Part 5
3rd Person POV
Taking regular-paced steps, the youth went down a rocky cave in a way that would normally be impossible. Not only the terrain was terrible, but even the lighting was almost none. However, even as he descended down the cave, the youth never made a false step.
The person guiding him in a maid outfit did not look back but always kept her attention on the youth in case he needed help.
"Karin. Is there a reason why your master would call me all of a sudden?" Nora asked.
"...my master is you." Karin muttered.
"Perhaps, in the house, however, you cannot refuse the orders of your creator." Nora commented. "She has enough authority to do it."
"...sorry." Karin bit her lips.
"Don't say that. I do not blame you for it. How could you say no to someone who has greater weight in her words than Amateratsu-sama?" Nora smiled bitterly. "I had asked you a couple of days ago to contact her, but you said she refused so I am curious what this is about."
"I do not have the answer to that question. We were told to go to Amateratsu-sama and act like she created us, all in order to initially get close to you and have you meet 'her' without anyone else knowing." Karin explained.
"To actually be capable of tricking Amateratsu-sama and the rest, I guess only she has that kind of power." Nora mumbled.
"...Nora-sama, we were sent with that kind of task in mind, but when we decided to stay and serve under you, it was out of our own free will and not because we were told to." Karin said.
"...you were technically sent to serve under Tamamo so obeying me more than her is already no good, you know?" Nora smiled. "However, I know from your grades on the exams I made you two take that you do not have the ability to deceive people."
"...my dear master, I truly appreciate every aspect of you, however, I would appreciate you more if you forgot about that and never mentioned it again." Karin spoke in an embarrassed tone.
"I shall never forget." Nora shot down the request.
"Urgh." Karin's expression was filled with shame, but she said nothing else.
"...Is it fine if we do not meet Eiki-sama?" Nora asked. "They are not from the same mythology, but I doubt the Judge of the Underworld will find it amusing that a living being went to the Underworld to have an illicit meeting with a goddess there."
"Master, why is it that you are making everything sound way worse than it actually is? Illicit? Eiki-sama could literally judge you from the way you worded everything and accuse you of being disrespectful." Karin turned to give the youth a lecture. "Eiki-sama has great authority here, her power should be at least 10 times stronger and our own strength should be limited by at least half. Unless you have the confidence to actually seduce her and make her let us go, could you please not try to make her put her eyes on us?"
"...ahem." Nora coughed suspiciously.
"Master..." Karin gave the youth a look with her eyes shining dangerously in the darkness.
"Hey, she was the one to come onto me." Nora raised both hands in defeat.
"...please, you are saying the Judge of Hell, one of the most fair people and law-abiding creatures in the world tried to make a move on you?" Karin mumbled.
"I know how it sounds, but I chat with her often during her breaks." Nora pulled out his phone and the light from the screen shone brightly in the darkness.
Baffled, Karin held her forehead as she read the name Eiki-chan on the title of the person sending a string of hearts emojis.
"...I will erase all memories of what I saw today." Karin decided to avoid asking more questions to keep her sanity intact.
The maid was aware of how dangerously attractive Nora was, but she never expected that the Judge of Hell would be onto him.
...
...
...
The long way down was completed in silence and the youth found himself with an open space but still underground.
Sitting on a chair in the middle of the open space with nothing else than two chairs and one table, a woman was waiting for him.
There was an overwhelming presence that he felt as he got closer as he descended and it felt even stronger as he arrived at the open space. Karin had already knelt as soon as she stepped into the space, but the youth did not even change expressions from the pressure or by what he saw.
Waving her hand, the woman gestured to the duo to get closer. Nora was the first to walk over and getting closer gave him a better look at the woman. Karin only dared to stand up and follow after Nora had passed by her.
"...you really show no reaction to it."
The woman mumbled as she used one finger to tap her forehead. Her words could be explained by the way she looked. Her skin and body which were most likely one of extreme beauty had rotted and decayed looking extremely hideous, but the youth showed no change of expression whatsoever, even though the smell of rotting flesh was absurdly pungent.
"I would be tired of living if I dared to even mutter any disrespectful comment to you of all people." Nora sighed.
Sitting on the chair on the other side of the table, he noticed several snacks on the woman's side of the table.
"Still eating that?" Nora asked.
"Is there anything else that I could eat?"
The woman mocked and she pointed at the food.
"Surely, you could bend some laws and make it possible for you to enjoy other delicacies." Nora ignored the sarcasm. "Izanami-sama, as one of the primordial goddesses of Japan, there should be only a few who can challenge your authority in these lands."
"It would change nothing." Izanami smirked.
"Perhaps not, or perhaps it would." Nora shrugged his shoulders. "I am but a naive kid compared to you in matters of life and death. I was just thinking it is a shame you are stuck here and have to keep eating the same boring food all this time."
"Eating or not eating, I am no longer part of the living. I have no need for food and I only eat to pass the time." Izanami said.
"There should be better hobbies than just eating the very same food that caused you to be stuck here." Nora muttered.
"You sure have the guts to mention that topic." Izanami smiled with clear anger.
No doubt, if she looked like a regular person, the smile of a goddess related to life would've been a blessing itself, however, her rotting face only made it hideous and hard to look at. Not only that, the air itself trembled as she spoke.
Karin, standing nearby trembled in fear but the youth looked unimpressed.
"It would've been more intimidating if you had actual objects here and you destroyed those with your pressure. Without anything here, it feels lackluster." Nora commented in a plain tone.
Snorting, Izanami stopped her pressure and Karin sighed in relief.
"Do you not fear death?" Izanami asked. "You are in the underworld. Yomi. A place where a goddess of death like myself could easily end your life."
This was a question that not only the goddess was curious about, but even Karin. The youth was even more brazen than usual and it seemed like he could provoke Izanami with his comments.
"A foolish question." Nora clicked his tongue.
"Heh? The look in your eyes... So it is like that." Izanami smiled again.
The words muttered left Karin filled with unease, but she did not dare to speak without giving permission.
"Talking in riddles, speak your mind, will ya?" Nora snorted. "Whether it is you or that goddess as well, goddesses of death enjoy making comments to beat around the brush."
"...Karin, was this child always this impudent?" Izanami directed her gaze toward the maid on the back.
Inwardly blaming Nora for making the goddess look at her with clear anger, Karin was unsure what to say.
"I thought he was a thoughtful and respectful young man with a kind and gentle nature." Izanami frowned.
"...perhaps the air here is affecting him." Karin offered some excuses for the youth.
"Tsk, why would it affect me now and not the last time?" Nora snorted. "Quit trying to look for an explanation. I am just angry."
"Hmmm, that is one way to explain everything better than the air affecting you." Izanami nodded.
"...just get to the point." Nora seemed to be getting more irritated the more the conversation continued.
"Very well. I refuse your requests." Izanami expressed her words straightforwardly. "I am unable to leave Yomi after turning into this hideous form. Is that direct enough for you?"
"...sorry." Nora sighed.
"Why are you the one apologizing when I am the one denying your request?" Izanami could not understand the youth.
"I was just cruel and thoughtless when asking you that." Nora shook his head. "However, I at least expected you to lend some sort of aid."
"I don't need your pity." Izanami narrowed her eyes. "It is none of your business that I am trapped in Yomi. It is the natural cycle of life and death. I was burned to death and thus my life ceased to be."
"...it does not mean it is fair." Nora said.
"The world is not fair. That is just the natural way of things. It might not seem fair to me or you, but that is only our opinion in that matter. Sometimes, you have to accept the way things have been laid out for you. Everyone has a role and that very same role has to end at some point. It is only natural I died after giving birth to my son Kagutsuchi, the fire god after being unable to resist his power." Izanami explained.
"...I refuse to accept that you have to take the hand that is thrown at you." Nora gritted his teeth.
"Quite the words you just said. Cards, is it? A fine analogy. You usually have no control over the card given to you." Izanami nodded.
Shaking his head, the youth extended his hand a grabbed one of the snacks on the plate of the goddess. This caused not only Karin behind him but even Izanami to widen her eyes, she even went as far as trying to stop him but the youth pulled his hand before Izanami could reach him.
"If you cannot control the hands thrown at you, then you just need to get the deck. Once you have it in your hands, you will get to decide what kind of cards you want. Not just some random bullshit." Nora spat out.
"Child, stop right there. This is Yomi if you eat food from here-" Izanami tried to warn the youth, however, she was too late.
"Master!" Karin turned pale as she froze one step too far away from the youth.
The youth had eaten the onigiri made into a small size to work as a snack in one bite.
Slowly, part of his skin began to rot but before it could spread any further, it changed back.
"Order and rules be damned." Nora spat out. "I am not sure what sort of agreement the ancient gods of all myths had with the biblical god, and why his death allowed for the balance to be possible to break, but it works just fine for me."
Under the shocked stare of Izanami, the youth continuously picked food from the plate and ate it, but it did not affect him in the slightest.
"Things impossible before are now possible." Nora said. "Don't say that the cycle of life and death has to be maintained as an excuse. We do not have to deal with the cards unilaterally thrown at us. We can do something about it."
Standing up, the youth walked over to Izanami and knelt and followed by planting his head on the ground.
"Please, just grant me one thing." Nora begged.
Still somewhat shocked, Izanami felt her blood pump like crazy in her half-rotten body. However, she calmed herself down.
"You have been doing a lot of things since the last time we met." Izanami muttered.
