My Succubus Health Bar Runs on Girl-Crushes

Seraphina Frost’s cool voice carried a trace of worry.

Her palm was warm and soft, wrapped gently around Tessa’s cold, faintly trembling hand. It was as if that quiet warmth was trying to comfort her without words.

[Ding! Detected deep “Tender Care” and “Nurturing Concern” from Seraphina Frost. Affection Points +8!]

[Ding! Affection Points +5!]

[Current Affection Points: 42]

A series of system alerts went off inside Tessa’s head. Her Affection Points were climbing faster than ever.

…

Ring!

Just as Tessa’s brain was about to melt into sludge from the warmth of that gentle touch, the end-of-class bell rang. The sharp sound yanked her sanity back into place.

Thank goodness.

Her body twitched, and she instinctively tried to pull her hand away from that heart-softening warmth.

“Don’t move.”

Seraphina did not let go. Instead, her fingers closed a little more firmly around Tessa’s hand.

Her grip was not strong, but it carried a gentle firmness that allowed no argument. She naturally pulled Tessa up from her seat, her clear eyes full of concern that left no room for refusal.

“I’m worried about you in this state. I’ll walk you back to your dorm.”

In that instant, every gaze in the entire lecture hall snapped toward their joined hands.

Time seemed to freeze.

A dead silence filled the air, followed almost immediately by whispers that no one could hold back.

“Whoa. Am I seeing that right? Is that Seraphina Frost? She’s… holding another girl’s hand?”

“Who is that girl? She’s gorgeous. Her skin is practically glowing. She has that innocent-but-dangerous look. When did our school get someone like that?”

Countless gazes pinned Tessa and Seraphina in place.

Tessa felt like her scalp was about to explode.

She lowered her head almost on instinct, wishing she could bury her entire face into the front of her sweater and disappear. Her toes curled awkwardly inside her shoes, mortified enough to start excavating an entire apartment complex through the floor.

Her social anxiety was burning. Screaming.

This was ten thousand times more humiliating than being forced to stand naked in public.

“Let’s go.”

Seraphina seemed completely untouched by the attention around them. Holding Tessa’s hand, she began walking.

And so, under the public execution of hundreds of eyes, Tessa was led out of the academic building by Halewick University’s famous moonlit goddess. Hand in hand. Step by step. Like she was being paraded through the campus.

The distance from the academic building to the dorm was only a few hundred meters, but to Tessa, it felt as long as a century.

She could clearly feel the hand Seraphina was holding. Her own palm was damp with nervous sweat.

Seraphina, however, interpreted that moisture in an entirely different way.

“Are you still feeling that bad? Your palm is all clammy.” Seraphina slowed her pace so Tessa could lean on her more easily, her voice growing even more worried. “Are your legs weak? If it’s hard to walk, you can lean on me. Don’t force yourself.”

Tessa wailed inwardly.

They are weak! My legs are absolutely weak! It’s not just my legs. I’m soft everywhere, inside and out!

Her head was full of thoughts she absolutely could not say out loud, and the instincts of her body were driving her mad.

This cursed succubus body.

After what felt like forever, they finally reached the dorm building.

In Tessa’s eyes, the familiar building had become a holy sanctuary of salvation.

Seraphina finally let go, though she seemed reluctant. The warm touch vanished, leaving Tessa’s heart strangely hollow for a moment.

“Go back and rest. Drink something warm.”

Seraphina looked at her, then reached out with her long, slender fingers and naturally brushed a few wind-tossed strands of hair away from Tessa’s forehead. Her fingertips accidentally grazed Tessa’s smooth skin, making another shiver run through her.

“If you still don’t feel well tomorrow, you have to tell me.” Seraphina took out her phone. “Let’s exchange contacts. It’ll be easier to check in.”

After they exchanged contact information, Seraphina finally left, looking back more than once as she walked away.

Only when that white figure disappeared completely around the corner did Tessa sag back against the cold wall like all the strength had been drained out of her. She gasped for air.

Then she hurriedly opened her system panel.

[Name: Tessa Vale]

[Affection Points: 55]

[Status: Natural Affection Decay. -1 point per hour.]

Looking at the number that had already broken past fifty, the survival anxiety pressing on her heart finally eased a little.

Before she could fully relax, however, the phone in her pocket began vibrating like crazy.

At the same time, Halewick University’s internal campus forum completely exploded.

Within minutes, a bold red post shot to the top of the trending page. A bright red [HOT] tag sat beside it.

[Explosive Newcomer! Arts Department Spotted With a Stunning New Girl Walking Beside Seraphina Frost. The Photos Are Unreal.]

The main post read:

[I hereby declare that my eyes have been blessed. I just got out of Art Appreciation and personally witnessed our untouchable Seraphina Frost walking with an absolutely stunning girl. That girl is so pretty I lost the ability to speak. Snow-white skin, doll-like features, innocent and dangerous at the same time. She looks like she stepped out of a dream. Your humble poster followed them and captured a full 360-degree beauty attack. Don’t ask me why Seraphina was holding her hand. If I were Seraphina, I’d want to hold it too.]

Below the post were more than a dozen secretly taken photos from different angles.

There was a side shot of the two sitting together in class. A close-up of Seraphina taking Tessa’s hand. A back view of them walking out of the lecture hall under countless stares. There was even a shot of Seraphina gently fixing Tessa’s hair on the tree-lined path.

