Succubi Chapter 68. Teenage Possessiveness
"Supplementary duel program?" Leon repeated what I just said—his mouth still half-full, but frozen mid-chew like I'd just told him tax-deductible.
I nodded casually and popped another bite of Lilith's divine garlic-soy glazed rice chicken into my mouth. The taste practically melted across my tongue, warm and sweet and just a little spicy—like comfort food that came with a hug and a backhanded compliment. Evelyn and I were eating neatly out of matching lunch boxes wrapped in pale violet silk.
Presentation? Five stars.
Flavor? Ridiculous.
Meanwhile, Leon…
Leon had a pile.
Trays stacked like a fortress. One corner was a tower of skewered meats dipped in broth, another was a trench of noodles still steaming like a potion experiment gone right. Fruits. Bread rolls. A bubbling cup of something fizzy and probably illegal.
His fork hovered in the air.
"Callahan gave the opportunity to us," I said, mouth half-full and voice light.
Evelyn paused, eyes narrowing. She didn't look up from her bite, but I felt the temperature shift anyway.
"We've only been here two days," she said slowly. "And he gave you a special duel program? To first semester students?"
"Yup," I said, chewing thoughtfully. "Kinda sketch."
"My guy," Leon finally said, still holding a chunk of glazed pork suspended like it was evidence. "Did all Arcana first-years get it?"
I shook my head. "Nope. Only four of us, though. Me, Adrian, Kyra, and Felix."
Evelyn's voice flattened. "That sounds even fishier."
Leon set his fork down completely. "I mean, I'm all for extra combat practice, but… Callahan? Professor Nyx Callahan, right?"
"Yup," I said, chasing another piece of Lilith's caramel-glazed root vegetables around my lunch box. "He built his own thread logic system."
Evelyn raised an eyebrow. "The Cradlestorm?"
I nodded. "That's his signature. Vortex of mana threads that collapses enemy skills mid-cast. Disrupts flow without ever making contact."
Leon whistled low. "Damn. I only heard about it from forums. They said it was like trying to cast inside a collapsing piano."
"Yeah," I said, my tone still light. "That's the guy who just invited us to a special duel program."
Evelyn frowned. "And we've only been here two days. That's way too fast. Even for a prodigy professor." She crossed her arms. "Also, he's already known for underground combat circuits. Some say he even used forbidden runes during one of his unofficial matches."
I smirked. "Which makes everything more interesting, doesn't it?"
Evelyn gave me a deadpan look so cold it could chill fire.
Leon just slowly turned his head toward me, pure judgment all over his face. "You say that like it's a plus."
"It is," I said.
"No, it's not," Evelyn replied instantly.
"I mean," I lifted a shoulder, "danger usually means better lessons. Pressure creates diamonds and all that."
"You're not a diamond," Leon said. "You're a potential fire hazard."
I held up both hands. "Relax, I already said—I'm gonna ask Lilith first, alright? I'm not just diving in blindly. I'm just saying it's a good opportunity."
Evelyn snorted and leaned back in her seat. "Good. I thought you lost your logic for a second there."
"I didn't lose it," I said, mouth full. "I just… temporarily misplaced it."
Leon stabbed his noodles. "Speaking of misplacing logic, you should've seen what happened in Valor this morning."
"Oh boy," Evelyn muttered, already bracing herself.
Leon looked personally offended as he waved his fork. "They made us do a full elemental dash circuit before breakfast. Before. Breakfast. I was out there dodging shock spheres and sprinting through flame hoops like I was auditioning for a circus."
"Wow?" I blinked. "Didn't you say they just did that yesterday?"
"Yeah! But apparently it 'builds resilience' and 'improves mana circulation,'" he mimicked, complete with finger quotes. "All I improved was the size of the blister on my foot."
Evelyn arched an eyebrow. "Didn't you also trip into that lava trap simulation?"
"It was glitched!" Leon groaned. "I swear, I cleared the edge and the fire still tagged me. Plus, Ares was watching and laughed like I just tripped over my ego."
I chuckled. "Sounds like a Valor bonding experience."
"It was," Leon muttered. "We bonded over pain."
Evelyn sipped her tea calmly. "Meanwhile, my squad got assigned to run melee drills in a fogged arena. We had to fight blindfolded. With dulled blades. Against hologram monsters."
I blinked. "That's... brutal."
"I know," Evelyn deadpanned. "They said it builds trust in instinct. One guy swung the wrong way and took out his own teammate's kneecap."
Leon cringed. "Why do I feel like all our classes are designed by someone with trauma and a grudge?"
"Because they are," Evelyn and I said in unison.
We looked at each other.
Laughed.