"...I know another goddess of death. Her mythology is different so I asked many questions. After much information I compiled by secretly sneaking into forbidden libraries and knowledge vaults, I have a proper basis to tell you that it is possible to get rid of your status as an undead. At the very least, you should be able to get rid of the rotting and decaying appearance." Nora said.
"...why?" Izanami asked.
"I needed bargain chips I could use in case we needed to negotiate." Nora replied.
"I understand that is part of the reason, but I am not so foolish as to believe the words of a man so easily." Izanami spat out.
Staying in silence, the youth seemed like he would remain silent and Izanami understood his apprehensions.
"Karin. Leave right now." Izanami waved her hands.
"Nora-sama!" Karin spoke out.
However, rather than just asking, the goddess's words were a command of some sort as the maid was banished from her place leaving only the youth and the goddesses.
"...I can see you overlapping the image of Kaa-san somewhat. It is foolish of me, but I felt extreme pity. You were abandoned and left alone here to rot all alone. Your lover just fled as soon as he saw you." Nora mumbled. "I asked unreasonable things of you, but I also could not just say I did not need them. I intend to use you for my personal gain..."
"I wonder if I should kill you where you are for trying to use a goddess like that. The level of blasphemy is outrageous." Izanami sighed. "However... no one ever showed that level of care for me."
Extending her hand toward the youth, Izanami tried to use her powers to make him stand and lead him to sit back on the chair but she was shocked to find herself unable to make him budge even a bit.
"What is it that you want?" Izanami inquired.
"If... If everything works out, I want you to stand up in my mother's defense. I want you to plead for her innocence over the matter, as well as some people I will tell you about." Nora muttered.
"...you never mentioned that back then." Izanami narrowed her eyes. "So this was what you had in mind from the beginning huh."
Nodding to herself, Izanami understood that many of his previous requests were probably just a shot in the dark.
"...I would still love it if you let me use the Ame-no-Nuhoko." Nora smiled bitterly.
"Denied." Izanami shot down the request. "Not just anyone can use it. The user could end up dying if they are not worthy or even if they are, killing themself after being unable to use its powers."
"...understood." Nora sighed.
"You are a troublesome man." Izanami spat out.
"...I have been told that a lot." Nora replied.
"The kind one cannot help but like." Izanami shook her head. "Very well, I will be accepting that request of yours."
"...thank you very much." Nora offered a heartful gratitude.
Lifting his head, the youth offered his hand to the goddess.
"Is this what they call offering their hands in marriage I heard about? Customs nowadays are truly a mystery." Izanami mumbled. "Unfortunately, I am still married. I will need to get divorced first... wait, you needed some papers for it to be a legally binding process. Hmmm, I feel like I need to crush that coward's balls to finally cut our ties as husband and wife."
"No, I just want to offer you something in exchange to make sure you keep your end of the deal. I do not want an empty promise." Nora sweated coldly.
"You are impertinent to the core, aren't you?" Izanami frowned. "In comparison to Izanagi who promised to love me for all eternity and then just fled like a coward later on, I am not going back on my word. Are you doubting me?"
The goddess did not need to hear him say anything. The youth's eyes were not filled with distrust over her promise, but rather with the same anger as before. She could not comprehend why it was that way. However, there was something about his actions that made her lower her guard on him enough to place her hands on top of his. It was then that she tried to pull them back. Her rotten body and decaying flesh were enough to make the man who whispered sweet words into her ears flee, now the youth who barely knew her was touching her. A youth whom she hardly interacted and had a shallow relationship with her. It made her try to retrieve her hands, afraid of the reaction he might have from touching him.
Nonetheless, the youth did not hesitate. He grabbed her hands and she felt a warmth she had not felt for who knew how long. She had not felt this kind of warmth since she was cursed with rotting flesh. The warmth almost made her shed tears.
"Please, trust me." Nora muttered.
She had no time to question what he meant when Izanami felt a suction force coming from one of the youth's hands. Her first reaction was to pull her hand as she felt betrayed once more, but the youth gave her a look almost like begging and she stopped. On the other hand, she felt the youth filling her with an unending amount of vitality.
"In a way, this is just a curse. It is meant to separate a being from walking in the world of the living. Humans aside, a goddess who has the authority over life and death should still be able to walk on the world again." Nora muttered. "So I will take it. The unfairness that was placed onto you, I will take it all."
Gritting his teeth, the youth's left hand began to rot but at the same time, it was regenerated.
"Rules are meant to be broken." Nora said. "I do not give a damn about balance if it means taking away things I hold dear."
The goddess felt her heart skipping a beat thinking it was about herself, but the youth surely meant those words for someone else. Nonetheless, the youth's efforts were not taking him anywhere. The cure cast upon her was too strong so Izanami wanted to stop him, yet, the youth gritted his teeth hard enough to shatter them. He released his left and pushed it onto Izanami's rotting chest. An overwhelming shame invaded the goddess as it was an act that should not be allowed. Before she could chide the youth about chastity, he turned serious and mumbled to himself.
"Indeed, if there is an issue. It is always about me. Why limit yourself? There should be a better way to go about it. Without stopping being myself. Without turning into a power-hungry beast. Just make it submit." Nora muttered.
Closing his eyes briefly, the youth opened them again and spoke.
"SIPHON." Nora said.
As his words were heard, a new kind of absorption began, the speed was incomparable to before and Izanami felt a change in her body. The goddess felt the warmth from the youth's right hand spreading all over her body but before she could feel any happiness, horror covered her face because the youth's regeneration could not keep up with the curse. It was a curse strong enough to force a primordial goddess of life and death to live in the underworld so there was no way he could be fine. By the time she noticed the change, the youth was halfway being completely turned into a rotting corpse.
"Don't make me laugh. A curse thinks it has what it takes to drag me down? I can't let it end here. There is still one thing I have to do no matter what and I cannot waste time on you." Nora grinned crazily.
Gulping down, Izanami was certain the youth was not right in the head.
"CONSUME!" Nora muttered.
As his words fell, there was a change. The curse, vicious as it was began to cry. Izanami felt how it felt alive and trembled in front of the youth like it was facing its predator.
Just like that, the curse was consumed by the youth who almost lost consciousness but still kept sending staggering amounts of vitality to the goddess.
Pulling away his hand from the chest of the goddess. The youth stood up and the other hand also left Izanami's hand.
Turning around, the youth staggered to walk but continued to walk away under the shocked gaze of the goddess whose appearance had been restored to normal.
It was only when the youth was at the entrance or rather, the exit of the cave-like space that he offered some words.
"The world... is fucked up. However, there is definitely a way. You might hate men after what Izanagi did to you, but that does not mean the outside world is a bad place. Leave here, go outside. See the world. You can now do it. There is much to see and enjoy. Places, food, and meeting people, is something that you will surely enjoy. The world is pretty big if you do not enjoy outdoor activities, then you can do indoor ones. Izanami-no-kami-sama, please keep your end of the deal."
Staggering to leave, the youth slowly disappeared under the goddess gaze. It was not until his steps could not even be heard that Izanami touched her face and she felt the smooth surface of a healthy skin. Her eyes turned watery and her hand covered her face.
"What an impudent child until the end..." Izanami muttered.
Only the sound of a sobbing woman could be heard in the lonely cave, but compared to before, Izanami could still feel the warmth left on her body.
---------------------------------
3rd Person POV
As soon as Nora stepped out of the teleportation magic circle, Karin almost tackled him.
"Master! Are you ok!?" Karin hugged the youth then pulled back as she held his shoulders while scanning him from head to toe.
"I did not go there to fight so you do not need to be worried about me being hurt." Nora forced a smile.
Even though he wanted to hide it, the youth looked weary. His fists were tightened greatly and he took a step back to escape from Karin's grip.
"...ah." Karin tried to reach for him but the youth evaded her.
"...sorry." Nora apologized. "I know what you want to say and that you can tell something big happened down there, but I want you to keep it a secret."
"I understand." Karin nodded somewhat unwilling. "However..."
"I am fine." Nora shook his head. "You know me, I can recover in a matter of seconds."
Not convinced by the youth's bravado, Karin stared at him firmly.
"Karin." Nora smiled wryly. "Can I ask you a question?"
Nodding at that, the maid took a step toward the youth. In response, the youth took a step back.
"...do you want to be free?" Nora had a gentle smile on his face.
"What?" Karin's expression froze and she stopped in place.
"Even if she does not make you do her bidding often, you still have to obey Izanami-sama. She created you and Asuna. Not to mention, she made it seem like Amateratsu-sama created you so you would have to obey the Shinto Gods as well. That goes to Tamamo and ends with me, who is also your master." Nora asked. "...I can surely ask for it to Izanami-sama. You can be free of all that."
"No, master, I want to-" "You have a dream." Karin was interrupted by Nora who cut her short.
The youth looked at the maid with a gentle gaze.
"You want to open a store where you can wear cute costumes, don't you?" Nora said. "If you have to follow my whims every day, when will you find the time to do that?"
"...I." Karin was not sure what to say.
"I can offer what you desire." Nora muttered. "There is no need to be tied down by anyone."
"Master, I want to serve you." Karin replied.
"You were sent to spy on me. I made you work for me after doing unspeakable things to you." Nora retorted. "It was never a matter of free will. You never had a choice."
"...even so. I want to stay close to you." Karin spoke. "Master might not understand, but this is something I want to do. You are someone worthy."
"Nonsense." Nora shook his head. "I forced you to work for me."
