It hurt. Now that he thought about it, why did it have to hurt? Such a question arose, but the answer came quickly. Because his bottom was itching, and because he hadn’t properly said “thank you.”
“Ah, seven…! Thank you.”
This time he was hit in the same spot as before. Tears almost welled up. He wondered what implement was being used to strike him. Yan twisted his neck to look behind him.
Smack!
Simultaneously, the blow fell. Yan swallowed his groan and counted.
“Eight, thank you…!”
The implement in question wasn’t the paddle he had expected. It was a hairbrush provided in the room. It was simply astonishing that such an everyday object could have such powerful impact.
While he was just breathing heavily, he felt a gaze and slightly raised his head to find a pair of blue eyes looking down at him. For a moment, Yan thought of Sirius. His eyes were also that piercingly blue. However, desire was boiling in the depths of the eyes before him. Sirius would never look at him that way. So, obviously, this was…
“Master…”
He couldn’t continue with the question of why he was looking at him that way. Just as blue flames seemed to spread in those eyes, his buttocks were firmly grasped. With his already throbbing bottom being squeezed by strong hands, Yan let out a moan through his teeth.
“Nicely cooked.”
“Hngh…”
“Just the right consistency to touch.”
It was an assessment as if dealing with dough rather than human flesh. Indeed, Yan’s buttocks were heating up fiercely, so the description “cooked” wasn’t entirely wrong. The assessment that they were “just right to touch” also seemed accurate, as his buttocks were softer than usual. Yan felt like meat that had been tenderized with a mallet.
“Ah!”
“Number.”
“Ah, nine… thank you.”
The blow fell without warning. No, this wasn’t a strike but a palm. The sensation of five fingers pressing into his skin was vivid.
“Ten! …Thank you.”
For the brief moment when palm met buttock, a refreshing sensation spread. It felt even better than being rubbed. However, this curious feeling disappeared in less than 0.1 seconds. What followed was only a searing pain. And that made him secretly desire to be spanked again.
Although they had already reached the predetermined number, Yan anticipated the next falling palm. The moment he became aware of this unconscious desire, he was startled. But he didn’t dislike it.
Common sense might suggest fearing such a change, but Yan was rather pleased. At the very least, it was progress compared to when he knew nothing about what being a masochist meant. In just two or three more months of training, he could become an excellent masochist—Yan trembled with pain and anticipation.
***
Sirius was a newly emerged vampire hunter in New York. Though his active period was short, his skills were as good as any veteran’s. Though the details of his methods were unknown, he remarkably hunted down troublemaking vampires.
As trust built, the police increasingly sought Sirius’s cooperation. Thanks to this, Yan recently enjoyed going to work. He could see plenty of Sirius without needing an excuse. Even today, Sirius had an appointment with the chief, so if Yan lingered in the corridor, they might cross paths. Yan turned the corner, humming a tune.
At that moment, as if by fate, Yan encountered Sirius. But there was something even more surprising—his left arm was wrapped in bandages.
“Your, your arm! And your face! What happened to you?”
Yan was so shocked that he forgot his manners and pointed here and there. Only after Sirius covered a wound near his collarbone with his right hand did Yan come to his senses. Having rushed over in one breath, he took a step back.
“Did you fall into a manhole? Or was it a traffic accident…?”
Bandages that seemed to extend from his chest (though it was hard to tell with the t-shirt covering it), and scratches. Yan quickly considered what might have caused these injuries. The injured left arm could have many possible causes, but the skin wounds were clearly scratches from something. In fact, they weren’t major wounds—more like scratches from leaves or something similar—but it was strange that they were spread across various parts of his body.
“No, Yan.”
“Then…”
“You know. It’s an occupational hazard.”
Though they didn’t look like wounds inflicted by vampires, apparently that’s what they were. Well, many vampires had various strange abilities, so it wouldn’t be unusual to be injured by them. In any case, Yan was so surprised by Sirius’s injuries that he didn’t know what to do.
‘To think that even that handsome face has scratches…’
Do those creatures have no eyes? Or perhaps they lacked a universal aesthetic sense. How could they attack that face? Yan thought he couldn’t have done it even if Sirius were his enemy.
“I’m fine.”
