Book 1: Chapter 55: The Cottage below Mount Ise

As Lily opened her eyes, she found herself in a crude and shabby-looking cottage.

“Ugh… Where am I…”

She tried to get up but found her body bound by something rough and durable.

She started to panic, and lowered her head to find that she was bound by a thick rope; a rope that locked her wrists to the wooden pillar behind her, encircled her b.r.e.a.s.t.s so tightly that breathing was difficult, and weaved over her bent legs all the way to her feet.

The first course of action she took was to use Spirit Power to break free; however, her Spirit Power only provided a powerful impact. She was unable to cut this obviously uncommon rope without the help of a blade. This type of rope must be the one they use to restrict samurais! If so, it’s natural that she wasn’t able to break free.

That was unless… she used that crimson Spirit Power. But even so, she still wouldn’t be able to cut the rope. Even if she went as far as breaking the pillar and having the cottage collapse on her, there was still the possibility that her body would still be bound by the rope.

Who did this? Who was the pervert who bound her so tightly!

“Oh dear! Big-breasted sister, are you trying to destroy this cottage?”

That voice sounded familiar. It sounded like the voice of the little girl who harbored an unexplained hostility towards herself. What was she called again? Saikanji something…

However, as Lily couldn’t see the speaker, she ought to be behind her.

‘Phew!’ Although Lily felt that it would be very troublesome, it still wasn’t the worst case scenario. If the one who bound her was the bandits or the monsters, or maybe even Akira’s gang, then she would certainly be…

She was really too careless! Then again, that sudden loss of consciousness was totally out of her control…

“You are the young lady from the examination right? What do you want with me?”

“My, oh, my!” Nanako was a little angry upon hearing these. She got in front of Lily and used the horsewhip to press against her chin. Looking at Lily from a higher standpoint, she said with a pouty look on her face, “You… actually forgot my n.o.ble name!”

“Hmph, it feels so good to look at a woman like you from a higher ground!” said Nanako as she squatted down. The white panty under her short skirt was completely exposed to Lily, but she didn’t seem to be aware of it, or perhaps she just didn’t care as both of them were of the same gender.

Nanako’s horsewhip slid up to Lily’s lower lip, “I see, I see… did you also forget about the agreement between us?”

“I don’t remember there being any agreement between us,” Lily replied indifferently, but she was formulating a plan in her mind. Much to her dismay, it looks like she had coincidentally been found by Nanako after fainting by the roadside. As her surroundings have been registered in her mind, she concluded that this abandoned cottage was located somewhere around the mountain foot. Lily knew that Nanako was a little envious of her due to their short relationship during the test, but apart from this, she had no idea why Nanako held her in such regards.

Regardless of why, she was honest-to-G.o.d too careless. She actually ended up being bound by this little girl, and in such an unseemly way too. ‘Just what does she wants from me?’

Lily saw her katana and other belongings in a far corner of the cottage. They were beyond her reach, so she couldn’t make use them for now.

The thick rope was indeed very st.u.r.dy, she was unable to tear it apart even with her current pulling force!

“Alright,” Nanako stood up and moved closer to Lily. Her flat stomach was right in front of Lily’s line of sight, “I know what you are going to say: the bet was one-sided; you didn’t answer so there’s no need for you to keep the promise to become my slave in the event that you lose. But think about it again, Miss Kagami. Just take a look around you, do you think now is the time to talk with such reasoning?”

Lily snorted in response, “Hmph! So you do admit that you’re making trouble for no reason?”

“Who admitted what! I- I am just saying it from your perspective. What’s more, why don’t you take a good look at your own moral conduct last night! For a girl to be sleeping on the roadside with her shirt collar wide open, if the one who ran into you was not me but a man instead, hmph, there’s no telling where you might have ended up by now! It was I who saved your life and your purity, aren’t you supposed to thank me?!”

“Alright, I give you my thanks. Can you release me now?”

“Hahaha, you’re too naive! I saved your life and purity, that means you belong to me now! I have already prepared the slavery contract, how about it? Will you sign it? As long as you sign it and pledge that you will become my slave, I will release you,” Nanako kneeled down again and crawled towards Lily. For a moment there, their faces were a little too close for comfort. They could smell the same feminine aroma from each other, but of completely opposite types.

Lily and Nanako’s faces began to blush, little by little.1

Nanako suddenly became aware of her mistake. She quickly jumped back and looked at Lily attentively. Lily, on the other hand, had a look that she was unable to read, thus making her even more irritated.

