The room was pitch black. His first instinct was to get his handgun, but when he felt something warm and moist pushing against his lips, and something soft and squishy against his chest, his hand froze.

“A-Aaron! Analysis, now!”

“An unknown fragrance it’s impregnating your clothes. Seems to be perfume… Insufficient data.”

“Is that the best you could get?!”

“Amelia?” he asked to the darkness before the door was slammed shut.

When she turned the lights on, Alan darted his eyes from her lacy black bra, barely able to contain her stacked bosom, to an alluring garter belt circling her hips. Black stockings seemed to imprison her thighs.

“Clara told me how you saved me from falling to my death, so I wanted to thank you…” Amelia began with a malicious gleam in her eyes.

She’s saying that while looking like a villainess! A sexy villainess…

“Y-You’re welcome! I’m glad I made it in time,” an increasingly nervous Alan responded, leaning against the wall.

Amelia strolled to him. The sound of her high heels echoed through the room. “I’ve also been watching Clara’s stream of what happened after I left, over and over again, and… The way you managed the situation…”

“I-I watched it too, and yes, I know! I can’t believe we managed to get through all that on our own! But we all know you were the real MVP of that--”

“You’re not listening,” she said in a disgusted tone of voice, raising her chin as if she was talking to someone inferior. “You really acted as a leader, huh? I can’t believe you really had it in you… Weakling.”

She then pushed him to the bed and shredded his t-shirt.

“Whoah, you’re strong!” 

“Come on, Alan! Get this thing off! I’m going to eat you!”

Amelia impatiently ripped his pants open, all done while laughing wickedly, in a way that reminded him of Serenity. 

“That nightmare I had the other day became reality!”

“What kind of nightmare was it, Alan? If you tell me the details, maybe we come up with a strategy to--”

“What I mean is that she’s not being her usual self! Is she possessed too?!”

“Analyzing: Insufficient data! But I’m detecting that your heart rate has increased significantly. Some of the blood pressure it’s even going to your--”

“S-Shut up, you, useless partner!”

Amelia sat on his lap, licking her lips and perfectly recreating Alan’s ‘Succubus Dream’ to a T, before a beeping sound invaded the room.

“What’s that?” he asked, noticing an expression of horror on her face.

“The ABB!” she cried before getting paralyzed.

“Amelia? Are you oka--?”

 

This is the Anti-Bad Behavior System!

 

A festive, girly voice was heard as a red screen appeared in front of Alan’s face.

Where have I heard that before? Oh, right! Jane Andersen mentioned it before. But why now?

 

We have detected a non-consensual sexual advance by ‘Amelia Laflamme’ toward ‘Alan Warden’, today, July 19, at 10:15 pm.

 

Amelia’s eyes looked watery and in pain.

“WAIT, WHAT?!!”

 

If you accept, we will send a Moderator to apprehend - ‘Amelia Laflamme’ immediately. If this is a mistake and you are not being pressured or forced into this situation, please, tell us that you are willingly--

 

“It is a mistake, absolutely! This is totally consensual! I like it rough, you know what I mean?!”

 

User’s response received! Thanks for your cooperation. We apologize for the inconvenience this may have caused you and your partner. Have fun!

 

As soon as the system window disappeared, Amelia gasped for air, grabbing her neck.

“That was weird… and brutal,” he commented, as she started sobbing.

“I... I fucking ruined it…”

“What? No! Of course not! You were just showing me how passionate you can--”

“I’m so sorry!”

Her long, silky red hair flew above her neck when she jumped out of the bed and tore down the door. A second after, a fire explosion illuminated the corridor, indicating that someone had seen her in her underwear and had paid the price.

 

***

**

*

 

“There you are,” Alan said, climbing to the rooftop of the Moonlight’s Inn. “You really like high places, huh? Just like a cat.”

Fully dressed, Amelia was sitting while hugging her legs. “A stupid cat,” she wept, hiding her face.

Alan sat beside her and sighed loudly, looking at the sky. “Remember when we sat here the other night and admired a clear night just like this? Which reminds me...” He pulled something out of his inventory and shook it close to Amelia’s ear, sounding liquid.

“What is it?”