Sirius said this when Yan showed no signs of reducing his concern. Yan looked up but couldn’t meet his eyes. This was because Sirius’s sunglasses were so dark that his eyes weren’t visible at all. It was unfortunate—if they had made eye contact, he might have been able to tell if the reassurance was genuine or just meant to put him at ease.
“Are you really okay?”
“Yes.”
“Really…”
Despite being told everything was fine, he kept wanting confirmation. He wanted to ask why and how he got hurt. But they weren’t close enough to allow such intimacy. To prevent the words that seemed about to burst out, Yan bit his lower lip instead.
“I’ll be going in now. Have a good day, Yan.”
“Yes, you too… Sirius, have a good day too. Don’t forget to apply ointment. Preferably one with antibiotics.”
Though he wanted to appear cool, he ended up adding nagging comments. Fortunately, Sirius smiled slightly and left.
The police station was just two blocks away. If he lingered any longer, he might be late, but Yan stood rooted to the spot as if his feet were glued to the ground. Sirius’s back soon disappeared among the passersby. Only occasionally did his black head appear and disappear above the crowd.
‘I wish I could protect him.’
The selfish thought he had before resurfaced. It was the desire for Sirius to rely on him slightly, without affecting his life, health, physical and mental wellbeing. But something seemed different from before. After pondering, Yan realized:
‘I just don’t want him to get hurt.’
It doesn’t have to be him doing the protecting. He simply wishes for Sirius’s health.
But given his profession, Sirius would continue to suffer injuries large and small. Though he knew Sirius was a strong man, in that moment, Yan felt he was fragile. While it would be best if such situations never arose, Yan quietly wished that if an emergency did come, he could protect Sirius just as Sirius had once protected him.
***
After their sessions, Procion never just left Yan. If necessary, he would bathe Yan or wrap him in a thin blanket. At first, Yan found this kindness burdensome. After all, it was socially shameful for an adult man to be spanked by someone. Yan would have preferred if Procion had left him alone. But before long, Yan came to accept his service. The reason was simple.
‘It’s comfortable.’
He applied medicine to wrists and thighs chafed by rope, and cleaned Yan’s swollen face with a steam towel after it had been streaked with tears and mucus. Afterward, Yan sat on the sofa wrapped in a blanket. While waiting for room service in this state, his body naturally became languid.
“I feel like cheese in a bread roll.”
“Why?”
“Well, being wrapped up in something…”
Due to a yawn, Yan couldn’t continue. Having worked afternoon shifts for the past few days, his body rhythm had changed, making him tired. Perhaps it would have been better not to respond to Procion’s call. Of course, he didn’t regret rushing to the hotel.
Sleep like a gentle breeze enveloped Yan. Before he knew it, his eyes were closed. Just as he was about to fall into a deeper sleep—
BOOM BOOM BOOM!
“Ah!”
An explosion sound came from somewhere. Yan reflexively sat up and scanned his surroundings.
“Oh, it’s just the television…”
After identifying the source of the explosion, Yan swept his hand across his chest in relief. He had wondered what was happening, but it was just the news, which was fortunate. Of course, it wouldn’t be fortunate for those actually experiencing the event.
“A terrorist attack in front of Square Park.”
“The blood of unlucky victims who got involved soaked the road. …Though such scenes don’t appear on the news.”
Yan glanced at Procion. Noticing the obvious gaze, he asked, “What?”
“Nothing… you speak as if you saw the scene directly.”
“Ah, I happened to be passing by.”
“Really? Are you okay?”
Square Park was quite far from this hotel, so it was unclear how he ended up there. In any case, realizing that he could have been killed, Yan became fully alert.
“As you can see. You even checked earlier, didn’t you?”
Despite Yan’s concern, Procion just gave such a response. It was obvious which moment of “earlier” he was referring to. Probably when he was thrusting vigorously into Yan, who couldn’t resist due to being tied with rope. Or perhaps when he was threatening to punish him if he didn’t spread his legs properly, striking the inside of his thighs.
“The number of vampire supremacists has been increasing lately. What do you think about this, Professor?”
“I believe it’s largely due to the change in the vampire leader—or ‘Lord’ as they call it—around December two years ago. The newly enthroned Lord, Alesha, is known as a vampire supremacist. There are critical voices even within vampire society, but…”
Procion picked up the remote and lowered the volume. He smiled and said:
“It’s a bit noisy.”
