The day ended uneventfully for the better. Other than everyone being absolutely drained from the treasure hunt, they were equally excited for the day after tomorrow. Getting to experiencing schooling in Aravel was another level of honour the group felt they acquired, so much so that the boys of the group began sparring with each other after dinner.
While the girls watched the spar, Kaze and Lunaria sat close by to the group where they cuddled and watched the spar going down. Kaze initially wanted to spar as well but gave in to the temptation to cuddle with his dragonkin girlfriend. After all, he believed that he wasn't missing out that much since the spar was really just a way for them to vent their excitement. What he really wanted was just to hang around Lunaria and relax after a gruelling day of activity.
"Kaze, do you mind?"
"Alright."
"Fwa~"
Lunaria, sitting on his lap, purred happily when Kaze stroked her head after she requested for it. Them passing time during cuddles comprised of kisses, hugging and patting. By stroking Lunaria's head, Kaze could tell that she truly enjoyed having her lover show her this much attention. Her tail naturally wrapped around his waist, twitching a little every time he restarted his stroking in a repeated motion. It was a cute detail Kaze noticed coming from Lunaria.
"Do you really have to pick this time to flirt?" Mitsui addressed the lovebirds with a smirk. "There is a bedroom for a reason."
"Really, Mitsui?" Kaze sighed at Mitsui's teasing nature. "I understand if Lunaria and I cuddling would make you uncomfortable, but you didn't have to phrase it that way."
"Not really, it's rather entertaining watching you two," Irene grinned, also joining in on the fun. "It makes me question whether a certain someone would be able to treat me the way you do to Lunaria, hm?"
The obvious target of her statement, Chris, was having too much fun sparring with Albert and Yuuji to catch Irene's words. Of course, she was simply joking to try and get a response out of the others as she didn't hold ill intentions towards her boyfriend.
"I think your relationship with Chris is stable, Irene," Lunaria politely commented. "You don't have to feel jealous about Kaze and I."
"We know you're more passionate than normal people, Lunaria," Noel nodded at her statement about feeling jealousy. "Somehow, your pure and genuine love for Kaze makes your flirting a lot more tolerable than those you would see back in Tristania."
"Oh? What do you mean?" Lunaria tilted her head at this interesting viewpoint coming from Noel. "Do couples in the human nations act the way I do?"
"Not… as open or cuddly in most cases, but I would say so," Noel simply nodded. "Ask any of us. If you are a noble or someone of higher status, you would see a different perspective compared to the lower or middle-class families."
"Basically, think of couples of a higher status acting more refined and with care since their actions reflect their family status," Irene, being someone who was from that high-class style family, told Lunaria. "You would understand, wouldn't you? Maybe not, since Laevia-sama and Reginsleif-sama are super laidback people."
"I do understand, if anything," Lunaria giggled, accepting a kiss from Kaze. "I grew up refined, which surprisingly did not affect my natural self. As you can see, I am rather attached to Kaze."
"Sorry, what I meant was with showing affection. Like with Laevia-sama and Reginsleif-sama, they flirt openly in front of us too," Irene corrected herself. "As a princess, of course you would know how to act refined, but I meant in terms of showing affection."
"Ah, I see. That's true, considering you humans prefer a more private sense of showing off yourself," Lunaria nodded. "Us dragonkins are a lot more open. However, we do keep in mind of the time and place when it comes to showing our affection. Since I am comfortable being around everyone here, I wouldn't hesitate flirting with Kaze."
"Although the person himself seems bashful," Sera added on with a wry smile, causing the others to giggle.
"Kaze, Kaze. You must have done godly things to subdue Lunaria so greatly," Shoko shook her head in a slow sway to act dramatic. "Lunaria, have you been tempted by his manliness?"
"Sort of," Lunaria admitted without shame, a happy smile on her face. "Kaze saved me… to say the least."
The others simply smiled at her words, understanding the depth of her confession. Among them all, Lunaria was the one who had suffered the most in her lifetime. From a long period of depression to isolation, she finally found love and comfort that healed her mentally. Kaze, being the considerate and loving partner he was, was a person of few words who only spoke when needed. Lunaria loved it when Kaze gave her the attention she needed, which was also the reason why in the past few days her affection for him kept rising.
As such, it wasn't a surprise that Lunaria kept fawning over Kaze. It was to the point that she roused more jealousy and envy from her sisters, who were trying to win Kaze's heart too.
"Kaze."
