My body is being pulled very hard.
I was trapped in a darkness so profound that I could barely even see my own body.
Bubbles gurgle out of its mouth.
The moment I realized it, I understood that I was in a dream similar to one I had seen before.
But it's different from before.
Unlike last time, when it simply sank, this time there's clearly some kind of force at work.
It is an attempt to drag my body—into the deepest abyss of darkness.
I frantically struggled, trying to swim to the other side.
However, resisting the forces lurking in the darkness proved difficult.
Sensing my resistance, the force with which he pulled me increased even further.
No matter how hard I thrashed my legs and swam through the water, my efforts were fruitless.
Slowly, steadily, I am being drawn to the bottom of the abyss.
Is it all over? Just as I thought that, a ray of light shone down from above.
The shimmering light dispelled the darkness, and I mustered my last bit of strength and swam in that direction.
Shaking off the abyss that tried to cling to me—my body surfaced with a splash.
The light is coming from the land, just like last time.
I swam in that direction, reached the shore, and immediately disembarked.
I used to hear Ichihime's sorrowful voice, but I can't hear it anymore.
Instead, what hit my ears were the joyful voices and laughter of people.
The lakeshore stretches on and on. Tall trees can be seen growing, and lush grass sprouts from the ground.
It was clear that this was Nagahama.
It goes without saying that I was able to grasp the geography despite the pitch darkness all around me—thanks to the large bonfire burning in the middle of the lakeshore, crackling loudly and emitting a bright light.
Small platforms had been erected on all four sides of the area where the bonfires were burning, and men were beating drums on top of them.
The cheerful sound of flutes echoed along with the beat of drums , and people of all ages danced amidst the music.音hey音sound
Their expressions are bright, and they exude an atmosphere that makes you feel happy just by looking at them.
And in front of the brightly shining bonfire, a beautiful tiered platform had been set up, where Ichihime and Haruhime were seated.
Both of them seemed to be thoroughly enjoying the sight of the dancing people and the festive atmosphere, occasionally exchanging glances and smiles.
That's when I finally understood.
A place where I must be, in order to be myself.
Didn't Taishakutsukimo say the same thing?
The way for me to live as myself is to keep myself away from war.
Ichihime and Haruhime spending time together harmoniously—that was, to me at that moment, a symbol of peace.
That's where I belong.
It's definitely not in the darkness we were in just a moment ago.
I don't want to be lonely, and there's no need for me to be.
The moment I thought that, I felt an intense pressure emanating from behind me.
The sound of waves rising from the lake's surface is tremendous.
There must be something there that shouldn't be seen. I can somehow tell.
It was the same in a dream I had before.
I felt the presence of a massive being behind me and turned around—but before I could even see what it was, I woke up.
I think to myself as I look at the dazzling display before me.
The wives are living peacefully, and the people are also leading tranquil lives...
If 'I' am standing beside that peaceful landscape, then at the opposite end of the spectrum is—
The answer was already obvious.
Who is trying to drag my body towards them?
That's not even something I need to think about.
To look back. To see. To perceive.
And there I was.
Standing motionless on the surface of the lake, with bloodless, ashen skin and vacant eyes, was me—no, more accurately, 'Asai Nagamasa'.
This is a dream, the world of my subconscious.
Perhaps, unconsciously, he and I are constantly at odds with each other.
"..."
If we believe what Taishaku Tsukimo says, then Asai Nagamasa and Fukai Nagamasa are in a state where not only their minds but also their bodies are intertwined.
That would be unfortunate for both of us.
I am you, and you are me. However, in terms of personality, only one of us can be dominant.
I still don't really understand why that happened.
But the only thing we know for sure is that we are both victims of unforeseen accidents.
Sorry about that.
But that didn't mean I could let my current personality sink into the dark abyss.
"That child in her, Ichi's womb...it's my child. It's not yours."
It's likely that Ichihime will give birth sometime around the end of this year.
As long as the promise we made on our wedding night, or when we first went to the hot springs together—the promise that we would raise our child together as husband and wife—remains, I must continue to be myself.
"I'm the one who should be by the city's side."
As I made that declaration, the bonfire blazed up, enveloping the surroundings in light.
When I woke up, the first thing I saw was a wooden ceiling.
The body is lying on the futon.
I didn't experience any joint pain; in fact, I felt more energized.
I had the feeling that all the bad things in my body had been completely purged and expelled.
"Are you awake, Nagamasa-san?"
Yoriko's mechanically polite voice rang out, and I jumped up as if startled.
She is facing me across the hearth.
Unlike before, when she was completely naked, she was now neatly dressed in a brownish-red kimono.
"The sun will soon set. We are preparing dinner, so please wait a little longer."
"Ah...ah..."
