Okayu's Four and Only - Hololive Tickling Story

A request by kingoland

Minato Aqua had no idea what was going on.

To her left was Murasaki Shion, her friend of many years, girlfriend of a collective two-ish years, ex girlfriend of… Aqua lost count a while ago. Dressed in her signature hat and midriff-baring witches’ gown, Shion held a magical tome in her hands, her face beaming with overly cocky energy, as if any of these things were even slightly out of the ordinary.

To her right was Gawr Gura, who she had met a fair few times through mutual friends. She recognised the blue hoodie the atlantean was wearing; it was the only thing she ever saw her wearing in fact. She didn’t even have any shoes or socks, but that hoodie just had to stay on no matter where she went. Gura spun her trident around, her tail flicking and slapping against the floor. Aqua slightly shuffled away from it to avoid stray splashes of water.

To Gura’s right was Inugami Korone, who was bouncing eagerly, her loose yellow t-shirt swishing around as she wagged her tail, riding up and giving peeks at her belly with any upper body movement whatsoever. Korone was easily the tallest of the four, and most likely the strongest, given she chose to show up wearing bright yellow boxing gloves and a gladiator helmet. Aqua was, for lack of a better term, utterly terrified of her.

In front of all of them sat Nekomata Okayu, the love of Aqua’s life, atop an elegant throne, dressed in a pink and grey hoodie, her pink/purple hair and catlike features just as beautiful as they always were. Okayu was joyfully making her way through a bowl of rice balls like a queen as she eyed the four subjects standing before her.

Aqua’s gaze nervously darted from side to side. She wondered if any of the people she was standing with had gotten the same vague mystery letter as she did at quarter to 5 in the morning, if they had as little clue what was happening as she did. Despite the slight anxiety, she had to admit that getting to gaze upon Okayu’s beauty was more than worth it so far, even if Shion’s presence was ruining it a little bit.

Eventually, Okayu finished her food, and smacked her bowl onto the floor. “So, everyone, I’m glad you’re all here.” She finally said.

“And I am so glad to be here, Okayu~” Shion announced with a bow and a sly, vindictive look straight into Aqua’s eyes. The two of them, on top of (currently) being exes, have been locked in an endless battle for Okayu’s love since either of them have known her. Aqua gave the witch as angry a look as her naturally adorable face could muster.

“I’m sure we’re all happy to be here, Shion,” Gura retorted before Aqua could get a chance, “but we’d also all like to know why we’re here in… Okayu’s basement…?”

“Mmmh.” Okayu nodded her head. “There is a certain unifying trait that all four of you share. Would you happen to know what that is?”

The four of them turned to each other. It wasn’t immediately clear what they had in common, but Aqua in particular had a guess. In addition to her and Shion’s feuds, Aqua had heard rumours about a particular fondness Okayu and Gura had for each other. In Korone’s case, it was FAR beyond a rumour. It seemed that all four of them had a particular end goal in mind by blindly accepting Okayu’s invitation. Aqua opened her mouth to mutter her guess. “M-… M-Maybe it… i-it’s that w-we-”

“You see,” Okayu continued, “I’m well aware of the… ‘passionate admiration’ each of you has for me. Don’t even try to deny it, I talk to Marine, I’ve heard the gossip.” She said, chuckling as Korone and Shion eagerly nodded her heads. Gura blushed a bit and reluctantly nodded too. Aqua merely shuddered at the mention of Marine. “I’m also aware of the… ‘tensions’ that these conflicts cause between some of you.” The cat girl’s eyes fell on Aqua and Shion.

“Pft, please.” Shion rolled her eyes. “As if any of these girls could compete with me.” She muttered to herself.

Gura side-eyed her. “Yeah, you and your garlic head.” She whispered, making Aqua chuckle.

Okayu stretched herself out, draping her body over the arm of her chair. “Now, I absolutely can not bear to watch my dearest and sincerest loves fight each other in such a way, so instead, I’ve picked a new way to make you fight each other.” She gestured her hand toward Korone, who Aqua was now noticing had been oddly silent since they had all arrived. “Would you like to share our silly little idea, Korosan?”

“MmmMMMmM YEAH!” Korone giddily bounced over to Okayu’s side, shaking her boxing-gloved fists in front of her. “It’s gonna be…” She made a drumroll noise with her mouth. “A tickle contest!” She announced, leaping into the air with her arms and legs splayed.

“A wh-what?” Aqua mumbled, her eyes widening along with everyone else’s.

“Wait, huh? That’s what you called us all here for?” Gura asked, throwing her arms out in front of her. “We’re just gonna have a big tickle fight to entertain you?”

“Absolutely.” Okayu smirked, crossing her legs and leaning back like a regal queen. “For my entertainment, you’re all going to have a big tickle tournament.”

“We’ll do three 1 on 1 tickle fights to the death. Two of us will go first, then the next two, then finally the two winners will go at it until there’s one girl left standing!” Korone cheerily explained. “The losers get to wallow in the shame of their pitiful demise.”

“Exactly, Korosan, and I get to watch it all.” Okayu grinned, waving the dog back to the line of competitors. “Now, I’m sure we’re all loving this idea, right?” She asked, watching the crowd with her leg and tail swinging playfully.

Aqua made a confused and somewhat appalled face. She looked at the people to her sides, expecting similar reactions.

Everybody else was nodding their heads.

“Eh, I guess it’ll be fun. I’ve got some pretty good tickling experience anyway.” Gura said, stretching her arms. “Been in a few tickle fights against some super powerful self-proclaimed gods, and uuuuhhhhh, I guess a couple of those went well. I’ve got this in the bag.”

Shion scoffed. “Please. I have weekly, WEEKLY 3-way tickling contests against a demon and a vampire! This game is mine.” She smugly claimed. “Not to mention I have this teensy little thing on my side and I’d say it’s a tiny bit useful, it’s called MAGIC!”

“I helped construct a futuristic labyrinth of tickle challenges, kidnapped Okayu in her sleep, and forced her to go through it all!” Korone chimed in with an unsettling smile.

Gura and Shion glanced at each other and back at Korone. “Really?” Gura asked.

Korone and Okayu both nodded. “Yeah yeah yeah! I’ve gotta show you all some time; it took a lot of work~” She said, giddily shaking her hands.

“W-…Wha…?” Aqua’s eyes darted from person to person. What the hell were these crazy people talking about?! Why was NOBODY else weirded out right now?!?! “U-Uh, I-…I-, uh…”

Okayu nodded her head. “Perfect!” She gave a drawn out stretch and settled into an even more relaxed pose on her throne. “Now that all four of you are prepped and ready for tickles, let’s begin~”

Aqua’s head started to spin. What kind of parallel tickling-obsessed universe had she fallen into? What did Korone say about a tickle labyrinth? What was Shion, a girl she LIVES WITH, even talking about with the tickling contests? She tried to ask something, or object, or make some part of her internal panic external, or do or say anything other than standing there, frozen in place, but no, she was trapped in whatever kind of hell this was. Maybe, just maybe, if she booked it right this second, nobody would notice. It wasn’t like Okayu ever really noticed her anyway…

But before she could truly consider that plan, Okayu opened her mouth one more time. “Actually, before I forget, let me add one more teeeeeeeny tiny little detail…” She leaned forward, her expression melting into a sinister smirk, and her voice lowering to just above a whisper. “The winner of this tournament will earn the honour of being my one and only bride~”

Aqua perked up. Everybody perked up.

Even Korone seemed surprised. “Wha-… Wha-… Wha-… Wha-… Wha-… Okayu?” The dog asked, her smile vanishing, and her fluffy tail ceasing all movement.

“W- Wait… like… like actually, or…?” Shion stammered, clearing her throat three separate times.

“Nah… n-no, Shion, she’s not serious.” Gura muttered with a supposed-to-be confident shrug of her shoulders. “…right?”

“You heard me.” Okayu stated. “Whoever wins this, I’m all yours ‘til death do us part~”

Gura sprouted a sinister smile that mirrored Okayu’s. “Ooohohoho, I think I’m likin’ these stakes.” She sneered, puffing her chest out as something of a show of confidence.

Shion’s eyes and fists started to glow purple. “Everyone, I apologise in advance. Now I’m REALLY winning this thing.”

“Oh, are ya, Ms. Garlic lady?” Gura replied.

“Keep talking, shark. Give me aaaaall the motivation you can offer.” Shion taunted back.

“Guys guys! Please, don’t fight!” Korone said, stepping between them. “We all know I’ll kick your asses anyway.”

Okayu grinned ear to ear. “Ooh, you’re all fired up, how adorable! If anyone wants to back out, this is your last chance~”

Aqua took a look at the competition, all at each others’ throats in front to her, and stepped forward, breaking through the crowd in her march toward Okayu. She stomped her foot down, curling her hands into fists by her sides. “Let’s do this!” She shouted out.

“Haha~” Okayu sank back into her chair. “Now that’s what I like to hear, Akutan.” She purred.

Aqua’s heart fluttered and she melted on the spot. The key to Okayu’s heart had always been an elusive, downright mythical one, but now, Aqua had a shot at bagging it. This endless maze was finally coming to its conclusion, and all Aqua had to do was win a measly tickle contest. She had conquered much tougher feats in the past; Okayu was hers at long last, and nothing could stand in her way.

“So, Aqua’s going first. Who wants to fight her?” Okayu asked.

“Wh-” Aqua turned around to the other three. Gura was twirling her trident around, her tail eagerly slapping against the floor, a subtle yet frightening red glimmer flashing in her eyes. Shion was grinning her smuggest grin, flipping through the intricate pages of her magical tome, bright purple shocks and sparks popping out of her fingertips. Korone was menacingly towering over her, raising her fists up and aiming them right at Aqua’s nose, the yellow boxing gloves freezing Aqua like a deer in headlights. “………I’m going to die here.” She said in her head.

Eventually, Shion stepped forward. “Fiiiiiiiiiine, I guess I’ll have to take care of our little onion head.” The witch said, flicking one of Aqua’s pigtails as she leaned in close to her. “Sorry that all your years of chasing Okayu are gonna have to end with this catastrophic defeat, but hey, who expected otherwise?” She cockily chuckled, condescendingly patting Aqua on the head. “Now let’s get this show started.”

Aqua scowled. This was gonna be a fun morning.

The two stood across from each other in Okayu’s decently-sized basement. A couch and a few chairs were arranged as barriers around the worn wooden floor to form a makeshift arena, a single light bulb acting as a spotlight for the show. Shion stretched her arms, making exaggerated poses and stealing looks at Okayu, who was spread across her throne in a cat-like manner. Aqua faced the witch, anxiously fidgeting with her fingers. She held a fierce debate in her head about whether it was too late to try and run away, eventually giving up and putting the discussion on pause. Gura and Korone sat side by side on the couch, eagerly awaiting the commencement of the ex-couple's feud.

“Just say the word, Okayu.” Shion said. “I’ve been waiting to put this girl in her place.”

Aqua gritted her teeth. “I… I could s-say the same about you.”

Gura leaned against the couch’s left armrest. “Feels weird being in another one of these tickle contests. Can’t say I’m complaining though.” She glanced over at Korone next to her. “I can’t wait to see these two go at it, heh.”

“It’s gonna be like a fruit basket!” Korone said, eagerly watching the competitors prepare for their battle.

