Reborn as a Succubus: Time To Live My Best Life!-Chapter 39: The Prodigious Nim, Part Eight

{Melisa}

Melisa’s eyes fluttered open, the soft morning light filtering through the curtains.

She turned, expecting to see Raven still asleep in her nearby bed, but found it empty and neatly made.

[Huh, must be an early riser,] she thought, stretching languidly.

Just then, the door creaked open. Raven slipped inside, moving with a quiet grace that seemed almost... predatory.

Melisa’s breath caught in her throat.

Raven stood there, clad in nothing but a sports bra and tight shorts. Her body was covered in a shiny layer of sweat.

[Good... lord...]

Melisa’s eyes traced the defined lines of her abs, the noticeable muscles of her legs, and the graceful curve of her neck.

[Oh. Oh wow.]

Raven’s grey eyes met Melisa’s, a flicker of surprise crossing her face.

"Good morning," she said, her voice husky from exertion. She didn’t say anything else.

"M-morning," Melisa stammered, her cheeks flushing purple.

That was all.

---

Later, in class, Melisa found her mind drifting back to that morning. The image of Raven, strong and firm and...

Someone poked her ribs.

"ACK!"

"Eldora to Melisa," Isabella giggled, her green eyes twinkling with mischief. "What’s got you so distracted, hmm? Or should I be asking, who?"

Melisa felt her face heat up again.

"N-no one! I mean, nothing. I’m just... thinking about the lesson."

Isabella raised an eyebrow, clearly not buying it. "Uh-huh. Sure you are. And I’m the queen of Yalmir."

Melisa opened her mouth to retort, but the professor’s voice cleared his throat.

"Miss Blackflame, Miss Summer, is there something you’d like to share with the class?"

Melisa sank lower in her seat.

"N-No, professor. Sorry."

As the professor droned on, then, about the intricacies of spell creation, Melisa inevitably found her thoughts drifting once again to Raven.

Not for too long, though.

"...and for your semester project, you will be working in pairs to develop your own unique spell," the professor announced.

Melisa blinked.

[Hm?]

Isabella practically bounced in her seat, her fluffy tail swishing back and forth with excitement.

"Did you hear that? We’re going to be making a spell together!"

Melisa grinned at her cousin’s enthusiasm, a flicker of hope igniting in her chest. Working with Isabella would be a dream scenario. Melisa could get to work and she’d have a willing partner to keep her... needs in check.

But as the professor began assigning partners, that hope slowly deflated.

"Isabella Summer and Jailyn Folden."

[What? Jaylin?]

Melisa looked around finding that, indeed, Jailyn was in the classroom.

Javir’s niece had simply been hiding this whole time from Melisa, rather successfully, until now.

Isabella’s ears drooped slightly.

"Ugh... Fine. I guess that girl’s cute too." She quickly plastered on a smile that looked a bit forced and started waving at the human girl across the room.

Then, Melisa heard:

"Melisa Blackflame and Armia Duskscale."

[Armia. Okay, who exactly...?]

Melisa’s heart skipped a beat.

There was just one person looking back at her.

The darian girl.

[She’s Armia?]

She glanced over to where she sat, her golden scales glinting under the Spirit Crystals set up along the walls, illuminating the class.

As if sensing her gaze, Armia turned, her piercing orange eyes locking with Melisa’s.

A shiver ran down Melisa’s spine. Whether from fear or something else, she couldn’t quite say.

"Please take a moment to meet with your partner and discuss your initial ideas," the professor instructed.

Melisa swallowed hard, gathering her courage as she approached Armia’s desk.

The darian girl stood, and Melisa stopped breathing.

Armia towered over her, standing at least a head and a half taller than Melisa. Melisa found herself eye-level with Armia’s chest, the fabric of her uniform straining against her muscular frame.

Melisa swallowed.

[... She could break me in half with a flick.]

Then, she shook her head, trying to focus.

"I... I’m Melisa," she managed and, even to her own ears, she sounded like a mouse compared to this chick.

The darian woman just glared at her.

---

{Armia}

Armia couldn’t believe her rotten luck.

Here she was, trying her best to blend in with the humans, to prove that she belonged in this academy just as much as they did...

And she gets paired up with the nim.

[Great. Just great,] she thought bitterly. [Now we look like some kind of circus act.]

As Melisa approached, Armia felt her tail swaying back and forth behind her, an involuntary display of her agitation. She fixed the smaller girl with a stern glare, her orange eyes narrowed.

It was petty, sure, but she was trying to make it as clear as she possibly could that she did not like this without having to say it.

A proper noblewoman needed to remain dignified and as polite as possible, after all.

Melisa seemed to falter under the intensity of her gaze, but to Armia’s surprise, she didn’t back down.

"So, um... what kind of spells are you good at, Armia?" Melisa asked, her voice tentative but determined.

"...Water magic," she answered after a moment, her tone clipped and curt.

She wasn’t lying. Given that darian were, naturally, associated with their usual affinity for Fire magic and their ability to breathe it, she was determined to make the exact opposite her specialty.

Melisa’s eyes widened.

