(Kai POV – Kai's Room)
"Hold on, Moka. Let me explai—" I start, but before I can finish, Kurumu's hand slides over my mouth, silencing me.
"Isn't it obvious?" Kurumu purrs, tilting her head toward Moka with a sugar-sweet smile. "We spent the whole night sleeping together… and now we were just about to really get started. You're interrupting, you know."
Moka's eyes blow wide.
Her pupils tremble, hands flying up to cover her mouth as if she can physically hold back the sound trying to escape. Tears well at the corners of her eyes, her shoulders shaking faintly.
A sharp, heavy ache twists in my chest.
I shoot Kurumu a hard look. She doesn't seem to care. If anything, her smile only widens, like she's already won.
I grip her waist firmly with both hands.
"Kya~ Easy there, darling." Kurumu giggles, completely misreading me. "Be patient. I'll get to you nex—"
I lift her clean off me before she finishes.
"H-Hey—!"
I set her aside on the bed without ceremony, ignoring her startled squeak, and swing my legs over the edge. I'm up and across the room in two strides, stopping in front of Moka, my hands settling gently on her trembling shoulders.
She flinches faintly, eyes darting up to mine. They're full of tears, which makes my stomach turn.
"Moka. Look at me." I keep my voice low and steady. "Don't listen to her."
She doesn't pull away, but she doesn't relax either. Her hands stay clenched at her chest, knuckles pale.
"What actually happened was her falling outside my window last night." I say, holding her gaze. "She looked distressed, so I let her in and checked if she was okay. Last night was the first time I'd ever even met her."
"…The first time?" Moka echoes faintly.
I nod. "I wouldn't lie to you."
She breathes in shakily, processing my words. Then her eyes shimmer again, voice small and unsteady.
"B-but… what about you and her… sleeping together?" She asks, half scared, half praying I'll have an answer for that too.
"Hey! Why'd you throw me off?!" Kurumu's voice cuts in from behind, indignantly. "You can't just toss a girl around like that!"
I keep my focus on Moka, ignoring Kurumu entirely.
"That part…" I say carefully, "…is technically true."
Moka's face crumples.
"But it's literally just that, sleeping." I rush on, squeezing her shoulders softly. "She passed out on top of me after, uh… well, after pushing me down. And after everything she went through, falling out of the sky and all, it felt wrong to just shove her off and wake her up. So I stayed put."
Even saying it out loud, it sounds nonsensical. If I were Moka, I'd probably slap me.
But Moka… just stares at me for a few moments, hoping my words are true. And once she realises I'm serious, slowly, the tension begins to leave her shoulders.
"So… you really didn't do anything?" She whispers, her voice carrying fragile hope.
"Nothing." I say firmly. "I swear."
She lets out a long, relieved sigh as her hands lower from her chest, fingers slowly uncurling.
"I'm… I'm so glad…" She murmurs, eyes fluttering closed. The corners of her lips lift in a tiny, fragile smile.
Then her brow furrows.
"…Eh? Why do I feel so relieved…?" She mumbles to herself, looking genuinely puzzled, a faint pink creeping into her cheeks as she fidgets with her own fingers.
I draw upon all my willpower to keep myself from smiling.
'The cuteness… it's too much!'
"You're ignoring me!" Kurumu's voice explodes from the bed behind me, shattering the moment.
She launches herself off it with a huff, stomping over. She jabs an accusing finger straight at Moka's face, close enough that Moka has to lean back to keep from being poked in the nose.
"Why are you always ruining my plans, Moka Akashiya?!" Kurumu seethes.
Moka blinks owlishly, looking less offended than utterly lost.
"P-Plans…?" She repeats in confusion. "Um… I don't think we've ever even met before now…?"
Kurumu plants her hands on her hips, glaring at us.
"My grand plan!" She declares, violet eyes sparkling with conviction. "My plan to charm and enslave every single male student of Yokai Academy! The glorious, beautiful, perfectly-crafted… Yokai Academy Harem Transformation Plan! Every boy in this school was supposed to be mine! Mine!"
Moka's mouth falls open, while Kurumu clenches her fists, gritting her teeth like a child throwing a tantrum.
