Chapter 13: Studying

After hearing what Vaniel said, Lin Zhihan suspected she might not have been serious.

Vaniel had probably said that only because she no longer wanted to be close to Lin Zhihan. Still, Lin Zhihan insisted that she had to do that sort of thing with Vaniel.

Lin Zhihan sighed inwardly. She really did feel like a terrible person.

Vaniel’s face grew even redder.

This human was actually asking her for a kiss.

But wouldn’t that make them seem like lovers?

Lin Zhihan still had her eyes closed. Her collar was slightly loose, a few strands of hair falling over her forehead and half-shading her cool, striking features.

Her nose was straight, her features clean and sharp, and her lips pale but soft. Her thin lips were like a flower petal.

Vaniel still remembered the scent of her.

It smelled sweet, cool and crisp with a touch of warmth, like a handful of honey freshly melted beneath the snow. The scent wasn’t strong, but just thinking of it made Vaniel swallow unconsciously.

Lin Zhihan opened her deep, dark eyes and looked straight at her.

“Come on. Kiss me.”

Annoying. Vaniel had just said she didn’t need to eat.

That was what she told herself, anyway. For some reason, her body still obediently leaned closer.

Silver hair slid over her shoulder and fell between them. Vaniel had only meant to touch Lin Zhihan lightly. But the moment their lips met, she narrowed her eyes, and her heart began beating fast.

This was strange. She had fully recovered. Her wounds had healed, her strength was back. She’d thought she wouldn’t need humans anymore, and certainly wouldn’t need Lin Zhihan.

But now, after one kiss, she could clearly feel it.

She was hungry.

Lin Zhihan smelled too good.

After the first kiss, Vaniel couldn’t pull away. It was as if some invisible thread held her. She lowered her head and kissed Lin Zhihan a second time.

Their soft lips met again.

Vaniel’s gaze slowly grew unfocused. All the chaotic thoughts in her head began to blur. She was already forgetting that she’d only meant to humor Lin Zhihan.

But at that moment, Lin Zhihan opened her eyes.

She watched Vaniel quietly, waiting to see what she’d do next. She was ready to “study” the right way.

That only made Vaniel blush more.

What was she supposed to do now?

How did Lin Zhihan usually do it?

Vaniel tried to remember, but her mind was a blank. She couldn’t remember anything at all.

She froze there, unable to move forward or pull away. Her ears were red enough to drip blood.

Lin Zhihan rested against her, face tilted up as she seriously pondered it.

So… succubi liked long kisses?

They liked sucking on her tongue like little animals, nibbling at it.

Maybe lying there was too comfortable. Drowsiness slowly crept over Lin Zhihan, but she didn’t want to fall asleep.

Since Vaniel had said everything Lin Zhihan had done before was wrong, she probably couldn’t use those overly forward moves anymore.

Lin Zhihan thought about it. In the end, she could only raise her hand and gently stroke the top of Vaniel’s head.

Vaniel stiffened.

Only then did she belatedly realize that, sometime during the kiss, her face had turned bright red, her eyes had turned pink, and the little horns on her head had emerged.

Her tail had quietly emerged from behind her and was swaying uncontrollably, its tip slightly curled.

And Lin Zhihan was holding her little horns.

Lin Zhihan’s fingers were gentle. She only squeezed them slightly, as if testing how they felt. But even that little pressure made Vaniel tremble.

She wanted to tell Lin Zhihan to let go, but her mouth was busy.

The succubus grew frantic, the corners of her eyes red. Then Lin Zhihan’s other hand slowly moved to her wings.

Her fingertip traced the edge of one wing.

Vaniel’s lashes trembled. She squeezed her eyes shut, almost instinctively. Her black wings trembled, too.

It felt a little ticklish. And like something more than that.

The sensation was strange and unfamiliar. She didn’t know whether to move away or lean closer.

Lin Zhihan moved closer.

Her voice brushed against Vaniel’s ear, soft and a little hoarse with sleep.

“What next?” she asked.

“Then, then…”

Vaniel’s entire attention was fixed on her horns and wings. Her mind had completely shorted out.