Every photo had perfect light and composition. The atmosphere was practically overflowing.

The replies under the post refreshed at a terrifying speed.

[1F: What the hell? Is that face real? Finally, someone who can stand next to Seraphina Frost and not get completely outshone.]

[2F: The chemistry… Sorry, everyone. I’m switching sides. Pretty girls belong with pretty girls. Just seeing them together makes the air feel sweeter.]

[3F, OP: Additional info. That girl seems to be a new transfer student in the Arts Department. Her name is Tessa Vale. She looks a thousand times better in person. Innocent, dangerous, and basically walking charisma.]

[4F: I don’t believe it unless I see her myself. Someone drop Tessa Vale’s class schedule and dorm number.]

[5F: The person above me is being weird. But also… same.]

…

Tessa had not even finished processing the forum post when the dorm room door slammed open with a bang.

“Confess and we’ll be lenient! Resist and we’ll be merciless!”

Chloe Hart held up her phone, her face shining with the excitement of someone who had caught the culprit red-handed.

The cool Iris Lane and the elegant Vanessa Rose blocked Tessa’s escape routes from the left and right, both wearing smiles that promised trouble.

“Well, well, little Tessa. Not bad.”

Vanessa, whose figure was still the most striking in the room, walked over with smooth, unhurried steps. She lifted Tessa’s chin lightly with one finger, her breath warm and fragrant as she smiled like a beautiful temptress.

“You’ve only been here a few days, and without a sound, you already managed to take down the most untouchable ice queen at Halewick University?”

Her gesture was full of teasing pressure. The warmth of her fingertip made Tessa’s cheeks burn all over again.

“N-No! It’s not what you think!” Tessa was surrounded by all three roommates and had no idea how to explain herself. She was so anxious she was close to tears.

“Still denying it?” Chloe shoved her phone screen in front of Tessa’s face. “The forum is going insane. You call this nothing? That hand-holding looked more intimate than my parents.”

In the middle of the playful interrogation, Chloe suddenly clapped her hands in excitement.

“Oh, right! Tessa, your timing is perfect. Tomorrow is the annual Club Fair. The four of us from Room 407 have to go together. It’s going to be so lively!”

“Huh? Club Fair?”

Tessa shook her head like a rattle. The moment she imagined tomorrow’s sea of people, with crowds shoulder to shoulder in every direction, she felt like she could not breathe. Her social anxiety started blaring alarms inside her body.

“No… I’m not going…”

“No way!” Chloe planted her hands on her hips and puffed out her cheeks. “Room 407 moves as a unit. No one gets left behind.”

“Exactly,” Iris said.

She had not spoken much before, but now the cool-looking dancer gave Tessa a firm once-over, her gaze carrying a hint of authority.

“You’re too weak. It’s a good chance to see if there are any athletic clubs you can join. Dance Club, maybe. Or Taekwondo Club. Something to build strength.”

As she spoke, she very seriously pinched Tessa’s slender arm. The soft feeling made Iris’s pretty brows draw together slightly.

“Too soft. No muscle at all. That won’t do.”

The touch made Tessa jolt again.

Vanessa, the elegant and knowing one, added the final fatal blow with a smile.

“She’s right, Tessa. You really should go. The Student Council will have a booth on the main walkway tomorrow too. Who knows… you might see your Seraphina there.”

She deliberately drew out the last few words, her eyes full of ambiguous amusement.

Seraphina Frost…

At the sound of that name, Tessa’s heart skipped in a completely useless way.

Right. It was Club Fair. As vice president of the Student Council, Seraphina would definitely be there.

She was a walking, top-quality Affection Point reservoir.

Inside Tessa’s mind, survival instinct and social anxiety began an earth-shaking tug-of-war.

On one side was the public execution hell of endless crowds.

On the other was the hope of staying alive.

In the end, survival won by a landslide.

“I… I’ll go.”

Tessa squeezed the words out through gritted teeth.

Seeing her tragic, heroic expression, as if she were marching to her own execution, the three roommates burst into laughter.

Late that night, the dorm went quiet.

Only even breathing and the occasional chirp of insects outside the window remained.

Tessa wrapped herself tightly in her blanket, tossing and turning, unable to sleep.

One moment, Seraphina’s gentle smile filled her mind. The next, she imagined the terrifying crush of people at tomorrow’s Club Fair.

Just as her thoughts were spiraling, the phone beside her pillow suddenly buzzed. The screen lit up in the darkness.

It was a new message on her campus chat app.

Almost in a trance, she picked up her phone. The moment she saw the sender, her breathing stopped.

With trembling fingers, she opened the message.

[Seraphina Frost: Get some rest. Good night.]

Six simple words landed in her heart like a pebble dropped into a still lake, sending ripples spreading in every direction.

Before Tessa could reply, another message arrived.

[Seraphina Frost: I hope I’ll see you at the Club Fair tomorrow. ^_^]

That tiny smiley face seemed to carry Seraphina’s warmth and scent through the screen, striking Tessa directly in the heart.

[Ding! Detected “Anticipation” and “Fond Concern” from Seraphina Frost. Affection Points +2!]

[Ding! Affection Points +1!]

Even this could give Affection Points?!

Tessa’s heart pounded wildly. She clutched the phone, typing and deleting in the message box for a long time before finally sending two careful words.

[Tessa Vale: Good night.]