---
That night, I walked back to my room in a daze. My mind kept looping through what had just happened in the headmistress's chamber—illusions or not, it had been way too real. I'd passed the test, somehow, but my pulse was still racing like I'd run a marathon through a minefield.
I pushed my door open, ready to collapse face-first into bed… and froze.
Sitting there, comfortably perched on the edge of my mattress like she owned it, was Lyria. My demon stepsister.
The moment she saw me, her crimson eyes lit up. "Jin!"
Before I could blink, she was already across the room, slamming into me with a hug that nearly knocked the air out of my lungs. Her horns brushed my cheek as she buried her face in my chest, clinging to me like I'd just returned from war.
"I missed you," she murmured, squeezing tighter. "So much. You have no idea."
"…Lyria," I managed, still trying to process the fact that she was here at all. "How did you even—"
"Doesn't matter," she cut in, her tail swishing behind her. "What matters is you're here now, and I'm not letting you go again."
I sighed. "You make it sound like I've been gone for years. It's only been—"
"Too long," she said firmly, glaring up at me as if daring me to argue.
She clung to me like a vine wrapping around a tree, her tail occasionally flicking behind her in excitement. I could practically feel the warmth of her cheek pressed into my chest, and for a moment I just stood there, unsure whether to hug her back or gently pry her off like an overly affectionate cat.
Finally, I managed, "Lyria… why are you here?"
"To spend the night with you, obviously."
That was said as if it were the most natural thing in the world. No hesitation, no hint of embarrassment.
I sighed. "You have your own room."
She tilted her head, smiling sweetly. "But your bed is warmer."
Before I could argue, she'd already hopped back onto my mattress and made herself comfortable. At that point, I figured resisting was useless.
We chatted for a bit—well, mostly she chatted, and I nodded in tired agreement—until she abruptly announced she was going to take a shower.
And that's where my night went from mildly exhausting to… well, dangerously complicated.
---
She was gone for a few minutes, and I took the opportunity to flop down and close my eyes. But then the door opened, and the sound of bare feet padded across the floor.
I opened one eye—just enough to confirm that yes, she was back—and then quickly shut it again.
She had a towel wrapped around her, but it was small. Like, criminally small.
I turned my head away instantly. "Uh… Lyria, could you maybe… get dressed before—"
She gasped, her voice dripping with mock offense. "Are you… not looking at me?"
I froze. "…I'm trying to be respectful."
Her tone sharpened, but in that playful way she had when she knew she was winning. "So you don't think I'm worth looking at?"
"That's not—"
Before I could finish, I heard the soft thud of fabric hitting the floor.
I looked up purely out of shock, and instantly regretted it.
"Better," she said with a victorious smirk.
She turned away from me, leisurely pulling on… something. I think it was supposed to be a dress, but honestly, it was more like a long shirt that lost a fight with a pair of scissors. It was short, thin, and clung to her in ways that made my brain throw up a dozen warning signs.
"Seriously?" I asked, dragging my gaze to the ceiling.
"What?" she replied innocently, as if she hadn't just walked out of the shower and staged a wardrobe malfunction.
By the time she was "dressed," she was already settling beside me on the bed. "Movie night," she announced.
---
We started watching something—don't ask me what, because I genuinely couldn't tell you. The plot was probably good, but I was too busy trying to keep my eyes on the screen while Lyria was doing everything short of literally sitting in my lap.
She leaned against me casually, her shoulder pressing into mine, her hair brushing my cheek whenever she shifted. Her tail, of course, had a mind of its own, occasionally curling around my arm or brushing against my leg.
I told myself it was innocent. She wasn't trying to seduce me—this was just Lyria being Lyria. But that didn't make it any easier to focus.
At one point, she laughed at something on screen and leaned in closer, her head resting against my shoulder. My brain short-circuited for a moment.
"Comfortable?" I asked, trying to sound casual.
"Mhm," she murmured. "You make a good pillow."
I shifted, trying to put a bit of space between us, but she just scooted right back.
Another scene played—still no idea what was happening—and she reached for the popcorn. Except she didn't bother moving the bowl closer. No, she leaned across me, pressing against my side in a way that made me think this was some kind of tactical maneuver.
When she pulled back, she smiled sweetly. "You're awfully tense, Jin."
"Wonder why," I muttered.
"Maybe you need to relax," she said, resting her chin in her hand while her eyes studied me in a way that made me feel like I was the movie.
The rest of the night was more of the same—little movements, subtle touches, her voice dipping into a soft, teasing tone whenever she made a comment.
I told myself: Just make it to the credits.
---
By the time the movie ended, my nerves were shot. Not in a bad way—more like… in a way that made me question my survival rate if she kept this up for the rest of the night.
She yawned, stretching her arms overhead before flopping back against the bed. "I'm sleeping here," she said decisively.
Of course she was.
I sighed, shaking my head with a small smile. "You're impossible, you know that?"
"Mm. You like me anyway," she said without opening her eyes.
And she wasn't wrong.
---
She cracked one eye open, a faint smirk tugging at her lips. "Well? Don't just stand there looking like you've been ambushed by your own room. Come here."
It wasn't really a request. Lyria patted the space beside her like she was summoning a very obedient pet.
"I'm fine right here," I said, even though my voice lacked any real conviction.
Her tail flicked lazily across the blanket, and she arched an eyebrow. "Are you rejecting a perfectly warm, perfectly soft bed… and me?"
"That's not—"
She extended her arms toward me in slow motion, her fingers curling in a come here gesture. "Jin…"
I knew resistance was a losing battle. With a resigned sigh, I stepped closer and sat down. That was all the opening she needed—Lyria shifted in an instant, wrapping her arms around me and pulling me down beside her.
She tucked herself against my chest like it was the most natural thing in the world, her tail curling around my leg. Her scent was still faintly warm from the shower, and I could feel every slight movement as she adjusted herself, finding the exact spot that made escape impossible.
"You're warm," she murmured.
"You just got out of the shower," I pointed out.
"Mm. Doesn't mean I don't want more."
Her head rested against my shoulder, one leg sliding just close enough to make my pulse jump. She wasn't being blatant about it—at least, not in her own mind—but every little shift, every lazy squeeze of her arms around me, felt like a deliberate test of my self-control.
I kept my gaze fixed on the ceiling. "You're doing this on purpose."
She tilted her head up, her eyes gleaming in the low light. "Doing what?"
"...Never mind."
She smiled like a cat that had cornered its prey, then snuggled in even closer, her voice soft and almost smug. "You're not moving, so I'm taking that as a yes."
And just like that, my fate for the night was sealed.
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