With that thought in mind, the final part of the "Cat Maid Set" I had seen at the dungeon reward market naturally came to mind.

Sssssk.

Wait, hold on...

And as expected, the item I had feared appeared from Ethan's bag, making the hairs on my body stand on end.

Ethan was approaching me, holding the tail — or rather, that tail, which was meant to be worn in a way that was nothing short of obscene. Instinctively, my steps retreated backward in fear.

No... Not from the back! Anywhere but from the back!

If I could somehow make a massive concession, I could accept regular front-facing sex. That’s at least a normal part of a man and woman’s relationship.

Even when Ethan became a bit rough during intimacy, it was still something I could chalk up to personal preference, and honestly, I didn't mind it much since I enjoyed it too.

The cat maid headband and collar could be seen as part of a cosplay play, so I could let that slide as well…

But putting that thing in my rear… I can’t accept it, no matter how much I think about it.

If it were something like a belt or a tail that sticks to the outside of my body, that would be one thing.

But why on earth did I have to put that terrifying thing inside my body? I just couldn’t understand.

After all, the anus isn’t a hole for things to go in; it’s a hole for things to come out!

"E-Ethan?"

"Why has your speech changed back? Didn't we agree you'd talk like a cat?"

"T-That's because this seems a little off, nya... No matter how much I think about it, putting something in the rear is a bit different from normal intercourse, nya..."

"Really? I’ve heard some engaged nobles who are on good terms do it sometimes."

"......"

Damn it. Stupid eroge world logic.

Why is anal sex treated as a common thing in relationships here?

Strictly speaking, just doing that wouldn’t necessarily count as anal sex, but still, something about inserting that in my backside felt instinctively wrong.

…I was afraid that if I allowed Ethan to conquer my backdoor like this, I might start to actually enjoy this kind of play.

It wasn’t that I was naturally inclined to anything lewd, but it seemed like Lilith’s body—the body I had reincarnated into—had a slight masochistic streak. If I wasn’t careful, I couldn’t deny the possibility that Ethan might "train" me into enjoying anal, just like in the original story.

"But you were the one who agreed to this, Lilith. You said you’d accept a punishment using ‘whatever’s in the bag.'"

"......"

"Are you going back on your word now? Wouldn’t that be breaking the trust you mentioned between us?"

No.

I had no idea that something like that was in the bag.

I really thought it only had the cat maid headband. How could I have known the entire set was there?

And the fact that Ethan had brought all of that with him just made my head spin for all sorts of reasons.

…Should I just grit my teeth and go through with it?

I had already said I’d accept the punishment, so going back on my word now would make me seem petty.

Besides, the fact that Ethan had brought all of this meant that he was looking forward to me wearing everything, including that tail.

…I had already put on the cat headband and collar, and I was playing along with this ridiculous cat role all because Ethan liked it. So, maybe indulging him a little more wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world.

“…Alright, Ethan.”

"Feeling more willing now?"

"Yes. But before we begin, I need to make it clear: I absolutely do not enjoy having anything inserted into my rear. I am only doing this because it's your request, Ethan."

"......"

"And also, let me be clear: this is a one-time thing. I will never allow anything to be inserted into my rear again after this."

"...You sure do talk a lot, Lilith."

"Huh?"

In the midst of my desperate attempt to explain that I had no interest in anal, Ethan had already come up close to me.

Before I knew it, the dominant atmosphere that usually emerged when we got intimate had taken over. He roughly pulled off my bathrobe—the only thing I was wearing—and forced me face-down on the bed, now completely naked.

Thud.

"E-Ethan?!"

"Just stay still and take it, Lilith. Don’t try to weasel out with strange excuses."

"W-Wait! I’m not ready ye—"

"And why do you keep dropping the cat speech? We have rules, Lilith."

Smack!

"Ah, nyaaa?!"

Without warning, Ethan’s hand slapped my rear, and my back arched in response.

It didn’t really hurt. Instead, there was this strange sensation creeping up my spine.

Before I even had time to process my body's reaction, I felt Ethan’s fingers slip between my thighs.

Squish!

"N-Nyaaah?!"

"What’s this, Lilith? Don’t tell me you got turned on from being spanked?"

"I-I didn’t… I didn’t, nya..."

"Really? Then why are you this wet down here?"

Squish, squish!

"Ahhh, hyaaa?!"

"You’re totally getting turned on from being spanked, Lilith."

"N-No, that’s not it, nya... That can't be true… nya."

Was I… really getting turned on from being spanked by Ethan?

There’s no way that could actually happen…

Smack!

"Hnnnghh?!"

"See? Your body tightens up every time I spank you. It’s pretty clear you’re getting turned on."

"N-No, nya…"

"Is that so? Let’s test that theory, shall we?"

Smack, smack!

"Ahhh, nyaaaah?!"

"Well? Still want to deny it? Look how much you’re dripping down here already."

"Haa... haa…."

That’s because you’re poking me down there with your fingers, you perverted bastard. I thought to myself.

Despite my thoughts, I had no choice but to admit, albeit begrudgingly, that Ethan’s words were partially true.

"...I-It seems that way, nya..."

"What do you mean ‘it seems that way’?"

