The tavern door creaked open. That same long creak, like the building itself didn't want him inside.
Kazuki didn't turn around.
He already knew who it was.
Big boots. Heavy steps. A pause just inside the door like a man trying to smell betrayal in the air.
The entire tavern went quiet.
Kazuki slowly lifted his mug to his lips. It was warm. Slightly sweet. Mia's brew. Better than the stuff in town, by a long shot.
He didn't say anything. He just let the man behind him stare.
The boots moved closer.
Thud.
Thud.
Thud.
Markus finally stopped beside him.
"Name?" the man said, low voice like gravel soaked in blood.
Kazuki took another sip before answering. "You first."
Markus didn't like that. You could hear it in the way he breathed through his nose. The kind of guy who wasn't used to someone not being afraid.
"I'm Markus," he said. "Soldier of the Iron Vale. Veteran. Owner of a house on the south hill."
Kazuki turned his head just slightly.
"Ah," he said. "So you're the one with the ugly boots."
Mia almost dropped the mug she was cleaning.
Markus's hand twitched. Not toward his blade. Not yet. Just enough to let Kazuki know one wrong word could change the whole room.
"You live alone?" Kazuki asked.
Markus frowned. "I have a wife."
Kazuki nodded, slowly. "Right. What's her name again?"
"You know it."
"Maybe I do."
Kazuki turned on the stool, facing him fully now. Calm face. Soft smile. Lazy eyes.
Markus wasn't smiling.
"She been acting strange lately?" Kazuki asked.
Markus didn't answer.
"Distance? Late walks? Staring off into the woods for too long?"
Markus's eyes darkened.
"I came back early," he said. "Wanted to surprise her."
Kazuki tilted his head. "Did you?"
Markus stepped closer. "I asked around. Said she's been visiting the edge of the forest. Picking herbs. Alone."
Kazuki smiled wider. "Alone, huh."
"You meet her out there?" Markus asked, voice now a whisper only the two of them could hear.
Kazuki didn't answer with words.
He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a small flower. One of the blue ones that only grew on the edge of the woods. The ones Lila had braided into his hair the night they—
He twirled it between his fingers.
Markus stared at it.
Kazuki dropped it into Markus's drink.
And stood up.
The room held its breath.
Markus's hand moved again. This time toward the hilt.
Kazuki's hand moved too.
Not to a weapon.
To Markus's shoulder.
He leaned in close. His lips were next to the man's ear.
"Careful," Kazuki whispered. "She moans loud. You wouldn't want the whole village to find out."
Markus snapped.
Fist flew. Table cracked. Wood shattered.
Kazuki ducked under the punch and stepped back, graceful like a man who had dodged death before breakfast.
Markus roared. "You bastard—!"
The tavern erupted. Chairs flying. Patrons running. Mia screamed something from behind the bar.
Kazuki danced around the chaos, smooth and fast.
Markus wasn't slow. His punches were solid. Military training. Anger behind every hit.
But anger made men sloppy.
Kazuki waited for the right moment. Then stepped in. Quick jab to the gut. Another to the ribs.
Markus stumbled.
Kazuki didn't press.
He just backed up again, smirking, arms open like he was inviting more.
"You hit like someone who hasn't been laid in months," Kazuki said. "Maybe that's why she came crawling into my—"
Markus charged.
Kazuki sidestepped.
Grabbed a bottle from a nearby table.
Smashed it on Markus's back.
Markus hit the floor hard.
People were shouting. Running. Mia was yelling something about stopping them.
Kazuki stood over the man.
Markus coughed, blood on his lip.
Kazuki crouched down, grabbed him by the shirt.
"You want her back?" Kazuki said. "Then take her. But remember—she chose me."
He let go.
Stood up.
And walked out of the tavern like nothing had happened.
The alley behind the tavern was quiet. He leaned against the wall, letting the cool air hit his face.
The system buzzed in his head.
