Story: Learning With Succubus-Chan

 

Ranma Saotome adjusted the cuffs of his rented tuxedo for the umpteenth time, shifting his weight from one foot to the other beneath the arching cherry blossoms in the park. His fingers clutched the stems of a bouquet of vivid flowers, the scent mingling with the fresh spring air.

"This is just another challenge," he muttered under his breath, trying to convince himself. "Akane thinks she can pull off this fancy date thing? Well, I’ll show her who’s the best at... at dating! Hehehe! I'll show her! I'll show her the hell of my dating technique!"

Despite his bravado, a bead of sweat rolled down his temple. Sure, he’d fought dragons, martial artists, and even ghost cats, but this was an entirely different battlefield. He straightened his tie and took a deep breath, his competitive spirit igniting. "Alright, Saotome, time to show her a good time and prove you’re number one!"

But when he turned to see Akane approaching, every carefully crafted thought in his mind shattered like a ceramic plate dropped from a rooftop.

Akane wore a simple yet stunning dress, a soft sky-blue fabric that swayed gently with every step she took. Her hair was pinned back in a way that framed her face, a faint blush dusting her cheeks. She wasn’t wearing anything particularly flashy, but her presence was like a gut punch to Ranma’s composure. There was something just plain different about her. Something in the way she moved, carried herself, felt so much... Cuter, sexier than normal.

“Hi, Ranma!” she said, her voice light and cheerful. She carried a small purse in one hand, and her other hand waved at him with a natural elegance that made his chest tighten.

“Uh, h-hey, Akane,” Ranma stammered, his usual confident demeanor gone as he held out the bouquet. “These are... uh... these are for you.”

Akane’s eyes widened, and her blush deepened as she accepted the flowers. “Wow, Ranma, they’re beautiful! Thank you.”

He scratched the back of his neck, his competitive pep talk completely forgotten. “Yeah, well, I figured, y’know, since this is a date and all…”

Akane giggled, a sound that was both unfamiliar and strangely endearing to Ranma’s ears. “You look really handsome in that tuxedo.”

“Y-you think so?” Ranma asked, his voice cracking slightly. He cleared his throat and straightened up. “I mean, of course! You’re not too bad yourself.”

Akane gave him a playful pout. “Not too bad? That’s all I get?”

Ranma panicked, waving his hands in front of him. “I mean—you look amazing! Way better than me! Not that I’m bad! But you’re just, uh...” He trailed off, feeling like an idiot.

Akane giggled again, enjoying his flustered state more than she’d expected. “Relax, Ranma. I was teasing.”

They began their stroll through the park, passing under the blossoming trees and the occasional lamppost casting warm light on the path. Ranma kept sneaking glances at Akane, each time quickly looking away when she turned toward him. What was going on here? Why was she being so cute all of a sudden? He almost wanted to try to start an argument to make things normal, but for some reason every time he was about to try, something stopped him. It was almost like she'd cast a spell on him.

=====

The date was going well so far. Really, really well. She could tell Ranma was nervous. So nervous that he was going to say something stupid to ruin the moment. She didn't know how she knew, exactly. It was sort of like a martial artist's danger sense. You often cannot explain it, but... it's right there. She knew, and she also knew how to keep him off balance. Somehow. Draw attention to her face or her body and he'd crumble into dust.

"Hey now," Succubus-chan whispered in her ear. "You like the attention, don'tcha? You love it when he looks at you like that!"

Akane shook her head. No, of course not. What she liked was shutting him up for once. Ranma could be fun to hang around with, when he wasn't being weird... although, since she kept on distracting him from saying something stupid, the conversation had stalled a little bit.

“So,” Akane said, breaking the silence, “what do you have planned for tonight?”

“Oh, I got plans,” Ranma said, his confidence momentarily returning. Akane bit her lip. Ranma was so damned handsome when he was confident. “Big ones. Just you wait. You’re gonna be impressed.”

Akane raised an eyebrow, and decided to tease him a little bit. “Big plans, huh? You’re not dragging me into some martial arts sparring match, are you?”

Ranma scoffed. “What kind of jerk do you take me for? I’m gonna show you a night to remember.”

True to his word, Ranma led her to a cozy riverside café, where they shared tea and small desserts. He made an effort not to devour his food as he normally would, though Akane couldn’t resist giggling when he almost spilled his tea.

“Alright, laugh it up,” Ranma grumbled, though there was no real malice in his tone.

"Play footsie with him under the table," said Succubus-chan, dressed up like the maid next to the table. "Go ahead, show him you're interested!"

“I’m sorry,” Akane said, stifling another laugh. No, she wouldn't be doing that. A bit too far... though, she was a little curious to see his reaction. “It’s just... cute seeing you try so hard.”

“Cute?” Ranma echoed, the word catching him off guard.

Akane nodded, her smile softening. Mmm~ Yeah, it did feel nice to see him react that way.“Yeah. It’s nice seeing this side of you.”

Ranma’s face turned as red as his usual shirt. “W-well, don’t get used to it,” he muttered, focusing intently on his teacup. Cute! He was really, far too cute for his own good

After the café, Ranma led Akane to a small arcade where they competed in a series of games. Akane’s laughter filled the room as she beat him at a racing game, while Ranma redeemed himself by dominating in a martial arts-themed game. All the while, Succubus-chan was whispering in Akane's ear, pointing out ways that she could flirt with him. Ways that she could make him look at her, only her, ignore all other girls forever, make him think Shampoo and Ukyo were pains in the neck getting in their way so he'd take her to his bed and dick. Her. Down...

