Lupa stood frozen, breathing shallow, eyes locked with Kain's.
Her thoughts were chaos, shame, guilt, confusion, and desire.
All spinning in circles like a storm that wouldn't stop.
She hated this.
Hated him.
Hated herself for what she was about to do.
But she still leaned in.
The second her lips met his, Kain's eyes widened, not from surprise at the kiss itself, but at the desperation behind it.
She wanted answers.
She wanted peace.
And in her broken little heart, she thought this would give her clarity.
Kain didn't pull back.
He returned the kiss, slow at first, then deeper, his hand resting gently on her hip as his tongue slipped past her lips with a practiced ease.
He felt her flinch, but she didn't stop him.
Her tail quivered.
He grinned as he whispered between kisses, "Your tail's softer than I expected… wonder how the rest of you feels"
The kiss ended with a soft gasp as Lupa broke away, eyes glassy, breath ragged.
Kain smirked faintly.
"So… was that for science?"
Lupa's eyes widened in horror, her face turning crimson.
"Y-You're a jerk!" she hissed, pushing him back as hard as she could.
Kain didn't resist.
He just laughed, brushing his lips with the back of his hand, eyes dancing with wicked amusement.
Lupa turned on her heel and bolted down the hall.
"Don't be late for class!" he called, waving lazily.
As her footsteps vanished in the distance, the [System] softly chimed.
[System Notification]
[Lupa. Affection: 81% / Loyalty: 60% / Lust: 68%]
[Mood: Conflicted. Yearning. Ashamed]
Kain whistled to himself and tucked his hands back in his pockets.
"Fuck, I'm good"
Back in Class
Lupa sat rigid in her seat, tail curling tightly around the leg of her chair.
The professor's voice droned on about magical theory, but the words may as well have been static.
Her thoughts kept flashing back to that kiss.
The way Kain's lips moved.
The warmth of his hand was creeping up her thigh.
The joke he made afterward made her run like a child caught stealing sweets.
Her cheeks burned just remembering it.
Then, like a slap to the face, Aiden spoke.
"Man, I feel lucky. Having someone like Lupa at my side? I must've saved a kingdom in a past life!"
A few students chuckled.
Lupa didn't.
Another blow came just a moment later as he passed her a note.
"After class, let's grab something sweet. My treat. You've been kinda quiet lately, everything okay?"*
—Your knight in shining armor
She crumpled the note slowly beneath the desk.
'He trusts me…'
'And I kissed someone else. I wanted to kiss someone else'
She hated the warmth rising in her chest and the guilt curdling in her stomach.
[System Notification]
[Lupa. Affection: 88% / Loyalty: 63% / Lust: 74%]
[Mood: Guilt-ridden. Confused. Jealous]
Courtyard / Between Classes
Lupa was heading back to her dorm when her footsteps froze.
Kain.
There he was, leaning lazily on the academy fountain like a scene from a dream.
His shirt was half-unbuttoned, hair tousled just enough to look intentional.
But what made her jaw tighten… was the girl giggling beside him.
Not Ruby.
Not Beatrix.
Not Lyla.
Or any of his women.
Just some random one from the healing division.
Wide eyes.
Innocent smile.
She was blushing furiously, twirling her hair as Kain whispered something close to her ear.
She laughed.
Loudly.
Kain brushed something off her shoulder and gave a mock bow before letting her walk away, dazed and smiling.
Lupa gripped the straps of her bag.
'Who the hell even was that?'
Kain turned slightly, glancing her way like he'd known she was watching the whole time.
She quickly looked away, heart pounding.
[System Notification]
[Lupa. Affection: 89% / Loyalty: 62% / Lust: 76%]
[Mood: Jealous. Ashamed. Weakening]
Kain's smirk deepened as he watched her vanish around the corner.
"So easy it's almost boring…" he muttered.
But not quite boring enough to stop.
Lunchtime
Aiden smiled as he set down two trays of food, one piled with Lupa's favorites.
She blinked in surprise, trying to muster gratitude, but her chest felt tight.
