"Let him go!" Enraged, I flew inside to attack Tamamo, but Kana appeared between us and stopped me in my tracks.

My fist was only an inch away from his face.

"Well, would you look at that? Can't attack your own dear friend, can you? But I can." Shuten Doji, in Kana's body, buried a punch into my stomach, sending me crashing back out the door and into Mio.

We tumbled into the streets, landing against the side of the wall on the other side of the road. Cold rain showered over us, and the boom of thunder echoed in the distance.

No way was Kana ever that strong. The yokai named Shuten must have granted him that strength.

My mind was racing from trying to figure out what to do. My own problems had involved someone I cared about and got Kana possessed by a demon yokai. Two evil yokai now walked Japan, and it was all my fault. I couldn't fight him even if I tried, too scared that I might somehow hurt him.

Both Shuten and Tamamo waltzed out Kana's house with a smug look of triumph. Mio stood up to face them, fists clenched and trembling. A shadow had fallen across her face as she, too, became infuriated by Kana's possession.

"The only ones who get to control Kana are us! You better let our boyfriend go, or I'm gonna give you two a walloping you'll never forget. STarting with you first, fox bitch!" Mio shouted.

"Aha! Even with a new, pretty face you still have a tough time with women," Tamamo jokingly said.

"Woe is me. I'll just have to settle on reminiscing with this body's precious memories instead." Shuten grinned.

Mio slammed into Tamamo and rocketed into the sky. However, the yokai unleashed a magic spell that exploded with the intensity of a sonic boom, throwing Mio far across the city. The ripple of airwaves blew debris and discarded newspapers rolling through the streets, and when I looked up, Shuten was right on top of me. He grabbed me by my clothes and pulled me in for a kiss.

"Get away from me!" I shoved him off and conjured shackles on his limbs.

"Kinky, but I've had enough being chained for one lifetime." Shuten tensed his entire body, and he was somehow able to shatter the restraints. A large, metal club with spikes all along the shaft appeared in his hands. One swing sent me flying straight up and seeing stars.

The battle continued in the air, but it was obvious Mio and I were getting overwhelmed by both yokai. Our magic had little effect on them. Our advantage as succubi of charming them wasn't working like it did on the others in Takamagahara. The longer we were fighting up here, the more we risked being seen.

"Mio, we have to find help!" I said in panic, seeing as we were injured and the other two were less so.

Our sexual energy was running low. We hadn't had a chance to recharge in a while. Tonight was supposed to be that day, but we found Kana taken from us instead.

"Retreat? Fuck that! They got Kana, you know? Don't you care?!" Mio gritted her teeth and despite how wounded she was, still had the urge to fight.

"Of course, I care! But we're going to lose at this rate… and…"

I looked in Shuten's direction, and it was Kana I saw. It didn't take a genius to know we had been pulling our punches because of that. To make things worse, people were beginning to come out of their homes to investigate the commotion we've caused.

"Oh? Are you two so fearful of people finding out what you are? A great misfortune— so delicious that I can taste it already— awaits if your true selves are revealed! I can't wait. I can't wait!" Tamamo smirked and transformed into Beatrice.

Mio gasped, then bared her teeth at Tamamo's audacity.

"You slimy bitch… I'm gonna stuff all nine of your tails into your ass!" Mio snarled, jumping in to fight them again.

This time, however, they weren't interested in fighting. Shuten and Tamamo were on the run, headed straight into the city.

"We have to go after them!" I shouted.

We gave chase as the two made a beeline into the busiest part of Tsukiji City. Those two were serious. They had every intention of exposing us to the world. If that happened, just simply denying it wouldn't work. It would take more than charming everyone to fix it.

"We're not going to make it!" Mio warned.

"Damn it, damn it…" I put my all into it and tackled Tamamo, but in the ensuing hit, we crashed down and fell into the terminal of a train station. Our fall left cracks in the ground from the impact.

