[ Ratha Guild - Cafeteria, Floor 1 ]
Sera picked at her cafeteria tray of food, mindlessly twirling the noodles of her spaghetti bolognese with her fork.
Food, or human food, really, didn't satiate her.
Sometimes it was tasty, but more or less, it went in and out of her with little added value. The energy she gained was negligible. Really, it was more of a hassle, because then she'd need to use her excretory functions. But Sera kept up eating for appearances.
In order to look like a human of this world, she needed to act like one, and the humans of this world ate spaghetti. And other things. Like broccoli, or whatever.
She sighed, taking a sip of her piping, hot green tea. After this, she would go take a nap in the lounge as was her usual routine. Sera usually opted to sleep in order to dampen the constant gnawing pit of hunger roiling about in her abdomen.
She tapped at her watch, looking at her afternoon schedule; only three more espers were scheduled for guiding today.
That's probably not enough food, she thought.
Should I supplement?
Should I go clubbing tonight? Man, but I hate flirting - what a pain.
Contrary to the composed professionalism Sera displayed to her requesting espers, like Simon, her preferred mode of operation these days was closer to that of an idle loafer.
If she had her way, her days would be spent lounging lazily in the sun like a cat, watching puffy white clouds drift overhead in meaningless shapes.
She hadn't always been this way.
But her Instructor had kept her on such a tight leash, managing every moment of her life from dawn to dusk, that now that she was finally free, Sera had resolved to be as unproductive as possible.
In this life, in this world, she intended to take things easy.
Well… as easy as one could while constantly hungry.
Lost in thought, Sera didn't notice the sharp clack of footsteps approaching until she was suddenly shoved from behind, nearly spilling the cup of tea in her hands.
"Oh, sorry. I didn't see you."
The apology came in a saccharinely sweet lilt that immediately set Sera's teeth on edge. A familiar wave of annoyance washed over her.
Swallowing down a flare of murderous intent, she turned.
A young woman, looking to be in her early twenties, stood behind her, pink hair pulled into a high ponytail that swayed lightly over one shoulder. Golden eyes looked Sera over with faintly mocking amusement, the corners of her lips curling into a smirk that didn't quite match the apology she had just offered.
Oh great.
Sera felt a rising irritation creep up her spine as she took in the woman's expression.
Recently, a fellow guide had taken to occasionally harassing - or at the very least, inconveniencing - Sera.
Bullying, perhaps?
No… it felt less like bullying and more like a child throwing a tantrum, Sera thought dryly.
The guide in question was Hibiscus Yaret.
An A-rank guide from a prestigious lineage of high-rank guides, Hibiscus carried herself with the sort of pride that came from generations of reputation.
In her family, guiding wasn't simply a profession.
It was a legacy.
And Hibiscus took that legacy very seriously. Which was precisely why she hated Sera.
Sera's reputation had spread quickly through the guild.
Unlike most Guides, she enforced a strict fifteen-minute limit on her sessions with Espers. When the time was up, she stopped - regardless of sync rate, cleanse rate, or desperate pleas.
Technically, guides were permitted to set their own boundaries.
Physical, emotional, even temporal ones. Guild regulations permitted it.
But to Hibiscus, those rules existed as safeguards against exploitation, not as excuses for laziness. Guides were meant to support espers. Espers fought the monsters that threatened society. Without them, cities would fall.
Guiding, therefore, was more than a job. It was a responsibility. A calling.
And in Hibiscus's eyes, Sera was trampling all over it.
Worse still, Sera somehow maintained one of the largest client rosters in the entire guild. Hibiscus simply couldn't understand it.
How could that many espers request her for such a short guiding session?
Fifteen minutes was barely enough time to make a meaningful dent in corruption levels. Unless guiding wasn't the real service being provided.
To Hibiscus, the answer was obvious.
Sera was using guiding as a pretense for something far less respectable.
And not to mention…Simon.
Hibiscus's lip twitched slightly at the thought.
In her mind, Sera wasn't just lazy - she was degrading the entire profession. Guiding was meant to be an act of purification. A sacred intimacy meant to stabilize espers and protect society.
Not… whatever the hell Sera was doing. She was corrupting it.
Well…Sera couldn't exactly argue with that.
Hibiscus was right in her intuition. Sera had become a guide for entirely ignoble reasons. She was hungry. And, admittedly, a little horny. Not that there really was a difference between the two.
So she couldn't entirely fault Hibiscus for her hatred - even if the constant petty pranks were starting to get irritating. It wasn't as though Hibiscus knew the truth. She didn't know Sera was a succubus. She didn't know the guiding sessions were a matter of survival. Given what Hibiscus believed, her outrage almost made sense.
Still, one of these days Sera might just eat her out of pure spite.
The thought curled lazily through her mind.
Maybe she'd press Hibiscus up against a wall, lean in close enough for her breath to brush the woman's ear, and watch that smug confidence crack as her cheeks flushed red. Watch her squirm beneath the unfamiliar heat, soft sounds slipping past her lips before she even realized it.
Watch the confusion bloom across her face as pleasure tangled with outrage, unable to understand why her body was betraying her - why she was yielding to Sera of all people.
And when Hibiscus finally gave in…
Well.
Sera smiled faintly to herself.
Then she'd drain every last drop of her life and dump her body in the goddamn lake.
Ah.
No, no, no, I'm not supposed to kill coworkers, she chided herself. With a quiet sigh, Sera turned around and composed herself. If Hibiscus wanted a reaction, she would certainly get one.
Just not the one she wanted.
"Oh, hey Hib, what's up?" Sera chirped sweetly, plastering on an obviously fake smile. The expression was bright, friendly, and just a little too enthusiastic to be sincere.
