Returnee from Another World - Zetro Translation

Chapter 48 – Phantom of the Past

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In the end, I sold Higashikawa Keibun two vials of Healing Potion. That alone wouldn’t be enough to treat a missing limb, of course.

Higashikawa initially wore a dissatisfied expression, but once he realized I wasn’t giving him more, he quickly shifted gears. It seemed he was already scheming how to profit from those two vials.

Compared to him, Nishikuse Eishin is far easier to handle.

Ever since he learned he could get Aphrodisiac as a reward, Nishikuse has been shamelessly sucking up to me. He even scolded Higashikawa for complaining about the Healing Potion deal. At this rate, as long as the Aphrodisiac is on the table, Nishikuse won’t betray me.

Higashikawa, on the other hand, seems manageable as long as I dangle the prospect of profit, but I have no intention of giving him anything beyond Healing Potions for now. If I mentioned the Poison of Muleduel, he’d jump at it, no doubt. But handing it over so easily would be foolish. The Poison of Muleduel holds immeasurable value. I might hint at its existence, but using it for mere profit feels like a waste. Beyond whether Higashikawa can be trusted, I’d only use it in critical moments.

I’ve already given them more than they deserve with the Healing Potions and Aphrodisiac. The Poison of Muleduel can stay sealed in my Dimensional Storage for now.

With most of my business at the Gospel Love Church settled, I rode with Higuchi Yukari in her light van to her apartment. Kusunoki Seichirou was on my mind, but my priority was confirming my connection with Yukari.

All I recalled was a hospital room memory. When and how I met Yukari, and how we became lovers, remained a blank. But like with Hojo Sayaka, a trigger could revive those memories.

“What do you want to drink? I’ve only got beer right now, though. If you want something else, I can run out and grab it. You’re not against drinking, right?” Yukari asked.

“No, I can drink, but I’ll pass for now. I came here to talk about what’s next,” I replied.

“You mean that I’m a vampire now, right? It’s a wild story, but I don’t disbelieve it. It’s the only way to explain all the weird stuff. But can I change first? My clothes are trashed,” Yukari said.

“Go ahead. Maybe take a quick shower while you’re at it,” I suggested.

“Yeah, good idea. I’ll rinse off. Make yourself at home, Sienna. Sit wherever, or raid the fridge if you want,” Yukari said.

With that, she disappeared toward the bathroom.

Left alone, I sat on the edge of the L-shaped sofa, scanning the room as if searching for clues. If Yukari and I were lovers, I must’ve visited her apartment before. Something here might jog my memory. The room felt vaguely familiar, but nothing concrete surfaced. It’s possible she lived elsewhere back then, years in the future.

As I gazed absently around, Yukari returned quickly, clearly having just rinsed off. Whether this was her usual behavior with a lover or a side effect of her Lesser Vampire transformation, I wasn’t sure. She wandered about, wiping her wet hair with a towel, wearing only a T-shirt and shorts, no bra, her figure barely covered.

Her body, slightly muscular yet softly feminine, was well-proportioned. Looking at her, I could almost see a phantom of my past self, captivated by her beauty. But unlike with Sayaka, no chain of memories followed. I still couldn’t recall our relationship. It made me wonder if the hospital room memory was a mistake. I’d assumed Yukari was speaking to me, but she never said my name. Maybe I was just a bystander, witnessing her with a colleague or acquaintance. The odds of such a coincidence seemed slim, but with no other memories, I couldn’t rule it out.

“Tea okay? Sorry, it’s just bottled stuff,” Yukari said.

“That’s fine. Thank you,” I replied.

Without bothering to cover up, Yukari, in her provocative T-shirt and shorts, handed me a plastic bottle and sat beside me. Her aura, a mix of pink [Lust] and [Love], made her feelings obvious. She saw me not just as her master but as a lover.

If she obeyed me, I didn’t mind. She was undeniably my type, appearance-wise. Even if this was a misunderstanding, making her mine wasn’t an issue. The question was whether it truly was a misunderstanding. Since returning from that world, I’ve felt a fated connection with everyone I’ve met. Yukari and I must have some bond, which is why we crossed paths like this. Yet, I barely knew her brother, Higuchi Nobuo, just his face. That much I was sure of. So when and where did my connection with Yukari form? I had no clue.

“You’ve got a hot woman like me practically begging, and you’re not making a move?” Yukari teased.

