The morning after Sera Rymer literally crashed into Akira Kitagawa's dull, peaceful life was anything but peaceful.
He sat in his small kitchen, still groggy, sipping instant coffee. Across from him, Sera—flame-haired, golden-eyed, and completely unconcerned about modesty—wore one of his oversized white shirts that barely covered her thighs. Her cat-like ears twitched lazily as she licked strawberry jam off her finger, topless beneath the shirt, her cleavage peeking dangerously every time she leaned over the table.
"So this is a 'toaster'?" she asked, poking the old appliance curiously. "Looks like a mana trap."
"It... just heats bread," Akira mumbled, trying very hard to look at her face and not the long stretch of smooth, exposed legs.
"Your world is weird." She stretched like a lazy cat, her tail flicking. "But comfy."
He coughed and looked away. "You need to wear... uh... pants. Or something."
She leaned forward, her expression sultry. "Why? Is Master distracted?"
His ears burned red. Since forming the pact the night before—through a bizarre ritual involving her finger, a magical crest, and her boobs pressed against his chest—his life had turned into a perverted fantasy game. And it didn't help that she kept teasing him like some succubus from a dating sim.
Still, even if she acted playful, there was something behind her eyes. A quiet tension. Sera was more than a flirty catgirl mage. She was trained, powerful, and on edge.
That night, it all made sense.
---
They were walking home from the convenience store, sharing a convenience sandwich under the light of a full moon. The small town was quiet, wrapped in sleep. Sera was unusually silent, her gaze locked on the distant shrine atop the hill.
"You okay?" Akira asked.
"Something's coming," she whispered.
Then it hit. A wave of pressure, like the air itself became thick with malice.
The torii gate of the shrine cracked in two. From the shadows burst a monstrous creature, armored in obsidian plates, its face like molten stone. Red sigils burned across its body.
"A Rift Beast," Sera growled. "Someone opened a portal... they're after you."
Akira grabbed her hand. "Run!"
They sprinted through the darkened streets, the beast thundering behind them. Sera yanked Akira into a narrow alley, fire swirling at her fingertips.
"You hide. I'll stall it."
"Are you crazy?! It'll kill you!"
She turned, eyes blazing. "You're the Bearer now. You're more important than me."
She ran forward, flames erupting around her. Her shirt burned away mid-leap, revealing her lithe body now armored in red magical sigils. She hurled twin fire lances at the beast, striking its core. It roared, but kept coming.
Akira's heart pounded. The Cresettla Stone, buried in his chest, felt like it was burning.
Then time slowed.
He saw Sera fall, her spell broken. The beast raised a claw.
No.
The stone flared. Words filled his mind. Symbols. Heat.
"By Flame's Right, I Command Thee—Crest Unleash."
His body glowed. A crest burned across his chest. Fire wrapped around him, threads of red light forming armor around his arms and shoulders.
He stepped forward.
"Get. Away. From her."
The beast turned.
Akira raised his hand, and a pillar of flame erupted from the ground, consuming the creature in an explosion of molten light. It screeched, turned to ash.
Silence returned.
Sera, bloodied and wide-eyed, looked up. "You... you used the Stone's will... instinctively."
Akira collapsed beside her, panting. "I didn't know what I was doing."
She laughed, warm and shaky. "You don't need to. It chose you. That was enough."
She fell into his arms. Her bare body glowed in the moonlight, warm and soft against him.
"Don't ever say you're boring again," she whispered, voice hot against his ear. "You just made the sky burn."
---
Back home, they treated their wounds in the tiny bathroom. Sera stood in front of the mirror, towel wrapped loosely around her body. Her ears twitched. Akira tried to keep his eyes on the bandages.
"I wasn't ready for how brave you'd be," she said, watching him.
He blushed. "I wasn't ready for a fire catgirl naked in my house."
She grinned. "Get used to it. You're my Master now."
She stepped closer, her breath warm.
"Master... do you want me to stay the night?"
His heart thundered. Her towel slipped a little.
"I mean... there's only one bed," he whispered.
She leaned in, her tail brushing his leg.
"Then I guess we'll have to share."
---
Under the sheets, her body curled against his, soft and inviting. The heat between them was no longer just magic.
"Thank you... for saving me," she murmured.
"You saved me first."
Their hands touched.
Somewhere far away, another Rift opened.
But for now... under the heat of the flame and the beat of two hearts...
They slept.
Together.
To be continued