Chapter Twelve

The night was cold. Though I'd only been in this world for a few short days, it had felt so much longer. From my meeting with the small ghost and subsequent panic. It all felt like it happened so long ago.

Then there was Tsuyu and her attempts to kill me. The insanity that followed... Had someone told me I'd be here, laying in one of her beds ready to take her home come morning… well, I'd have called them a liar.

"It's just like that one character from that video-game." Fim spoke up within my mind. "The game I took this form from?"

He said, appearing in front of me in the classic Disgaea skull-mage.

"That read-head demon girl. The one that tried to assassinate the main character. She was nice, yes? She became one of his allies, even though their start was rather negative."

A small chuckle slipped from my lips.

"You really like that game, don't you?"

"Very much!" Fim shot back with no small amount of joy. The calm, collected, and quiet demeanour he had when we first met had been washed away so quickly, though he only showed it at times like these. He was like a sponge that absorbed emotions. "I have yet to finish the game completely, but I wish to see how it ends."

A smile grew on my face.

"Yeah. I'll be sure to let you have a go at it."

It really was crazy how fast things moved. It had only been a week now, right? Or close to it. But here we were. My fears of him taking over my body and eating my soul were tiny whispers in the back of my mind now.

I sucked in a breath and turned in bed, staring up at the dark ceiling. Was Tsuyu back yet, I wondered? She said she was going out to gather a few things. Jewels, money, and other tools she might need.

A yawn rolled off my tongue. I couldn't sleep, even after everything I said about getting up early.

Maybe if-

A creaking at the door pulled me away from my thoughts. The familiar assassin peaked her head in.

"Still awake?" she asked in a teasing, slurred tone. "I'm hoooome~"

I rolled my eyes. You know what, no. I wasn't going to play along with her tune this time. I shut my eyes and lay still.

"No?" A sultry voice called out from right next to me. What?! How was she so close already?!

A tiny stream of air brushed against my ears.

"Are you sure~"

Something soft and heavy pressed down on my torso.

"Are you really, really sure?"

My eyes snapped open.

"What are you doing?" I hissed, cheeks taking on a crimson hue as I saw her straddling me once again. This time, she wasn't trying to kill me. I still looked for knives, though.

"So you are awake?" she asked with a giggle. "Well, you should have said so~"

It was dark, but my eyes had adjusted just a tad. The stench of alcohol was in the air.

"Are… are you drunk?"

Her eyes glinted with amusement.

"Maybe~" she said, bringing a hand down to my face. Her soft fingers were warm and gentle as they caressed my cheek. It was a far cry from the vicious grip she'd used to hold me down before.

"But you have to loosen up~" she leaned down and pressed her face against my chest. "Tomorrow's a good day, right~"

"Look, I think you should go and sleep."

She rose back up and quirked her brow. With a small tug, she brought her shirt down. Two plump, perky mounds flopped out and into view.

"Are you sure~" she giggled like a child and grabbed my hand, pressing it against her bare breast.

I squeezed out of reflex. They were even softer than I could have imagined. What's more, I could feel something small and firm poking the back of my palm. The heat reached my cheeks. My mind shut down.

What was I supposed to do in a situation like this?

"Is this mating?" Fim's voice echoed in my head. "Wonderful. It's an experience I'll pay very close attention to! Please do your best, Lee."

God damn it, Fim! Your commentary was not helping right now!

"Are you not excited?" he shot back. "I can see the rise in your heartbeat and there are a number of sights showing that you're preparing to-"

Oh. My. God!

"Don't you know it's rude to keep a lady waiting~" Tsuyu teased once more and leaned down, whispering huskily into my ear. My hand was still planted on her large, round breasts. I squeezed again and felt my body react just as one would expect.

But…

"This isn't right," I said with a sigh. "Maybe ask again when you're not drunk out of your mind."

I grumbled.

"Seriously, are you-"

Soft snoring reached my ears. She'd fallen down next to me, pinning my hand between her own.

"Is fine," she whispered. "Can I sleep here? Please?"

No! She didn't get to act all cute now! Not after all the trouble she'd caused me! Was she even actually drunk?! Or was this just another trick of hers?

"T-Thanks…"

She whispered again and scooted closer, pulling me into her body as if I was some sort of pillow. Incidentally, that also had my face pressed up against her breasts.

…

You know what, fine. I don't even care anymore. I was tired and annoyed. I wouldn't do anything, but I also wasn't going to kick her off my bed. When we woke up in the morning, I'd pin all the blame on her!

I huffed and tried to answer, only for her to push me even further into her bosom. My lips brushed up against pink tips.

Any words I had died in my throat.

Damn it, Tsuyu… why did you have to be such a tease.

I simmered in my own personal hell. Unable to act without betraying my own morals but also unable to kick her out without feeling like an ass.

Truly, she was going to make my life a frustrating mess, wasn't she?

Yet… I couldn't leave her behind. I saw a part of me in her. No matter how small, I just couldn't abandon that tiny sliver.

Alone. Afraid. And with no one to trust- no one on her side.

It was sad.