"Figured you'd be hungry," he said, grinning.
"Been kinda tense lately… figured I'd spoil you a bit"
Lupa gave a small smile, more forced than she wanted it to be.
"Thanks…"
They sat in silence for a while.
Aiden told a few dumb jokes.
She chuckled, barely.
Her food barely moved.
Then he leaned forward slightly.
"…Hey," he said softly.
"Can I kiss you?"
Her breath caught.
This was it, right?
Kissing the person she loved so dearly should be easy…
But like a dark storm, he appeared again… Kain.
Walking past their table like nothing mattered.
Loose uniform, hair shining, not even glancing their way.
Lupa's body moved before her mind could catch up.
She tilted her head back, away from Aiden's leaning face, subconsciously, instinctively.
Aiden blinked in confusion.
"…Lupa?"
She blinked, too, suddenly realizing what she'd done.
"S-Sorry! I—I just—"
But Kain was already a few steps ahead.
He paused… just slightly.
Lupa held her breath.
'He's going to sit near us'
'He saw'
'He'll say something…'
But instead, Kain turned, walking straight toward a table full of random girls from the beast-tamer division.
A group known for gossip more than strength.
"Ladies," he greeted smoothly, sliding in beside them like he belonged.
They exploded into giggles.
Lupa's heart dropped.
Her stomach twisted.
He didn't even look her way.
'He saw and walked right past me'
She felt sick.
Aiden gave a nervous laugh.
"Guess that was a bad time… huh?"
She didn't answer.
Just stared down at her untouched plate, hearing laughter from the table behind her.
[System Notification]
[Lupa. Affection: 91% / Loyalty: 59% / Lust: 79%]
[Mood: Wrecked. Longing. Angry at Herself]
Academy Halls / Empty Corridor Near the Greenhouse
Lupa's heels echoed as she stormed away from the courtyard, clutching her chest like it might still hide her loyalty.
She didn't even make it to the bathroom.
She leaned against the wall, ears twitching, tail low, heart roaring in her chest.
'Why did it hurt? Why did it hurt more than it should've?'
Aiden's voice, soft, kind, gentle, echoed in her mind.
And then there it was.
That damned smirk.
The scent of peppermint and smoke.
Kain.
He leaned against the archway beside her like he owned the air.
"You alright, fluff?" he asked, voice low, amused.
"Looked like you were about to cry over some lunch meat"
Lupa looked up, fire and shame battling in her chest.
"You—! You ignored me! You knew how that'd make me feel—"
He didn't let her finish.
With one motion, he was against her.
His hand flat on the wall beside her head, the other slipping behind her ear, touching her fluffy ear with a slow, deliberate rub that made her breath hitch.
"No one's ever touched you here, huh?" he whispered.
"A-Aiden's not allowed… It's sacred for our kind—"
"Oh, I know," he said, leaning in.
"That's why you're letting me"
She gasped, but didn't stop him.
His lips crashed against hers, hungry, cruel, claiming.
She kissed back.
Deeply.
Like she needed it.
His tongue slid past hers, teasing.
His hand was now at the base of her tail, fingers lightly grazing the fur.
A shudder ran through her.
She broke the kiss first, eyes wide and breathless.
"I… I can't—!"
Kain leaned back, licking his lips.
"You already did, fluff"
She ran.
Again.
But this time, there were tears of desire in her eyes.
Kain chuckled darkly, wiping her lip gloss off his mouth with a thumb.
[System Notification]
[Lupa. Affection: 93% / Loyalty: 70% / Lust: 84%]
[Mood: Torn. Addicted. Trembling]
Kain grinned.
"Almost there"
Kain's Dorm Room / Midnight
A knock.
He didn't bother getting up immediately, just sipped from his wine glass, letting her wait.
When he finally opened the door, Lupa stood there, cloak wrapped tightly around her like a shield, tail low, eyes distant.
She didn't step inside.
"I won't stay," she said quietly.
Kain leaned against the doorframe, shirtless, robe hanging lazily off his shoulders.
