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

The professor's chalk squeaked against the blackboard. The sound should have been grating enough to hold Melisa's attention, but her mind had drifted far from the classroom.

[They found three more nim hideouts, which makes what, seven total now?] She sighed. [Wonder if Vira's still doing alright.]

Melisa's eyes glazed over as she stared at the intricate chalk lines without really seeing them.

A month had passed since the Koros incident, and she still couldn't get her brain to focus on "normal student life" for more than ten minutes at a time.

Every morning the papers had some new update about Queen Aria's "ongoing operation" against nim insurgents. Every day, Melisa scanned the list of names, both relieved and somehow disappointed not to see Vira's among them. Not because she wanted to see that she'd been arrested, but because part of her wanted confirmation that she was alive and well.

[... Honestly, she's probably smart enough to get the hell out of Syux,] she thought, absently doodling in the margins of her notes. [She's not a slave either. If she had any sense at all, she'd be halfway to Yalmir right now.]

"—of course, Miss Blackflame would surely know the answer to this. Wouldn't you?"

Melisa snapped back to reality, suddenly aware that the entire class had turned to look at her. The professor stared expectantly, one bushy eyebrow raised in challenge.

[Shit. What was the question?]

"Um," Melisa began eloquently, frantically scanning the board for clues. There was a spellsign diagram, something about energy transference and... was that elemental conversion? "The... uh... the balance between input and output Essence determines the stability of... the... conversion?"

It was a total shot in the dark, cobbled together from the few words she'd actually registered during her daydreaming.

The professor's lips pressed into a thin line of disappointment.

"Perhaps if you paid more attention to my lesson than whatever fascinating thoughts occupy that mind of yours, Miss Blackflame, you would know that we were discussing the amplification properties of crystalline matrices, not elemental conversion."

Snickers rippled through the classroom. Melisa's cheeks burned.

[What does that even mean?]

"Sorry, Professor."

"Indeed." He turned back to the board. "As I was saying..."

Melisa slumped in her seat, embarrassed and frustrated with herself.

A folded piece of paper slid onto her desk, pushed by Raven's slender fingers. Melisa opened it discreetly.

You ok? the note read in Raven's neat handwriting.

Melisa's brows shot up. Raven's face was expressionless.

Melisa scribbled back with a little smile:

Just tired. Thanks for checking.

She glanced around the classroom, taking in her other friends. At least some things were still normal.

Isabella, for once, wasn't trying to crawl into Melisa's lap. Instead, she was making eyes at some human two rows ahead, twirling a strand of pink hair around her finger in that way she did when she was on the hunt.

[Poor bastard doesn't know what's about to hit him,] Melisa thought with a small smile, though it was odd to see Isabella making those eyes at a human being who was not her, Armia, or Raven. It served as a reminder of her nature.

To her right, Armia was whispering to Raven, describing some battle maneuver she'd witnessed during her two weeks with the military. Raven's face remained impassive, but Melisa caught the slight widening of her eyes – the Raven equivalent of being impressed.

This was good. This was normal. This was what she should be focusing on.

... So why couldn't she get the image of Vira, or that nim being beaten in the alley, out of her head?

---

"UGH! If I have to spend one more minute in that dusty, ancient library, I might actually die," Isabella declared dramatically, dropping her tray onto the lunch table with a clatter. "Like, not metaphorically die. Literally die. My lungs will shrivel up from all the book dust."

"It's a research project, Isabella," Armia said patiently. "Research means books. Books mean library."

"Ugh, don't remind me." Isabella flopped onto the bench, her ears drooping for extra effect. "It's like they want to torture us. 'Inter-year cooperation project' my ass. More like 'let's see how many students we can make cry from boredom.'"

Melisa picked at her food, only half-listening to the conversation. The cafeteria was buzzing with chatter, most of it about the upcoming project that would pair students from different years together for a major research assignment.

"I heard Professor Ellington volunteering to be one of the judges," someone said quietly, and the girls turned toward that person. A guy at a nearby table, half-whispering. "He's notoriously difficult to impress."

"Great," Isabella groaned, turning back toward the others. "Just what we need. Mr. 'Your-Paper-Would-Be-Better-As-Kindling' breathing down our necks."

