The next morning, Akira Kitagawa regretted his entire existence.
It wasn't just the headache from getting hit in the face with a slipper.
It wasn't just that Sera Rymer, magical girl from another world and walking fanservice bomb, was now living in his house.
It wasn't even that she used his hand like some kind of mana-conducting pervert stick in the middle of the night.
No.
It was that when he opened his door at 7:02 AM, in his pajamas, hair like a crow's nest, Kurumi Ogino stood there. In a tank top. Holding a frying pan. And death in her eyes.
"You," she said flatly, "are going to explain."
"S-Seriously, it's not what it looked like—"
"You had your hand in her boobs, Akira."
"Th-That was—!"
"And she was calling you Master."
He coughed. "Context… matters?"
Kurumi's dark hair was pulled back in a hasty ponytail. Her lips were pursed in judgmental fury. But her eyes—slightly pink from just waking—betrayed something else.
A flicker of hurt.
"I thought we were friends," she mumbled.
"We are!"
"And now you're suddenly shacking up with some blonde bimbo cosplayer who calls you 'Master' like it's a kink."
"I-I didn't ask her to—!"
Then Sera stepped in.
From the hallway.
Wearing only one of Akira's oversized white shirts.
The shirt barely covered her thighs. Her silver hair was wet from the bath, sticking to her flushed skin, and the top few buttons were open—showing a dangerous amount of cleavage and a hint of pink bra strap.
"Oh, morning, Akira! I used that new shampoo in your bathroom. You were right—it really makes my boobs softer."
Kurumi stared.
Akira turned to stone.
Sera blinked. "Oh! Is this your sister or something?"
"I'm his neighbor," Kurumi snapped. "And classmate. And the person who has to explain to his teacher why he didn't show up yesterday because he was too busy motorboating a foreigner!"
"Motor-what?" Sera tilted her head. "That sounds like a pact ritual—oh! Is that what humans call it when you put your face between—"
"ENOUGH!" Kurumi shouted.
Akira grabbed Sera and yanked her into his room before more damage could be done. Kurumi stormed in after him.
"I want answers," she demanded. "Now."
Akira scratched the back of his head. "Okay, so… Sera's not exactly from this world."
"Clearly."
"She's from a magic realm. And last night she… kind of… formed a magical servant bond with me."
Kurumi narrowed her eyes. "Is that code for boob massage?"
Sera grinned from behind him. "That was part of it."
"You're not helping," he muttered.
Kurumi folded her arms under her chest. Her tank top clung tight across her bust. She huffed. "Why is she living here?"
"She claimed to be my cousin," Akira said. "To the landlord."
Kurumi's eyes widened. "WHAT?"
"It's the only way I could stay!" Sera chirped, hugging Akira's arm suddenly. Her boobs squished against his bicep. "They needed legal family, and I didn't have ID in this world, so~ Cousin Sera it is!"
Akira was turning redder by the second. Kurumi was turning blue.
"I don't know what's worse," she muttered, "the fact that you're playing house with a busty magical girl… or the fact that you never told me you had a thing for cat-eared chicks."
"Cat—what?"
Sera smiled mischievously. "Oh right. I do have ears."
And with a flick of her fingers, poof—two fluffy silver cat ears popped up from her head.
Akira stared.
So did Kurumi.
"You're… you're a catgirl," Kurumi breathed. Her voice was suddenly quieter.
Sera tilted her head, tail flicking into existence with a swish. "Mhm. Beastfolk variant. It's all very magical-realm-chic."
Akira, already overwhelmed, tried to retreat from the chaos. "Look, we just need to lay low. No more weird magic. No more—"
"Wait!" Sera snapped her fingers. "Speaking of magic! I have a spell that can protect Kurumi from magical influence."
"Wait, what?" both Akira and Kurumi said at the same time.
"Yeah! It's called Eros Barrier. It prevents mana corruption by neutralizing excess arousal—"
"EXCESS WHAT?!" Kurumi shouted.
"It's perfectly safe," Sera grinned. "All it does is create a field that repels lewd mana. Totally harmless."
Akira backed up. "This sounds dangerous."
Sera had already drawn a glowing sigil midair. "Relax! It only activates when you're extremely embarrassed or turned on. It'll just burn away your clothes to prevent overheating."
Kurumi blinked. "I'm sorry. What did you say?"
Fwoosh.
The spell activated.
And in a bright, warm flash—Kurumi's clothes exploded.
Her tank top disintegrated into particles of pink light. Her bra snapped loose. Her shorts burned off like dust.
She stood there.
Naked.
Completely.
Gloriously.
Bare.
Silence.
Akira's brain shut down.
Kurumi's eyes went wide.
She let out a sound between a scream, a growl, and a dying dolphin. She grabbed the nearest pillow—threw it at Akira's face—and dove under his blanket like a panicked deer.
"WHAT THE HELL, AKIRA!?"
"I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!!"
"YOUR MAGICAL CATGIRL JUST NUKED MY CLOTHES!!"
Sera blinked. "Oh. Maybe I should've adjusted for this world's fabric materials."
"YOU THINK!?"
Akira turned around, hands over his eyes. "Sera, undo it!"
"I… can't."
"WHY NOT!?"
"It's a single-use spell. Her clothes are gone unless you craft new ones or wait for natural mana regrowth."
Kurumi groaned under the blanket, her voice muffled but venomous.
"I am going to kill you both."
"Maybe a hot bath would help?" Sera offered cheerfully. "Want me to wash your back?"
Kurumi screamed.
Akira sat in the corner, praying for death.
---
Ten minutes later…
Kurumi emerged from the bathroom in one of Akira's hoodies—way too big, clinging to her still-damp body. Her hair was up in a towel, cheeks burning.
She glared at Akira, who was now banned from making eye contact.
Then, out of nowhere, she said, "I had a dream once."
Akira looked up, confused. "Huh?"
"That maybe… one day… you'd notice me."
His eyes widened.
"When we were kids, we used to walk to school together. You used to hold my hand when I cried."
He said nothing.
She glanced away. "And now you've got… her."
The silence hung heavy.
Sera, who had been quiet, looked at Kurumi curiously. "Do you… like him?"
Kurumi turned crimson. "Th-That's not—! I mean—I don't—!"
Sera just smirked. "Too late. I've got the pact. You've got the hoodie. Let's see who wins~"
Akira groaned.
His life was officially a magical, perverted mess.
And it had only just begun.
---
To be continued