“Wh-…” Gura squinted her eyes at the dog. “In… what way?”

Korone turned to her. “You know like how ‘Aqua’ sounds kinda like ‘guava’? Well, not really, but it sorta rhymes, I mean. And then Shion’s surname is ‘Murasaki’, which means ‘purple’, and purple is the colour of eggplants. Those are fruits, right? I think so…right? I’ll ask Miosha about it later; she’s an expert. Either way, if they aren’t fruits, they should be. My analogy wouldn’t make sense if it isn’t. Do you get what I’m saying?” She paused, genuinely expecting Gura to give her an answer. For whatever reason, she didn’t. Korone continued anyway. “I guess I could’ve gone with grapes, those are purple too.”

“Uh…” Gura turned back to the arena. “Good talk.”

Okayu stood up on her chair, one hand on her hip, the other lazily dangling at her side, and stared down the competitors. “You two look ready, huh?”

Shion struck a pose, making sure Okayu could see her good side. “I am always ready for you, Okayu~”

“Will you shut up already?” Aqua growled.

“Remember, you two,” Okay chuckled, “it’s just a fun little tickle fight~ Nobody’s gonna get hurt, right?”

Aqua and Shion glared at each other. “Nope.” Aqua replied.

“Never.” Shion said.

“Good, then let’s go over the rules.” Okayu slithered back onto her chair. “When I say go, you two are gonna go at it ‘til one of you gives up.” She explained, everyone else nodding in response. Okayu nodded back to them. “That’s it for the rules. Let’s begin~”

Both competitors’ eyes went white. “W- Wa-Wait, already?!?!” Aqua squealed.

“T-There’s no other rules?!” Gura asked, fumbling with her trident.

“You better believe it, Gura.” Okayu replied, grinning at the cuteness of the shark’s slight panic. “You two are gonna start in five… four…”

Aqua’s heart sank. She was not ready. She prayed that Shion wasn’t ready either, but the witch didn’t need to be. She had magic and a vendetta. All aqua had was a pair of soft, noticeably muscle-less arms, a myriad of ticklish spots, a brain filled to the brim with anxious and terrified thoughts, and a vendetta. But she also had a chance. A chance that she had worked far too hard to let go. A chance to be with her one true love at last. Aqua glanced down at her clothing, a simple maid outfit that offered zero defence, her arms and legs left wide open by her skirt. This wasn’t going to be easy, but she had to try. For Okayu’s love, she couldn’t afford not to.

“three… two… one…”

…was there still time to bail?

“GO!” Okayu called out, tapping a spoon against a bowl to mimic a bell ringing.

Aqua took a worried breath. The tickle fight had begun.

As soon as the witch had caught her bearings, Shion’s book flew open to a page that had been bookmarked. Two portals quickly appeared at her sides, and she dropped her book to stick her arms through them. “Good riddance, little onion head.” She said with her signature smirk.

Before Aqua could react, two more portals opened up at her sides, and Shion’s hands shot through, skittering their fingers up and down from her ribs to her hips and everything in between. The tickles sent a shock through Aqua’s whole body, making her shriek, then quickly dissolve into a fit of helpless giggles. “EeYA- hAhahAHA! S-StOHOHOhop it!”

“Tickle tickle~” Shion teased, kneading into Aqua’s soft sides through the portals.

Aqua jumped and bounced away from the witch’s fingers, arching her back and pushing her waist out forward. However, just as quickly as the maid escaped, Shion’s arms retracted through the old portals, and two new ones opened up right in front of Aqua’s arched-out belly. Shion immediately took advantage of the squishy target. “hEEE! PFFFffffhAAH!” Aqua squeaked, stumbling backward, only for the portals to appear behind her, and for Shion’s wiggling fingers to return to her sides.

“Aww, haha! Look at her dance~” The witch taunted, smirking at the spectators, especially her beloved Okayu, who chuckled at the sight.

“HEEHeheAHA! N-NoHAHA!” Aqua’s face started to redden. Shion’s tickling fingers came at her middle from all directions. A poke at her left side, a pinch on her right, some skitters around her right hip, a nail running up her spine, a flurry of pokes at her ribs, a single digit wriggling against her belly button, Aqua fell victim to all of them. “S-StoP IT! Nnngg- noOHAHA! I- pff, hnhnhahA! PLEHEHEASE!”

Shion chuckled cockily. “Jeez, you’re already begging? Wow, this is gonna be a cakewalk.” She sneered, gripping Aqua’s hips and digging her fingers into them.

“EEP!” Aqua twisted around and managed to break out of Shion’s grip, backing away while giggles continue to pour out. “W-W-Wait, I-”

“You always had a soft spot by those hips. And right here.” Shion said, opening another portal to pinch Aqua’s thigh. “Aaaaand, another one right here.” She dug into Aqua’s underarms. “…come to think of it, all of your spots are soft spots.”

“C-CUT IT OUT!” Aqua slapped at Shion’s hands and wrapped her arms around her waist in a weak attempt to protect herself.

Shion shook her head condescendingly, and closed all of the portals. “You’re too cute, Akutan. Cute in a… pathetic sort of way.” She teased, drawing some giggles out of the audience too.

“I- Y-You…” Aqua started to blush. Shion had shown off one magic spell, was using zero effort, was barely even paying attention, and she was winning handedly. At least everyone else seemed to find this all really funny, with Gura’s quiet snickers and Korone’s unmistakeable belly laughs. Okayu was laughing too, but Aqua didn’t mind hearing that.

“And for my next trick,” Shion announced, striking a showmanistic pose as she flipped to a new page of her book, fully playing to the crowd at this point, “I’m going to make Aqua’s hopes and dreams disappear!” She took off her hat, and a swarm of sparkling feathers flew out of it, spiralling around each other in the air. Aqua sighed through her teeth.

Gura instinctively covered her own waist. “Oh woah… I’m glad I’m not in there right now…” She glanced briefly at Korone, squinting her eyes at the dog. “…what do you think? Is this tickle fight looking… ‘fruit basket-y’ to ya?”

“Not really. That was stupid and I don’t know why I said it; it’s turning out more milkshake-y. It has that kind of consistency, you know?” Korone answered completely seriously.

“That’s exactly what I was thinking.” Gura replied, having no idea what Korone was talking about.

Shion cracked her knuckles. “Place your bets, people. How long is it gonna take for our little onion to give up?”

Aqua scowled at her for a second, but couldn’t keep her eyes off of the feathers for long. The swarm twirled around Shion’s body and arms before two of them shot toward the maid. Aqua gasped and covered her waist again, but the feathers swooped down to tickle her thighs instead, swishing at and teasing the plump, exposed skin. “EHEE-!” She squeaked, stumbling around and swatting at her legs as more and more feathers joined in to tease them.

“10 minutes? 5? 1?” Shion teased, more feathers coiling around her arms as she slipped her hat back onto her head. “I doubt she’ll last the next few seconds honestly.”

“HnnNNHNHEHEhehaAAA!” The giggles just kept pouring and pouring out of Aqua. The feathers swished at her thighs, behind her knees, half of them spiralled up her torso and fluttered against her bare arms, a couple of them teased her neck, face, and ears, and poor Aqua was left to fight against them all.

But the worst part by far was when two feathers managed to tuck their pointy ends into her shoes, right behind her heels. As Aqua squirmed, swatted, and kicked, those two feathers dug further and further in, even sneaking into her socks as well, and then, once she reflexively lifted her left foot,

Pop!

Off that shoe came. Once she stumbled onto her left foot, lifting the other into the air,

Pop!

Off that shoe came too.

Aqua watched in horror as her shoes, socks inside them, rolled out of the arena. “Nng- NO!” Aqua shrieked as a feather swiped up her right sole. She quickly stomped that foot down, but used too much force and stumbled forward, lifting her left foot up and exposing it to the merciless feathers. “HNG- Kch, heeEEAHAHA! SHIOHOHOHON! NAHAha- s-sTOP IHIHIT! EEEK! NOT THERE! NOHohahahaHAHAha!”

“Ohoho wow!” Gura snickered, picking Aqua’s shoes up to hold onto them because they just so happened to end up in front of her and for no other reason. “Feet can be a hell of a spot, eh?” She almost turned to Korone again, almost, but her better judgement was just persuasive enough to stop her.

“You bet they are!” Shion answered instead. “You wanna see just how ticklish they can be?” She asked, flipping to a special page of her book.

In an instant, all of the feathers poofed away into dust. Aqua quickly composed herself and turned to Shion, her eyes wide with fear. “Wh-What are you d-doing?” She slowly backed away from the witch.

“You heard the shark. We’ve gotta get those feet up~” Shion flicked her fingers in Aqua’s direction, and a pair of glowing pink tentacles slithered out of the floor and swept the maid’s legs, sending her tumbling onto her back.

“YAH!” Aqua’s back thudded against the floor, but Shion let one of the tentacles give her head a soft cushion to land on. How kind. The other tentacles held her arms against her waist, and her waist against the floor, with two tendrils in particular slithering toward her feet, which were quickly held in place by more tendrils. “N-No, hold on! I- N-Not the feet, please!”

Shion gave her a wicked and vindictive smile. “Oh, yes the feet! You’re not getting out of this one, Akutan.” She stepped toward her, the tentacles slithering closer and closer. “Unless, of course… you want to give up?”

Aqua paused, eyeing the tentacles in their slow, deliberate approach. She scrunched and wiggled her feet, dreading the torture they were soon to face, unless, of course… she gave up. Aqua turned her head to the side. There was Okayu, her beloved Okayu, raising a single eyebrow, waiting to see Aqua’s next move. She turned back to Shion, hovering her hand above the glowing pages of her magical tome, ready to unleash her attack at any moment. Aqua had no way to fight back, no way to escape, and most importantly, she was really starting to despise Shion’s face. That ungodly smug face. That stupid, unbearably annoying face.

That face that Aqua couldn’t wait to see when Okayu was finally hers.

“I’ll never give up!” Aqua declared, glancing at Okayu one more time. The cat was shaking her head in pity.

“Alright.” Shion snapped her fingers.

The tentacles instantly dug under Aqua’s toes, gracing the intensely sensitive spots with their slimy touch. “YEAHAHA! AAAaahaha, noOOHOHAHA! NN- NOHOHOT THEEEHEHEHERE!” She shrieked, reflexively scrunching her feet as hard as she could. Despite her efforts, the tentacles were more than slippery enough to get into all of the gaps. Under the toes, between the toes, and into every little wrinkle. “NNNNGG- TCH-KAHAHAHAHAHAHA! HEHEHEHEHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”

“Give up already!” Shion whined, leaning over Aqua’s writhing body. “I’m gonna keep you like this if you don’t, Akutan.”

“NHNHEHEHAHA- NEHE- N-NEVER!” Aqua shouted back, struggling in the tentacles’ grip.

Shion shrugged and snapped her fingers again. Two more tentacles sprouted out of the floor at Aqua’s feet, and joined the other two in tickling them. “Are you suuuuuuure?” The witch asked, leaning in closer.

Aqua arched her back and squealed as the new tentacles struck at her insteps. “AAAAAHAHA!”