“A bottle of wine, courtesy of Miss Cosmica. She says that Actives are always giving her gifts, so she has a full box of these. It’s not Rosé, but I thought we could…”

“Okay, I’ll take a sip… But don’t look at my face!” 

“All right, I won’t.”

He turned his gaze away so Amelia could snatch the bottle and take a long gulp.

“Too sweet for my taste, but it tastes good.”

“Free things always taste good.”

That brief moment of silence gave Alan the opportunity to reflect on the relationship he had with the girl sitting next to him. From the first time they met at the Shooting Stars’ PVP arena, to the moment she offered her help.

Her attitude toward me radically changed after she learn what I’ve been doing outside this whole time. And now, two weeks later, something crazy like this happened…

Alan glanced at her gloomy expression, before meeting her glare. “I told you not to look at me,” she said gruffly.

“Oh, come on. You look cute.”

Amelia opened her eyes wide and quickly hid her embarrassment by gulping wine.

“Shut up, Ghost. Although I jokingly asked you once to compliment me every five minutes… after what happened down there, I…” She pursed her lips, looking at her own hand, resting on a roof tile, inches away from his. “Don’t overheat your weakling little brain thinking too hard about what happened tonight, okay? It was something I did on a whim and will never happen again. Understood?”

“Yeah, yeah, I get it. Just like that kiss you gave me while you were on your blue form. It’s okay, Amelia, I’ll think nothing more of it.”

“It’s… the curse I have to bear after accepting one of the Princesses of Hell inside my body. Belphegoria, The Demoness of Inventions,” Amelia explained grimly, looking at her own hand as if it was not hers. “In exchange for power, it sometimes takes over my will, and makes me do things… Dirty things…”

“For real?! Sounds cool and super dark at the same time!” Alan’s bewildered expression also showed a glimpse of innocent excitement, that made Amelia almost drop her act.

“Y-Yes!” She replied, looking away. “It’s all true. So watch out in case she may want to… make another move in the near future…”

“A demoness, you said? Like… a succubus?”

“T-That’s right! Those are the ones that feed on men’s w-w-wet dreams, right?! So now you know why it kind of influences me to do things like that!”

Aaron quickly interjected: “Alan, I have no data regarding the subject. According to my knowledge, there is no correlation between Animas and User’s sudden changes of behavior.”

Alan narrowed his eyes at her, making her blush. “She’s inside of you, you say? Are you talking about something like this?” Alan pointed to his side, where the embodiment of his Unique Talent materialized out of thin air.

The little being wearing a yellow hazmat suit waved at her. “Helloo, I’m Aaron, nice to meet you!”

Amelia’s mouth dropped before she jumped over Alan to take a closer look at the little spirit. “An Anima?! Is that yours?! When and where did you get him?!”

“He came to me in a time of need.” Alan’s voice sounded muffled for his whole face was buried beneath her chest. She moved aside, shaking her face.

“That’s impossible! Animas don’t come out of nowhere. Do you know how hard it was to get my Belphy?”

“Belphy? Where have I heard that before? Oh, right! She introduced herself as your assistant. She was a great asset to our team! Can you show her to me again, please? I’d love to say thanks to her!”

“You don’t have to treat her like a regular person, dummy,” Amelia murmured, as a lanky feminine silhouette, covered by a veil from head to toe, appeared behind Amelia.

“Whoah, so tall! Has she been there the whole time!”

“She was in her incorporeal form, just like yours, idiot.”

“Thank you so much for helping us out in the last battle, you were super helpful!”

“What did I say?! She won’t answer you. Gosh, you’re so weird. And whatever! You don’t have to tell me where you get yours.”

“I’m telling you the truth,” Alan muttered before a realization made him frown. “Wait, you said you watched Clara’s stream, right?”

“What about it?”

“You must have watched the exact moment Aaron appeared then. Just before combating the Affected.”

Amelia looked him in the eyes, mirroring his expression. “Nuh-uh. I rewatched the entire thing like three times by now, and your Anima never shows up. Unless Clara forgot to hit recording when it happened. Her stream is filled with abrupt cuts and muted parts after all, very amateurish, so that may be the reason.” 

After deciding that they should leave the topic for another time, they climbed down off the rooftop and went to get dinner.

Walking through the remodeled streets and watching the new, improved buildings was surreal.

