Reincarnated As The Villainess's Best Friend

"If you come here often, someone might find out."

Fumiko gently caressed my bare chest, her fingers tracing the outlines of my muscles.

We both lay in her bed, partially naked beneath her white sheets, drenched in each other's sweat. The air around us was thick with the smell of cinnamon and cum, and the Lumi light above us bathed the room in a soft yellow light.

"No one will find out," I replied, patting her soft, blonde hair. "I'll be careful."

She shifted uneasily, leaning closer to me, until I felt her warm breath on my neck.

"What if someone does?" she asked, her voice shaking.

I pulled her head closer and gave her a kiss on her forehead. "If it ever happens, which I know it won't, I'll find another way to be with you."

"You're not worried at all?"

"What for? Worst-case scenario, they'll gossip about us."

"Worst-case scenario, you'll be expelled and I'll lose my job."

"I'll give you a new job."

"Mm hmm... What job will that be?"

I wore a smirk. "You'll be my... sex slave."

"Yes... Master Rin," she giggled, her voice ringing like a soft melody.

Fumiko's lips parted. She lowered her head, kissing my nipple, pushing them around with her tongue.

"Keep it up," I whispered, "and I'll find my way into you again."

"I look forward to it," she replied, staring at me with lustful eyes.

I raised her chin with my hand and planted a kiss on her lips.

She sighed into the kiss, sucking my lips earnestly with a longing for more. But after a while, I broke off.

"What is it?" she asked.

I kept silent, staring off at the Lumi Crystal above. A tiny brown moth hovered around it, fluttering its wings as it tried to find its way into the crystal.

"It's nothing," I replied, shaking my head.

The room fell still for a moment. The only sound that could be heard was our breathing, and the owl's hooting outside.

"You're thinking about Lucy."

I'd almost forgotten that Fumiko was a mind-affinity mage.

"Did you just read my mind?" I asked, a slight unease creeping into my chest.

Fumiko remained mute. She simply shifted her head down, caressing my chest again. This time around, her fingers dug deeper into my skin.

"You worry about her too much," she said, her voice devoid of any emotion. She reached for one of my nipples and twisted it.

"You know what she becomes," I muttered, "You know what she'll do if she becomes that."

"What she might become. There's no certainty."

"I'm not sure about that. Ever since the tournament, she's been acting so differently."

Fumiko sighed, bathing my chest in her warm breath. "You're only worried about her cause she's with someone else."

"Kyro's a bad influence and I know it."

"He's just a student, Rin. We've talked about this."

I sat up on the bed, leaning on the wall behind me. Fumiko sat up as well, her eyes locked onto me.

"He could still hurt her," I said. "What if he breaks her heart? That could be the trigger that turns Lucy into the Shadow Queen."

"You don't know that," Fumiko replied, her voice rising a pitch higher. "You're just making assumptions."

"I know the world ends in less than three years... and I might not be able to stop it"

Fumiko turned away, her long hair falling between us.

"So... that's why you're here," she muttered, her voice barely audible

"What?"

She turned back to me, her eyes cold and narrowed. "You're using me as a distraction, aren't you?"

"No... I'm not," I replied, reaching for her arm. She shrugged it off, turning to face the wall again.

I leaned closer to her, reaching for her jaw. With a slow gesture, I pulled her chin towards me, until her eyes met mine.

"One thing I know for sure," I said, "is that my feelings for you are real. I'm here because my heart desires to be close to yours."

The words rolled easily off my tongue. Before my reincarnation, I had my fair share of women. Fumiko's gaze softened, and for a moment, I thought I'd won her over.

"Whose feelings are they?" she asked. "Belford's, or Stormborn's?"

Her words struck me like an arrow. I froze for a while contemplating the question.

"You don't know, do you?"

I could easily say both, but I would be lying. And lying to a mind-affinity mage was not really a good idea.

I was attracted to Fumiko's gorgeous figure, and I found great pleasure within her.

But deep in my heart, I knew it wasn't love.

Unable to give a satisfying answer, I sighed, rising from the bed. I pulled my trousers over my legs and headed into the dining room.

I reached for a jug on the dining table, filled with a cocktail Fumiko had prepared when I arrived. I poured out a drink and lifted a cup to my mouth.

Then, something caught my attention.

It was an object, lying on the dining table; a small red hourglass, filled with soft white sand within.

Si Ya's hourglass.

"Fuck..." I muttered, remembering the task I had long forgotten.

I was supposed to send a message to Si Ya and Theo, to know if their missions were successful. Ever since my altercation with Lucy, the idea had completely skipped my mind.

I'd have to do it first thing in the morning.

I stared at the hourglass for a while, then I picked it up, turning it over. The sand poured downwards, filling the lower globe.

Si Ya had left it here, since that dreary night, when she gave us the news of the new apocalypse.

Memories from that night drifted into my mind, accompanied by a slight twist in my stomach.

'... mission in Pentra...'

'...master of infiltration...'

A cold shiver rolled down my spine, as the realization dawned on me.

"Fuck!" I yelled, slamming the cup on the table.

The truth lay in front of me the entire time, and I was too blind to see it.

How could I have been so stupid?

I ran into the bedroom, grabbing my shirt and blazer from the floor. Fumiko stared at me, her eyes widening in confusion.

"What is it?" she asked, rising from the bed, covering herself with the sheets.

I buttoned up my shirt halfway and threw my blazer over my shoulder.

"I need to leave," I said, panting. "Lucy's in danger."