He raised a brow, expression unreadable.
"I came to say…" she swallowed, "…this is the last time I'll see you. I made my choice"
Kain's smile was slow, amused.
"I can't be near you anymore," Lupa said.
"I lose myself. I can't trust what I'll do. I need to stay loyal"
She clenched her fists.
"So… please don't talk to me. Don't look at me. Don't tempt me"
Kain blinked once.
Then chuckled.
A short, dry sound.
As if she'd just told a joke.
He didn't stop her.
Didn't say a word.
Just leaned against the door, nodding slightly as if to say, Alright, good luck with that.
Lupa's ears twitched at the sound of his laughter, but she turned, heart pounding, and walked away down the hall.
Kain shut the door behind her.
Smirking.
[System Notification]
[Lupa. Affection: 100% / Loyalty: 89% / Lust: 93%]
[Mood: Desperate. Denial. Craving]
The Next Day / Breakfast
Kain sat with his girls.
Ruby playfully flicking food at Beatrix, Lyla leaning on his arm like she owned him.
Darcy mid-bite and already teasing Alyssa over some dumb book trivia.
They all laughed.
Smiled.
Glowed.
Not one of them looked his way with anything less than devotion.
And Kain?
He was the eye of the storm, casually sipping from his black coffee, wearing that trademark half-lidded smirk.
His gaze swept the room once, landed, for half a second, on a familiar silver-haired figure just two tables away.
Lupa.
She was sitting beside Aiden, poking at her food.
She tried to laugh at something he said, some stupid joke, probably, but her smile didn't reach her eyes.
Her tail was curled tightly around her leg.
Her ears kept flicking every time Kain laughed, even when he wasn't looking her way.
He never once acknowledged her.
Not a glance.
Not a twitch.
Nothing.
It was driving her mad.
She had told Aiden, gently, carefully, that she was done with training under Kain.
That he was… too intense.
That she needed space.
Aiden, being the sweet idiot he was, nodded like it all made sense and praised her for "being strong."
Kain hadn't even blinked when she said goodbye the night before.
Now, he laughed with Ruby over something stupid.
She leaned in and kissed his cheek.
Lupa gripped her fork tightly.
It wasn't fair.
She was supposed to feel free.
Relieved.
She had her boyfriend, didn't she?
She made the right choice.
So why…?
Why did her throat feel dry?
Why did she keep sneaking glances, wondering if he'd even look her way?
He didn't.
Not once.
And it was killing her.
[System Notification]
[Lupa. Affection: 100% / Loyalty: 90% / Lust: 96%]
[Mood: Spiraling. Torn. Addicted]
Heading to Class
The halls of Zenith buzzed with the usual chaos between classes, footsteps, chatter, and spells gone wrong.
Kain walked through it all like a shadow slipping between the light, his hands in his pockets, his mind already ahead of the lesson.
Until—
A blur of red and orange.
Lupa.
She caught his arm.
Before he could turn, she shoved him, not harshly, but desperately, into the alcove between two pillars.
Her hands trembled slightly as they pressed against his chest, pinning him there.
Her eyes glistened with frustration… and something darker.
"You…!" she hissed under her breath, chest rising fast. "
You didn't even look at me…"
Kain raised a brow, amused.
"Oh? Did you miss me already?"
"Don't play dumb," she snapped.
Her ears flicked wildly, her tail low and tense.
"I told myself I was done. I told Aiden we wouldn't train together anymore. I thought it would help, but it just made it worse"
Her voice cracked as she leaned in closer.
"I can't stop thinking about you"
Kain stayed silent.
She took another step.
"…Touch my ears," she whispered, voice shaking with need.
"Please. Or my tail—kiss me, I don't care. I need to feel it again"
A beat passed.
Her face was close now.
Close enough to feel his breath.
And then, he chuckled.
A slow, cruel sound.
"No"
Her breath hitched.
"W-What?"
He slid out from under her arms with ease, walking past without even brushing her sleeve.
"You made your choice, didn't you? Go be happy with him"
She turned as he walked away, eyes wide, tail curling around her leg like a noose.