Just two weeks ago, this place looked like a barely habitable place, perfect for people like me to hide in. But now… He waved back to a couple of Slime people passing by and chuckled after realizing that the female walked just like Amelia.

“You haven’t told me yet. Why did you decide to help me? What changed? From the moment you shielded me from that dragon’s beam of death, back in Londorus…”

She exhaled deeply before replying: “Remember when you told me you distrusted me, thinking that Marco Souza might have sent me to play with you?”

"I apologize. I don't think that anymore."

"It's okay. It was understandable for you to think I was still loyal to him. To answer your question, let me tell you what my father once said: ‘To truly know a person, one must watch how they act under pressure or at their lowest. It’s when their true nature comes to light’.”

“He sounds like a very wise man.”

“Yes, he is. Or was… You know how troublesome that is,” she said, grabbing his hand and making him stop. The bright lights of the many restaurant advertisements illuminated their faces, as both look into each other’s eyes. “That’s what differentiates you from Marco Souza. When rejected from the guild he helped build, he retaliated out of spite, and let bitterness take control of him. But you… Despite everything you’ve lost, you haven’t stopped moving forward. Heck, if I was this ship’s captain, I’d also choose you for this mission.”

“If I was the captain, I’d get more help. Like a lot.”

She shrugged, smiling. “You have me, don’t you?”

“Yeah, but because of me, you’ve also become the enemy’s target! That’s the main reason I left Astrid’s--!”

“Quiet,” she whispered, stepping forward. “Or I’ll get mad at you.”

“Come on, don’t burn the recently rebuilt town, okay?”

She chuckled as she ran strands of hair away from his forehead. “Too bad the ABB interrupted us, eh? I could have shown you a little taste of paradise.”

“Sorry for activating it, but you really caught me by surprise! I was really freaked out, huh?”

“Yes, I noticed you were shaking like crazy! It truly turned me on.” She opened her eyes wide in shock. “I can’t believe I said that out loud…”

This was not the Amelia Laflamme he was used to interacting with.

Is it my imagination, or is she acting more girly than usual? He asked himself, feeling tickles in his stomach. I mean, she has always been feminine, but… I… can’t believe I’m about to say this… As if her mere presence forces me to follow along…

“Maybe… we could try it another time?”

She raised her eyebrows and looked him in the eyes, before grinning. “Sure, I’ll come to you next time Belphy needs to be fed. As for now… Pizza?”

“Pizza sounds great.”

 

***

**

*

*

**

***

 

“How’s everyone! Are you guys tired?” The Novus’ greatest idol said from her stage, in front of over 200 people. Her two companions, Nebuline and Celestine, were at her side, waving at the public. “Do you still have the energy to sing with me?”

“Yeees!”

“Raise your voice, all the Guilds that followed me on this whim of mine!”

“Yeah!”

“Now, raise your voice, let me hear you citizens of New Unus City!”

“Yeah, we love you Miss Cosmica!”

“It still sounds like ‘anus’, but what can we do about it, right?! Tee-hee!”

The entire audience burst out laughing while jumping and cheering.

“Is it my imagination, or does she sometimes sound very passive-aggressive?” Alan asked aloud from their sitting place atop their rebuilt house.

“She’s always been like that,” Amelia said, half-smiling. “And we love her just the way she is.”

“I know this is a time for celebration, but we have not discussed yet what we are going to do next,” Ashley said by Alan’s side, making him fold his arms.

“Yeah, we haven’t talked about that yet. What to do?”

“It’s obvious,” Amelia added. “We can’t stay here. If the Singular attacks us again, it’d undo this city’s progress. We should move to another, higher-level city. One where its citizens can defend themselves if hell breaks loose again.”

“I do not think the Singular would try another full-front attack again,” Ashley commented. “They will be more careful next time.”

“If they even keep considering us a threat,” Alan interjected, without taking his eyes off the concert. “This time, The Singular escaped knowing two things. They know a version of Isabella it’s here, and it doesn’t matter how many times I contact other Administrators, we Phantom Seekers won’t reveal this information to the public. We’re in some kind of stalemate. They’ll continue doing their thing and leave us alone for the moment, and as long as we don’t push their buttons too much, we won’t have to worry about them bugging us for the time being.”

