My Succubus Health Bar Runs on Girl-Crushes

Tessa crawled out of bed with two suspicious dark circles beneath her eyes and the expression of someone who had lost all hope in life.

She changed into her workout clothes, and before her brain had fully woken up, muscle memory was already carrying her toward the familiar athletic field.

Sure enough, the bright yellow figure was already waiting there.

Like a tiny sun that rose on schedule every morning, Riley radiated an almost scorching amount of energy. Yet today, she seemed unusually... quiet.

She stood beside the track with her arms folded. The moment she saw Tessa approaching, her gaze drifted away, and even her simple greeting came out strangely stiff.

“You’re here.”

“Morning, Riley,” Tessa replied weakly.

“Mm.”

Riley answered through her nose, and that was apparently the end of the conversation.

The intensity of the workout had not changed, but the atmosphere was deeply strange. Riley barely looked at Tessa the entire time. She directed each exercise through brief commands and occasional glances from the corner of her eye.

Her awkward behavior left Tessa increasingly confused.

When the training session finally ended, Tessa reached into the small bag she had brought with her and took out a beautifully wrapped square box.

“Riley, this is... for you.”

She held it out nervously, her heartbeat accelerating despite herself.

The moment Riley saw the box, her body went rigid.

She did not take it. Instead, she frowned and studied Tessa with a guarded expression.

“What is it?”

“A-A sports watch...” Tessa’s voice grew quieter. “I noticed you always use your phone to time workouts, and that seems inconvenient. This can monitor your heart rate and all kinds of training data. It’s a professional model...”

“A sports watch?”

Riley’s frown deepened. She glanced at the brand logo on the box, and her expression turned unusually serious.

“This is expensive. I can’t accept it.”

Her cold refusal was completely different from the reactions Vanessa and the others had shown the night before.

Tessa’s heart sank.

Does Riley dislike me?

Or does she think I’m trying to buy her off? Does she think the gift is insulting?

A flood of anxious thoughts rushed through her mind.

“N-No, that’s not it!”

Tessa panicked. Forgetting all about her nervousness and embarrassment, she tore open the box and pulled out the sleek black sports watch.

Then she grabbed Riley by the wrist.

“You have to take it! Th-This is the first gift I’ve ever given you! If you refuse it, that means you don’t respect me!”

In her desperation, she blurted out the completely unreasonable demand without thinking.

Riley froze the instant Tessa touched her.

The girl’s hand was soft and slightly cool, carrying the faint scent of body wash. The delicate sensation against her wrist shot through Riley’s entire body like an electric current.

She watched helplessly as Tessa lowered her head.

Those pale hands, delicate enough to look like works of art, clumsily but earnestly threaded the strap through the buckle and fastened the watch around Riley’s wrist.

Tessa’s fingertips inevitably brushed the sensitive skin on the inside of her wrist again and again.

Every touch made Riley forget to breathe.

Bzz.

The newly fastened watch suddenly lit up and gave a faint vibration.

The heart-rate monitor began flashing wildly.

The number, which should have been holding steadily somewhere between sixty and eighty, climbed at the speed of a launching rocket.

120...

145...

168...

182!

A bright red warning icon and that absurdly high number glowed openly between them.

The air went dead silent.

Tessa stared at the screen in disbelief.

She looked at the heart rate, which seemed more suited to the engine of a Formula One car, then slowly raised her eyes toward Riley.

The color was already racing up Riley’s neck and spreading all the way to the tips of her ears.

Her gaze had gone completely unfocused. It felt as though every drop of blood in her body had rushed into her head, leaving her brain buzzing from lack of oxygen.

I’m finished.

She knows.

That was the only thought left in Riley’s mind.

“Th-That watch must be broken! Yes, that’s it! It’s defective! I-I’m going to complain to the manufacturer!”

Riley tore her hand away from Tessa and shouted the excuse in complete panic.

Then she turned and ran.

She moved like an arrow released from a bow, vanishing around the corner of the athletic field in seconds.

Tessa remained frozen in place.

She stared at Riley’s fleeing figure, then looked down at her fingertips, which still seemed to hold the burning warmth of Riley’s wrist.

Several seconds passed before a laugh escaped her.

She covered her mouth, her shoulders trembling as she tried to hold it back.

Riley really was...

Far too cute.

[Ding! Detected affection toward you from target Riley Summers. Affection Points +15!]

The system notification made Tessa’s smile even brighter.

Still carrying that pleasant mood, Tessa picked up the premium baking mold set she had prepared for Molly and headed downstairs to the residence hall entrance.

Molly was already waiting there with breakfast in her hands.

“Tessa! You’re here! Hurry and eat while it’s still warm!”

“Molly, I have a gift for you too!”

Like someone presenting a priceless treasure, Tessa held out the large gift box.

When Molly saw the gleaming set of high-end molds inside, each decorated in adorable bear designs, she did not scream like Chloe.

Nor did she blush and flee like Riley.

Her eyes instantly turned red.

Large tears spilled uncontrollably from her clear eyes and landed on the gift box.

“Tessa... How could you...” Her voice thickened with emotion and confusion. “This is too expensive. You spent so much money on me...”

“It wasn’t that expensive!”

Tessa could never stand seeing a girl cry. She immediately panicked and began wiping away Molly’s tears.

“I bought it with money I earned myself! You’ve made so much delicious food for me. Isn’t it only right that I buy you some baking molds? Please stop crying. You won’t look pretty if you keep crying!”

“But...” Molly sniffled, hugging the mold set tightly as though it were the most precious treasure in the world.

“No buts!”

Tessa took her hand and led her toward the little kitchen that belonged only to Molly.

“Come on. Let’s try them right now! I want to eat little cakes made with your new molds!”

“Okay!”

The moment cooking was mentioned, Molly’s feeding spirit burst into flames and overwhelmed every other emotion.

She wiped away her tears and nodded firmly. When she looked at Tessa again, her eyes shone with an intensity Tessa had never seen before.

“Just wait, Tessa! I’m going to make you the biggest, cutest dessert feast in the entire world!”

And so, while sitting inside that cozy little kitchen, Tessa discovered what the feeding angel’s ultimate expression of gratitude looked like.

Bear-shaped brownies.

Madeleines baked in tiny cat-paw molds.

Mousses and fruit jellies shaped like all kinds of flowers.

The entire table became covered with an overwhelming display of delicate desserts so adorable they almost felt illegal. The air itself was filled with a sweet fragrance rich enough to make a person dizzy with happiness.

Tessa felt as though she had fallen into the candy house from a fairy tale.

Everything tasted so good that she nearly swallowed her own tongue.

[Ding! Detected a continued rise in [Joy] from target Molly Sweet. Affection Points +15!]

After finally finishing that “sweet burden,” Tessa collapsed into a chair in the dorm and rubbed her round little stomach in bliss.

She felt as though her life had reached its absolute peak.

Then her phone chimed and lit up.

Tessa casually picked it up and found a text from an unfamiliar number.

[Hello, Tessa. Your custom music box is finished and ready for pickup whenever you’re available.]

The music box...

It was ready?

Tessa immediately sat upright.

Her full stomach and lingering drowsiness vanished without a trace.

Once again, her heart began pounding far faster than it had any right to.