"K-Kaze…"
From both sides, Lunatea and Lucentia walked over to him and snuggled his arm. Lunaria didn't seem to mind her sisters taking advantage of Kaze anytime they wanted, since she already accepted that Kaze was popular with his sisters. Instead, she just had a small frown of dissatisfaction that she was no longer able to enjoy a solo session cuddling with Kaze.
"L-Lunatea, Lucentia," Kaze nervously addressed the two who had just joined the group at the courtyard.
"Mm…" Lucentia leaned her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes to enjoy his body warmth.
"Share," Lunatea pouted, expressing her envious feelings to him before snuggling tightly to him as well.
Seeing how the three dragonkin princesses were all over Kaze, the girls all giggled and enjoyed the sight of Kaze getting surrounded. Kaze himself felt a little lost, wondering what the correct response here was. He knew that they each wanted affection from him, yet he didn't have the hands to deliver it to all of them. Thinking that he should prioritize the other two who hadn't gotten any, Kaze tilted his head to Lunaria's ear and whispered softly.
"Sorry, I'm going to have to take care of your sisters first," Kaze apologised to Lunaria. "We can cuddle in bed, right?"
"Mm, I don't mind," Lunaria turned around and planted a kiss on his lips. "Please tend to my sisters."
Kaze's hand left Lunaria's side and began patting the other two. Both Lunatea and Lucentia shivered upon feeling the palm of his hand placed on their head before his fingers scratched their scalp gently. With a small moan leaking from their mouths, they began to blush at his affectionate stroking. Kaze already had prior experience with Lunaria when it came to stroking her head, so it was no biggie that he knew what the girls liked best.
For the rest of the night while the others sparred, Kaze was there with the three dragonkin sisters and cuddling away. It wasn't until his friends finished sparring that they decided to retire to their rooms for the night. Naturally, Lunatea and Lucentia felt sad that they had to part with him so soon, but it was inevitable since he would be sleeping with Lunaria. Knowing that there was no point in complaining other than to put in extra effort to retain his feelings, they kissed him good night and returned as well.
Once back in Lunaria's room, Lunaria pushed Kaze onto the bed and climbed on top of him. She plopped her body on him and began making out passionately, slipping her tongue into his mouth to savour the feeling of his tongue coiling around hers. At the same time, she chose to slip her hands round the back of his head so she could hold on to him, making sure that she wouldn't separate anytime soon.
"L-Lunaria…" Kaze took the chance to speak once they separated for air. "Were you that jealous?"
"A little," she admitted with a small nod. "I hope my sisters won't steal you away from me enough that you forget about me…"
"Before we cuddle like usual, I want to talk a little about earlier," Kaze stopped her from kissing him. "Please?"
Realizing the serious look on his face, Lunaria sighed and got away from him. With Kaze sitting up, Lunaria hugged his arm and leaned into his side, silently waiting for him to talk.
"… Is this about me being emotionally supported by your company?" She asked softly, as if worried that this was going to be the case.
"… Mm," Kaze nodded. "I got curious when you mentioned it."
"I suppose I never fully explained about that before, huh?" Lunaria mumbled, a mortified look on her face as the colour of her skin turned pale from fear. "Sorry, please don't hate me for it…"
"How could I? We both understand that you have not fully healed from the devil attack yet. While you might seem fine, I'm aware that you are going through a recovery period of your own where you are particularly fragile right now," Kaze shook his head at her words. "Plus, I trusted you and gave you some time to think it through before letting me know. If you feel you are ready, please… I want to know what you meant."
Upon hearing his kind words, Lunaria teared up a little and buried her face in his arm. It took her a few seconds to calm herself down before she could face him again. It was clear that Lunaria had completely entrusted herself to him, considering how she didn't hesitate to show her weak side.
"Well… there's not much explaining needed, honestly," Lunaria sighed, gently holding onto his hand. "I just happen to find myself emotionally attached to you in a sense that my mood is dependent on you."
"That's an awfully vague way to put it," Kaze chuckled. "Mind elaborating?"
"Like, if you were to disappear tomorrow without telling me, I will, without a doubt, go into a panic attack or depression," Lunaria responded. "Kaze, you are dating me with the intention of marriage in mind, right?"
"Yes… if anything, I would consider us engaged," Kaze nodded honestly. "But about your sisters-"
"I'm okay with them being married to you too," Lunaria stopped Kaze from speaking further. "It's fine that you're treating them the way you are right now, since you're giving them a chance to fight and see whether the feelings they developed for you is true or temporary. More importantly, I too am dating you with the intention of marriage as soon as possible. I just wanted to know if… you're okay with me being mentally weaker."