My head was spinning, and when I opened my eyes, the bright lights of the train station shone down on me. The beeping sound of card readers and low hum of the moving escalators had never been more clear to my ears. People all around had stopped what they were doing and stared. All at once, they pulled out phones to snap pictures or take videos.

"What's going on?"

"Is there a cosplay event going on?"

"They're dressed like succubus!"

Panicked, I shook away the shock and expanded my aura in an attempt to charm them, but my magic was dispelled in an instant. Tamamo, still in Beatrice's form, grabbed my hand before I could cover my face or run, then lifted me up.

"Let go!"

"Nu-uh-uh. It's time to say hello to the cameras!" Tamamo flew up while restraining my arms, eliciting gasps from people who thought we were fake. "Why hello, everyone! Get my good side, will you? Take a close look at these wings. They aren't fake, and we're actually flying. That's because we're real succubus. There are a whole lot more out there, living amongst you. Who knows, maybe you might even know one!"

The blood drained from my face, and my mind went blank as the will to resist left me entirely. As I gazed into the camera of someone's phone, I knew it was over. Tamamo and Shuten had won.

A dark energy radiated from the yokai like smoke and fumes which Tamamo breathed in deeply. Her eyes dilated and face showed so much bliss. An incredible power began to swell within her.

Then a familiar aura bumped against mine. Every human within the immediate vicinity stopped moving and quieted down. 

"Let go of my little Saeko if you know what's good for you." Descending from the hole Tamamo and I had made was a furious Hatsumi in her succubus form, Blade of the First Temptress in hand.

"Impressive. Last I recalled feeling that sword's power was when it belonged to this body." Tamamo casted me aside.

"We defeated her together. Whoever you are, we'll do the same." My sister glared.

"Hatsumi, that's Tamamo no Mae! She's seriously strong, and there's another yokai outside with Mio!" I warned her.

"I know. Yumi and Selene filled me in. For now, let's take this outside." She summoned a black portal that swallowed me and Tamamo, and as soon as we were spat out high in the sky above the city—

"Oraaa! Square up, you stupid cunt!" Hana slugged Tamamo across the face so hard that it knocked the Beatrice appearance out of her.

However, before Tamamo was thrown too far, Selene appeared and grabbed ahold of the yokai from behind. She put her in a choke hold with both arms, threatening to snap her neck.

"Tamamo, we're outnumbered here!" Shuten shouted from a ways behind.

"You don't think I know that already?" Tamamo growled.

Without giving Shuten a chance to help, Yumi conjured powerful magical bindings to hold him in place. 

"Nice horns! Hope they don't break easily when I score a homerun!" Hana was winding up Shuten's spiked club.

"Don't hurt him!" Mio and I yelled, stopping Hana from delivering a potentially fatal punch.

"Kana's body is being possessed!" I shouted.

"This is Kana?" Hatsumi gasped at his demonic appearance.

An explosion went off in the city near the shopping mall. One section of it had gone up in flames and was smoking. The high-pitched sirens of a firetruck blared into the night, joined by Tamamo's cackling.

"I'll show you something to laugh about." Selene tightened her grip, but it only served to bring about a greater laughter.

"Be careful… You never know when bad luck might strike!" Tamamo howled.

Lightning struck both Selene and Tamamo, but only the latter came out unscathed. Just as we dove to apprehend her, Shuten broke free from Yumi's chains, snatched his club from Hana and nailed her into orbit.

"Shuten, we have to retreat for now. Without enough misfortune going around, we're both far too weak," Tamamo muttered.

"As much as I'd love to dance, we must bid you farewell. Until next time, darlings." Shuten bowed and backed away into a portal created by Tamamo, both disappearing from sight before we could intercept them.

"Kana!" I cried.

It was hopeless.

They were gone, and there was nothing any of us could do.

"Saeko." Hatsumi flew in front of me with an almost scolding demeanor. "I think you owe us an explanation."

We descended into Kana's house where I explained to everyone how it led to this. Obviously, Hatsumi wasn't happy in the slightest. Traveling to Takamagahara, allowing myself to be fooled into freeing Tamamo no Mae, and incurring Amaterasu's wrath, I should count myself lucky she dish out divine punishment on me right then and there. Because of it, we were facing a much worse problem.