"...do you really think that two of the finest creations of a primordial goddess would simply let themselves be forced to do what you did if we did not want to?" Karin mumbled.
Freezing in place, Nora took in what Karin said and tilted his head.
"What?" Nora blinked.
"Crap." Karin shut her mouth.
"...so you liked all that." Nora continued to blink in surprise.
"No, you heard me wrongly." Karin shook her head.
"Even 'that', and 'that' I did..." Nora looked at Karin with a profound gaze.
"Master, if you continue teasing me, I will get angry." Karin's embarrassed face kept a forced smile on.
"...sorry." Nora outwardly apologized, although his inner self could not help but continue to be amazed about what he just heard.
"You are wrong about a certain thing, Master." Karin stepped forward again.
Thanks to being distracted by the implications of what he just heard, the youth was one second late to evade Karin.
"Certainly, my dream is to open a store where I can wear all kinds of cute outfits. Even if I do not look like it, I like cute stuff." Karin swallowed her embarrassment and held onto the youth's clothes as she looked up to his face. "However, even though you know that there is more to my dream, you omitted it."
"No, even if you say that..." Nora looked away.
Angry at his behavior, Karin released his clothes and used both hands to move his head so that they were staring at each other again.
"I want my dream store, with my dream cute outfit, with my dream guy. I will ask you this, once, only this once and I swear that if you pull some funny crap or avoid the topic, I will freaking release the seal put on me. The backlash for doing it forcefully will be severe, but nothing will stop me from using my biggest charge of electricity to zap you. Understood?" Karin threatened the youth, although her face was blushing heavily. "Who is this dream guy?"
Keeping his mouth shut, the youth tried to buy time but seeing how Karin's hair and feeling his own starting to levitate as sparks began to form arcs of electricity around Karin, the youth sighed.
"For some reason, I cannot fathom, that I am that guy." Nora smiled wryly.
For a moment, Karin froze as she honestly did not expect the youth to say those words. She took a couple of steps back with her hands in the same position, until she began to blink rapidly.
"...I did it." Karin whispered. "Ha..haha...hahaha."
Feeling satisfied to the extreme, Karin felt an incredible joy from the feat she accomplished. Compared to Asuna who usually expressed her affection toward the youth, Karin found it difficult to do. Nonetheless, even Asuna had not gotten such a straightforward acknowledgment from the youth, about admitting that he knew that she liked him. In a way, this put her one step ahead of Asuna.
"Yes!" Karin nodded happily.
It was then that she noticed what she just did and her joy was overpowered by her embarrassment.
"...ara, how cute." Nora smiled.
"Kuh." Karin received a heavy blow.
Chuckling at that, the youth ignored the urge to tease her again. Instead, he walked up to her side and hugged her. Karin was left speechless and her embarrassment was reaching new heights. The supreme smell of her master hit her and she wondered what would make her faint first, his unique scent or the warmth of the hug.
"Thank you, for liking someone like me. Just knowing that gives me strength." Nora's words had a strange connotation but they still Karin's heart skipped a beat.
"Hmm." Karin was unable to say anything.
Knowing full well what his actions would cause next, the youth gently tapped Karin's back and the bra was unhooked just like that.
Widening her eyes, the gauge of her embarrassment hit the limit and Karin stepped back with a red face and eyes swirling.
"...I, eh, left the stove on, so, huh, I AM SORRY, I AM NOT READY YET, LET ME AT LEAST CLEAN MY BODY!" Karin fled.
Once Karin disappeared, the smile on Nora's face disappeared and he began to salivate. The saliva dripped from his mouth as he could no longer manage his expression.
"The more you use it, the greater the backlash and downsides." Nora gritted his teeth as he fought against the hunger.
Feeling like he had a black hole in his stomach, the youth was certain that even if he began wasting like a pig and filling his mouth with tons of food, the sensation of hunger would not disappear. Just after leaving Yomi, the youth wanted nothing but to go and wolf down on some food, yet Karin stopped him on his track. Yet, that was not all.
"A primordial curse... I guess I could call it that." Nora gritted his teeth as he raised his hand and saw it literally rot before his regeneration turned it back into a healthy hand.
Feeling how the power he got and the curse he took on himself tried to consume him, the youth simply grinned.
"Aren't you forgetting something here?" Nora spoke to himself. "This is MY body. I don't give a fuck if you are a primordial curse or if you are under Trihexa, you do not get to decide here, I do. So the two of you better fucking shut up and behave."
His words seemed to trigger the powers fighting inside of him as the hunger got so great that thoughts of eating his own hand appeared on the youth's head. His regeneration was behind as his body as a whole began to rot. Nonetheless, Nora just grinned.
"Hey, you. Why are you acting like you are such a big shot? You failed to swallow the curse. This never-ending curse... don't you think it would be tasty?" Nora smiled. "It seems to me that if it will not run out any time soon, you can fill yourself for quite a bit."
The curse on his body seemed to have its own will as it tried to break havoc inside of his body by causing his organs to decay greatly to make him suffer, but the youth just smiled because 'it' reacted to his words and began to eat the curse for real.
His body was constantly being consumed as the power of the horseman tried to completely absorb the primordial curse of death. His lungs would disappear and they would regenerate again, his heart, stomach, kidneys, and others, yet the youth kept a smile on his face.
After an unknown amount of time, the youth could finally sigh in relief.
"My body got some resistance to curses after all that crap, not what I expected but at least it has been dealt with." Nora mumbled. "...not like I could lose to some stupid curse when I got confessed by a cute girl just a moment ago."
Using a spell to get rid of the blood and saliva on him and around him, the youth felt the hunger subside albeit slightly.
"My regeneration is lacking..." Nora raised his hand to the sky and observed it. "More... I need more..."
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3rd Person POV
An urban area full of high school students was filled with young girls wearing different school uniforms. Not only from different schools but even some were heavily modified with accessories or the most common shortened skirt. The most common term to define the girls wearing would be gyarus. That was the place Nora was taking a stroll leisurely. It was not like the area had no other male presences, but there were far too few and you could barely count them with one hand, and they belonged to the staff working in the stores. There were a couple of brave cases of a group of boys trying to strike up a conversation with a group of girls, but they ultimately left while crying. Another case was an office worker who smugly pulled a stack of 10.000 yen bills and threw it to some girl as he licked his lips lasciviously, but he was beaten by the girl using the same stack of bills until he was crying. Such a sight seemed common as the gyarus in the particular area of Kyoto were unusually harsh against those with funny ideas. That, of course, did not include a certain cat that kept getting stares with unhidden 'interest' as he strolled by. There were even cases where his path would be blocked by casually chatting group of girls in the middle of the street. He would be 'forced' to go through the group of girls eyeing him while some openly licked their lips.
"Oh, poor me. What am I supposed to do?" Nora rolled his eyes as he walked straight into the group.
Just as he expected, several hands were placed all over him and one even tried to get inside his hakama. The youth was not the type to stay quiet so by the time the youth passed by. The girls were left fixing their bras and their skirts, while others tried to hide the liquid running down their legs.
"Noobs." Nora snorted.
It did not take many steps before another group of girls was casually standing before the youth. Rolling his eyes again, the youth dived in.
...
...
...
It was a long while later, after having his pockets filled with bras and racy panties without even trying to put them there himself that Nora arrived at a particularly tall building. There were numerous gyarus places around it with an aura unbefitting run-of-the-mill high school girls. The group was initially alarmed by a male presence, but upon seeing that it was Nora, many broke into a smile and bowed respectfully. The youth waved at them and entered the building. The first floor was rather simple in design compared to the flashy clothing of the gyarus, and there was a counter with something akin to a bar on one side and a long corridor on the other side.
"Would you like to book a room? Is it for one person or are you expecting someone else? Perhaps, Nora-sama would like some company as he waits? There are plenty of girls available for calling if it is you doing the call, I am included on the service too if you desire."
A beautiful girl with a ponytail wearing a rather small upper garment, a school shirt tied around her chest, exposing her flat belly, and pushing up her almost obscene breasts ready to pop out, and upon the youth closing toward the counter he noticed she had a skirt that could barely cover her string panties tied to her waist. If the upper and lower garments were the same design, the high school girl was wearing a purple bra and panties that barely covered any skin as the garments had a lot of translucent areas.
"I came here on an official visit to meet the head of the alliance." Nora did not shy away from taking a look.
The high school girl turned redder and redder the more the youth looked, and the youth enjoyed her tanned, with the untanned lines of her swimsuit showing, turning redder until the girl could not hold it and covered her chest and kneeled, clearly ashamed.
"...was it too much?" Nora smiled wryly.
"M-My apologies."
Biting her lips, the girl stood up shakily and her ponytail swung in response to it. Her black hair had many blonde lines, clearly using dye.
"I think this is an extreme way to get rid of your shyness." Nora pulled a large coat from his pocket dimension and offered it to the girl.
Taking it a putting it on her, the girl calmed down.
"Nora-sama already rescued me from that terrible place, if I do nothing and only lock myself in a room, everything will just be the same."
Giving Nora a resolute look, the girl gazed at the youth with extreme gratefulness.
"That does not mean you have to force yourself like this. You clearly cannot stand being near men." Nora mumbled. "Even worse, showing off like this."
"...I decided to ask for Suzuka-sama's advice and she said one should start with a bang."
The girl smiled wryly.
"...if you decided that by yourself, I guess I cannot say anything else." Nora sighed. "Still, that gal is just extreme in her ways like always."
