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The silence was the first clue that something had fundamentally changed.
It wasn't the dead, oppressive silence of the mill or the tense, watchful quiet before a storm. This was... peaceful. The kind of quiet that settles over a place only when everyone inside knows, bone-deep, that they are safe.
Sunlight streamed through the dusty windows of the P.V.S.C. clubroom, illuminating dancing motes of dust in the air. I was sprawled on the worn leather couch, a textbook open but unread on my lap. For the first time since I'd arrived in Pine Valley, the constant, staticky hum in my bones wasn't a warning or an alarm. It was a purr. A content, sleeping-cat purr of energy that seemed to harmonize with the soft click-clack of Lexi's keyboard and the gentle rustle of Sage's plants.
Speaking of Lexi, he was at his main computer, his brow furrowed in concentration. But he wasn't monitoring my vital signs or plotting defensive protocols. He was systematically dismantling the last of the data we'd stolen from M.I.S.T., a look of profound boredom on his face.
"Pathetic," he muttered, not to anyone in particular. "Their encryption is a joke. Their data storage protocols are from the last decade. Amateurs." He deleted another file with a dramatic keystroke. It was the most beautiful sound I'd heard all week.
In the corner, Sage was tending to his ever-expanding collection of plants. His large, capable hands, which I'd seen deliver a shockwave that could slam a door shut, were now gently pruning a delicate fern. He had a whole mini-ecosystem growing back there—herbs in little pots, strange crystalline rocks nestled in the soil, all supposedly "tuned" to stabilize my aura. Today, it just looked like a garden. A weird, supernatural garden, but a garden nonetheless.
And Yuki... Yuki was on the floor, surrounded by fabric markers, glitter, and what looked like a dozen plain white T-shirts. He was humming to himself, his tongue stuck out in concentration as he carefully painted the letters "P.V.S.C." on one shirt, followed by a wobbly but enthusiastic ghost logo.
"Look, Senpai!" he chirped, holding up his latest creation. This one read: 'I Survived M.I.S.T. And All I Got Was This Cuddle.' "It's for our victory collection! I'm making one for everyone! Sage's says 'Certified Aura Mom,' and Lexi's says 'I ♥ Data' with a little heart!"
I felt a slow, genuine smile spread across my face. A month ago, this scene would have felt like chaos. Today, it felt like home. My home. These three brilliant, obsessive, chaotic tomboys were my messed-up, wonderful family, and this cluttered, weird-smelling room was our sanctuary. The fight was over. We had won. And for the first time, I could just... breathe.
I leaned my head back against the couch and closed my eyes, soaking in the simple, profound peace of the moment. The war was over.
Of course, that was exactly when the next one walked in.
The clubroom door flew open with a force that made the various trinkets on the shelves rattle. The peaceful atmosphere shattered like glass.
A man stood in the doorway, his expensive suit rumpled, his hair disheveled, and his eyes wide with a panic so raw it was contagious. He looked like he'd just run a marathon through a hedge.
"Please," he gasped, his chest heaving. "You have to help me. You're the… the ghost people, right?"
We all froze. Lexi's fingers stopped typing. Sage's pruning shears hovered mid-snip. Yuki's glitter tube tipped over, scattering a pile of pink sparkles across the floor.
I was the first to find my voice. "Can we help you, sir?" I asked, sitting up straight.
The man stumbled further into the room, his eyes darting between us. "My name is Evans. Robert Evans. It's my daughter, Chloe. Something's… something's wrong with her."
Lexi recovered first, his analytical mask sliding back into place. "Define 'wrong,' Mr. Evans. Is she ill? Has she been in an accident?"
"No, nothing like that!" Mr. Evans wrung his hands. "It's her… her behavior. It's not her. She's always been sweet, shy. But lately…" He shuddered. "She's changed. Boys follow her everywhere. Grown men, too! Her teachers give her anything she wants. She has this… this glow. This… charisma. It's unnatural!"
A lightbulb went off in my head. Chloe Evans. I'd seen her around campus. She was stunning, with long blonde hair and a smile that could probably stop traffic. She sat two rows ahead of me in Economics.
