"haaa!!" I screamed, my entire body jolting as if struck by lightning. Heat surged to my face, my ears burning so hot they might as well have been on fire. I stumbled backward, nearly tripping over my ow, my hands flying up to my lips in pure shock. The dim dlelight flickered wildly in the ornate delier above, casting long, wavering shadows across the vishly furnished room. Velvet curtains billowed slightly from an unseen draft, and the st of vender and aged part filled the air, mixing with the lingering warmth on my lips. My tail bristled, fluffing up in sheer panic as I stammered, “Th-that was my first kiss…”

  My firembled as they brushed against my lips, the lingering warmth of Vio’s touch sending a shiver down my spine. My mind was a mess, my thoughts scrambling for any logical expnation, any possible way to process what had just happened. But all I could hear was my owbeat, pounding wildly in my chest like a drum of war.

  "You… You…!" I stammered, my voice caught somewhere between e and disbelief. My tail fluffed up in sheer panic, standing on end like an armed cat. "W-why did you?! H-how could you?!"

  Vio, oher hand, looked eoo pleased with herself. She licked her lips, her violet eyes gleaming with wicked amusement as she tilted her head. "Oh my~? Was that really your first?" She pced a hand on her cheek, feigning innoce, though the smug smirk on her lips betrayed her true iions. "What an honor~"

  I felt my entire body seize up. "D-don’t ‘what an honor’ me!!" My voice cracked as I pointed a shaking fi her, my face burning hotter than the sun. "You ’t just go around stealing people's first kisses like that!! Th-there are rules! Boundaries! sent!!!"

  I took a shaky step back, my tail fluffed up in sheer panic as my ears twitched wildly. "A-and besides! You ’t just go around messing with people’s hearts like this! Do you have any idea how flustered I am right now?! My brain is practically melting!!"

  Vio’s smirk only deepened, her violet eyes shimmering with amusement. "Oh my, Mashiro, are you saying my kiss left su impression on you? How adorable~"

  "That’s not the point!!" I practically wailed, burying my fa my hands. "This isn’t some game to just, ugh! You’re impossible!"

  Vio only chuckled, crossing her arms as she leaned slightly closer, making my heart jump in my throat. "Oh, but Mashiro~" she cooed, her voice dripping with mischief. "You looked so adorable, all flustered like that. How could I possibly resist?"

  "You—!!" I couldn't even form words anymore. My brain had officially stopped funing.

  “So… what will it be?” Vio purred, her voice smooth like silk as she reached out and gave my head a ge. Her fingers slid through my hair with an infuriatingly familiar ease, as if she had already decided I beloo her.

  I stiffe the touch, my ears twitg as I swatted her hand away. “I don’t get it,” I muttered, still reeling from everything. My heart was still pounding, my lips still tingling, and my brain was desperately trying to process the fact that this woman had just stolen my first kiss like it was some casual greeting. “Why are you asking me? What did you do to other fox-kin?”

  Vio tilted her head, her violet eyes gleaming like polished gems. “Oh? Curious, are we?” She smirked befracefully sinking into the nearby chair, crossing her legs as if we were merely discussing the weather. "Well, you see, I heir sent before I take their power." She said it so casually, like she was discussing borrowing a book rather than something that sounded incredibly sinister.

  I squi her. “You need sent for this but not for my first kiss?!” I shot back, my lips f an indignant pout as I crossed my arms.

  Vio burst into ughter, a rich, delighted sound that made my face burn even hotter. “Oh, Mashiro~” she practically sang, leaning forward with a teasing smile. “That’s what makes it so fun~ Your reas are absolutely priceless.”

  I groaned, feeling my tail fluff up in frustration, the soft fur bristling like an angry cat’s. The room felt warmer now, or maybe it was just the heat of my risiions. The flickering dlelight cast restless shadows along the walls, their movements almost mirr my own agitation. “This isn’t a joke!!” I huffed, crossing my arms as my ears twitched erratically, betraying my flustered state. My tail swayed sharply behind me, an undeniable tell of my frustration, but Vio only watched me with that infuriatingly amused smirk, as if she were sav every sed of my rea.

