Liohime Kitagami and Shihon had returned home.
Silence prevailed as the young woman slumped onto the ground, transforming into her beautiful human form that was now tainted with scratches, bruises and dirt.
The fatigue had caught up to her, and she needed a rest. Still, as she peered at Liohime staring off into space on the couch through the corner of her eyes, she had a lot of questions. Thus, she decided to get them off of her chest immediately.
Girl, can't you take a bath first?
"Master."
"You're still calling me 'Master'. I'm pretty sure that I told you that we're sticking to a first name basis."
"Master."
"Ugh. What is it, Beast Girl?"
"...."
"Not so fun when I call you in that way, is it-OWWWMMMNNGHH!!"
She had walked up to him and flicked her finger onto his forehead.
"Not so fun when I flick my finger on your head, is it?" she questioned.
"Guh…seriously, you're something else…"
Rubbing his forehead softly to ease the pain, Liohime stared at her and suddenly became silent.
Shihon, flustered by his staring, turned a bit red.
"W-What is it? Are you finally enchanted by my lovely appearance? Y-Yes, that must be it-"
"You reek. Go and bathe."
Flick.
"ACCCKKK!! No more, I'm begging you!!"
Now teary-eyed, Liohime tried shuffling away from her, but Shihon quickly held him in place.
"Master. What is the relationship between you and that guy that we met on that compound?"
"...What, are you afraid that I'll be taken away by a guy, now?"
"Hm, so you are gay-"
"Not what I said, but oookay!" he interjected loudly, still rubbing his forehead. "Also, that guy's my boss, just so you know."
"...What do you do for a living, Master?"
Oh boy. Here we go.
Liohime's heart skipped a beat but he feigned ignorance. "You gotta go wash up, Shihon, seriously," he scoffed. "Seeing you in your battered state isn't very-"
"I'm serious, Master," she replied. "Over the last couple of weeks, you have pretty much dodged this question. If you're a gay prostitute, just say it."
"-hk, for the last time-"
He had raised his voice, but stopped talking as he looked at Shihon's solemn expression.
Other than his chief and workmates, the number of people who knew about his work were less than the number that he could count on one hand. Truly, nobody should know about his occupation.
He pursed his lips.
"I'm not sure I trust you yet to tell you."
On hearing this, the Magical Beast Girl rolled her eyes.
"Oh, come on. I trust you and listen to your orders, and you can't trust me in return?"
"Um, I still vividly remember you running off without warning today, like, hello? Did you forget-"
"I had to, Master!" she cried out, her annoyance rising. "If I didn't step in, that guy would have-"
"What if my life had been in danger when you ran off, huh!?" Liohime shouted as he cut her off. "Worse yet, what if there had been a major accident due to your rampage out there today. Whose fault do you think that would be!?"
"Well, nothing bad happened, dammit!" she spat out, clicking her tongue in frustration. "Stop trying to make it seem as if I was the bad guy here!"
"I'm not!! I'm just saying that you should always listen to your Master in situations like this! Obedience is necessary-"
"NOT WHEN MORALS ARE ON THE LINE!!!"
"-hk."
In a hot temper, Shihon had let those words fly. For the first time, she had let out her anger on him, and she immediately covered her mouth, stepping back with a regretful face.
"N-No….I…I d-didn't mean to…" she mumbled, exasperated.
Liohime directed his glance to the ground below, avoiding eye contact, which caused her eyes to waver and water.
….Fuck.
She bolted into the bedroom door and slammed it shut, leaving the living room silent.
Liohime faced the ceiling.
This isn't good. That was the first time that she lashed out at me that bad.
Honestly, he believed that he was in the right, but either way, there was no way that he could leave their relationship like this.
Walking over to the bedroom, he knocked on the door before trying to twist the handle.
It's locked….seriously, this girl…
"Look, I'm sorry, Shihon," he muttered. "We've both been through a lot today, and I feel like we both have different views on obedience and morality. Still, I shouldn't have raised my voice like that. I apologize."
He awaited a response, but none came, so he scratched his head and continued.
"About my work….well, I can't say much but I won't say we're good people, honestly. I think that's why I didn't care much about the stakes that required you to chase that guy. Also, I was truly worried about you when you sped off like that. It seemed like…you lost focus, and there might have been a chance that something could have gone wrong. Ah, I'm babbling again."
He exhaled and turned to leave but decided to mention one last thing.
"You are free to dislike me for my character, my job, and my relationships with others. I see myself as someone that others shouldn't look up to, anyways. Still, I just want you to know that….I…"
He bit his lip and took a few seconds to continue, mustering up courage.
"I really, really do love y-"
The door swung open and a pillow was shot straight into his face with power.
"GAHK!!"
"M-Master, YOU DUMMY!!! YOU ABSOLUTE FUCKING DUMMY!!!"
"E-Eh!?"
The dark brown skinned woman with horns had tears running down her eyelids, and she berated him.
"You're my Master!! I'll love you forever!!! Don't you ever say that I am free to dislike you! Dummy, you really are a dummy!! I don't care who you are or what you have done, because you are….the one who saved me!!"
Huh?
His eyes widened as the girl stood over him.
"Also….y-you don't get to say that phrase yet!!"
"....What phrase are you…? Oh, you mean 'I love-"
"Yes!! That one!!!" she asserted, and then turned fully red. "Not until….you've truly…fallen for me."
There was a sudden tightness in Liohime's chest, something that almost never happened to him in his life.
What…is this feeling?
He placed his hand on his heart, feeling the pulse.
"G-Got that, Master!?"
"Oh…yeah. Sure thing. And…once again, I'm sorr-"
"I heard you," she snapped, before an awkward smile formed while she averted her eyes. "I'm really sorry, as well. Please forgive me, Master."
"Well," he responded while getting up, "There won't be any punishment today, I can assure you of that."
"Oh, good. I'm not into BDSM, anyway."
"....What the fuck are you even talking about? Also, please bathe. I'm begging you."