Listening to my vague reply, Yoriko placed a single fish on a skewer on top of the charcoal in the hearth.
The fire in the hearth dances gently, warming the contents of the covered pot.
Steam leaks from the gap between the pot and the lid, and the distinctive aroma of grains being cooked fills the air.
"Ideally, we'd like to eat the same food and share the joy, but..."
Yoriko opened the lid of the pot and stirred the contents with a wooden ladle, saying:
"I can only eat raw grass, grains, and fruits. Therefore, I cannot eat the same things as Nagamasa."
"...picture?"
"My staple food is hay, and I especially like white clover. I like fruit and carrots even more."
She said this with a smile.
"Hay is stored here, and there's also a lot of dried white clover."
Yoriko said this, pointing to a small mound of hay piled up beside her. It was about one meter high.
But my mind was more interested in hearing about Asai Nagamasa—something she must know—than anything about the food.
Or, why did you do "that" earlier?
"...Hey, Taishakutsukimo."
When I called out to her, Yoriko stopped me with a look.
"I can easily imagine what Lord Nagamasa would like to hear."
Yoriko said as she poured a generous amount of steaming hot chestnut porridge into the bowl.
"But first, let's eat. You can't have any strength if you don't eat. That's a universal truth that applies to both monsters and humans."
◆
It was a truly bizarre sight.
As I slurped the chestnut porridge that Yoriko had made for me, or as I chewed on the well-seasoned grilled fish skewers, I was reminded once again that she was not human.
She picks up a haystack by making a circle with her index finger and thumb, and then elegantly puts it in her mouth.
It was chewed, swallowed, and then more hay entered Yoriko's mouth and was chewed again—and so on.
Although Yoriko currently takes on a human form, she is ultimately a fox-horse, a type of monster that only resembles a human.一角獣unicorn
It's perfectly natural to eat hay rather than hot porridge, but...
(...I'm not used to this.)
—That was the honest truth.
I think anyone in my position would probably feel the same way.
While I was thinking about all that, Yoriko continued to consume the hay at a rapid pace.
The once lush little hill had now shrunk to a third or even less.
Yoriko's height is somewhere between that of Ichihime and Haruhime... about 162cm.
Considering that, eating a haystack that was about a meter high is probably quite extraordinary.
Even people who compete in eating contests probably can't eat that much.
However, she is a demon, and Taishakutsukimo's original height is over 3 meters.
Considering that, the amount of food might not be so unusual.
To begin with, applying my standards to monsters is probably nonsensical.
"...Thank you for the meal. It was delicious, Taishakutsukimo."
"I'm sorry for the poor service, Nagamasa-san."
I waited until Yoriko had finished all the hay, and then I thanked her.
In fact, the chestnut rice porridge she made for me had a simple flavor and was quite delicious.
"..."
And then, silence.
Given that I had just tried to ask her a question and was shut down, it's difficult for me to approach her again.
Seeing me like that, Yoriko smiled suspiciously.
She covers her mouth with her left hand, strikes a pose, and looks at me with passionate eyes.
I could feel my heart leaping.
Even though she's wearing clothes, there's an undeniable allure about her that can't be hidden by them alone.
"Nagamasa-san, please come this way..."
And then, I get invited.
I shakily stood up and moved to her side—and before I knew it, I was drawn into her outstretched arms.
The smooth, crisp feeling of the kimono is present all over my face.
Then, suddenly, Yoriko's arms wrapped around me, hugging me tightly.
"How are you feeling? Are you feeling better now?"
Just like a mother would do for her child, Yoriko gently stroked my head.
(How's your physical condition...?)
Because she was holding my head to her chest, my agitation was immediately conveyed to Yoriko.
She narrowed her light green eyes gently, pushed my bangs aside, and planted a loving kiss on my forehead.
"So, does that mean you no longer have to thoughtlessly seek out women's flesh...? That's what I mean, Nagamasa."
"a...!"
It was such a shock that I couldn't help but let out a loud cry.
Up until now, my big penis would get hard just from smelling a woman's skin or touching her skin.
However, the treasured sword and turret hanging between his legs, despite smelling Yoriko's scent and touching her body, was not there.勃起Ta
"Wh...what does this mean...?"
"It's very simple."
Yoriko stroked my face and looked me straight in the eyes—smiling like the Virgin Mary.
"Have you ever had the experience of sleeping with a woman and subduing her, Nagamasa-san?"
"picture...?"
"Have you ever been sexually cornered and given up?"
Despite her pure and beautiful smile, the questions that come out of my beloved horse's mouth are often quite outrageous.
"Have the women you've slept with up until now been subjected to whatever you wanted by Nagamasa?"
"..."
I wonder.
I didn't feel like I was doing whatever I wanted; I thought I was being considerate of my wives while having sex, but...
