[Your party has entered combat!]
Hanako didn't wait for them to attack. She struck out in a blur of precise strikes and crackling energy that shrugged off the Voltlings' sparks like they were nothing.
Hiro wasn't about to let her steal the show as he also dove in with combos that actually landed hard on the Voltling, taking out chunks of health and even stunning one of the little bastards. With one Voltling left, it dropped to a knee, wheezing like like it had run a marathon.
[Duo finisher initiated. Finish him!]
They locked eyes, nodded once, and rushed. Their fists met its crystal head in a synchronized smas that erupting in a verdant flare that vaporized the thing into particles.
[Battle completed. Victory! Reward: 100 EXP and $20.]
"Did we go a bit overboard?" Hiro asked as they kept moving through the dark alleys of Sato City.
"Maybe," Hanako said, looping her arm through his. "But damn, we synced up perfectly. I don't know what came over me but it felt so… natural."
A skittering scrape spun him around only to nearly make his heart stop. A massive obsidian beetle the size of a pit bull with huge mandibles clicking, and eyes glowing crimson, lumbered toward them.
Hanako's smirk didn't help.
"I fucking hate bugs," he admitted.
She pinched his cheek. "Aw, don't worry. Hanako's got you covered."
He sighed again. It seems like this was a bad habit he was picking up quite often. And he needed to kill it.
"Let's just squash this shit and move off."
Void Beetle
Level: 11
Type: Monster
Affiliation: Demon Lord Spawn
Special: Corrosive Spit [Reduces speed by 40%.]
Weakness: Hostile Detection insufficient.]
Resistances: See above.
Secret: Hostile Detection, Luck, and Will too low.]
The beetle spat a glob of black sludge mid-analysis. Hiro dodged like his life depended on it. There was no time for dumb jokes. He fired an Energy Sphere that proc'd a critical hit and lit up the night.
[Enemy HP has dropped to 50%.]
Hanako took a glancing hit from its charging pincers, but she retaliated with bolts of lightning that fried it to ash.
[Battle completed. Victory! Reward: 200 EXP and $30.]
Over the course of an hour, they managed to clear out a pack of gremlins and blaze sprites before calling a breather. Just then, a system prompt sounded.
[Congratulations, you have reached level 14! Stats increased.]
Rounding a corner for a park bench to rest, they spotted patrols of monsters pacing around, clearly agitated with some even huddled in frantic chats. The air hummed with pissed-off energy.
Hiro signaled Hanako to be quiet, then crept closer to a pair of monsters bitching with their backs turned.
"Yeah, mate, she's on a real tear today," a blaze sprite crackled. "Bossing us around like anything worth a damn happens in this boring-ass city."
"Hope some idiot hero offs her," a gremlin snarled. "That stuck-up whore keeps whining 'cause the Lord cut her allowance. Doesn't she get he's got bigger shit to handle? Stay in the fortress, eat like a queen."
"Acts like demon grub's beneath her," the sprite spat. "B*tch has never chowed down on succulent human flesh. No souls either. She's definitely missing out big time."
Hiro motioned retreat and they slipped away unseen.
"So, their boss is peppering them hard," Hanako said once they were clear, dropping onto a bench.
"And man are they f*cking livid," Hiro agreed.
"I almost pity the leader," she said.
He shrugged. What bugged him was the mention of the fortress. Apparently, there was free food and luxury. Why go through all that struggle to slum it on benches if that was an option?
"I'm calling the crew," Hanako said, pulling her phone. She responded two minutes later. "They're already en route. They were all grinding solo. However, Lumina's still nagging her brother to join. Did know he's a ninja operative?"
"Just learned today," Hiro said. "Jealous as hell."
"Same." They laughed, chatting carelessly for fifteen minutes until a finger jabbed at him.
Hanako gasped. "Found you. Now, cupcakes!"
Kaito and Lumina picked that moment to show, to which the system drug them into the party. Hiro figured he could de-escalate.
Kaito's death glare said otherwise.
"Don't agitate her. She won't swing first," Hiro warned. Though, it was too late.
Lumina fired her signature starburst, a massive cosmic heart of sapphire energy.
Thea sidestepped lazily, grinning at her. The tension in the air spiked significantly.
"Lumina, you dumbass!"
[Thea's bloodlust saturates the area.]
"You're denying me cupcakes? I'll end you all now. How dare you hit me!"
