--

The ride back to your corporate apartment's quiet. Too quiet because Kaina's gone quiet! The bad kind of quiet! She hasn't once spoken up after you bundled her into your limo. After you've promised to reveal one of your secrets to Kaina to reciprocate the trust she's shown you.

Even now she just sits beside you, desperately holding onto your hand. You feel her squeeze your digits between her own, a faint tremor radiating up from her wrist. Your stoic love's so cool, and her face is so composed. All the blind, ignorant 'normal' people would probably think she's got nerves of steel.

But you know better. You've gotten to know your love after all these weeks. Her face might not be emotive, but right now? You know Kaina's freaking the heck out.

You can see it in her eyes, in the way she squeezes your wrist with one of her hands as hard as she's squeezing the pink penguin plush you'd 'rescued' for her with her other hand. Oof, the way the soft fabric's indenting underneath the tips of Kaina's fingers? The way her fingers dig into the soft skin of your own wrist?

Yeah, Kaina's grip is pretty strong. It's like she's afraid you'll slip right out of her fingers…

Kaina's really not in a good way right now, isn't she? She's insecure! She's afraid! She shouldn't be afraid; she shouldn't have to worry so much about revealing the second part of her identity to you! She shouldn't have to be worried that this will create a wedge in your relationship. She shouldn't ever have to worry at all!

So.

You'll have to make her not worry. You'll have to reciprocate the trust she's placed in you in a grand gesture.

And what grander gesture can there be than revealing your own identity to your love?

… At an appropriate venue, of course. Your own little pleasure penthouse, right at the top of the corporate building you've taken over.

You can feel the tension practically ratcheting up as you lead Kaina out of the limo, into the lobby of your building, into the elevator that'll take you to your penthouse. The tension, this quiet pensiveness isn't all Kaina.

… You're a little worried too. This is a pretty big gamble you're making. Sure, you're the type of girl who likes to go big or go home, but this is a bit much isn't it? You're laying an awful lot of your cards on the table, revealing yourself like this.

Well, it could be worse. You could be revealing something… Something genuinely embarrassing. Like what you used to look like before you Fell.

Or your age!

"Mistress, will we - "

"Give us privacy, Lupe. Okay?" You ask, waving away your cute puppy. "… But stand by for more orders; I might need you at some point later. Got it?"

"Understood," your wolf-eared maid bows briefly and scurries away, her heels clicking against the tiles of your penthouse, looking more than a bit relieved. You can't blame her; she was the one who had to escort you and Kaina back to your place. She could practically taste the tension building with her enhanced senses.

Finally, at last, you're alone with your love. Your worryingly quiet love, who hasn't said a single word ever since you gently guided her back to your limo.

"Alright, I promised to show you something once I got back to our – I mean, my place," you cough, affecting a cute, energetic pose. Hand on your hip, other hand pointing up at the ceiling. "So, here goes, okay?"

Kaina nods wordlessly.

And like that, you transform. Pink sparks of magic flare around your body, your clothes shimmering, melting away as they're replaced by your skimpy succubus' outfit. Your womb tattoo glows against your pale skin as leathery wings grow out of your back, extending behind you like a regal cape.

You do another pose now as you feel your transformation finishing up, flashing Kaina two victory signs and affecting a cutesy wink.

"Hey, hey! Let me reintroduce myself. I'm Alice Takanashi, but I'm also the sexy, devilish, Magical Girl Void Heart~!" You cheer, sort of relishing in the surprise that flits across Kaina's face. Her jaw doesn't quite drop, but you can see the surprise in her green eyes.

… It's a little amazing how much of a guilty pleasure this is. It's cute to see Kaina so surprised, but it also twinges at your heart for some reason…

Kaina reaches out now, the first motion she's made since you've guided her up to your apartment. You twitch as your love's hand cups your face, as her slim fingers stroke your soft cheek. Kaina's green eyes stare intently into your own, lighting up with hints of mana as she scans you. Probably looking for signs of an illusion or any other deception.

Seconds pass as your love examines you, drinking in every inch of your transformed form. You resist the urge to bask under the scrutiny or twitch under the scrutiny. On the one hand, you're glad that Kaina's so enraptured with your body~!

But on the other hand, you legitimately have no idea what she's thinking now. Her unemotive face has completely closed off now…

"You're a Magical Girl," Kaina says suddenly, haltingly. Her voice is hoarse from disuse. There's a faint thread of disbelief that winds through her words…

"Yep! Sure am!"