"And then you showed up!" She points again, voice rising. "With your stupid smile, and bright pink hair… suddenly, every boy in school was tripping over himself to drool over you instead of me! Do you have any idea how long I worked on that plan?!"
Moka's mouth opens, then closes, then opens again, like a fish abruptly dropped on land.
"…Eh?" Is all she manages.
I drag a hand slowly down my face.
"Look on the bright side, Moka." I shake my head with a tired sigh. "You're so cute, you've been beating her without even trying."
Moka jolts.
"R-Really…?" She asks shyly, her cheeks blooming an even deeper pink as she peeks up at me through her lashes, fingers fidgeting at the hem of her skirt. "You… you really think I'm cute, Kai?"
"The cutest person I've ever met." I say without hesitation. "No one even comes close."
Her face goes from pink to nearly the same shade as her hair.
She ducks her head quickly, both hands flying up to cradle her cheeks, a tiny, embarrassed "Mmm—!" slipping out from behind them.
I have to restrain myself from teasing her more, lest she explode.
A vein pulses faintly at Kurumu's temple, her eye twitching.
"…Flirting." She breathes out, dangerously quiet. "Right in front of me. With her. After everything that just happened."
She slowly lifts her gaze, and her violet eyes are burning with rage. "You two are mocking me, aren't you?"
'Oh… she looks really mad.' I think.
"You…" She says, glaring at me. "You were never under my charm… were you?"
"Guilty as charged." I sigh. No point denying it once I've been caught.
Kurumu's hands begin to tremble at her sides.
"So you were playing me the whole time…" She mutters, her voice low and unsteady. "Even when I— even after everything I did… every embarrassing thing…"
Her gaze drops to the floor, hair falling forward to hide her eyes.
"I made myself look so pathetic…" Her shoulders shake faintly. "I clung to you. I begged. I let you hold me while I pretended to be scared… and you—!"
Her head snaps back up, and her violet eyes are wet with humiliated tears.
"And you still chose her!"
Her fingernails lengthen into curved, glistening claws, while leathery wings tear free from her back with a soft rustle. A slender, arrow-tipped tail lashes behind her, slicing the air with a faint hiss.
Moka gasps softly, taking a half-step back.
It's indeed a shocking sight… but for me?
I look around the room… my room.
'…Yeah, this place isn't going to survive.' I sigh internally.
I'm not really scared of her. More than anything, I'm annoyed at the chaos about to unfold, and all the trouble it'll cause me.
So I step forward, much to both Kurumu and Moka's surprise, and gently scoop Kurumu into my arms, cradling her bridal-style.
Her wings freeze mid-flap. Her claws hover, half-raised.
"…Eh?" Kurumu blinks down at me, the rage in her eyes faltering, replaced by pure, dumbfounded confusion. Her cheeks flush faintly. "W-Wait, what are you—"
"Kurumu." I say softly, and she freezes completely.
"…Y-Yes?" She breathes, a faint, traitorous flicker of hope crossing her face.
"I don't want my room cut into ribbons." I say.
"…Eh?"
And with a single, casual toss, I fling her clean out the window.
"WHAAAAAAAT—?!" Her shriek trails off into the morning air as she vanishes from view.
"Kai!" Moka gasps, hands flying to her mouth. "Y-You threw her away?!"
"She was about to dice up my room." I shrug helplessly. "Where would I sleep then?"
Even if I've never actually slept here, I'd rather have the option remain available!
Moka stares at me, mouth agape, clearly torn between scolding me and accepting my very compelling logic.
"Anyway…" I say, stepping toward the window. "I'll need to deal with her before she flies back." I plant a foot on the windowsill. "Stay here, Moka. Things could get dangerous."
And before she can protest, I push off, leaping out after Kurumu.
(Moka POV – Kai's Room)
"Kai—!" I rush toward the window, leaning out frantically, hair whipping around my face.
But he's already gone. The morning sky is empty save for a distant streak of motion vanishing into the trees beyond the dorms.
My fingers curl tightly against the windowsill.
'What do I do…?' I bite my lip. 'He told me to wait here…'
He's strong. He beat Saizo and didn't get hurt. He'll probably be fine. But…
'I can't just stand here while he's in danger.' My grip tightens. 'But he told me to wait. He told me—'
I press a hand to my chest, where my heart won't stop racing.