"Mr. Evans," I said, trying to sound reassuring. "With all due respect, it sounds like your daughter might just be… popular? Maybe she's just coming out of her shell."
The man looked at me like I'd just suggested the sky was green. "No! You don't understand! Last week, the captain of the football team got into a fistfight with the president of the debate team right on our front lawn because they both wanted to carry her books! The debate team president won!"
Yuki's eyes went wide. "Ooh, a nerd victory! Go, nerds!"
Lexi, however, had gone very still. He slowly stood up from his chair, his gaze sharp and focused. "Describe this 'glow,' Mr. Evans. In detail."
"It's like… a magnetism," the man whispered, his voice trembling. "When she walks into a room, everyone just… stares. They hang on her every word. They'll do anything for her. And her eyes… sometimes, they almost seem to… gleam."
Lexi's lips curved into a slow, knowing smirk. He turned to Sage and Yuki, and the three of them exchanged a single, loaded glance. A silent conversation passed between them in a split second.
Then, in perfect, horrifying unison, they all said one word.
"Succubus."
I blinked. "A what-us?"
The word hung in the air, thick and unfamiliar. I looked at the three of them, then back at the terrified Mr. Evans.
"Okay," I said, holding up my hands. "I see you readers smiling. Yeah, I didn't know what a succubus was either at first. For those of you as clueless as I was—apparently it's some kind of... um... adult-themed supernatural entity. Yeah. The writer really went there. I'm just as horrified as you are imagining where this is going."
Lexi ignored my internal crisis, his eyes gleaming with clinical fascination. "A Class 4 Erotic Entity," he clarified, as if reading from a textbook only he could see. "A parasitic spiritual being that feeds on lifeforce, specifically through the conduit of intense sexual energy and desire. It slowly drains its hosts, leaving them obsessed, enthralled, and eventually, completely depleted."
Mr. Evans made a choked sound, his face turning a sickly shade of pale. "D-depleted?"
"Don't worry, Mr. Evans!" Yuki chirped, popping up from his glittery mess. "It's not as scary as it sounds! They're just really, really good at cuddling! Like, super-duper, make-your-brain-melt cuddles!" He waggled his eyebrows. "The best cuddles."
Sage shot Yuki a silencing glare before turning his attention back to the distraught father. "The point is, your daughter is in danger. The entity is using her as a vessel. We can help."
"But... how?" Mr. Evans pleaded. "She's having a party tonight. At our house. I can't stop it. No one can say 'no' to her anymore."
Lexi's smirk widened. "A party is perfect. It provides cover and a dense concentration of... potential energy sources." He turned his gaze to me, and I felt a familiar sense of dread pool in my stomach. "The solution is simple. We need to draw the entity out. And for that, we need bait."
All three of them—Lexi, Sage, and Yuki—turned to look at me.
"Me?" I squeaked. "Why me?"
"Your aura, Alex," Lexi stated, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "It's pure, potent, and undiluted. To a creature that feeds on desire and life force, you would be like a five-course gourmet meal walking into a soup kitchen. It won't be able to resist you."
"Ooh! So Senpai is like a super-delicious energy snack!" Yuki added, clapping his hands. "The succubus will be all 'OMG, I gotta have him!'"
I stared at them, my mind reeling. They wanted to use me as supernatural bait for a sex demon. This had to be a new low.
"And here comes the 'training montage'," I thought, directing my words to you, the reader. "Which is just the writer's excuse for what happens next. I swear, sometimes I think they're just making up supernatural rules to put me in these situations."
Mr. Evans looked from my horrified face to the determined faces of the P.V.S.C. "So... you'll help? You'll save my Chloe?"
Sage gave a single, firm nod. "We will. But we have preparations to make." He gently but firmly guided the trembling man toward the door. "Leave us your address. We will be there tonight."
As the door closed behind Mr. Evans, the clubroom fell into a silence that was anything but peaceful. I was now the designated bait for a creature I still only vaguely understood, and the "preparations" were about to begin. I had a very, very bad feeling about this.