"Oh, wow. That’s really impressive! I haven’t really learned many utility spells myself, but Water magic is so elegant and-"

"Yep," Armia interrupted, not wanting to encourage the nim girl’s rambling.

"And..."

An awkward silence fell between them, Melisa fidgeting nervously while Armia stared her down.

[This is going to be a long semester,] Armia thought, resisting the urge to sigh.

But as the seconds ticked by, she realized that there was no changing this situation.

Like it or not, she was stuck with Melisa as her partner. The least she could do was try to make the best of it.

"What about you?" she forced herself to ask, startling Melisa out of her nervous fidgeting. "What kind of magic do you like?"

Melisa blinked, surprised by the question. Then, a tentative smile spread across her face.

"I don’t really have a preference. I’m trying to learn as many as I can, from whichever schools of magic I can."

"Is that right?" Armia raised a brow. [I don’t think that’s wise. Different schools of magic have different patterns, different muscle memory. But, whatever.] "So, then, what kind of spell would you like to make?"

"Well... what you said just now makes me think maybe we should combine our strengths. Like, maybe we could make a combat spell that also has some utility applications?"

Armia considered this for a moment. It wasn’t a terrible idea, actually.

"...I suppose that could work," she admitted grudgingly. "We could start by brainstorming some basic concepts and go from there."

Melisa’s smile widened, her purple cheeks flushing with excitement.

"Great! I have some ideas already, actually. Like, what if we made a spell that could create a defensive barrier, but also had offensive capabilities? AN EXPLODING BARRIER! Or, maybe-"

Armia stopped her, putting her index finger to the nim’s lips.

"Perhaps we should discuss this elsewhere, no? Some of our classmates might not value originality like we do."

Melisa blinked.

"O-Oh, okay. Yeah."

"Professor," Armia addressed the man, "may we discuss the project elsewhere?"

"Certainly."

And, with that, they left the classroom.

As they stepped out into the hallway, Armia paused, considering their options.

The last thing she wanted was to be seen fraternizing with the nim girl around the Academy. If anyone got the wrong idea and thought they were actually friends...

She got chills just thinking about it.

[No, that won’t do at all,] she thought firmly.

"Listen," she said, turning to face Melisa. "I think it would be best if we continued this discussion at my home. Would that be alright with you?"

Melisa blinked, surprise flickering across her face.

"Oh, um... sure, if you think that’s best."

Armia nodded curtly, already striding towards the exit.

"Follow me, and try to keep up."

The walk to Armia’s home was silent, the darian girl setting a brisk pace while Melisa struggled to match her longer strides. By the time they arrived at the modest dwelling, Melisa was slightly out of breath, her cheeks flushed a deeper shade of purple.

Armia smirked down at her.

"Don’t walk this much often, do you?"

"What? I-I do, it’s just... You were in such a hurry!"

Armia shrugged.

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She paused at the door, turning to fix Melisa with a stern look.

"Before we go in, a word of warning. My family can be... intense. Just stay quiet and let me do the talking, got it?"

Melisa nodded, her eyes wide and nervous.

Satisfied, Armia pushed open the door and stepped inside, Melisa trailing hesitantly behind her.

"...and if I’ve told you once, I’ve told you a thousand times, Darien! You can’t just skip your training whenever you feel like it!"

Armia’s father’s booming voice echoed through the house, making Melisa flinch. In the living room, Armia’s younger brother Darien stood facing their father, his posture defiant.

"Yeah, well maybe I’m sick of training all the time," Darien retorted, his tail lashing behind him. "Maybe I want to actually have a life outside of becoming a perfect little soldier."

"Why you disrespectful little-"

Armia cleared her throat loudly, cutting off her father’s tirade.

Both men turned, their eyes widening as they caught sight of Melisa.

For a while, there was nothing but silence.

Then, Armia’s father spoke, his voice dangerously calm.

"Armia. Would you care to explain why you’ve brought a nim into our home? You didn’t buy a slave without my knowledge, did you?"

Armia straightened her spine, meeting her father’s gaze steadily.

"This is Melisa Blackflame, father. She’s my partner for a class assignment."

"A class assignment?" Her father’s eyes narrowed. "She’s a..." He was clearly in disbelief. But, he shook his head. "And you thought it appropriate to bring her here?"

"We needed a quiet place to work," Armia replied, careful to keep her tone even and respectful. "I assure you, it’s purely academic. We’ll be out of your way in no time."

Her father studied Melisa for a long moment, his gaze intense and calculating. Melisa shifted uncomfortably under the scrutiny, her tail curling around her leg.

"Very well," he said at last, though his tone made it clear he was far from pleased. "But I expect you to maintain proper decorum, Armia. Remember, you are a Duskscale. We have a reputation to uphold."

"Of course, father," Armia said, bowing her head. "If you’ll excuse us."

She turned on her heel, gesturing for Melisa to follow her down the hallway.

As they walked, Armia could feel Darien’s curious gaze boring into her back, but she refused to acknowledge him.

The last thing she needed was her little brother getting any funny ideas about her and Melisa.

[This is strictly business,] she wished she could say. [Nothing more, nothing less.]