The Collar of Compliance

‘Mmm~’ Bai Muxue murmured an indistinct whimper, seemingly sensing Shen Jingyi’s breath. Her rosy lips gently embraced a fingertip, and a faint blush even crept onto her cheeks. It appeared as though… she was rather enjoying it!?

‘This girl, don’t… don’t make such strange noises, alright!’

‘She was a magical girl destined to save the world; it was only out of sheer necessity that she was complying with this girl’s demands… Yes! This was nothing more than a desperate measure!’

‘Tsk, despite appearing quite adorable, this girl harbored such peculiar fetishes… No wonder her notorious reputation preceded her!’

Shen Jingyi’s eyelashes trembled, her delicate body tensed, and her heart pounded incessantly. She silently cursed Bai Muxue hundreds of times, attempting to divert the unease churning within her.

Yet, just as her tongue’s tip slowly brushed against that smooth, cool sensation, Bai Muxue, who sat regally on the large bed, let out a soft hum, swiftly withdrew her foot, and even gave Shen Jingyi’s knee a gentle nudge.

“No way, you actually licked it?”

A faintly mocking voice echoed beside her ear. Shen Jingyi, bewildered, lifted her head, only to be met by the sight of Bai Muxue, her cheeks flushed, wearing a smile of ambiguous meaning.

‘Eh?’

This unexpected turn of events instantly rendered Shen Jingyi’s mind blank.

Facing Shen Jingyi’s seven parts astonishment and three parts suspicion, Bai Muxue merely idly twirled a strand of hair by her ear with her fingertip, offering no further words.

Bai Muxue maintained her placid smile outwardly, but her heartbeat had imperceptibly quickened.

As the sweet, warm breath from those cherry lips clung to Bai Muxue’s instep, a subtle sensation of tingling itchiness immediately spread through her heart.

‘Good thing she didn’t notice anything amiss… I hope my face isn’t too red right now.’

‘Still, I never imagined such a simple action would nearly expose me. Is it truly because it’s been too long since I’ve had intimate contact with another girl?’

Her fingertip brushed past her burning earlobe, and Bai Muxue cleared her throat softly, then remarked, “I was only joking, but I never expected… Teacher Shen to be quite so eager?”

“It seems someone says no with their mouth, but their body is rather honest, wouldn’t you say?”

No sooner had Bai Muxue’s taunting words left her lips, brimming with overt mockery and humiliation, than they instantly ignited a deep-seated indignation within Shen Jingyi.

“You…!”

If this girl had actually made her lick her foot, it might have been one thing, but this kind of mockery and humiliation was something Shen Jingyi found utterly unbearable.

She strenuously tried to calm her agitated heart, her gaze clearing considerably. Her face hardened slightly as she stared intently at Bai Muxue before her.

This served as an unspoken warning, cautioning Bai Muxue not to go too far.

She longed to pull out her magic wand and deliver a fierce blow to that woman… but given that her damned weakness was still clutched in Bai Muxue’s hand, Shen Jingyi could only resort to the powerless resistance of a defiant stare.

Bai Muxue, however, merely tilted her head in a languid manner, her fair, tender foot gently swaying. Her expression remained serene, a smile playing on her lips, maintaining the image of a carefree, affluent young lady, utterly devoid of any hint of panic.

‘Hmm… if I continue to push her, Shen Jingyi is very likely to snap.’

‘Like dynamite with a lit fuse, only moments away from detonation.’

Well aware of this, Bai Muxue ceased the topic and instead retrieved a small, black collar from the bedside.

Though called a collar, it more closely resembled a delicate neck adornment; its leather was exquisite and fine, with a pleasing weight and feel… yet, emerging from Bai Muxue’s hands, it was clearly intended for more than mere ornamentation.

“Come a little closer, won’t you~”

The young woman raised an eyebrow amiably at Shen Jingyi.

Though Shen Jingyi was not well-versed in such matters, she still vaguely surmised the other’s intentions.

Undoubtedly, for Young Lady Bai to produce this collar, it was certainly not meant as a gift for Shen Jingyi… but rather imbued with an element of malicious humor and humiliation.

Especially considering Bai Muxue’s frame was significantly more petite than her own… to have a “little girl” put a collar on her, it was truly…

Shen Jingyi clenched her fists, a series of dreadful images instantly flashing through her mind, her dark eyes flickering. She let the shy blush spread unchecked across her cheeks.

“…”

‘Compared to licking her foot, merely putting on a collar isn’t quite so unbearable, is it?’

Ultimately, Shen Jingyi said nothing further, simply and silently moving her head closer to Bai Muxue.

Shen Jingyi was slightly taller than Bai Muxue, and to accommodate the other’s actions, her body was compelled to lower itself.

The other’s slender fingers wove through her hair, their breaths gradually intertwining as Bai Muxue’s warm breath brushed past Shen Jingyi’s earlobe.

She stared intently at Bai Muxue’s delicate face, feeling her own breathing grow shallow.

The cold collar slowly pressed against Shen Jingyi’s burning neck, and that chill caused her body to instinctively tremble slightly.

Finally, with a soft ‘click,’ the small collar firmly clasped around her fair neck.

The moment the collar fastened, a myriad of complex emotions instantly surged within Shen Jingyi: shame, anger, resentment… It felt as though a proud, free cat had been forcibly bound by an inescapable chain, forever unable to flee.

“It fits quite well, Miss Magical Girl.”

Shen Jingyi’s lips parted slightly, but not a single word escaped them; only the light in her eyes seemed to dim a little.

“Teacher Shen, if you had maintained your stubbornness until the very end, I might have even held you in slightly higher regard.”

Bai Muxue’s voice was soft and delicate, her tone almost like a playful tease, yet her words were laced with utter mockery.

“But you say no, no, with your mouth, while your body eagerly draws closer… it’s truly quite uninteresting.”

Her slender, pale fingers gently hooked onto Shen Jingyi’s collar, instantly drawing the two of them incredibly close.

“However…”

Bai Muxue gently toyed with Shen Jingyi’s collar, her red lips slightly parted, as wisps of warm breath caressed Shen Jingyi’s cheek:

“Since Teacher Shen is now my property, it’s only right that your life should be dictated by me, wouldn’t you agree?”

Shen Jingyi paused, startled by these words. Immediately after, she watched as Bai Muxue’s other hand’s fingertip subtly brushed past her own lips, before Bai Muxue herself parted her mouth slightly and took the slightly moist fingertip between her own lips.

This excessively suggestive gesture instantly overwhelmed Shen Jingyi’s mind with shame; her already flushed face now looked as if it might bleed.

“N-no way…”

Alas, before the indignant and mortified young woman could even squeeze out a retort, Bai Muxue gently pushed her away, instantly dispelling the intimate distance between them.

“Let’s stop here for today. Oh, by the way, I have a funeral to attend tomorrow during the day, so I’ll trouble Teacher Shen to accompany me then.”

Bai Muxue’s smile remained as innocent as ever. Ignoring Shen Jingyi’s words, she continued speaking to herself.

‘A fu-funeral?’

This word, jarringly out of place at this moment, caused Shen Jingyi’s brain to momentarily crash. ‘Whose funeral? Why bring this up so suddenly?’

She was still grappling with the humiliating collar, still worrying that Young Lady Bai would have even more outrageous demands, yet the other party declared that today… was the end?

Frowning, she was about to ask, but then saw Bai Muxue rise slightly and turn her head away, clearly unwilling to elaborate.

‘My own funeral…’

Bai Muxue, of course, could sense Shen Jingyi’s confusion, but she said nothing further, merely concealing her exquisite face in shadow, revealing a bitter smile known to no one.