  She merely chuckled, resting her on her palm as she studied me with an almost predatory amusement. “Oh, but it is~ You’re just too adorable for your own good.”

  I took a deep breath, trying to ground myself before I lost what little sanity I had left. "You're impossible," I muttered, rubbing my temples. "So, what happens if they say no?"

  “Oh, then I just have to vihem otherwise.” Vio’s smile didn’t waver. If anything, it greer. Vio smirked, clearly eained by my e. "Well, if it makes you feel better, I could have taken what I wanted forcefully." She leaned in slightly, her violet eyes gleaming with amusement. "But where’s the fun in that?"

  I shuddered, stepping bastinctively. "Creepy," I muttered under my breath before straightening up.

  Vio tapped her thoughtfully. "Oh, some agreed, some refused. The ones who refused… well, let’s just say they were stubborn little things." Her smirk deepened. "But you’re different, aren't you, Mashiro? You feel different. Your st, your presence… You're more than just a simple fox-kin."

  I stiffe her words, swallowing hard. Did she… know? Did she somehow sehat I wasn’t inally from this world?

  “That’s why I’m asking you,” Vio tinued, her voice smooth as silk, each sylble dripping with a deceptive gentleness. “What will it be? Will you let me borrow your power?” She lifted her hand toward me, palm open, as if a tract written in the air itself. The flickering dlelight cast long, wavering shadows across her delicate fingers, making them seem almost otherworldly.

  I hesitated, my mind rag. The room felt smaller, the air heavier, as if the very walls were waiting for my ahe flickering dlelight wavered iension, shadows stretg and shrinking across the plush carpet. The st of vender and aged part curled around me, grounding me in the moment. I thought about Yuzu, about Catherine, about everything that had happened up until now. Their faces fshed through my mind, each memory tugging at me from a different direy heart pounded as I swallowed hard, feeling the weight of Vio’s expet gaze pressing against my skin. And then, I took a deep breath.

  “No.”

  A tense silence filled the space between us. Vio remaiill, her violet eyes locked onto mine. For a long moment, she simply stared, her expression unreadable. Then, finally, she sighed, the fai hint of amusement still ging to her tone.

  “I see,” she murmured.

  Before I could react, she reached out, her warm fingers grazing my cheek. A soft touch, gentle, yet undeniably firm. My breath hitched as she trailed her fiips along my skin, leaving a straingling warmth in their wake.

  I tensed, my hands instinctively pushing against her shoulders, but she didn’t budge. Her fingers brushed along my jaw, tilting my face just enough to deepen the tact. My tail bristled, my ears flig wildly in a mix of frustration and flustered panic.

  The warmth of her lips pressed against mine, soft yet insistent, sent a jolt through my entire body. My ears twitched violently, my tail bristled, and my brain practically short-circuited. I tried to push her away, but my hands only met the fabric of her silky robe, the heat of her body seeping through it. The overwhelmiion flooded my senses, making my legs feel weak, my bansteady. My breath hitched, the rapid pounding of my heart drowning out every other sound in the room. The faint st of roses and something darker curled around me, intoxig and inescapable.

  Kyaaa! This isn’t fair! My mind screamed.

  “Mmph—!!” I made a muffled protest, my fingers gripping the armrests of the chair as I squirmed beh her. The room suddenly felt way too warm, the flickering dlelight casting deep shadows that danced across the walls. A haze settled over my mind, my thoughts growing sluggish as an overwhelming drowsiook hold.

  My eyelids grew heavier with each passing sed, my body sing as warmth spread through my limbs, seeping into my very bones. My breathing slowed, eahale shallower tha. The flickering glow of the dles blurred together, melting into a hazy swirl of gold and amber. My fiwitched slightly befoing limp. The soft hum of Vio’s voice ed around me like a lulby, her words indistinct yet strangely soothing. The weight of sleep pressed down on me, an irresistible tide pulling me under. My vision darkened, my st scious thought slipping away as everything faded into a velvety bck void.