Chapter 114: The Succubus Minami Who Drains Energy?

What does it feel like to be forcefully pulled into a deep kiss?

Minami's thoughts were simple—

Soft.

Way too soft.

Unbelievably soft.

And honestly—

A kiss wasn't as "sweet as honey" as novels often described.

Minami could tell—

Hitori had probably eaten a hot dog or something before this.

Because right now, her lips tasted faintly of tartar sauce.

No.

Now wasn't the time to be thinking about that.

Minami barely managed to turn his head away.

He parted his lips—

"Hitori, calm dow—"

But before he could even finish his sentence—

Her lips crashed down on his again.

Damn it.

Just how powerful was this so-called

[Pure & Unfiltered Late-Years Romantic Literary Technique]?!

It actually had the power to make a girl this shy and socially anxious pull a move this bold?!

And the worst part—

Minami could clearly feel—

Hitori had no technique whatsoever.

Her tongue clumsily wriggled inside,

Moving wildly and aimlessly—

If Minami hadn't been worried about accidentally biting her,

He might have actually done it out of pure instinct.

But what pissed him off even more—

Hitori had no idea how bad she was at this.

She was completely entranced—

Drowning in the sheer romantic high of the moment.

Minami tried struggling multiple times.

But every time—

She latched onto him again.

That was it.

Minami was starting to get irritated.

You forcefully kissed me?

Fine.

But you're just gonna enjoy yourself and leave?!

Absolutely not.

Minami was never the type to just stay passive.

He waited.

He bided his time.

Just as Hitori Gotoh was fully satisfied and about to retreat—

Minami grabbed her shoulders without hesitation.

"Mmmph!?"

Hitori let out a muffled gasp,

Her eyes—usually hidden beneath her bangs—widened in shock.

She looked lost, completely bewildered, staring up at Minami.

Her hands weakly pounded against his back—

A desperate plea for release.

But Minami didn't budge.

Oh?

You got your fill and now you're just gonna walk away?

You were enjoying yourself, weren't you?

Then go on.

Keep going.

You're not calming down?

Fine.

I'll calm you down myself.

Caught off guard, ambushed by Hitori's bold move,

Minami had been too stunned to react—

But now?

Now, he was pissed.

So be it.

If this was how she wanted to play—

Then he would show her how it's done.

With one swift motion,

He counterattacked—

Blocking her escape,

Capturing her lips in a deep, commanding French kiss.

"Mmmph—!!"

Hitori's fists hit his back even harder,

Her resistance growing stronger—

For a moment.

But then—

Like a prey ensnared by a mythical succubus,

Her struggles weakened.

Slower.

Softer.

Weaker.

Until finally—

Her entire body lost its strength.

Her arms limply fell to her sides—

A soft, defeated thud.

Minami finally pulled away—

Looking down at her dazed, unfocused expression.

Her eyes fluttered—

Rolling upward slightly before she collapsed, completely unconscious.

"Did I go too far?"

Minami let out a sigh—

Shaking his head at the sight of Hitori Gotoh, knocked out cold.

"Seriously..."

A helpless smile played at his lips.

This girl—

Of all people—

Was the last one he expected to pull a stunt like this.

He never expected this outcome.

Sure, he had always been on guard against people like Seika or PA-san.

Even Kikuri was a risk factor.

But Hitori Gotoh?!

Of all people?!

The girl who could barely introduce herself without panicking?!

The girl who once ran away from eye contact?!

Minami sighed and rubbed his temples.

Honestly, this wasn't his fault.

Not entirely.

Who could've guessed that this timid, socially anxious girl

Would ambush him in a kitchen corner just to steal a kiss?

Wasn't this the kind of thing you'd expect from some sleazy bald villain in a midnight manga?!

Minami sighed again.

Being a guy and getting jumped like this was just—

Unreal.

Shaking his head,

He grabbed a napkin and wiped his lips clean.

Then he glanced down at Hitori—

Now fast asleep on the kitchen bench.

After a moment of hesitation,

Minami sighed once more and took another napkin.

He gently wiped her lips clean too.

"...Seriously."

He shook his head,

A small, helpless smile tugging at his lips.

With a careful hand,

He brushed her long, silky bangs aside.

For the first time,

Minami got a clear look at the face beneath.

Her delicate, doll-like features—

Her subtly flushed, baby-soft cheeks—

Her pale complexion, a result of countless hours practicing guitar indoors.

She looked so frail.

So small.

