The Succubus's Plaything

Chapter 38: Rooftop

"Why don't we head to the roof? I haven't been there yet, and apparently the view is pretty great." Hina says, catching me off guard.

"When they come out?" I ask her, a little confused. We're both out here waiting for our friends who still haven't exited the baths.

"Naw, there's no telling how long they'll take. Let's just ditch them, they'll understand."

"I.. Uhm.. Ok.. I guess I don't really mind." Huh, this is a new side of her that I haven't seen.

"Well then let's go!" She stands up with just enough force that her feet just barely leave the ground.

I don't say anything and simply get up and follow.

"So.. You don't know hm?" She asks me in the corridor while walking. She suppresses a smirk.

"Know what?" I pretend to not know what she's getting at.

"You and Inesa. You said you didn't know what you are."

"Mm.. And?.. What are you trying to get me to tell you?" If she wants to know more, the least she can do is spell it out.

We reach an elevator and Hina presses the button to call it.

"I'm bored. There's nothing going on. I wanna know the deets. Entertain me." I start to get an uncomfortable feeling as we enter the empty elevator. She presses the button to go to the roof.

"How do you know the story is all that entertaining?" I try her. "Inesa is my sister's best friend. We've flirted. That's it."

"Hmm.."

The elevator stops, and we exit, finding ourselves standing on a tall roof. Below the guardrails the lights from the city twinkle in the otherwise-dark world.

A light gust of wind casts Hina's blonde hair over her face, at which a quiet chuckle slips out from me. Rather than reacting, she just walks up to the rails and takes a deep breath, a light mist comes out of her mouth when she lets it out again.

"I'm sure your story is plenty interesting." She simply states when I walk up next to her.

The air is a bit chilly, but when I try to form mist with my breath I don't succeed.

"You'd be mistaken." I lie.

"You wanna know why I'm the president of the newspaper club?" She begins to ask a rhetorical question but I cut her off.

"Wait, you are?!" This is the first I've heard of it.

She glares at me for a moment, annoyed at the interruption, her blue eyes feel like they pierce through my very soul. "Yes. Since very recently, but yes." She continues after making sure I don't have anything more to interject and smiles. "It's because I can always sense when there's a story to be had. And a relationship between a human and succubus.. That sounds like quite the story."

I nearly choke on my own tongue. "I'm sorry.. What?.." Am I tripping!?

"Inesa is a succubus. Those eyes and hair tell me everything."

I completely freeze up. This.. Is definitely not supposed to happen. If Valorie finds out that I let it slip.. I'm dead. Although technically, if what Hina is saying is true, her finding out has nothing to do with any of my actions.

She giggles concededly. "Aand your reaction proves it."

Crap. Ok, now I am involved.

"What are you going to do about it?.." I ask her. What do I do if she wants to spread it? Then again, it seems as if she's known for quite a while.

"Little me? Do? You misunderstand me. I'm no trouble, I just want you to tell me a good story."

If it's a story she wants, I suppose there isn't any merit to squirming, but I'm going to need some assurance that this won't get out. Hina seems like a trustworthy individual, but I can't know for sure.

"A story? Fine. But you'll have to place something of greater or equal value on the table." I propose an open ended deal.

"I like it." She turns around and leans her palms against the railing. "I'll bite. What is it you want?"

"Something incriminating that I can hold over you. I'm not taking risks."

"From what I believe, you've been talking plenty of them, but ok." She looks me straight in the eyes. "You know what a yuki-onna is?"

Yuki-onna.. Like the snow woman? From folklore? "Yes.. I may have heard of her.."

"I'm one. So there." She states in the same tone as if she had just told me the weather. Hina grins in satisfaction at my confusion.

"You're a snow woman?.. Like snow powers and all that?.. Bad luck for everyone you meet?" I suppose I did wonder if there weren't more mythical beings around unnoticed, but this still doesn't prove anything. "Your hair isn't black, and your skin isn't pale."

Hina turns away from me once again, staring back at the view. "True. I've forced myself to spend time in the sun, despite being heat-sensitive, and my hair is bleached. If you feel my skin though you'll notice that it's cool." She reaches out her arm for me to touch, and sure enough, I don't feel any body heat.

"Why are you telling me this though?.." There's no way that she's just giving this kind of information out this easily. I mean, it isn't as if snow women need to drink blood to survive. I think.. Right? They'd better not. I take a couple steps to the side just to be on the safe side.

"I'm tired. Of always keeping it in I mean, not having anyone to talk to. I just figured that if you can keep Inesa's secret in, maybe you're safe for me to talk to too."

"I thought you wanted a story?"

"That too. Two birds with one stone. Win-win." She does a cheerful victory sign with her right hand.

"I.. Don't know about the win-win part of that.. I still only see you as the winner here. But fine, I'll accept it. What happens if I let it slip?"

She doesn't respond, but instead lifts her right index finger, and creates a mist from it.

I swallow nervously. No words, but I know enough folklore tales to know what that is supposed to mean.

"So.. Gossi- I mean, story time?" Hina grins.