The morning didn't come gentle.
Kazuki was already awake. Had been for a while. He lay there in bed, eyes on the wooden ceiling, Lila still sleeping beside him with one leg draped over his body like she was marking territory.
He didn't move.
Just listened.
Birds outside. Wind brushing the leaves. Somewhere in the village, a dog barked once then went quiet again.
And then—footsteps.
Not heavy like Markus. Lighter. More controlled. Still cautious though. Like whoever it was didn't want to be heard but couldn't help stepping on every dry leaf between here and the path.
Kazuki sighed softly. "Didn't take long."
Lila stirred beside him. "Hmm…?"
Kazuki slid her leg off and sat up.
"Someone's here," he said.
Lila blinked, still half-dreaming. "Who?"
He didn't answer. Just grabbed his pants and tossed on a loose shirt. He didn't bother to button it.
The knock came.
One.
Two.
Then silence.
He opened the door slow.
Mia stood there.
Not in her barmaid dress. She wore a long cloak, hood still up, eyes shadowed. Her hands were stuffed in the pockets, and her lip had a faint cut like she'd bitten it too hard.
"I shouldn't be here," she said.
"You are."
"I almost didn't come."
"You did."
Mia looked at him. Really looked. Her eyes fell to the open shirt, the marks on his neck, the half-visible scratch on his collarbone.
"You had someone," she said, voice flat.
"I did."
Her jaw clenched.
He stepped aside. "Come in."
She hesitated.
Then walked past him, slow, like every step cost something.
He shut the door.
Lila was still in bed, the blanket pulled over her chest now. She sat up a bit, blinking.
"…Mia?"
Mia's face didn't change. "Lila."
The two women stared.
Kazuki didn't say anything. Just moved to the table, poured himself a drink. Morning wine. Still tasted like berries and regret.
"I didn't expect you," Lila said, her voice soft now.
"I figured," Mia replied.
Kazuki sipped his drink. "Want some?" he asked no one in particular.
Neither answered.
He raised the glass anyway. "To tension."
Mia pulled off her hood. Her hair fell loose over her shoulders, messier than usual.
"I heard," she said, eyes on Kazuki. "The fight. Markus limping down the hill, covered in bruises."
"He's tougher than he looks," Kazuki said.
"And you're colder than I thought."
"I'm warm in the right places."
Mia ignored that.
"People are talking," she continued. "The inn's full of whispers. Your name's on their lips like a curse."
Kazuki walked over to her, slow, lazy steps. He stopped just close enough to breathe the same air.
"Are you here to warn me?" he asked. "Or join me?"
She looked up at him. That same fire. Anger. Curiosity. And something else—something she hadn't admitted even to herself.
"You confuse me," she said. "You show up out of nowhere, charm half the village, break up a marriage, and then act like nothing matters."
"It doesn't."
"To you maybe."
"To all of us. In the end."
Mia stepped back. "You're not normal."
Kazuki shrugged. "Never claimed to be."
Lila pulled the blanket tighter. "Mia, I'm sorry—"
"No," Mia cut her off. "Don't."
Kazuki raised an eyebrow.
"You're not mad at her?" he asked.
Mia's eyes shifted.
"I'm mad that she got to you first."
The room went quiet.
Even the birds outside seemed to pause.
Kazuki's smirk grew slow. "So that's what this is."
Mia stepped closer again, fire in her every move now.
"You think you're untouchable," she said. "That you can play with people, break them open, and they'll still crawl back to you."
He didn't blink. "Tell me I'm wrong."
She didn't.
Instead, she raised her hand.
Slapped him.
Hard.
Lila gasped.
Kazuki's head turned slightly with the impact. A red mark bloomed across his cheek.
He touched it with his fingers. Then smiled.
"You feel better?" he asked.
"No."
"Then do it again."
Mia stared at him like he was insane.
Maybe he was.
She slapped him again.
He caught her wrist mid-swing.
Not hard. Not rough.
Just enough to stop it.
Their eyes locked.
The tension snapped like thread under flame.
He kissed her.
No warning. No question. Just lips crashing against lips, full of frustration and heat.
She kissed him back.
Only for a second.
Then pushed him away.
"You're a bastard," she said, breathless.
"I know."
She looked at Lila, still curled on the bed, eyes wide.
"I'm not like her," Mia said.
Kazuki nodded. "Good. I don't want the same flavor twice."
Lila blushed, but didn't interrupt.
Mia pulled back her cloak.
Underneath, she wore a thin shift. Nothing else. It clung to her body like she'd walked through mist.
"You think I'm going to fall like her?" she asked.
Kazuki tilted his head. "You already have."
She grabbed him by the collar.
Pulled him close again.
Their lips met. This time longer. Wilder.
He picked her up, one arm under her thigh, the other around her back, spun her toward the table, and set her down on it with a loud thud.
Lila got up. Walked over. Silent.
Her hand touched Kazuki's shoulder.
"You're really going to—"
He turned to her. "Jealous?"
She nodded.
"Join us."
She didn't hesitate.
System Alert:
{Multiple Affection Lines Converging}
{Warning: High Emotional Risk}
{Bonus Unlocked – Triad Balance +5% Charisma}
Kazuki didn't look away as Mia stepped deeper into the room.
