Head Mistress

Kain turned away with a scoff, hands in his coat, but only made it two steps before he heard it.

"Asshole," Darcy muttered, her voice low but sharp.

'Jeez, does she have to be mean?'

He barely had time to react before she grabbed him by the collar, yanked him back, and kissed him.

It wasn't soft.

It was anger, confusion, denial, and want.

Her hands slammed against his chest, pinning him to the wall, breath hitching as she pulled away just enough to look him in the eye.

But Kain was already grinning.

The system in his mind ticked softly.

[Darcy's Loyalty to Finn: -6%]

[Darcy's Loyalty to Kain: +9%]

He didn't even need to check. 

He could feel it. 

The hesitation. 

The breaking point. 

The perfect storm of guilt and desire.

His chuckle was low, almost affectionate, as he gently pushed her off him.

"Not yet," he said, voice softly.

Darcy blinked, confused, lips parted from the heat of the kiss. 

"What…?"

Kain gave her a look that melted between pity and mischief.

"My lips are only for those who agree to my terms, Darcy"

She stared. 

"…What are they again?"

He took a step forward, brushing his thumb against the corner of her mouth, wiping away a smear of gloss that wasn't hers anymore.

"One," he said calmly, "you pretend to be Finn's perfect little girlfriend"

"Laugh at his jokes, keep him happy enough that he never suspects a thing"

She didn't reply.

"And two…" 

He leaned in, whispering into her ear like a lover.

"You come to me when you want warmth. Because I promise you, I'll give you the kind he never will"

Darcy's fists clenched, but she couldn't look away.

Her voice, trembling, was barely audible. 

"Is that what Ruby, Lyla, and Beatrix agreed to?"

Kain tilted his head, his smirk widening.

"Didn't they play their roles beautifully today?"

He stepped away again, this time slowly.

"Well, when you want to learn more, you know where to find me"

And then he was gone.

"My lips are only for those who agree to my conditions"

Her fist slowly clenched.

"What the hell was that…" she muttered, her voice unsteady. 

Her breath caught as she tried to process it, everything. 

The kiss. 

His terms. 

The way he didn't even wait for her answer. 

Like he already knew she'd come back.

She bit her lip, hard.

He didn't need to stay.

He left her with the most dangerous thing of all:

A choice.

And no one else to blame if she made the wrong one.

The Next Day 

At lunch.

Everything was supposed to be normal.

Darcy sat beside Finn, her hand in his, her smile as sweet and polished as ever.

Finn grinned like a man who just pulled a prize ticket out of a cereal box. 

"My girl's being extra cute today, huh?" he said, nudging her affectionately.

The words didn't hit the way they used to.

Across the table, Ruby clicked her tongue behind her straw, eyes lazily drifting toward Darcy like a cat watching a bird struggle not to twitch.

Lyla giggled softly, head leaning on Kain's shoulder as if this was better than the afternoon drama broadcast.

Beatrix didn't even try to hide her smirk, casually swirling her drink like she was watching the act of the century.

Kain?

Unbothered. 

Arms crossed, back leaned against the window, eyes half-lidded. 

Darcy avoided his gaze like it burned.

"Babe," Finn said, tightening his hold on her fingers, "you okay? You've been quiet since this morning"

She laughed, high-pitched, a little too fast. 

"What? No. I'm totally fine. Just tired"

Kain raised an eyebrow, slow and deliberate.

She flinched.

The other girls noticed.

Darcy tried again. 

"You know me, Finn. I'm always happy when I'm with you"

Her voice cracked on "happy."

Finn blinked, confused but smiling like an idiot. 

"Aw, that's sweet…"

Kain didn't say a word. 

He didn't need to.

He just sipped his tea, eyes locked on hers over the rim of the cup.

And Darcy knew—

He was waiting.

Waiting for her to break.

Waiting for her to run to him again.

Because she would.

And she hated how much she wanted to.

Five Minutes Later

Kain was walking back toward the group when he felt a hand grab him and shove him into a room.

Darcy slammed the door shut behind them.

A bit too hard, but it brought no attention.

Kain stepped closer, unbothered by how small the room felt now, how her breathing had quickened. 

He looked down at her, dark amusement tugging at the corner of his lips.

"You really gotta stop dragging me into rooms like this," he said casually. 

"You're giving me the wrong ideas"

"Be quiet," she whispered. 

No threat behind it. 

No strength. 

Just heat and confusion and something she didn't want to name.

"How do you do it?" she asked, voice almost breaking. 

"How do you act so normal around him?"

Him. 

Like Finn was some afterthought. 

