"Saeko, are you absolutely sure about this?" Hatsumi asked over the phone, following such a long moment of silence that I thought the call had cut.

"There was definitely something up with our grandparents. It's a magical block in their memories. Mom and dad, too. Someone or something like a succubus tweaked their memories, and they started acting cold, I just know it. When Selene tried to charm them to be obedient, they shrugged it off like nothing. Maybe our parents got the same treatment. Mio seems to think so, too. I can't think of any other reason," I said.

There was another pause. I didn't blame her. This was too much to take in and changed everything we thought we knew about our parents. Whether for better or worse, I wanted to find out.

"But… assuming a succubus did do something to them. Why our family?" Hatsumi pressed me for answers I wished I had.

"I'd like to know, too. If it's not too much to ask, maybe you can dig around their room? Too bad we didn't notice sooner before they came home. Could have scoured the place myself." I sighed.

"Leave it to your big sister! I want to find out just as much as you. Our parents are out right now, so I'll check their room and hopefully turn something up," she assured me.

"Thanks. Love you, sis." 

Hatsumi giggled on the other end.

"Love you, too!" she exclaimed.

I leaned back on the park bench, letting my head roll back to gaze up at the clouds passing over me. Mio appeared a second later with two cans of cold lattes from the vending machine.

"Aren't we trying to save money?" I asked.

"That's just a boring way of saying 'I'm a little bitch'. Charmed some chump to buy these for us. How'd it go with Hatsumi?" Mio asked in return as she balanced the cool can on my forehead.

"Going to snoop around the house, but who knows if she actually finds anything." I picked up the can as it began to slip off my head, then held it with both hands in front of me. "Feels like the more I dig into my past, the more I find that succubi are intertwined with my life. I'm starting to wonder if I even want to know…"

"Course you do. Wouldn't be digging if you didn't, right? I get if it's shaping up to be a little too overwhelming. Hell, my first monster dick knocked me out for two whole days. Er… That didn't come out right. I'm trying to say that you'll for sure be glad to know when it's all over," she said.

"I sure hope so…"

We sat together, watching children play in the park to kill time. I had a hard time sitting still. My fingernail scraped the side of my arm to the point it became pink and sensitive. I wished it didn't bother me. I really did.

My phone started ringing again. I nearly dropped it, pulling it out of my pocket. It was Hatsumi.

With my chest racing like crazy, I answered it immediately.

"Hatsumi? Did you find something?" I asked.

"It's more like what I didn't find. I checked the briefcase underneath their bed where all their important legal documents are. Your birth certificate is missing. Not only that, so is mom's. The thing is, mine and dad's are there," Hatsumi said in a shaky voice.

"Mom's, too? Anything else? Something related to around the time I was born?" 

Without seeing Hatsumi, I sensed her head shaking.

"No, I'm sorry. I did find old photos of them with parents of someone you're familiar with. Your former coworker at Isekai Gohan— Taira Arasaki. They apparently attended Tsukiji together and were really good friends," she said.

"Taira? That's good enough for me! Thanks, Hatsumi!"

"Saeko, before you hang up, let me just say something. If a succubus really was involved, please be careful," she pleaded in the most sisterly tone possible.

"Don't worry, sis. I'm the queen of succubi, remember?" I assured her and hung up.

A lead was better than nothing.

"Sexy college babe time?" Mio asked.

"Perfect timing. Taira recently promised to take me on a dormitory tour after I told her about my admittance to Tsukiji." I punched in her number and held my breath.

"The next dormitory on the list is more like a housing community. Started as an experiment a few years back and really took off. Seriously popular with freshmen students," Taira said as though speaking from fond memories.

The college student, Taira Arasaki, also a cosplay worker at Isekai Gohan, was apparently a dorm mother of sorts and often offered tours to prospective students coming to Tsukiji University. This was the third and final dorm she had to show us.

We were led past a gate that required a keycard. The 'community' that Taira described was a series of houses that surrounded a grassy field, like someone had plucked a suburban blueprint straight from the municipal office. Each residence was no larger than two stories, and even had a communal pool, parking lot currently packed with cars, and exercise park.