"I… I thought you—!"
"You thought wrong"
He didn't look back.
Didn't need to.
The sound of her silence behind him was more satisfying than any kiss.
[System Notification]
[Lupa. Affection: 100% / Loyalty: 95% / Lust: 98%]
[Mood: Shaken. Obsessive. Desperate]
Lupa didn't move.
Not at first.
She just stood there, back against the pillar, breathing unevenly, frozen in the absence he left behind.
The echo of his denial clung to her like cold sweat.
She whispered, "Why won't you…?"
But he was already gone, the edge of his coat vanishing around the corner, laughter in his throat and not a shred of guilt in his step.
She slid down the wall, ears drooping, tail coiled tight.
What started as affection had spiraled beyond recognition.
No more logic.
No more Aiden.
No more excuses.
Her fists clenched.
Why did it feel like this?
Why did she want it to feel like this?
[System Notification]
[Lupa's Affection, Loyalty, and Lust have fused into a new metric: DESIRE]
[Lupa. Desire: 4% / Obsession: 1%]
[She can no longer distinguish her choices from his influence]
[Target is entering Phase: Emotional Collapse]
Elsewhere
Kain ran a hand through his hair, smirking to himself as he exited the hall.
He could feel it, the shift.
The bond snapping.
The need is boiling.
"Huh, well that's not too bad…"
He chuckled under his breath as he entered class.
Classroom / Advanced Enchantments
The room buzzed with the hum of mana and the scratch of chalk against enchanted boards.
Students muttered incantations, tried not to burn their desks, and Aiden sat front and center, grinning like a boy who thought he'd won the lottery.
Lupa was seated beside him.
Close.
Smiling.
Her hand gently rested on his arm.
She even giggled at one of his stupid jokes.
"…So I told the goblin, 'That's not a wand, it's a turnip!'"
Kain, slouched in the back row with his arms crossed and a bored look on his face, resisted the urge to laugh out loud.
'Gods, she's really trying it, huh?'
He watched her lean in a little closer, eyes bright and adoring.
To anyone else, she looked like the perfect girlfriend, devoted, cheerful, glowing in the presence of her boyfriend.
To Kain?
He saw the twitch in her tail.
The flicker in her eyes every time Aiden's sleeve brushed her hand, and not his.
The way her smile strained at the edges when he walked past.
He grinned to himself.
'The way she's trying to act like she didn't beg for my hands on her ears… Cute'
Lupa didn't glance his way.
Not once.
But her pupils dilated the moment he coughed.
She was listening.
Desperate to know if he noticed her at all.
'If I flicked a pebble at her right now, she'd come crawling under the desk'
Aiden leaned closer to Lupa, whispering, "Hey, babe… after class, wanna head to the garden? I packed that fruit thing you like"
She smiled sweetly.
"Oh… I'd love that"
But her fingers curled tightly around her pen.
So tight it snapped.
"Oops," she whispered.
"Sorry…"
Kain leaned back in his chair, arms behind his head.
Smirking.
[System Notification]
[Lupa. Desire: 11%… Obsession: 3%]
Kain's Dorm Room / Late Evening
The room had the faint scent of incense, a bottle of cheap beer in each hand, and the golden glow of the moon spilling in through half-drawn curtains.
Kain was lounging lazily on his bed, one leg draped over the side, swirling his bottle absentmindedly.
Aiden sat cross-legged across from him, sipping like the dork he was.
"So," Aiden said, cheeks slightly pink from the alcohol, "she agreed to the garden date"
Kain raised an eyebrow, dragging the bottle to his lips.
"Oh yeah?"
Aiden nodded, a big, dumb grin on his face.
"Yeah, and get this—she even hugged me after. Like a real, proper hug"
Kain barely held back a laugh, snorting into his beer instead.
"Congrats. Next she'll hold your hand, and you'll need a week to recover"
Aiden laughed too, completely missing the sarcasm.