“Oops, did I hit a bad spot?” Shion teased, getting down on her knees to give herself the best possible view of Aqua’s suffering. “Maybe I should test it again, just to be sure~”

The tentacles kept poking at and swiping at the edges of Aqua’s soles. The insteps, the blades, the heels, the toes again, and every so often, one would trace a line up one of her arches. It was all too ticklish for Aqua. “HAAAHAHA! PLEHEHEHEHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! NOOOHOHOHOHOHOHOH!”

“Give up, Akutan.” Shion bent in even closer. “You know you can’t take it much longer.”

“AHAHAHAHAHA! HAHAHAHAHAAAAAHAHA! HAAAHAHA!” Aqua shrieked. Tears flew in all directions.

“You can’t honestly still think you’re gonna win, right?” Shion poked her in the cheek. “Right?”

“NNNNNNNNGG- NHNHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”

Shion shook her head. “This can aaaaaaaall stop whenever you want. Right this second even. All you have to do is admit your defeat~”

“HEHEHEHEHEHEHEHE! AAH! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”

“Aqua. This isn’t gonna get any easier for you.” Shion taunted, poking the maid’s tear stricken cheek again, their faces merely an inch from each other. “Give. Up.”

“AAAAAH! HAHAHAAAAAAAAAA! AAAAAHAHAHAHAAAAA! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAA! HAHAHAHAHAAAA!”

Shion sat back up. “Welp, I see you’re as desperate as ever.” She cockily stretched her arms above her head, smirking at Okayu. “I might as well get some rest, maybe put on some tea and read a nice book. Someone let me know when little onion head finally comes to her senses and gives u-”

Aqua slipped her left arm out and struck her finger directly into Shion’s exposed navel, wriggling it around furiously.

“GYAAHAHAHAASTOP!” Shion jumped back, doubling over as she clutched her belly. Her book flew out of her hands, bouncing off of Korone’s gloves as the dog attempted to catch it.

The tentacles immediately stopped, hovering in place as they awaited their next orders. Aqua slipped out from under them and got back on her feet. “Stop calling me onion head.” She demanded, struggling for breath.

“Woo!” Gura cheered, pumping her fist in the air. “You show her, Akutan!”

Shion shot up to her feet as well, her hand over her navel. “Y-You’re gonna regret doing that!” She reached around for her book, but couldn’t seem to find it anywhere.

Aqua defensively took a step back, only for her foot to tap against a certain something. Shion’s book had landed right behind her. She picked it up and opened it to the bookmarked page, a page labelled “magical tentacles.”

“H-Hey!” Shion angrily pointed at Aqua. “Give me that!”

“Mm? This?” Aqua ran her finger down the page, and all of the dormant tentacles sprang up in response. “Nope, it’s my turn.”

“No, I- I’ll…” Shion’s eyes widened at the tentacles rising upward, preparing to strike at any second. “I… Y-You… S-… Stop!” She made a break for it, darting toward Aqua to get her book back.

“I said,” Aqua snapped her fingers, “it’s my turn.”

Instantaneously, half of the tentacles coiled around Shion’s legs, and the other half snaked up her back to wrap around her arms. They all stretched the witch out, pinning her against the floor in a big X. “AH! W-Wait, wait!”

“So this is what magic is like, hm?” Aqua giggled as pink sparks flicked out of her fingers. “No wonder you never let me play with it.”

Shion tugged at her limbs, angrily gritting her teeth. “H-How are you so good at that?! Magic is MY thing!”

“It’s not as hard as you’d like to admit. The book’s doing the legwork.” Aqua fired back, slowly approaching Shion’s bound body.

Shion tugged at her limbs as hard as she could, struggling to hide her growing fear. “G-Get back, A-Akutan, I swear, I… I- I’m warning you!”

Aqua continued to approach. She didn’t so much as hesitate. “Sure you are.” She stopped right between Shion’s outstretched legs, and knelt down.

“A-Aqua, I-, I… if- IF YOU EVEN TOUCH ME I SWEAR I’LL… I’LL…”

“I think I remember…” Aqua started, completely ignoring Shion’s threat, “your most ticklish spot was always right here…” She waved her hand over the witch’s belly.

Shion visibly and audibly tensed up. “STOP! B-BACK OFF!”

“and you always leave it exposed like this.” Aqua wiggled her fingers tauntingly close to Shion’s middle. “You know, if you have frequent tickle contests like you said, then that outfit might not be the best pick.”

“Shut u- SH- SHUT UP! I SWEAR I’M GONNA KICK YOU IN YOUR STUPID ONION HEA-”

Aqua poked her belly. “Boop.”

Shion’s whole body jerked and she let out a startled yelp akin to that of a small puppy. “WAIT W-WAIT WAITWAIT wait, A-Aqua! I’m- I’m sorry, I- I take it back, I…” She trailed off, hearing the audience snickering around her.

“Shion-tan,” Korone said, poorly holding back laughter, “that’s not all it’s gonna take to break you, is it? One poke?”

“Sure looks like it!” Gura sneered. “Garlic girl’s got no bite left~ and she’s got such a cute little laugh too!”

Even Okayu couldn’t help but give her an amused giggle. “What happened to kicking her in her ‘stupid onion head’?”

Shion’s cheeks burned, her face glowing red. “Okayu, I-… that is… I- I didn’t, uh, that… that was juhuhAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”

Aqua’s fingers were skittering up and down the witch's side. “Tickle tickle~”

“A-AQUA! PLEASE!” Shion squirmed helplessly. “Not the belly, not the belly, please! Let’s just call this a draw and l-leave it to the other two, o-okay? Th-Then, uh,  we can b-both be-”

“No.” Aqua replied. She tightly gripped the book in her hands, her gaze wandering to the tentacles. “Hm… my hands are a bit full… and I have to tickle your stomach somehow…” She mumbled, grinning as she lowered her face toward Shion’s belly, directly above her belly button.

Shion’s heart dropped. She knew what was coming. She knew it was easily the best way to tickle her. She knew it would be one of the hardest things she would ever have to endure. She knew nothing she said or did would be able to stop it from happening. What she didn’t know was how long she would last against it.

Aqua took a big breath in, puffing up her stomach and raising her head up as she aimed her attack. Shion sucked her belly in and tried to squirm as much as she could. A tentacle sprouted up from under her, forcing her to arch her back. A pair of tentacles held her hips and chest in place to keep her still. There was no way out of this. After an eternity of dreadful anticipation, in one swift movement, far faster and more deliberate than anything Shion had ever seen Aqua do in her life, she struck, her cheeks puffed up with air, her face pressed against Shion’s belly, her lips locked against Shion’s navel, ready to finally see the witch scream and suffer.

And that’s exactly what Shion did.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! HAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAHAHAHA! HAHAHAHAAHAHAHA! HAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHA! AAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAHAHA!!!!!”

Aqua blew a series of quick, but fierce and forceful raspberries, dotting them all over Shion’s belly. “Pbbbt! Pbbbt! PPBBbbbbbt! Pbbth! Ppppbbbbbt! Pbbbt! PbbbbbBBBBBBTH!!!” Her puffy cheeks flapped against the witch’s skin, her belly quivering particularly hard every time Aqua hit her belly button or anywhere close.

The sensation was explosive. Shion thrashed her head around, completely unable to move anything else. Her hat flew off of her head, her hair swung in all directions, and tears were already streaming down her face, even up her face with how much she was thrashing. “EEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAHAHAHA! HAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! HAHAAAAHAHAHAHA! AAAAAAAAAAAAA! HAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHA! HAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA!!!”

“PPBBbbbbBbBBT! pbt… PbbbBBBBBBT! Pbbbt! Pbbt, pbbbbt, pppt, pbth……… PBBBPBPPPBBPPBBPBPBPBPPTHTHTHHTHHH!!!” Aqua refused to let up. No matter how much Shion shrieked and cried, Aqua refused to stop. Seconds passed, minutes passed, she wasn’t ever going to stop. She constantly varied the speed, the spot, the strength, and the sputteriness of her raspberries, every single one of them managing to catch Shion off guard.

Shion’s screams were starting to carry the same tone as pleas for mercy, or cries of agony, or something in between. “AAAAAAAAAHAHAAAAHAHAAAaaaaa, NOOOOOOHOHOOOOOHOHOHOOOOooooooo, NAAAAAHAAAAAHAHAHAAAAAAHAHAaaaa, HAAAAHAHAAAAHAaa, HAHAAAAAAHAHAHAAAAAAAA!!!”

Aqua blew one last raspberry before pausing for more air. “PPPPPPPBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBBZTHZTHTH!” That one made Shion squeal harder than anything before. It was music to Aqua’s ears. She sat up and wiped her lips. “Whew…”

Shion struggled for whatever air she could get into her. “Ha… A-… Haha… A- Aqua… A-… P-… Ple-… Plehehease… A-Aqua…”

“Alright, I’m ready again.” Aqua chirped, bending back in for more raspberries. “I think I’ll only go for your belly button this time. It seems like your worst spot~” She said, taking another deep breath in to-

“WAIT! WAIT! I GIVE UP! I SURRENDER! AQUA, OKAYU, WHOEVER, JUST GET ME OUT OF THIS, PLEASE!!!” Shion begged.

Aqua paused for a few seconds, giving her a slightly confused look. “Huh…? Oh, the contest!” She exclaimed, honestly having forgotten why she was here in the first place. She turned to Okayu, her face beaming. “I-Is that a win? Did I win?!”

Okayu nodded to her. “You know it. The winner of our first round is… Minato Aqua!”

“YES!” Aqua cheered, dropping the book and releasing Shion at once. All of the tentacles retracted into whatever magical realm they slithered out of, leaving Shion on the floor, panting her lungs out.

Gura jumped out of her seat to mock the witch. “Couldn’t handle a even taste of your own magic, eh?” She snickered at the annoyed look Shion gave her. “Shouldn’t’a gotten cocky messin’ with the legendary Akutan~” She teased.

“That was kinda pathetic, Shion-tan.” Korone added. “I- I don’t mean that in like a mean way or anything, but… you know… that wasn’t very-”

“I get it.” Shion tiredly replied, reaching over for her book and hugging it in her arms.

Aqua, meanwhile, wasn’t joining in on mocking Shion like she would be in any other situation. The maid’s full attention was on Okayu. She did it. She faced her first hurdle, a very dangerous hurdle, and she cleared it. She was one step closer to Okayu being hers, and she only had one step left. What that step was, and who would be the face of her final obstacle, only time would tell. For now though, she could get a short rest, and shower herself in Okayu’s praise. “Ehehe, what do you think about my win, Okayu? It was pretty cool, right?”

“Yep. Alright, on to round two~” Okayu said, gesturing to Gura and Korone with her hand.

“…o-okay.”

Aqua was… perfectly pleased with that. It was a lot better than being ignored at least. Even if Okayu didn’t have… that much to say, it was still something, and that was more than enough.

It was all Aqua needed.

Gura and Korone stood at opposite sides of the arena in the same places Aqua and Shion stood before. Aqua, glad to be a spectator now and even more glad to have her shoes back, sat on the soft couch next to a delightfully grumpy Shion, who sat with her arms crossed, refusing to look in Aqua’s direction.

“Hmph…” Shion grumbled, knees tucked into her chest and hat almost covering her eyes.

Aqua turned to her, amused. “What was that? Is someone mad they lost to ‘little onion head’?”