A name she couldn't bear to say while standing so close to someone who actually made her feel real.

Kain smiled slowly, beautiful, cruel.

"That's the trick, Darcy," he said, voice low. 

"I don't act. I just let you lie to yourself"

And then he kissed her.

No lead-up. 

No permission asked.

It wasn't a kiss meant to be cherished.

It was a kiss meant to brand.

Her hands trembled as she clutched at his jacket, holding on like she might fall apart otherwise. 

Because with Finn, she gave nothing more than the bare minimum, awkward hand-holding, and a stiff two-second hug in public. 

It was all he ever got.

But with Kain?

She melted.

She offered.

She gave.

When he pulled away, her lips were parted, eyes glazed.

He leaned in, whispering just enough to make her knees weak.

"You keep giving him table scraps, Darcy. But every time you kiss me like that…" 

He brushed his thumb across her mouth, smirking. 

"…you come back starving"

Then he left her there. 

Breathless. 

Unsteady.

Along with the echo of what she'd just let happen.

She stepped back out of the room, heart still racing, but her mind working hard to piece together the act she had to put on.

As she walked back toward the others, Finn looked up from his phone, a bright smile creeping onto his face when he saw her. 

"Hey, babe," he said, so genuinely excited, like a puppy in love. 

"That was fast. You get your quick exercise in?"

Quick exercise.

A stupid excuse that only a fool would buy.

She nearly choked on her own tongue, but instead, she plastered on a forced grin, stepping up to him, her voice barely audible. 

"Yeah… just needed to stretch out a bit. You know how it is"

The sincerity in her voice didn't match the look in her eyes; there was nothing but guilt and burning shame there. 

She quickly pulled him into a hug, but it was a brief, stiff one, nothing more than the usual minimum. 

The bare minimum.

Finn didn't notice. 

Of course, he didn't. 

He was too busy beaming down at her, unbothered by the fact that she could barely even keep her hands on his shoulders without her mind flashing back to Kain's kiss.

Meanwhile, Ruby, Lyla, and Beatrix sat quietly, their eyes flicking to Darcy as she moved toward Finn. 

The tension in the room wasn't lost on them. 

They knew exactly what had happened. 

They knew exactly how Darcy had just failed at pretending.

Ruby shot a look at Kain, who was now lounging casually with a smug, all-knowing smile on his face. 

Lyla stifled a laugh while Beatrix raised an eyebrow, watching Darcy's pathetic performance. 

But they didn't need to say a word. 

They just enjoyed watching Darcy try so hard to convince herself, trying to play the part in front of Finn while they all knew who she truly belonged to.

Nightfall.

Darcy sat beside Finn, nursing a drink as he chuckled to himself.

"Man, Kain must be really busy tonight," Finn jokes, glancing toward the faint sound of muffled thuds and giggles from across the hall. 

"Like, what's he even doing in there? Sounds like some kinda training. Guy doesn't sleep, I swear" 

He took a sip, completely oblivious. 

"Sucks that Ruby, Lyla, and Beatrix bailed on us though. It's just you and me, huh, babe?"

He leaned in with a goofy grin, tossing an arm around Darcy's shoulders. 

She forces a smile, the corners of her lips twitching with effort. 

"Y-Yeah," she says. 

"Just us"

Her hand is trembling slightly as she sips from her glass. 

Inside, her mind replays the scene of Kain pinning her against the wall.

The heat of his lips, the smug whisper of "Next time, you'll knock first, sweetheart"

And now? 

Now she's sitting across from a boy who thinks a 2-second hug and a shared drink make a relationship.

Meanwhile

Inside Kain's room, the air is sweet with perfume.

Ruby, Lyla, and Beatrix lounge lazily around him, content and glowing. 

They're not drinking wine, they're drinking him, every smirk, every glance, every touch he offers. 

They laugh at Finn's name like it's a forgotten joke.

"He's probably talking about how cute Darcy looked tonight," Beatrix says, rolling her eyes. 

"Two-second hugs? Is he serious?" Lyla scoffs, tugging at Kain's collar playfully. 

"At least he's consistent," Ruby smirks. 

"Consistently blind"

Kain didn't say a word, he didn't need to.

A simple movement from him, and they knew to get ready.

An Hour Later

Finn's head hits the pillow like a rock.

His snores came almost instantly, arms sprawled like a child. 

The drink was weak, but Darcy's little addition wasn't.

She stood over him for a second, just watching. 

Not with hate. 

Not with regret. 

Just silence, like watching a candle flicker out in a room already on fire.

Her hand tightens around the doorknob. 