Sera had discovered early on that nothing irritated Hibiscus more than this exact response.
Most people, when confronted with Hibiscus's thinly veiled hostility and arrogant demeanor, either grew defensive or avoided her altogether. Hibiscus seemed to thrive on that sort of reaction.
If Hibiscus wanted irritation, Sera gave her cheerfulness. If Hibiscus wanted distance, Sera leaned closer. If Hibiscus wanted dignity, Sera cheerfully trampled all over it.
The more Hibiscus rejected her, the more affection Sera piled on.
It had become something of a game between them.
Sera would greet her warmly in the hallways, wave enthusiastically across crowded rooms, or casually sling an arm around her shoulders in front of other guides just to watch that carefully cultivated composure fracture.
Hibiscus absolutely hated it.
Which, naturally, made it irresistible to a succubus like Sera. Even if she had no true interest in eating Hibiscus, she still had her predatory fox-like nature.
Succubi - and their male counterparts, incubi - had never been interested in easy prey (see, people). Anyone could tempt the willing. Anyone could charm the eager. Where was the fun in that?
No. The sweetest meals were always the ones that fought back.
The proud ones. The stubborn ones. The ones who insisted they would never yield, who bristled and snapped and glared with righteous indignation. Watching that resistance slowly unravel and quake - that was the real delicacy.
What was more pleasurable than riling up an opponent who hated her guts by giving them the exact opposite reaction they wanted?
The more Hibiscus rejected her, the more Sera turned up the charm. And the more Hibiscus fumed, the more entertaining it became.
"Don't call me that," Hibiscus sneered. "It's Hibiscus."
"Awh, but we're friends, aren't we?" Sera replied brightly. "You go out of your way to talk to me every day, Hibbie, darling~"
She even threw in a wink for good measure.
The reaction was immediate.
A flush crawled up Hibiscus's neck, spreading across her cheeks as her golden eyes flashed with outrage.
Her mouth opened–
–and then a cacophony of alarms shattered the cafeteria.
Sharp chimes rang out from dozens of watches at once. The sudden noise cut through the room like a blade. Conversations died instantly as guides and espers alike looked down at their wrists.
Holographic announcement panels flickered to life along the cafeteria walls and ceiling, while smaller holographic alerts simultaneously sprang up above the watches of guides and espers throughout the room.
< Emergency Announcement >
A 4-star dungeon gate has appeared.
All personnel remain alert and on standby.
Selected raid members will receive a follow-up alert.
- Administrator Takumi Arten
For a moment, the cafeteria fell into stunned silence.
Then the room erupted.
Chairs scraped violently against the floor as guides and espers shot to their feet, voices rising all at once while people hurried through the cafeteria, checking their watches and calling out to teammates.
Questions erupted across the cafeteria as colleagues tried to piece together what was happening.
"A four-star?"
"Why are we getting an emergency broadcast?"
"Where did the gate appear?"
"Is the city perimeter compromised?"
Sera's eyes widened and she felt her stomach drop.
Beside her, Hibiscus had gone completely still, back stiffened and fists clenched.
A four-star dungeon meant a raid.
Raids were rare - maybe two or three a year at most. Organizing one required enormous manpower and resources, and they were usually planned months in advance. An emergency announcement for a gate this large was unheard of.
How had their detection systems not triggered earlier?
Nearly a third of the guild's active duty would be mobilized, sometimes more depending on the dungeon conditions.
The cafeteria roared with overlapping voices. Everyone understood what a raid meant. At casualty rates hovering around twenty percent, it was inevitable that someone in the guild would not return.
It was serious.
Well… serious for Hib, Sera thought, sneaking a glance at the rigid woman across from her.
Sera twirled her fork lazily through her spaghetti and took a bite.
Hibiscus was an A-rank guide, and despite being relatively new to the guild, that rank alone almost guaranteed her deployment for a four-star. High-rank guides were too valuable to keep off the field during a raid. This would likely be her first one.
Meanwhile, Sera was a C-rank.
Low-rank guides were rarely useful in large-scale raids. Long operations demanded guides who could sustain cleansing for hours while espers cycled in and out of combat. Sera's slow cleansing made her even less desirable for extended engagements.
They would have to divert resources to protect her while receiving mediocre support in return. Her usefulness in a raid like this was negligible - more burden than asset.
Which meant Sera was going to be perfectly safe.
Comfortably safe.
She wouldn't be recruited for raid personnel.
That would make no sense.
"Well, Hib-sweetie," she said cheerfully, "looks like you're going to get deployed."
Hibiscus's expression tightened.
"Isn't that wonderful?" Sera continued with a vicious sweetness. "A dungeon raid for you to bestow your noble guiding upon your cherished Espers. Truly the perfect chance to live up to your sacred calling."
She smiled innocently.
"How wonderful for you. Continuing your family's proud legacy."
She watched with great satisfaction as the color slowly drained from Hibiscus's face. A sheen of sweat had begun to gather along the other woman's hairline.
Oh yes. Hibiscus was absolutely going out there.
Serves you right for harassing me, Sera thought smugly.
Go die out there, you irritating little worm.
Sera leaned back in her chair, feeling quite pleased with herself.
Then her watch chimed again.
A second alert.
Sera blinked and glanced down.
< Raid Assignment >
C-Rank Guide Sera Yun.
You have been selected to participate in the 4-star Raid.
Report to the Assembly Hall for further details immediately.
All subsequent work tasks for the day are canceled and will be rescheduled at a later date.
- Administrator Risa Agnato
Sera stared at the screen. Her brain took a moment to catch up.
Then–
"Oh, fuck."
Hibiscus burst into delighted, biting laughter.