Succubi Chapter 245. Wines and Snacks IV

Succubi Chapter 245. Wines and Snacks IV

I cleared my throat and placed the remaining wine on the table. “Yes. Pride. Dignity. Fabric. Civilization. All important concepts.”

Rivy laughed. “Cute.”

“I am not cute.”

“You walked in and froze.”

“I was assessing the room.”

Val’s eyes gleamed. “Assessing underwear?”

“Threat level.”

“High?”

I sat down carefully near the table, putting distance between myself and every exposed thigh in the room.

“…Unreasonably.”

Rivy clapped once, delighted. “He admits it.”

“I admit nothing.”

“You just did.”

“I was hacked.”

Sera’s tentacle pushed a pillow against my side, like it had decided I belonged there. “Sit. Eat.”

“I am sitting.”

“Closer.”

The tentacle waited.

I looked at it.

It looked at me.

Somehow.

Then slowly, it tugged the cushion under me an inch closer to Sera.

“Sera.”

“Mhm?”

“Control your noodle.”

“It likes you.”

“That is not legal defense.”

Val ignored us and reached for the wine. “We should open it.”

I grabbed a piece of bread and meat first, because food was safer than looking at three casually undressed succubi while luxury alcohol entered the battlefield.

“This wine should be good,” I said, taking a bite. “I drank a couple of glasses at the banquet, and it was nice.”

Val paused with the corkscrew. “You drank this brand?”

“Maybe. Similar taste. Rich people drink things that taste like they have family trees.”

Rivy leaned back on one hand. “How was the food?”

I swallowed.

“Sadly, I didn’t get any food.”

Sera’s eyes opened a little more. “That sounds bad.”

“It was tragic.” I took another bite, then another. “That’s why I’m hungry now.”

Val made a soft sound of sympathy, but her hands were still working on the wine bottle with suspicious focus. “So you went to a noble banquet, got wine, and didn’t eat?”

“Correct.”

Rivy shook her head. “Rich people are useless.”

“Hey,” Val said.

Rivy pointed at her. “You’re useful rich.”

Val accepted that with a nod. “True.”

The cork came out with a soft pop.

The smell filled the room.

Deep, sweet, rich, warm.

Even I could tell it wasn’t cheap.

Val poured with the care of someone handling liquid profit. One glass for herself, one for Rivy, one for me. Sera stared at hers for three seconds before one tentacle carefully wrapped around the stem.

“No,” I said immediately.

Sera blinked. “What?”

“Your tentacle is going to spill it.”

The tentacle froze, offended.

Val looked at it, then nodded. “Use your hand, Sera. That wine costs more than student dignity.”

Sera sighed like society was oppressing her and took the glass with her hand.

We raised our glasses.

Rivy smirked. “To Evan’s expensive night.”

Val added, “To profitable missions.”

Sera mumbled, “To pillows.”

I lifted my glass. “To not dying.”

They all looked at me.

“What?” I asked. “That’s important.”

Val smiled. “To not dying.”

We drank.

Okay.

The wine was good.

It slid warm down my throat, sweet at first, then dark, then sharp at the end. Like fruit, smoke, and money had gotten married in a cellar.

My soul understood immediately why rich people became annoying.

If I drank this every day, I might also start judging strangers by fork placement.

Rivy exhaled slowly. “Damn.”

Val looked personally satisfied. “Excellent.”

Sera took one sip, stared at the glass, then murmured, “This tastes expensive.”

“You can taste expensive?” I asked.

Sera leaned against my shoulder. “Mhm. Tastes like Val.”

Val smiled. “Correct.”

I took another bite of meat before the wine made me too honest.

The TV menu kept glowing. Rivy grabbed the controller and began scrolling. “Horror?”

“No,” Sera said.

“Action?”

Val shook her head. “Too loud.”

“Romance?”

All three slowly looked at me.

I stared back. “No.”

Rivy grinned. “Why not?”

“Because I just survived a fake boyfriend mission.”

Val’s brows lifted. “Oh?”

Damn.

Mistake.

Sera’s eyes opened with predator-level laziness. “Fake boyfriend?”

Rivy sat up. “Wait. Your secret mission was romance?”

“It was tactical social escort work.”

“Fake boyfriend,” Val translated.

“I hate how accurate that is.”

Rivy slapped the floor once. “Oh, we are absolutely watching romance now.”

“No.”

“Yes.”

Sera nodded slowly. “Research.”

“Research for what?”

“You.”

I pointed at the TV. “I refuse.”

Val sipped wine elegantly. “Majority wins.”

“There are three succubi and one me. This is not democracy. This is oppression with snacks.”

Rivy selected a romance drama anyway.

The title appeared.

“The Duke’s Contract Lover.”

I stared at the screen.

Then at them.

“You did that on purpose.”

Val’s smile was pure evil. “Netplik knows.”

“No. Netplik is cursed.”

Rivy leaned over the low table with a piece of meat between her fingers, eyes glittering like she had just found a new way to ruin my peace. “You’re only saying that because the title exposed you.”

“The Duke’s Contract Lover is not exposing me.”

“You were literally a contract lover tonight.”

“I was tactical support.”

Val sipped her wine, elegant even while sitting on the floor in an oversized shirt like a rich delinquent at a sleepover. “Tactical support does not usually involve hugging, banquets, and kissing.”

“It was mission-related. Also, I never kissed her.”

Sera, half-melted against my shoulder, murmured, “Mhm. Mission-related romance.”

“Don’t mhm me.”

“Mhm.”

I took another bite of food to stop myself from answering, because food was peaceful.

Val’s gaze drifted over me, assessing again, and then her brow lifted slightly. “Evan.”

“What?”

“Aren’t you hot in that uniform?”

I blinked.

Then looked down at myself.

Academy uniform. Jacket still on. Shirt still buttoned. Tie slightly loosened but not enough. After teleportation, reporting, walking back, snacks, interrogation, and sitting on the floor with three succubi wearing barely respectable sleepover outfits…

Yeah.

Maybe I was hot.

Physically.

Temperature-wise.

Not handsome-wise.

“I’m fine,” I said.

Rivy waved her hand. “Just open up.”

Sera’s tentacles rose behind her like sleepy assistants volunteering for immoral public service. “I can help you.”

“No.”

The tentacles froze.

“I’ll take it off myself.”

Sera pouted without changing expression. Somehow. Talent.

I grabbed the edge of my jacket and started to shrug it off normally, because I was a normal person doing normal things in a very abnormal room.

“Wait!” Val said.