"You're strong, Lunaria. I don't think anyone mentally weak could have endured so much of what you went through in your lifetime," Kaze corrected Lunaria. "Take all the time you need to recover. I never once said that I thought of you as weak. Tell me who in the world is able to recover quickly immediately after such an experience like what you went through. Considering how you are acting now, I would say you're on the right track to recovery."
Smiling at his encouragement, Lunaria felt at ease once again since her anxiety had been building up from telling Kaze about how she currently was. It has never been easy to admit to your loved ones when you want to seek comfort for your own troubles, especially when it was someone like Lunaria who usually put on a strong front. When with Kaze, he seemed to be able to tell apart when she was troubled and when she wanted a hug. It was one of those moments right now.
"Should we sleep? We can cuddle while falling asleep if that helps," Kaze proposed. "I don't think I feel like moving about anymore."
"I agree," Lunaria giggled, stroking Shiro who had been resting on her lap since earlier. "Shiro, please move aside, I need to sleep with Kaze soon."
Shiro tilted her head and met Kaze's gaze with her fuzzy little face. As if smiling at him, she hopped onto his lap and gave him a nuzzle with her head before hopping off the bed to join Akaru at the other side of the room. This caused Kaze to smile, knowing that Shiro was bidding him good night.
"Now… I shall accept your proposal," Lunaria dramatically declared and pushed him back. "Mm~~~~~"
"Ahh… Lunaria, let me lie down properly first before you pounce on me…"
"No~ I'm not letting you go~~~"
"Haa… alright."
- - - - -
The next morning, Kaze awoke to a rather surprising sight.
Instead of having the usual view of his girlfriend snuggled up close to him, two additional dragonkins had sneaked into their bed during the night and made themselves at home with him. Lunatea and Lucentia, respectively on his left and right, had occupied his sides with a calm sleeping look on their faces. Lunaria laid on top of him, meaning that they managed to make space to sleep with him somehow.
"… What should I do?" Kaze muttered to himself, sighing as he plopped his head back onto the pillow. "I didn't expect them to be this aggressive…"
To make matters worse, Kaze had to pee, meaning that he had to wake them up one way or the other. He was more concerned with how Lunaria would react to having her privacy intruded by her sisters.
"Lunaria…" Kaze decided to wing it and stroked Lunaria's head. "I need to use the toilet…"
"Mm…" Lunaria, upon feeling his touch, groaned softly and opened her eyes. "Morning… hm?"
The sleepy look on her face vanished when she realized that her sisters were surrounding them. With her eyes widening in shock, Lunaria lifted herself off his body to examine their surroundings. It seemed like the two simply snuck into bed to sleep with Kaze, which was proven when nothing changed compared to the previous night.
"Haa… Lunatea, Lucentia," Lunaria sighed and shook her sisters' shoulders gently. "Please let Kaze go."
Similarly, the other two princesses woke up with a slightly surprised expression since Kaze and Lunaria were already awake before them. There was no hiding nor denying what they did, hence the guilty looks they possessed soon after waking up. To make matters worse for Kaze, he was experiencing a 'lucky pervert' situation, with Lunatea and Lucentia wearing nothing but undergarments and thin clothing. If not for his usual naked sleep and sex experience with Lunaria, Kaze would have had a nosebleed right away.
Kaze tilted his head towards Lunaria, who wore a rather risqué outfit to sleep herself. It was the least he could do to show that he hadn't yielded to nature's temptation yet. His eyes quickly fell on Lunaria's breasts, which were barely covered by her oversize shirt that she wore to sleep. She hadn't worn any undergarments underneath, including her panties, making the overall situation visibly pleasing to the eyes.
"Kaze, keep staring and you just might burn a hole into my clothes," Lunaria giggled, teasing Kaze for his lingering gaze. "Maybe I should start sleeping naked from now on since you like to stare so much."
"A-Ah, uh, I'm going to use the toilet," Kaze tried to keep his erection hidden from Lunaria's prying eyes, stumbling out of bed and towards the bathroom.
With a gleeful smile, Lunaria watched her lover disappeared into the bathroom before facing her younger sisters. Immediately, Lunatea and Lucentia both shuddered in fear as they did not know what their eldest sister was going to do. It was their mistake for sneaking in bed in hopes of sleeping with Kaze without asking for their permission. Lunaria had every right to criticize and punish them for their wrongdoings.
"… Should we get washed up?" Lunaria asked the duo. "It is a little early, so maybe I will get Kaze to join me in the bathtub."
"Lunaria-nee… are you not angry?" Lucentia gulped nervously.
