[Kitsuna Pov]
"Ugh, pain, pain. Why do I always wake up to pain?" I sang dramatically, dragging myself upright from what had to be the softest, most inviting bed I'd ever had the misfortune of leaving. Every muscle in my body whined at me, like a chorus of frustrated cats clawing their way up my spine.
"Good morning," I heard Kayda's voice from off to the side, calm and familiar.
"Good morning. Good to see you're okay," I replied, rubbing my eyes and blinking through the crust of sleep. "Where are we, by the way?" I asked, turning to look at her sitting so casually on the windowsill like a painting.
"Your home, of course. Can't you see by your room?" Kayda said, gesturing lazily with her hand as she took in the surroundings.
"This... isn't my room, though," I said slowly, finally processing how absurdly clean and empty this space was. The walls were barren, the furniture minimal. Just a bed, a plain desk in the corner, and two old couches that looked like they'd been dragged in from the basement. That was it.
"I do agree there isn't anything nice in this room, but when I thought about it, it made sense if it was yours," Kayda said with a grin that stretched just a little too wide.
"Are you saying I'm boring?" I asked, narrowing my eyes at her suspiciously.
"Oh no, no. You as a person are very entertaining," she said, hopping off the windowsill and walking toward me, her expression all innocent mischief. "But when it comes to fashion and decorations? Yes, you are as boring as can be."
"Ugh, I already have enough pain. I don't need emotional pain on top of it," I groaned, clutching at my chest like she'd stabbed me with a glitter-coated dagger.
"Glad you're okay," she said softly, pulling me into a warm hug.
"Of course, I'm alright. Did you expect anything less?" I spoke with mock confidence, despite needing to brace myself to avoid wincing from the aches still lacing through my ribs.
"So, how long have I been out?" I asked, forcing myself to move as if I wasn't in constant, burning pain.
"Only a week," Kayda said, voice flat like it was no big deal.
"That little? I thought I'd be out for at least a month after something like that," I said, brows raised. Genuinely surprised.
"Nah, you were only in that state for a few minutes."
"Yeah, but those few minutes were long enough to feel like a month," I mumbled under my breath, tilting my head.
"True. But you know... it's you we're talking about here," Kayda said, smirking and nudging me toward the couch like I was a child refusing to go to bed.
"I'm not that special, Kayda," I said, shaking my head.
"Yeah," she replied, referring to me as the one who held off someone twenty times my level for more than ten minutes, while grabbing my hand with zero ceremony and dragging me across the room.
"It was seven minutes," I grumbled. "And he wasn't even that strong. He was just level-boosted, no skill at all."
"Not a big difference," Kayda said, plopping down on the couch and yanking me down with her.
"It is, though. It's like, three whole minutes!"
"Three minutes isn't that much," she replied, staring me down.
"Whatever," I said, flopping next to her. "So... what happened after I succumbed to the skill?" I asked, letting my head rest on the armrest before she casually pulled me over onto her lap.
"You wiped out all the duplicates and were holding off the original when we showed up," she said, voice laced with both pride and worry.
"That's good," I nodded. "So where's that thing now?"
"It's dead. What else?" Kayda replied with a raised brow, like I should've known.
"So... it was possible to kill it," I muttered, chewing on the inside of my cheek.
"Ah, yeah... sorry. We didn't exactly tell you how," she admitted sheepishly. "The only way to kill the original is to disintegrate the body. Like, no trace left."
"...You've got to be fucking kidding me," I said slowly, glaring at her like I was about to throw her out the window.
"Nooo, sadly, we aren't at that stage yet in our relationship," Kayda said teasingly, flashing a grin that was definitely designed to distract me.
"..."
"Sorry, I just had to," she added quickly, looking away under my unamused stare.
"Tsk... So what you're telling me is that I could've easily killed it... and instead I nearly broke my body because no one told me the rule?" I said with venom in my voice, still glaring as I crossed my arms.
"Well... probably. Not sure, really," Kayda said, tapping her chin and entirely ignoring my passive-aggressive tantrum.
"For fuck's sake, I'm in pain for no fucking reason!" I snapped, shooting her a fresh glare.
"Sorry, sorry. But why didn't you try to incinerate him?"
"Because I was afraid I'd just end up creating a thousand little fuckers that would swarm me!" I said, throwing up my hands.
"Ah... fair point. But I'm sure you could've come up with a better plan," she said, poking at the wound in my pride.
