I looked at her. "You say that, but you’re still here."
"I’m a bad influence." She hopped off the counter, the towel slipping dangerously. "And also your accomplice at this point, so it’s in my best interest to keep you out of trouble."
"Is that the only reason you’re here?"
ra stepped closer. Close enough that I could sll her shampoo—sothing fruity and sweet. Close enough that I could see water droplets clinging to her collarbone.
"No," she said softly. "That’s not the only reason."
I set my plate down. Put my hands on her hips. "Then why?"
"Because you make feel good. Not just the drain thing. You. The way you look at . The way you talk to . Like I matter."
"You do matter."
"See? That." She pressed a hand against my chest. "That right there. You say it like you an it."
"I do an it."
Her tail wrapped around my wrist. Not restraining. Just connecting. "I know this is crazy. I know we just t. I know you’re planning to sleep with other girls. I know all the reasons this should be a hard no."
"But?"
"But I want to see where it goes anyway." She looked up at , yellow eyes steady. "I want to be part of whatever this is. Whatever you’re becoming."
I kissed her. Couldn’t help it. Her lips were soft, slightly sweet from the pad thai sauce. The drain activated imdiately, Essentia flowing between us like electricity through a closed circuit. I felt her gates, her spatial awareness, the places she’d been, the coordinates locked in her mind.
When we broke apart, she was breathing hard. "You keep kissing like that, we’re going to end up back in bed."
"I’m okay with that."
"Food first. I need protein if we’re going another round."
I laughed. "Fair enough."
She grabbed her plate and headed for the living room couch. The towel finally gave up its fight with gravity and slipped, revealing the curve of her ass and the base of her tail. She didn’t bother fixing it, just glanced over her shoulder at with a wicked grin.
"You coming?"
"That’s the plan."
She laughed. "Food first. Then . Then we talk strategy."
"For the festival?"
"For everything." She sat on the couch, still completely naked, eating pad thai like it was the most normal thing in the world. "You want to be the greatest hero? Fine. I’ll help you. But we’re doing it smart."
I watched her for a mont, this demon girl who’d fallen into my life twenty-four hours ago. Who’d seen what I could do and decided to stay anyway. Who was sitting naked on my couch planning how to make the number one hero.
Life was weird.
Good, but weird.
I grabbed my curry and joined her on the couch. "Alright. Let’s talk strategy."
ra grinned. "First thing: you need to register that ability from this morning. It’s too good to keep hidden."
"But the explanation—"
"We stick with adaptive type. It’s rare but docunted. NEA won’t have a reason to deny it if your output trics match the pattern."
"And if they want to run tests?"
"Angelo Corp lawyers get involved. Your father wouldn’t want his heir subjected to invasive testing."
I winced. "Using my father is complicated."
"Why?"
"He’s given an ultimatum. Graduate top five in the class or lose the company to my sister."
ra’s eyes widened. "What the fuck?"
"Exactly."
"That’s... wait." She sat up straighter. "So you need to place high at the festival to catch agency attention AND you need to maintain top academic standing to keep your inheritance?"
"Yes."
"While also figuring out your cover story, registering your abilities, and keeping your drain power secret?"
"Yes."
"While ALSO sleeping with enough girls to maintain a power portfolio?"
"Yes."
ra stared at . Then she started laughing. Not a giggle. Full, unrestrained laughter that shook her whole body.
"What’s so funny?"
"You! This!" She gestured between us, still laughing. "This is the most overcomplicated, high-pressure, absolute disaster of a situation I’ve ever heard of. And I’m sitting here naked helping you plan it."
"When you put it that way—"
"No, no." She wiped her eyes. "I’m not backing out. This is just... god, Ro. You don’t do anything halfway, do you?"
"Not if I can help it."
She took a deep breath, composing herself. "Okay. So we’ve got multiple objectives, limited ti, and high stakes. We need to prioritize."
"I’m listening."
"Registration first. Without that, everything else falls apart. Then Sports Festival prep. That gives you visibility and agency connections. Academic standing can be maintained through tutoring and study groups. The other stuff—the girls, the powers—we handle opportunistically."
"Opportunistically?"
"You’re not going hunting. That’s desperate and obvious. You let opportunities co to you. Like this morning with Titan. Like yesterday with ."
I raised an eyebrow. "Yesterday wasn’t exactly chance."
"No?"
"You found , rember? First day. Back of the class."
ra’s smile turned sly. "Maybe I saw an opportunity."
"So you planned it?"
"I researched you. Saw potential. Made a move." She shrugged. "And look how well that turned out."
I laughed. "For who?"
"Both of us." She set her empty plate on the coffee table. Leaned toward . "I got exactly what I wanted."
"Which is?"
Her tail brushed my leg. "You. Access to Angelo Corp eventually. And a front-row seat to whatever this becos."
She smirked. "So. Registration tomorrow. Festival prep starting Friday. And in between..."
She took my plate from my hands. Set it aside. Climbed into my lap, straddling . Her bare skin was still warm from the shower, slightly damp in places she’d missed with the towel.
"In between?" I prompted.
ra’s eyes glowed faintly. Not from any power. Just her. "In between, we practice."
"Practice what?"
She rolled her hips against . "Your drain control. My gate stability. Our... teamwork."
I slid my hands up her thighs to her waist. "Teamwork."
"Mm-hmm." She leaned down, lips brushing mine. "I think we should be very thorough."
"How thorough?"
Her tail wrapped around my wrist, guiding my hand between her legs. She was already wet.
"Extrely thorough," she whispered against my lips. "Starting now."
Well. Who was I to argue with that?
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