After leaving the room, Raizen headed to the rooftop for the vending machine.
It was the only food he could afford at the moment.
Click. Whirr. Slam. Slam. Slam.
The rooftop vending machine wouldn't shut up.
Raizen Kuronaga stood in front of it, punching the selection button for a tuna mayo onigiri like it owed him money.
"Stupid vending demon… Spent ten minutes flirting with Xuē Liuyue, but this thing's the real cockblock."
He slapped the side of the machine.
Clunk. The onigiri popped out.
"…Hah. Knew it. You just needed a little foreplay."
He bent down and picked it up like it was some grand treasure—
Then froze when he heard:
"Nnngh—ugh—stupid piece of—why is this so heavy!?"
Raizen turned his head.
A slim, sweaty girl in denim overalls was staggering across the courtyard, struggling to carry a red toolbox almost half her size.
Her short, dusty-blonde ponytail bounced with each wobbling step. Safety goggles rested on her head, grease smeared across one cheek. Her rolled-up sleeves showed off surprisingly toned arms.
Raizen blinked.
"…The hell am I looking at?"
She kicked the box and cursed again.
"If this falls on my foot again, I'm suing God."
He took a bite of the onigiri, watching her quietly.
And then he felt it.
Lust energy.
Trickling off her in waves.
Uncontrolled. Gritty. Honest.
She wasn't even aware of it.
"She's not trying to be sexy. But damn… it's working."
It wasn't like Xuē. That was refined danger. Nor does she have a large potential for quality lust energy. But for his current form, she is fairly enough.
This will also be a good time to practice his charm.
Perfect.
Opportunity.
Raizen casually strolled over.
"Yo. Need a hand, tool girl?"
She looked up, blinking behind her foggy safety lenses.
"Oh—Hanazawa, right? From Eastern History and Entrepreneurship?"
Raizen smirked, popping a bite of rice into his mouth.
"Oh? You remembered me? I didn't know I left an impression."
She tilted her head.
"…You screamed during the pop quiz in History and accused the professor of using dark sorcery."
He paused mid-chew.
"That's because he was. No one smiles like that unless they've made a pact."
She stared blankly.
"You're weird."
"I'm charming," he corrected, brushing crumbs off his shirt.
He nodded at the box. "C'mon. I'll carry it. You look like you're about to spontaneously combust."
She raised an eyebrow. "Are you gonna be my dog now? Where's your master—Miss Xuē?"
Raizen didn't bite. He just held out his hand.
She hesitated, but—let's be real—it was better than slipping a disc.
"…Fine. That'd be helpful."
"Sweet," he grinned.
Raizen grabbed the toolbox—and immediately almost dislocated a shoulder.
"Why is this heavier than my regrets?!"
She shrugged innocently. "It's the maintenance kit for the old shaft controls. Mostly screws. Big ones."
He grunted, adjusting his grip.
"Great. I love screwing things."
They both blinked.
"…That came out wrong. Or did it?"
"I already regret this."
"Don't worry, you're not my type," he lied with a straight face.
"Thanks?"
She turned, leading the way. Her ponytail bounced again. He found himself watching it.
Name. I need a name.
He tapped into his incubus memory, burning a bit of lust energy.
"…Uh… Saotome… Misaki?"
She looked back, unimpressed.
"It's Kitagawa. Kitagawa Rika."
"Right! Total mental slip. Classic me."
"You called me Misaki."
"That was… a flirtation tactic."
"Your tactic is getting my name wrong?"
"Is it working?"
"It's not."
They arrived at the back building—a wooden shaft structure with faded hazard tape and a rusted sign: Service Lift – Staff Use Only.
The elevator was a joke. Narrow, creaky, and barely big enough for a gym bag, let alone two humans and a murder box of screws.
Raizen followed her in, still lugging the box.
As soon as they both stepped inside—
CLICK.
The wooden shaft door slid shut behind them. A mechanical lock latched with a sharp, final clack.
"…It's locked," she muttered. "Try pressing the up button. Right side."
Raizen glanced at it.
Ah.
Opportunity knocks.
He pressed it.
Paused.
"…Nothing."
"Press it harder."
He jabbed it again.
Still nothing.
"Hmm. Guess we're stuck," he said, absolutely not trying to hide the grin growing on his face.
