2.1. New Dawn

Sequence staggered into his room and shut the door behind him. Collapsing with his back against the wall, he bit his tongue to calm the chaos in his mind.

'Calm down Sequencee. Calm the heck down.'

Every time he tried to think of something else, his mind would very naturally drift back to Schwii. Disguised behind her calm facade was a girl, one that needed love, attention and affection, just like any other. It didn't matter that she was once the ruler of some demon nation, or that she tried to seduce him, or that she was better than Sequencee in most of everything.

What she showed him then, exposing herself in her weakness; that fear he saw crept up on her expression; some trauma which had been etched deep inside the recesses of her mind. A secret she harbored which Sequencee knew absolutely nothing about–

The reality of what was in front of him.

Schwii was but a girl.

And he almost tried to assault this girl.

'What the fuck..'

Sequencee quelled the in the fire of desire burning within him; the urge push her down and devour her whole.

He gripped his hair, pulling it hard till some of them were torn off. The illusion magic which should've been perfect formed distortions in the air, the dozens of elemental beads behind the distortion were quivering in resonance to Sequencee's emotion.

It took Sequencee a few minutes to get back on his feet. The taste and warmth of Schwii's lips still lingered on his own. He limped towards the desk and flipped open his journal.

He wrote today's entry.

He escaped from the temptation of a succubus.

===

It was a cold morning the next day. The sky was still dark, streets alighted by rectangular beacons arranged in parallel. Greenery interspersed everywhere, leaves shimmering slightly from the formation of dew. Towards the lake surface rippled, lotus flowers and lily pads glimmered to the orange glowing pagoda. A soft light seemed to emanate from the pink lotuses gliding across the waters.

Nearby the accommodation complex was a decently sized store which hung the symbol 'konbini'. Ro and Lilian entered, followed by Sequencee and Schwii.

Ro had dusky blue hair and a squarish body build. He was fairly lean for his size.

Lilian had mellow-blonde hair, eyes were pale blue. She gave off an aloof air, as if someone who had just recently come to learn about society and its horrors.

"Hm.. there's so much stuff here," Ro muttered.

"Wow, look.." Lilian headed straight to the cold section.

Today they had come to the convenience store to explore the possible food options for future considerations. There were things like sandwiches, rice balls and cold sushi in stock, just that the price was a little higher than expected. After all, these were all premier products that couldn't be found anywhere else.

Schwii merely looked at them, and didn't think to involve herself in their hesitancy. As a princess Schwii had never worried about the matter of money, so she found their actions somewhat interesting.

There was no one at the counter, but it didn't mean the place was empty; a lonely staff was busy stocking the shelves at the back.

"Do you need anything from here?" Sequencee asked Schwii.

He didn't dare meet her eyes, not after what happened yesterday night.

"No. I plan to have something else for breakfast," Schwii didn't turn to him either, replying in a distant voice.

They were both aware of why they acted so distant to each other, so it wasn't that they were giving each other a cold shoulder, rather..

'I still can't get her out of my mind..'

Sequencee could still remember those pairs of seductive ruby eyes looking down at him as if he were prey. Her glossy brown hair, and delicate skin sticky to the touch. The taste of her small pink lips, the intoxicating feeling of her smell, and the many sensations that came with it.

'He's thinking about me.. r-right?'

Schwii tried her best to not show the disorder in her mind. She still felt heated whenever she thought about it. How tasty his lips were, and his dominant advances on her. The maturity and resistance he showed against his carnal desires. It was clear to her that he wasn't planning to have this relationship be built on lust. Those hazy blue eyes struggling to hold back his desires, brown hair with a little bit of her fluids stuck on it. Just recalling his expression made her itchy.

And of course, just to be clear, they didn't do it last night. They absolutely did not.

Sequencee managed to get out of the predicament by repeatedly detoxifying himself and using [Activated Trait: Focus] to lock his mind straight.

So he hugged her, and didn't let her go. He didn't let himself go. She managed to calm down eventually, by what reason it worked Sequencee didn't know. He only knew that it was advice from his mother in the past.

And so they managed to get out of the situation without it blowing up into a bigger issue. Which was great but also..

"Hey, Ro, do you think something happened to them?" Lilian whispered.

"Did you hear anything weird last night?" Ro asked.

"No."

"Sequencee went into Schwii's room though?"

Though they were trying to make their conversation a secret, the way they gestured at each other was enough of a dead giveaway to both Sequencee and Schwii.

"I'm going to explore that aisle," Schwii said, walking to the snacks section.

"Right."

Sequencee watched her back. She wasn't wearing anything too extravagant today. Yet, seeing her in casual clothes only stimulated one's urge to get to know her better, as if she had purposely lowered herself to a normal peasant's reach.

'Maybe I should've listened to her.'

If he didn't approach her yesterday night, maybe he wouldn't have needed to face her assault. Otherwise, maybe the accident, and getting out of the accident helped prevent a bigger problem?

'Having a succubus for a partner is really..'

Sequencee thought that he might really lose his virginity one of these days.

===

Having explored the convenience store, Lilian and Ro fell into a dilemma over their food options. Was it better to acquire the cafeteria food pass or was there a cheaper place to eat? There was also the possibility of cooking to consider, now that it was revealed to them that Schwii had booked them an accommodation with such a facility.

On that note, they also asked the working staff at the store about working part time. To which he said that he would tell the manager about it when he returns. Ro and Lilian's ID number was relayed to him as he made some notes on his tiny booklet.

"Are you hungry?" Schwii asked.

"Me? Not really," Sequencee replied.

"How about you two?"

"A little bit? It's still dawn," Ro replied.

"Um.." Lilian on the other hand didn't know how to reply. She knew that Schwii was hinting something she just didn't know what.

Their next stop was supposed to be exploring the humongous training theater. But taking into consideration how they would need energy before the possibility of pounding lead, Schwii thought maybe it was better to refuel first before proceeding.

The gathering point for all enforcer trainees will be there on the first day, so they would still be going there later if not early. It made little difference. The officer and instructors in charge will orientate the new students on their expected schedule for the year and an appraisal would be done to determine the class which the students will enter.

"I can't believe I'm worrying about something like food.." Schwii mumbled.

"Hm?" Sequencee turned to her.

"No. I'm thinking perhaps it's better to take back my words."

She had just realized the implications of her statement towards Ro and Lilian yesterday. Telling them to care for their food expenses even though she would be the one paying for it in the end– feels like she just tore apart her own declaration, but what could she do?

It was a weird thing to be concerned about these things. As if she was trying to care for innocent children all of a sudden.

"Ro, Lilian. I'll continue to supply the cost of your food until you're comfortable with managing it yourself."

"Huh?"

"O-Okay..?"

'This is for the best.'