"Honestly, I think things are finally working out, man. I've been studying her people a little. Trying to, you know… understand her better"
Kain cocked his head.
"Studying?"
Aiden nodded again, excited now.
He grabbed a thick book from his bag and held it up like it was a trophy.
"Here! 'The Kitsune Heart: Understanding Affection in the Nine-Tailed Race'. Pretty cool, huh?"
Kain took it from him, more amused than anything.
He flipped it open, skimming the first few pages.
"Damn, this is dense. You read all this?"
"Some of it," Aiden said, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.
"I thought maybe if I learned about her culture, I'd be able to deepen our connection"
"You could deepen your brain cells instead," Kain muttered under his breath, flipping a few more pages—
And then he stopped.
Dead.
Frozen.
His beer almost slipped from his hand.
There it was.
In bold ink:
"A kitsune must not be denied affection from their chosen mate for too long"
"Without proper return of this love, their mind begins to fixate"
"Longing turns to obsession, and obsession to madness"
"The bond will twist into an unbreakable craving, often dangerous to both parties"
Kain's eyes widened.
'No. No. No…'
He slowly looked up at the shimmering blue screen floating in the air behind Aiden's back:
[System Notification]
[Desire/Obsession: 51%]
He nearly dropped his beer.
Aiden noticed his face.
"You okay, bro?"
Kain forced a smile.
"Yep. Just… digesting something"
"Ah yeah," Aiden chuckled, taking a big swig.
"I was worried Lupa was a bit distant this morning, but after the garden? I think she's warming up again"
Kain nodded slowly.
Very slowly.
'Warming up? Nah, dumbass. She's two tail strokes away from boiling over and setting fire to the entire east wing'
Aiden pointed at the book.
"There's a cool section on how to stroke her ears properly, too, but I haven't tried it yet. Thought I'd wait for the right moment"
Kain didn't answer.
He was too busy calculating the odds of Lupa breaking into his room tonight wearing nothing but vengeance and tail fluff.
He downed the rest of his beer in one go.
"Night, Aiden," he muttered, tossing the empty bottle into the bin.
Aiden blinked.
"Already?"
Kain stood, patting him on the shoulder like a man patting a cow heading for slaughter.
"You sleep tight"
As soon as Aiden left, Kain locked the door.
Then double locked it.
Then shoved a chair under the handle.
Then stared at the glowing screen again.
[Desire/Obsession: 52%]
"…I'm gonna die," he muttered.
Midnight
The moonlight cut sharp lines across Kain's sheets as he sat up against his headboard, shirtless, blanket draped across his waist, eyes bloodshot and locked on the kitsune book like it was the Necronomicon.
One lamp flickered dimly beside him, casting shadows under his eyes.
He flipped the page slowly.
Carefully.
"…Okay," he muttered, voice low.
"So, fox girls have seven erogenous zones in their ears alone. Great. Normal. Totally normal"
He kept reading.
"Prolonged denial of physical intimacy from their 'chosen' may cause psychological unraveling, commonly referred to as 'Foxfire Madness.' Symptoms include clinginess, nighttime prowling, attempts to 'claim' territory..."
Kain paused.
Looked at his door.
Looked at the chair under the handle.
"…She did growl at Ruby for trying to kiss my neck. Thought it was cute. It was not cute. That was a warning"
He flipped another page.
His eyes darted across a section titled: "Signs the Kitsune is Approaching Obsession"
Sudden sensitivity to touch
Enhanced hearing for their chosen's voice
Willingness to abandon current relationships
Dream stalking (rare, but documented)
Kain squinted.
"…Dream stalking? What the hell is that, Freddy Fluffpaws gonna show up in my sleep and beg for ear rubs?"
He turned to the next page, sweat starting to bead on his temple.
"If left unresolved, the kitsune may reject all logic and cling solely to their chosen's scent, voice, or presence to maintain emotional balance"
Below was a sub-note:
"Extreme cases have led to the kitsune imprinting permanently"
Kain slammed the book shut.
"NOPE. No. Nuh-uh. That's not happening. I'm not waking up with a fox on my chest humping my aura"
He tossed the book onto his desk and ran a hand down his face.
