Chapter 149: Lust Shade Manifestation…

Akira was carrying a box of supplies toward the gym when he passed the Faculty Lounge. The door was slightly ajar, and he heard something that made him pause.

A sharp, ragged intake of breath, almost like a soft moan.

Feeling both curious and a little paranoid, Akira slowed down. He peeked through the small opening in the door, ready to leave quickly if it was just two teachers having an inappropriate moment.

What he saw was worse.

Ms. Satomi, the usually strict Literature teacher and also their form teacher, who’d complimented Aoi’s painting earlier, was alone in the room. She was leaning back against her desk, head thrown back, eyes closed.

Her face was flushed a deep, unnatural scarlet, and her hands were gripping the edge of the desk so hard the wood was creaking.

“So… thick…” she whispered to herself in a husky voice, completely different from her normal crisp tones.

She wasn’t touching herself… at least, not visibly. But she looked like she was on the verge of climax. Her chest heaved, straining against her blouse. Her legs trembled, pressing together as if seeking friction.

Akira watched, stunned, as the pink haze in the room swirled around her like water going down a drain. From the look of things, she was absorbing it… drinking it in through her skin, through her breath.

For a split second, Ms. Satomi opened her eyes. They weren’t their usual dark brown; they were glowing with a faint, pulsing pink light.

Then she spotted him.

“Kanzaki?” she gasped, straightening up instantly. The glow vanished. The flush remained, but she smoothed her skirt with trembling hands, trying to compose herself. “I… I didn’t see you there.”

[SYSTEM ALERT: ESSENCE SIGNATURE DETECTED]

[TYPE: SUCCUBUS (MATURE)]

[STATUS: INTOXICATED (AMBIENT LUST)]

[THREAT LEVEL: CURRENTLY LOW – SUBJECT IS FEEDING PASSIVELY, NOT HUNTING]

Akira’s mind went blank for a second, his thoughts screeching to a halt.

Wait. What?

His eyes widened internally while keeping his expression concerned and innocent.

Ms. Satomi? His Literature teacher? The strict, no-nonsense woman who’d been teaching him since first year? The same teacher who’d given him detention for incomplete homework and praised his essay on classical poetry?

She’s a succubus?

“Darling, breathe,” Ai’s voice cut through his shock. “And stop staring. You’re going to give yourself away.”

Akira forced himself to adjust his grip on the box, using the movement to ground himself. “Sorry, Sensei,” he said in a perfectly normal voice, despite the chaos in his head. “I was just passing by and heard something. Are you okay? You look… feverish.”

“It’s just the heat,” Satomi said quickly, turning away to hide her face. She picked up a stack of papers, but her fingers fumbled, nearly dropping them. “The festival excitement. So much… energy in the air today. It’s a bit overwhelming.”

“Ai, how is this possible?” Akira thought urgently while maintaining his concerned student expression. “We’ve been in her class quite a number of time. How did we never detect her?”

“She’s mature, darling. Not like Ayaka, who’s young and powerful. And not like Rina, who’s a fledgling with unstable energy. This one is old… decades, maybe centuries old. She’s learned to mask her signature so completely that even I couldn’t detect it under normal circumstances.”

“Then why can we detect her now?”

“Because she’s drunk on the ambient lust from the gate. Her control is slipping. She’s absorbing so much essence from the contaminated air that her aura is bleeding through her disguise. Normally, she’d be invisible to supernatural detection.”

Akira’s mind raced. How many years had Ms. Satomi been teaching here? How many students had she been around? And more importantly…

“Does she know about me? About what I am?”

“Unknown. But given that she hasn’t revealed herself to you before now, either she doesn’t know, or she doesn’t care. Mature succubi who’ve integrated into human society tend to be very careful about maintaining their covers. She’s probably been living as a human for so long that it’s more real to her than her demonic nature.”

“Right,” Akira said slowly, backing away from the door. His heart was pounding, but he kept his voice steady. “Well, drink some water, Sensei. You look thirsty.”

Satomi froze, her back still to him. When she spoke, her voice was barely above a whisper, almost vulnerable. “Yes. Very.”

There was something in that tone… an admission, maybe. An acknowledgment that she knew he could see what she really was, even if she wasn’t sure how much he understood.

Akira hurried away, his mind racing with implications he couldn’t fully process.

“How many more?” he thought desperately. “How many people at this school are supernatural entities just trying to live normal lives?”

“Good question, darling. Until today, I would have said none besides Ayaka and Rina. But if Ms. Satomi has been hiding in plain sight for years… there could be others we’ve never suspected, though very unlikely.”

“And they’re all in danger now. From the gate, from Ayame, from exposure…”

“Yes. Which is why we need to close that gate as quickly as possible.”

Akira turned a corner, putting distance between himself and the faculty lounge. His hands were shaking slightly, so he gripped the box tighter.

“Does Ayame know about her?”

“If she did, Ms. Satomi would already be dead or purified. Exorcists don’t spare mature demons, no matter how peaceful they claim to be. The fact that Ms. Satomi is still alive means she’s been very, very good at hiding.”

“We need to warn her. Tell her to stay away from Ayame, to keep her aura locked down.”

“And reveal yourself to her in the process? Dangerous move, darling. You don’t know if she’s friendly or if she’ll see you as a threat to her cover.”

Akira stopped walking, leaning against a wall to collect himself. Students passed by, chattering about the festival, completely oblivious to the supernatural crisis unfolding around them.

Akira pushed off the wall and continued toward the gym, his mind already shifting to the next crisis.

But in the back of his thoughts, one question lingered:

How many more people at Kawakami High were hiding in plain sight?

