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

{Melisa}

[Okay, this one!] Melisa thought, trying to inject some energy into her steps. [This will be a better day, I'm sure of it!]

The academy loomed just up ahead. After contemplating that attack at the conference for a while, Melisa pondered if, perhaps, the best thing to do might instead be to just remain out of the spotlight for a time. Take the simple, but likely effective, strategy of "screw it, let them figure all this out themselves". So, today, she looked to just sort of... chill for a bit.

That didn't happen. Melisa heard the protest before she saw it. The shouting echoed across the academy grounds, bouncing off ancient stone walls and making its way right to her eardrums.

"NO MORE NIM IN OUR ACADEMY!"

"PROTECT OUR CHILDREN!"

"GO BACK TO WHERE YOU CAME FROM!"

Melisa cringed, smiling wryly.

[... I live like three or four streets over, you idiots.]

She rounded the corner and found herself staring at an actual, honest-to-goodness angry mob. Complete with signs and everything. Some noblewoman was actually shaking her fist in the air.

[What the actual...?]

Someone actually gasped when they saw her. Like she might suddenly start shooting mind control beams from her eyes.

[If I could do that, would I really be heading to theoretical magic class right now?]

"There she is!"

"The nim!"

"Watch out, she might control your minds!"

[Gods, I wish. Then I could make you all shut up.]

Then, they resumed their chanting. Only, this time, they did it as they stared at her.

"NO MORE NIM IN OUR ACADEMY!"

"PROTECT OUR CHILDREN!"

"GO BACK TO WHERE YOU CAME FROM!"

"This is ridiculous," Melisa muttered, walking past them. "What do you mean 'nim in our academy'? I'm literally the only one here!"

The guards were keeping the protesters outside the academy gates, at least. Small mercies. Though the way some of them were eyeing her, Melisa wondered whose side they'd take if things got ugly.

She caught sight of Claire ahead, taking notes. Now that she knew of her, it felt like she was seeing this girl all over the place.

[Maybe I just hadn't been paying attention before. Meh.]

"What are you doing?"

"Documenting the statistical improbability of one nim student somehow corrupting an entire institution," Claire replied without looking up. "Also calculating the average IQ of protest participants based on sign spelling errors."

[... You know what? I'll take it.]

Melisa kept walking, head held high despite the jeers. After all, she had places to be, classes to attend, and a girlfriend waiting to sit in her lap.

[Let them yell. See if I care.]

But she did care. And from the looks some of her fellow students were giving her as she passed, this was only the beginning.

---

The professor droned on about magical theory while Melisa absently stroked Isabella's tail. Her girlfriend had made herself comfortable in her lap as usual, though today she seemed more interested in taking actual notes than grinding.

[Guess even Isabella has her serious moments.]

Something was off, though. Melisa could feel it in the air.

Her eyes drifted to Armia, sitting two rows ahead. The darian's shoulders were tense, her tail completely still - never a good sign. Even when the professor made a joke about elemental resonance that actually landed, Armia didn't crack a smile.

[Okay, something's definitely wrong. She usually at least pretends to laugh at his jokes.]

Isabella must have noticed too, because she stopped writing and twisted around to look at Melisa.

"Is she okay?" she whispered.

Melisa shrugged, still stroking that fluffy tail. "We'll find out after class."

The rest of the lecture dragged by. Melisa caught maybe every third word, too focused on Armia's unusually stiff posture. Even the way other students were still giving her dirty looks couldn't distract her from her friend's obvious distress.

When class finally ended, Melisa gave Isabella's ass a light pat to get her moving.

"Armia!" she called out before the darian could leave. "Wait up!"

Armia turned, and Melisa's concern doubled. Her friend looked... tired. Worried. The kind of expression Melisa hadn't seen since before they'd started dating.

"What's wrong?" Melisa asked once they were relatively alone in the hallway.

Armia's tail curled around her ankle - another bad sign.

"The palace sent someone to see my father yesterday." Her voice was barely above a whisper. "They want me to join the military. To 'prove my loyalty' after what happened with the nim attackers."

[... What.]

"But you're not even nim!" Isabella burst out, having apparently followed them.

"Doesn't matter." Armia's scales seemed duller somehow. "Apparently all non-humans are suspect now. Well, not that they said that, but that's basically what this amounts to."

Melisa felt her blood starting to boil.

[First the protests, now this? What's next, making kitsune register their tails as weapons?]

"This is bullshit," she said flatly. "Complete and utter bullshit."

"Okay, but like... they can't actually force you, right?" Isabella's tail was doing that nervous swishing thing. "I mean, there's got to be some law against just... drafting random students?"

Armia shrugged, leaning against the wall.

"They're not calling it drafting. They're calling it an 'opportunity to demonstrate loyalty to the crown.'"

"That's the most bureaucratic bullshit I've ever heard," Melisa muttered.

[And here I thought Aria had... No,] Melisa had been about to blame the queen for this, but she stopped herself mid-thought. [Chances are the court probably came up with some much worse thing for Armia and Aria was the one who changed their minds in favor of this. If that is the case, then... Fine. I guess this isn't that bad.]

"What are you going to do?" Isabella asked, her ears twitching with concern.

"What can I do?" Armia's shoulders slumped. "If I refuse, they'll just say I'm proving their point about darians being untrustworthy. Who knows what'll happen at that point?"

Melisa opened her mouth to argue, then closed it again. She hated that Armia had a point.

[This is exactly what we don't need right now. More reasons for humans to distrust everyone else.]

So, they couldn't really do much. And, it was clear they were all on the same page on that front.

"Hey." Isabella's face suddenly lit up with that particular expression that usually meant either a brilliant idea or imminent chaos. "You know what we need?"

"If you say 'an orgy' I swear to-" Melisa started.

"Drinks!" Isabella bounced on her toes. "And food. Lots of food. Let's head to that new place near the market district."

It wasn't Melisa she was looking at while she said this. It was Armia.

Melisa was surprised.

[Is she... trying to cheer up Armia?]

Melisa caught the tiny smile tugging at Armia's lips. It seems to have worked.

"You know what?" Armia pushed off from the wall. "That actually sounds perfect."

"Great!" Isabella clapped her hands. "First round's on me. Second round's on whoever has the most embarrassing story to share."

[Which means it'll probably be on me. Again.]

"Raven," Melisa called out. Yes, the girl had very clearly been there in the background, listening. "Wanna come?"

"Sure." And that was that.

As they walked off together, Melisa couldn't help but worry for where things were going. But, she tried to quiet those thoughts.

[Maybe what we all need right now is just... a break. Even if it's just for one night. Or a few nights. Whatever.]