Shion rolled her eyes, curling up even tighter. “You got lucky.”

“Did I?” Aqua teasingly rubbed her shoulder against the witch’s. “Or did you get a little too cocky for your own good?”

“Stop that.” Shion swatted her away. “Fine, I admit it, maybe I got a little… distracted back there. You happy?”

Aqua snickered at her. “I’ve always said that attitude of yours would come back to bite you. Serves you right for never listening~”

“I’m starting to miss your ‘shy silent introvert’ shtick. Could you go back to that? Pretty please?” Shion asked, side-eyeing the maid as a small grin managed to slip out.

“Hm. If you insist.” Aqua replied, laying back against the couch, and playing around with Gura’s trident, which had been entrusted to her. It’s been a while since she had this much confidence in herself, and it was at Shion’s expense too, as if it couldn’t get any better. She delightedly sat back and watched the competitors prepare.

Gura was stretching her arms, legs, and tail. “So, Korone, what’s your ‘scientifical projections’ for this match? Are you thinking milkshake? Fruit basket? What’s the random food item this time?”

“Shark soup.” Korone replied.

“A-” Gura tried her hardest not to look intimidated.

Korone adjusted her gladiator helmet, which she still had on. The task was slightly difficult due to her boxing gloves, which she still had on. Okayu’s ears started to twitch anxiously. “Korosan…”

“Yeah?” Korone turned her head toward the cat.

“You… are going to take those off, right?” Okayu asked, fidgeting with the tip of her tail. “The gloves I mean…”

“Mmmmmmmmmm,” Korone stroked her chin, or at least tried to with how cumbersome her gloves were, “nope, I’m keeping them.”

“Okay…” Okayu’s ears twitched a bit more, “but you… aren’t planning to hurt anyone, right?” She asked, slipping out of her chair.

Korone gasped. “What? Of course not, I would absolutely never!” She stated, tightening her boxing gloves a bit to readjust her gladiator helmet.

“Good, good… but please, seriously.” She sauntered over to Gura, and wrapped her arms around the atlantean’s shoulders. The action made Gura blush a bit in surprise. “Don’t hurt my Gura, okay? I mean it.”

“Okay, okay, okay, okay. You always have to spoil the fun.” Korone replied, playfully pouting in mock disappointment.

Aqua and Shion glanced at each other. “M-… ‘My Gura’?” Aqua muttered.

“What the heck?” Shion whispered back. “She doesn’t call me ‘My Shion’…”

“Well… W-Well clearly, you’re not ‘her Shion’, but I’m about to be ‘her Aqua’ really s-soon.” Aqua said.

Shion glared at her. “Sure thing, buddy.” She replied.

Okayu kept squishing the shark in her arms. “I’m serious, Korosan. Look at this adorable face; you can’t hurt this adorable little face, can you?”

Gura giggled and tried to wriggle out of her grasp. “Hehehah, we get it, we get it, I’m cute, this is old news… but… maybe you could say it a feeeew more times…”

Okayu gave her one more squeeze. “Mmmmmm, you’re such a cutie~!” She squealed, releasing her shortly after.

Korone chuckled. “Don’t worry, Okayu. No punching, only tickles.” She said, clumsily removing her helmet and dropping it on the floor, each movement still making her loose shirt ride up. “But I’m keeping the gloves on and you can’t stop me.”

Okayu sighed and joined Korone’s side of the arena. “Okay okay okay, I’ll let you do your thing.” She hugged the dog’s waist. “I’m just worried about my Gura, you know how I get.” She said, gently tickling Korone’s sides.

“NNnn- OkaAHAyu!” Korone squirmed into Okayu, trying her absolute hardest to escape from Okayu’s tickles. “OkAhahaHAYU, the r-rohohOUND HAHahasn’t stahAHARTED YET!” She squealed, raising her arms to make her shirt ride up and expose her belly in defence.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry.” Okayu gently stopped tickling her, no doubt because of the impenetrable defence. “Aah, I can’t help myself sometimes.” She kissed Korone’s cheek, and snuck in a few quick tummy tickles before walking back to her chair.

Shion nearly threw up watching that. “Oh come on!” She hissed. “She just kissed her, did you see that?!”

Aqua suddenly started to feel a little nauseous. “U-… Uh… s-she- she’s just… practising for me… right? Y-Yeah, th-that has to be it.”

“Akutan…” the witch whispered, “something tells me we aren’t the favourites to win… neither of us…”

Aqua didn’t reply. That couldn’t have been true at all… Okayu was… she was j-just… saving herself for Aqua… or- or playing hard to get… like she has been for the past 5-ish years. Aqua was still her true love, and this game would prove it. Aqua would prove it.

Okayu jumped back onto her throne, and turned to address the competitors. “Alright, you two know the rules, so best of luck to both of you, and let’s get this show started!”

“Yeheheah! Let’s do this!” Gura flashed a big grin, raising her hands and curling her fingers like claws. Her tail flicked and slapped against the floor. Whatever the dog’s reason for proposing a tickle contest and showing up to that contest wearing an outfit so easy to exploit was, Gura wasn’t complaining.

Korone stood and watched.

Okayu began counting down. “In five… four… three…”

Aqua sighed and slumped a bit. She had a strange feeling swirling around in her chest, both from Shion’s words and Okayu’s actions. She couldn’t quite place what it was, but… it didn’t seem entirely new to her either… It wasn’t a huge deal, and it would probably pass by the end of the round. She hoped it would. Speaking of, this was going to be a fun watch at least. Aqua was personally rooting for Gura, who she was both slightly closer with, and waaaaay less afraid of. “You can do it, Gura!” She cheered.

“two… one…” Okayu drew out the last pause, watching as Gura settled deeper into an attack stance. Korone just stood there, waiting and watching, still wearing her boxing gloves. “…GO!” The cat shouted.

The bell rang, and Gura stepped forward. “Le-”

“ORAYO!!!” Korone leapt onto Gura, wrapped her arms around her, and pinned her to the floor, all in a fraction of a second. The rest of the second was spent flipping the shark onto her stomach, pressing her gloves into the shark’s wrists to keep them in place, and straddling the shark’s hips, using Gura’s tail like a saddle.

“AH- Wh- What the-?!” Gura was only barely starting to come to her senses before Korone’s tail started to sweep at her bare feet. She immediately burst into laughter. “AaAAH! HAHAHA- STAhahap it, noOOT THE F- FEHEHEET! NOHOHAHA!” The big, bushy appendage was surprisingly agile, dipping into the toes and sweeping at the arches with an accuracy that even put Shion’s tentacles to shame.

But Korone wasn’t done.

Gura’s hoodie didn’t leave much open, but her neck was still very visible. While Korone’s tail continued its assault on her feet, she bent down to lather Gura’s neck and collarbone with licks and nibbles. “TCH- AH! SHAAHAHA- AAAHAHAHAHAHAaa, stAHAHAP! STAHAHAP IT!” The shark squealed.

But Korone wasn’t done.

Bored with tickling Gura’s neck, Korone bent down with abnormal flexibility, and slipped her head under the shark’s hoodie. Her face found Gura’s back and sides, a perfect set of new targets to attack with more licks, kisses, nibbles, and dozens and dozens of raspberries. “AAAAAAAHAHAHAHAAAHA! NOT THAHAHAHAHAT! PLEEEHEHEHEHEHEHEHAHAHAHASE! NOHOHOHOHOHOHOT THAHAHAHAHAHAHAT!” Gura wailed. Her feet still haven’t gotten a break (Korone’s tail was staying under the toes now).

But Korone wasn’t done.

The dog, now having infiltrated Gura’s hoodie, had a perfect shot at her armpits. Perfect spots for more raspberries. Gura’s twisting and turning would leave her belly open every so often, and Korone was quick enough to take advantage of it. Perfect for more nibbles and raspberries. Korone’s tail got bored of Gura’s feet and went for the backs of her knees, then they got bored of that and returned to the feet, but not before tickling her thighs and the base of the shark’s tail. Eventually, Korone got bored of giving Gura’s back raspberries and went back up to the neck, then went back down for more raspberries before quickly returning to the neck, and then the armpits, and then the belly, and it was all so disorienting for Gura. She felt like her head was about to explode. “AHAHAHAHAHA- HAHAHAHA, W-WAHAHAHAHAHAHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIT! PAHAHA- PAAHAHAHAHA PLEAHAHAHAHAHASE!”

But Korone wasn’t done.

Bored of this position, Korone swung herself around, used her knees to pin Gura’s arms to her sides, wrapped her arms around Gura’s legs, and started using her mouth tickles on the shark’s feet. Kisses ran up her arches and along the pads of her toes, her tongue slithered between the toes and against the insteps, raspberries hit square in the center of the soles, Korone nibbled all over them, and all the while, Korone’s fluffy tail was tickling Gura’s upperbody with unreal accuracy. Gura couldn’t take it anymore. She was screaming for her life at this point. “AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! OKAHAHAHAY, OKAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAY! I GIHIHIHIHIHIVE UP! STOHOHAHAHAHAP IHIHIT! I GIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIVE UHUHUHUHUHUHUHUP! I- HAHAHAHA- I-I G-GIVE UP, JUST STAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAP!”

Korone stopped. She was done.

The audience watched in awe. In a span of 19 seconds, Korone had trapped and tickled Gura all the way to and far beyond her breaking point, winning the round easily. Shion and Aqua’s mouths hung agape. Shion muttered some incoherent stutters. Aqua couldn’t even muster that.

Okayu jumped out of her seat and rushed to the atlantean’s side, practically picking Korone up and throwing her off. “GURA!” She shouted, picking her up off the floor and squeezing her tightly. “Are you okay? Are you hurt? Korosan, what did you do to my Gura?!”

Gura weakly lifted her arm and patted Okayu’s shoulder. “R-Relax… I-… I’m f-fine… p-… poba-probably…” She sputtered out between deep breaths.

“Oh, Gura.” She somehow squeezed the shark even tighter. “I’m sorry, I swear I’ll never, ever, ever make you go through something like that ever again!” Okayu declared.

Gura gave her a little nod. “Mhm…”

Okayu nodded back, and placed her on the floor again. “Anyway, our second round’s winner is KOROSAN!” She cheered.

Korone jumped up like a cheerleader, waving her boxing gloves like pom-poms. “Yaaaay!”

Okayu gleefully hugged Korone next, playfully rubbing and tickling her tummy. “Who’s my little tickle master? Who is it? Who is it?”

“EHehYAhA- ME! HaAHA, IT’S MEhehe, it’s mE-!” Korone barely managed to answer through her giggles. She tugged her shirt up a bit higher and raised her arms behind her head in a serious and genuine effort to stop Okayu from tickling her.

“That’s right, you are~” The cat girl snuggled against Korone’s neck before bending down to plant a big kiss right on her belly button. “Mwah!” Her lips smacked against the surface.

Korone giggled. “Hehe- cut it out, you goofball~” She said, lifting her shirt for more.

Gura limped over to the couch and joined the spectators, taking a seat next to Shion. “What… w-what… the f-fuck… is that dog made of?” She muttered.

“That…” Shion subconsciously took a cushion out from behind her and covered her midriff. “That was so fast…”

Aqua was still stuck in stunned silence.

Eventually, Okayu was done with her playful tickles, and put her hands on Korone’s shoulder. “You know what time it is, Korosan? It’s time for round three~”

“Yeah!” Korone answered.