The moment the door clicked shut, the clubroom erupted into a flurry of what they called "preparations." I called it "targeted psychological warfare."
"Right," Lexi announced, clapping his hands together. "Phase one: Resistance and Desensitization Training. We need to build your immunity, Alex. A succubus's primary weapon is allure. We must fortify your mental defenses."
Before I could ask what that meant, he strode over to his personal closet—yes, he had a closet in the clubroom—and began rifling through it. "The entity will use every tool at its disposal to break your focus. We must simulate battlefield conditions."
Sage crossed his arms, his expression grim. "I'm not sure about this, Lexi. This seems... excessive."
"Nonsense," Lexi retorted, his voice muffled by fabric. "It's science. Controlled exposure is the key." He emerged holding a simple black t-shirt and jeans. "Here. Put these on. We're establishing a baseline."
Confused but compliant, I ducked into the small bathroom to change. The clothes fit... suspiciously well. Almost too well. The jeans were snug, and the t-shirt clung to my torso in a way my usual baggy hoodies never did.
When I stepped out, three pairs of eyes assessed me with unnerving intensity.
"Baseline established," Lexi murmured, making a note on his tablet. "Subject displays moderate self-consciousness. Good. Now for variable A."
He disappeared back into the closet and emerged a minute later. My jaw nearly hit the floor.
He had changed. The practical tracksuit was gone. In its place was an outfit that defied description—a sheer, silky black top that revealed the faint outline of his torso, paired with impossibly tight leather pants that highlighted every curve of his hips and thighs. He'd let his hair down from its usual bun, the light brown locks cascading around his shoulders.
"Whoa," Yuki whispered, his eyes wide.
Lexi ignored him, his gaze locked on me. "Now, Alex. Look at me. Maintain eye contact. Do not let your focus waver. The entity will use physical distraction as its opening gambit."
He began to circle me, moving with a liquid grace that was entirely new. The air filled with the scent of peaches. My heart hammered against my ribs. This wasn't fair. This was a blatant, calculated attack on my senses.
"Your breathing has increased," Lexi noted clinically, though a smug smirk played on his lips. "Pupils are dilated. This is an excellent stress response. Now, fight it. Remember your core purpose. You are a bastion of will."
He stopped directly in front of me, so close I could feel the heat radiating from his body. "Look at me, Alex. Only at me."
I was trying. I really was. But my eyes kept wanting to flicker down to the sheer fabric of his top, to the way the leather pants clung to him. This wasn't training. This was torture.
"And here we go," I thought, screaming internally to my audience of readers. "See what I have to deal with? He calls this 'science.' I call it... I don't know what to call it! This is just cheating!"
Sage cleared his throat loudly, his brow furrowed. "Lexi, I believe the point has been made. Perhaps we should move on to... less stimulating training methods."
Lexi finally took a step back, looking immensely pleased with himself. "Phase one complete. Subject showed significant physiological response but maintained a degree of cognitive control. Promising." He gave me a look that was anything but clinical. "We'll continue this later. For now, Sage, he's all yours."
Sage stepped forward, his expression unreadable. I had a sinking feeling that "all yours" meant this torment was just getting started.
As Lexi retreated to his computer with a final, infuriatingly smug glance, Sage stepped forward. The air, which had been thick with Lexi's peach-scented provocation, now grew heavy with a different kind of tension. Where Lexi was a scalpel, Sage was a sledgehammer.
"My turn," he rumbled, his rust-red eyes scanning me with unnerving intensity. "Lexi's methods address direct seduction. Mine address... proximity. A succubus will exploit any perceived vulnerability, any point of physical contact to establish a connection and begin its drain."
Before I could ask what that meant, his large hands were on me.
"Posture first," he stated, his voice a low command. One hand settled firmly on the small of my back, the other on my shoulder, pressing and adjusting my stance. His touch was warm and solid through the thin t-shirt, and despite the clinical reason, it felt intensely personal. "You must project stability. Unshakeable confidence. A weak posture suggests a weak will."
