"Red beans grow in the south. Come spring, a few branches bloom—
Pick more, won't you? These are the things I love most!"
The ancients really knew what they were talking about.
Especially when it came to succubus shota's Lv3 Grasp of Immortality skill.
The feeling of his small hands overlapping with the larger, ethereal hands from the void created a tactile experience unlike any other.
That young succubus shota had once thought that being caught between a pair of soft mountains was the peak of enjoyment—but to his surprise, there were even greater masters in the art of teasing!
The young succubus shota, bold enough to act on his desires, bit down hard.
This… this is what it means to taste the world!
And so, his skills were activated again—
Small electric currents flickered to life and danced across skin.
But from the outside—at least to Eri and Yukiko—it looked perfectly innocent.
From the outside view, inside the room, they simply saw two children peacefully resting. Nothing out of the ordinary.
They didn't realize that what they were seeing was nothing more than a mirage—an illusion conjured up by a young succubus!
Meanwhile, the two stunning women, faces flushed with alcohol, were catching up over wine.
Both were tipsy, yet neither backed down in their drinking game.
"Eri, another round! Hahaha!"
"The last time I drank this much must've been back in high school!"
"You're drinking hard today… let me guess, is it because of your husband?"
At the mention of Kogoro, Eri rolled her eyes at Yukiko.
"Drink your wine and quit talking about other people!"
"I should be asking you—why were you gone so long? And why hasn't Yūsaku shown up to see you?"
Hearing Yūsaku's name, Yukiko blinked in surprise. If Eri hadn't mentioned it, she might've completely forgotten about him.
Then, suddenly solemn, the blushing Yukiko sat up straight, hugged Eri close, and whispered:
"Eri… let me ask you something."
"How does one go about getting a divorce?"
"!!"
The question sobered Eri in an instant. Her almond-shaped eyes widened.
"Are you serious? Why on earth would you want to divorce Yūsaku?"
"He's a world-class novelist. Why throw that away?"
But even as she spoke, Eri's expression wavered.
In her best friend's troubled gaze, she saw a reflection of her own doubts.
These days, the thought of divorce had haunted her like a persistent nightmare—one that refused to leave her heart.
Could Yukiko be... going through the same thing?
Eri shook her head, chasing away such absurd thoughts.
"You're drunk. Don't talk nonsense."
Yukiko chuckled.
"I'm not drunk. Not at all."
"You don't know how happy I feel right now."
The former star tossed her head, long brown hair swaying gracefully.
The light danced across her flawless face—full of charm and intoxicated delight.
The more one lets go, the happier they become.
Eri nudged Yukiko aside and stood up.
"I'm going to the bathroom. We'll talk about you later."
She staggered out of the futon, muttering to herself as she pushed open the glass door.
"Huh? Am I really drunk?"
Eri rubbed her eyes, a little confused.
The phantom wall projected onto the glass door didn't actually block anything—it was pure illusion.
In that illusion, the children were shown resting peacefully on a bed near the toilet.
In reality, the young shota was 'sound asleep' on the bed by the balcony on Ran side.
Under the thin quilt, Akashi was holding his breath, tense as could be.
His teeth clenched on the pink bud without realizing it, leaving bite marks.
Even his saliva seemed to vanish—he didn't dare to swallow.
Fortunately, Eri was tipsy enough to have dulled perception and noticed nothing out of the ordinary.
Her long, plump legs stepped onto the carpet with such softness, it was like walking on clouds.
Moments later, she turned and walked into the bathroom, closing the door behind her.
Akashi exhaled sharply.
He quickly stuck out his tongue as he carefully put Ran's bathrobe in place, then activated Cyclonus—
His speed surged, and in a flash, he was out from under the sheets and lying beside Haibara.
The illusion had been restored just in time.
The phantom wall on the glass door dissipated.
The young shota finally felt relieved.
Just then, the toilet door opened.
A tipsy Eri stepped out, saw Akashi lying there, and smiled.
"You scared me, Akashi. Naughty boy—playing hide-and-seek with your aunt now?"
"Still pretending to sleep? I know you haven't touched a drop of wine."
"Why not keep Auntie company and drink with me?"
The Queen of the Court had definitely had too much.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have come up with the absurd idea of letting a little boy drink with her.
She scooped Akashi up and carried him out.
Out on the balcony, Yukiko's eyes sparkled the moment she saw the young shota.
She reached out eagerly.
"Akashi's here! Come give Sister a hug!"
"Sister is soooo happy today!"
This... this felt eerily like a host attending to rich ladies.
So miserable.
Naturally, Eri didn't hand him over, but she did set Akashi down between them.
Then she took a seat as well.
Now, Akashi was surrounded by soft, warm beauty—hugged from both sides.
And yet... he was clearly the one being teased!
Strangely enough, the moment Akashi joined them, both women stopped talking about divorce.
Instead, they giggled over wine and took turns showing affection in unusual ways:
Blowing softly into Akashi's ear;
Dipping chopsticks into chili sauce and feeding him a taste;
Offering him sips of red wine;
Bumping into him with their shoulders, making him sway like a tumbler.
The two beautiful women and the adorable little succubus seemed to be having the time of their lives.
In their drunken state, their self-control had all but vanished.
Combined with the natural allure of the young succubus, things escalated easily.
Akashi knew this was turning into a mess.
Even Vermouth—when she'd tried to ride him—was overpowered and made to kneel and sing "Conquest."
There was no way he'd allow himself to become some drunken toy!
Just as Eri lunged toward him again—
Akashi immediately uses the still active Horse Riding to dodge.
Eri missed her target and tumbled into Yukiko's arms.
At the same time—
Akashi used Lv3's 『Retractable Bandage』
A tough bandage emerged, wrapping around Eri and pinning her in place.
Yukiko's eyes sparkled at the sight.
With a knowing grin, she joined in and restrained Eri even further.
"Akashi, Sister's helping you! Come on, finish her off!"
Saying that, Yukiko even tugged open Eri's yukata.
And so—
The screams began.
With a snap of his fingers, the succubus shota restored the phantom wall, isolating the illusion across the balcony once again.