Leon joined in, shoulders relaxing as he finally let himself enjoy the pile of steaming dumplings he'd been ignoring.
The conversation drifted from Callahan's weird program to the odd house rumors, to Kyra's enchanted pens that allegedly bite cheaters, to the lamia from Saint house who kept accidentally coiling around furniture in public spaces and causing minor panic. It felt normal again. Easy. Comfortable.
The kind of lunch break that made the madness of the academy feel worth it.
Then—
A shadow.
A voice.
"Evan Drakos?"
I turned, mid-chew.
"Yeah," I said, my empty food box sitting neatly in front of me.
The guy standing there didn't smile.
Tall. Probably third or fourth year. Red trim on his uniform sleeves—Valor crest glowing faintly on his collar. His posture screamed discipline. His eyes? Displeasure.
Hard. Focused. Judgy.
The kind of guy who probably had never skipped a drill in his life and thought 'extra credit' was for the weak.
"Can we talk?" he asked, calm but clipped. Definitely not a request.
My friends went quiet.
I swallowed my bite slowly and tilted my head.
"Sure," I said, wiping my mouth. "What's this about?"
He looked at Evelyn next—and I swear, this stone-faced Valor senior, aura like a walking sword manual, blushed.
Only for a second. Barely a twitch at the corner of his cheek. But I saw it.
Evelyn didn't even notice. She was sipping her tea with a look that said "I've survived worse than you before breakfast."
Then he snapped his focus back to me, visibly forcing his face into something harder.
"You already have a girlfriend," he said suddenly, almost accusingly. "Why are you still trying to manipulate Sera?"
Evelyn's face reddened instantly.
My eyebrows hit the sky. I blinked. Then frowned. Hard.
"Excuse me?" I said. "When did I manipulate her?"
His jaw tightened.
I leaned forward slightly, the lunch crowd's noise starting to blur around us like static. "Is this about the duel yesterday?" I asked. "Because I pretended to be a healer?"
His brows pulled lower.
"Or…" I dragged it out, trying to keep calm, "...because I gave her a piggyback afterward?"
I regretted it the second the words left my mouth.
His head jerked up. "You— You what?"
Ah. So he didn't know that part.
I cringed slightly and rubbed the back of my neck. "So you didn't know about the piggyback, huh? That's my bad."
His whole body stiffened like I just kicked a sacred relic.
"You gave her a piggyback?" he repeated.
"Yeah. Her request," I said slowly.
His fists clenched.
"What's your problem?" I asked.
No answer.
But I could feel the temperature rising in his aura. Like someone building up to a fire spell, except the spell was made of pure wounded pride and teenage possessiveness.
His lips parted.
"Duel," he growled. "With me. Now."
My mouth opened. "What? Why?"
Leon leaned forward, chewing stopped. "Yeah. Why?"
"Just do it!" the guy snapped. "I'll call Sera. She'll watch. She should see what kind of guy you really are."
Evelyn placed her teacup down with a quiet clink. "But you're our senior," she said evenly. "You've been here how long? And we're… what? Second day? First semester."
"That's right," Leon added. "You wanna fight a guy who hasn't even finished the intro spell course?"
The guy's eyes didn't leave me. "We have a system to level it. Don't worry."
I looked at him carefully.
He was taller than me. Older. Probably three years in already. He stood like he fought daily. Like he wanted this fight to prove something.
But what exactly? That he cared about Sera? That he could scare me away?
Or maybe…
Maybe this had nothing to do with Sera at all.
Maybe it was just the fact that I existed.
That I stood where he didn't. In Sera's view. In her orbit. That I carried her through the arena in front of a crowd.
And that burned worse than fire damage.
I let out a slow breath. "You know… you could've just asked how she felt. Instead of trying to pound it out of me."
He didn't flinch.
I stood, brushing off my cloak.
"Fine," I said.
Leon's eyes widened. "Bro."
Evelyn's fingers twitched toward her belt pouch. "Are you sure?"
"I'm not stupid," I said. "He wants to make a point. So let's make it together."
The guy turned on his heel immediately and marched toward the courtyard exit.
Leon leaned toward me. "Okay, but like. Why are you doing this?"
I grabbed the remains of my food box and handed it to Evelyn. "Because if I don't, he'll chase me anyway. Better to meet it clean. Controlled."
Evelyn's mouth tightened, but she nodded.
Leon shrugged. "You really are that guy, huh?"
"Apparently," I muttered.
And then I followed.
Into the sun.
Into the duel field.
Into whatever ridiculous, emotionally unstable, and possibly rule-breaking nonsense this senior was about to unleash.
Because apparently, being a Pride demon wasn't enough.
Now I had to be a therapist with dodging skills.
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