Suffocation, pleasure, and then suffocation again.
Chains, a whip, and then a collar.
What first flowed from the nose was snot, then tears, and finally blood…
Both hands were cuffed behind her back, her neck collar yanked tight, her lower abdomen bruised nearly black, her whole body covered in bite marks and fingernail imprints.
This was not an equal relationship… or rather, it never had been.
What Eileen desired was never such a relationship either. Now, for both of them, it should be considered a wish fulfilled.
Through the night, Eileen only felt herself being pushed to the peak again and again… whether willingly or not, Utoya pressed down on her, panting, eyes filled with inescapable darkness and shadow.
She no longer knew how much time had passed.
Her phone, tablet, and every scrap of clothing had been thrown out of the room.
Even the curtains couldn’t be opened in her state. From the feeling of it, time itself had vanished.
Fortunately, the appointment with Layton was still a while away.
“So… it’s over just like this? Hunter lady, hm? Already done?”
Eileen chuckled weakly, turning her head with difficulty.
The sheer weight pressing on her made her almost grateful this had been impulsive, without preparation—otherwise she truly might not have endured it.
This night, Utoya had no intention of answering any questions.
Their relationship had become truly that of hunter and prey.
In this world, no bond was purer or more eternal than predator and quarry.
“Shut up… you’re my prey now…”
Utoya panted like a rabid wolf, still not releasing her grip on the pale neck, strictly controlling every single breath of air that Eileen struggled to take in.
“From now on, I won’t give you time… nor space. Since you can’t learn to protect yourself, then never leave here again. I’ll take you to the depths of the radiation zone, even to the Stone Coffin itself… places no satellites or armies could ever reach. Only you and me, for life.”
“This is the ending you wanted, isn’t it? Eileen? Tell me!”
She asked, but had no intention of loosening her grip.
Her fingers pressed the artery, halting circulation, a stimulation far more intense than mere suffocation, enough to bring on unconsciousness… or permanent death.
This kind of ending? Perhaps a good ending too…
Seeing the look of surrender on Eileen’s face, Utoya felt an irritation she couldn’t explain… no, this wasn’t what she wanted.
Not just this. Not nearly enough…
“…Little cat, do you not realize how tempting you are right now? How fragile? With just a little strength, you’d die.”
“Now, breathe.”
“Ha….”
Eileen’s deep inhale was once again cut off, violet eyes flickering with sparks of delight.
“Good. Enough. Now… look. In front of me, you don’t even have the right to breathe. So, I’ll allow you to speak the words.”
…..
Utoya released her hand, staring down hard at the sweat-drenched, dazed eyes beneath her.
Eileen closed her eyes, the shimmer of delight briefly suppressed.
Though her mind resisted thought, this question forced her to bring her scattered brain back into focus.
When she opened her eyes, she met that gaze—still pitch black.
Those eyes should have been the brightest of colors, yet now they were like a collapsed star, a black hole pulling everything in.
Should she speak the truth? Or lie? If she said the wrong words, she would surely experience unforgettable agony.
Compared to what Utoya was capable of, tonight’s roughness wasn’t even punishment.
But… Eileen didn’t want to lie. At least not to Utoya.
She smiled. From beginning to end, she had never shown such a smile.
Her expressions had been either breaking apart or simply blank. But now, this expression told Utoya: I am serious.
“Say what?”
Her body and voice trembled, fragile beyond fragile, yet she still forced out that deliberately naive question.
“….”
Though they had done everything, hearing Eileen softly say this, Utoya actually blushed.
Her black eyes—those sharp hunter’s eyes that could catch a mutant at full sprint—shifted away, uneasy…
“…Say you’re my family.”
At last, after what felt like forever—long enough for Eileen’s consciousness to drift—Utoya spoke her firm answer.
She would not let a single chance slip by to claim Eileen. Never.
“Family? Would family do this to me? Pin me down like this, never ask what happened, only panic over losing me like a child missing her toy?”
But Eileen’s voice and face instantly grew cold.
The chill of it contrasted so sharply with her earlier self that Utoya’s overheated body plunged into an ice pit, frozen stiff.
“To put it simply, isn’t this our relationship? I give you my body, my love, and this face. You give me a home, safety, a bargain. I upheld my side, and I’ll keep upholding it. Mutual need.”
“So, don’t worry, hunter lady. I’m your family, your vase, your wife… should I keep going? Relax. I have nowhere else to go, so of course you can claim me however you wish.”
The words finally came out, but their flatness stabbed Utoya’s heart with inexplicable pain.
“I… no… stop… don’t say that…”
Utoya’s voice trembled.
She didn’t regret what she had done—it was done, regret would only deepen sorrow—but still, an unfamiliar panic surged into her heart.
Don’t… don’t put it into words…
Eileen felt a twinge of disappointment.
Today had been a wreck of a day: forced into killing, extorting Layton for money, life itself ticking down, organs aching under radiation, caught in rain, harassed by thugs… though she had disposed of them easily, they’d landed a few nasty hits.
And afterward… she couldn’t say she disliked it.
The feelings within her wouldn’t lie.
She enjoyed the pain Utoya caused her—but only enjoyed it. Nothing more.
“Then, shall we continue?”
Eileen bent forward, biting her lip with a hazy gaze, leaning in.
But the same Utoya who had been so frenzied just moments ago now instinctively backed away two steps, breathing quick, filled with unease.
“No, no more… I’m sorry… I… I don’t know how to express it… I…”
Honestly, Eileen thought those words sounded more like something Rosakaya, her sister, would say.
She had long suspected her little sister harbored feelings for her… but to hear them first from Utoya? Unexpected.
Yet before she could speak further, Utoya suddenly drew in a deep breath, pressing her hand once more to Eileen’s throat.
This time, her voice didn’t tremble, nor did her eyes waver. They held something that shocked Eileen—
Conviction?
“…Hah… This isn’t the answer I wanted to hear, little cat. And your eyes, they’re screaming, ‘Please, tell me this isn’t real.’ I may be a monster, but with that expression, I can’t resist.”
“So, I love you, Eileen. You are my family, my vase, my wife. Mine, and only mine. No matter your doubts or disdain, no matter if you call this a bargain or a contract—I love you.”
“…Is this a proposal?”
Eileen fell silent. After a long pause, she asked softly.
“That depends on how you answer me.”