Her sultry voice accompanied her leaning in, resting her face on my shoulder. Her damp hair brushed my cheek, cool and ticklish. Her aura blazed with vivid pink [Lust]. Her breath grew heavy, and I could see her nipples hardening, pressing against her white T-shirt. Her excitement likely lingered from the blood-sucking, as I’d anticipated. The two rounds of sex in the temple basement hadn’t fully sated her.

“What, you want to have sex again? We just did,” I said.

“Is that a problem?” she asked.

“Not exactly, but we came here to talk,” I replied.

“There’s nothing to talk about. I’m already set on doing whatever you say, Sienna,” Yukari said.

Her sweet, pleading voice, gazing up at me while resting on my shoulder, was starting to get to me. Not that I hadn’t planned on sex anyway. It’d be a lie to say I wasn’t eager to savor the feast before me, and I felt no need to hold back with Yukari. But her connection to me was what preoccupied me. Since I couldn’t recall anything now, hearing her out might not help either. Our relationship might be something from the future, and she likely knew nothing about it now.

There was another issue. I’d turned her into a Lesser Vampire on a whim, but I wasn’t certain she’d never betray me.

“I’m honestly shocked myself. I want you so bad, Sienna, my body’s aching down there. I never thought I was this much of a slut,” Yukari said.

She gently traced my crotch as she spoke. While yielding to the sensation, I continued the conversation.

“That’s to be expected. It’s the effect of becoming my thrall,” I said.

“Is that so?” she asked.

“Yes. To put it simply, you need me now, just like the blood-sucking,” I explained.

“Yeah, I kinda get that,” she said.

In truth, there wasn’t a deep bond between us. Her connection was to Sienna Belstatt Ze Spencer, the True Ancestor, not me. If I were the real Sienna, I could command her outright, but as a fake, I couldn’t. That’s why I relied on blood-sucking and sex to make her dependent, though it felt insufficient. In that world, becoming a Lesser Vampire meant opposing Agufis, with no choice but to live as a dark thrall. Their awareness of this made them reliant on me, easier to manipulate.

“And I need your strength too,” I said.

“What’s that mean?” Yukari asked.

“What if what happened to you today wasn’t an accident?” I said.

“Accident or not, those old geezers caused it, right? Or are you saying you set it up, Sienna?” she replied.

“That’s not what I mean. It may sound unbelievable, but your suffering was fated from the start,” I said.

“Fated? You saying I’ve got some cursed destiny following me?” she asked.

“Yes, exactly. To put it bluntly, Higashikawa and the others were just caught up in your fate. Even without that incident, you’d have had a bike accident or something similar later,” I said.

“Huh? How’d you know I ride a bike?” she asked.

“I saw a possible future,” I replied.

“Hmm, future possibilities, huh? Fate… Hah,” Yukari scoffed.

She laughed through her nose at my words. I knew I sounded like a shady fortune-teller, but to me, it felt like the truth.

“No, sorry. I’m not mocking you. I just didn’t expect such a romantic line from you, Sienna,” she said.

“Romantic?” I asked.

“Yeah, doesn’t that mean it was fate for us to meet because of this?” she said.

“You could see it that way, I suppose. But that fate might be cursed,” I warned.

“I don’t care. You saved me from that awful fate, didn’t you, Sienna?” she said.

“That was just for my own convenience. Like I said, I needed you,” I replied.

“That makes me kinda happy,” she said.

“You don’t want to know why?” I asked.

“Hmm. All this talk about thralls and fate is too complicated for me. If you say that’s how it is, I’ll take your word for it,” she said.

I felt a bit deflated. I’d revealed a piece of my secret, thinking it was safe, but her reaction was so casual. Still, there was a small victory: she did ride a bike, matching the hospital room memory.

“Hey, I know we’ve got more to talk about, but can we put that aside for now? My body’s aching so bad. Can I… suck your cock, Sienna?” Yukari asked.

“Sigh. Fine. Since I made you my thrall, I have to take responsibility,” I said.

“Yeah, you said becoming a thrall amps up my sex drive, right? So this is necessary, isn’t it?” she said.

“Well, yes. But don’t get the wrong idea. I have other women to attend to, so I can’t always be with you,” I warned.

“I get it. I’m not some jealous type,” she said.

With that, Yukari gleefully began pulling off my pants. As her head dipped down, I felt her tongue wrap wetly around my crotch.