The fire hadn't died from the night before, just dimmed, flickering orange across the wooden walls. It cast shadows behind her, licking along the folds of her cloak like fingers. She pulled it off slowly, letting it slide down her arms and onto the floor with no care. Her eyes stayed on him. Not Lila. Not the bed. Just him.
She looked tired. Angry. Beautiful.
Lila stood by the edge of the bed, one blanket wrapped around her like it could still protect her from whatever was coming. But her gaze wasn't fearful. Just curious. Maybe even excited.
Mia's voice was soft now, like it had run too far to scream anymore. "So this is what you do?"
Kazuki took a step toward her, bare feet quiet against the floorboards.
"This is what you came for."
"I came to confront you."
"You came because you're drowning in thoughts you can't say out loud."
"I'm not like her."
"No," Kazuki said, his voice like heat against the cold. "You're the kind who breaks slowly… and begs harder."
Mia's breath hitched.
Behind him, Lila bit her lip.
Kazuki stopped just inches away from Mia, his shirt still open, skin warm with the fire's light. He reached up, gently brushed a stray hair behind her ear. Her head tilted toward his hand without thinking.
"You say you're not like her," he murmured, "but your eyes tell me you want to be."
She slapped his chest—not hard, not soft. Just enough to say she was still trying to pretend this wasn't already decided.
He smiled. "There it is."
"Why are you like this?" she whispered.
Kazuki leaned in, lips brushing her cheek, then lower, his breath teasing the corner of her jaw.
"Because I know what people hide when they're alone. I just don't wait for permission to drag it out."
He pulled her close by the waist. She didn't resist.
Behind them, Lila slipped quietly from the bed, the blanket sliding off her body like a second skin. She padded over, slow and silent, her bare shoulder brushing Mia's from behind.
Mia turned slightly, surprised to find her there. But she didn't move away.
"You're both insane," she said, voice trembling.
Lila leaned in, lips at Mia's ear.
"And you're already one of us."
The fire cracked louder. Wind slid under the door like a whisper, but it wasn't enough to cool the heat rising between the three of them.
Kazuki pressed his hand to Mia's chest—flat, right over her heart.
"Still beating fast," he said. "You sure you're not scared?"
"I'm not scared."
"Good," he said. "Because I like it when they stay awake the whole time."
She shivered, whether from nerves or anticipation, not even she could say.
He moved behind her now, fingers grazing the fabric of her shift, sliding down her arms. Mia watched Lila, who stood in front of her now, close enough their breaths matched.
"You hated me yesterday," Lila whispered.
"I still might," Mia replied.
Lila smiled. "That makes it more fun."
Kazuki pulled the shift slowly over Mia's shoulders, letting it fall to her feet. The heat of the fire met the chill of the air and danced across her skin. She didn't cover herself. She stood tall.
"Now what?" she asked.
Kazuki stepped back, looking at both women. His voice dropped into something rougher, darker.
"Now," he said, "you follow or you fall."
What followed wasn't chaos.
It was control.
Kazuki didn't rush. He took his time. Moved them like chess pieces across the room—hands here, lips there, breath against the softest places. He whispered things only they could hear. Commands laced with teasing promises. Each one made Lila arch a little more, made Mia dig her nails into his back.
The heat built slowly. No flinching. No shame.
Just hunger drawn out across every inch of skin.
They didn't speak often. The silence said more.
Moans and sharp breaths filled the room. Bodies tangled in shadow. One moment Lila was on top, teasing Mia with soft bites and kisses. The next, Kazuki had them both pressed to the bed, one hand on each waist, holding them down like he was keeping the room from spinning out of control.
His voice stayed low, always calm, even as theirs cracked with need.
"Too fast?" he'd ask.
And they'd both shake their heads.
"Too much?"
Never.
"Say my name," he said once, breath hot against Lila's throat.
She did.
Mia did too.
And that was the moment the line was crossed for good.
Time bent.
The fire burned low.
The bed creaked like it wanted to break.
Bodies slick with sweat moved in rhythm, sometimes together, sometimes chasing each other's breaths.
At some point, Kazuki laid back and watched them.
Mia kissing Lila's shoulder, Lila trailing her fingers down Mia's stomach.
He didn't speak then.
Just watched.
A king surrounded by sin.
And when he moved again, when he joined them once more, it wasn't with urgency.
It was with precision.
He teased every edge of pleasure, every gasp, every twitch.
He made them feel.
Then he made them forget.
When it was over, truly over, none of them moved for a while.
Lila's head lay against Kazuki's chest. Mia curled up beside him, her leg draped over his.
Outside, the sun hadn't even begun to rise.
Kazuki looked at the ceiling, breath calm, mind quiet for once.
"You okay?" he asked, voice soft.
Lila nodded against him. "Yeah."
Mia didn't speak.
Just reached up and traced a line down his jaw with her fingertip.
He closed his eyes.
System Alert:
{Three-Way Affection Confirmed}
{Charisma Bonus +10%}
{Warning: Emotional Entanglement Detected}
{New Title Earned – "The One They'll Cry For"}
They slept, eventually.
But it wasn't peaceful.
It was the kind of sleep that came after too much fire, when even dreams needed time to cool down.
And far off in the village—
Markus watched the cabin from the trees.
Eyes full of hate.
Hands clenched.
Waiting.