"...I cannot offer words in her defense."
The girl kept a troubled smile.
"Did you come up with the welcome phrase? It is a little too much if another guy were to enter..." Nora clicked his tongue.
"I-Impossible. I could never, and I will never make an offer like that toward another gentleman, no, the only gentleman I acknowledge is you, Nora-sama, only towards you could I ever say something like that. Do not misunderstand, please!"
In a frantic mood, the girl left the counter and approached Nora, ignoring how the coat had fallen down and her body was clearly being seen, she was more concerned with Nora's opinion on the matter.
"Calm down, the coat is not covering you anymore." Nora held the girl by the shoulders and felt her anxious expression being calmed down as he used ki to help her.
Taking a deep breath and feeling the comforting energy coursing her body, the girl's emotions went back to normal.
"...there is a note on the counter and it can only be said to Nora-sama, all the girls have agreed to it. There is also a tablet below with profiles of all the girls you can request and even how far you can go with all of them."
Muttering incredible things without feeling anything out of place, the girl informed the youth about matters he did not ask.
"I have not rescued anyone so they become my sexual partners upon call." Nora lowers his stance to look at the girl's eye to eye. "If any of you are being made to service me, I will flatten this building now."
Hearing the extreme seriousness in the youth's tone, the girl was certain he would follow his words if the girl commanded him to. She could vividly recall how he went to 'take care' of her bullies from school who had sold her to a strange-looking old man who had a harem of abducted high school girls. Her bullies, hated her terribly because the boy they fawned over did not have enough with having a couple of girlfriends, a matter becoming rather normal as the number of males was somewhat lower than women worldwide, had reached her one day. Even going as far as letting the girls down when they had dates only to try to court her. Too shy to even talk to her classmates, the girl always felt complex about her attributes being the larger size so she was laughed at since childhood so she hid herself as much as she could. Nonetheless, the boy got interested in her after noticing that her chest was bigger than her bullies.
One matter led to another, and her bullies drugged her and sent her to the old man. It was a traumatizing experience but the old man did not put his hands on her as he seemed to be busy with another girl he had bought earlier. Among the girls, they planned to escape, and she was included in the plan. However, they underestimated the old man as he had supernatural abilities as she was later explained. The escape ended as a failure, but it caught the eye of a familiar from the youth. The old man tried to abuse all the girls after angrily locking them up again, some even killed themselves after losing all hope. Yet, as she had dreaded what the future would be for her. The youth had appeared after tearing down a wall like it was made from paper. He put his hands on the old man's neck and before he could even react, he twisted his neck.
It was a scary spectacle, but many just cheered as they saw the old man die at least. Nonetheless, many of the abducted girls could only laugh crazily after a while. The youth offered first aid and displayed incredible supernatural abilities to help everyone look normal again. Several disfigured girls wept silently after that, and the youth took his time to talk separately to everyone, herself included, about what they wanted to do. The only thing she recalled was that she wanted to be taken out of that place and go far away. The girl never heard about the girls in that place again, but the youth reassured her that he fulfilled their wishes. On her side, she explained to the youth how everything came to be. The youth silently listened and said he would take care of everything. From what she learned later on, her bullies and the boy went missing. Not only the bullies were guilty but it seemed the boy who tried to court her with a cheerful expression all the time had done evil deeds of similar caliber to get women on his bed.
It was later on that the youth introduced her to the alliance and he would accomplish anything he promised. That was why the girl was nervous.
"Don't!"
Almost like a scream, the girl clung to the youth.
"...we just want to offer our bodies to you."
The girl expressed her honest wish.
"It is not simple gratitude..."
With a bitter smile, the girl looked at the youth.
"Only you, who has offered us a second chance could accept us. No, even if there was someone else, we only want it to be you. It does not matter if you do not desire our bodies, we are willing to do anything for you."
Staring at the girl in the eyes, the youth sighed.
"You girls are insane." Nora stated.
"...yes, but please. We will never cause any inconvenience to you."
"Never said you would, any guy would be pleased if a large number of beautiful women were ready to please him no matter what he asked." Nora muttered. "At the same time, I feel bad since only one person is getting any benefit from it, and that is me. You all are just getting used to me. In the end, being used by some stranger, then being used by me, have I even made any difference?"
Feeling extreme disgust, the youth felt his actions were just a matter of a bigger bully being in charge and getting the prize.
"Of course you have. I was an orphan who could barely sustain myself, but I can even say to have fun working. I made new friends. I applied to a new school where there are many understanding staff and capable teachers who have helped me study and challenge myself. I can now study for things I could only do before. Nora-sama, I am not the only one who had her fate changed like that. One of my coworkers told me how to help her fight against an unjust teacher who put bad grade to students because she was envious of her students' success. Another one told me how even after her husband cheated her out of all her money to escape with a pair of younger twins, you took her under your wing despite her sickly condition and having a young child. One of my few male acquaintances told me that he used to be homeless because his parents threw him out of the house after he was of age and told him to fend off for himself. Another was wrongfully accused of sexual harassment, yet you went and helped him... Nora-sama, you have helped many people and we just want to offer anything we can to repay you."
Hearing that, the youth was momentarily silent.
"By offering your body?" Nora asked.
"...Suzuka-sama mentioned that you have many attractive women near you and while being a legal wife would be hard, a mistress is an attainable position."
"...I need to have a word with that JK maniac." Nora sighed heavily.
"We also heard from one your maids, one of the major sub-leaders and founders of the alliance, Asuna-sama, that... And I quote: 'Master? He likes girls a lot. I overheard the cat ones speaking about how he has accepted the duty of reviving his race and will have plenty of lovers. Stamina? Master could probably outlast everyone even if we went at it for weeks.'"
"I need to talk with Kuroka-chan and Asuna..." Nora face-palmed.
"...was it a prank?"
The girl visibly paled and the youth could tell that she was about to bow down, making things more complicated.
"Just continue doing what you have been doing until now." Nora sighed. "I will go to see Suzuka. I have some business with her."
Patting the girl on the shoulder and wondering how many misunderstandings his maid had caused, the youth went toward the counter where he tapped the wall behind it lightly and a secret door opened, leading to a small room that had an elevator at the end.
"W-Wait! Nora-sama!"
The girl called out to the youth, in response, he looked back and saw the girl fidgeting all nervous but he still awaited until she spoke.
"...Is it true that, well, eh, your s-stamina is that good?"
Looking at hope in the eyes of the girl and the reason she asked, the youth decided to be honest.
"I could certainly take all of you without any issue." Nora smiled. "The question is... can you girls take me on? I have monstrous specs, so you should be worrying if your bodies can handle me being rough instead of my ability to please you."
Leaving those words behind, the youth entered the elevator that was already open and waiting for him.
"I can tell you would be a great partner, so I guess I have high hopes for you..." Nora chuckled as the door closed.
The girl turned bright red and smoke seemed to come out of her.
Inside the elevator, Nora put on a wry smile.
"It is not like the good you have done will disappear." Nora mumbled to himself and stared at the changing number of the elevator floor.
"I already know what the answer will be, but a visit is not a bad idea." Nora sighed.
...
...
...
"I am sorry, I am afraid the Celestials will not listen to any of your requests."
Speaking in a rather apologetic tone, the young woman sitting across the youth on a couch said those words as soon as the youth sat.
"You do not look surprised."
Leaning forward and placing her hands on the low table as she peaked at the youth's face from below, the young woman showed the youth her cleavage as it hung in a place easy for the youth to observe. The dainty dark purple underwear peaking from her modified school shirt was fancy and lacy with dark and light colors making it stand out the more you saw it.
"Who in their right mind would listen to the words of a nameless and weak youkai?" Nora shrugged his shoulders. "It would be even more weird if they actually agreed to even one request."
Happy that the youth peaked at her for a moment, the young woman leaned back again and plopped down on the coach again. Her chest giggled as she did, and it seemed on purpose to give her exaggerated movements. She crossed her legs slowly as is to show her healthy thighs to the youth and the school shirt was able to overcome showing the below it to Nora by a miracle.
"Papa also will not make any sort of moves."
Sighing, the young woman apologized again.
"I had to give it a try but I did not have high hopes to begin with." Nora said.
"Isn't that kinda cruel to me? You sent me on a losing quest."
Complaining to the youth, the young woman hit the couch with her hands as she pouted.
"Suzuka was also aware it was not going to be fruitful." Nora smiled wryly.
"Celestials are such beings." Suzuka, the young woman, shook her head. "Their pride is absurdly high for no reason."
"I am thankful that there is someone like you who is easy to talk to. I can at least take off my mind any strange interference on their part for the time being." Nora sighed.
"No biggies." Suzuka grinned. "A JK can at least do that."
"...I don't think it has anything to do with being a JK." Nora retorted. "Have you ever been to high school?"
"...aren't JKs supposed to skip classes?" Suzuka replied.
"Delinquents do." Nora muttered. "You might act like one at times, but you are earnest at heart."
"I am not sure if I am being praised or not here." Suzuka smiled wryly.
"You can give it a try if you like. There are many high schools in Kyoto. I can hook you in any school you take a fancy to around here." Nora offered.
"One with cute uniforms!" Suzuka immediately answered.
"Those are mostly female-only... I will get you some pamphlets about it so you can decide." Nora nodded.
"Ehhh? If my boyfriend cannot get in, I don't wanna." Suzuka complained.