She shouted angrily, “Well, there you go! Are you signing or not? Don’t expect me to let you go if you don’t sign it!” Nanako said as she used the horsewhip to press against Lily’s rosy lips, as if to force the words out of her.

As the horsewhip pressed against her lips, it was difficult for Lily to open her mouth to say anything, but she ignored it regardless and the resulting attempt at speaking led to a small part of the rolled whip being shoved into her mouth. Her voice became m.u.f.fled so she had no choice but to turn her head. A trail of saliva followed her lips as they pulled away from where there was now a damp mark on the whip.

With her face only showing indifference, and a slight blush she was incapable of preventing beginning to form, she replied, “Then you can continue to keep me tied up.”

“You…” Nanako pulled her whip back to take a quick look, “How dare you smear my beloved horsewhip with your saliva!”

“Y-You shoved the whip into my mouth yourself,yet you still want to blame me? Do you think the world revolves around you… Sai… Saihana Naniko!”2

“It’s Saikanji Nanako!” Nanako cried out in another outburst, “Y-You better remember it this time! Even a distinguished young lady like me was able to remember the name of a vulgar, big-breasted woman like you. Yet you dare to forget my good name repeatedly! Hmph, if not because I would feel uneasy as the master to look at the scar my servant’s face, I would have whipped you a dozen times over!”

Nanako stood tall, her arm arched back over her head, poised to strike down with the whip, but suddenly her eyes carried a suspicious glint, as if she had just thought of something.

“Hmph! Are you signing it or not?!” Nanako pushed the slavery contract in front of Lily’s eyes again.

Lily simply skimmed the contract, “Miss Nanako, your slavery contract does not have the name of the slave owner, are you not worried that you will write your name in the wrong place?”

“Yeah right! As if I’m a ditz like you. You just sign your name under the slave section and I will write my name under the owner. Then the contract will be in immediate effect after that!”

Seeing that Lily was not yet willing to submit, Nanako steeled her resolve and began threatening her, “Kagami Lily, don’t think that I do not know what to do with you if you don’t sign the contract. If you won’t become my slave, then I will be forced to strip you and leave you here, all alone. After that, I will leave a sign in front of the cottage saying, 〈Here lies a naked woman!〉”

Lily was shocked upon hearing such a shocking revelation, this so-called young lady was simply too presumptuous. She was really lacking in discipline!

Nanako knelt down and crawled towards Lily again. She used her hands to pull open the front piece of Lily’s yukata. Hesitantly, she looked down only for her nose to be a.s.sailed by the body odor of a woman3 more mature than her. When her eyes wandered down onto the oh so plump b.r.e.a.s.t.s, it felt like she was being crushed under their hefty weight. Her cute little body trembled with chagrin as she jerked the fabric back to its original position, “You… argh! If you don’t sign it, I really will strip you! Hah, you will certainly regret it then if a male samurai, bandit, or monster happened to walk past and enter this area! It will be too late for regret if you don’t sign it now.”

Lily’s beautiful hair fell from her shoulder, as she grudgingly turned her head to look at the morning rays outside the shabby window, “Then I will just sign it.”

“Huh?” Nanako looked confused. She had intended to keep up with the threat, but she didn’t expect Lily to capitulate this easily, “Y-you really will sign it?”

“That’s right,” Lily murmured.

“……Hmph! Very well! You will be my slave after signing the contract! If you dare to back out, then I will make this slave contract public and shame you for life!” In her skepticism, Nanako added another threat.

“Miss Nanako, I already said I said I would sign it, do you really need to threaten me again?” Lily’s voice sounded weak and helpless.

“Hmph! You should’ve just behaved like this from the start.”

“……”

“Miss Nanako, you tied up my hands so tightly, how am I supposed to sign anything like this?” There was a gleam in Lily’s eyes and she looked down at the dried gra.s.s laid under her body.

“Heh, you want me to release you? As if I will fall for that cheap trick!”

“What? Miss Nanako, could it be that you are afraid of me? Afraid that you will not be able to deal with this older sister once you have loosened your hold on me?” Lily provoked her on purpose.

“Hahahahahaha! Why would I be afraid of you! You want me to release you? So be it! What’s more, there are two samurai bodyguards and a dozen foot soldiers just waiting outside the room! Let me warn you, you are only asking for trouble if you try to play tricks on me!” said Nanako as she helped Lily untie the rope.

Her hands were finally free. Lily felt a bit more at ease now even though her body and legs were still bound.