I only hoped she wouldn't squander this chance I'd given her.

========

The morning came quicker than I had expected. Truth be told, I didn't think I'd be getting any sleep with Tsuyu clinging to me like a leech.

Yet, when my eyes open, she was nowhere to be found. Was it all a dream? Had I just gotten so bothered that I had one of those dreams?

I blew a sigh and got out of bed.

"Fim. Did someone come into my room last night?" I asked hesitantly. Did I even want to know the answer?

"Oh? Yes. I was a bit disappointed you just slept. Isn't it part of some sort of mating ritual when a female enters a male's bed? Would you partake in one such ritual if I offered you some more power?"

…

God damn it Fim!

"You can do that?!"

The friendly abominations formed his small avatar and blew a hum.

"I don't know. But it's a possibility, right? We haven't tried it, so we can't know until it's done, yes?"

He was getting a lot better at this. Granted, I didn't like being tricked.

"All I'm hearing is that you have no idea," I said with a yawn and dragged a hand across my messy hair. Sleep mucked up my eyes and clung to my muscles like tar.

I really should have gone to bed a lot sooner. The sun wasn't even up yet!

"Huh?"

A succulent aroma ticked my nose. Took one last look in the mirror and headed downstairs, following the smell. My stomach was growling like a bear.

Who would I find but Tsuyu in the kitchen?

"Morning sleepy head!" she greeted me with a warm smile. "I thought I'd get us a big breakfast before we head off!"

I rolled my eyes.

"What are you, my wife?"

A cheeky, seductive smile slid across her face.

"I could be~"

Gah! She was too damned good at this! Was seduction a skill assassins had to learn?

Probably.

I coughed and sat down. There was no way she'd poison my food just as I was about to take her home. Still, I cautiously ate my rice and eggs. By the time I was done, we were ready to head off.

Tsutyu pulled two trunks out from the closet by the front door.

"That's a bit more than I expected. You said it was jewelry and stuff?"

She nodded.

"Also have some fake documents that should at least fool a casual glance," she said with a hum, pulling out an American driver's license. "You did say you were from America, right?"

"Uh, I think?" Did I? Couldn't quite remember, but I wouldn't be surprised if she just figured that out or guessed…

"Then it should pass a glance! Aside from that, I have a few mementos and other tools."

I winced. Tools?

"You don't mean guns, right? I don't want to get hauled to jail if someone finds those…"

She rolled her eyes and gave me a dismissive wave.

"They're just a bunch of knives and stuff. Don't worry!"

"…"

"I'll pass them off as my kitchen set if anyone asks!"

I blew a sigh and shook my head.

"Whatever. I don't want to know."

Her eye sparkled enthusiastically.

"Great! Then let's go!"

I nodded and stepped forward, giving her house one last look.

"Don't want to say anything? Not every day you leave your home for another world."

She blinked and brought a finger to her lip.

"Well, what did you say."

"Oh… I don't remember. I don't think I said anything in particular."

She gave me a grin.

"Then I have nothing else to say. This place was not home to me, only a place to hide."

That… I didn't know what to say to that.

And so we left.

The climb up that mountain would not be kind to my feet.

—————

I thought climbing down the mountain was hard. I clearly hadn't experienced true pain. My calves, my heels, and my very mind felt like they'd break! I might have had the ability to break a person's arm with just a touch, freeze their face off, or even teleport a short distance, but none of that helped raise my endurance.

Trying to be cheeky and teleport every few seconds just made me even more tired!

"Oh, my~" Tsuyu teased as she took the vanguard. "Do you need me to help you up?"

She asked with a teasing wink.

"I can let you ride my back if you're too tired."

No! There was no way in hell I was going to let her humiliate me like that!

"N-No," I said with a gasp, wiping the sweat off my brow. "I-I'm fine…"

"I believe you should take her offer," Fim whispered in my head. "I don't understand why you're refusi-"

No!

I wasn't going to give in! I-I wasn't!

——————

"I'm not sure why, but I expected a bit more," Tsuyu was the first to speak, reaching and giving me a helping hand up.

"I-I said it was like your world," I spoke with ragged breaths.

She let out a hum and closed the window, taking a step back and moving her trunks next to my couch.

"This is a surprisingly big place for an apartment."

I shrugged.

"I-I heard Japan has really small apartments. I wouldn't say it's that big, but it probably is bigger than the norm."

It stumbled my way to the fridge and pulled out a water bottle, downing it in a few seconds.

"So, where do I sleep?"

Ah. I hadn't thought of that.

Crushing the bottle, I tossed it into a nearby recycling bin.

"As I said, you can stay with me so long as you help out. But this place only has a single room."

Shit. I really didn't want to sleep on the couch…

Her eyes followed my gaze and realization struck him a moment later.

"Well, we could always just share the bed," she said with a shrug.

A blush crept up my face.

"Ugh…"

She raised a brow.

"What? Do you want to sleep on the couch? That's not a very comfortable thing to do. Trust me, I've had to sleep in worse places."

…

She wasn't even here for half an hour and already making my life more difficult!

Was this what I was going to be facing in the future?