"W-We figured you would get mad at us for sneaking into bed with Kaze…" Lunatea whimpered, looking away from her. "S-Sorry…"
With her two sisters acting all nervous and afraid, Lunaria couldn't help but sigh. She placed her hand on their heads and lightly patted them, causing the two to look up in confusion.
"Look… of course I would be a little pissed that my lover's sleep with me was disturbed by my sisters," Lunaria calmly stated. "But then it wouldn't be fair if I had an advantage that make you two unable to pursue Kaze of your own will, right? Sneaking in bed is a little extreme, so next time just tell us you want to sleep with us, and we will make room."
"… Yes, Lunaria-nee," Lunatea and Lucentia nodded, promising Lunaria that they wouldn't make the same mistake again.
"Good," Lunaria nodded, happy to see her younger sisters admitting to their faults. "Now, are you two going to join Kaze and I in the bath or what?"
"We're joining, of course," Lunatea blushed and fidgeted her fingers. "W-We don't want Lunaria-nee to always be the only one with Kaze all the time…"
"Lucentia, do you feel the same way?"
"It is a little embarrassing… but I feel that the first step to understanding Kaze would be to understand him physically."
"Alright then. I'm going to let Kaze know about this~"
Needless to say, it was chaos in the bathroom. Thankfully, Kaze hadn't lost his rationality from the aftermath of the bath, nor did Lunatea and Lucentia.
At breakfast with their friends, Kaze was still daydreaming about the sisters' heavenly bodies. He got a good look at their body structure due to the bath as it was inevitable for them to hide their figures the whole time. In fact, it seemed like Lucentia was rather impatient to have Kaze view her nude without an issue like how he did with Lunaria, whereas Lunatea was still on the hesitant side.
"Kaze, are you okay? You look tired," Yuuji asked him. "Did you not get a good sleep?"
"N-No, I slept well. It was bath that scarred me," Kaze smiled weakly at his friend. "I'm fine, thank you."
"If… you say so," Yuuji shrugged and addressed the rest of the table. "So, are we doing anything for the day? We have a free schedule."
"I don't think so. After what happened yesterday, I want to be on my own for today," Mitsui yawned. "I'm a social person, but I can't handle it when we are constantly together for a few days straight."
"Same," Irene nodded before glancing at Chris, who sat next to her. "I want some time off with Chris before the next 5 days of schooling in Aravel."
"Alright then, looks like we're each doing our own activities," Yuuji nodded. "If that's the case, then I too have my own plans. I need to collect some data and research on a few things to bring back to Tristania."
"Ah, for aiding Sir Ethan on your nation's understanding of Aravel?" Lunaria talked to Yuuji from the other side of the table, where she sat next to Kaze as usual. "That's good. Other than enjoying the Aravelean experience, taking home some valuable information is always beneficial."
"We all know for sure that Laevia-sama and Reginsleif-sama don't seem afraid to expose us to many things that are exclusively found in Aravel, for many other nations would already consider the possibility of their nation's strong and weak points being leaked," Albert added. "They must be super confident that there is nothing to leak, or that whatever gets leak would be contained or has no relevance."
"Whatever the case, a week is already soon passing, huh?" Noel sighed out loud with a big smile on her face. "The whole time we were here, it has been unbelievable. Lunaria, Lunatea, Lucentia, thank you for inviting us."
"Please don't thank us. It was all Lunaria-nee," Lunatea accepted Noel's words and pointed to her sister. "If not for her convincing our parents, there might not be a chance you all would be here."
"Though her main goal was Kaze all along?" Shoko smirked, causing the dragonkin to blush brightly.
"Ahh, so you're saying we were simply by-products that came along with the package," Rena giggled as she played along with the joke. "I see, so that's what decades of friendship is worth Lunaria. I mistook you."
Of course, they were just joking with their friend. Even then, Lunaria had to try her hardest to explain that she meant to invite everyone with her main focus being Kaze. It was clear that they loved teasing not only Kaze, but even Lunaria herself.
Breakfast ended without much trouble afterwards. Kaze himself was free for the day, hence why he decided to find something to do with Lunaria.
"Sorry, I have work for the time being," Lunaria apologetically smiled and kissed him on the cheek. "Why don't you go with Lucentia?"
"Lucentia?"
"Mm. She has modelling work right now. You said before you were interested in her job, right? Why don't you take this chance to see what a dragonkin princess is like doing her work?"
"Hmm… I may take up your offer."
"Alright. She should be in her room preparing for work right now, you can find her."
"When are we-"
"I'll find you myself, don't worry."
"Haa… how do you know what I want to say?"
"I just do. After all, you're my lover."
With a smile, Kaze watched Lunaria walk down the hallway to continue her work for the day.