"Who?"

"Rumors," Armia explained. "Apparently, we've been very lucky with our collection of professors."

"Ahh... So what topic are you guys thinking of researching?"

"Something with explosions," Isabella said immediately.

"Something practical," Armia countered.

"... Something unique," was Raven's contribution.

They all looked at Melisa expectantly.

"I haven't really thought about it," she admitted. "Been... distracted lately."

An awkward silence fell over the table. They all knew what had happened with Koros, though Melisa had given them the sanitized version. She hadn't mentioned Vira much at all.

Isabella, bless her heart, broke the tension.

"Well, whatever we choose, it's going to involve hours in that musty old library. I swear, Ms. Milly hasn't dusted since the Essence Surge."

As if summoned by the mention of her name, the elderly librarian appeared behind Isabella, pushing a cart of returned books.

"I'll have you know, Miss Summer, that my library is dusted weekly," Ms. Milly said, her voice creaking like old floorboards. "Just because the books are ancient doesn't mean they should be treated as such."

Isabella jumped, her tail puffing out in surprise.

"Ms. Milly! I was just, uh... commenting on the historical value of your collection!"

"Mmhmm." The old woman didn't look convinced. Her gaze shifted to Melisa, and something strange passed over her features – a look of recognition, almost, though Melisa was certain she'd barely exchanged two words with the librarian in all her years at the academy.

"The library has a way of giving us what we need, Miss Blackflame," Ms. Milly said cryptically. "Even when we don't know what that is." She patted Melisa's shoulder with an old hand. "You'll see."

With that, she shuffled away, her cart squeaking on one wheel.

"What... was that about?" Armia asked, watching the old woman go.

"No idea," Melisa replied, equally confused.

"Told you," Isabella stage-whispered. "Weird as fuck. Probably huffing too much... book dust."

They all chuckled.

---

Later, the practice arena echoed with Isabella's increasingly desperate shrieks.

"I SAID I WAS SORRY ABOUT THE UNDERWEAR THING!"

Raven's response was to launch another volley of blunted training daggers, which Isabella barely dodged by diving behind a practice dummy.

"It was just a joke! A harmless prank! HAVE MERCY!"

From the sideline benches, Melisa and Armia watched with matching expressions of amusement.

"How long do you think Raven will keep this up?" Armia asked, wincing sympathetically as Isabella narrowly avoided a dagger to the backside.

"Until she stops having fun."

"She's having fun?"

"Yeah, look at her face. She's loving this."

"... I'll have to take your word for it," Armia replied.

Then she fell silent, her expression turning thoughtful.

"Melisa, can I ask you something?"

"Sure," Melisa said, turning to face her friend properly. "What's up?"

Armia opened her mouth, then closed it again. Her brow furrowed, and she seemed to be having some internal debate.

"Armia?"

"... Actually, it's nothing," the darian said finally, shaking her head. "Just... I'm glad you're okay. After everything that happened."

Melisa studied her face, sensing there was more to it than that. But if Armia wasn't ready to talk, pushing probably wouldn't help.

"Thanks," she said instead, bumping Armia's shoulder with her own. "I'm glad you're okay too. Those scars make you look pretty badass, by the way."

Armia smiled, the tension leaving her shoulders.

"Yeah? I was worried they made me look even less... you know. Lady-like."

"Are you kidding? Distinguished battle scars are sexy as hell on anyone," Melisa declared. "Besides, come on. Being a badass and being lady-like are far from mutually exclusive."

Armia's smile widened.

"I guess you're right."

Their attention was pulled back to the arena by a particularly loud shriek from Isabella, who was now running full-tilt around the perimeter with Raven in calm pursuit.

"GUYS, HELP ME!" Isabella wailed, her pink tail streaming behind her like a surrender flag. "SHE'S GOING TO KILL ME!"

"You brought this on yourself!" Armia called back, unhelpfully.

"I'll remember this betrayal next time you want to get laid!" Isabella shot back, then yelped as a dagger whizzed past her ear.

Melisa laughed harder this time. Whatever was going on with Armia, whatever cryptic nonsense Ms. Milly was spouting, whatever political mess was brewing in Syux... at least she had this. These friends, this moment.

For now, it was enough.