[Warning! Warning! Engagement with Thea strongly advised against!]
[Your party has entered a BOSS fight!]
Thea advanced, a violet aura exploding around her with tremendous force.
[Enemy activates Overwhelming Glow!]
Kaito bellowed, "Take her down!"
[Kaito activated Rally Cry!]
[Party attack increased by 15%. Party morale boosted by 20%.]
Hanako unleashed a storm of electric orbs. Pathetic results.
[Boss HP has dropped to 499%. Enemy unimpressed by 1% damage. Party beware of enemy glow.]
"Five hundred percent," Hiro squeaked.
Thea cackled. "How boring! Step it up, mortals. That was disappointing."
Lumina bit the bait, charging with punches, knife swipes, stellar-enhanced blasts. She missed everything.
Thea booted her ass-down into the pavement, then blurred to Kaito. They traded blows like it were a real life action movie. Well, that is until she overwhelmed him after deciding to stop playing, then hurled him into Hanako.
[Lumina's HP has dropped to 50%.]
[Kaito's HP has dropped to 70%.]
[Hanako's HP has dropped to 80%.]
Hanako's pink glow washed over them.
[Lumina's HP increased to 85% with gradual recovery.]
[Kaito's HP fully restored.]
[Hanako's HP fully restored.]
Hiro faced Thea, neither moving. He opened his mouth but Lumina interrupted again.
'Stupid, magic-b*tch. You'll be the death of us.'
[Lumina activated Stellar Vortex.]
A whirlwind of tiny stars hammered Thea like a freight train. Still, she didn't even flinch as the attack had little effect on her.
[Boss HP has dropped to 497%.]
Thea sighed. "Enough games. Time to finish."
She raised a hand that began to glow ominously.
[Boss activates Cataclysm Wave.]
"F*ck, you're hacking," Hiro snapped. "Bullsh*t attack. How the hell—"
[Your HP has dropped to 1%. Enemy has spared your instant death. You're now at her mercy. Do pray.]
[Party wiped.]
Hiro's eyes cracked open first. His heart was slamming against his chest as his aching muscles screamed in protest of any kind of movements. He lay flat on the ground in agony, silently cursing Lumina and her idiocy.
"Give me one solid reason not to end you," Thea said, staring down at Hiro.
'I've got one shot at this. I'll just have to target her weakness.'
"I'll… get.. you… some… cake," he said with a strained voice while coughing words.
Suddenly, the pain was gone like it never happened.
[You have been fully restored. Count it as your blessing to be shown mercy by an enemy as powerful as she.]
"I didn't want to hurt you," Thea said, dropping beside him. She lifted his head and rested it on her lap. "Your stupid friends had triggered my bloodthirsty side." She softly stroked his cheek. "Now, tell me more about this thing you call 'cake'."
[Thea ended the battle.]
Hiro chuckled. "Okay, so back home, we'd buy or make huge cakes for things we call birthdays." He told her about stories of birthday bashes and feasts.
Her eyes gleamed with wanting as he told her about all the delicacies and foods. She was especially interested in the sweet foods. Hiro finished talking and she waved a finger around. And suddenly, his party full-healed in a blink. He couldn't ignore how strong this demoness truly was.
[Your party has been restored. Will to fight has been decreased by 5%.]
Not enough, so Hiro sat up, voice firm. "Relax! DONT attack Thea again. She'll hit back. And I don't think she'll spare us."
"You know my name?" Thea said, smirking. "Heh, another trick of yours I see. Well, I know yours too. It's Demon mind-reading perks."
"Kaito, order a cake. Send it for my apartment, now. We can head out after we've done. Don't ask any questions."
Kaito nodded, his fearful eyes never leaving Thea. Every member in the party knew just how close to death they truly were.
Hiro wasn't sure if they were all toast or hanging at 1% like him. And he wasn't about to find out.
Two minutes later, Kaito hung up. "It'll be waiting at your place." He then placed a hand on Hiro's shoulder, whispering: "Sorry you're stuck with this shit. We'll talk tomorrow at academy."
Kaito waved the others over, even Hanako.
"Let's hit my spot," Hiro told Thea. "It's cake time."
[Your relationship with Thea has changed from opposite sides but neutral to friendly, curious, teasing, and sexually interested.]
[Quest completed!]
