"Ugh, how did I end up with a headache?" I groaned the moment I opened my eyes, my skull throbbing like someone had stuffed thunder inside it and let it rumble around for fun.
Shit, what happened? 'I can't remember anything,' I thought, pressing a palm to my forehead. Or… trying to. For some reason my right hand wouldn't move, like it was pinned in place. Confused, I shifted slightly and realized why.
"Huh? Why is Kayda spooning me?" I muttered, irritation flaring for only a second before confusion overrode it. I wasn't even lying on my side—I was flat on my back. Yet her arms were looped tightly around my waist, her cheek resting right against my shoulder. Her breath tickled my skin every few seconds, steady and peaceful. The reason my hand wouldn't budge was because it was trapped between her arm and my body.
I blinked, staring down at her. Her crimson hair was mussed from sleep, strands sticking every which way. Her expression was soft, lips parted ever so slightly, and I felt my irritation melt away.
'Her sleeping face really is the cutest thing ever,' I admitted, my heart betraying me. Slowly, I moved my free left hand and brushed some of that stray hair away from her face, tucking it gently behind her ear.
That was when I saw it.
"Wait, what is this?" I whispered, my eyes narrowing. There were faint red marks—bite marks—on her neck.
My ears twitched violently. With delicate care, I shifted my weight and lifted her head a little higher, adjusting her against the pillow so I could see better. In the process, the blanket that had covered us slid back.
My brain short-circuited.
Kayda's upper body was bare except for a thin strap of fabric clinging loosely to her arm. Smooth skin, toned but soft, was on full display.
"Boobs, rawr," I muttered without thinking, instantly snapping my head back and slapping a hand over my nose before it could betray me with a bleed.
'Now I know why last night felt so good when I—wait, why the hell is she half-naked?' I thought, utterly bewildered.
"Mhh… Kitsu, please stop moving. It hurts," Kayda mumbled, her voice husky from sleep.
I froze, panicked. "…How am I hurting you?" I asked quickly, terrified I'd done something irreversible.
"My body is sore, of course," she replied, peeking up at me with bleary, half-lidded eyes.
My tail stiffened. "Wha—what did we do last night, rawr?" I asked, hesitating, each word dragging painfully out of me.
A smirk tugged at her lips. "Heh, you don't remember?" she teased, tilting her head to grin up at me.
"I… I might have forgotten what I did," I admitted sheepishly, scratching my cheek, ears drooping in embarrassment.
"Well," she said casually, rolling onto her side and stretching like a cat. "We went out drinking. You attacked me. We found a place to stay, and here we are."
I froze again. "I—I attacked you, rawr?" I stammered, horrified at myself.
"Yes. You started it," Kayda teased again, leaning closer to kiss my cheek.
Heat exploded in my face. That might have happened since I still have my clothes on. But… then again, I could've used my storage skill to put them back on… oh gods, what if I did?' My brain twisted into knots trying to figure it out.
"Don't worry too much," Kayda said soothingly, standing up from the bed. My eyes betrayed me, trailing her movement. "It was my fault that this happened." She bent over, picking her shirt up from the ground, which only made my ears steam more.
"How, rawr?" I mumbled, unable to stop the sound of embarrassment from slipping into my words.
"We went to a bar, remember? I wanted to see if you could get drunk," she explained simply, tugging the shirt over her head.
"Hmm, I thought it wouldn't be possible," I admitted, looking away quickly to spare myself.
"I agreed with you there, but as we can see—"
"And I can feel it," I muttered miserably, burying my burning face into both hands.
"—it's possible," she finished, her tone smug. Then she chuckled. "Though I don't think it's a good idea to try it again, haha."
"Why?" I asked cautiously, peeking through my fingers.
"Neck, boobs, everything that was exposed is full of bite marks," Kayda said flatly, lifting her shirt to show me. Red blotches were scattered everywhere, like I'd gone feral.
I squeaked. "…I can heal you?"
"Please do," she said immediately, sitting back down on the bed.
"Here," I said, biting into my finger until it bled and holding it out to her.
She raised a brow. "...What am I supposed to do with your bleeding finger?"
"Just lick it. It will work. Trust me," I said impatiently, waving it at her.
Kayda sighed dramatically. "You have the weirdest fetishes." Then, deliberately slowly, she leaned forward, licked the blood off my finger, and even slid it into her mouth, holding eye contact the entire time with a mischievous grin.
"Hey! Don't do it like that, rawr!" I yelped, yanking my hand back as my face burned hotter than dragonfire.
"But you told me to," she teased mercilessly.
"Grr, don't be like that! Please—I'm going to pass out… or attack you again, rawr," I admitted, looking away, trying desperately to keep control.
"Fine, fine, I'll stop," she relented, hands raised in mock surrender. Standing, she gathered the blanket around herself and strolled to the bathroom.
"Oh right," she said casually, pausing at the doorway. "When does your mother get here?"
I blinked, momentarily distracted. "I don't know. Maybe in a few hours. Could you please tell me what time it is? I muttered, scrambling out of bed and glancing around.