Then he slowly peeked at his system window:
[System Notification]
[Desire/Obsession: 54%]
"…I should've died in that dungeon instead"
A creak echoed from the hallway.
Kain froze.
He turned to the door.
The handle jiggled.
Just once.
Then stopped.
He stared at it like it had personally insulted his mother.
"…Oh no"
He tiptoed to the door, silently reinforcing the lock with a spell.
A whisper floated through the crack.
"…Kain?"
He practically jumped out of his skin.
"She's out there. She's whispering. Why is she whispering like a ghost in a romance novel!?"
"…I just want to talk"
"Nope," he whispered to himself, crawling backward like a man evading a landmine.
"I've seen this movie before. Spoiler alert: the fox never leaves"
He dove under his blanket.
"Tomorrow," he muttered.
"Tomorrow I'll deal with this, first thing. I'll… talk to her. Calm her down. Offer her a muffin. Or a muzzle. Whatever works"
[System Notification – Lupa is waiting outside your door. Do you wish to engage?]
[>NO]
He slammed the "No" so hard that the screen glitched for a moment.
Then he groaned.
"Why do I have to be so damn hot?"
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
His eyes snapped open.
"…No," he whispered.
Tap.
Tap.
Tap.
It came again.
Window.
The damn window.
A third-story window.
He turned his head slowly.
Dread built in his chest like a horror soundtrack.
There she was.
Lupa.
On the ledge.
In a hoodie two sizes too big, his hoodie.
Eyes glowing faintly, tail swaying behind her like a metronome of chaos.
'Kitsunes can't climb walls,' he thought frantically.
Then he remembered the chapter on "agility scaling with obsession."
"…Shit"
The window creaked open with a little magic.
She slipped in like a shadow, landing silently.
"Lupa," Kain hissed, backing up in bed like she was holding a contract from Satan.
"What are you doing?"
She pounced.
Kain wasn't proud of the sound he made.
It was somewhere between a gasp and a yelp, but next thing he knew, Lupa was straddling his lap, tail curling behind her like a heart-shaped noose.
"I couldn't sleep," she whispered, cheeks flushed, eyes glassy.
"I… I tried, but I kept hearing your voice in my head"
Kain raised a finger.
"Okay. Okay. Let's back it up. You're not gonna go full yandere on me, right?"
"I just want to feel… right," she murmured, grabbing his hand and pressing it to her ear.
"You always make it feel right"
He stared down at her, mouth open, system window popping up on its own:
[Lupa – Desire/Obsession: 65%]
"Oh f—"
Her ear twitched under his palm.
Kain swallowed.
'This is how it happens. This is how legends are made. This is how brotherhoods die'
But damn if her ears weren't soft.
He rubbed.
Gentle at first.
Lupa melted.
"More," she whispered.
He rubbed in circles.
Then scratched behind her ear like she was some sacred house cat.
She whimpered.
Her tail thumped against his bed.
System pinged again:
[Desire/Obsession: 70%]
"Bro," he whispered.
"I'm about to get murdered by a fox in love"
She nuzzled into his hand, dazed.
"And… my tail…"
He stared at the swaying fluff like it was a live grenade.
"…I'm gonna regret this"
He ran his other hand down the thick plume of fur.
Lupa arched with a shudder.
"Kain…"
[Desire/Obsession: 80%]
Kain started sweating like he was under divine judgment.
'I got Pokémon evolution levels of obsession'
Lupa looked up, eyes starry.
"I'm not going back tonight"
Kain's soul left his body.
He smiled gently, leaned in… and whispered.
"Cool. You take the bed"
Then he yeeted himself off the mattress and onto the floor, rolling into a blanket burrito like it was his last line of defense.
"Goodnight, Lupa," he said in the most unbothered tone he could fake.
Lupa pouted, curled into his bed, and buried her nose in the pillow he usually used.
Kain, lying on the floor, stared at the ceiling as sleep hit him.
'...Fuck…'