[Hahahahaha]
***
Hiro wanted to punch the system right in its stupid digital face, but he bit back the urge and forced himself to stay calm instead.
Kaito had been true to his word, as always. So, when they got back to the apartment, a boxed cake wrapped neatly in a protective bag sat waiting on the counter, along with the receipt tucked right on top.
He silently thanked whatever stars were watching that Kaito had gone for a simple birthday cake instead of some fancy, rich asshole cake that was over the top.
Otherwise, Thea would probably expect the absolute highest quality every single time from now on, the kind only the wealthy people could afford on a regular basis.
Ignoring every survival instinct that screamed at him from the back of his mind, he stepped aside and let the demoness walk into his apartment without another word.
And so they ate the cake together. It was actually a really good. It was very rich and sweet in all the right ways. He kept offering her more slices, but she insisted they share it properly because she was only a guest in such a fine home.
"I need to use your bath," Thea said once they finished eating. "My shift isn't over yet, so I can't head home right now."
"Do your thing," Hiro replied with a smirk. "Just don't break my sh*t."
She chuckled softly at that. "I'll try not to."
Hiro let out a long breath as the bathroom door clicked shut behind her. He had a fucking demoness in his apartment right now.
Sure, she was incredibly beautiful, but that didn't mean a damn thing in a situation like this. She had wiped out his entire party without even breaking a sweat, and yet somehow he couldn't bring himself to hate her or even really dislike her. The woman just wanted sweets. She hadn't made any threatening moves except when Lumina decided to be reckless and charge in like an idiot.
What the hell had she been thinking? He would make sure Kaito drilled some basic situational awareness into her before she rushed into another fight like that again.
Hiro wasn't some combat genius, but even he knew better than to poke a boss monster without having a plan at least.
Thea reappeared almost twenty minutes later looking refreshed and relaxed. She was wearing the same clothes, but somehow they looked brand new and perfectly clean again. He figured it was some kind of magic trick and decided not to question it.
The demoness reached into her pocket and pulled out a delicate bracelet.
"Here, as thanks for the cake," she said. "I'll grant you one favor. Just channel a bit of magic into it when you need me."
Hiro accepted the bracelet and thanked her properly.
[You have received Summoning Bracelet of Thea, demon lord's bifocal. Item class: Epic. You may use this bracelet to summon Thea once. A favor from her is worth way more than your broke ass ever could know.]
He did his best to keep the excitement from showing on his face. Though, not without mentally flipping off the system in response to what snarky little jab it threw at him.
"Thank you for this," he said. She nodded.
"Well, it's a shame you didn't join me in the bath, but I've got to go now. We shall have cake again sometime. Oh, one more thing. I need to activate that bracelet."
She caught him completely off guard by leaning in and kissing him deeply. A warm rush of power shot straight through his body. Before he could even ask what had just happened, the demoness simply vanished into thin air.
Seconds later there was a knock on his door. He opened it, a little surprised to see Hanako standing there with concern written all over her face.
"Are you okay?" she asked. "She didn't do anything weird to you, right?"
"I'm fine," Hiro said, offering her a reassuring smile. "She really did just want cake. We ate, talked a bit, and then she left. I won't lie, I was nervous as hell serving food to a demoness. But she's actually kind of sweet in her own way."
Hanako giggled a bit and nodded, the relief clear on her face.
"We really need to coordinate our fights better, especially with Lumina around."
They both agreed at that.
"Let's talk about it tomorrow after classes," Hiro said. "I'm exhausted right now. Gonna jump in the shower and crash."
He waved her goodnight and closed the door. Before heading to bed, he sent a quick text to Rin.
The next morning he woke up to the feeling of something soft and warm pressed against his side. Smooth skin. He turned his head and his eyes widened. Thea was lying there completely naked, snuggled up against him with a satisfied little smile on her face.
His anime trope senses immediately started screaming.
The demoness opened her eyes and gave him a sly, mischievous grin.
"My apartment was too far away," she said casually, "so I crashed here instead."
What the hell was he supposed to say to that? "What the fuck are you doing in my bed?" Probably wouldn't go over well with a boss-level demoness.
"Anyway," she continued, stretching lazily against him, "I need some morning sex and you're the only one who's actually compatible with me right now. Up and at 'em. I haven't had any action in years."
His alarm started ringing on the nightstand, but Thea looked like she couldn't care less about time or schedules.