A couple of students were lying on the field, soaking the sun and having a picnic. Another group was just emerging from their dorm, likely heading to class from the backpack slung over their shoulders.

Taira produced a key to unlock the door into one of the apartments. Right through the door was a living room. It was empty inside, sparse of any furniture or personal affects, and the lights had to be flicked on as we came in. At the far side of the living room was a kitchen, with a rectangle-shaped hole cut into the wall that separated both rooms to serve as a counter.

To the left led into a hallway with four doors. One at each end that gave way into a large bedroom with windows that provided a beautiful view, and the two along the wall that was a closet and bathroom.

"Damn, this place looks swank as hell if we fill it up with stuff. Let's pick this place!" Mio exclaimed, seemingly already made her choice.

"I like it, too, but we can't just half-heartedly choose this place. How much is it anyway?" I asked Taira.

"There are two types. The units are either four students, which are two to a room and is 40,000 yen a month. Or two students, one to each room and is 80,000 yen a month," Taira explained.

I choked on my saliva. 

"Per group…?" I dared to ask.

"Per student," Taira answered firmly and sympathetically. "It's a five minute walk to campus, with a pool, free parking, and a nice view. So, yeah. Place is pretty damn costly, and these are subsidized costs!"

Minimum wage in Japan was around 1,000 yen an hour. If we worked part time at Isekai Gohan again, we could easily make that money and then some, but it was going to be hell to keep up with school work and social life.

Why did going to school have to be so difficult?

Suddenly Mio's career choice of becoming a prostitute didn't sound so bad. After all, who needed a university degree?

"Well, you heard Taira. It's going to be really expensive. We're going to have to work our asses off to even afford this place and tuition. Are you sure?" I asked.

"The other places look so shit. How about the roommate thing to cut costs? We grab two randoms and bunk up ourselves," Mio offered.

Gambling on roommates was a dangerous game. If we didn't like them or they didn't like us for whatever reason, it was going to be hell. There was also the issue of us being succubi. Who knew if anyone was going to be okay living with us, then we would go back to the same situation.

"Thanks for the tour, Taira. We'll think about it," I said.

"My pleasure! Succubus or not, you two are my precious kouhai. If you two ever need anything, just ring me up." Taira flashed a smile.

As the three of us were leaving so Taira could lock up the apartment, I worked up the courage for the real reason Mio and I were here.

"Actually, Taira… Before we leave, I have an unrelated question. Hoping maybe you can shed some light onto this for us?" I asked.

"Yeah, anything. What's up?" Taira turned to us, eager to help.

"How do I even begin to bring this up… uhh—"

"Oh, for fuck's sake. Taira, you and Saeko's parents were buds back in college. They ever talked since then? Or maybe been a little weird sometimes?" Mio asked in my place.

Taira recoiled from the series of odd questions thrown at her. Rightfully so, given that Mio provided no context.

"Uhmmm… I'm sorry?" Taira narrowed her eyes.

"Sorry about Mio. I'm trying to find out about my parents' past. Yours and mine were apparently friends in college. I was wondering if you ever heard them talk or know if they kept in contact? My dad's name is Masato, and my mom's is Chihiro," I explained.

"Oh!" Her eyes lit up with recognition. "My old man used to talk up a storm about a guy named Masato in college. Always brings up how they always went shot for shot. Your mom though, I don't think I've heard the name Chihiro come up at all."

"That's weird… but they even had group photos together…"

"It's possible your dad was the only one who was friends with my folks. Friend couples take pictures all the time without being all too close. My mom's off work now. Want me to call her up and bug 'em about it?" Taira asked.

Suspecting that it wouldn't lead anywhere, I declined the offer. We thanked Taira for the tour, and she gave us a couple of brochures of the dormitories before leaving.

"Taira's folks def would've known more than her. Why didn't you take her up on the offer?" Mio asked.

"The way it sounds, her parents are a pretty talkative bunch. If my mom's name didn't come up, then I believe it. But I think we've been following the wrong lead. What we really should be doing is finding out about this succubus that came to Japan way before any of you. Follow what I'm getting at?"

"We fuck them in the ass!" She slammed a fist into her palm.