So adorable.

No wonder.

No wonder everyone in Kessoku Band tolerated her weird, gloomy personality.

Even the original creator of Bocchi the Rock! once joked in an interview—

When asked:

"Why do you think Kessoku Band puts up with Hitori Gotoh?"

The author just laughed and replied:

"Because she's cute."

Because, truth be told—

Hitori Gotoh was beautiful.

Had she lived in ancient Japan,

She would have been the kind of delicate beauty,

Who gazes at the moon, sighing in quiet melancholy.

But still...

"Not enough, Hitori."

Minami reached out, gently stroking her cheek.

The road to overcoming social anxiety was long.

She still had a long way to go.

Even in sleep,

Who knew what she was dreaming about?

Hitori nuzzled into his palm—

Drooling as she giggled softly, "Hehe... hehe..."

Minami: "..."

He pulled his hand away.

Then, standing up, he stored away the groceries he had bought.

Anyway—

It was time to start cooking.

…

"Ah!?"

Hitori Gotoh jerked awake—

Shooting upright as if from a nightmare.

At the same time, a gentle voice greeted her:

"Finally awake, Bocchi-chan?"

"Ah... Nijika-chan..."

Still dazed, she instinctively lowered her head,

Mumbling a sleepy greeting.

"Are you okay?"

Nijika leaned in, worried.

"I-I'm fine."

Hitori opened her mouth, stammering out a reply.

"That's good."

Nijika sighed in relief,

Before explaining:

"Minami brought you here."

"He found you unconscious in the kitchen."

"Honestly, I was really worried something had happened to you!"

"M-MINAMI-SENPAI?!"

At the mention of that name—

Hitori's face froze completely.

Her expression—

Which had just settled into calmness—

Immediately crumbled into chaos.

Because she remembered.

She remembered what she had done.

For some reason,

After reading Minami's novel,

She had been overcome by an intense, overwhelming emotion.

She had felt it—

A desperate, aching longing.

She wanted it.

She wanted a love like in the novel—

A love so deep, so passionate,

That it would last until death itself.

That feeling—

That craving—

Had completely consumed her.

Especially when she imagined—

What if she lost the person she loved—

Just like the protagonist of the story?

A powerful dread.

A fear beyond reason.

A hunger for love—

All of it crashed into her at once.

And in that storm of emotions—

She had…

She had attacked Minami-senpai?!

Hitori's entire body locked up.

Her expression, frozen in horror.

"Ah... ah... ahhh... ahhhhhhhh…!!!"

For several long seconds,

She couldn't even form words.

Then—

She slammed her forehead against the desk.

"THUD! THUD! THUD!"

"H-Hitori?!"

Nijika yelped—

Staring in shock.

But Hitori didn't hear her anymore.

She had already plunged into the depths of her own inner torment.

Forget it.

Forget it.

FORGET IT.

WHO was the insane person

That ambushed Minami-senpai in the kitchen?!

Was it…

Was it really me?!

NO.

NO WAY.

I'M JUST A PATHETIC, SOCIALLY ANXIOUS NOBODY!

SOMEONE LIKE ME—

ACTUALLY ATTACKED MINAMI-SENPAI?!

And… and…

I EVEN STUCK MY TONGUE IN?!

I—I—I—I—I—I—

"WHAT THE HELL DID I JUST DO?!?!"

She clutched her head,

Her entire face twitching in sheer existential crisis.

"HITORI?!"

Nijika shouted again, panicking.

Because this was the first time she had ever seen someone's expression change so drastically.

"Are you okay?!"

"N-N-N-N-No—I'M FINE—I'M FINE—I'M FINE—!!!"

"...You do NOT look fine."

Nijika frowned,

Watching Hitori's face twist and contort—

Like a computer malfunctioning.

She opened her mouth to say more—

But before she could—

Hitori's entire body suddenly froze.

Her muscles locked up,

Before she started twitching uncontrollably.

At the same time, Nijika could faintly hear her muttering:

"Ah… I can die happy now."

"N-No! NO—!

It wasn't like that, Minami-senpai! I swear, I didn't mean to—!!"

"Uuuuughhh…!!!"

"..."

"The universe is truly vast… Black holes are just… Smoking is bad for your health, right?"

Watching Hitori Gotoh cry one second, laugh the next, then suddenly stare into the distance like she was contemplating the meaning of life and the cosmos,

Nijika Ijichi finally started to panic.

W-What's going on?!

What the hell happened?!