"...I am not your boyfriend." Nora mumbled.
Covering her mouth with an exaggerated move, using both hands, Suzuka stared at the youth 'shocked'.
"After all we have done!" Suzuka pulled a handkerchief and began wiping imaginary tears from her eyes.
"...that is closer to lovers or friends with benefits. Not like we have crossed the line." Nora mumbled.
"Might as well accept being called boyfriend." Suzuka pointed out.
"...war would happen if I suddenly said that." Nora smiled wryly.
"...indeed." Suzuka nodded in acknowledgment.
"...your girls would not stay quiet either." Nora added.
"Everyone is gunning for you after all." Suzuka chuckled.
"I would consider you the jealous type to not allow other women to get close to me, yet you seem awfully on board with making me a harem out of them." Nora questioned.
"Do you think anyone would accept them after what they went through?" Suzuka asked back.
"...I can erase those memories and they can start over. There will be no scars on their bodies either." Nora grimly said.
"The ones who wanted that have decided to take upon your offer, the ones who wanted to have their life end right there also decided back then. Everyone part of the alliance, entering for one reason or another, they are staying because they want to face the world as they see it despite being wronged. They do not wish to give up and they hope to achieve happiness even though they suffered in the past from many traumas." Suzuka had a melancholic smile on her face. "Every found the strength to keep going because they see you as a shining knight in white armor who came to save them. Because there was hope after despair."
"...they are just being fooled. There is no knight in shining armor in me. I have just done what I pleased all this time." Nora smirked. "I just killed, deceived, and stole from others."
"Stealing from the man who had taken all the savings of his lover to escape with a younger woman is not really a bad thing. Deceiving the man who took advantage of foster homes and elderly homes is not a bad deed. Killing those who enjoy kidnapping a ruining the lives of others for fun is just making right from wrong." Suzuka gently explained.
Speaking differently from her usual bold personality, the young woman showed a side not many knew to the youth.
"I will never understand why all of you place me in such a high esteem." Nora sighed.
"Now then, let's put that aside. I will surely convince you to accept how good you are as I am sure I will push you down before that scheming fox." Suzuka muttered dangerously. "Let's have a light-hearted chat about youth!"
"Wait, what?" Nora sweated coldly.
"I found this cute store where you can make a couple themed accessories." Suzuka changed gears extremely quickly and pulled out her phone, almost shoving it onto the youth's face to show him photos of a store. "We can make shirts as well. It's all the rage these days. They say if you take your special someone there, you are both bound to end up together for the rest of your life! Oh, gosh. I can hardly stop my heart from busting out! Just! Imagine!"
Speaking at a quick pace, Suzuka did not give the youth any time to chip in.
"...I want to borrow your katana." Nora spoke.
Just like that, the smiling JK enthusiast turned serious again and went back to her spot on the sofa.
"Do you understand what you are asking?" Suzuka asked.
Her eyes felt like they could pierce right through the youth if he lied, and even her aura enveloped the room.
"My weapon is almost like a symbol that represents me. For many reasons, it is impossible for anyone but me to use it. Otherwise, Celestials might just consider the user their enemy." Suzuka spoke.
"It would be odd if the katana, the personal weapon of the princess, was in someone else's hands." Nora replied.
"That is so." Suzuka nodded. "I might be lacking in many ways, but I am still a princess belonging to the Celestials."
"I know." Nora nodded. "I am abusing your trust by making this request. I will make use of it in a flashy way and perhaps my actions will cause conflict if the follow-up is not handled with care."
"You are a difficult to deal man." Suzuka sighed.
"I am a scumbag, causing trouble is what I do. It is your fault for getting involved with me. I was not planning on keeping our relationship in anything other than friendship, who asked you to push me down to kiss me? You basically gave away the dominant position in this relationship to me." Nora smiled.
"Even if you speak like a rogue, I feel like my eyes just immediately add a pink filter around you." Suzuka complained. "Are you sure you do not have Mystic Eyes of Charm like me? I feel like I am acting more foolish than normal when I am with you."
Extending her hand on the table, Suzuka made appear a total of three katanas.
"Take them." Suzuka stated. "Go wild. I might not be at your side when you are facing this hardship, but whenever you swing these, remember that I, Suzuka, am by your side."
"...are you sure?" Nora blinked in surprise. "I was ready to use my body a bit more to get what I wanted."
"Should I hit you for believing that you would get what you wanted after getting physical with me? No, I guess I cannot deny my body is already a slave to you." Suzuka clicked her tongue.
"I feel like I should apologize here." Nora coughed awkwardly.
"You should really do." Suzuka narrowed her eyes. "You probably see me as a pushover, but I have my pride. I would never let a nobody do what you have done."
"That's a round way of saying that it is because you like that you let me have my way with your body." Nora smiled.
"...I am just saying this, but if you ever think of not taking responsibility for me, then prepare for a full-on war with the Celestials. I swear we will fight until the other side is annihilated." Suzuka gazed at the youth dangerously.
"You can be scary sometimes." Nora smiled wryly.
"I'm dead serious." Suzuka dangerously glared at the youth.
"I am well aware." Nora closed his eyes momentarily.
Waving his hand, the katanas disappeared onto the youth's command.
"If I live to tell the tale, you will be one of the people I will push down and release all my lust into. Does that work as an answer?" Nora muttered.
"There's no way it does, you idiot." Suzuka hit the table with her fist, and thus, broke it down.
Despite her aggressive action, the youth was not scared because the young woman was as red as an apple.
"Do you think any woman you just happen to know will be happy if you say stuff like that!?" Suzuka grumbled.
"About 98.99% will, I am sure of it." Nora nodded shamelessly.
"What about the 1,1% percent left? They would surely be fuming from your words." Suzuka retorted.
"...the 1,1% left would already be stripping me naked before I finish those words." Nora said in a serious tone.
Leaving Suzuka baffled, the celestial wanted to deny his words but inside her head, images of the woman the youth was familiar with flashed by. It did not take long for Suzuka to nod along with the youth.
"You will really take responsibility?" Suzuka asked.
"...I doubt I will survive." Nora spoke honestly. "The odds are beyond me."
"...that's not what a woman wants to hear at a time like this." Suzuka complained.
"You were supposed to be a JK, not an adult woman." Nora retorted.
"Quit fooling around. I could just trap you here with me and lock you up for myself." Suzuka stood up, clad in a dangerous aura. "Do you think I can just let you go after confessing that you will die and you will not be taking responsibility for me?"
"I bet you don't want to. The only thing keeping you from doing that is because you do not want me to hate you." Nora smiled bitterly.
"Then-" Suzuka's eyes shone dangerously.
"There is something I have to do." Nora said.
Standing up, the youth faced the outburst from the celestial princess without backing down. He did not release any aura, and his clothes were torn in some places after coming in contact with the sharp demonic divinity.
"I cannot back down." Nora confessed. "I am telling you this because I don't want you to act rashly regardless of the outcome."
"You are telling me to swallow back everything again. I don't want to. I don't want to." Suzuka's expression twisted.
"...yeah." Nora nodded. "I am doing exactly that."
"You are-" Suzuka was ready to attack the youth.
"What a small-minded woman." Tamamo's voice was suddenly heard.
Appearing suddenly from a puff of smoke and striking a pose with her hands forming fox heads, Tamamo left the duo speechless.
"As expected, hubby, you came to talk to this faker." Tamamo ignored the intense, almost full of killing intent, glare from Suzuka and stood beside Nora.
"...Tamamo, I don't think this is the time for jokes." Nora mumbled.
"I feel like you consider me as a comic relief." Tamamo complained. "I am nothing but the true heroine, the owner of the true end in any erotic game and family-oriented game. I am the wise and beautiful wife, Tamamo no Mae."
"Fox, be gone. I am not in the mood." Suzuka gritted her teeth.
"Oh, please. Do you think your little aura is enough to overshadow my overflowing main heroine aura? Side heroine." Tamamo smirked.
Compared to Nora who did not try to spread his aura, Tamamo let hers do the talking. A heavy divinity-clad aura clashed against the demonic one. The crash made Suzuka widen her eyes.
"Your body..." Suzuka mumbled.
"Indeed, I got my body back for a bit. It is still lacking in many places and the output is way below I would rather have, but you cannot simply get all my power back that easily." Tamamo said.
"You came here to brag?" Suzuka narrowed her eyes.
"A little." Tamamo smiled. "Although, I also had other things in mind when I decided to come here."
"Coming here to call me a faker again?" Suzuka pointed at the fox ears on top of her head.
"Those ears annoy me as always, but my business this time is different." Tamamo clicked her tongue.
Nodding to herself, Tamamo turned toward Nora and did not waste any time to hug him.
"Oh yes... this is heavenly. It is like the feeling is amplified by 3 or 4 times over." Tamamo almost drooled as she rubbed her face on Nora's chest. "Ahem, I almost lost myself there. Hubby. This is a woman's talk now, you need to leave."
Pulling back, Tamamo put her hand on her cleavage a found a rolled-up stack of bills.
"Go and buy yourself something cute." Tamamo pushed a roll of bills on the youth's garments as she winked.
Before the youth could say anything, Tamamo pulled a talisman and placed it on his forehead. Just like that, the youth was sent away.
"Now then... I am short on time since I need to watch over a certain troublesome mother-in-law." Tamamo turned toward the remaining party. "Do you want to calm down and talk or maybe would you rather I beat you and forcefully calm you down before talking? I recommend the second option since I am quite angry with you faker. I am aware that you are clueless about what's really going on, but I find it extremely irking that you spoke like that to my hubby of all people."