She left his room quickly.

One step, two… three.

Across the hall, barefoot. 

Her heart was a war drum.

She raises her fist and knocks.

There's a moment. 

A pause. 

Then she hears it.

Laughter.

Soft.

Playful. 

A whisper of silk shifting. 

Something thudding gently against wood.

And then, his footsteps.

Slow. 

Confident.

The door cracks open.

Kain.

Shirt half-unbuttoned. 

Collar wrinkled. 

A fresh lipstick mark fading along his jaw. 

His hair was slightly tousled. 

His gaze meets hers, curious and just a little amused.

"You know," he murmurs, voice like melted velvet, "you really have to stop showing up like this. People will get the wrong idea"

A smile ghosts his lips as he leans on the doorframe.

Darcy doesn't flinch. 

Her voice is low, but steady.

"They already have the wrong idea"

"What… Did he cry himself to sleep again?" Kain teases gently.

She doesn't smile. 

She whispers, "Let me in"

The door clicked shut behind her. 

Ruby, Lyla, and Beatrix don't say a word. 

They don't need to. 

Draped in loose clothes and glowing from heat and laughter, they give her one look, and she understands. 

She's not the first to knock on this door, nor the last to fall.

Kain stepped closer.

"I am a bit surprised that you knocked," he said with a smirk. 

"And I was starting to think you liked playing perfect girlfriend"

Darcy didn't answer. 

She just moved to him, grabbing him by the collar and pulling him into a kiss.

The heat was building, her hands sliding under his shirt, his tongue brushing hers.

He broke the kiss, lips just an inch from hers. 

"You're still stiff," he murmured. 

"Still thinking about him, aren't you?"

Darcy didn't speak.

Because some part of her still felt guilty.

And Kain loved breaking that part. 

"Come here"

Darcy stepped forward, uncertain until Ruby pulled her close from behind, pressing her against Kain's chest. 

His hand finds her jaw, tilting her face up to meet his. 

"I told you," he murmurs, lips brushing hers, "you should stop coming here if you don't want this"

Her answer is a kiss, not gentle, not polite, but hungry.

Kain chuckled low in his throat, hands roaming, guiding, and inviting the others closer.

"Help her," he tells them. 

And oh, they do.

Lyla's hands undo the buttons, Darcy's own fingers hesitate on. 

Beatrix presses kisses along her neck, whispering things no prayer could cleanse. 

Ruby sinks onto the bed behind them all, watching with glittering eyes, humming a slow, dangerous tune.

By the time the kiss breaks, Darcy is panting, lips bruised, and Kain still has his usual smirk.

He traces his thumb on Darcy's lip, smearing the kiss he just gave her. 

"She's a fast learner," he says to no one, yet the girls giggle like he spoke straight to them.

Darcy doesn't pull away.

Not when Ruby tugs her down onto the bed beside Kain, 

Not when Lyla slides in behind her, arms coiling like silk, 

Not when Beatrix whispers, "You're one of us now."

Kain doesn't rush. 

No, he commands the scene like a maestro, hands moving, lips whispering, "Show her how we love."

Ruby climbs over Darcy, kissing down her shoulder. 

Beatrix slips fingers under the cloth with casual grace, her smile pure worship, but not to any god above.

And through it all, Kain watches. 

Not just the way Darcy arches into touch, but how her eyes flutter, how she moans his name.

By the time the room is quiet again, bodies tangled, hearts unsteady, Kain leaned back against the headboard, pulling Darcy into his side, his voice low and smug.

"Next time, don't knock. Just come in"

Darcy, still catching her breath, doesn't reply. 

She only shifts closer, fingers curling in Kain's shirt like he's the only anchor in a world long lost.

Ruby hums softly, draped across Kain's legs, her lips brushing his thigh. 

Lyla rests on his other side, head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat.

Beatrix traces patterns on Darcy's back, slow, unbothered, like she's marking her as one of their own.

Kain exhales a breath that could've been a chuckle. 

Or maybe a warning. 

"Look at you," he murmurs, voice dripping with dark delight. 

"You were so sure you loved him"

Darcy doesn't look up. 

She can't. 

Because some part of her knows, this isn't just a betrayal.

It's a confession.

A confession of what she really craved. 

Of who she really wanted. 

Kain tilts her chin with a finger, finally meeting her eyes. 

"No going back now," he whispers. 

"You're mine"

And she nods. 

Just once. 

Because the truth is heavy. 

But his embrace makes it bearable.

Darcy's breath hitches as Lyla's hands find hers once again..

Guiding, gentle, coaxing her to move with the rhythm. 

