The Life of Lust Demon

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"Anos, do you even know what you've gotten yourself into this time?" Sofia asked, folding her arms with a sly smile.

"Is it bad? Like, really bad?" Anos replied, his grin brimming with fake innocence.

"Let's just say, the last person who pulled something like this didn't leave here on their own two feet," Sofia teased.

Anos blinked. "Wait, you're serious?"

Sofia tilted her head, her grin widening. "Relax. You won't just be kicked out… not immediately, at least."

"Oh, so I'm special?" Anos quipped. "Or is it because no one's screwed up this big in a while?"

"Exactly," Sofia said, leaning in slightly. "The academy needs a little showmanship, a reminder to others not to get too comfortable. They call it 'making an example.' Me? I call it consequences."Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Anos sighed, his bravado fading. "I get it. I'll face whatever comes."

Sofia's gaze softened. "I'll see what I can do to reduce the fallout. And honestly, you don't have to attend the Trial."

Anos scoffed, his grin returning. "Miss a chance to speak my mind? Not a chance. Day after tomorrow, right?"

Sofia shook her head, a mix of amusement and exasperation in her expression. "You're unbelievable, you know that? Either way, I'm impressed. Stage-One Spirit Core Realm? When did that happen?"

Her tone was casual, but the genuine surprise in her eyes betrayed her astonishment. From a mere Qi Awakening novice to a Spirit Core martial artist, Anos had climbed at a pace that defied expectation.

Anos, outwardly calm, concealed his real thoughts behind a faint smirk. Oh, you're impressed? Playing the caring teacher now, aren't you? Let's not forget it was your bright idea to send me after Samson in the first place. Now you're pretending to be a savior in front of everyone. Hypocrite.

His eyes lingered on her confident stance as another thought crept in, darker and far less restrained. Keep it up, Sofia. Once I win the tournament, the tables will turn. Then it'll be your turn to entertain me—day and night. Let's see how righteous you feel when it's just the two of us.

Suppressing a chuckle, Anos scratched the back of his head, feigning embarrassment. "Would you believe me if I said I just broke through to this level in the past few days?"

Sofia rolled her eyes, her skepticism clear. "What do you think?" She crossed her arms, her voice softening. "Listen, you'd better prepare yourself. I have a feeling your punishment will involve the Beast Domain. It won't be easy, and it won't be safe. If it gets too dangerous, you should seriously consider leaving the Academy. I'll do my best to plead for leniency and reduce the consequences."

Anos chuckled, his grin unwavering. "No need. Whatever the punishment is, I'll take it head-on. But let's not forget, Miss Sofia, that Samson was the one who tried to kill me first."

Sofia nodded slightly. "I'm aware." Her tone shifted, becoming more curious. "By the way, what's going on between you and Hannah?"

Anos shrugged casually. "Oh, she confessed to me, but I turned her down. Then she challenged me to a fight, saying that if she won, I'd have to agree to be her boyfriend. Crazy, right?"

"En..." Sofia murmured, a contemplative look crossing her face.

"You agree, don't you?" Anos asked, smirking.

"No," Sofia said, her faint smile carrying a hint of mischief. "I just think your imagination is way too good."

Anos: "…"

Sofia sighed and stepped back, already turning to leave. "I'm going to keep an eye on the Baker Family. From here on, you're on your own."

"En. Goodbye, Darling," Anos called out, his tone deliberately playful.

Sofia stumbled mid-step, turning sharply to glare at him. "You've got time to joke? How about using it to figure out how to survive your punishment instead?" Without waiting for a reply, she spun on her heel and strode off.

Anos shrugged nonchalantly. To him, the so-called punishment was nothing more than a glorified training session. Why treat it as anything more?

Mia and Sasha exchanged incredulous glances. Had they heard correctly? Anos just called Teacher Sofia "Darling"?

"Anos, did you just call Teacher Sofia Darling?" Sasha blurted out, her eyes wide with disbelief.

Anos gave a casual chuckle. "Oh, that? Don't overthink it. Miss Sofia and I have a good relationship. I was just messing around. What did you think it was?"

Sasha hesitated, her face turning slightly red. "N-Nothing... I was just surprised."

Mia bit her lip nervously. "About the punishment… Why don't I tell my family? They could come to the Academy and plead for leniency with the leadership."

