The Incubus System Chapter 1454. Less Intimidating

The Incubus System Chapter 1454. Less Intimidating

Astra immediately looked away again.

Too fast.

Way too fast.

Puriel coughed softly into her tea while trying very hard not to smile.

Which honestly made it worse.

Because now both angel sisters looked guilty.

For a while the room stayed quiet after that.

Not awkward quiet.

Just… warm.

Domestic.

The kind of silence filled with tiny sounds instead. Cups touching saucers. Red shifting on the floor. Rave fluffing his feathers dramatically for absolutely no reason. The faint clink of Celia’s spoon against her bowl.

And me?

Yeah.

I just stared at the sisters.

Deadpan.

Suspiciously deadpan.

Puriel finally broke first.

“Okay, okay,” she said while laughing softly. “We confess.”

Astra immediately straightened.

“We are not sadists.”

“Mhm.”

“We’re not.”

“Your defense sounds weak.”

Astra frowned at me slightly before sighing.

“We just…” She hesitated for a second. “…prefer things that look less intimidating.”

Puriel nodded in agreement immediately.

“More approachable.”

Astra glanced toward me again.

And there it was.

That look.

Again.

Her cheeks pinked faintly before she hid behind another sip of tea.

“And that’s how you look now,” she admitted quietly.

I stared at her for a few seconds.

Then slowly pointed at myself.

“…You do understand I’m still the same nephilim, right?”

Astra nodded immediately.

“The same guy who fought you earlier,” I added.

“Yes.”

I blinked.

“Then your logic makes absolutely no sense.”

Puriel giggled softly.

Astra looked oddly serious about it though.

“You look softer this way.”

“That sentence still sounds dangerous.”

Ruby suddenly leaned fully against my shoulder with absolutely zero shame. “I love you this way too, Ethan.”

Dangerous sentence number two.

I looked at her instinctively.

And yeah.

That expression on her face?

Real.

No teasing.

No manipulation.

No crazy eyes.

Just sincerity.

Warm.

Honest.

Affectionate in a way that felt weirdly heavy coming from someone as chaotic as Ruby.

Something in my chest softened slightly.

I smiled back automatically and lowered my voice a little.

“Ruby.”

For one dangerous second she looked genuinely sweet.

Then her smile changed.

The crazy returned.

“I feel like tying you to a chair,” she whispered lovingly, “and putting you in my basement.”

…

Nope.

“And then,” she continued dreamily, “we’ll play all night long.”

Yeah.

No.

Absolutely not.

I stared at her in complete silence.

This moment right here confirmed something very important.

Making Ruby my servant instead of my partner was the correct life decision.

I had dodged a tactical nuclear missile emotionally.

Celia nodded thoughtfully while eating. “Ethan does look cuter this way.”

I turned toward her immediately. “You too?”

She shrugged. “I understand the appeal.” Then she pointed her spoon at me. “I approve as his sister.”

“Thank you?”

“Still average though.”

My soul physically left my body. “Hey.”

Celia smiled sweetly.

“What?”

“You love me.”

“Doesn’t mean I suddenly have to call you handsome.” She took another bite casually. “Unless I get amnesia.”

“So cruel.”

Puriel laughed harder at that one.

Even Astra covered her mouth slightly to hide a smile.

I sighed dramatically and leaned back in my chair again, trying to recover whatever dignity survived tonight.

Then my eyes moved toward Astra again.

Right.

Important issue.

“Astra.”

She looked at me immediately.

“Since you’re staying here…”

I pointed around the room carefully.

“…please don’t do weird things and remain peaceful.”

Astra immediately pointed toward Foxy and my pets. “They were glaring at me first.”

I pointed harder. “They’re locals.”

Red barked proudly.

Shadow looked deeply smug.

Rave puffed his chest out like he just got promoted in military rank.

Buni somehow radiated judgment despite being rabbit-sized.

Astra narrowed her eyes slightly. “That logic is biased.”

“You’re the guest.”

Foxy’s tails swayed softly behind her while she stood near the kitchen doorway, still cautious but calmer now.

She looked less like she wanted to fight Astra now and more like she was trying to figure out whether Astra was a threat to me emotionally.

Astra looked around the room slowly afterward.

At the demons.

The angel beside her.

The weird little family gathered around the table.

Then finally at me.

“Your house is strange.”

I snorted softly. “Understatement.”

“No,” Astra continued quietly. “I mean…”

Her eyes softened slightly.

“It feels alive.”

Silence.

That one hit weirdly hard.

Because yeah.

It did.

Messy.

Chaotic.

Loud.

Emotionally unstable.

But alive.

There was warmth here.

People talked.

Argued.

Laughed.

Teased each other.

Protected each other.

And after seeing the Light Dimension earlier?

I was starting to realize how different this place really felt.

The Light Realm was beautiful.

Perfect.

Clean.

But cold.

Controlled.

Meanwhile this house?

This place was a disaster.

But it breathed.

Puriel smiled softly beside Astra. “That’s why I stayed.”

Astra looked at her quietly after that.

And for the first time tonight?

I saw understanding starting to form there.

Not complete.

Not fully accepted yet.

But starting.

Then Ruby suddenly raised her hand dramatically. “Question.”

I immediately narrowed my eyes. “That never ends well.”

Ruby ignored me.

“If Astra stays here…”

Oh no.

“…does that mean Ethan now officially has two angels girlfriends? Are you going to have threesome tonight? I can join you and make it foursome.”

Puriel instantly turned red.

Astra froze.

Celia looked intrigued.

And me?

My jaw dropped. “I’m going back to the Light Dimension myself at this point.”

Celia immediately pointed her spoon at me. “They’ll kick you out.” A pause. “Or kill you.”

“…Yeah,” I muttered. “True.”

Astra looked toward Ruby with narrowed eyes.

“What made you say that?”

Ruby immediately leaned forward with the confidence of someone about to emotionally ruin another person for entertainment.

“Oh, I don’t know,” she said sweetly. “Maybe because you keep staring at him every five seconds and blushing whenever he notices.”

Astra straightened instantly. “I am merely observing him.”

I huffed loudly. “There’s that excuse again.”

Astra looked at me. “It’s not an excuse.”

“It absolutely is.”

I was starting to understand the angel situation more clearly now.

Two factions.

One side wanted to “observe” me before deciding whether I was dangerous.

The other side skipped the observation phase entirely and went straight to murder.

Which honestly sounded very angelic somehow.