Arthur raised both hands in surrender, still facing the invisible audience.
"Hey… I've been hearing some complaints that I'm breaking the fourth wall too often. That I talk to you guys way too much just because I can see you watching."
He let out a dramatic sigh.
"What can I say? What am I supposed to do? You think I'd be more interesting if I just ignored you completely and let you figure everything out on your own?" He shrugged. "Fine. If it makes you uncomfortable, I'll stop. From now on, I won't say a word. Good luck piecing it together without my help."
He paused, then tilted his head.
"By the way… why is she blushing like that?"
†
Venisha's face had turned a deep, vivid shade of crimson. Delicate wisps of warm steam actually rose from her flushed cheeks as she stared up at Arthur, wide-eyed and utterly speechless. His bold declaration still hung in the air between them:
"I am going to take everything from you now!"
For a long, excruciating moment, the only sound was the soft crackle of flames dancing across Arthur's body. Venisha blinked once. Twice. Her mouth opened and closed, but no words came out.
Arthur suddenly realized how his words had sounded. His confident blaze of determination faltered. He glanced desperately toward the invisible audience, eyes wide with panic.
"W-wait, no! That came out completely wrong!" he blurted, loosening his grip on her hand so it no longer felt threatening. "I meant in a spar! A proper duel! To test our strengths and… uh… prevent future evil and all that! Not— Not that kind of 'taking everything'!"
Venisha's blush only deepened. She yanked her hand back—though not with much force—and pressed both palms against her burning cheeks.
"S-Senior Flamebout… what on earth are you saying right now?!"
The flames surrounding Arthur slowly began to die down as his body finished healing. He stared at her, stunned.
"Wait… what?" He shot another panicked glance at the audience. "Did she just interpret that as a love confession? Guys, I said 'take everything,' not 'take me'! This is not what I meant at all!"
Venisha lowered her hands slightly, her voice turning soft and shy. "If you really want to… take everything from me… maybe we could start with something smaller first?"
Arthur's eyes widened to almost comical proportions. His brain offered exactly zero helpful responses.
So, acting on pure panicked instinct—and years of romantic frustration carried over from his previous life—he did the only thing that felt right in that moment.
He leaned down, gently cupped her face with his free hand (careful not to let the remaining flames singe her), and kissed her.
It wasn't graceful. It wasn't smooth. It was the clumsy, desperate kiss of a nervous transmigrator who had spent the last ten minutes threatening to kill her and had suddenly decided he'd rather do anything else.
Venisha stiffened for half a second in shock… then melted into it. Her eyes fluttered closed as she kissed him back. The flames around Arthur flared brighter for a moment before softening into a gentle, warm glow that wrapped around them both like a protective cocoon.
When they finally pulled apart, both were breathing heavily. Venisha's face was an even deeper shade of red, and a tiny, dazed smile played on her lips.
Arthur stared at her, completely stunned. Then he slowly turned his head toward the audience with the most bewildered expression imaginable.
"…Well," he said, his voice hoarse, "that was a win for a hero."
Suddenly, flames surged out from him again—but only he could see them. Venisha showed no reaction. A chain of fire shot forward and pierced straight through her chest. A second later, a violent pink flame emerged from her heart and flowed smoothly into Arthur's body.
"What the—?" Arthur muttered, dumbfounded.
Venisha tilted her head, looking at him with innocent curiosity. "Ah! Senior! Are you not satisfied? Do you want a second one?"
Arthur stared at her breathtaking face. Anyone would drool over her. But he quickly stepped back, putting distance between them.
"Well… I'm getting late for the graduation ceremony. Goodbye," he said with a forced, proud smile. Then he turned and walked away at a measured pace.
The moment he was far enough, he bolted. He ran like his life depended on it.
"Damn it! My first kiss in this world… and it was with the villainess who's supposed to die for the greater good!" He sighed heavily, refusing to look back. "This is a disaster."
He kept walking straight toward his dormitory, flames flickering weakly around him as his mind raced.
††
The moment Arthur disappeared from view, Venisha's dazed expression melted away. A slow, wicked smile curved her lips, followed by soft, delighted laughter.
She had noticed him from the very beginning—from the second he had jumped out of the fifth-floor window.
"That guy has guts," she murmured, her voice laced with amusement. "And that's exactly why I got his healing flames."
Her power was the Succubus Flame. Through any physical contact, she could extract a fragment of the other person's genetic essence and claim a portion of their abilities as her own.
Venisha considered herself the most dangerous woman in the kingdom. She came from the Acronym household. Her father had been human, but her mother was a full-blooded succubus. She herself was a rare mutant who had inherited both the seductive flames of a succubus and the unique flame arts of the Acronym bloodline.
Although her mother had taught her how to wield her powers properly, Venisha had always been extremely shy. That was why she had never kissed anyone before today.
"It was my first time…" she whispered, a faint blush still coloring her cheeks. Her eyes gleamed with a hint of crazed excitement, and her smile took on the eerie quality of a true villainess.
"Although I didn't expect it… thanks to Senior Arthur, I can speed up my plans." Her smile widened into something truly terrifying. "Time to conquer this kingdom."
She raised a hand and gently touched her lips, remembering the kiss.
"How silly," she added softly, though the dangerous glint in her eyes never faded.