"...number two it is." Suzuka growled.
"Oh my, so you decided to be beaten up. Wonderful." Tamamo smiled. "You don't have your precious katanas so I will not use any weapons either."
...
Compared to the way their auras were clashing, the fight was quite short-lived since they could cause casualties.
Tamamo sat on one side, where Nora had been sitting with a composed expression but a slap mark on her right cheek. On the other hand, Suzuka had slap marks on both cheeks.
"Dressing to seduce as expected." Tamamo pointed out the garments the other party wore.
"You do not dress like a prude lady either." Suzuka pointed to the exposed areas of the fox's outfit.
"It is called 'easy access'." Tamamo retorted. "My hubby can enjoy himself easily that way."
"Well, this is called fashion. Men love this." Suzuka spoke. "I dress differently to give him a lot to enjoy compared to you who only wear the same plain old outfit. Don't you know? Men can easily get tired of repetitive things. This is why nowadays many men leave their wives for younger women."
"You have just said something that you should not say." Tamamo smiled 'happily'. "Plain old? Surely you are not talking about this outfit my hubby has made full use of. For the record, he has openly praised me for wearing such an avant-garde design (lie)."
"Well, he has told me that he would turn my red skirt white from all his love applied to it (lie)." Suzuka grinned 'happily'.
Suddenly sighing, Suzuka looked deflated.
"You look like you were eating one of those sweets you can buy in that magical school train and you happened to find the vomit flavor." Tamamo mumbled.
"...that is oddly specific." Suzuka raised an eyebrow.
"...don't ask. We infiltrated a strange school and had to fight against some noseless wizard called woldemario in Italy." Tamamo had a faraway look.
"That just makes me more curious though!?" Suzuka shook her head.
A strange silence followed those words.
"...will he hate me for what I said? I acted differently." Suzuka muttered.
"My hubby would never do that. You should have faith in him." Tamamo mumbled.
"But I said all that after saying I was not jealous." Suzuka spoke.
"Isn't it normal?" Tamamo said. "It would be even more strange if you never harbored those kind of thoughts at all."
"Do you also want to monopolize him?" Suzuka asked.
"Yes." Tamamo nodded. "I want him to myself. However, that is not possible."
Looking at the destroyed table, Tamamo pulled a talisman and dropped it on the breakage, once it shone, the pieces of the table each went back to the place they belonged, and the table was restored.
"For once, he has an unusual luck with women so I would be tiring myself to death if I spent all the time trying to keep women from getting close to him." Tamamo mumbled.
"...a fair point." Suzuka commented.
"Above all..." Tamamo sighed. "Is it really a bad thing?"
"AHH!? What do you mean by that? His time will be used with someone else, and you will be neglected-" Suzuka raised her tone.
"Have you truly felt like he was not doing his best for your sake?" Tamamo asked. "He is always thinking about us and how to make us happy. However, who is thinking about him? Is it really bad letting more people love him and pamper him?"
Hearing this, Suzuka went silent.
"What he has gone through for our sake is something no one else would even dare to try. You can ask anyone and argue that for the woman they love and like, they could even shoot a star. Nonetheless, we both know that it is such a bullshit. How many men have promised me the world, how they will face any challenge to win my heart, how it is only a matter of time before they show me how much I mean to them... Only to be among the people chasing after me to kill me." Tamamo muttered. "Even nowadays, you will find many men making promises after they see the pretty you, but the moment you hit your low, you will be abandoned. Is that not the case with many women under your alliance? Aside from the ones my hubby has left in your case for several reasons, you surely have women who do not trust men and even loathe them. Yet, they came to trust my hubby for a reason."
"...still." Suzuka mumbled.
"It is alright." Tamamo stood up. "I am not here to make you accept my reasoning. I kinda wanted to test this body a bit and slap you."
"Aren't you a little too honest?" Suzuka felt like starting a fight again.
"I love my hubby." Tamamo said. "I love him more than anything in this world. No, he is my world. I might get jealous, but that jealousy will never, ever, be greater than my desire to respect his will and be at his side. You are a wise person, but you also have the habit of recklessly going straight after something without thinking about the consequences."
"Urgh, you really hit where it hurts." Suzuka grumbled.
"Not like you are making it difficult at all." Tamamo retorted.
"Yeah yeah." Suzuka clicked her tongue.
"This is the power of the main heroine. Be in awe." Tamamo snorted.
"...are you ok with what he said?" Suzuka asked.
"There are many things I want to do in this world. However, without my hubby, I would rather perish." Tamamo said. "If he is going to leave this world, I will follow right behind him."
"You are insane." Suzuka shook her head.
"Isn't that the difference between you and me? I don't call myself his wife for no reason at all. However, what about you? Afraid of following the man you love to hell? That's... a little disappointing." Tamamo sighed.
Without waiting for any reply, Tamamo left with a puff, as smoke comically took her place. In her place, there was a piece of paper. Suzuka began readying it and began to massage her temples with her hand.
"Ah ah, after hearing her say all that, I can't just sit here doing nothing." Suzuka mumbled. "Sure, protecting Japan or whatever, just gotta convince Papa."
Sighing again, Suzuka came to hate Tamamo a bit more today. After all, in the end, she was doing the bidding of the fox after being manipulated.
----------------------------
3rd Person POV
On the other hand, the youth who was reverse-spirited away to who knows where was sighing. He was strolling and passing a bridge while gazing at the river coursing nonstop. The clear reflection of the sky and the sun almost blinded him. Eating an ice cream, the youth put to use the money Tamamo 'gifted' him.
"I have confirmed Celestial's stance this time. The Kamisato Clan also answered earlier so that mostly clear this side." Nora sighed. "Why if we are in modern times I cannot just add everyone in a group chat and ask them there. If they were honest with their answer I could save so much time."
Shaking his head, the youth suddenly froze in place. Distracted by his thoughts, he had failed to notice the presence of a group ahead.
For whatever reason, a raccoon- a girl was face-first inside a trash can ahead in front of a store. The shop owner had a troubled smile or rather a forced smile as he stood beside the garbage removal workers standing nearby. Their truck was still on and even the driver had his head out to see what was happening. On the other hand, there was a group of girls that seemed to be friends with the raccoon- girl kicking her legs inside the trash can.
Among the group, there was a beautiful pink-haired girl, dressed in a fashionable and colorful outfit, stomping her feet.
"It happens all the time, why did you suddenly decide to dive inside a trash can again."
"There is treasure here!"
The raccoon- trash can diving girl answered.
"You say that all the time!!!"
The pink-haired girl looked extremely embarrassed, however, she did not abandon her friend or act like she did not know her. It was also obvious that she was quite used to it as she sighed and just let the girl do her thing.
"Stelle-chan can't help herself when she finds something that picks her interest."
Smiling wryly, a blonde-haired girl wearing a white dress full of intricate details commented.
"It is always a mystery how she always finds something useful inside one."
Chuckling awkwardly, a blue-haired girl, wearing a sleek and modern outfit, added as she pulled out a dirty lottery ticket.
"We can't exactly claim it ourselves, but we can always hand it to the person who threw it if we find them."
The tallest among the group did not say anything but tilted her head. Compared to the others, the last person of the five-person group looked like a young woman in her early twenties instead of a teenager. Suddenly, the black-haired young woman wearing a rather 'lacking in fabric' outfit that showed many of her curves and left a lot to the imagination, turned head and locked eyes with Nora. Followed by her, the raccoon- trash can diving girl pulled out and sharply stared in the youth's direction. This caused the others to curiously follow their gazes and finally lock eyes with the youth as well.
"Ah." It was what the group and the youth unanimously muttered.
Before anyone else said or did anything, Nora did what any sane person would do. He first ate the ice cream in one bite, crumbling the napkin around the cone and throwing it inside the trash can of a store nearby, despite the long distance, the youth did not miss his shot. Then he jumped down the river in an Olympic medal-winning performance. The youth perfectly did a forward 4 1/2 somersault tuck as he entered the water without causing a big splash.
The onlookers, a group of unique ladies included could only offer their heartful applauses.
"Don't stand there, we finally found him!"
The pink-haired girl was the first to retort and break out of the awe-inspiring stupor they were in.
"As expected of you, Nano, you are the first to recover."
The blonde-haired girl nodded and gave the pink-haired one a thumbs up. The others did the same.
"He is getting away!"
Complaining, the pink-haired girl pointed at the youth swimming with a speed that could put racing boats to shame.
"...can you outrun a racing boat?"
The blue-haired girl smiled wryly.
"Physics says we cannot, but... Rules are meant to be broken."
The raccoon- trash can girl pulled a bat from who knows where.
"Not now, Stelle-chan."
The blonde-haired girl sighed.
Looking despondent, the girl called Stella naturally went toward the trash can and dove in again.
"Girls! I just saw a guy swimming faster than a racing boat, I think it is him, Nora."
A figure arrived as the rest of the group had given up catching the youth already. Her orange hair stood strongly, but there was an air of craziness around her that made people stay away as she walked despite her cheerful appearance.
"...eh? Why do you all look at me like that?"
Getting fed-up expressions, the group stared at the girl, or rather, the phone in her hand that showed a zero balance in the bank.
"You spend all your money on gacha again..."
The blonde-haired one complained and wondered when their finances be free of needless expenses.
...