Why does it feel like Hitori's condition is even worse than her sister's and PA-san's?!

When Ijichi Seika and PA-san had finally sobered up—

At first, they had been deeply regretful,

Even wondering why the hell they had suddenly clung onto Minami like that.

But after the regret came the blushing.

Minami wasn't a bad guy.

For their first ever confession to a man,

It wasn't exactly a loss.

In short—

A mess of emotions,

A storm of tangled thoughts.

But Hitori's situation?

She was mumbling existential nonsense.

To be honest—

Nijika had never seen anything like this before.

She started to freak out.

Just as she was about to speak—

CLACK.

A door opened.

Nijika's head snapped up,

Her eyes landing on the person entering like a drowning man spotting land.

"MINAMI-SAN! QUICK, OVER HERE!

HITORI'S—SHE'S NOT OKAY!"

The black-haired young man stepping into the room,

Was none other than Minami.

He had just gone out to take out the trash.

"Hitori? What happened?"

As he pushed the door open, he walked over,

His tone calm, almost casual.

"Hitori…?"

Nijika blinked.

Why did Minami sound so familiar when saying her name?

But now wasn't the time to focus on that!

She quickly grabbed him,

Pointing at Hitori,

Who was still mumbling to herself:

"Does life… have meaning? Perhaps… it does."

Nijika gaped at her,

Before turning back to Minami, urgently:

"She's completely withdrawn into her own world again! And this time it's way worse than usual!"

"...I see."

"W-WHAT DO YOU MEAN, 'I SEE'?!

YOU CAN'T JUST 'I SEE' YOUR WAY THROUGH THIS!"

Compared to Minami's calm indifference,

Nijika was a hundred times more anxious.

She knew Hitori.

When she zoned out like this,

It could take ages before she came back to reality.

And this time?

This time was the worst she'd ever seen.

Minami, however, simply said:

"Relax. Let me try something."

"Try something?"

Nijika frowned, glancing at him suspiciously.

"Minami-san, what exactly are you planning to do?"

"Hmm…"

Minami hummed thoughtfully—

Then, without hesitation—

He reached out, and lightly patted Hitori's cheek.

"Come back, Hitori."

...Huh?

Nijika stared.

Did he just…

Did he seriously just slap her face a little?!

Her eye twitched.

She wanted to tell him:

"I'VE TRIED THAT A MILLION TIMES ALREADY!"

When Hitori got lost in her own world,

Not even a meteor impact could snap her out of it!

But then—

"…Uh?"

In front of Nijika Ijichi's utterly stunned expression—

Hitori Gotoh, who had just heard Minami's voice,

Actually, at that very moment—

Snapped back to reality.

"Wha—?"

Watching this unfold,

Nijika was completely speechless.

She never would have thought…

That Minami could actually pull Hitori back from her mental spiral,

With just a simple call.

Nijika couldn't understand it.

Just like how she couldn't understand why Hitori had even spiraled in the first place.

But then—

Something happened that confused her even more.

Because the moment Hitori looked up and saw Minami—

She suddenly pressed her forehead against the back of her hand,

And fell into a full prostrating bow.

(A full prostration.)

Then, loudly and desperately, she cried out:

"I-I'M SO SORRY!"

"I MAY BE NOTHING MORE THAN A PITIFUL, RARE CREATURE,

AKIN TO A WILD TSUCHINOKO—

BUT I'M WILLING TO DO ANYTHING!"

"PLEASE DON'T HOLD WHAT HAPPENED JUST NOW AGAINST ME!"

"TELL ME TO DO ANYTHING, AND I'LL DO IT!

JUST PLEASE, FORGIVE ME!"

Uh—

What the hell am I looking at?

Nijika couldn't even think properly anymore.

Yes.

She officially had no idea what was going on anymore.

And also—

Why a tsuchinoko, of all things?!

She really couldn't understand.

A tsuchinoko was a mythical snake-like creature from Japanese folklore.

There had been countless reported sightings over the years—

But never any captured evidence of its existence.

So people often used it to describe something incredibly rare.

But in this context…

What the hell does it even mean?!

At this point—

Nijika's thoughts were completely derailed.

Her brain had started spiraling into absurdity.

Compared to her—

Hitori, who still hadn't received a response from Minami,

Was getting increasingly anxious.

She couldn't help but sneak a glance at his face.

Uh…

Even in this situation—

She still couldn't help but think…

He really is… ridiculously good-looking…