Anos shook his head firmly. "Won't work. The Academy's a special place—it's under direct control of the state. They don't care about outside influence. And didn't you hear Miss Sofia? This is about killing the chicken to scare the monkey. No matter what, there's no avoiding this punishment."

"I'm sorry..." Mia's voice was soft, full of guilt. She lowered her head, unable to meet his eyes.

"Sorry for what?" Anos asked with a playful smile. As he studied her, something dawned on him. This girl's actually pretty cute when she's flustered.

Mia's eyes welled up with tears as she looked at Anos. "It's all my fault... If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have..."

Anos suppressed a chuckle, his thoughts racing. And now you're blaming yourself? What a softie.

With a playful grin, he said, "So, how do you plan on making it up to me?"

Mia sniffled, her head still lowered. "I don't know…"

Anos leaned in slightly, his tone teasing. "Well, how about you give yourself to me as compensation?"

For a moment, neither of them took it seriously, both understanding it as a joke.

Mia looked up, wiping away the tears at the corners of her eyes. "Didn't you say you didn't like girls with small chests…?" she asked, clearly embarrassed.

Anos paused, his expression turning contemplative. "That's true…"

Mia blinked, caught off guard. "…"

Anos gave a small laugh but quickly softened his tone. "Alright, I'll be serious now." He ruffled her hair affectionately. "Don't worry about what happened with Samson. I chose to go all in with that fight. He showed clear intent to kill me. I was just defending myself."

Mia felt the gentle touch on her head, her face flushing bright red as she quickly turned away, not wanting to show her embarrassment.

Nearby, a group of onlookers watched in stunned silence. Wait, did Anos just— Their minds raced. Did he just get close to Mia like that?

They exchanged shocked glances. But wasn't he after Sasha? How did he end up with her best friend?

Envy, jealousy, confusion—emotions churned inside them, each wondering what had really happened between Anos and Mia.

Ding... Felt Mia's shyness. Scumbag Man Points awarded.

Ding... Mia's favorability towards you +5. Current favorability: 55. You can now confess.

Ding... Felt Sasha's displeasure. Scumbag Man Points awarded.

Anos froze. What's going on here? He rubbed Mia's head absentmindedly, trying to make sense of it. Sasha's displeased? Could it be... that she has some feelings for me too? Jealousy from a woman?

"System, can you tell me Sasha's favorability?" Anos asked, his mind racing with possibilities.

"No. You can only view favorability if you trigger the Advanced mission: Make this girl yours."

Anos blinked. "Then trigger it for me."

System: "…"

"Hey! Are you just going to ignore me now, you dead system?"

Ding... Lightning punishment is about to descend. Please retract your previous statement.

Anos quickly straightened up. "I'll take it back! I'll take it back!"

He grimaced, muttering under his breath, What kind of system is this? It's like I'm talking to an older sister with a short fuse.

----

After a brief pause, Anos finished his internal conversation with the system. His expression returned to its usual neutrality as he withdrew his hand. He glanced at Mia, his voice casual as he spoke, "Let's go back."

Mia, still a little flustered, lifted her gaze to meet his. Her face was soft with gratitude, but there was a glimmer of confusion in her eyes. "How should I thank you?" she asked, her voice quiet.

Anos smirked, leaning in slightly, his face just inches from hers. His tone shifted, playful yet bold. "Thank me? Nah." He paused, letting the air hang for a moment before adding, "Give me a kiss as thanks."

Mia's face turned crimson in an instant, and her eyes widened in disbelief. "Go to hell!" she spat, her voice sharp with embarrassment and anger. Without another word, she grabbed Sasha's arm and yanked her away, rushing to put distance between them.

Anos stood there for a moment, his lips curling into a satisfied grin as he watched them leave. What a reaction… he thought to himself, shaking his head inwardly. Girls sure are unpredictable.

His gaze drifted to the clock on the wall of the academy. He was done here. The day was already slipping away, and with everything else on his plate, he had no time to waste. There were more pressing matters to attend to. Without hesitation, he turned on his heel and strode out of the academy, a sense of resolve settling in.

Outside, he hailed a taxi, his mind already preoccupied with the Hunter's Guild. It's about time to take care of some business, he thought, settling into the backseat of the cab as it started moving.

The bustling streets blurred by as he focused on the task ahead.....