...
...
Stopping only when he felt nothing but animal and insect presence, the youth left the river and sat by the riverside.
"...scary." Nora shook his head. "They might be beautiful, but they are magnets for trouble..."
Sighing, the youth tried to forget how much trouble they got him into. While he had fun hanging out with such a chaotic bunch, it would be better to keep his distance since they would surely want to get involved with his problems too.
Together, they somehow ended up stuck inside some ancient ruins that did not allow them to teleport. The ancient civilization had been quite advanced but had a knack for destroying clothes thus a lot of unique situations happened. Although the youth felt like the ones benefitting the most from everything was them for some reason.
"Now what? I still have some time before I contact some of the Youkais from the other side. I need to arrange the finer details with the Five Clans' future leaders, but that means meeting Suzaku. The last pictures she sent left me kinda horny. Himejima Clan is truly a sinful clan full of erotic women..." Nora sighed.
Looking at the sky, the youth felt his vision blur for a moment. Shaking his head, he stood up.
"Can't just relax or I might just collapse." Nora smiled bitterly. "Really now, I am just pushing it with this plan..."
Pulling out his phone, the youth checked for replies to his emails. There was a concerning number of emails with pictures attached and names of different women. There were several taps named after each of those names so the youth moved his hand skillfully and sorted everything except some emails regarding his bank accounts being closed, his subscription to the Magazine Be a Better Cat, and lastly, a simple reply to meet-up with someone.
"As expected, they still left her with that one. It was worth to install the whole service in the Fae Land. Not sure how they will turn out after getting internet though..." Nora sweated coldly.
Creating a magic circle, the youth set the coordinates a couple of times as he relied on his memory.
"I wouldn't want to end up in her bedroom again." Nora smiled wryly.
...
A regular forest... or not. Some unusual insects and plants were all around him and the youth was kneeling while picking some flowers and smelling them.
"I didn't know you liked flowers so much."
A comment filled with some sarcasm reached the youth's ears but he simply smiled wryly.
"This one is quite a rare poisonous flower that could make you hallucinate for hours before the effects wear off. It is almost harmless if you do not have magic power, but in case you have, the effect could be greater the higher the amount." Nora explained. "I believe you were the one to plant these here..."
Standing up, the youth looked at the young woman who came to talk to him alone in the forest outside her property. Wearing her usual pink pallet. The Fae walked gracefully and took slow steps closer to the youth as she observed his actions.
"Aren't you quite smart?" Baobhan Sith smirked.
"I can hardly call myself 'smart', but I believe you had many ideas to use against the Fae but never got to use them." Nora smiled wryly.
Standing up, the youth got closer to the young woman and inspected her.
"You look great." Nora smiled.
"...thanks to you pleading for me, I have the freedom to move as I please as long as it is inside my property." Baobhan Sith did not seem to mind the closeness.
"I think that even if I had not done that, Morgan would've done it herself." Nora shook his head.
"Her Highness for you." Baobhan Sith raised an eyebrow at the youth. "Argh, you will just call her as you please, why do I bother?"
Clicking her tongue, Baobhan Sith kicked the youth's shin with her not-so-sublet goth-themed boots.
The power behind the blow was high considering her mystical nature, but the youth simply ignored her actions and smiled wryly.
"If she had done it, some people would feel unsafe and thought she was playing favorites. The order that was obtained after the disaster I caused would create fractures in the people's belief in Mother's rule." Baobhan Sith sighed.
"Well, Morgan is a gifted woman, I believe that would not stop her. Now that the rotten ones are gone, she can win over her people by showing her skills. Morgan should be able to handle everything that is to come with capable subjects like you." Nora smiled.
"I believe in Mother, but I am not sure where you get your confidence when looking at Barghest or Melusine." Baobhan Sith shook her head.
"No one is born perfect. They have some flaws, but that does not mean they have no gifts. Plus they can always learn from their mistakes. Instead of judging everything cynically, how about you use that brain of yours to point out what areas they should improve?" Nora shrugged his shoulders.
Looking at a nearby tree, the youth leaned his back onto it as he crossed his arms.
"Besides, there is also Habenyan and that other knight with the huge armor, remember? You can all do it." Nora gave Baobhan Sith a thumbs up.
"You are creeping me out." Baobhan Sith shuddered and took a step back.
"...how is Mordred doing?" Nora asked.
"...her case is a bit special considering her origins." Baobhan Sith muttered.
"I pleaded for her as well but..." Nora mumbled.
"It is a bit harder for her given how it was the previous queen who was behind her creation for the most part." Baobhan Sith said. "There is also how she listened to me and many consider that an even worse offense since there is no guarantee she will not heed the words of someone else next time."
"...that's stupid reasoning." Nora looked fed up.
"Tell me about it." Baobhan Sith shared his same thoughts.
Copying Nora's actions, the young woman leaned her back against a tree, that happened to be the same tree as Nora, so they ended up close to one another again.
"Well, Mother has not treated her unfairly, but there is her mental state to worry about. I heard that after speaking to you that last time when you pleaded for her, she does not speak to anyone else." Baobhan Sith commented. "She is confined to her room on her property, but she is unable to step out. There is a strong barrier that prevents her from doing it, but other than that, she is treated well and eats her meals three times a day."
"Why are you telling me that?" Nora asked.
"You looked ready to kidnap her and take her home with you. If she had been locked up inside some dungeon, I bet you would've done that." Baobhan Sith smirked.
"Sweetie, you know me rather well." Nora looked away.
"If there is a hero in this world, then that would be you. If there isn't any... the closest to one would still be you." Baobhan Sith snorted. "You tried to save a crazy woman like me, there is no way you would abandon a pitiful girl like her."
"I am no hero, but I guess I would break her out of jail if she had been treated terribly." Nora smiled wryly.
"Tsk, yeah yeah, Mister I-am-not-a-hero." Baobhan Sith snorted.
"...are you doing ok?" Nora slightly bumped the young woman's shoulder with his.
"...I am alive. Part of me expected to get executed for my actions so everything feels somewhat unreal." Baobhan Sith replied. "I just feel lost I guess."
"I see." Nora smiled. "It is ok to feel lost, we cannot have all the answers all the time after all. However, we can continue to live and the answers will eventually come our way as we keep thinking."
"Oh? So you are telling me to continue living until I am no longer lost. That might take a long time." Baobhan Sith sighed.
"Who knows how long it will take? Nonetheless, I believe you will continue looking for those answers." Nora gave the young woman a rather charming smile (from Baobhan Sith's POV).
"...you are being cheeky." Baobhan Sith snorted.
"You are strong and will not easily give up." Nora chuckled.
"Oh, quit it." Baobhan Sith clicked her tongue as she turned her head away.
Chuckling at that, the youth looked at the sky. The thick foliage left only the smallest openings to look through, but it was still enough for the youth to see a bird flying as it passed by.
"I came here for a couple of reasons." Nora mumbled.
"Ara, here I thought you came to flirt with me." Baobhan Sith smiled sarcastically. "I was waiting all this time and it seems my hopes will be crushed. What a mean man."
"I could always push you down here and mess you up after getting a little rough is that really what you want." Nora shrugged his shoulders.
In response, his shin was kicked, but the youth ignored the pain.
"What a shame, here I got my hopes up after you said that... I was quite horny too." Nora sarcastically said.
"You can be quite crude and uncouth at times." Baobhan Sith snorted. "Can you even get any women by saying vulgar words like that?"
"You would be surprised." Nora laughed hollowly.
"...you are an animal." Baobhan Sith commented in an amazed tone.
"I cannot offer any words to counter that." Nora chuckled.
Pausing for a moment, the youth gave a side-long gaze to the young woman.
"Did you get it?" Nora asked.
"Mother probably knows that I took it." Baobhan Sith sighed.
"That is ok. The fact that she allowed you to take it means she knows I asked you to get it." Nora mumbled.
"Why didn't you ask her yourself?" Baobhan Sith asked.
"I am too horny lately and I might just push her down-" Nora stopped playing around when the blow to his shin left Baobhan Sith holding her feet over her boot.
"What is your body made of...?" Baobhan Sith complained.
"She would realize things that others fail to." Nora confessed.
"Hmmm, I guess that means I am unable to realize it." Baobhan Sith spat out.
Pulling out an old-looking copper shield filled with cracks, Baobhan Sith passed it onto Nora. The youth easily stored in his pocket dimension with a wave of his hand.
"...can you be normal for once?" Baobhan Sith gave an exasperated sigh.
"Now what?" Nora tilted his head.
"Now what? He says..." Baobhan Sith shook her head.
"Don't you think your ability to store things in your storage so easily is a bit abnormal?" Baobhan Sith asked.
"Huh? This is just average from what I heard..." Nora looked confused.
"...anyone would confuse it with a rather high mastery of the technique. However, you are just skipping several processes." Baobhan Sith used one finger to thrust it into the youth's arm.
"...don't you do the same?" Nora acted obvlious.
"No, I- Urgh. I guess you are going to continue playing around and not tell me anything." Baobhan Sith sighed.
"I mean, I just practiced and practiced nonstop. First I archived chantless use of spells and then just kept going to decrease the time it took me to use it. The more you use a skill, the higher the mastery goes. That does not only apply to games, but in real life as well. Compared to games though, we don't have a gauge to measure our progress so most people usually give up, however, I am well aware of how lacking in talent and skills I am compared to geniuses like yourself so it makes no difference to me. I just have to practice until I can at least do this much." Nora smiled wryly.