Knock knock. "Is the tenant awake?" A familiar voice rang from outside.
Both of us stiffened.
"Fuck," we said in unison.
The door exploded inward a heartbeat later.
"Hey, hey, guess who's here!" My mom roared, stomping into the room like a conquering warlord.
"Mom! This isn't our place! You can't just destroy property like that!" I shouted, horrified at the splinters and ruined doorframe.
"Hello, my daughter," Stacy said sweetly, a dangerous smile stretching her lips. "How are you on this fine afternoon?"
"Afternoon!?" I blurted, spinning to look outside, where the sun was already well past its zenith.
"Yes, my daughter. I have been waiting seven hours for you to return to the mansion. "Seven fucking hours," Mom shouted, her voice echoing off the ruined walls. She stalked closer with predatory steps.
"Hehe, sorry. In my defense, it's not my fault," I said quickly, dropping to my knees with a sheepish grin.
"Oh? Do tell me whose fault it is, then," she said, looming over me with a glare.
"My girlfriend," I blurted, jabbing a finger toward the bathroom.
"Oh? Where is she? I haven't seen her," Mom asked, her smile widening in anticipation.
"She's in the bathroom," I said quickly.
But the moment my senses stretched out, my blood ran cold.
'She isn't in there!? She ditched me!' I realized, horrified.
"Is she now?" Mom purred, stepping toward the bathroom.
The second she turned, I bolted. I threw myself out the window, landing on the nearest roof with a roll.
"This little shit!!" Mom bellowed behind me.
"Fuck you, Kayda! I'll get you back for this." I yelled, sprinting across the rooftops of Aanbald with my mother—the most fearsome demon in existence—hot on my tail.
[Five hours later]
[Stacy POV]
'This damn little shit… she got strong,' I thought, panting slightly as I stared at my daughter sprawled on the ground, looking passed out. Dust and rubble marked the path of our "conversation" through half the training grounds.
"So, what is your class?" I asked, folding my arms and glaring down at her.
"Huh? You don't know yet? I thought I messaged you about it?" Kitsuna muttered groggily, lifting her head with confusion.
"Would I ask if I knew?" I snapped.
"...Yes."
Tick marks throbbed on my forehead. "Pochi. What is it?" I demanded.
Kitsuna gave me a cheeky grin that only fueled my fury. "Woah, woah, I'll tell you! Please don't hit me again!" She yelped, scrambling backward.
"Oh, will you now?" I said, cracking my knuckles ominously.
"It's Weapon Sage, okay!" she shouted, throwing her hands up.
I froze. "...Sage? Sage!? Why is the word "sage" in your class? I yelled, my voice shaking the ground.
"It's probably because I create my own weapons and have five elements, Mother!" Kitsuna yelled back, dodging as I lunged at her.
"Tsk… You're right, damn it," I admitted grudgingly, my anger turning into irritation.
"Can—can I stand up now?" she asked hesitantly.
"I never said you can't," I replied flatly.
"…Okay," she muttered before dissolving into a wisp of red smoke. I turned my head, and sure enough, she reappeared leaning against the wall, three tails twitching nervously behind her. Bruises marked her arms and shoulders, evidence of our spar, but her eyes still shone defiantly.
"You really are a monster," I said at last, unable to stop the pride sneaking into my voice.
"Hehe, thank you," Kitsuna said sheepishly, rubbing the back of her head.
"Now, show me your upgrades. And hide those tails," I ordered, pointing at them before glancing around the area.
"Don't worry, they can't see us," Kitsuna said confidently. Suddenly she was behind me, arms looping around my shoulders.
I blinked, then narrowed my eyes. 'She might be better than Apricot in illusions,' I thought, unnerved by how cleanly she slipped through my perception.
"Right now, we're eating biscuits over there," she said, pointing to a tree. Sure enough, when I looked, I saw an illusion of the two of us calmly having tea and snacks.
"I see. That's a powerful skill you have there, Kitsuna," I admitted, begrudgingly impressed.
"This is just normal. "There's nothing surprising about this," she said innocently.
I sighed. "Now, what's this about having five elements?" I asked.
"Uh… I have my ice magic with devil fire and lightning. But now I also have foxfire and fox lightning. That part was before my class, though," she explained, conjuring small orbs of each element into the air. They flickered above her palm, each distinct and deadly.
My jaw tightened. "So not only do you have five elements, but all of them are racial elements?"
"Yeah, pretty much. I'm overpowered, aren't I?" She said it with a little grin.
"That would be an understatement," I muttered, dragging a hand down my face. "You're an absolute monster in human form."
"However, I am a primordial," she smugly reminded me.
"That doesn't change the fact you have far too many elements!" I snapped, throwing my hands up.
"Well, I have two elements of lightning and two elements of fire, so they're the same," she offered with a shrug.
"…Just move on before I strangle you," I said through gritted teeth.
"Oh, okay," she replied dumbly, her tails swishing.