"So… What happened at the station? We should go back and fix that, right?" I asked.

"I've already sent a group of succubus there to do damage control. Unfortunately… A video has already slipped into the internet," Hatsumi said, showing me her phone of a recorded clip quickly going viral.

Not only on the internet, but also circulating through popular mobile apps. There was no stopping it now. The 20-second video was of Tamamo, in Beatrice's body, exclaiming that succubus were real. It ends with a close up of her face… and me in my succubus form.

Naturally, there were people questioning the authenticity of it, but those voices were a drop in the water compared to the flood of believers.

"No way…" I sobbed, sinking deeper into the couch.

"The jig is up for us," Hana said. "But it doesn't change that those two cunts are still out there. We gotta stop 'em before they do more harm."

Hatsumi nodded in agreement. "Hana's right. Having people know succubi exists is one thing, but it won't matter if those two demons get their way by bringing disaster to Japan. It also sounds like they become stronger from more people facing misfortune. If we don't stop them soon, we might not be able to stop them at all."

We started looking for clues in Kana's place, hoping something might lead us to where the two disappeared to. I went upstairs to check Kana's room. My attention was drawn to a pinboard in front of his desk. He had pictures filling most of it. There was a picture of us during our three-way date, many of him and me, of him and Mio, but what surprised me the most was that most of the photos of us were when I was still a boy. I didn't know he still cherished those memories of my past.

I knelt down next to his bedside and pulled his pillow up to my face. His lingering scent only brought me to tears instead of comfort.

My best friend… My boyfriend was taken away from me. Mio wasn't taking it any better either. She had to be restrained by Hana and Yumi from flying off in a rage to look for them. I always thought I'd be the one who could keep a leash on her, but it was really Kana's calmness that brought out the best of us. For Mio, losing him was like Beatrice snatching everything from her when she was younger.

"I've come to apologize," Selene said from the doorway. "I don't know how they managed to slip by us the first time, but—"

"How did no one know they were in this city?!" I yelled across the room.

"I'm terribly sorry. It won't happen again." She immediately dropped to one knee and cast her gaze to the ground.

The terror in her voice brought me back to my senses, and Yumi had come upstairs to check on us. She placed a hand on Selene's shoulder, then shuffled past to envelop me in both arms. The warmth of her hug calmed me down.

"Shh. Your sister already left to expand the search. We will find Kana and bring him back. You have school tomorrow. Leave the rest to us, alright?" Yumi whispered.

It wasn't until I nodded that Yumi let go. Selene got up to leave with her, and they were replaced with Mio who came into the room, eyes and nose red from crying.

Both of us slept together in Kana's bed that night. I was surprised at how much Mio teared up and had to be the one doing the comforting. Her face was buried in my chest, and I gently stroked her head from the back. The gleam of two rings shined back at me from the moonlight peering past the drapes.

The next morning, I was getting ready for school but Mio stayed in bed with the covers pulled over her head.

"Mio, we've got school in half an hour. You can stay in bed all morning," I said.

"I'm not going," Mio mumbled, hugging the pillow tightly.

"I want to find Kana, too, but laying around isn't going to do any good…"

"Well, if you hadn't broken that seal, he would still be here!" she snapped.

The outburst caused me to flinch. I had nothing to say in return because she was right. If I hadn't been so selfish about finding Uta and just thought for one second, none of this would have happened.

"I'll… make breakfast for you before leaving," I quietly said.

I went to the kitchen and opened the fridge to look for something quick to make. Sitting at the back of the fridge was a colorful cake container. I pulled it out, thinking to grab a slice only to find the chocolate cake, mints decorating the edge, with pocky and oreos stabbed into it, and succubus wings shaped by frosting, was for… me.

Happy Nineteenth Birthday, Saeko! was written on it.