'I don't know what to do…'
And then—
[…Naive one.]
A soft, but cold voice echoes from somewhere deep within me.
I jump, whirling around with wide eyes.
"H-Huh?! W-Who's there?!" I stammer, scanning the empty room.
[Kai is in danger.]
I freeze.
The voice is faint, barely above a whisper, but this time, I trace its source.
My hand drifts down to the Rosary at my chest.
"…The Rosary?" I whisper, eyes wide. "Y-You're talking…?"
[I am another you. The you sealed within. I am using the Rosary as a medium to reach you from deep within your psyche.]
The voice is calm and confident. Almost… disdainful.
"A-Another me…?" I repeat, fingers tightening around the cross as my head begins spinning.
[There is no time for confusion. Listen carefully.]
I straighten instinctively, holding my breath.
[That girl, the one Kai threw out, is a succubus. A monster that ensnares men through seduction. They enslave men through their kiss. Once a man receives a succubus's kiss, he is bound to her as her slave for all eternity.]
My blood runs cold.
"K-Kai will be—!"
[He has resisted her charm thus far, which is quite impressive. But whether he is truly immune, or whether he will eventually succumb… remains to be seen.]
The voice grows fainter, like a candle running low.
[Hurry. Before he's turned into Kurumu's slave forever…]
The Rosary falls silent, and for a moment, I can't move.
Then, my hand drops from the Rosary, and I clench it into a fist.
'…I won't let that happen.'
I spin on my heel and bolt for the door, throwing it open hard enough that it flies off the hinges, slamming into the opposing wall.
I dash down the hallway, down the stairs, and in short order, out of the dorm. I desperately scan the treeline, picking out the direction Kai jumped.
My legs carry me forward before I've even finished thinking.
'Don't worry, Kai…!' Tears prick at the corners of my eyes, but I don't slow down. 'I'm coming!'
(Kurumu POV – Forest Near Dorms)
I let out a shaky breath as my wings expand behind me, catching the air and beating slowly to keep me airborne.
My hair and clothes are dishevelled from the force of the throw, and my heart hammers rapidly in my chest from the shock and fear of it all.
And as I float there, my shock receding… in its place comes anger.
A deep, unending anger surges within me.
"That… bastard…" I curse through gritted teeth, fists clenched as my body trembles with suppressed rage. "How… DARE HE?!"
Never in my life have I been treated like this.
Everywhere I go, boys and men worship me. They're unable to resist my charms. They beg me for a single glance and fight each other for the chance to so much as speak to me.
That's the way it's supposed to be. That's the way it has to be.
"First Moka, ruining my plan…" My breath comes in heavy, shuddering bursts. "Now even her boyfriend is messing with me…"
He resisted my charm. That made me mad.
But madder still was how he played along and treated me like a foolish child, letting me think I was making progress while he saw straight through every single one of my tricks.
Then, after all of that, after I'd cuddled with him all night… he still chose Moka over me.
And right as I was at my breaking point… when I'd finally had enough… he toyed with me one last time. Held me like I was precious… Made me hope, for just a second, that maybe he'd choose me. Then…
"Threw me out a window!" I shriek, voice cracking. "Like trash!"
Worse yet, I foolishly got swayed by his looks and that damnable scent of his, and I let him!
My chest heaves.
"Hehe… hehehehe…" A hollow, broken laugh escapes my throat. "I'm going to make them pay. Both of them."
I look down at my claws, gleaming in the morning light.
"I'll cut his pretty face to ribbons…" I murmur, a manic smile creeping across my lips. "And then I'll go back for Moka. I'll make him watch as I—"
A sudden rustle of leaves cuts me off.
My head snaps toward the sound, and I see Kai leaping between branches, closing the distance with effortless grace, like he's out for a morning stroll.
My lips curl into a dark smirk.
"…So you came to me first." I say, voice low. "Saves me the trip."
He lands lightly on a wide branch across from me, balancing on the narrow surface as though it were solid ground.
"Kurumu." He says, raising his hands placatingly. "Let's talk this through. I really just didn't want my room totalled—"
"I don't care!" I lunge forward before he can finish, wings beating once for explosive momentum, and I sweep my claws downward in a wide, vicious arc.