“Stop dawdling, sign it quickly!” Nanako dipped a writing brush in the ink and pa.s.sed it to Lily along with the slavery contract. The person herself was kneeling beside Lily and observed her every action.

Lily took the brush and said teasingly, “Can I trouble Miss Nanako to hold the slavery contract in place so that I can write my name properly?”

“Hmph, you actually dare to ask your master to do something for you?! Forget it, seeing that you are bound, I will not bicker with you about this.”

Nanako straightened her back and held up the slavery contract before Lily with both hands. This position felt somewhat humiliating, so her face couldn’t help but redden.

With grace and ease, Lily wrote her name, in the owner section.

“Un… this is more like it… Eh?” Nanako suddenly cried out with great alarm, “W-Where do you think you’re signing?!”

It was at this time that Lily’s body suddenly exploded with Spirit Power. She grabbed Nanako’s wrist and pulled the unprepared girl into her embrace. She used one hand to press Nanako on her thighs, and the other hand swiftly grabbed onto the small tachi attached to Nanako’s waist!

For a split second, Lily had the urge to lift up this willful young lady’s skirt and spank her!

However, it was also at this time that Nanako began to resist.

Nanako’s head was all blank when she was pulled down by Lily, but once she sensed that her tachi had been s.n.a.t.c.hed, her anger soured from her chagrin. All the more so when she was pressed against this big-breasted sister’s thigh in such a humiliating posture. Spirit Power began to ama.s.s in her body.

“Bang!” Opposing Spirit Powers clashed with one another. Though Lily’s Spirit Power might be a lot stronger, Nanako’s desperate resistance wasn’t weak either. That powerful shockwave caused the wooden pillar to snap with a “creaking” sound. Half of the dried gra.s.s that made up the roof dropped to the ground. While the two were fighting for superiority, they rolled as one to the side to avoid the falling roof.

After the dust cleared up, Nanako found herself riding on Lily with both hands pressing down on her b.r.e.a.s.t.s.

The incomparably soft sensation transmitted from Lily’s b.r.e.a.s.t.s caused Nanako to tremble with envy, while Lily was unable to muster her strength momentarily due to the little girl groping her b.r.e.a.s.t.s.

But these subtle feelings only lasted for but a moment.

Nanako shook her hands off Lily’s b.r.e.a.s.t.s and thrust her fist into the bamboo-green metal gauntlet hanging on her waist. She gave it a strong tug to snap the waist belt before she sent a punch on Lily’s way. Lily also unsheathed the small tachi in her hand.

“Pow!” Their clash was followed by an explosion of green and red light.

A strong impact ensued from the clash between sword and gauntlet. Although Lily was pushed down, her Spirit Power was a lot stronger. On top of that, Nanako had been sent flying away, but she only slid backwards along with the dried gra.s.s since her back was leaning against the ground.

Nanako flipped in the air and landed on the dried gra.s.s with one knee touching the ground. And Lily took this chance to cut off the rope tying her legs. She didn’t mind about the rope around her chest area for now even if it was suffocating. She turned over and got up in a kneeling position.

Lily swiftly moved backward until she reached the corner where her belongings were placed. She threw the small tachi back to Nanako and retrieved her own items, namely Seiwa Tamashi and Sakura Parasol.

Nanako received the little tachi and took a battle-ready stance with a tachi in one hand, and a gauntlet on the other hand. Lily shoved the Sakura Parasol into the sash at her back, then she got ready to pull out her sword.

The door was pushed open at this time. Two samurais and several foot soldiers were standing in front of the door.

“Young lady! Are you unhurt?!” yelled the Taihara duo.

As Lily looked at this group of people, she smiled gently and said, “Miss Nanako, there is still a blank spot on the contract. If you want to sign it, I am willing to wait!”

“Hmph! You big-breasted woman, that is where you’re supposed to sign! Don’t be complacent just yet! Quickly, catch her!” Nanako ordered.

It looked like the samurais and foot soldiers would rush in at any moment now, so Lily used the sword shaft to smash the wooden shutter beside her. She took a leap through the window and got out of the cottage.

By the time Nanako’s subordinates circled around the cottage, Lily had already gone missing. All they saw was the foggy mountain woods……

1. Well, that’s cute…
2. Man… can you believe how much time I have to spend contemplating on this name? I was going back and forth between the English name (Broccoli Veggieko) so that the pun goes through smoothly, or just stick with a random j.a.panese name that’s close to the original. I ended up going with the j.a.panese name anyway since Broccoli Veggieko is just too much.
3. ED Note: what is up with this author and smells…