“See? Told ya I’m the best,” he said with a smug grin.

“Sure, Ranma,” Akane said, rolling her eyes. Oooh, for some reason that she couldn't explain, she had butterflies in her stomach, and couldn't quite bring herself to look at him right now. “Just don’t forget who won the first game.”

As the evening drew to a close, they found themselves back at the park, sitting on a bench overlooking the gently flowing river. The silence between them was comfortable, the cool breeze carrying the scent of cherry blossoms. All the while, Akane was tuning out Succubus-chan, who was behind them even then, ranting and raving about this and that, how she should be sitting in his lap, resting her head on his shoulder - oh! Or putting her head in his lap, or maybe even the other way around!

“Thanks for tonight,” Akane said softly, breaking the silence. “I had a really good time.”

“Yeah, me too,” Ranma admitted. He looked down to twiddle his thumbs. "It went surprisingly well. I was expecting us to be interrupted or something, but..."

Akane turned to him, her expression tender. “You’re not so bad at this dating thing, you know.”

Ranma scratched his cheek, grinning sheepishly. “Yeah, well, don’t expect me to say sappy stuff or nothin’.”

Akane laughed, leaning closer. “Don’t worry. I like you just the way you are.”

Ranma froze, his brain short-circuiting as her words sank in. He barely managed a coherent thought as Akane stood, brushing off her dress.

“Walk me home?” she asked, holding out her hand.

Ranma stood, taking her hand without hesitation. “Y-yeah, sure.”

As they walked back to the Tendo dojo, Ranma couldn’t shake the feeling that, somehow, Akane had won this particular contest without even trying.

====

The sound of the front door sliding closed behind Akane seemed to echo in the quiet of the Tendo home. Kasumi looked up from her needlework with a warm smile as Akane stepped into the living room, followed closely by Nabiki, who had been lounging on the couch, pretending to read a magazine.

“Welcome back, Akane,” Kasumi said cheerfully. “How was your evening?”

“It was fine,” Akane replied, trying to keep her voice casual. She brushed past her sisters and headed toward the stairs, but Nabiki wasn’t about to let her off that easily.

“Fine?” Nabiki repeated, her tone dripping with skepticism. “You go out on an actual date with Ranma, of all people, and all you can say is ‘fine’? What, did he blow it already?”

Akane turned on her heel, her cheeks glowing faintly pink. “I said it was fine, okay? Nothing to talk about!”

“Oh, come on,” Nabiki pressed, leaning back lazily and crossing her legs. “Details, sis. Did he spill food on himself? Trip over his own feet? Maybe confess undying love for you in the middle of the arcade?”

Akane scowled. “Goodnight, Nabiki.” She stomped up the stairs without another word, her footsteps growing softer as she disappeared into her room.

Kasumi frowned slightly at her retreating figure. “She seemed a little flustered, don’t you think?”

Nabiki shrugged, though a sly smile tugged at her lips. “I’d say she’s just embarrassed. Ranma must’ve done something right for once.”

As Kasumi returned to her needlework, the air shimmered faintly near the sofa. From the corner of the room, a figure materialized—Succubus-Chan.

Clad in her frilly, overly cutesy pink-and-black outfit, the mascot figure hovered just above the floor, her tiny bat wings flapping idly. Her exaggerated eyes sparkled with mischief, and her pouty lips curled into a sly grin. She pointed one dainty finger toward the stairs.

“Ugh, she’s so stubborn!” Succubus-Chan huffed. “Why won’t she let him do more than hold her hand? Or pat her head? Or even—” she gasped dramatically—“hug her?! He’s practically begging for it, the silly boy! He wants to ride her tomboy ass so badly, but neither of them are making a move! Such late bloomers! It's not healthy.”

Kasumi didn’t react, entirely oblivious to the floating mascot. Nabiki, however, let her magazine slip just a fraction, her eyes peeking out over the edge as if she were hiding her awareness.

“She could have at least let him compliment her dress properly,” Succubus-Chan continued, tapping a tiny finger to her cheek as she floated in lazy circles near the couch. “I mean, what’s the point of my lessons if she’s not going to capitalize on them? Honestly, she’s a terrible student.”

Nabiki sighed, setting her magazine down and stretching. “Some people are just slow learners,” she muttered, seemingly to no one.

Succubus-Chan perked up at the sound of Nabiki’s voice and zipped closer. “Well, maybe you should give her a little push in the right direction, hmm?”

Kasumi glanced up briefly. “Did you say something, Nabiki?”

“Nothing important,” Nabiki said with a quick smile, waving her sister off.

As Kasumi returned to her work, Succubus-Chan floated closer to Nabiki, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. “You’re such a good little helper, Nabiki. We can’t have Akane dragging her feet when Ranma is this close to falling head over heels. It’s time to step things up, don’t you think?”

Nabiki’s smile shifted, her usual smugness softening into something almost reverent. Her lips moved in a barely audible whisper: “Yes, mistress.”

Succubus-Chan giggled, clapping her tiny hands together. “That’s the spirit! Now, let’s make some magic happen, hmm?”