Lili's lips pressed against his with such sweet tenderness—warm, soft, dangerously pleasant. Kaido was backed against the hedge, with no space to retreat, his heart hammering against his chest as if it wanted to escape for him.
Her perfume wrapped around him, a firm grip on his shirt kept him pinned, and each second seemed to stretch into a dizzying confusion of sensations. Part of him wanted to push her away immediately.
No, I shouldn't… but I can't pull away.
Lili… could she…
No, that's impossible.
Could she also be a vampire?
But his body didn't obey, it was a staggering kiss.
Damn it!
I want to… but this is…
His face burned, his mind went blank, drowned in that impossible moment he couldn't reject.
When Lili finally pulled back a little, she opened her eyes with an innocent girl's expression, her face flushed, lips still slightly parted. She fixed him with an intense gaze, daring him to resist, the mischievous glint dancing in her eyes. Kaido felt his heart race again, unable to look away.
She took a step back, creating space, but before he could process what had just happened, Lili grabbed his shirt tight again and pulled him down for a quick kiss.
This time, after a few seconds, she pulled away completely, releasing the wrinkled fabric between her fingers. Her face was even redder, her lips still moist, but her eyes wavered as she realized she had gone further than intended.
Kaido was left breathless, eyes wide open, completely red, struggling to catch his breath and organize the chaotic thoughts Lili had just thrown into his head.
Lili brought a hand to her chest, over her racing heart, inhaling deeply to regain her breath—or savor what still lingered in the air.
"Oh là là…" he murmured as her lips curved into a satisfied smile. "C'était… intense. Mais délicieux."
She closed her eyes, letting the air escape slowly. Only then she turned toward the fountain, returning to the usual carefree look on her face.
"Bien… it's time to go." began to walk away, light steps over the stone, like nothing extraordinary had happened.
Meanwhile, Kaido remained dazed, his brain trying to keep up with the abrupt shift.
"W-WAIT!" he finally called, stepping forward, his voice coming out higher than he intended. "What the hell was that?!"
Lili slowed her pace, but didn't turn immediately.
"We…" he continued, running a hand through his hair, "we didn't talk anything about… about kissing!"
Lili stopped and turned back to him. She raised her hand and made a small gesture with her fingers, calling him closer. Kaido frowned, not pleased with the situation.
"No. Explain yourself."
She simply watched him for a moment… and then began walking toward him, stopping one step away. Before he could speak, Lili raised her hand and gently placed a finger on his lips, looking past him.
"Shhh… no time."
Kaido pulled his head back, irritated.
"Lili—"
But she was already pulling her finger away, once again turning her back on him.
"C'est la vie, mon amour." She took a few steps away, her hair swaying with the movement.
"Hey! Lili!"
Without stopping, she waved goodbye.
"I advise you to get ready… the hurricane is on its way." And then she broke into a light skip, like a little kid.
"Hurricane…? What are you talking about?"
Kaido stood there for a moment, still trying to make sense of everything that had just happened. He ran a hand over his face, dragging it slowly down.
"Haaah…"
He took a step following her… then another, hesitant, unsure whether to go after her.
That was when he felt a cold, instinctive shiver run down his spine, making him stop in place. Very slowly… he turned around.
Ah… this hurricane.
POC!
The dry sound of the impact echoed through the garden. Kaido staggered back a step, a hand on his face.
"Asuka?! Wait, it's not what you think—!"
"It's not what I think?!"
Asuka faced him, fists clenched, her expression bristling with indignation, she couldn't take it anymore.
"Then what is it, Kaido?" she shouted, stepping forward again, almost hitting his chest. "A mouth-to-mouth breathing exercise?! Boke!"
Kaido tried to open his mouth to justify himself, but each word seemed to be swallowed by another furious step from her, getting closer and closer.
This is really bad.
From afar, Lili peeked out from behind the fountain, struggling to hold back her laughter.
"Ça va être amusant!"[1]
Kaido rubbed his cheek, trying to ease the pain. Asuka remained in front of him, her heart in flames.
"W-why did you let her kiss you, Kaido?"
Baka!
Kaido opened his mouth to respond, but she raised her hand, blocking him.
"Dame… just let me speak."
The wind stirred her hair, making the strands dance around her face, and her gaze was at the same time firm and vulnerable.
"You know, you… you're always trying to protect everyone, even when you're the one who needs help the most."
She took a step forward, shortening the distance between them, her face almost touching his.
"I admire that in you… really."
She held his eyes for a moment… then quickly looked away, with her cheeks burning.
"…kono baka, manuke, uzai yatsu!"
Kaido hesitated, watching her look away.
"Asu… wait—"
This isn't like her…
She was too close—closer than she usually, even when they trained together.
Is she acting… like Lili…?
No… not like Lili…
It's more—
"…No, Kaido…" Asuka said, lowering her hands and gripped the pants.
She looked back at him, taking a deep breath as if gathering courage.
"You don't need to… I know how beautiful that crazy girl is…" Her voice faltered for a moment.
"…but—"
Lili, peeking, raised an eyebrow as she realized where the conversation was going—and she didn't like it at all.
No way… Asuka, you're not going to ruin my plans.
"I just wanted you to know that—"
Before she could finish, a melodic little laugh came from behind the fountain. Lili appeared, clapping slowly.
clap… clap… clap.
"Hé hé hé… what an adorable scene! It almost looked like a romantic confessional."
Kaido blinked, scratching his cheek.
Romantic… confessional?
"Lili! This is between Kaido and me!" Asuka turned to her, furious.
"Between?" Lili repeated, a provocative smile playing on her lips. "Chérie, he still has the taste of my lipstick. It seems to me that the 'between' has already been crossed."
Kaido froze, turning pale at Lili's words.
I'm dead… so dead.
"Lili, please—don't make things worse…"
She completely ignored him, taking a few steps toward Asuka, the air of an arrogant princess returning in full force.
"You know, Asuka, I'm tired of seeing that martyr look of yours. If you want to prove something… do it the way you know best."
"And what does that mean?"
Lili smiled, spreading her arms in an elegant, challenging gesture.
"A duel, évidemment, ma chérie."
[1] This is going to be fun!