To be honest... if you ask me whether they were superior to me, both mentally and physically, it's a bit of a difficult question.
"That's probably why they misunderstood."
Yoriko said this, leaned closer, and they touched the tips of their noses together, smiling.
"If you sleep with a woman, you can dominate her. If that's not the right way to put it, then perhaps you thought that if you sleep with a woman, you could be superior to her... Or, deep down, you thought, 'I have to please my wife,' didn't you?"
"..."
"Nagamasa possesses something quite remarkable, 'for a human being,' doesn't he?"
Yoriko leaned her lips close to my right ear and said:
"I'm not saying that's necessarily a bad thing. It's one way for a male to show love to a female. However, it wasn't a good thing in the situation Nagamasa was in."
"..."
"Therefore, it was necessary for the concubine, being a female, to sexually overwhelm Nagamasa."
Saying that, she gently stroked my chest.
"Nagamasa is always with 'Nagamasa.' Nagamasa is in control of everyday life, while the consciousness of 'Nagamasa' is in control of the extraordinary, the struggle-filled realities... at least for now. Although, even in the extraordinary, Nagamasa's consciousness still seems to be barely holding on at the surface."
"...it is"
That's certainly true.
Although I often become consumed by anger and act recklessly in battle—my consciousness is still intact, and I know what I'm doing.
"The problem is that this sense of the extraordinary is encroaching even on Nagamasa's sense of the ordinary. Normally, sexual intercourse, which is a marital activity, is an ordinary matter... However, Nagamasa's sexual acts are always conducted under Nagamasa's dominance. That's where 'Nagamasa' had an opportunity to take advantage."
Yoriko wrapped her arms around my neck and hugged me gently.
"Nagamasa and 'Nagamasa' were utterly defeated by the female that was his concubine."
She gently pushed me down, kissed my lips softly, and said:
"A defeated male will flee in a humiliating manner... but one day he will regain his strength."
The front of my kimono was opened, and my neck and collarbone were licked.
"By then, Nagamasa-san must have memorized it... no, in fact, it is recommended that he memorize it."
"What...?"
"For Nagamasa, it was a new way of sexual intercourse—in other words, a natural way of connecting male and female."
Yoriko cupped both of my cheeks with her smooth hands and gently kissed me.
With very natural movements.
"Perhaps Nagamasa was trying too hard."
After finishing the kiss, which was just a touch of lips, she stood up.
A slender hand reaches for her kimono, and it slips off—revealing her beautifully proportioned, pure white naked body.
The beautiful curve from the nape of the neck to the shoulders, and the accent of the collarbone that stands out at the base of the neck.
Small in size, yet with a firm, dense, and beautiful bust.
Her hips are positioned high, and the curve from her flanks to her waist is enough to make you ejaculate just by looking at it.
A smooth, gentle curve on her belly. And looking down from there, you can see a thin, silvery patch of hair.
And from the secret cleft hidden by the pubic hair, a sweet, sensual nectar, emitting the alluring scent of a woman, dripped down.
The honey trickles down her thighs, which are neither too thin nor too fat, maintaining an exquisite balance, passing beside her beautiful knees and down to her ankles.
"Because he is not from this world, he acts strong to prevent others from realizing it, and he cannot fully rely on his beloved wives."
Yoriko lifted the hair at the back of her head, revealing the nape of her neck, and knelt down, looking at me from her kneeling position.
"If you keep doing that, it will break."
"..."
"Just relax a little more, Nagamasa-san."
With both hands placed beside my sides, Yoriko smiled, looking like a quadrupedal animal.
"Certainly, I imagine that Nagamasa, now that he's living in this world, has a lot of difficulties. But, speaking from my experience of driving him all over the country, I would say that he's trying to shoulder far too much on his own."
She has transformed from the form of a horse named Taishakutsukige into the form of a person named Yoriko.
The light green eyes on the handsome, white face of my beloved horse, now in human form, continue to watch over me all this time, even though its appearance has changed.
"From now on, please learn to rely on others a little more..."
As she said that, the moment her lips touched mine, I was ashamed to admit that tears streamed down my face like a waterfall, and I began to sob.
"Yes, yes. That's right, it must have been very difficult. Even though it was mixed with the mindset of 'Asai Nagamasa,' you always took on the burden of problems alone..."
Yoriko sits on my waist, pulls me close by the back, and gently and slowly pats my back as if stroking it.
"It's okay, it's okay... It's okay, it's okay..."
Yoriko sobbed, tightening her grip on me as I trembled, and seemed to have come to a realization that something was amiss.
With eyes filled with emotion even deeper than affection, he spoke as if pouring out a flood of feelings.
"Welcome back, my dearest..."