“That means the two winners are facing off, and the true champion will be crowned, earning the prestigious honour of being my bride once and for all.” Okayu continued. “It’s gonna be you…” she paused and slowly turned to the audience.

“…versus Aqua.”

Korone turned to the couch as well, staring deep into Aqua!s eyes with a sinister smile plastered across her face. Aqua was petrified.

“Akutan…” Shion gently placed a hand on the maid’s shoulder. “It’s been nice knowing you.”

Aqua stood in the arena. Korone stood across from her, staring the maid down with a subtle, unnerving look in her eyes. Of course, she still had her boxing gloves on, and that was still the most unsettling sight the maid could be faced with. Aqua trembled slightly, a bead of sweat trickling down the side of her face as she huddled with the two losers.

“Akutan, seriously, you don’t have to do this.” Gura said, gently tugging Aqua’s arm. “You saw how quickly she beat me, right? And I was really trying!”

“Korone can have this one, she’s already basically Okayu’s lover anyway.” Shion added, tugging Aqua’s other arm.

“I…” Aqua glanced at the two of them, and then at Okayu, draped across her throne as a show of elegance. “I can’t. I’ve come this far; I can’t give up now. I have to try. I have to… for Okayu…”

Gura slapped the maid’s hand. “Okayu… might not be worth going through THAT!” She gestured at Korone with both of her arms. “Yeah, I said it.”

“Aqua.” Shion put her hands on Aqua’s shoulders and stared into her eyes with a look of concern. “This… might genuinely end up killing you.”

“Be serious.” Aqua replied, brushing her hands off.

“I AM being serious!” Shion shouted, trying to literally shake some sense into her. “I’m worried about you, girl! Please, just call it quits before you get hurt or something. Let’s face it, Okayu was… s-she… she was never gonna be ours anyway… Not mine, not yours. It wasn’t ever gonna happen.” She admitted, her voice trailing off. “We lost, okay?”

Aqua was about to shove her, but stopped herself. She gently laid a hand on Shion’s shoulder instead. “I haven’t lost yet.” She said, stepping around the witch, and stepping up to her final opponent.

“Holy shit, the nerves on that girl…” Gura mumbled, hopping back onto the couch.

Shion sighed, the corners of her mouth curling into a weary smile. “Yeah.” She said, sitting down next to Gura. “She’s something else.”

The shark stretched a bit, settling into the seat next to Shion. “So…” Her eyes awkwardly wandered around the room, eventually landing on the witch. “You… uh… come here often?”

Shion looked over. “…what?”

“Nothing.”

Okayu looked down at the maid. “You ready?”

Aqua took a deep breath. “Yes. I’m ready, Okayu.”

“Neat.” Okayu chirped, turning to Korone. “How about you, Korosan? Is my little tickle monster ready to go? Hmm?”

Korone giggled, vigorously nodding her head and making her ears flop all over the place. “Yeahyeahyeah! I’m ready, Okayu, I’m ready!”

“Mmm? Are you suuuuure?” Okayu tilted her head, smirking at the dog. “You don’t sound ready…” She teased.

“I am, I am, I am!” Korone jumped up and waved her arms around. “I’m ready to tickle this onion into DUST!” She said, punching her fists together. Aqua trembled slightly.

“Hehe, that’s right~” Okayu stretched and relaxed in her seat. “Time for the moment we’ve all been waiting for! The final round of our tickle contest, the battle between our two winners, Korosan and Aqua!” She announced.

Shion clenched her fist. “Come on, Akutan, you can do this.” She whispered.

“Avenge me, Aqua!” Gura shouted, clenching both of her fists.

“Alright, this’ll be over quickly.” Okayu sighed, relaxing in her chair. “Let’s start in ten… nine… eight… seven…”

Aqua’s legs wobbled beneath her. She twiddled her fingers, she sweated profusely, and her lips trembled. It took merely a glance to see that she was utterly terrified of the figure standing before her. What Korone did to Gura was unfathomable, a victory so quick and decisive, and Aqua wanted nothing less than to be next on the menu.

“six… five… four…”

Well… there was one thing she wanted less. As indescribably horrible as this was probably going to be for the young maid, Aqua would rather go through it a hundred times than lose her first and only real shot with Okayu. She knew she would never get another chance like this, that Okayu would never dangle this prize so close to her grasp.

“three… two…”

Korone was probably going to win, sure, but Aqua didn’t care. The chance was there. All Aqua needed was a chance, because she knew she would have the drive to jump any chasm, scale any wall, break through any obstacle for Okayu. It was time for the cat girl to finally see this. It was time for her to be Aqua’s, and Aqua to be hers. It was time to reach this maze’s exit. It was time for this story to come to a close.

It was time for this to end.

“one…”

………there was still time to bail, right?

“GO!” Okayu called out.

Immediately, Korone jumped into the air, locking onto Aqua like a heat seeking missile. “ORAYO!!!” She wailed.

But unlike Gura, Aqua was ready, and significantly more terrified. The maid squeezed her eyes shut and quickly tried to scamper out of the way. Thankfully, her efforts paid off, Korone barely missing her and landing on the floor with a thud. Aqua opened her eyes, letting out the puff of breath she just realized she was holding.

“Ah-” Korone stood up again, dusting her shirt off. “That was supposed to work…” She said, turning to Aqua, who was backing away until her heels hit the edge of the arena. “Could you stay still this time, Aguatan? I need you to stay still.”

“U-Uh-…” Aqua barely had a chance to think before Korone flung herself at her again.

“WAHOO!” She shouted as she sailed through the air.

Aqua ducked out of the way once more, letting out a terrified squeak. “AH!” She dropped onto her hands and knees, barely sneaking under the dog’s big yellow gloves.

Korone hit the ground as Aqua scrambled to her feet. She scowled at the maid. “Oi! I said stay still!” She barked, rolling onto her hands and knees.

Aqua backed away, putting as much distance between her and the deranged tickler pursuing her as possible, until the backs of her legs hit the couch. Gura got up on her knees to shout. “You gotta get her, Akutan!”

“I-I don’t kn-” Aqua was cut off by the sound of Korone leaping into the air again. “Eep!” She ducked to the side, letting the dog crash against the couch.

Korone let her arms and legs go limp, her head hanging upside down over the floor. “Yeah, get me, Aguatan!” She taunted.

Aqua swallowed, watching her opponent fearfully. She noticed that Korone’s upside-down-ness made her t-shirt roll up a bit, a lot in fact. The dog’s whole belly was exposed up to her lowest ribs, and Aqua knew for a fact she was ticklish there. The issue, of course, was getting close enough to even start. Well, getting close wasn’t a problem per se, Korone did that part herself. Speaking of, the dog was flying directly at her. “YAH!” Aqua squeaked, too lost in thought to get out of the way in time. Korone tackled her to the ground, instantly pinning her on her back.

“Gotcha, you slippery little onion!” The dog said, pressing down on Aqua’s wrists. “Now it’s time for tickle time!”

“N-NO!” Aqua tried to pull her arms down, but Korone was strong, unreasonably strong. The dog kept her fists pressed firmly into Aqua’s forearms, and nothing Aqua did could make her budge.

Korone playfully stuck her tongue out, intricately studying her target. Aqua had more skin available than Gura, but not by much, the only open spots being her neck and arms. “Hmhmhm, where to start, where to start…”

Pulling away was not working out for Aqua. Her wrists were pinned, and that was not going to change. She kept struggling regardless. “Hn- nng! NnNO!”

“AHA! I know!” Korone said, flicking her tail around in the air. “Let’s see how you handle some foot tickles!” She said, bringing her tail down and trying to nudge Aqua’s shoes off.

Aqua gasped. “EEK!” She desperately tried to tuck her legs in. To her, Korone, and everyone else’s surprise, Aqua’s small stature let her legs slip straight out from under the dog’s hips, and her knees tucked into her chest. “G-Get away from my feet!”

“Oi!” Korone scowled. “Oh ho ho ho ho ho, you’re gonna regret that!” She threatened, ducking her head down to deliver her raspberry attack upon Aqua’s poor neck.

“AAH!” Aqua squeaked.

The spectators were on the literal edges of their seats, Shion and Gura hugging their book and trident respectively. “Akutan!” They both screamed.

But because Aqua had tucked her knees in, Korone couldn’t bend down far enough to reach her neck. The maid’s knees pressed against her chest and barely stopped the dog’s assault. “Huh? Hm? H-Hey! What gives?!” Korone whined,

Every feature on Aqua’s face was tensed up. “Not that! N-NoT THAT! PLEASE!” She pleaded through her teeth.

Korone pursed her lips, twisting and ducking every which way to try and get around Aqua’s knees, but she couldn’t move far enough without letting the maid’s arms loose. She tried blowing a couple of raspberries on Aqua’s knees and shins, and those sure made her flinch, but Korone couldn’t even reach the thighs, or anywhere that was actually ticklish. Okayu’s smile started to dip a bit; this had already gone on 50x longer than she thought it would. Korone let out a frustrated growl. “Get outta the way, stupid legs!“

Aqua whimpered, both very shocked that she hadn’t been subjected to any tickle torture yet, and also not complaining at all. “Mm… Y-… Y-You get off o-out of the way!” She retorted, pretty much still whimpering.

“Hah?” Konone raised an eyebrow. “Now you’re the one making taunts, hmmmmmmm?” She grinned. “Okey~ Let’s see what your reward is!” She said, raising her arms up.

Before Aqua could go anywhere or do anything, Korone had already plunged her hands into the maid’s armpits. “AAH! NOOO!”

“Tickle tickle tickle!” Korone teased, her hands firmly in Aqua’s ticklish underarms, wiggling her fingers all around…

…the inside of her big, fingerless gloves.

Korone stopped. “…oh, right.” She muttered, looking down at her boxing gloves.

Aqua, with her arms free, pushed herself out of Korone’s grip, and rolled onto her feet. She might’ve had a chance to get some tickles in, but priority one was getting off of the floor and away from the dog. She had maybe just experienced the luckiest sequence of events to ever happen in the history of the universe, and she was not itching to try and push it further. Resetting their positions was a good enough first step to turning this all around. Aqua was back on her feet, and back in the game.

“Korosan.” Okayu called out from the side. “Seriously, why are you still wearing those things?” She asked with a tinge of frustration.

Korone inquisitively hummed to herself, her ears drooping a bit. “Why am I wearing these?” She asked, looking down at her boxing gloves. “They’re only making this harder for me…”

Shion groaned. “You think?!” She shout-whispered.

“Alright, time to get the fingers out!” Korone sang, unstrapping her right glove, slipping it off, and tossing it to the side.

Aqua’s eyes widened. The thought just dawned on her that this whole time, Korone had not once had the opportunity to use her fingers. It’s just been her face and tail from the start of her round with Gura up to this point, and the dog was already an absolute monster as is.

“Oh nyo…” Gura mumbled, perfectly summing up all of the thoughts swirling in Aqua’s head.

With a swift movement, Korone’s left glove was tossed to the side, and now she had both hands free. “Ahh, much better~” She sighed, wiggling her fingers in Aqua’s direction, and flashing a wicked smile. “Now, TICKLE TIME!” She shouted, diving at Aqua.

