TBCTW Chapter 36

Chapter 36 – “Let Me See Your Body”

Epilogue, Part 1

Novel Title: 獣はかくしてまぐわう (The Beasts Copulate This Way)

Author：風結子 沙野 (Fuyuko Sano)

Illustrator：小山田 あみ (Oyamada Ami)

Translator: K (@kin0monogatari)

Protagonists: 鹿倉 陣也 (Kagura Jinya -MC) & ゼロ (Zero -ML)

*Please read at novels.space, the original site of translation. TQ*

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As Kagura walked from Kamiyacho Station toward his apartment building, a familiar sedan tailed him, moving at a slow pace. Feeling heavy-hearted, he climbed into the back seat.  

“Zero is waiting in Nakameguro,” Kataware announced from the driver’s seat.  

“…What happened to Ao?”  

“We’ve secured him. Zero said he feels responsible for failing to notice Ao’s condition.”  

“That sounds like something he’d say.”  

After a brief silence, Kataware spoke up again.  

“Leaving your earpiece off that night caused a huge hassle. But I’ll let it slide. In the end, your being abducted allowed us to rescue Ao.”  

Kagura muttered bitterly as a wave of frustration filled his mouth; “Still, Toono slipped through our fingers.”  

Afterward, Kiriyama had informed him that Toono was no longer at the ‘Invincible Castle’.  

“Well, I gained something from learning how to hack the castle’s system.”  

“You sound like you enjoyed it.”  

“Oh, it was thrilling. I got chills.”  

Hearing this, Kagura’s lips curved into a faint smile.  

Come to think of it, Riki had shone in the underground fighting arena, and Haiiro had excelled at the shadowy casino, each showcasing their unique strengths.  

‘Non-citizen’ are not merely disadvantaged individuals.  

Was it arrogance as a ‘Citizen’ to want to believe that?  

***

Using a key adorned with a sasa dango strap, Kagura unlocked the door.  

The hallway and the living room beyond were dark.  

After sending someone to fetch him, Zero wasn’t even there. Kagura felt a twinge of annoyance. But he noticed light spilling from the outline of the bedroom door, which was closed.  

He grasped the doorknob and paused.  

He had let Renjou escape.  

He didn’t regret his decision at the time. If faced with the same situation again, he wouldn’t let Zero kill Renjou.  

The more he wished to be closer to Zero, the more the unshakable core within himself was revealed.  

And he realised he could never fully reach Zero.  

The frustration and bitterness swirled in his chest, aggravating him.  

Suddenly, the doorknob turned in his hand and opened inward.  

“Trying to keep me waiting?”  

Kagura lightly punched Zero in the solar plexus, seeing his exasperated face. Zero let out a small grunt. Kagura thought it was a joke or an act until Zero clutched beneath his right chest and said: “It’s probably cracked.”  

“…From when Renjou kicked you?”  

“Yeah. The Underground Fighting King’s kicks hit differently. But I’ll admit, taking five bullets softened me up.”  

Kagura gazed at the man with his stubborn pride.  

Before he could think, the words escaped his mouth. “Take off your clothes. Let me see your body.”  

The part of Zero he could understand was just a fragment. That’s why, at the very least, he wanted to examine the markings etched onto his body.  

“When Jinya makes a request, I’ve got to oblige.”  

Zero’s playful words accompanied his actions as he pulled off his three-quarter-sleeve shirt and tossed it aside, along with his leather pants, underwear, and socks.  

Shifting his weight onto his left leg, Zero exposed his well-built physique, his frame adorned with muscle.  

Kagura approached Zero, placing his hand on his left shoulder. He moved to touch his left bicep, his left side, his right thigh, and the back of his left leg.  

He noted the five bullet wounds and murmured: “All of them hit you from the front?”  

Zero had likely fought while shielding members of Enwu behind him.  

Kagura circled Zero again, scrutinising him closely to ensure nothing escaped his notice.  

In this bright room, Kagura could see the scars left by countless blades and bullets absorbed by Zero’s body.  

It wasn’t sympathy. Kagura’s chest ached from a mixture of awe and reverence.  

When he realised his eyes were reddening and made a bitter expression out of awkwardness, Zero shot back a command.  

“Take off your clothes. Let me see your body.”  

“What?”  

“You made me strip. You should return the favour.”  

“…No. Not today.”  

When Kagura replied, Zero grabbed him by the neck from the front.  

“Do you have a reason you can’t show me?”  

From Zero’s words and expression, Kagura understood that he had sensed something.  

And Zero had shown him his own scars.  

So Kagura needed to show his as well.  

He pulled off his coat and jacket together and tossed them onto the floor. Then he added his tie, shirt, slacks, underwear, and socks, piling them atop the heap.  

When he raised his head, now completely naked, he saw that Zero’s face was flushed with anger.  

Zero’s dark gaze travelled over the scratches covering Kagura’s body.  

“What happened with Kiriyama?”  

The low voice reverberated in Kagura’s stomach. As expected, Zero was aware that after the casino gamble, Kagura had gone to Kiriyama’s apartment.  

“Did you sleep with him?”  

“Not that far.”  

They hadn’t had sex. Yet even recalling it made a wave of unbearable humiliation surge within Kagura.  

“He just licked me.”  

Unconsciously, Kagura scratched at the places where Kiriyama had licked him. It was worse at night, when he was asleep; by morning, there would be bloodstains on the sheets.  

No matter how much he scratched the surface, the sickening sensation that Kiriyama’s saliva had seeped into his very bones wouldn’t go away.  

“You needed to do it to get information about Toono’s whereabouts?”  

That wasn’t the truth.  

But he couldn’t bring himself to say what really happened.  

―――I wanted to protect Zero and Enwu. That’s why I accepted what happened—for myself.  

“Something like that.”  

A frown of displeasure creased Zero’s nose.  

He grabbed Kagura’s upper arm with enough force to leave an imprint and pushed him down onto the bed.  

“So those scratches are where he licked you?”  

Zero asked while kneeling on the sheets. Unable to resist the oppressive force in his voice, Kagura lay back on the bed.  

If Zero needed to vent his anger by ravaging him, Kagura would endure it.  

He closed his eyes, bracing himself for the storm. But a slick sensation brushed against his collarbone, moving lightly across his chest.  

…Closing his eyes brought back vivid memories of how Kiriyama had licked him.  

The moment he cracked his eyes open, he was met with Zero’s intense dark gaze, inches from his own.  

“I’ll lick away every trace of him.”  

Kagura blinked in consent, silently urging him on.  

He then opened his eyes fully, fixing his gaze on the man whose thick tongue moved over his body.  

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Next update: 2025.11.15

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