She had no idea what came next. She’d only said that off the top of her head.

Vaniel’s cheeks burned. She refused to admit she didn’t know what to do. She could only hold Lin Zhihan stiffly and pretend to think, even though she made no progress at all.

They held that intimate, awkward position.

Lin Zhihan rested quietly in her arms.

Vaniel held her, feeling that sweet scent wrap around her little by little. In the end, she couldn’t resist. She had to admit it.

She was hungry again.

The corners of her eyes slowly reddened. Her breathing grew unsteady, and her tail curled quietly around Lin Zhihan’s wrist.

Vaniel bit her lip.

Finally, she awkwardly lowered her head, prepared to let Lin Zhihan continue using her “wrong” methods.

But as soon as she bent down, she froze.

Lin Zhihan had fallen asleep.

The exhausted girl rested against Vaniel, her features calm, her breathing even. It was as if she’d been studying seriously one moment, then swept away by overwhelming exhaustion the next.

Vaniel stayed frozen for a long time.

So she wouldn’t get anything to eat today.

“Well… that’s fine, too!”

Though Vaniel looked tiny, she easily carried Lin Zhihan into the bedroom and set her on the bed, then left her there and curled up in a corner.

She thought she ought to be happy. Unfortunately, there was no mirror in the little room, so she couldn’t see herself. She looked a little huffy.

…

That night, after she finally managed to fall asleep, Vaniel dreamed that the human was bullying her again.

But for some reason, this time the human only kissed her, over and over, kissing her until she couldn’t take it anymore, and still didn’t give her what she truly wanted.

Vaniel felt wronged and frustrated. She was almost about to throw a fit in her dream when she suddenly opened her eyes.

And she saw—

At some point, she’d rolled into Lin Zhihan’s arms.

The sky beyond the window was just beginning to lighten. A thin sliver of pale light came through the curtains. Lin Zhihan still had her eyes closed, drowsy, but she really was kissing Vaniel slowly.

The succubus was startled and tried to pull away, but Lin Zhihan held her tightly.

“Shh.”

“What are you doing?” the succubus demanded, a little angry.

Lin Zhihan said, “I think I fell asleep last night and didn’t learn anything useful.”

Vaniel felt guilty, but still answered stubbornly, “That’s your problem. It has nothing to do with me.”

“I know,” Lin Zhihan said sleepily.

“But we’re three behind, so I have to make them up.”

The succubus was shocked.

How could there be rules like that?

What was this, the ultimate scorekeeping pervert?

But Lin Zhihan had already started. Vaniel flapped her wings and tried to escape, but Lin Zhihan caught her tail. Her body went limp from the waist down.

Lin Zhihan covered her mouth and whispered in her ear, “Shh. Don’t make a sound.”

“We’ll make up one this morning.”

She even yawned.

“The rest tonight.”

“You!” How could this human be like this? Did she like doing it with Vaniel that much?

Vaniel didn’t understand, and yet she didn’t push Lin Zhihan’s hand away.

The strangest thing was that she hadn’t been hungry. But at some point, in the middle of it, warmth spread through her stomach, followed by a tingling sensation.

Then, without warning, an intense hunger came rushing back.

It was as if she’d returned to her weakest and hungriest state. Her mind blurred until only her succubus instincts remained. Her tail and wings thrashed wildly, trying to wrap Lin Zhihan up and hold her tight.

A sound nearly escaped her. Lin Zhihan quickly covered her mouth. Vaniel bit the tip of her tongue hard and barely managed to swallow the sound, her eyes red at the corners.

The worst part was, when everything was over and Lin Zhihan hurried off to wash, worried about being late, Vaniel was left in a daze.

The space beside her was suddenly empty. She was actually a little dissatisfied. Almost… wanting more.

Wait. Vaniel was startled by herself. Who wanted more?

Had she gotten used to doing it three times in one go?

How could that be? Vaniel slapped her cheeks. No, she hadn’t! It was all the human’s fault!

Lin Zhihan was almost out the door before Vaniel finally came to her senses.

She abruptly propped herself halfway up and grabbed Lin Zhihan by the hem.

“Didn’t you promise to take me out?”