The tree he's standing on splits cleanly into six vertical strips, from crown to root, each section sliding apart with a slow, almost peaceful groan before crashing to the forest floor.
It's a perfect strike, except…
"That's kinda dangerous." His voice comes from behind me.
I whirl around, and he's standing on another tree, several meters away, hands in his pockets, looking at me with the same calm, mildly inconvenienced expression he had the entire time I was trying to seduce him.
"I really suggest we talk things through." He continues, as if I'm not currently transformed and trying to kill him.
"Shut up!" I launch myself at him.
I swing wildly, claws first, then my tail, then claws again, driving him from branch to branch, from tree to tree. Wood splinters, bark explodes, and a trunk thicker than my entire body cleaves in half and topples sideways with a thunderous crash.
He dodges every single attack.
He doesn't try to counter me, taunt… nothing. He just dodges, sliding around my attacks like water flowing around a rock. A tilt of his head dodges my claws by a hair. A slight shift of his weight, and my tail whistles past empty air.
"Stand! Still!" I scream, slashing through a boulder. It splits into four uneven pieces and tumbles down the slope. "What are you, some kind of monkey?!"
"I'd really rather not." He calls back, his voice maddeningly even. "Standing still seems like a great way to die."
"Then die!" I cleave straight through the next tree, then the one behind it. The ground itself splits open under one of my swings, dust kicking up around my feet. My breathing is ragged now, my chest heaving, sweat beading along my brow.
But him? Not a single bead of sweat… not a scratch.
'Why…' My next swing slices through nothing but air as he ducks under it with infuriating ease. '…can't… I hit him?!'
I land hard on the forest floor, panting, my wings drooping slightly behind me.
He hasn't moved from his current branch. He's just watching me, his head tilted slightly, like he's waiting for me to tire myself out.
The realization hits like a physical blow.
He's not even fighting me.
He's still toying with me.
A fresh, hot wave of humiliation surges through my chest, choking me. My claws tremble at my sides.
'I can't even touch him…?' For a long, terrible moment, I consider giving up. Just flying away. Disappearing into the forest and never having to look at his stupid, calm face again—
"Kai!" A voice rings out through the trees, and my head snaps toward the sound.
There, rushing out from behind the trees is Moka. Her cheeks are flushed from running, and she skids to a stop at the edge of the clearing, chest heaving, emerald eyes scanning the destruction around us with wide-eyed horror before locking onto Kai.
She's panting too hard to speak for a moment. Her hands rest on her knees, and a strand of hair clings to her cheek.
But her eyes aren't scared… they're determined.
A slow, vicious smile spreads across my face as a new idea blooms in my mind.
'If I can't reach Kai… then I'll force him to stop dodging.' I think. 'There's no way he'll avoid me if I pretend to attack Moka.'
And as much as I hate her, I'll beat her fair and square, and prove I'm better. That I'm prettier… after slicing Kai to pieces.
*********
A/N: Hello Everyone! How are you all? If you've enjoyed the chapter and book thus far, please consider leaving me some comments, reviews, or power stones. It really helps the book out.
So, this is the next chapter. To be honest, I'm quite conflicted. I'm a firm believer in gender equality in fiction 😭, and I'm wondering if Kai's fist should embody the concept🤣. Actually, by all that, I mean, should be actually beat her up😭😭😭. My current plans lean towards no, but I'm curious what you all think. I will preemptively state, that these considerations are purely for the love interests🤣🤣🤣. Everyone else is equal treatment.
Also, I guess, I'm not entirely happy with this chapter to be honest. But, it's hard to figure out another way to do it. In the original, it relied on the MC being weak, which isn't applicable here. But what I'm not completely satisfied with is Kurumu's presentation. I kinda wanted her to be more... Relatable, but needed her antagonistic enough for Inner to fight her. So, she needs to want to kill Kai, but not necessarily Moka, else she'd probably...💀.
Hence why at the end, she doesn't actually want to attack Moka. She wants to bait Kai. But anyway, feel free to criticise (I wonder if anyone can be more critical than me about me) me for this failure🫠
You can also read 5 chapters ahead and support me at [email protected]/AMV_WEAKLY
Anyway, that's all from me. I hope you enjoyed, and have a wonderful rest of your day/night😁