Reborn as a Succubus: Time To Live My Best Life!

{Melisa}

The arena was buzzing with excitement as Melisa made her way through the crowd, the final rounds of the tournament already underway.

She spotted Armia in the stands, the darian girl's usually proud posture slumped and defeated.

Melisa's heart ached a bit for her.

She knew how much the tournament had meant to Armia, how hard she had worked to prove herself on this stage.

But, Armia had lost.

She slid into the seat beside Armia, offering a gentle smile as the darian girl looked up in surprise.

"Hey," Melisa said softly, laying a hand on Armia's shoulder.

Armia looked away, her golden eyes shimmering with unshed tears.

"I lost," she said, as if Melisa didn't know that, her voice rough and raw. "I gave it everything I had, but magic alone wasn't enough. I failed."

"You still did so well, though! You made it all the way to the semi-finals!"

"That wasn't enough," Armia shook her head. "I needed to win."

"Armia," she said firmly, squeezing the girl's shoulder. "Don't be so hard on yourself. Let me ask you, three months ago, do you think you would have made it that far?"

Armia remained silent, her draconic tail curling in on itself a little.

"No, right? So, cheer up! You've improved so much."

Armia looked up, a flicker of gratitude in her eyes. But the sadness remained, a heavy weight on her broad shoulders.

Melisa glanced around, suddenly realizing that another familiar face was missing from the crowd.

"Where's Isabella?" she asked, frowning. "I thought she'd be here for the finals."

Armia shook her head, a wry smile tugging at the corner of her mouth.

"She dropped out," she said.

"What?"

Armia shrugged.

"As soon as she heard you weren't going to be in the tournament, she withdrew. Like, on the spot."

Melisa felt a flush of warmth at her cousin's dramatic gesture.

[Oh, Isabella. What am I going to do with you?]

She made a mental note to find the kitsune girl later and ask what exactly went through that impulsive, sex-and-magic-driven mind of hers.

As the tournament concluded, the crowd erupting into cheers for the victors, Armia seemed to shrink even further into herself. Melisa couldn't stand it any longer.

She pulled Armia into a tight, almost motherly hug. The darian girl stiffened for a moment, caught off guard by the sudden display of affection.

But then, slowly, she relaxed into the embrace, her strong arms coming up to encircle Melisa's waist. A strange purr, deeper, more guttural (befitting a dragon, in Melisa's mind) came out of Armia.

"It's going to be alright," Melisa murmured, her cheek pressed against Armia's shoulder. "You'll get plenty of other chances to show off. Trust me."

Armia pulled back slightly, her golden eyes searching Melisa's face with an intensity that made the nim girl's heart skip a beat.

[... Um...]

For a long moment, Armia just stared at her.

Melisa wasn't quite sure what to make of it.

But then Armia blinked and looked away.

"Thank you, Melisa," she said, her voice soft and sincere. "I think... I think I need to go back home for a while. To rest and recharge."

Melisa nodded.

"Take all the time you need," she said, giving Armia's hand a final, reassuring squeeze.
Experience tales at My Virtual Library Empire

Armia smiled, a real smile this time, warm and grateful. And then she was gone, her tall form disappearing into the dispersing crowd.

Melisa watched her go, a bittersweet ache in her chest. But there was no time to dwell on it, not now.

She had an errant kitsune to track down.

---

Melisa found Isabella exactly where she expected, brooding on a balcony overlooking the arena.

The kitsune girl turned as Melisa approached, her green eyes glinting as they found her.

"Hey, you," Melisa said, coming to stand beside her cousin at the railing. "I heard you dropped out of the tournament. What's that about?"

Isabella shrugged, a coy smile playing at the corners of her mouth.

"It just didn't seem important anymore," she said, her voice light and airy. "Not with this new invention I'm working on. Fighting in the tournament would have been... unnecessary."

Melisa raised an eyebrow, intrigued by the hint of excitement in Isabella's tone.

"Made any progress?" she asked, bumping her shoulder playfully against Isabella's.

The kitsune girl grinned, her tail swishing behind her in a gesture of smug satisfaction.

"A little. All in good time, my dear cousin," she purred, her eyes sparkling with secrets. "But first, tell me... how is your dear Raven doing? I heard she had quite the night."

Melisa sobered slightly.

[Right. Lots of students saw that fight. Thankfully, they were all half-asleep, but still. Rumors have already started spreading.]

"She's alright," she said, choosing her words carefully. "Recovering."

Isabella nodded. Then, in a move that caught Melisa entirely off guard, she turned and pulled the nim girl into a tight hug.

"I'm glad you're safe," she whispered, her face buried in the crook of Melisa's neck. "When I heard what happened, I was rather irritated. I had half a mind to track down Raven myself. I'm glad you came out unscathed."

She trailed off, her arms tightening around Melisa's waist. Melisa returned the embrace.

"Yeah... I'm fine."

[I'm more worried about Raven than anything.]

Isabella pulled back, her eyes shining with something deeper.

"We should still celebrate," she said, her voice low. "Even if neither of us fought in the tournament, we still have so much to be thankful for, no? So much to... enjoy."

Melisa felt a shiver run down her spine at the implication in Isabella's tone.

She knew exactly what her cousin was suggesting.

And god help her, she wanted it. Wanted it, and needed it, to help get her mind off everything that happened.

[Plus, I'm all out of Essence, too.]

"What did you have in mind?" she asked, her own voice barely above a whisper.

Isabella grinned, a wicked, promising thing.

"Come home with me tonight," she said, her hand sliding down to rest on the curve of Melisa's hip. "Let me show you how much I... appreciate you."

Melisa swallowed hard, her heart pounding in her chest.

This was it.

[... All of it's led up to this, huh?]

She felt more nervous now than she ever did thinking about the tournament.

And yet, she answered:

"Okay," she breathed. "Whenever you're ready."

Isabella grinned.

"Meet me at the gates at night. It's far too early for what I have in mind."