Folia. I've already asked—Bokue's not at Yukina's place right now. I checked with Miss Nagisa too, and she hasn't seen him either."

"Is that so..."

Though she'd already guessed from hearing Sayaka's side of the conversation, La Folia still couldn't help feeling disappointed when she heard it confirmed.

"Ah~ What terrible timing. My Japanese visa was only for seven days. I wanted to see Bokue-kun once more before going home, but now I can't reach him. This is problematic."

"Oh? Wait..."

As if suddenly remembering something, a little lightbulb appeared above the silver-haired princess's head.

She slapped her forehead, raising her index finger as she looked intently at the ponytailed archer by the bed.

"I remember last night when we parted, Bokue-kun went home with his girlfriend Asagi, right? So maybe he's actually still at Miss Asagi's place?"

"..."

Sayaka's mouth twitched.

That was actually quite a constructive suggestion—probably even likely.

But—

"Just to be clear, Princess La Folia, you're not suggesting I call Miss Asagi to ask if Bokue's at her place, are you?"

Hmm~

As if not immediately seeing the problem, the silver-haired princess tapped her lip thoughtfully for a moment, then tilted her head.

"...Dame desu ka? (Is that not okay?)"

"Of course not!"

Sayaka practically exploded.

Setting aside the fact she didn't even have the blonde woman's number, even if she did, she couldn't just call like that!

What would she even say? 'Hi, is your boyfriend home? We'd like to see him'—what was she thinking?!

"Oh, that is troublesome then~"

La Folia sighed softly.

Watching the silver-haired princess like this, Sayaka thought she should be the one sighing.

Still, she suppressed her urge to complain and picked up her phone again, opening her notes app.

"More importantly, after contacting your family, the Aldegyr royal household hopes you'll spend as much time as possible with Kanon before leaving Japan—preferably taking lots of photos together."

"Photos, huh... I understand. Let's visit the Special Security Force headquarters this afternoon then. After all, we need to apply through Miss Minamiya to meet her."

❁❁❁❁❁❁❁❁

On the other side, Natsuki's tough attitude only lasted until the moment the spiritual charger connected.

As the spiritual charger plugged into the gothic girl, Natsuki—who'd been gritting her teeth with threats moments ago—quieted down like a cat having its fur smoothed, wrapping her arms around the youth's chest and holding tight to keep from falling.

Her height was even less than Nagisa's—sitting in Bokue's lap, her arms couldn't even reach his neck.

But Natsuki hadn't really quieted down. If you listened carefully, though she sat motionless in his embrace, the strength of her grip and the tension in her face showed she wasn't as calm as she appeared.

Meanwhile, Aya lay on the bed where Bokue had placed her, propped on one elbow as she elegantly watched the scene unfolding on the sofa, her laughter full of teasing.

"Come on, Natsuki Minamiya. If you don't try to relax, it's going to be very uncomfortable."

"Tokoyogi... A... ya...!"

Though speaking was already difficult, the gothic girl still managed to turn her head, glaring at the twelve-layered beauty on the bed with embarrassed fury.

"Oh my~ Getting angry won't help. You need to relax."

Whether from the mentality of someone caught in the rain without an umbrella watching another person's umbrella blow away, Aya's smile was particularly brilliant.

She even offered advice from her position of experience:

"How is it? Regretting sealing me in the Prison Barrier now? Well, witches are like that—time freezes the moment we make our demon contracts. Which means you'll live with this body forever, Natsuki... And with your current size, doing this kind of thing is certainly difficult. Even I was thoroughly exhausted."

"...Shut up." Natsuki didn't want to talk anymore.

Aya's current state was clearly: knowing she couldn't escape, so hoping as many others as possible would be trapped with her. Well, though Natsuki had already been unable to escape anyway.

But what was there to brag about?! Just because you could take it made you impressive?

"Shut up... you say?" Faced with her friend's harsh attitude, Aya surprisingly didn't get angry, just raising an eyebrow as she sat up on the bed.

Though her movements were labored from this morning's exertions, she managed to sit up.

Then Aya slowly stood, one hand on the bed's edge, supporting herself against the wall as she shuffled to the sofa. She came behind the gothic girl still receiving the youth's energy transfer, gently placing her hands on Natsuki's shoulders.

No hint of hostility—like a friend casually giving a shoulder massage.

But Natsuki still sensed something wrong.

Because minutes ago, she'd been thoroughly ambushed by this same seemingly harmless approach.

"W-what are you doing..."

Natsuki looked up warily, meeting the twelve-layered beauty's calm, gentle smile above.

"Nothing, Natsuki Minamiya."

Aya smiled slightly, leaning down to the gothic girl's ear.

"Just wanted to tell you something—we're both already trapped. So since that's the case, why not learn to enjoy it fully~ Right?"

As her words fell, in Natsuki's silently contracting pupils, her arms suddenly pressed down hard.

"Sto—!!!"