His hands slid down my arms, "checking for tension." Then they were on my hips, "aligning my center of gravity." Each touch was brief, purposeful, and utterly overwhelming. He was so close I could smell the coffee and clean linen scent that always clung to him.
"Your heart rate is elevated again," he murmured, his voice dropping so only I could hear it. His thumb brushed against the pulse point on my wrist, sending a jolt straight up my arm. "You need to remain calm, Alex. Centered. I can't have you losing control the moment she touches you."
He was doing this on purpose. Under the guise of "training," he was ensuring his touch was the one branding itself into my senses. It was a possessive, territorial kind of care, and it was short-circuiting my brain.
"Okay, seriously," I screamed internally to all of you reading this. "Is anyone keeping track of the excuses here? Lexi's 'science,' Sage's 'protection'... they're not even trying to be subtle! I'm just trying to be a good person and help a girl, and I'm getting assaulted by 'professional concern' from all sides!"
Yuki, who had been watching the entire display with wide, fascinated eyes, finally piped up. "Ooh! My turn! My turn! I know all about this stuff!"
Sage reluctantly released me, taking a half-step back but not breaking his intense gaze. "Yuki. Keep it... appropriate."
Yuki bounded over, his expression a mixture of excitement and grave seriousness. "Okay, Senpai! This is the most important part! You have to know how to react when she tries the super-seductive stuff!"
He struck a pose, one hand on his hip, fluttering his eyelashes dramatically. "So, like, if she comes up to you all... 'Oh, Alex, you're so strong and mysterious...'" His impression was high-pitched and ridiculous.
"Then you have to be all cool and... 'I'm here to investigate paranormal phenomena, ma'am.'" He puffed out his chest, trying to look stoic and failing miserably.
He then proceeded to demonstrate a series of what he called "seduction counter-maneuvers," which mostly involved him winking, making finger guns, and tripping over his own feet. It was so absurd that some of the tension actually drained from my shoulders.
Until he concluded with, "And if all else fails, just yell 'I'm gay!' It works in all the manga!"
The room went silent. Lexi facepalmed. Sage looked like he was considering building a soundproof box to put Yuki in.
I stared at my three "trainers"—the provocateur, the possessive protector, and the chaotic gremlin. We were supposed to infiltrate a party and confront a soul-sucking entity tonight.
We were so, so doomed.
Silence descended after Yuki's "brilliant" tactical suggestion. It was Lexi who broke it, pinching the bridge of his nose. "We are not having Alex declare a fictitious sexual orientation as a defensive measure. The entity would see through it instantly. His aura broadcasts his... baseline attractions quite clearly."
My face, which had just begun to cool down, flared red again. "It what now?"
"Later," Lexi dismissed, turning to his whiteboard. "We have a more pressing logistical issue: cover. We can't just walk into a high school party as a paranormal investigation team. We need a plausible reason for our presence, especially Alex's."
Sage nodded, his arms crossed. "Agreed. A lone, unfamiliar male will draw suspicion. He needs an anchor. A reason to be there that isn't 'bait'."
"Ooh! Ooh! I know!" Yuki shot his hand in the air, bouncing on his toes. "We can be his dates!"
The word hung in the air, and for a split second, the room was utterly still. Then, it was as if a starting pistol had been fired.
"I'll do it," Lexi said instantly, his tone leaving no room for argument. He gestured to himself with a flourish. "It's the most logical choice. I can maintain the necessary clinical detachment to monitor his vitals and the entity's energy signature, while providing a believable social shield. My appearance is... conventionally appealing enough to be credible." He said it like a fact, but the slight preening shift of his hips betrayed his satisfaction.
"Absolutely not," Sage countered, his voice a low, firm rumble. He moved to stand slightly in front of me, a clear, physical claim. "You're too volatile. Your idea of 'clinical detachment' involves sheer fabric and aggressive circling. I will be his date. I can provide a stable, protective presence. No one would question my role as his... companion." The possessive weight he put on the final word made my ears burn.