“E-hYA!” Aqua dodged to the side.

Korone missed her again, but instead of crashing down and ragdolling, the dog reached her hand out, grabbed Aqua’s forearm, and immediately swung herself around, diving into a second attack. “ORAYOOO!” She shouted, landing a direct hit on Aqua and ensnaring her from behind. “Heh heh heh, finally!”

“HA-!” Aqua stumbled forward, but stayed on her feet. Korone had her arms wrapped in a tight squeeze around the maid’s arms and waist.

Okayu nodded her head. “There we go.” She whispered to herself.

“Time for some REAL tickles~” Korone taunted, her fingers in the perfect position to demolish Aqua’s sensitive sides.

Aqua, eyes wide in panic, struggled fruitlessly. “No, S-STOP!” She pleaded, also fruitlessly, right before Korone’s fingers pressed into her sides and made her squeak like a chew toy. “EEEEP!”

That reaction was everything Korone had hoped for. “Gitchy gitchy goo~” She teased, prodding Aqua’s sides further.

“NnnNNGH, s- STAHAP IT, pffft, not thEHE- NOT THEHEHERE, HEHEHEhehe, hehAAHA! NNnnNOHOHahahnhnnnnNNn, nooOoOOHOHAHaHAHA-!” Aqua squirmed around, squealing helplessly. Her arms swung and batted at the dog’s, but Korone was relentless, and far more skilled than Aqua could have ever predicted. Korone had absolutely brought people to their knees before.

“Tickle tickle tickly tickle~!” Korone chanted. Her newfound finger freedom remarkably made her a much better tickler, to Korone and only Korone’s surprise. She gleefully enjoyed the squishiness of Aqua’s midsection, particularly the softest bits by her hips, before giving her ribs a turn.

Aqua shrieked at the new sensation. “HEEe- nyAAHA! HAHAAHA! MMMMMhph, no, nohohO NONOHOHAHA!” She giggled, Korone playing her ribs and tummy like an accordian and making her wiggle from side to side. “OoOOH, HOOOHOHO- OOOOHOHOHAHA!”

In the midst of the tickles, Korone suddenly stopped just long enough for Aqua to lose the tension in her body, and with another “Orayo!”, she shot her fingers into the maid’s armpits again, finally able to tickle them properly.

“AAAAAAAAAAH!” Aqua screamed and jumped a full two feet in the air, twisting her body and managing to squeeze her small frame away from Korone’s hands. She desperately scrambled away on her hands and knees, settling down in the middle of the arena.

“Hmmm?” Korone put her hands on her hips. “Aguatan, come back, I’m not done tickling you yet~” She opened her arms out, as if asking for a hug, the motion making her belly button peek out again.

Aqua didn’t take the bait, instead staying exactly where she sat. “No, I- I,”

Korone reeled back and jumped at her again. “O… RAYOOOOO!”

“A-AH!” Aqua stumbled back as Korone soared at her, until her hand tapped against something. With zero time to think, Aqua instinctively picked it up and shielded herself with it. A fraction of a second later, Korone collided with her, the two of them tangling with each other, and Aqua braced herself for another devastating tickle attack. When she looked up, that wasn’t… exactly what she saw…

“Mmmm…? MMMM!” Korone said, her voice obscured by the gladiator helmet stuck on her face. “Mmm mmmmmm MMMMM!” She shouted, jumping to her feet and tugging at the helmet.

Aqua’s eyes widened, and she stood up too. “…huh.” She chuckled a bit.

Shion squeezed Gura’s tail in excitement. “Nice move, Akutan!” She cheered, the shark snickering next to her.

“How did-…?” Okayu muttered. Fate was absolutely on Aqua’s side at this point.

“MM! MMM MMM!” Korone growled, spinning around as she strained to rip the helmet off of her face, and again, her shirt rode up a bit, giving a peek at her navel. Eventually, as she struggled more and more, her full belly was on display.

Aqua gasped. This was her chance. It was now or never. Clenching her teeth, she lunged forth, reaching her hand out to give Korone’s tummy a quick tickle.

Korone visibly jumped. “Mhmhm!”

That… was a giggle! Aqua carefully followed Korone’s struggles and prodded her bare sides.

“M- MhmhmMMMHMHMHM!” Korone’s hips wiggled around, her tail swiping and batting at the maid, too soft to do anything helpful.

Gura and Shion’s smiles brightened. “She… She’s doing it!” Shion squeaked.

“Yeahahah, Aqua! Get her good!” Gura shouted.

Aqua gave all of Korone’s bare tummy as much tickly treatment as she could, playing with her sides, rubbing her belly, and going for that oh-so-tempting belly button over and over and over. Korone couldn’t stop writhing, her belly laughter even sneaking through the metal cover on her face. “MYAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! GAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! HOHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! AAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!”

Okayu’s eyes widened. She could barely believe what she was witnessing. Aqua was actually turning this around. “K-Korosan?!” She called out.

Aqua’s breathing started to speed up, and so did her tickles. She was doing it. She had Korone effectively trapped, and she was wearing her down. Aqua tickled her armpits, her neck, that delectable tummy that was so insistent on showing itself, and Korone couldn’t stop laughing. “AHYAHYAHYAHYAHYAAAAAA! HAHAHAYAHYAHYAHYAHYAHYAHYAHYAHYA! GYAHYAHYAHYAHYAHYAHYA! HYAHYAHYAHYAHYAHYAHYAHYAHYAHYAHYAHYAHYA!!!” For over a minute now, Korone was stuck like this, and Aqua savoured every moment. She was doing exactly what not a single person in this room thought she could. She was triumphing over her greatest threat. She was taking down the impossible opponent. She was winning the contest. She never let that glimmer of hope go, that hope that she would emerge from this whole competition as the victor, and it was finally paying off. Once Korone eventually gave up, Aqua’s beloved Okayu would finally be

Pop!

The helmet was off.

Korone swung around and immediately grabbed Aqua’s wrists, squeezing them tightly. “Sneaky move, Agua, sneaky move.” She said, kicking the helmet far out of reach,

Aqua froze. This is it. This is where she dies.

“Let me make sure you neeeeever pull something like that ever again~” Korone chirped, pulling Aqua off the ground by her wrists and slamming her down on her back.

“GYAH!” Right as Aqua hit the ground, Korone was already on top of her. She sat on Aqua’s thighs and clamped her knees together, squeezing Aqua’s hips and arms between them. Now, with her arms pinned at her sides, her back against the floor, and Korone sitting on her legs, Aqua was completely stuck.

Korone tauntingly wiggled her fingers. “Time to get tickled to death, Aguatan.”

Aqua shivered in fear. “S-Stop, stop, Korone, LET ME GO!” She pleaded. She was getting really tired of being trapped like this, but didn’t have much time to think about that anyway. Korone’s slowly approaching fingers were the only things occupying her mind.

“Let you go?!” Korone shouted, her voice cracking a bit. She snickered, lowering her face right over Aqua’s and smirking into her soul. “Now why would I ever do that, Agua? Last time I tried, you stuck that thing on my face. You think that was a good idea?” She asked, playfully pinching Aqua’s cheeks. “Was iiiiit~?”

Aqua flinched, letting a squeak out. “D-Don’t-!”

“Well it doesn’t matter now, Agutan, cuz there’s nooooooothing left for you to stick on my face~” Korone stretched her arms up, giving Aqua an up-close view of her belly as her shirt crept up. “

“N-No, NO! P-PLEASE, DON’T TICKLE ME!” Aqua shouted, completely unable to do much else.

Korone aimed her fingers at Aqua’s armpits, wiggling them like little pistons, gradually lowering them toward the struggling maid. “Heh heh heh, I’m gonna getchaaaaa~” She teased, occasionally jerking her hands forward at random to startle Aqua.

“Ahh, Korosan,” Okayu sighed, propping her head up on her elbow, “I almost feel bad for little Akutan. Give her a chance to surrender at least~” She fluttered her fingers playfully, smirking down at the competitors.

Aqua glanced over at the cat, barely visible in the corner of her eye. “S-Surrender…?” She mumbled to herself. Her attention was quickly brought back to Korone’s fingers.

“Fiiiiiine, Okayu, I’ll give her a second, Okayu, but ONLY A SECOND.” Korone fluttered her fingers a mere inch away from the maid’s armpits. “So, Agua, do you want to you give up, or do you want to suffer the most intense and merciless and unbearable tickle torture you’ve ever faced in your entire life, and then give up?” She gave Aqua’s belly button a few pokes, and her neck a gentle tickle, just to get her giggling nervously. It worked a little too well; Aqua was already only a few steps off from melting into a giggling puddle.

Shion shook her head. “Don’t give in. You can still win this for us, Akutan.” She whispered.

Gura pursed her lips. “…can she?” She muttered. Shion didn’t answer.

“Hurry, Agua, hurry, Agua, hurry!” Korone repeated, wiggling her fingers a mere inch away from Aqua’s armpits. “I’m getting impatient, Agua~ My fingers are getting cold, Agutan~ I really, really, REALLY wanna tickle you ‘til you’re an itty bitty bundle of limbs and giggles, Aguatan~!” She squeezed Aqua tighter between her knees.

Aqua bucked and squirmed like a fish out of water. “Nnng, K-Korone, I… I-”

“Time’s running out, Aguataaaaan~~~!” Korone’s fluttering digits loomed closer and closer and even closer, darting down to poke Aqua’s ribs, sides, and belly every so often. “Answer me, Aguataaaaaaaaaan~~~~~!”

“GYEA! No, s-stAHA- STOP, StooOHOHop, dON’T!” Aqua twisted and turned the limited amount she could. She closed her eyes, trying to mabe wriggle out like a worm, but Korone’s gripon her was unbreakable, and her occasional light tickles were already breaking her down bit by bit. It didn’t matter how quickly this had gone so south, Aqua was not going to give up. Not even against Korone would she ever.

But every time Aqua opened her eyes, Korone’s wiggling fingers and wicked smile were staring right back…

Korone bent down even closer, wiggling her fingers right over the maid’s face. “Last chance, Aqua.”

A horrible chill ran up the maid’s spine. This was the end of the road. No matter how hard she tried to stay in the game, this was going to break her. She could feel it. Everyone could feel it. Shion and Gura were practically packing their things already, that is if they hadn’t been so invested. Okayu was pretty much ready to get up and go home, that is if this wasn’t already her house. They all knew Aqua wasn’t gonna make it, but then again, Aqua still wasn’t ready to give in. It didn’t matter how much her better judgement begged, Aqua had made up her mind. The maid watched on in terror as those dreaded, devilish fingers hung over her eyes, approaching her writhing body, wriggling with…

…

wait…

wait a second…

“What is that?” Aqua asked.

Korone paused. “………what’s what?”

“On your finger.” She clarified, using her head to gesture to the dog’s left hand.

“My…” Korone raised her hand and spread out her fingers, examining each of them closely. “OH, this!” She pointed to the object currently capturing Aqua’s attention: A small, shiny, golden ring fitted with a pink/purple gem hugging her ring finger tightly. “It’s my super super special ring!” She squealed, grinning ear to ear.

Aqua tilted her head. “…special ring?”

Korone nodded. “Yeah yeah, Okayu got it for me on my birthday~”

Shion and Gura silently gasped. “S-She what?” Shion asked.