"No!" I groaned. "We question the greater succubi. Come on. Let's start with Layla. She should be at one of Hana's love hotels downtown."

Both of us flew towards downtown Tsukiji. From the university, it wasn't very far.

However, just as we were about to fly over an artificial riverbank in the middle of the city, Mio stopped cold in her flight.

"Hey! Is that Kana?" Mio asked, pointing to a canal bridge where he sat on the railing.

"It is!" I gasped. "What the hell is he doing?"

To our horror, Kana teetered forward and was on the verge of falling into the river. My body reacted first, flying straight down to catch him just as he slipped off the railing.

"Holy shit, dude. What was that?" Mio cried, landing next to me.

"Kana, what were you thinking?!" I yelled, but when I put him down, there was no response. His eyes were blank, almost lifeless. When I waved a hand in his face, he didn't react.

"Lemme try something." Mio took off his belt and pantsed him, underwear and all with the weiner out for the sun to see. "Yep. Something is definitely wrong."

People passing by gasped and whispered derisively at us.

"We could have figured that out with you doing that!" I slapped a hand to my face.

"Saeko, Mio? What's going on?" Kana swapped glances between us, then went red in the face looking down.

"Kana, thank god!" I threw my arms around him and squeezed, maybe a little too hard because he popped an erection.

"Someone mind explaining to me why my pants are down, and what you two are doing here?" he asked.

"You were about to jump off the bridge. None of that's ringing a bell?" Mio answered with a question of her own.

"What? I would never do something like that! Why would I when I'm living my best life dating two hot succubus? But… ugh… I can't remember the past ten minutes…"

Mio and I had a bad feeling, but current events led to one hypothesis: the onryo.

Without giving Kana a chance to protest, we ferried him back to our apartment with us against his will. He complained all the way there.

"Seriously, guys. I'm fine, really! I probably just dozed off. All the stress from getting ready to head to Tokyo Uni's likely getting to me," Kana argued as we shoved him through the door.

"Until we exorcise you, it's not a risk I'm willing to take. Just stay here. Mio will keep you company for the time being. Anything you need from home, I'll bring back," I offered.

Kana threw Mio a look, who nodded fervently.

"Saeko, I really think you're over—"

"Please, just stay here!" I screamed.

The outburst startled both of them and exerted a charm on Kana without me intending to. He complied, entering the apartment obediently. I snapped the charm before he took another step.

When Kana turned around to face me of his own volition, he showed a difficult to discern expression that was of reluctant understanding.

"I'm sorry…Not too long ago, I almost lost you to an evil demon. Now I almost lost you to a stupid suicidal ghost because I had you use a cursed weapon. A few days. That's all I'm asking you," I begged him.

Kana sighed.

With a hand outstretched, he came up and placed it on my head. It was embarrassing, but felt too good to want to stop him. Kana had always been taller by a few inches, and feeling that reassuring hand, which used to pull me along around school, to the parks, and whenever we hung out, took the stress right out of me.

"You got so much on your shoulders that I should be the last thing on your mind. Except you've put me first. Make sure to look after yourself, too. I'll stick around for your peace of mind. Until you get back, Mio and I will do some bonding time to make you jealous." Kana grinned.

"Really?" Mio smiled widely.

"We're always having sex, so that's out of the question! Let's do something different. How about we pick up a movie and microwave some popcorn from the konbini for a change?" he asked, drawing a laborious groan from Mio.

"Fiiiiiiinnneee…"

"In that case, buy some caramel popcorn for me when I get back!" I added as they headed towards the konbini behind our apartment.

I made a silent apology as they left. If anything ever happened to either of them, this wouldn't be a world worth living. Every problem I had somehow dragged them into my mess. Which was why I had to go the rest of the way on my own.

After calling up Hana to ask about Layla's location, she sent me the GPS location to a modest love hotel. The place was tucked behind a shopping center, with all the commotion but missing most of the foot traffic.

As I entered past the automatic sliding doors, a young woman, maybe in her early 20s, gazed up from the fashion magazine in her hands to greet me.

"Hello! We usually offer rooms to couples, but if you're looking to book solo—"

"I'm looking for Layla. Which room is she in?" I asked.