"...you are crazy." Baobhan Sith shook her head.
She knew that perhaps she could not completely grasp how much the youth put into practice, but Baobhan Sith was aware that Nora was not someone to go at things halfway. He was abnormal to the point he would probably be able to cast magic that some would spend their whole lives learning like it was easy, but behind the scenes, he might be making an effort that no one could realize.
"Sanity cannot help you accomplish your goals." Nora mumbled.
Their words could be said to fit if looked at superficially, but the duo had other ideas on their mind for speaking those words in particular.
"So? What else are you going to ask for?" Baobhan Sith raised an eyebrow as she asked.
Without saying anything, the youth pulled a glass vial filled with a red liquid.
Still keeping her eyebrow raised, Baobhan Sith took the vial the youth had handed over and gave it a light stir. Removing the cap, Baobhan Sith immediately widened her eyes and put it back again.
"It is not as valuable, but I want to make an exchange. My blood, in exchange for you doing the same thing you did to me back then." Nora muttered. "I have ten gallons of blood prepared for the exchange if you think it is not enough-"
Stopping for a moment, Nora's leg from his shin down to his foot was now buried inside the tree trunk behind him after Baobhan Sith kicked him. The young woman glared at the youth with an intense gaze mixed with anger.
"Do you know how much blood courses regularly through someone's body? It should be around 5,5 liters, more or left... if that is your blood, how many times did you almost kill yourself to get me that amount?" Baobhan Sith had shifted her body in a way that she was now before the youth with one hand placed above his shoulder, and on the tree.
"It is not really a problem for me. If needed, I could harvest 10 times that amount without feeling any pressure at all. I am not pushing myself while getting it either." Nora pulled out his leg without blinking.
"Putting aside how my blow would be enough to shatter someone's shin if it hit and you don't even seem bothered by it. You said something outrageous without changing your expression a second ago." Baobhan Sith narrowed her eyes. "What is wrong with you? I consider you to be abnormal already, but you are taking things to the extreme."
"...I need this." Nora's brain considered several appropriate answers to give and many would calm Baobhan Sith down, yet the youth simply answered honestly.
Staring into the youth's eyes, Baobhan Sith failed to find any falsehood. Nodding at that, she felt he was asking for a reason.
"Even if I tried to do the same as before, the result would not change. I could try to give you some of my blood, but your body will just reject it." Baobhan Sith explained. "I, or anyone vampire, would be unable to turn you into their kin even if they were far stronger than you."
"...I am not trying to turn into a vampire." Nora shook his head. "To begin with, I should be half-devil given certain reasons, yet I continue to be a youkai despite being capable of wielding Demonic Power. I also do not have a weakness for holy weapons or the like. Nonetheless, I am weak to weapons made to exterminate youkais or beasts."
"...and you call yourself a cat?" Baobhan Sith spat out.
"Super cat for you, my fair lady." Nora retorted.
Rolling her eyes at that, Baobhan Sith kept her position and found no reason to change it. Keeping the youth in a similar situation to a kabedon.
"...even if it was a unique way to acquire Demonic Power, I should be a hybrid, yet I remain pure youkai." Nora shrugged his shoulders. "Back then, it was not like there was no effect on me."
Trying to pull another vial, the youth found himself stuck without much space to move his hands, yet Baobhan Sith did not seem like she would. Holding it in his hand, he tried to move his arm to one side, yet Baobhan Sith put her other on the tree to stop him. Looking at the snickering expression on the young woman's face, the youth took it as a challenge. Without caring what he might touch, he moved his hand from Baobhan Sith's thigh, slowly, leaving a finger out to caress the young woman. His actions caused a lot of clothes to rustle, but the youth accomplished his goal somewhat by having his raising the vial in front of Baobhan Sith's chest, 'perfectly' lodged there.
Snickering again at the youth, Baobhan Sith stared at the vial.
"This seems to be blood." Baobhan Sith snorted. "I thought you would show me something interesting."
Rolling his eyes, Nora uncapped the vial and Baobhan Sith nervously swallowed her spit and her legs went weak.
"Stop your horniness and observe." Nora concentrated on the vial.
On a closer look, Baobhan Sith noticed a small change in the liquid. The blood seemed to be swaying from one side to another like there was a small wave going back and forth. The first thing the Fae considered was the youth moving his hands to archive the effect yet, it was not as such.
"That's... weak. However, you seem to have some control over your blood." Baobhan Sith mumbled.
"I have practiced since then but this is as far as I can archive." Nora sighed in disappointment. "My skill only amounts to that much."
"...you underestimate yourself too much. In most cases, some of the ones turned into vampires cannot even harness this power even if they practice for years. Yet you managed to get this far by yourself without even being one. Real vampires use this ability since it is a racial skill so it is not a good idea to compare to them." Baobhan Sith said.
"The issue is that it is possible to harness vampiric powers even if it is on a small scale. Similar to how my demonic power works. I want more of your blood. Vampires usually suck your blood and then inject a portion of theirs to make new vampires." Nora spoke. "I want you to do the same. My body would normally reject the notion to prevent myself from turning into a vampire. I made some tests and no effects could be seen with others. Perhaps our compatibility is good or it was because I was at my end back then. I believe you are the one who could make it work."
Gazing at the youth who threw some crazy theories without showing any proof, one would normally be immediately against the idea for many reasons yet Baobhan Sith silently kept thinking.
"...why?" Baobhan Sith asked a simple question.
"I want power." Nora answered plainly.
"There are many other ways." Baobhan Sith asked.
"It is a matter of compatibility." Nora smiled wryly. "Are you worried I would jeopardize your position after doing something uncouth with these abilities? I prepared fake traces and you would never be traced."
"You are a jerk." Baobhan Sith spat out. "Do you realize why I am saying this?"
"...I have a lot of theories in mind that could be the reason." Nora mumbled.
"I will say this once." Baobhan Sith paused as she took some air inside her lungs before speaking in a clear tone of voice that left no possible misunderstanding. "You are the savior of the Fae, the man who ruined my plans of revenge... yet, you are also the man who saved Mother, and saved me. I trust only two people in this world. That would first, be Mother of course. Then, it would be you."
Listening quietly, the youth said nothing.
"You are my greatest foe, but also the person I can put my whole trust into. I am the successor of the rain clan, a witch, a Fae, a vampire, the Cait Cu Cerpriestess." Baobhan Sith declared. "Ask away, I owe you my life so I will fulfill your requests in a snap of a finger."
Smiling confidently, Baobhan Sith was certain her words would make the youth understand why he was a jerk.
"...I was coming here to ask for blood, but you said that and I am kinda horny right now. Can I fondle your chest?" Nora mumbled.
With the corner of her eye twitching, Baobhan Sith did the only reasonable thing. Used her knee to hit Nora on his privates.
The youth's pain resistance was already on the verge of breaking so his expression twisted as he bent over slightly. It was then that Baobhan Sith opened her mouth and sank her fangs on the youth's neck.
The exchange of blood was usually a fast action, yet the youth felt like Baobhan Sith took her sweet time.
...
It was over an hour later that an intoxicated Baobhan Sith stepped back with a red face and panting heavily as her glazed eyes stared at the youth with strong desire. The blood has an extreme effect on her yet the young woman still decided to prolong her actions.
"Set the mood next time, and I will consider it." Baobhan Sith licked her lips twice as she looked at the youth and resisted all kinds of urges her body wanted her to act on.
Using magic, Baobhan Sith tried to cope with her enhanced stats after drinking the nectar known as Nora's blood. The magic circle was ready to take her away, but Baobhan Sith went back the a surprised Nora and kissed him lightly on the lips.
"This is another blessing from a Fae, and the Cait Cu Cerpriestess, you better be grateful, you jerk." Baobhan Sith left after saying her piece.
The youth, dumbfounded as he was, stood up, the pain already disappearing as Baobhan Sith began to suck his blood. Apparently, the action takes away pain and makes the body feel a certain level of pleasure.
"...if she kicked my balls just for a kiss, I don't want to imagine what she would do if we were to have sex." Nora sighed.
Touching the bite marks, the youth felt the foreign blood inside his body. Concentrating, he could tell his body was making sure to reject any change that might come to it.
"Affinity is it?" Nora mumbled. "What a broad term..."
Shaking his head, the youth focused on one thing. The same thing he had done over the years. Creating a separate vessel inside his body to harness his powers. Compared to the devil experiments, the youth would not get any substantial change in his body. However, that was fine. He was not going to get greedy and hoped to acquire all the abilities a vampire could have. To begin with, he never considered getting more than one thing and one thing only.
"The only fitting thing a vampire has is regeneration. Their control over their own blood..." Nora focused even more.
Extending his left arm forward, the youth swung his right one mercilessly to cut his left hand. The edge made using ki easily severed his hand and it fell to the ground making a bloody mess.
Looking at the hand on the ground, the youth narrowed his eyes as he tried to feel Baobhan Sith's blood and the effect it could have. Just like that, the hand that should've remained motionless on the ground began to twitch.
"Good." Nora nodded. "I will have to repeat this a couple of thousand times before I get the hang of it given my lack of skills, but... it worked."
Snapping the right hand finger, a fire began burning the hand on the ground. By the time it turned into ashes, the youth had a new hand.
"...You still let her hand me Rho Aias. I guess I owe you one, Morgan." Nora chuckled as he disappeared after using magic to teleport himself away.