"Not really. His master was there too. At the end of the day, I needed the stat boost to even stand a chance while holding the original off me."
"Wait, what? You killed that thing's master?" Kayda said, suddenly surprised.
"Yeah. Blew him up with a few bombs. Vaporized the smug bastard."
"Haha, wow. You just made Stacy's job a lot easier," Kayda said, bursting out laughing.
"...We're not telling her for a few weeks."
"What? Why?"
"Because she was the first to tell me about devil children and failed to mention how to kill the original. So, in simple terms, she's the reason I'm currently a broken heap of pain and suffering," I said, pouting again.
"Ah, okay. But you will tell her eventually, right?"
"Of course. I want to see her face when I casually mention I already killed someone she's been hunting for weeks," I said with a grin that practically gleamed.
"Haha, that's going to be hilarious," Kayda laughed, eyes glinting.
"Definitely."
"Oh, right. Devil children. Do all of them have masters?"
"Mostly yes. It's the best way to control them."
"Uh. Makes sense."
"...So what's the plan?" I asked, feeling the weight of boredom creeping in.
"Don't know whether we can go to Steve's today or tomorrow... What's the time right now?" I asked, glancing at the window again. The sun was still high.
"It's only 10 in the morning."
"Ah. "Then we will go today," I said, feeling more cheerful.
"Are you sure you'll be fine?"
"Yeah. Your lap is doing miracles right now," I said, burying my head deeper into her thighs.
"You damn fox," Kayda mumbled, blushing and turning her head away.
"Hehe~ Hey, cutie. Don't be shy now," I teased, knowing full well what I was doing.
"Yeah? How about this?" Kayda suddenly grabbed my hand and squeezed it.
"Ah—ow ow ow! Stop! That hurts, Kayda! Oh, I'm sorry! I won't tease you anymore! Please stop!" I whined dramatically, wiggling around on her lap.
"Ah—run!" I shouted, scrambling off her lap and dashing for the door.
"Hey! Come back here!" Kayda shouted, following calmly but quickly.
"Fuck! I'm so slow!" I cried, realizing my full-speed run barely matched her casual walking pace.
"Stop running, Kitsu~," Kayda called sweetly, a smirk on her lips.
"Ah, the young miss is awake," one of the maids said, stepping aside as I zipped past her.
"Can you let Stacy know her daughter's awake and get food ready for both of us?" Kayda asked, passing them with an amused smile.
"Yes, Milady. Right away," the maid replied with a bow before heading off.
"Keep calling me Kayda, for fuck's sake," Kayda muttered.
"But Milady is the young miss's wife?" The maid called back innocently.
"Tsk... these servant rules are annoying. We're not even married yet," Kayda grumbled, her ears pink with a faint blush.
"I know, right?" I called from down the hallway.
"Hey, you—stop right there!" Kayda yelled again.
"Well, gotta go!" I called, trying to run again.
"Got you!" Kayda said, wrapping her arm around my waist like a trap closing shut.
"That's unfair, Kayda! I can't move properly!" I protested, squirming in her grasp.
"Haha. Don't be like that. I'll carry you to the dining hall, okay?" Kayda said, starting to lift me princess-style.
"Oh hell no!" I yelped, writhing like a cat being bathed. "Put me down!"
"Just give up, Kitsu."
"No!" I defiantly said no, then leaned forward and kissed her deeply.
"A-ah..." Kayda froze, stunned like a deer in headlights.
'Hehe... even though we do it a lot these days, she's still weak to it. Perfect. Now... to sneak away.' I thought, gently slipping out of her arms and tiptoeing away.
"Ah, Kitsuna and Kayda. You guys are here!" a familiar voice called out.
Hearing it, I froze and turned around with a small smile. "Rebecca, shhh!" I whispered harshly.
"What's wrong with Kayda?" Rebecca asked, tilting her head as she saw Kayda still frozen in place.
Grabbing Kayda's arms before she could snap out of it, I turned around and teleported away.
"Ah, she ran off," Rebecca said, blinking.
"Uh... Rebecca? Where is Kitsu?"
"Oh, Kitsuna~ How cute," Rebecca teased with a cheeky grin.
"Ugh... where is she, Rebecca?" Kayda asked again, fuming.
"I don't know where she went—she just disappeared," Rebecca said, twirling a lock of her hair.
And so began the next chase.