“I sure did, and you got me a little something in return, didn’t you?” Okayu chuckled, raising her left hand to reveal her own ring on the same finger, one that matched Korone's in every way, except the gem was a vibrant orange instead. “On my birthday too, no less.”

“Matching… rings…?” Aqua muttered.

“Ehehe, yep, like Ogayu and I are married! Well, we pretty much are anyway.” Korone said.

Okayu heard the statement.

Okayu chuckled at the statement.

Okayu did not deny the statement.

“Anyway, I think you’ve stalled me for a liiiiiiiiittle too long now, Agua. You had your chance to give up, so now… tickle time resumes!” The dog declared, wiggling her fingers in the air before skittering them all over Aqua’s sides, ribs, belly, underarms, neck, every inch of her upper body, unleashing the ultimate tickle attack on the maid. It was every bit as ruthless as Korone promised.

Aqua didn’t crack a smile.

“Matching… rings…” She mumbled.

Shion, Gura, and even Okayu worriedly glanced at each other. “Aqua…? Are you… uh…?” Gura trailed off. “………uh oh…”

“Um…” Korone hesitated for a fraction of a second, then went right for Aqua’s hips and thighs, her fingers pinching and kneading any bare skin they could reach. “Gitchy gitchy goo…?”

Aqua stared coldly. “Matching… rings.” She repeated again. Korone’s fingers gradually and awkwardly slowed to a stop.

“…Aku…tan?” Okayu sat up straight. “Y-Yeah… we got each other m-matching rings… is, uh… is everything okay?”

Aqua sat up too, effortlessly shoving Korone off of her. “Matching rings…”

“WaAO!” Korone landed softly on her back. “Um……………… Okayu?” Her gaze fell on the cat girl for some kind of support, but Okayu had none to offer. She was just as scared as anyone else in the room. It’s been a while since Korone last felt like this, so unnerved, so anxious.

“Matching rings.” Aqua grumbled one last time before standing up, her arms hanging limp at her sides. Korone could barely see her eyes twitch from under a row of dishevelled bangs. “You… and Okayu… married…” She gritted her teeth and clenched her fists.

Everyone was petrified at this point, even Korone. Okayu was the only one who found any words to say. “M-Maybe… uh… maybe it’s best if we p-put this contest on pause and… a-and pick this all back up in a couple hours? Or t-tomorrow? You both deserve a huuuge break after all of that, right? Aqua? A-Aqua, don’t you thi-”

Aqua jumped at Korone.

“WAH! WH-WHAT THE-?!” Before the dog knew it, she was on her back, straddled by Aqua, tangled in her own limbs and tail.

Aqua dug her fingers into Korone’s sides, easily slipping into the loose shirt which had already risen up a bit from the quick scuffle, almost ripping it. She skipped the pokes, teases, and fluttery tickles, going straight for the kill right away, kneading and clawing at the flesh while spewing out a variety of unintelligible screams, growls, and screeches.

“HYAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA, AQUAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA?!?!” Korone shrieked, instantly overcome with laughter. Spirals of ticklish hell shot through every nerve on her belly all at once.

Aqua’s nails scratched every inch of Korone’s midriff so ticklishly, Korone was already losing her mind laughing, still not totally sure what was happening.

The dog girl’s belly laughter came out in screams, whether they were of pain or delight, even Korone couldn’t tell. “AYAHAHAHAHAAAAAAA! GHAHAHAHEHEHEEEEHEHAHA! HOOOOOO, HYAAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA AHYAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAAAHAAHAHAHAAAAAAAA! HEEEEEEEHIHIHIHIHIHIHIYAAHAHAHA!” She pounded the floor with her fists and heels, she thrashed and bucked her hips wildly, she swung and batted at Aqua, anything to at least slow down the ticklish torture, but Aqua was unshakeable. Eventually, she at least managed to roll onto her belly.

Korone soon came to realise, however, that just meant her back was next, plus her armpits and sides for good measure. Aqua struck at them with the same ruthlessness, her fingers finding every single spot that made the dog laugh.

“AHOOOOOOOOOHYAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! HAAAAYAAAAAAAHAHAAAAAAHAHAAAAA! HAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! HOOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHEEEEEE! HEEEEHEHEHEOHAHAAHAHAHAHAHA! HIHI, HIYAAAHAHAHAHA!” As Korone’s shrieks quickly grew more desperate and heavy, Aqua’s spouts of gibberish gradually slowed to a stop, the maid sitting in a harsh and eerie silence instead. Korone’s laughter was the only sound in the room at this point, that and the slamming of her limbs against the wooden floor, small cracks and chips beginning to form from the impacts.

Aqua’s fingers kept working their magic no matter how many times Korone swatted at her. She took dozens of hits as she kept the dog in that ticklish hell, digging between her ribs, drilling into her armpits, kneading into those soft sides and that toned belly of hers, but not one slap or swing or kick had even the slightest effect. Aqua sat coldly, staring down at Korone’s writhing and helplessly squealing body with not a single expression on her face. Korone only saw this, the maid’s dead, hollow stare, through the few times her eyes were free of tears. It was, for lack of a better term, utterly terrifying.

Minutes upon minutes of unending tickles were starting to get to Korone. Her laughs grew more breathy, her arms and legs grew weaker, she stopped rolling around entirely, settling flat on her back, but her weak spots got no less ticklish, and Aqua’s fingers no less hellish. “AAHAAAAAH… HYAAAAHAHAAAAAHAHAAHAHAHAAA… HAAHAAAAAHAHAAAA… GYAAAAHAHAAAAHAHAAAAAAA… HAAAAAAAAHAHAHYAAA!” Aside from the few times Aqua would hit her with a surprise belly raspberry, making her eyes widen and her body jerk to life, Korone had all but unravelled into an exhausted, giggling ragdoll, lying helplessly on the floor.

Then Aqua got her feet.

“NNNOOOOOOOOOOO!!!” Korone screamed, immediately realising the horrible mistake she just made. Aqua found her new targets, and she was more than ready to test them out. She curled her legs around Korone’s ankles, trapping them in place, and brought her fingers straight to her soles, sparing the poor dog no time to breathe. “HNNG-! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOHOHOHOHOOOOOHOHOHO!!! NONONONONONONONOHOHOHOHOHOHOHOHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!” Korone’s laughter found new life. She jerked and squirmed all over the floor, Aqua dug into her arches, teased her heels, traced her insteps, clawed at and under and between her toes, and that was all before her tongue got involved, and tons of nibbles and even more raspberries came flying Korone’s way. Korone, though very ticklish just about everywhere, was clearly pushed far beyond what she could handle. She was dying of laughter, probably literally, and Aqua showed signs of stopping. The dog’s brain had melted into a giggly syrup at this point, her nerves burning, the nerves in her feet searing, and all of her muscles twitching uncontrollably. Korone was too weak to fight back, too weak to escape, almost too weak to even laugh; she couldn’t muster the breath to surrender whether she wanted to or not. Aqua just wouldn’t let up.

Eventually though, Aqua did let up.

She lifted her hands away from Korone’s feet, and placed her palms on the floor. It took a full minute for Korone to empty the last giggles out of her system, where she then laid limp on the floor, completely and utterly exhausted. Gradually, Korone’s lungs found some air again, her nerves traded the burning sensation for a persistent tingle, and the tears fully cleared out of her eyes. Throughout it all, neither of them said a word. The room was dead silent. Aqua gently shut her eyes, calmly exhaling through her mouth, then she reopened them, her gaze finding Korone’s. “Well?” Aqua asked, her expression still blank, but the life back in her eyes as even she started gasping for breath. “Do you give up?”

Korone laid in silence for a moment.

Shion squeezed the edges of her skirt.

Gura was practically frozen.

Okayu’s heart was too anxious to take its next beat.

Aqua sat patiently, ready to strike again if need be.

Eventually, with a sigh and a weak nod of her head, “Yeah… I give up… You win, Aguatan.” Korone said.

Life burst back into the room. Aqua breathed a sigh of relief, falling onto her back. She did it. Against all odds, she did it. She took on one of the toughest battles of her life, and she came out victorious. Tired, but victorious. A proud smile swept across her face.

“AKUTAN!” Shion cheered, jumping up and pulling Aqua to her feet, where she wearily managed to stay upright. “I-I can’t believe it!”

“You got her!” Gura wrapped her short arms around the made, giving her an affectionate squeeze. “Yeah, baby! I knew you could do it! I had 100% believed in you the whole entire time!”

Shion joined the embrace. “Aqua, that was incredible! You had her, KORONE begging for mercy! And when you did that leg thing to hold her ankles, that was so-…” She suddenly pushed away and cleared her throat. “I mean, I-I’m not happy for you or anything, it’s… uh, it’s j-just that… I… umm…” Shion paused, eventually rolling her eyes and relenting. “Oh screw it, I’m proud of you.”

Aqua giggled, playfully elbowing Shion’s side. Her gaze fell on Korone, who was still limp on the floor. The maid, somewhat fearfully, offered a hand to help her up.

Korone shook her head. “Mh-mh. I need a second.” She replied.

Aqua nodded and pulled away, smiling at the two friends celebrating with her. “Thanks guys…” She murmured in a shy and awkward expression of joy. The two of them (mostly Shion) were her enemies earlier this morning, but now, as weird as it felt to say this, she would gladly spend another day with them, just doing literally anything other than this. She’s had enough tickling for one lifetime.

Okayu’s face was frozen with a stunned expression. “Aqua, you-” She broke out into a sudden coughing fit out of pure shock, drawing everyone’s attention. After a few seconds, she managed to save herself from choking, and stared, nearly pale-faced, at the victorious maid. “You actually won!”

“I did, didn’t I? I…” Aqua trailed off, still struggling for breath after her own tickle attack. It was starting to dawn on her what she had just accomplished, and more importantly, the prize she was about to get for it. Her eyes went wide with excitement. She was finally Okayu’s. At long last, this hopeless chase was over, and it didn’t end in heartbreak like every single person in her life said it would. She and Okayu could finally live out the life Aqua had always dreamed of. “I really did it!”

“Wow.” Okayu fell into silence, awkwardly twiddling with the tip of her tail. “I… really wasn’t expecting that.” She muttered. “The winner of our final round is… Aqua…”

Aqua gleefully squeaked with a little jump in the air, stumbling a bit upon landing. She blushed, bashfully bouncing on the balls of her feet. “Hehe, I- I know, I wasn’t really expecting it either~ But now, you and me, w-we can really be together!” She squeaked with stars in her eyes.

“I… um…” Okayu clumsily stood up, her eyes noticeably lacking any stars in them. “Aqua… I- Look, Aqua, I’ll be completely honest with you, I… was 100% banking on Korosan winning this…” She admitted, sapping almost all of the energy out of the moment.

Aqua’s smile dipped. She couldn’t help but notice that she was ever so slightly more excited about her victory than Okayu. “U-Uh… B-But I won, right? And, as you s-said, that means I’m officially your bride now, right? Okayu…?”

“Oh yeah, of course you won, and I did in fact say all that stuff, so congrats… but…” Okayu chuckled, her gaze wandering around the room. Gura and Shion glanced at each other, noticing the shift in atmosphere. “Aqua… I mean, Korosan and I bought these whole rings for each other! She was kinda supposed to win, because, you know, I actually love her.” She said, Korone raising her left hand up to show her ring off again.