That was when I noticed all the packets of empty flour and cooking chocolate bags in the trash can. Baking utensils had piled into the sink, and a recipe was attached to the fridge by a magnet. I hadn't noticed any of it when we were looking for clues.

"That's right… My birthday is coming up in a few days." I sighed.

Kana, that dummy… He was probably thinking about me until the moment Shuten possessed him.

I cooked some rolled omelets, rice, and grilled fish for Mio and placed them all inside a tupperware box on the table. Hopeful, I stayed for a few more minutes, but it really didn't sound like she was going to come down. Not wanting to be late, I took a deep breath at the front door to brace myself and headed for school.

Today, everyone had their heads down and staring into their phones. The video of self-proclaimed succubi had swelled to tens of millions of views overnight. A group of high school boys in front of me were talking about how hot the two succubus were. Some girls behind me gushed about how pretty the older-looking one was.

I also kept my head low but for a very different reason.

"Saeko!" Hitomi and Rika were the first to approach me about it at the shoe lockers.

"What were you and Mio doing last night?" Rika asked.

"You and your succubus friends have been so careful until now. Just what the hell happened?" Hitomi pressed me.

"A… A lot happened. I don't suppose people think it's me in that video?" I hesitantly questioned back.

They traded concerned looks. Some students were doing double takes at me and their phones. It couldn't be more obvious why. The only difference between me and my succubus form was a change in hair color, the clothes, and physical features. My face was exactly the same and plastered all over the web.

Charming them wasn't going to work. It wouldn't pass the logic test. They had a picture and me right in front of them after all.

All of a sudden, half the kendo team barreled through the door to surround me. Even the student council president couldn't cuss them away.

"Saeko, is this you?!"

"It looks just like you!"

"Are you really a succubus?"

They showered me with questions I couldn't keep up with and only wanted to deny.

"It's probably just a lookalike! Sorry, guys! I have to get to class," I said, scurrying away to my homeroom.

However, in my escape, I ran right into Gouda on the second floor as he was coming down.

"H-Hey…" I greeted him and tried to sneak by until he grabbed my wrist.

"We're friends, right? Three years in kendo together from the start?" Gouda asked, staring me in the eyes.

I was surprised to see a look of fear and trepidation instead of horniness like the other guys have shown me.

"Gouda, the bell is going to ring any second now. W-We should get to class," I warned.

"Not until I get some answers. Are you the succubus in the video?" he asked.

"I don't know anything about—"

"Don't lie!" he shouted, drawing attention to us from students lagging to get to class. "There are gaps in my memories, and I want to know if it's because of you. If you're really a succubus, that means it was you, wasn't it? You did something to me? We're supposed to be friends, but you've been mind controlling me?"

All this time I'd been using my succubus powers on the whim to charm and compel people without thinking of the consequences. Now that it was finally out, the ones I messed with were finally putting a face to what I did to them.

"I'm sorry!" I broke free of Gouda's grasp and made a run for it.

Coming to school was a mistake. My life was over. The secret of me being a succubus was out at last, and there was nothing to be done about it.

As I reached class, the last bastion of my school life and where I expected fellow classmates to react the same way, several teachers and principal Murata were outside the door. They were clearly waiting for me.

"Saeko," Principal Murata began. "We need you to come to the faculty office. You have a phone call waiting for you."

Gulping, I quietly followed them as students peeked out of classes to see what was going on. I felt like some dangerous animal being escorted. One part of me thought about leaving school. The other hoped I still had a chance to convince people I wasn't a succubus.

We got to the faculty office and another teacher was waiting by her desk with a landline telephone in hand. She extended it to me, pulling taut the coiled cord as she did. Somehow, the air around me had grown so thick that I couldn't breathe anymore. When I pressed the phone to my ears, I heard only silence on the other end.

Until a stern voice sent shivers up my spine and triggered a long-buried, childhood fear within me that made my brain go blank.

"Son," the deep, draconian draw of my mom's voice drilled into my ears like a metal spike. "Your father and I are waiting for you to explain yourself."