next time

The pizza slice sat heavy in my hand, grease soaking into my fingertips as I stared at it, chewing without tasting.

Pepperoni, cheese, crust—it should've grounded me, pulled me back to something real, but my mind kept slipping, dragged back to the red-lit room, to Miss Isabella's gloved hands and that damn strap-on.

My body wouldn't let me forget either.

Every shift on the chair sent a faint ache through me—my thighs, my core, the tender spots where vibrators had buzzed me into oblivion.

I pressed my legs together, wincing at the soreness, and a flush crept up my neck.

Why did it still feel like she was here, her hazel eyes boring into me even now?

I forced down another bite, the flavors dull against the chaos in my head.

What the hell was wrong with me?

I'd been chained, spanked, fucked—reduced to a trembling mess—and yet here I was, dressed in this clean, girly outfit like nothing had happened.

Pale blue bra, matching panties, a skirt that swished too much—Miss Isabella's choice, not mine.

She'd even promised a "next time," like this was just the start.

The thought twisted my stomach, half dread, half something I didn't want to name.

I wasn't Kaori, damn it—I was Kevin, a guy who'd just wanted a stupid video game, not… this.

But my body didn't care about that.

It kept tingling, betraying me with every lingering echo of her touch.

The room felt too bright, the fluorescent lights stripping away the crimson haze that had cloaked her cruelty.

It was just an office now—desk, chair, papers, that cupboard where she'd grabbed the clothes.

Normal, except for the toys probably still tucked in a drawer somewhere.

I glanced at the door she'd left through, half expecting her to barge back in, whip in hand.

But it stayed shut, and the silence pressed in, heavy and unnerving.

I set the pizza down, my appetite gone.

Lunch was over—she'd said so herself—but I didn't know what came next.

Go to class, she'd told me, like I could just stroll back into that sea of girls and pretend I wasn't shaking inside.

Lilith's Academy was a trap, every corner of it laced with the game's twisted logic.

If I stayed, I'd run into more of them—Lia, maybe, with her smug grin and wandering hands, or worse, someone new, another character ready to pull me deeper into Kaori's story.

I'd seen the game's cover: masked women, ropes, smirks.

I wasn't dumb enough to think Miss Isabella was the end of it.

Maybe I could still run.

The idea flickered, weak but stubborn.

I'd tried before, outside the classroom, but she'd caught me.

Now?

No one was watching.

The door wasn't locked—at least, I didn't think so.

I could slip out, ditch the academy, find a way back to whatever reality I'd come from.

My hands shook as I smoothed the skirt, the fabric soft but foreign, a reminder of how far I was from myself.

I stood, testing my legs.

They wobbled but held, the soreness a dull throb I could ignore if I tried hard enough.

I took a step toward the door, then froze as voices drifted through—high, feminine, the chatter of girls passing in the hall.

My heart thudded.

Classmates, probably, heading to their next lesson.

If I walked out now, I'd have to face them—those hot, confident girls from 2-B, their eyes sharp and curious, maybe knowing what I'd just been through.

Or worse, I'd run into Lia.

What would she say if she saw me like this, flushed and unsteady, wearing Miss Isabella's handpicked clothes?

I could still feel her lips from this morning, her fingers, her smug "princess."

My face burned, and I backed away from the door, the urge to run fizzling out.

Instead, I sank back into the chair, my hands clenching the edge of the table.

The pizza sat there, cold now, a half-eaten slice mocking me with its normalcy.

I needed a plan, something better than bolting blindly.

If this was the game, there had to be a way out—a glitch, a loophole, something the developers had overlooked.

I'd laughed at Lilith's Academy back in the store, called it ridiculous, but now I wished I'd paid more attention to the plot.

Was Kaori supposed to win, escape, or just… keep going like this, toyed with forever?

I didn't know, and that scared me more than the chains had.

Footsteps echoed outside, closer this time, and I tensed, my breath catching.

Someone was coming.

I stared at the door, pulse racing, half hoping it was just a random student, half dreading it was her—Miss Isabella, back to drag me into another round of her "lessons."

The handle didn't turn, but the sound was enough to jolt me into action.

I couldn't stay here, hiding like a coward.

I had to move, to face whatever came next, even if it meant walking back into that classroom and pretending I wasn't falling apart.

I stood again, smoothing the skirt one last time, and took a shaky breath.

The tingling hadn't stopped, a ghost of her touch that wouldn't let me go.

But I wasn't Kaori—not really.

I was Kevin, and I'd find a way out of this, no matter what it took.

I reached for the door, my hand hovering over the knob, and braced myself for whatever waited on the other side.