The scent of incense and aged wood stirred first.
Then warmth. Soft sheets. Faint whispers. The cool silk of unfamiliar robes brushing past his skin.
Raizen's eyes cracked open.
The light was dim. A hanging paper lantern flickered overhead, casting shadows along the lacquered beams of the ceiling. He shifted slightly, a groan escaping his lips as pain flared across his ribs and shoulder.
He was in a room. Not a hospital. Not a dorm.
A bar.
Or more precisely—a private room above one.
Three women in translucent black robes—each one echoing the same seductive elegance as Xuē Liuyue—were tending to his wounds in silence. Their sleeves danced with every movement, their hands graceful, precise. The low hum of enchantments filled the air as one of them traced a glowing salve across his bruised chest.
Raizen blinked. "…Did I die?"
One of the girls giggled softly. "Not yet, you know you must be special, our mistress don't bring- ."
CREAK
Her words where cut off by a door opening.
Xuē Liuyue stepped inside.
She wore a different hanfu now—deep violet silk, with silver embroidery that shimmered faintly like moonlight on water. Her hair was tied loosely behind her, and her cold eyes settled on Raizen without warmth.
"You're awake."
At her words, the three girls instantly stood and bowed.
"Leave us."
"Yes, Mistress."
They vanished behind the lacquered door, closing it softly behind them. Silence fell.
Raizen sat up slowly on the bed, clutching his side. His breath hissed through his teeth.
"Tch… guess I'm still alive," he muttered, managing a smirk. "Didn't think I'd wake up in a brothel's VIP room, though."
Xuē folded her arms, unimpressed. "This isn't a brothel. It's my sorority's private bar. And you're sitting in my office."
"Office, huh…" He winced again and fell back onto the pillow. "Fancy for someone who almost got folded like laundry."
Xuē's gaze narrowed.
Despite his bravado, she could see it—his fingers trembling against the sheets, his breathing uneven. That fight pushed his body to the brink.
Even with the lust energy he'd gathered, his physical limits hadn't changed.
Still, he tried to smile.
"I'm assuming we're gonna have sex now?" he said bluntly, as if asking for tea. "I mean, it's only logical. Beautiful woman brings me to her bed after a fight, undresses me, heals my body… sounds like foreplay to me."
Xuē's face snapped red.
"You—! Pervert!"
With a single, sharp gesture of her fingers, she flicked her fan open—then pointed downward.
"Room."
A sudden pulse spread across the air. The wooden walls shimmered faintly. The flickering lantern froze mid-sway. Even the breeze from the window seemed to vanish.
Raizen blinked.
"…A barrier? Again? Makes sense—wouldn't want anyone hearing us while we do it," he said nonchalantly.
Xuē ignored his words. She'd had enough of his nonsense.
Xuē's voice dropped—calm, cold, and cutting.
"My clan were spies. Assassins. We didn't rule with brute strength—we ruled with truth. This room is a soul-scrying chamber, passed down from our ancestors. Refined with modern enchantments. It strips lies. Exposes secrets."
Raizen's smirk faltered.
A bead of sweat rolled down his temple.
"…Ah."
He coughed.
"You sure it's working properly?"
She sat across from him, legs crossing with practiced grace. Her eyes didn't blink.
"I want answers. Real ones."
A pause.
"What happened to you, Hanazawa? You changed seemingly overnight. That's not normal."
Her gaze narrowed.
"What are you hiding?"
The glow of the barrier shimmered tighter around them.
She narrowed her eyes.
"…Let's begin."
Raizen felt a chill creep up his spine. He tried to open his mouth, only to feel a strange compulsion—like something pulling the truth straight from his lungs.
He opened his mouth, ready to lie—
But the words that came out were anything but.
"I'm Raizen. Demon Lord Incubus. Came down to possess this body. I'm on a mission to fuck human girls."
Xuē's brow twitched.
"…Excuse me?"
He barreled on.
"I once negotiated with a succubus queen by offering her 10,000 men's lust—stored in a barrel. We had sex for three days straight. Tied upside down over a lava pit."
Xuē blinked. Slowly.
"…What."
Raizen tried again, frantic.
"I once fought a Cerberus made of literal vaginas—three heads, all moaning—"
"Enough!"
Xuē shot up, her eye twitching like mad.
Raizen grinned weakly.
"I-I'm telling the truth! I really was an incubus lord of the underworld! This isn't even my body! Technically I'm older than your entire dynasty!"
A long, painful silence.
Xuē stared at him, deadpan.
Then sighed.
"Tch. Stupid barrier must be broken."
She waved her fingers again. The glow around the room dimmed and vanished.
Raizen slumped in his seat, letting out a breath he didn't realize he was holding.
Xuē turned without a word, walking toward the door.
"I don't have time to sort through your sex-crazed delusions."
Her voice was cold again.
"Next time you throw yourself into danger like that… don't expect me to catch you."
She pulled the door open.
The girls were waiting outside, silent and composed. They stepped in to tend to Raizen, unbothered by the tension.
But just as Xuē stepped through the doorway—
She paused.
Without looking back, she said softly:
"…Hey. I'm really not the witch you think I am."
A beat of silence.
"So… thanks."
Raizen blinked. Then smirked faintly.
"You're probably right," he said, eyes on her back. "And you're welcome."
She didn't respond.
But her hand lingered on the door handle just a moment longer—
before slowly closing it behind her.