Beatrix presses a soft kiss to the back of her neck, whispering words that make her skin prickle, not from shame, but from the thrill of crossing a line she never thought she'd find herself near.

Ruby smirks and leans in toward Kain, who watches it all unfold. 

He doesn't move much, he doesn't need to. 

They move for him.

Darcy trembles, not from fear, but from the way Kain's gaze lingers on her.

"I thought I hated you," she mutters breathlessly.

He leans in, lips grazing her ear. 

"You hated that I made you feel alive"

And just like that, she falls again, deeper, darker, sweeter.

A hand in her hair. 

A kiss on her neck. 

A promise, unspoken but carved into her heart: She will be his by the morning light.

Morning

Darcy opened her eyes slowly, her body still pressed against warmth. 

Her head was resting against a pillow that didn't belong to Finn, and for the first time, she didn't care.

Across the room, Kain is already dressed. 

Barefoot, shirt unbuttoned, standing by the window, sipping from a black mug as if the world isn't tilting on its axis.

He doesn't look back when he speaks. 

"You're not the type to linger"

Darcy sits up, covers slipping down her shoulders. 

There's no shame in her gaze, only acceptance. 

The storm of guilt never came. 

Not this time.

"I'm not lingering," she said. 

"I'm just… not ready to pretend yet"

He glances over his shoulder now, and the faintest smirk plays on his lips. 

"You agreed to the terms"

"I know," she says, standing slowly, slipping her clothes back on with quiet grace. 

"And I meant it. I'm yours"

Kain turns fully, watching her as she pulls her hair into a quick tie. 

"Say it again"

She meets his eyes. 

Calm. 

Certain.

"I'm yours"

His eyes flicker with something, satisfaction, maybe. 

Or something darker, deeper.

Outside the room, Ruby's laughter echoes faintly through the hall, followed by Beatrix's teasing and Lyla's soft hums. 

The world continues, the mask waiting at the door.

Darcy steps into her shoes, fixes her collar, and steels herself.

"Time to go play perfect," she murmurs.

Kain finishes his drink and walks past her, brushing a finger against her hand as he does.

"Smile for him," he says, voice smooth as silk.

The door opens. 

The act begins once more, Kain exited his room, his steps unhurried. 

The hallway is alive with the faint sounds of the academy waking up: students shuffling to class, soft chatter, and the ever-so-familiar echo of someone yelling at Finn for doing something idiotic again.

Just as Kain adjusts his cuff, Professor Arkell, a tired man with glasses too large for his face, intercepts him.

"Mr. Crowhurst. Headmaster's office. Now. It's urgent"

Kain raises a brow. 

"Urgent, huh? Did Finn break another artifact?"

Arkell doesn't smile. 

"S-Rank Rift. First of its kind. The Headmaster wants you"

Kain's eyes sharpen. 

That was not something to joke about.

A Few Minutes Later 

Kain stood before the headmaster's grand double doors. 

He's expecting the usual sight: some half-dead, balding relic sipping stale coffee behind stacks of paperwork.

But the door opens, and everything changes.

Sitting cross-legged on the edge of the desk, in the Headmaster's chair no less, is a woman with long, amethyst-purple hair that falls like silk across her exposed shoulders. 

A tight black suit jacket barely restrains a generous chest, and those matching violet eyes lock onto Kain like they already know him.

"You're taller than I imagined," she said with a cool, teasing smirk. 

"But I guess you'll do"

Kain didn't respond at first.

[ System Notification ]

[ New Encounter: ??? — Headmistress Title Registered ]

He raised an eyebrow. 

"System… is she a heroine?"

[ System Response ] 

[ Technically? No. Officially? No. But this is an eroge game, and you're you, soooo… ]

[ You can still conquer her if you want. I won't stop you, champ ]

Kain almost laughs.

"Twenty heroines weren't enough, huh?"

[ System ]

[ Well, it is up to you on how you proceed ]

He focuses back on her, letting his usual smooth smile take over.

"So... Headmistress, huh? What happened to the old guy?"

She chuckles, slowly walking around the desk with that deliberate sway.

"Retired. Burnout. Tragic. You can mourn him later"

She hands him a black folder stamped with S-RANK CLASSIFIED.

"There's a Rift. One we've never seen before. You're the only one who can handle it... alone"

Kain flips through the file, his expression unreadable. 

"You trust me that much?"

She leans in, voice a whisper:

"No. But I'm very interested in seeing what kind of monster you really are"

His smirk deepens. 

"Oh? Sounds like a challenge to me"

[ System Notification ]

[ +2 Affection: ??? / She likes the confidence ]

"So… Are you confident?"