“Wh-…” Aqua’s heart split in two. “S-… So w-wha…”

“So the heck what was the point of all this?” Shion asked, standing at Aqua’s side. “If Korone was ‘supposed to win’ anyway, why’d you even bother calling us here?”

“Well, you see…” Okayu’s fingers were starting to twitch. She took a deep breath and quickly composed herself. “The idea was that this would all be a fun way to… you know… settle this whole thing between you guys. Sure it’s fun seeing you fight over me and all, but at the end of the day, I wasn’t really gonna pick any of you over Korosan. Once she won, that was supposed to be it.”

“Well, news flash,” Gura cut in, stepping up to Shion’s side, “Koro-San didn’t win, Aqua did. You’ve gotta hold up your end of the bargain with her.”

Okayu nodded her head. “Of course, of course, and I’ll do that. Absolutely… Totally…” She shifted her gaze off to the side, not looking at anything in particular. “We, uh… we can probably work something out.”

The three of them traded glances. “‘Work something out’…?” Aqua mumbled.

“The heck is that supposed to mean?” Gura asked, her tone placed dead in the centre of sass and genuine curiosity.

Okayu scratched her ear thoughtfully for half a minute, before suddenly clasping her hands together. “Oh, oh, like this, Akutan: You can be my partner in name and name only, but in reality I’ll be with Korosan exactly like I want to. It’s the best of both worlds! You can call me your girlfriend, wife, or whatever as much as you want, and I won’t ever deny it~ But make no mistake, I’m still Korosan’s. I’m sure I’ll eventually warm up to holding your hand, maybe a kiss on the cheek or two, and if you’re lucky, maybe even more? Hehehe~ How about that? Is that the perfect compromise or what? Huh? Huh?”

Aqua said nothing.

Okayu’s fingers started to twitch again. “Akutan…? Uh, is that a ‘yes’ or…”

“Allow me to translate.” Shion cut in. “She’s saying ‘That’s a load of bullshit’, Okayu.”

“Yep. That about sums it up.” Gura added, her tone fully taken over by sass. “But hey, she shouldn't take it personally, you cheated all three of us after all.”

Shion rolled her eyes. “Serves us right, trusting the boss of a criminal organisation not to pull something like this.”

“Um, pardonné moi, Okayu’s a what now?”

“Oh, did you not know that?” Shion said, smirking at the atlantean. “It’s called Doroken, look it up. Shady stuff.”

Okayu started to tense up. “Hey, look, I think that’s a perfect happy medium for Aqua and I, and I wouldn’t say that I-”

“Ogayu,” Korone interjected, unmoved from the floor where she collapsed, “Aguatan beat me fair and square. You can’t just cheat her unfair and unsquare, right?”

“K-Korosan?!” Okayu’s tail fearfully wrapped around her leg as she backed away. As a side note, she just realized she had been backing away. “R-Remember, Korosan, we’ll still technically be together even if Aqua holds that title… You and me~ on the same side~… Korosan? C’mon, you’ve gotta be with me, right? You’re on my side, right?”

“Mmm.” Korone jumped up to her feet, and stood beside Aqua, her arms crossed, her tail wagging eagerly.

Okayu’s steps back became meek shuffles. “Korosan…? M- G-Gura? Shion? A-Aku- Aqua? Guys?” Her heels hit the wall behind her. “H-Hey, m-m-maybe we could aaaaaaall work something out t-together, a-and ALL of you can be winners! W-Would you like that? Would you?”

“Okayu.” Aqua said, her voice firm and direct.

“……yes, Akutan?”

Aqua crossed her arms and smirked. “I have a better idea for a compromise.”

Okayu sighed in a very small amount of relief. “Y-You do?” She whimpered, briefly letting her eyes light up optimistically.

“Oh yeah. I sure do.” Aqua replied. She looked to her left, where Shion stood, magical book in hand, delightfully smug grin plastered across her face. To Shion’s left, Gura stood, tail slapping against the floor, trident restlessly twirling in her hands. She looked to her right, where Korone barely managed to hold still, her helmet bouncing on her head as her head bounced on her shoulders, and the rest of her body bounced with her knees. For a few seconds, Aqua simply gazed at the three of them standing in this line with her, enjoying being together with them all for at least one day. Then she turned back to Okayu, grinning as wicked a grin as her naturally adorable face could muster. “And for the final final round of our tickle tournament, we have the beautiful Nekomata Okayu,” Aqua announced, clenching her fists, “versus everyone else.”

“Huh?” Okayu’s eyes went white. “W-Wait, what…?”

“And there’s no tapping out ‘til we’re aaaaall tired!”

Okayu’s heart nearly stopped right there. Tired?! Korone never got tired, Shion’s magic meant she barely har to lift a finger, Gura could probably regain power by rubbing and licking her feet, and something in Aqua’s head had clearly snapped beyond repair. None of them were ever gonna tire out. Aqua couldn't be serious. “N-Now hold on a second, I never said we-”

“I’m sure we’re all loving this idea, right?” Aqua asked, turning to the other three again.

Shion felt a jolt of electricity shoot through her body. “OhoOO, you don’t have to ask me twice!” She snickered, opening up her book.

Gura threw her trident to the side and eagerly wiggled her fingers. “Dibs on the feet! I mean, not for any specific reason or anything, I’m just claiming a random spot for m-”

“We get it, we get it.” Shion replied, patting Gura’s head. “I just know those feet are just SO ticklish~ You better share, Gura!”

“Oh don’t worry about sharing, there’s enough tickle spots for everybody.” Korone added, flexing her fingers. “And I know every single one of them.”

Okayu’s eyes darted around the room. The feeling in her chest was foreign to her; it was indescribable, something close to unbearable dread… nevermind, that was exactly it. “H-Haha, uh, hey, w-we’re a-all just, uh, j-…j-joking around, r-right? A-Akutan? Come ooooon, Akutan, y-you’re all not r-really g-gonna…”

“Oh, I absolutely am gonna, Okayu.” Aqua shot back, approaching the cat girl slowly. “We all are.” She added, the rest of the competitors closing in on Okayu with her.

“Uhh…” Okayu visibly started to tremble, her back pressing harder and harder against the wall.

Aqua smirked almost as smugly as Shion. “So, Okayu, care to count us in?” She teased, the four of them forming a half circle around the cornered cat girl.

Okayu could barely muster a word. “…aha… haha… hey, you know, you… you’re all just so-” She darted off and made a break for the exit, knocking a few chairs out of the way. Just as she was reaching for the door, something caught her ankles, and she tripped onto the floor.

“Ah ah ah~ No running from this one.” Shion said, running her fingers across the pages of her book.

“W-WH-?” Okayu looked down to see two magical tentacles sticking out of the floor and coiling around her ankles. She tried to rip her legs out of their grasp, but couldn’t, and was forced to let them drag her back into the arena. “Wait, I- I’M SORRY!” She cried, two more tentacles binding her ankles.

“I’m sure you are.” Aqua replied. “Or at least you’re going to be.”

The tentacles flipped Okayu over and spread her out, binding her to the floor in a big Y position. More tentacles sprouted out of the floor and tugged at all of her clothing, pulling her hoodie up, popping her shoes off, exposing as much of Okayu as they could, and even tying down her tail just to be sure. “A-AH, NO!”

“Heh heh heh!” Korone snickered, kneeling over Okayu’s right side. “Something wrong, Ogayuuu? Is my widdle Ogayu a widdle bit tigglish~?”

“Oh she ABSOLUTELY is!” Shion squatted down at Okayu’s feet. “And so soft too…”

Gura pushed the witch to the side. “Hey, I called dibs!” She stated, laying on her stomach with Okayu’s sole right in her face. “These feet are getting the ticklish treatment of a lifetime, and I’M gonna give it to ‘em!”

“Okay, okay, haha, do your thing.” Shion settled down next to Okayu’s left armpit. “Any tickle spot preference, Korosan?”

“I’m getting her… EVERYWHERE!” Korone chirped.

Okayu writhed, her eyes darting from person to person. “W-Wait, seriously, w-we can all work this out together! I love you all so, so dearly! W-We d-don’t have to do this, right? Haha, ha, h-hey! Guys? GUYS!”

The three of them could barely manage to hold their positions, the fingers itching, their hearts racing. Shion looked back at the only one yet to join. “Care to have the first taste, Mrs. Champion?”

Aqua’s eyes widened. “Me?”

“Yeah, y’think we’re gonna start without ya?” Gura replied. “It’s your prize, man. Enjoy it.”

“Come on come on come on come on come ooOOON, I can’t wait, Aguatan!” Korone was violently shaking. “Eager” was less than an understatement.

“Get over here, girl. Okayu’s all yours.” Shion said.

Aqua could almost feel herself welling up with tears. “Guys, haha,” she giggled, blushing bashfully and playing with the ends of her twintails, but now was no time to act all flustered. Now was time to enjoy her reward. Aqua carefully stepped over Gura and sat down on Okayu’s hips, her fingers poised to strike. “Ahem, so, Mrs. Host Okayu, let me ask again: Would you like to count us down?”

This was a weird feeling for Okayu. In almost any other circumstance, she would be completely down to be tickled like this, even by these four. Tickling was anything but unfamiliar to her, restrained or not, so why was her head swirling? Why was her heart skipping beats left and right? Why was she so scared? Looking around at the four of them, she quickly put together that this wasn’t the playful, flirty tickle session she was used to. This was something else entirely. These four weren’t going to take it easy, they were looking to make the cat scream and beg for mercy, and regardless of when she hit that point, there was still no telling when they’d be done with her. There was no telling if they’d ever be done with her. They wanted payback, on both their own and each others’ behalf. Okayu was completely at the mercy of four girls who had no mercy to spare. “I- I, A-Aqua, I…”

“Someone’s lost her cool, huh?” Aqua said, taking Okayu’s helpless stuttering as an answer. “I suppose I’ll have to handle the countdown. Get ready, ladies!” She cracked her knuckles, chuckling sinisterly.

“Ten… nine… eight…”

“nN- Aqua, wait, w-wait, I’m sorry!” Okayu begged. Shion, Korone, and Gura’s faces ominously hung over her vulnerable body, smirks plastered on all of them. “I-I admit it, I t-totally cheated you, but I’ll never do it again, I- I promise!” She insisted, writhing helplessly.

“seven… six… five…”

“Aqua, n-NO, listen, I-… I- I love you! W-We can be girlfriends for real, I- I swear!” Okayu tried, struggling to manoeuvre the ring off of her finger. “I-It’s just like I promised! E-Everything’s solved now~, haha, haha, right? Th-That’s what you wanted, right? W-We’ll be t-together, r-right? Aqua? P-Please?!”

“four… three…”

Okayu managed to flick the ring off of her finger. “T-There! Aq- A-AQUA, LOOK, l-look, t-the ring, it, i- I don’t- I- I’m not-… I… I……” Nobody was listening.

“two…”

“…A-… Anyone…?”

“one…”

Okayu squeezed her eyes shut. She tensed her core. She turned her head to the side. She clenched her fists. She gritted her teeth. She did every single thing she could possibly do to brace herself. “……g-go easy… please…”

Aqua grinned. This was gonna be a fun afternoon.

“Go.”