"What is this?" Crystal asked as she looked at the dark brown drink in her hand.
"It's coffee," Anom explained. "I like to drink some in the morning, but I haven't had a chance to find it or something similar in your place yet."
"Uwee! It's bitter!" Luna complained as she placed the glass back on the table. Her cute little tongue was sticking out, as she seemed to really dislike bitter things.
Crystal also didn't enjoy it very much, though Loreana seemed to like it a bit after getting over the initial bitterness.
"It's quite refreshing," she commented. "But how exactly are you making all of this appear?" Her interest was visible in her eyes, as everything here seemed to amaze her.
"It's because it's his soul world." Della smiled. "He can make you experience whatever he has experienced himself before." Pausing for a bit, she pointed in the air as many more beverages appeared out of thin air before landing on the table. "All these things are the ones that he has tasted before, so what you will taste will never exceed the scope of how he perceives them."
"But it also has a limitation," Della added. "Since he has still not awakened his spirit, he cannot receive any feedback from another person's spirit to merge into his soul world." She then smiled at the girls. "Of course, you all will need to be at the spirit stage for you to be able to provide any kind of feedback."
The girls fell silent as the information Della had provided them with was a bit out of the scope of what they were familiar with in the real world.
"Then, does that mean that when we have all reached the spirit stage, we will be able to share our experiences?" Loreana suddenly asked, a bit shocked. "Doesn't that mean if one of us learns one technique, we can impart it to everyone too?"
Crystal also had her eyes wide open as she realized the significance of what her mother had said.
"It's not that simple." But Anom disagreed. "Every person has a different way of understanding different things; there's no way to perfectly replicate a technique."
"Even a simple thought process can differ from person to person; that's why, even if we share our knowledge, it will be limited to the theoretical aspect only, as dwelling on the personal sense of application might even hinder our own comprehension."
"He's right." Della smiled. "But don't worry, it's not as useless as he makes it sound; you'll come to understand in the future."
The girls all nodded before Anom finally decided to leave. "Let's go; I might not be able to handle the pressure from three extra spirits for much longer."
Only then did the girls remember that Anom had to stay in a constant state of focus to maintain this world. And now that he was carrying three of their spirits too, it was a wonder how he had kept up with the situation for so long.
"You should train more, Anom." Seeing that everyone was about to leave, Della pouted. "I haven't even had a chance to play with my new sisters, and you are already taking them away."
Anom's lips twitched as he heard her words. But he had no words to refuse because the one calling him weak was a supreme goddess.
Waving his hand, he said off-handedly, "Then I'll bring them back when I have reached the Spirit Stage, fine?"
"Oh." Della nodded while seemingly muttering to herself. "That's too bad; I was thinking of having a beach party next time." She sighed in disappointment. "It looks like we'll have to wait more."
Anom's feet had already frozen in place as he heard her speak.
Turning to look at her with a serious expression, he promised,
"I'll be back!"
…
"It feels like a dream," Crystal exclaimed after they had returned to the real world.
Loreana also nodded. "If it was, then it was a pleasant dream."
"Don't worry." Anom chuckled. "You can have this dream as many times as you want."
Hm? That actually sounds like a pretty good tagline.
"We should probably sleep now." Anom looked at the girls. "We have much to do tomorrow; it'd be better if we took a proper rest."
The ladies nodded, as it was already quite late and most of the people in the manor should already be asleep.
After everyone had stood up from the bed, Anom walked closer to Crystal.
Under the ladies shy gazes, he took her lips. Following a short silence, he let go before waving towards Luna, repeating the same process but with less intensity.
"Alright." He smiled. "We can go to sleep now."
Anom then walked out of the room. The two shy maidens also followed behind and exited as well.
Loreana stood there alone, looking at them as they left with a dazed expression on her face.
A faint hint of disappointment appeared on her face before she shook her head.
Taking a deep breath, she walked over to close the door, getting ready to sleep.
But as the door was about to close, something obstructed it before a sudden force flung it open.
Then, before Loreana's surprised gaze, Anom entered.
Looking at her brightening gaze, he smirked. "Were you disappointed?"
Loreana's expression froze, and she turned her head to the side. "What are you talking about?"
But Anom smiled even more widely. Moving his feet forward, he closed the distance and arrived in front of her.
"You could just ask if you wanted one too," he said while grabbing her waist to bring her closer, making their chests collide.
Loreana didn't reply and just kept her head lowered, a faint blush spreading over her smooth cheeks. She didn't speak, but he could hear her heart beating wildly due to their closeness.
Seeing her like this, Anom wasted no time at all. Lowering one hand behind her legs, he carried her in his arms, making her let out a cute yelp.
Closing the door with his foot, he carried her to the bed.
"Anom, no…" Under her panicked gaze, Anom placed her gently on the bed before he also jumped over.
His body hovering above her, Anom moved his face closer until their lips brushed together. He took a breath as a sweet fragrance entered his nostrils.
"You could just ask for whatever you want from me." Anom gazed into her dark brown eyes as he spoke. "You have this right now, you know?"
Loreana gazed back into his dark-black pupils as a strangely sweet feeling welled up inside her heart. She nodded slightly.
Anom smiled. "Tell me, then, what do you want?"
Loreana felt her heart quiver as his warm breath breezed over her face. But knowing his character, she knew he would not leave without an answer.
"I-I want... a k-kiss!"
"That was clear enough." Anom smirked before diving his head downward.
Loreana closed her eyes as she felt their lips join. A feeling of joy sprung up in her body, one that she could not suppress.
And as if trying to express that joy, her tongue became proactive as it took the initiative to approach him.
Despite being pleasantly surprised, Anom responded with equal enthusiasm. While his hands also refused to sit idle as they moved, seemingly having a mind of their own, reaching her breasts.
"Mmm…"
A light squeeze sent Loreana shivering while her tongue froze, allowing Anom to wrap it in his own.
But Anom's hands seemed dissatisfied with the layer of cloth that was obstructing them from touching the heavenly softness directly.
Regretfully, she was wearing a full dress with no comfortable opening for a direct touch. Moreover, he wasn't sure if that was the right time to go any further.
Suddenly, his hand came across something hard and pointy, making him realize that his hand had reached the peak of the mountain it was climbing. Hence, to celebrate the event, he gave the tip a light pinch.
"MMMHHH~"
Loreana's body jolted vigorously, but her moan was muffled due to the kiss.
But Anom's expression grew more shameless as one of his knees was already approaching between Loreana's legs.
The slightest touch in her secret region sent Loreana into panic. But seeing her reaction, Anom had already moved his leg back.
Ending the kiss, he said, "Don't worry." He smiled. "You're already mine; you can't run away!"
He gave her a few more pecks before getting up from the bed.
"Good night." Giving Loreana a reluctant smile, Anom then left.
Loreana's lips quivered as if wanting to speak, but in the end, she couldn't gather enough courage.
You're already mine!
His words echoed into her ears, making the mature beauty blush so hard that she had to cover her face. Rolling on the bed like a young girl in love, Loreana kept thinking of something with a light smile on her face before falling asleep.