She walked over and extended her hand to get an assurance.

He walked past the Headmistress's extended hand and calmly sat in the chair across from her desk, legs crossed, back relaxed. 

That signature cocky half-smile rests on his face like it was born there.

"If you're trying to intimidate me," he says, "you should've kept the old man. Bald heads have a certain... gravity"

She laughs softly, one hand resting on the desk, nails painted violet. 

"I'm not here to intimidate you, Kain. I'm here to evaluate you"

"With that outfit?" he asks, eyeing her suit, "I thought you were here to distract me"

She leans forward slightly, chin resting on her hand. 

"Flirting with your superior? Bold"

Kain shrugs. 

"I've always had good instincts"

She gives a smirk, and without warning, reaches over the desk and softly pats his head.

Her touch is surprisingly gentle, fingers brushing through his hair like she's curious about the feel of him.

"You're dangerously charming. And you don't even try"

He leans into her touch just slightly, eyes half-lidded. 

"Keep that up, and I might start thinking you like me"

She pulls back, amused. 

"Don't get ahead of yourself."

"Then give me something to slow down with. A name, maybe?"

There's a pause.

Then:

"Iris Von Dawnridge"

Kain repeats it under his breath, as if committing it to memory. 

"Beautiful name. Doesn't suit a headmaster. Too soft"

Iris walked around the desk again, this time standing close, too close.

"Would you prefer something harder?" she asks, her voice a low purr.

Kain looks up at her from the chair, eyes unwavering.

"I'm not picky. As long as the lips match the name"

She studies him, then, in a moment that catches even him slightly off guard, leans down and plants a soft kiss on his cheek.

"You've got an S-Rank mission," she whispers near his ear. 

"But if you survive... maybe I'll give you a real reward"

Kain tilts his head, smirking. 

"Then I guess I'll have to survive"

[ System Notification ] 

[ +5 Affection: Iris Von Dawnridge / That was not in the handbook ]

Kain remains seated as she steps away, heels clicking softly against the polished marble. 

She moves toward a wall-mounted cabinet, unlocking it with a quiet click.

"This Rift… It's the first of its kind. High instability. Unknown origin," she says, tone professional, but her eyes flick to him now and then. 

"I need to ensure your body can handle it. Your aura. Your resilience"

"Sounds like you want to inspect more than just my stats," Kain says smoothly.

She doesn't deny it. 

She simply turns back around, now holding a sleek, obsidian-black device shaped like a crystal shard. 

Magical pulses hum through it, low, slow, rhythmic. 

Like a heartbeat.

"Remove your shirt, Kain"

There's no hesitation.

Kain stands slowly, unbuttoning with the confidence of someone who knows exactly what he's doing, letting the fabric slide off easily. 

The ambient light catches the subtle lines of muscle and old scars that tell more stories than words ever could.

She steps close, the device hovering inches from his chest.

"Hmm… strong aura flow. But there's corruption laced underneath. Curious"

"You gonna heal me or break me?" he asks.

Iris chuckles, low and warm. 

"Neither. I'm just… testing your limits"

The shard glows brighter, and her free hand rests just under his collarbone, fingertips cold, trailing downward. 

She isn't just measuring mana now. 

She's observing the reaction.

His breath doesn't change. 

His gaze never wavers.

"You're not flinching," she says, voice dropping.

"Why would I?" he murmurs. 

"You're the one touching me like you want to do more than examine"

A beat.

Then the shard dims.

She sets it aside and slowly walks behind him, hand trailing over his shoulder.

"Your control is admirable. But even control breaks under pressure. And that mission will push you to your edge"

Kain smirks over his shoulder.

"Then maybe you should push me first"

She pauses behind him.

"Turn around"

He does.

And in a moment suspended in tension, she pulls him forward by the waist, leans in, and gives him what he asked for earlier, not a tease, not a game.

A kiss.

Not on the cheek.

Slow. 

Testing. 

Then deeper.

Her fingers tighten in the curve of his spine. 

His hand finds the desk behind her for balance. 

It's not desperate, it's calculated.

Eventually, she pulls away, lips brushing his.

"If you live," she whispers, breath warm, "come back with more than just wounds"

Kain leans closer, his voice silky. 

"Then wait for me. I'll come back with more stories"

She fixes his shirt for him, slowly, almost lovingly. 

But her voice, when she speaks again, is all business.

"Get ready, Kain. You leave tonight"

[ System Notification ]

[ Iris Von Dawnridge: Interest Level — 47%. Danger Level — also 47% ]