The woman blushed. "O-Oh! The S&M special? That will be 10,000 yen, please!"

"The… what? No, I'm here to speak with— Oh, screw it." I charmed the woman to fork over the keys, then made my way to Layla's room.

When I threw open the door, Layla was tied up and hanging by a rope attached to the ceiling. Because a ball gag was in her mouth, she couldn't speak. I ripped it off, snapping the bound succubus awake.

"M-My queen! What brings you here? Could it be… you paid for my services? I'm ready to be whipped and tormented at your leisure!" Layla exclaimed.

"There's time for that later. I'm here for something else and maybe you might know. Who were Beatrice's closest confidantes?" I asked, untying her rope bindings.

As soon as the ropes went slack, Layla fell a few inches and levitated before hitting the ground.

She thought long and hard. "That's a tough question to just spring on me… Beatrice hardly trusted anyone towards the end of the war. I thought I was close to Beatrice, but she only saw me as a doormat. Mio hated Beatrice. There was Hana, but they had a falling out. Selene, then they had a falling out. The dark elven queen Elendir, but they also had a falling out."

"Okay, stop. Was there anyone that Beatrice didn't have a falling out with?" 

Apparently, this was a lot tougher of a question.

"The demon lord… but he's dead— oh!" Layla lit up like a bulb.

"Think of someone?" I asked desperately.

"There was a succubus," she began, pressing a finger to her head. "I only remember because I sensed an aura accompanying Beatrice's one night, passing my room. I didn't see her face because I was blindfolded and gagged. She was a greater succubus just like us. Thing is, I never sensed her aura again after that night. It was like she vanished into thin air."

"Or transported to Earth that night?"

"Oh, I even think that's a stretch! Plenty of succubi are sent out on missions across Elza and never come back. Usually get caught and end up as sex slaves."

"Lesser succubus, you mean. But are greater succubus normally caught so easily?" I asked.

Layla raised a finger and opened her mouth to answer, thought a little longer, and realized the gravity of what I meant.

Greater succubi were powerful in many regards. Too powerful to be captured. They were the ones doing the catching, and usually, like Selene or Layla, were sent to take care of specialized tasks. That succubus who was with Beatrice the night that Layla sensed her must be the one that came to Earth.

But where did she go?

"I'm guessing it's too hopeful that you have a name?" I sighed.

"Sorry, Queen Saeko… There's a good chance that Sarena knows!" Layla exclaimed.

I grabbed her by the horns.

"You didn't think to say that first?! Come on, Layla. We're going to Elza."

A quick phone call to Shayle and rendezvous later, we met up at Yumi's renovated penthouse after it got trashed a while ago. The dark elf had been staying at her place for the time being, enjoying her time on Earth like a vacation away from Elza.

"What is it with people from Elza coming to my world? Aren't there other worlds for you guys to visit instead?" I asked, entering the kitchen where Shayle and Yumi were drinking wine.

Shayle shrugged. "There's no other world that has a thousand different variations of something. Take this wine for example. In Elza, you have wine made from either succubi, elves, or dwarves— and dwarves make their wine out of their own piss."

Layla and Yumi nodded to confirm it.

"I didn't need to know that…"

"Anyway, you came to travel back to Elza. Let's get to it." Shayle downed the rest of her glass and stood up, producing the hand mirror from a satchel at the foot of the stool she sat on.

"Give Sarena my regards." Yumi smiled.

Shayle carved open a portal in the middle of the living room that began to vacuum air into it. She and Layla went right through as though crossing the door to another room. I hesitated in front of it. The last time I saw Sarena was that big battle a while back, and at the time I had trouble accepting my queen persona.

Drawing in a deep breath, I stepped into the portal and came out the other end to a dungeon chamber.

Evenly spaced out pillars with sconces on them lit up the otherwise pitch black room with spots of light. Between them were thick metal bars that glowed with magic and runes etched into them. Distant cries echoed down the halls, but listening more closely…

"Aahhh! No more— please, stop!"

"I'm cumming…!"