"Hey! What about me?!" Yuki whined, pushing between them. "I'm the best at parties! I can be the fun, cute date who distracts everyone while Senpai does the serious stuff! I'd be the perfect boyfriend! We'd be, like, the ultimate couple!"
"You'd get distracted by the snack table within thirty seconds," Lexi shot back.
"And you'd try to run a statistical analysis on the party's social dynamics," Sage retorted.
"And you'd just stand there glaring at everyone until they all left!" Yuki fired back at Sage.
The three of them descended into a heated, triangular argument, their voices overlapping.
"He needs sophistication!"
"He needs security!"
"He needs fun!"
"I have the right outfit for it!"
"I can keep him safe!"
"I'd let him have the last pizza roll!"
They were circling each other now, a whirlwind of conflicting logic and raw, competitive obsession. I stood in the center of the storm, watching my supposed protectors argue over who got to pretend to be my significant other for the night.
A strange sense of clarity washed over me. The mission to save Chloe was real and important. But this? This was about them. This was a new battlefield in their endless, unspoken war over me, and the prize was the title of "Alex's Fake Date."
I was no longer just bait for a succubus. I was the grand prize in a competition I never entered.
"Unbelievable," I thought, shaking my head at you, the reader. "I just wanted to do the right thing. Save a girl, maybe feel good about myself. But no. Somehow, my love life—or complete lack thereof—has become a tactical debate. I'm starting to think the succubus might be the least of my problems tonight."
The argument raged for a solid five minutes, a chaotic symphony of conflicting logic and escalating possessiveness. It was Sage who finally cut through the noise, not with a shout, but with a single, sharp word that cracked through the room like thunder.
"Enough."
The sudden silence was jarring. All eyes turned to him. He stood with his arms crossed, a deep frown etched on his face, but his rust-red eyes held a glint of grim practicality.
"This is inefficient and undignified," he stated, his gaze sweeping over Lexi and Yuki. "We are a team. Arguing over this like children jeopardizes the mission and, more importantly, Alex's safety."
He turned his focus to me, and his expression softened just a fraction. "The solution is simple. We all go."
Lexi opened his mouth to protest, likely about the inefficiency of a four-person "date," but Sage held up a hand.
"We go as a group. Friends. It's the most plausible cover. But..." He paused, and the possessive intensity returned to his eyes. "For the purposes of the operation, for the moments when Alex needs to be closest to the target... I will be his primary point of contact."
"On what grounds?" Lexi demanded, his voice tight.
"On the grounds that I am the least likely to become compromised by the entity's influence or my own... extracurricular interests," Sage replied, his tone leaving no room for argument. He looked pointedly at Lexi's still-sheer top and then at Yuki's glitter-covered hands. "I am the anchor. That is my role. It is non-negotiable."
A tense silence filled the room. Lexi's jaw was clenched, but he gave a curt, reluctant nod. He couldn't argue with the cold logic, even if he despised the conclusion. Yuki pouted but didn't object, knowing a losing battle when he saw one.
The decision was made. The team was set. The plan was in motion.
And I, Alex, the supposedly pure-hearted hero, stood there with the dawning, horrifying realization of what I had just agreed to. I wasn't just walking into a den of supernatural temptation. I was walking in with my three obsessive handlers, one of whom had just officially—if temporarily—staked a claim on me in front of the others.
The "training" was over. The games were done. Tonight, I would be bait. And Sage would be my keeper.
I looked at the three of them—the brilliant schemer, the chaotic spirit, and the possessive guardian. My family. My anchors. My impending doom.
"Okay, folks," I whispered internally, a wave of sheer, comedic dread washing over me. "This is it. I'm going to a party to face a soul-sucking sex demon, with my supernatural mommy as my fake date, my femboy mad scientist as my wingman, and a chaotic gremlin as my hype man. No matter what happens, I'll stay pure. I have to. If I don't, the writer will probably give them even more ideas. Wish me luck. I'm going to need it."
The first real case of the Pine Valley Supernatural Club was about to begin. And it was going to be a complete disaster.
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To Be Continue...