"… Ah," Kaina goes quiet again. Dreadfully, horribly quiet. You start to sweat as you see her visibly shut down in front of your eyes, her face closing off again. Your love fidgets lightly. You watch her slim throat bob as she swallows, then asks another question…

"You knew I was a Magical Girl too, then. The first time you met me. The enchantment that protects a Magical Girl's identity doesn't… You recognized me from… From…"

"I watched a lot of the broadcasts that featured you, yeah," you admit. "I recognized you the first time I saw you."

"… But you… When did you… Did you really" Kaina fumbles with her words, looking completely lost now. Panic flits across her face, flickering across her eyes.

"Are you asking me if I love you, Kaina?" You ask gently.

Kaina nods again, and you reach down to grab her hands between your own, squeezing your fingers between her warm palms.

Ah, you see what she needs now. She needs to know how committed you are to her. She needs to know emphatically that you'll never leave her, no matter what happens. And how better to prove that than to offer your neck up to her? To put yourself in her power and give her the perfect chance to completely and utterly destroy you in whatever manner she sees fit?

You'd do anything for your love. Anything. You'd kill in her name. You'd worship her if she commanded it. So if she wants you to offer your own life up on a platter, well…

"Kaina, I love you. I love you no matter what form you take. Yes, I already knew you were Infinity Princess. I've watched you as Infinity Princess; I fell in love with Infinity Princess. But I've gotten to know you as Kaina too. And Kaina's a cutie. Isn't that what I told you earlier? Kaina's cool and cute. The coolest and the cutest. So… So I love all of you," you say, a bit of desperation filling your voice.

Because your love has to know exactly how much you love her. You want her to know that you love her so very desperately, so much it hurts…

So…

"So I love all of you from the bottom of my heart. I always have, and I always will. So none of this… None of this matters. It doesn't matter who you really are, it doesn't matter who I really am. Kaina, I love you!"

"… Ah," Kaina says before lapsing into silence once again.

It makes sense. Your love's the introspective type. She's a silly goose who gets wrapped up in her own thoughts all the time. Which is nice, really. She can be so thoughtful sometimes because of that personality trait.

But right now?

Ooh, what you wouldn't give to know what's going on in her beautiful head. What thoughts she's having, how exactly she's reacting…

What if she hates you because you've kept this from her? No, she wouldn't hate you, would she? She didn't give any indications that she would…

"… You do love me. And you're a Magical Girl too. This means that… You won't ever… My lifestyle doesn't… It doesn't present an obstacle that…" Kaina says, fumbling through her words again, a stream of incomplete thoughts leaving her mouth.

Oh.

… You were getting a bit wrapped up in your own desires there, weren't you? Kaina's priorities are a bit different here. She was worried about something entirely different.

She was worried that her own lifestyle might act like a barrier in your relationship. That being a Magical Girl would be a wedge that'd come between the two of you. Because Magical Girls really do live a life that's different from any regular girl.

And here you went and revealed you were a Magical Girl too.

Which means…

"I'm a kick-ass Magical Girl, Kaina. I've been where you were, and I can stay by your side because of that. Because I understand, Kaina," you implore, feeling your love's hands shake between your own.

You do understand why Kaina acts the way she does. You understand more than Kaina knows, because once upon a time, you were like Kaina. Constantly slaving away for the sake of some ungrateful meat sacks, constantly toiling to make a better world you'd never enjoy for those worthless flesh bags. Except you left that lifestyle behind, and you're all the happier for that. Debauchery and hedonism are so much more fun~!

Kaina hasn't, not quite yet. Eh, you'll just have to give her a bit more time on that front...

… Kaina's also gone quiet again, which is making you even more nervous. It's time to really pour on the charm. All or nothing.

"Kaina, I promised you that I'd never leave your side, remember? You have proof now that I'm capable of fulfilling that promise, so-"

"You're still hiding some things from me," Kaina blurts out, tears beginning to pool in her eyes.

Uh-oh. A little bead of sweat begins to build within your brow. Did she catch you in a half-truth? No, she must be suspicious about how obviously corrupted you are. You are the model of a sexy succubus after all, the outfit you're wearing isn't exactly something a 'pure' Magical Girl would wear...

"… Yes, but - "

"But... you do love me. And you… You understand. You understand. Which means that… That you won't ever… You won't ever go where I can't follow you like…"

"Yes. I won't ever leave your side, Kaina. I promise!"

And that's when Kaina actually bursts into tears. You let out a little eep as she tackles you, burying her face between your soft cleavage as she hugs herself to you. Her crying's soft, but all the more startling because of how suddenly it's come on. It's like all the pent-up emotions Kaina's been feeling over the past few hours have… Boiled over in this moment.

… Oh gosh.

You were prepared for lots things to happen tonight, but somehow you weren't prepared for this…

--

Infinity Princess Corruption: 50

Stage One cleared!

30/100 (Stage Two)