Kitagawa Rika crossed her arms.
"I swear to god, if this is some weird foreplay thing—"
Raizen raised a hand. "Hey, I'm innocent. It's not my fault the universe wants us alone together in a box full of screws."
She narrowed her eyes.
"I knew you were weird."
"And charming," he added with a wink.
Lights flickered. Silence.
"…Uh," Rika muttered.
Raizen glanced at her.
Their faces were close—too close. The air between them turned thick. Bodies just barely touching. Not enough to move. More than enough to feel.
"Well," Raizen said, smirking. "Looks like fate's feeling horny today."
"Don't say that."
"Say what?"
"'Fate's horny.' Who even talks like that?!"
"I'm just stating the facts. You, me, a shaft, a box of screws? Destiny's clearly trying to screw us."
"Please don't say shaft again."
"…Shaft."
"Stop."
He raised a hand. "Okay, okay. I'll stop screwing around."
"WHY is everything a pun to you?!"
He leaned back against the wall—except there was no room to lean.
He stumbled forward.
His hand landed—right on her chest.
"GAH—!"
Both froze.
His fingers sank into warm softness.
Rika's face turned beet red.
Raizen's brain went into overdrive.
Abort mission. Abort! Say something smooth. Say anything!
"…Soft," he whispered.
She blinked.
He followed up with:
"Operation: Suicide complete."
Then she said quietly:
"….."
"I—I tripped! It's your fault! Your boobs ambushed me!"
"…How do boobs ambush someone?"
"They're like soft landmines with nipples!"
She stared.
Then—she laughed.
"I seriously can't tell if you're disgusting or just stupid."
He grinned. "Why not both? It's my whole brand."
She rolled her eyes… but didn't step back.
Instead, she murmured, "I actually saw you earlier. In class. The way you stood up to Xuē Liuyue… it was kinda…"
She hesitated. Then added,
"…Cool."
Raizen blinked.
She thinks I'm cool?
She took a half-step closer.
"I didn't think you had that kind of backbone."
"You wanna feel my backbone?" he blurted.
Dead silence.
He slapped his forehead. "God, I used to be smooth in Hell. Now I sound like a horny monkey with brain damage."
And then-
She was blushing.
A flush of color rising to her cheeks, her lips slightly parted. For a second, she looked vulnerable… and undeniably turned on.
He felt it.
That unmistakable pull of lust energy—radiating from her.
She wanted it.
Maybe even more than she realized.
Slowly, deliberately, Raizen shifted closer. His knees moved—subtle, gentle—until they lightly brushed against the soft spot between her thighs.
Her breath hitched.
His knee pressed just enough to send a signal.
She felt it. The friction. The pressure.
And God—she liked it.
Her body responded before her mind did, desire buzzing under her skin like static. She glanced up again, and for the first time… Raizen didn't look like some weirdo.
He looked dangerous.
Sexy, even.
Raizen kept rubbing—slow, teasing circles of his knee against her clothed slit. Each pass sent a jolt through her core.
Her breathing turned uneven.
Quick, shallow inhales.
"I'll be honest," she muttered, her voice breathy. "I'm not usually into weirdos. But…"
Her eyes dropped to his lips.
Then—without warning—
She kissed him.
Hard.
Fingers clenched his collar.
She yanked him down.
His lips crashed into hers like a wave of heat.
Maybe it was admiration. Maybe it was the aura he'd been leaking all evening—raw, masculine, teasing. Whatever it was, it melted her resistance completely.
His hands slid down her waist—
Lower.
He grabbed her ass. Firm. Possessive.
She moaned into his mouth.
Instincts roared to life.
Lust energy surged like a drug in his bloodstream.
She's not stopping.
Her tongue's in my mouth.
She's grinding on me—holy shit I'm winning—
Out loud, he muttered between kisses:
"I gotta say something stupid real quick—"
She shoved him hard against the wall.
"Just shut up and kiss me again."
He grinned like a devil.
And obeyed.
Their lips collided once more, frantic and wet. His hand palmed her ass, her leg lifting slightly, rubbing against him like she couldn't help it.
The wooden shaft creaked beneath them, almost groaning.
Raizen smirked into her kiss.
"Best. Shaft. Ever."