They were actually moans of pleasure. As my succubus eyes adjusted to the dark, bare naked prisoners behind the metal bars were all in various states of being sexually tortured. Or maybe some even wanted to be in here.

"Ahh… Everyone here is so lucky…" Layla breathed heavily.

Hearing how frenzied they and Layla were got me excited.

"The one we're looking for is here." Shayla rapped her knuckles against one cell in particular.

In the next moment, a disheveled succubus was brought up to the metal bars. Her arms and legs were bound by slimy tentacles, with another tentacle slowly thrusting into her pussy. She twitched occasionally, and the shuddering and gasping told me her climax was close.

"Sarena. Being made into a sex toy is a good look for you." I folded my arms.

The short-lived usurping succubus queen lifted her head and grinned.

"Nice to see… a familiar face… Queen Saeko. Here to make a bargain?" Sarena asked.

"Nothing you say or do is going to free you. But I do have a question, and maybe we can lighten your sentence. A succubus came to Earth some 20 years ago. I want to know who it was," I demanded.

Sarena's brows knitted together for a moment, then slackened. Seemingly out of recognition.

"You know, don't you?" I asked, walking closer up to the metal bars. "Who was she? And what was she there for?"

"Being fondled and teased like this… it's hard to think straight. I can't for the life of me remember!" Sarena taunted.

"I always hated dealing with Sarena. Give me a minute to grab the master mages to put the creature to sleep," Shayle said.

"No need." I waved her off, then pulsed my aura into the cell.

Whatever the monster was let loose a harsh screech, released Sarena, and backed away into the unlit interior of its prison.

Sarena got up and dusted herself off. But all the dry ejaculate caked with dirt and grime on her body made it difficult to brush away. She took a step closer to me with the usual arrogant grin.

"Now why would you go digging into the past for something like a bygone succubus?" Sarena asked.

"Because it has to do with my family. Do you know anything or not?" I growled.

"It wasn't 20 years ago, but 24 to be exact. Beatrice and your mysterious succubus came to me for help. The only help they ever asked of me, and I couldn't refuse because of what they gave me in return— oh, but that part isn't important. What is important is that they needed a way to get to Earth, and at the time I was the one in possession of that handy mirror. I sent them to Earth. As for why, I haven't a clue." She smirked.

"You're lying."

I seized control of Sarena's mind to give me the answer, but there was none to be found. She really had no idea.

"They did not tell me why. Whatever it was they were planning appeared tight-lipped," Sarena said, breaking my charm.

"Do you at least have a name?" I asked.

"Her name is Delilah, and you, my dear queen… you have her eyes!" She cackled as the slimy tentacles returned to claim the imprisoned succubus.

"Her eyes?" I clenched the bars so tight that they groaned in my grasp, and trying to put them under my charm to obey me again wasn't working. "What is that supposed to mean? Answer me!"

The monster carried Sarena away into the darkness until her echoing laughter was silenced by the sounds of sex again.

I returned to Yumi's apartment not feeling all too confident about what I learned. A nagging feeling tugged at my chest as I replayed what Sarena told me. After thanking the three of them, I made my way home to join Kana and Mio in watching a movie, eat some popcorn, and have sex. It was all I ever really wanted anyway.

But my mind was blank all the way back. Somehow, I was clear-headed and foggy at the same time.

"Saeko."

I trembled, gazing up the stairs to my apartment.

"M-Mom? What are you doing here?" I asked.

"I found Hatsumi digging through my stuff at home. What are you two up to?" My mother raised a brow.

"I-I don't know what you're talking about," I said, walking past her to get to my apartment. "I also don't recall inviting you, so please leave."

"Are you telling me you still haven't figured it out?" she asked

A chill raced up my spine.

"Saeko, we had you raised better than that. You already know, don't you? Look into yourself, and look at me. Who do you see?" my mother asked in what sounded like she was trying to have a heart to heart with me.

I did as I was told and stared hard into her eyes. A dark brown like mine. After all, I was her child—

My heart stopped beating. Everything went cold in my veins. The answer… was standing not a few feet away from me, and I didn't want to believe it. 

"You're… Delilah?" I stammered.

Mom smiled. It was perhaps the first genuine smile she ever gave me.