“A stalemate, huh?” Amelia sighed. “That’d actually help us. We could go on the offensive next time.”

“Are you kidding me? I’m still the weakest User in all The Novus. I don’t feel prepared in the slightest.”

“Well, you’re Alan ‘Problem Fixer’ Warden. I think you’re doing great.”

“What’s with that surname?”

“I came up with it!” Clara Dominguez shouted enthusiastically behind them, jolting him.

“Holy Space Jeezus! What are you doing here?!”

“How rude! Is that how you receive the new member of Phantom Seekers?!”

“Pardon me?”

“I accepted her solicitude,” Amelia said, giving Alan an apologetic smile. “She helped us a lot during the fight, didn’t she?”

Alan grimaced. “Request denied by the Guild Master.”

“W-What?! Why?!” Clara cried.

“For being too noisy. That’s my job.”

“True, you two act alike…” Amelia said, looking away.

“Why don’t you say that to our face?!” Alan and Clara cried in unison

“Fine, on one condition.” Alan pointed at the Marco Souza lookalike, waving at the group from behind his master. “Get rid of him.” 

“Denied!” Clara spat at every word. “He’s my current soulmate!”

“Change his face then. Now.”

“NEVER! Such perfectness shall be preserved.”

“Why do you want to join us, anyway? Didn’t you say that you sucked at fighting? Admit it, you haven’t even unlocked your Unique Talent yet, that’s why you didn’t help the NPCs restrain the ‘affected’.”

“I’m not going to confirm nor deny that. Besides, my job won’t demand any physical confrontation.” She made her drone camera appear. “I’m your official camerawoman!”

“Alan,” Ashley called in a soft tone of voice. “Having someone with the ability to record at any time could be of help to our mission. That is what helped us summon Jane Andersen.”

“F-Fine,” he stuttered, wrinkling his nose. “But just because my co-co-leader says so.”

“Yay! You won’t regret it, boss!” Clara dashed to hug him, but immediately backed off after glancing at Amelia. “Oh, sorry. I know my boundaries, okay?” 

“Hmm? What are you talking about?” Amelia asked, given her a funny look.

“Oh, please. Everyone in New Unus City knows about you two.”

“What do you--?”

Clara unzipped her jacket, revealing a t-shirt with a printed photo of Amelia on her Super Form, kissing Alan. “I made a little fortune selling this.”

“Sorry Alan, I’ll kick her out of the guild myself.”

“You don’t have to worry about me stealing your boyfriend, friend,” Clara said, elbowing her playfully. “Why would I settle with an ordinary man, when I already have the fastest hips on this side of The Novus.” Clara pointed at her NPC, who gave a thumbs up from a distance.

“G-Gross!” Amelia cried, shaking her head as if multiple dirty images had been injected inside her brain.

“Clara, tell us the truth and you can stay,” Alan continued. “You don’t want to work as a mayor anymore because the city has become bigger, right? That’d mean more work for you.”

“L-look! Miss Cosmica is flashing her boobs!”

“NO WAY!” Amelia and Alan turned their gaze to the concert at the same time, but the enormous digital screen above her stage showed her dancing and singing normally.

“She got away, Master,” Anastasia informed.

“Well, I don’t see a problem in her joining us,” the NPC Bella said in a gentle, big-sister-like tone. “She’s quite nice.”

“Oh, sister, you say that because you haven’t worked for her,” Anastasia replied, repeating the same tone of voice. “She can be quite problematic sometimes.”

“I see. I’ll be careful when approaching her in the near future then, sister, tee-hee.”

What the hell is going out back there? Alan thought, watching the NPCs.

“Amelia, do you really think I behave like her?”

“Alan, dear, if you suddenly turned into a woman, I could not tell you both apart.”

“Wait, no, no, no! Clara acts a little crazier than me. I’m not that clownish. Am I?”

“You’re right. I’d describe you more as a lovable oaf. Is that better?”

“Not really.”

***

**

*

The following day, the guild received an offer that made Alan narrow his eyes and left Amelia speechless.

“Excuse me…. Could you repeat that again, please?”

The idol in front of them folded her arms and leaned back in her seat. “I want to sponsor your guild, Alan Warden. That’s why I bothered coming here in the first place.”