And how many of them would be exposed before this festival was over?

—

11:30 AM

The situation escalated just before lunch.

Akira found Rina close to the courtyard vending machines, surrounded by three boys from the basketball team. They were all staring at her with glassy eyes, totally focused on her movements.

“Come on, Kurogane-san,” one boy pleaded, looking dazed. “Just one photo. Do the cheer for us. Please?”

Rina was smiling, but Akira could see the tightness around her eyes. She was feeding passively, he could see the violet aura flaring around her, visible only to those with supernatural sight, but the sheer volume of lust directed at her was making her tipsy too.

Her movements were slightly unsteady, and her laugh a bit too loud. She was enjoying the meal too much, drinking deeper than she should.

“Maybe later, guys,” Rina giggled, but she didn’t move away. She was swaying slightly, one hand on the vending machine for balance. “I have to help with the café setup first.”

“We’ll help too!” another boy offered eagerly. “Whatever you need!”

“That’s sweet, but…”

“Kurogane.”

The voice was ice cold, cutting through the pink-hazed atmosphere like a knife. Ayame Shinomiya stood five feet away with her arms crossed, her entire body radiating barely controlled fury.

Her eyes were locked on Rina like a predator’s on a prey, and Akira could see the faint shimmer of holy energy gathering around her hands.

The basketball players shrank back immediately, their lust-addled minds still recognizing danger when it was this obvious. They muttered confused excuses and scrambled away, leaving Rina alone and suddenly very vulnerable.

“Ayame-san?” Rina blinked, the haze clearing slightly as fear kicked in, sobering her up. “What’s wrong?”

“We need to talk,” Ayame said, stepping closer with deliberate, measured steps. Her hand twitched toward her pocket—where she kept her talismans. “About what you’re doing. About the smell coming off you.”

“I don’t know what you mean,” Rina stammered, backing up against the vending machine.

“Don’t lie to me.” Ayame’s voice dropped to a dangerous whisper, low enough that nearby students couldn’t hear. “I can see the energy leaking out of you. Purple aura, lust-type essence. You’re broadcasting a charm spell, aren’t you? Trying to turn this school into your personal feeding ground?”

Rina’s eyes widened with genuine panic. “I’m not! I mean, I’m just…”

“Just what? Just existing?” Ayame pulled out a talisman, holding it between two fingers. “That’s what they all say. Right before they drain someone dry.”

“Back off, Shinomiya.”

Akira stepped between Ayame and Rina. He looked relaxed, but he was ready for anything. He put down the box he was holding and faced Ayame, keeping Rina out of her sight.

Ayame glared at him, her jaw clenching with frustration. “Move, Kanzaki. This doesn’t concern you.”

“You’re cornering my friend,” Akira said flatly, emphasizing the word ’friend’ carefully. “It concerns me.”

“Your friend is dangerous,” Ayame hissed, lowering her voice even more. She gestured sharply at Rina. “Look at her. Actually look. She’s practically glowing with demonic energy. She’s the source of this… this miasma affecting the school.”

Akira looked at Rina over his shoulder. He saw the violet aura, the flushed skin, the slight disorientation from overfeeding. He saw all the signs of a fledgling succubus drunk on ambient lust.

But when he turned back to Ayame, his expression was confused and concerned, perfectly innocent.

“She’s just excited,” Akira lied smoothly, his Silver Tongue skill making the words sound completely believable. “It’s her first festival as a cheerleader after joining the team. She’s got high energy. Why are you acting like she’s radioactive or something?”

“Because she IS!” Ayame almost shouted, then caught herself, glancing around to make sure no one was close enough to hear. She took a deep breath, visibly trying to control herself. “You’re blind, Kanzaki. You’re sleeping next to a fire and you don’t even feel the heat.”

“And you’re acting paranoid,” Akira countered, his voice hardening slightly. “Leave her alone. If you have a problem with how the festival is being run, take it up with the Student Council. Otherwise, stop harassing students.”

Ayame stared at him, her eyes searching his face for any sign of deception, any crack in his performance. Akira held his ground, projecting nothing but protective friend energy mixed with genuine confusion about her accusations.

Behind him, he could feel Rina trembling, probably terrified that this confrontation would escalate into violence.

“Fine,” Ayame finally spat, her hand dropping away from her pocket. “But I’m watching you, Kurogane. Both of you. One slip up… one person gets hurt because of what you are, and I intervene. Permanently.”

She stormed off toward the gym, her footsteps sharp and angry on the pavement.

The moment she was out of sight, Rina sagged against the vending machine. “Oh god. That was close. Too close.”

“She knows,” Akira said quietly, turning to check on her. “Or at least, she’s pretty damn sure. We need to be more careful.”

“But I wasn’t doing anything! Just passive feeding, like Ayaka taught me!” Rina’s voice was desperate, pleading. “I can’t help that the air is thick with lust energy right now. It’s everywhere. I’m trying not to gorge myself, but it’s so hard when it’s literally saturating every breath.”

“I know. It’s not your fault.” Akira squeezed her shoulder reassuringly. “But Ayame doesn’t know about the gate. She thinks you’re the source. We need to keep her away from you until we can show her what’s really happening.”

“How are we going to do that?”

“I don’t know yet. But first, we need to get to the gym before she figures out it’s the painting, not you.”

They hurried across the courtyard, weaving through crowds of festival-goers who were getting progressively more touchy-feely as the morning wore on.

Akira noticed couples disappearing into secluded corners, groups of students huddled together whispering and giggling, and even some teachers loosening their ties and undoing top buttons.

The contamination was spreading faster than he’d expected.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep