My Succubus Health Bar Runs on Girl-Crushes

Around six-thirty on Monday morning, the sky was only beginning to brighten, and a trace of chill still lingered in the air.

“You’re three minutes late.”

The cool voice, edged with impatience, struck Tessa’s ears as sharply as a training whistle sounding at dawn.

She looked up and saw Riley Summers waiting by the entrance to the athletic field. Riley wore a fitted black sports bra and matching shorts, her arms folded as she leaned against the railing. Sweat had dampened the short hair across her forehead, and a bead slid down the clean line of her jaw before disappearing against her sharply defined collarbone.

Clearly, the demon coach had already been warming up for quite a while.

“What are you standing there for? Get over here and stretch.” Riley’s brows drew together, her tone leaving no room for argument. Yet the moment Tessa appeared, her gaze lingered for a fraction of a second on the curves that even Tessa’s loose workout clothes failed to hide.

Then Riley looked away so quickly, it was as though she had touched something hot.

Tessa jogged toward her in tiny steps, feeling as if she were walking to her own execution. Today, she carried a top-secret mission that would determine whether she could preserve what remained of her dignity for the next forty-eight hours.

That made her even more nervous around Riley than usual.

Today’s workout felt different.

After two days to get herself under control, Riley no longer froze every time physical contact became necessary. She seemed to have entered an intensely professional coaching mode. Her expression remained stern, her explanations were clear, and her voice stayed calm and steady.

“Brace your core. Don’t arch your back.”

While guiding Tessa through high knees, Riley placed a hand directly against her soft, flat stomach. The warmth of her palm seeped through the thin fabric, making Tessa stiffen instantly.

“Feel that?” Riley’s voice sounded right beside her ear, firm and commanding. “Use these muscles.”

Tessa’s palms were slick with nervous sweat. She nodded stiffly, all her attention focused on finding the perfect opportunity to activate [Eyes of Enchantment].

“How many times do I have to tell you to lower your center of gravity? Are your legs just decorative?”

Riley’s voice remained harsh, but Tessa noticed something strange. The fingers wrapped around her thigh seemed to be trembling ever so slightly.

An opening!

Was this her chance?

Tessa nervously raised her eyes, ready to activate the skill. Then she met Riley’s sharp, intensely focused gaze and immediately lost her nerve.

No. The angle was wrong, and they were too close. It would look way too deliberate. Riley would definitely notice!

All Tessa could do was silently cheer herself on while enduring one embarrassing, heart-racing exercise after another under Riley’s merciless hands.

At last, after a set of jumping jacks, Riley issued a new order.

“Plank. Two minutes.”

Tessa lowered herself onto the yoga mat and held her body up on her elbows and toes. Less than thirty seconds later, her arms began shaking uncontrollably, and her waist slowly started to sag.

“Who told you to drop your hips?”

Riley’s voice came from above her. A second later, Tessa felt Riley’s knee brace against the mat beside her as the athletic girl leaned down.

To inspect Tessa’s form more closely, Riley suspended her upper body almost directly over her. Their faces were suddenly less than four inches apart.

Hot breath, mixed with the clean scent of sweat, brushed across Tessa’s cheeks. She could see every detail of Riley’s handsome face, flushed slightly from exercise, and the bright eyes reflecting Tessa’s own panicked expression.

Now!

Tessa’s heart hammered wildly. Everything depended on this moment.

She clenched her teeth and shouted silently.

[Activate Eyes of Enchantment!]

An almost imperceptible trace of pink magic welled up from the depths of her eyes. Her already luminous amber irises seemed to fill with the purest morning dew, becoming soft and misty with innocence, dependence, and the faintest hint of a helpless, animal-like plea.

Tessa tilted her face upward and stared straight into Riley’s eyes without blinking.

Riley froze.

Her heart felt as if an invisible hand had seized it. It missed an entire beat.

Then an unreasonable wave of heat exploded from her chest and swept through her body like wildfire. Her face turned crimson in an instant, the tips of her ears burning as her breathing grew fast and hot.

What kind of look was that?

Riley’s mind went completely blank for three full seconds.

Unfortunately, her thought process was as unusual as the rest of her. After those three seconds, the mental circuitry of an athlete with all the romantic awareness of a brick restarted from a truly astonishing angle.

In Riley’s eyes, Tessa’s pitiful please-let-me-rest expression transformed into something entirely different.

That was not a plea for mercy.

It was defiance.

It was stubborn determination. A silent declaration that said, I can keep going. This level of training is nothing.

A challenge.

“Excellent, Tessa!”

Instead of softening, Riley sprang upright as if someone had set fire to her competitive spirit. Her eyes shone, and barely restrained excitement filled her voice.

“I can see the fire in your eyes!”

Tessa stared at her from the floor.

“...What?”

She remained sprawled on the mat, completely baffled by the sudden turn into a sports anime.

Riley gave her no time to process it. She clapped her hands and announced in a nearly triumphant voice, “So this beginner-level workout hasn’t been satisfying you at all. I underestimated you!”

“N-No, Riley, I...”

“No need to explain. I understand.” Riley waved away her weak protest and revealed a smile that could only be described as cruel. “In honor of that fighting spirit, we’re doubling today’s workout. Everybody up. Fifty burpees. Start!”

[Beep! Target Riley Summers’ heart rate increased by 50% in an instant! Adrenaline levels have risen sharply!]

[Skill Test Result: Success!]

The System’s notification rang through Tessa’s mind.

But before she could celebrate escaping certain doom, another round of hellish training crashed down upon her like a hurricane.

By the time the doubled workout finally ended, Tessa felt like a dried-out fish left under the sun. She lay sprawled across the yoga mat, her limbs limp and useless, without enough strength to move even one finger.

She gasped for breath. Sweat had soaked through her clothes, making the fabric cling tightly to her body and outline every dangerous curve.

Tessa wanted to cry.

She could not understand how things had gone so wrong. How had activating a charm skill somehow ignited Riley’s competitive spirit?

What kind of bizarre wiring did this woman have in her brain?

Tessa tried to encourage herself and struggled to rise from the mat.

Just then, a chilled bottle of water covered in condensation appeared in front of her.

Tessa looked up.

Riley stood over her, looking down from above. A suspicious flush still lingered across her striking face, and her eyes kept darting everywhere except toward Tessa.

“D-Drink some water! What are you staring at? You need to replace your electrolytes.” Riley’s voice grew louder, as if volume alone could conceal her embarrassment. “And if you’re late again tomorrow, I’ll double the workout!”

After throwing out that thoroughly unconvincing threat, Riley turned and fled as though something terrifying were chasing her.