"I-I don't know, nya... I’ve never been spanked by anyone but Ethan, so how could I possibly know if it turns me on, nya…?"

Come to think of it, Ethan had spanked me back when I was a pig, but back then it was purely painful and unpleasant. It definitely didn’t feel like this.

Compared to back then, it did feel different now. But even so, I couldn’t confidently say that spanking was my "thing," so I tried my best to deny it.

If I admitted to it once, I felt like it would become one of my kinks forever.

"Well, if even Lilith doesn’t know, then I guess there’s no helping it. I’ll let it slide for now."

"T-Thank you, nya…"

"But that’s not the main focus here, is it?"

Tap, tap.

"Ah, nyaaa?!"

Still holding me firmly in place as I lay face-down, Ethan’s fingers tapped my… my rear.

The perverse nature of his actions made my entire body bristle, and in that moment, the most crucial fact, which I had forgotten until now, suddenly hit me like a lightning bolt.

"That’s… That’s not okay, nya…!!"

"Sorry, Lilith, but your opinion doesn’t really matter anymore."

"T-That’s not what I meant, nya…!! You can put the tail in my rear all you want, nya…!!"

"Huh?"

"I-I’m not ready yet, nya…!! When you do anything back there, you have to clean it out first, nya…!!"

Even if I concede—no, over-concede—and agree to the tail, you still have to clean it out beforehand! Just because I was willing to let Ethan have his way with my backside didn’t mean I would allow him to do anything dirty or unhygienic.

…Besides, I wanted to present my cleanest self to Ethan. I didn’t want him to see or experience anything unclean about me, for fear of leaving a bad impression.

"Oh, is that all? That’s one of the things you’re best at, Lilith."

"W-What do you mean by that, nya…?"

I didn’t understand what he meant, so I asked. Ethan suddenly grabbed my right hand and guided it to my… my rear.

By then, I started to grasp what Ethan was asking me to do.

"Come on, Lilith. Use Cleanse to make yourself spotless."

"......"

"You can do it, can’t you? You’ve always used Cleanse after I finish inside you."

Sigh. This guy, really…

He already knew how I did it whenever I cleaned up after he finished.

It was an uncomfortably lewd request, but Ethan had me pinned down, so moving elsewhere wasn’t an option.

"C-Can’t I just go back to the bathroom and…"

"Nope."

"......"

"Do it right here, in front of me, Lilith."

"Sigh." There was no point in arguing any further. Knowing Ethan, he wasn’t going to let me get away with it. I had no choice but to suppress my embarrassment as I slipped my fingers between my buttocks and used Cleanse.

Splurt!

“Ugh, C-Cleanse…”

God, this is so humiliating... The magic itself doesn’t have much of a sensation, but the fact that I was sitting here, fingers in my backside, right in front of Ethan made me want to crawl into a slime pit and never come out.

And considering what Ethan did next, I was even more mortified.

“Well done, Lilith.”

“Th-Thank you, nya…”

“Since you’ve done such a good job, I’ll give you a ‘reward’ now. After all, we need to wet the area a little before putting this in.”

“A r-reward? What do you mean by tha—nya?!”

Lick.

“Hiiiii?!”

The unmistakable sound of licking came from behind, and I felt something warm and soft press against a place it should never have touched.

Even though Ethan was fond of performing oral, I never imagined he’d bring his tongue there. Even I, as shameless as I sometimes was, felt completely bewildered by Ethan’s actions.

Lick, lick.

“N-No, nya...!! Ethan, d-don’t lick there, nya!! It’s dirty…!!”

“I just saw you use Cleanse. What’s dirty? Besides, there’s no part of your body that’s dirty to me, Lilith.”

“N-No matter what, psychologically it just feels wrong, nya...”

“There’s nothing wrong about it. And besides, we need to get it wet if we’re going to put the tail in, don’t we, Lilith?”

Squelch!

“Nyaaaaaah?! Not inside… not in there, nyaaaaa…!!”

Is he serious?! Is he actually out of his mind?!

Despite my protests, Ethan continued to use his tongue to lick around and inside my most forbidden spot, drenching it with his saliva. Thanks to his relentless efforts, my freshly Cleanse’d rear was now sticky and wet again.

But the most shameful part wasn’t that Ethan was licking my backside. It was the fact that... I was starting to enjoy it.

The pleasure I felt from being licked there was far more straightforward and intense than what I felt when he spanked me. For the first time, I realized that my backside was... an erogenous zone.

“Now I’m going to put it in, so relax.”

Slurp, squelch.

“Nnnngh, hyaaaah…!!”

And then, finally, Ethan began inserting the “tail” into the hole he had just wetted with his tongue.

I had no choice in the matter. Ethan held my lower body firmly as he forced the base of the tail into me.

Squelch!

“Nnngh, nyaaaaaaah?!”

It was about the size of an orange or a lemon, and as it slipped inside me, I shuddered, unexpectedly hitting a small climax.

“Haa… haa… haa….”

“Well done, Lilith. The tail suits you.”

“Th-thank you, nya…”

Sigh, honestly…

Stop enjoying this ridiculous situation, damn it! I scolded myself.