{NTR Event Completed: Survival – +500 Charm XP}
{Markus Affection: -100 – You are now his obsession}
{New Skill Unlocked: Tension Aura – Every interaction with you will feel heavier}
He lit a cigarette. Didn't even remember where he got it.
"Shit," he muttered. "That was fun."
"Fun?" a voice said.
He turned.
Mia stood there, arms crossed, face pale.
"You could've killed him," she said.
"I didn't."
"But you could've."
Kazuki exhaled. Smoke curled around him like fog.
"You wanted me to run," he said.
"I still do."
"You're scared."
"I'm not."
He stepped toward her.
"Then why are your hands shaking?"
She looked down.
"Because I don't know what you want," she whispered. "I don't know if you're here to ruin everything or save it."
Kazuki smiled, slow and lazy.
"I'm just here to collect hearts," he said. "Yours might be next."
Mia stared at him. Her lips parted like she wanted to say something. But the words didn't come.
He leaned in.
She didn't stop him.
Didn't move.
Didn't breathe.
But he didn't kiss her.
He just whispered.
"You'll come to me. Sooner or later."
Then he walked away.
Kazuki returned to the cabin.
Lila was waiting. Hair tied. Eyes red. She had been crying.
"You fought him," she said.
Kazuki tossed his coat on the chair.
"He started it."
She looked at the floor. "He's not a bad man."
Kazuki didn't say anything.
She stepped closer. Touched his chest.
"Will he come back?"
"Probably."
"Will you leave?"
Kazuki looked her dead in the eye.
"No."
Her hands slid up his chest. Her fingers curled into his shirt.
"I don't care anymore," she whispered. "If he finds out. If the village hates me. I don't care."
Kazuki didn't answer. He didn't need to.
He pulled her close.
Kissed her slow.
Let the silence speak for him.
Lila stood there in front of the fire, hair down now, curls messy like they'd been yanked and pulled. She wasn't shy anymore. She knew what she wanted. And she knew Kazuki wasn't the kind of man who needed words.
Still, she whispered, "Say something."
He stepped behind her. Close. Close enough to feel her breath change.
"You're beautiful when you're ruined," he said.
She let out a sound somewhere between a breath and a laugh. "You're cruel."
He leaned down, voice brushing her ear. "You like that."
She didn't deny it.
The fire cracked. The air grew heavier. He slid his hand down her waist, slow and confident. Not rushed. Not desperate. Like he already owned her body and was just deciding how to unwrap it again.
Lila turned her head, looking back at him. "Are you going to take me like you did last night?"
Kazuki smiled, lips brushing her neck.
"No," he whispered. "Last night, I was merciful."
He spun her gently. Her back hit the wall beside the fire. The wood creaked. Her eyes widened, lips parted.
"Tonight," he said, "I take my time."
She pulled him in. Fingers tangled in his shirt, dragging him down for a kiss that wasn't soft anymore. It was raw. It was open-mouthed and hungry. She bit his lip. He liked it.
"You tease too much," she whispered against his mouth.
"Then scream when I don't."
He picked her up. Carried her across the room. Dropped her onto the bed that still smelled like her from the night before. She watched him undress, lips curled like she'd found a demon worth loving.
"You think you're in control," she said, voice shaking but teasing.
"I know I am."
He didn't just touch her—he studied her. The curve of her hips. The scars near her ankle. The way she trembled when he didn't move fast enough.
Each kiss was placed like a secret. Each movement made her arch, made her beg, made her curse his name under her breath.
"Faster," she moaned once.
"No."
Her thighs squeezed around his hips.
"Please—"
"I said no."
He played with her like a musician, each sound she made another note to memorize. The bed creaked like it couldn't keep up with the rhythm. The firelight danced across their skin, casting shadows that told stories only their bodies knew.
She cried out more than once. Sometimes his name. Sometimes just broken sounds that didn't mean anything except need.
When it was over—when they both lay there tangled in sweat and silence—she whispered, "You're dangerous."
Kazuki pulled the blanket over them, arms wrapped around her waist.
"I'm just getting started."