The first few were texts.

11:45 PM: Who knew the Creep King could kiss like that?

11:48 PM: I hope we can try that sometime later.

11:55 PM: Since you're so busy with your 'serious' stuff, here's a reminder of what a real girlfriend looks like.

Then, the images began to load.

The first picture was a mirror selfie. Rina was wearing the athletic clothes she'd mentioned: high-waisted red spandex that hugged her hips and a black sports bra that pushed her boobs up and showed a generous amount of her cleavage.

She was leaning back a bit, with her tongue sticking out, looking playful and slightly naughty.

He swiped.

The next few pictures were from the professional shoot. They had a high-gloss, high-contrast look. One showed Rina on a beach at sunset, wearing a very small white string bikini that could barely hold her.

Another showed Rina in a locker room, leaning over a bench. The light highlighted the clear muscles of her stomach and the soft, dangerous curve of her lower back.

Then they got more personal.

The last few pictures were clearly taken just minutes ago in her bedroom. The lighting was soft, and her skin was still flushed from the hot tub's steam. She was back in that skimpy tank top, but now it was wet and clung to her body like a second skin.

The thin fabric was almost see-through where the water had soaked in, and her hard nipples poking out clearly… dark, pebbled tips that looked like they were begging to be touched or teased.

The wet cloth outlined the shape of her firm, round breasts.

In the last photo, she pulled the hem of her shorts down just a bit, revealing the sharp V-shape of her hip bone and a peek of smooth, pale skin beneath.

That was it, but the thought of what followed, the thought of what would be visible if she had just moved a few centimetres, sent a shiver through him.

12:15 AM: Still busy? Or are you staring at these? I bet you're staring... and getting hard. Touch yourself for me?

Akira felt a fresh jolt of heat rush through him. It wasn't from the shower steam or from any demonic essence but from the intense pressure of his growing harem. His cock got hard again without him meaning to, as he lay stuck in bed next to the sleeping, obsessive Mia.

Her curvy body was pressed against him, and her breath was warm on his neck even though she was asleep.

And then there's Rina flooding his phone with tempting, clear pictures, images that practically dared him to touch himself as he looked at her wet, firm body.

And then there was Mei-san... he wasn't sure how to describe her. The mature MILF with her endless appetite, probably awake right now, fingering her soaked pussy while fantasising about riding him every single night, milking his cock until he can't think straight.

Akira's gaze returned to his phone. His thumb hovered over the screen as he scrolled through Rina's messages again.

Beside him, Mia shifted slightly in her sleep, scooting closer and draping her legs over him. She was completely knocked out from their bathroom session.

But now he had another problem.

[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION: RINA ROUTE ESCALATING]

[CHOICE AVAILABLE]

[A: Respond with restraint - Keep her interested without commitment. Reward: +50 PP, Rina Affinity maintained.]

[B: Match her energy - Send a flirty response acknowledging her boldness. Reward: +150 PP, +10 Rina Affinity, Risk: Increases her expectations.]

[C: Invite her over tomorrow - Escalate directly. Reward: +250 PP, Rina Route Accelerated, Risk: High chance of Mia discovering.]

"What's it going to be, darling?" Ai's voice purred in his mind. "The cautious route, or are we going to add more fuel to this delicious fire?"

Akira considered his options carefully. Option C was suicide with Mia's current state of mind. Option A felt too cold after she'd put herself out there like that. He settled on B.

He typed out a response: "You know exactly what you're doing to me right now… not that I'm complaining, though. We should talk tomorrow... in person."

He hit send and watched the three dots appear almost immediately.

[CHOICE B CONFIRMED]

[PP: 150 + 1285 → 1435]

[RINA AFFINITY: 65 → 85]

Rina's response came through: "In person, huh? I like the sound of that. Meet me after school? I know a place we can be... alone."

Akira set his phone to silent and placed it face down on the nightstand. He needed to sleep, or at least pretend to. Tomorrow was going to be complicated enough without adding exhaustion to the mix.

—

Morning came too quickly. Akira woke to find Mia still curled against him, her eyes already open and watching him with an unsettling intensity.

"Morning," he said, his voice sounding rough from sleep.

"Morning, Akira-kun." She smiled, but it didn't quite reach her eyes. "Did you sleep well?"

"Like a rock. You?"

"I had dreams." She gently traced her finger over his chest. "About you. About us. About making sure no one ever tries to take you away from me."

There was something dark in her tone that made his enhanced Perception skill tingle with warning. "Mia..."

"Just kidding. Now let's get ready for school. You'll wait for me, right?"

"Sure, sure."

—

School that day was almost the same as the day before. It was nearly as if the drug rumour boosted his popularity even more.

Students he'd never spoken to before were suddenly his best friends. Girls who'd ignored him weeks ago were now finding excuses to touch his arm or compliment his new look.

"Kanzaki-kun, can you help me with my serve after school?"

"Akira, we should hang out sometime!"

"Can you take me through your daily routine? You look fire! I promise not to…"

That last one, he knew they were only fishing to see if he truly was on something and whether he could share his secrets with them.

Through it all, Mia stayed glued to his side like a territorial guard dog, smiling pleasantly, but her eyes went sharp and dangerous whenever anyone got too close.

Rina caught his eye from across the courtyard, leaning against a wall with that same playful smirk from her photos. She mouthed "later" and walked away, swaying her hips.

The day was moving as normally as it could, given his newfound popularity, until lunchtime, when Ayaka approached their table.

"Akira, can I talk to you? Privately?"

Mia's grip on his hand tightened. "Whatever you need to say, you can say in front of me."

Ayaka's red eyes flashed briefly with irritation. "It's none of your business. And don't worry about me taking your boyfriend. I don't need to do all of that to have him."

"Alright, alright." Akira stood, gently extracting his hand from Mia's death grip. "I'll be right back."

He and Ayaka stepped into an empty hallway, and she wasted no time.

"There's been activity. Multiple signatures, about two kilometres west of here, in the forest close to the incinerating building. They're not strong individually, but there are a lot of them."

"What kind?"

"Fire-based. Probably Ashlings… low-rank fire imps.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.