"I was waiting for you to say that. You let him stay way longer than you wanted him to right? Do you really care about him that much?" Sharla said making Alan sigh.
One of the reasons he allowed Alex to stay was to keep training him. He was a bit over the top but he was trying to instill as much knowledge as he could in the kid so he wouldn't die.
Alan was pinching his nose before looking at his two girls. They both seemed to be doing something secretive with the freeloader but were hiding it really well from him. Apparently, that was the curse of being really strong, you may be able to fight against super-strong enemies, but sometimes you completely forget about the important things that happen to weaker people.
Alan didn't mean for this to happen, but his focus was always on something else and he ended up putting horse blinders on himself. Especially with there being no full-time manager anymore after Marie became Shogun of Floren, he was stuck doing most of the boring paperwork he always pushed onto her.
He was starting to regret his choice of sending her away but he couldn't break his own rules either.
"I think I've just been distracted lately so I haven't put much importance on it but he is now making a mess with other female coworkers especially."
Alan thought to all the female workers he began hearing gossip about how "big his penis is" or "how amazing he is in bed" and no man wants to hear those kinds of things about another man. A lot of the male coworkers were jealous but couldn't do anything since they knew he was a 2nd Ring and was favored by the owners of the restaurant.
Even if the girl they were trying to court was taken by the freeloader, they could only hold in their anger and cry themselves to sleep. With Alex getting the boot soon, the two redheads were thinking something completely different than Alan.
'Only a few days at most so I need to push one last time.' They were both thinking different things.
- - -
In the afternoon, Alex ate with his girls for lunch before going back to the room with Alicia. Kaya had a shift and Grace wanted to go meet with Sharla to train a bit so they went back under the covers and cuddled a bit longer.
"Hey remember the first time we talked about our feelings for each other?" Alex suddenly remembered.
Alicia turned over to him and gave him a weird look.
"Wasn't that over 6 months ago? Do you think I remember that? We were too busy fucking and I'm sure you killed a few of my brain cells." Alicia raised an eyebrow at him.
Alex chuckled but continued anyway, "We talked about becoming more than friends remember?"
Alicia put a finger to her lip while Alex grabbed her little waist and brought her closer to him.
"Oh yeah! Now I remember, I started helping you in the showers right?" Alicia's face beamed after remembering something so long ago.
"Yup, but you still help now anyways but you girls can take it in shifts. I still feel like a liability for not being able to use those stupid stones." Alex cursed under his breath.
Alicia giggled and held his face in her hands before kissing him sweetly.
"You are a liability," She said in between kisses, "But why mention that? It was so long ago and we were just friends then right?"
Alex pulled her off him slightly but their faces were still close. He gave her a knowing look as he answered.
"I remember so well because you stabbed me in the heart! What happened to be 'not being your type'?" Alex questioned and Alicia took a while to think.
Even when she remembered she instead glared at him.
"Oh, so I can date you just because you aren't my type?"
Alex was shocked that he was digging his own grave already so he tried to explain himself.
"W-We're dating for marriage though right? We've talked about it a few times so I was just wondering why you would agree to date me even though... never mind let's just forget it."
Alex tried to change the subject after seeing Alicia look at him with wide eyes.
"No no, we are having this conversation Mr. Freeloader." Alicia grabbed his arm and 'prevented' him from leaving the bed.
Alex cursed his stupid mouth and insecurities while looking at his beautifully angry girlfriend. Alicia glared at him and started berating him not only for how much she loved him but how much he was taking her for granted.
He sighed in his mind but listened intently afraid of incurring her wrath more.
"Do you really think I can find someone better than you here in this town?"
Her last words perked his ears and he looked at her with surprise. She looked down at his chest, feeling bad about getting mad at him for something stupid, but also because she started feeling like she wasn't good enough or was holding him back.
It was important to know that her period just passed not too long ago so she was a bit pent up and hormonal still, not that it was a good excuse.
Well, actually it was.
Alex held his girl close and she blushed a bit in his warmth.
"Alicia, I love you very much. I only brought that up because I was worried you might be doing something you felt pressured to do or only stayed with me because I was your first real friend and you worried about losing me."
He put his head on top of her and she held her arms close to his chest and played with his muscles as she listened.
"Kaya has talked to me in a similar manner before and I'll say what I told her," He began again, "I'm not sure if you are feeling like a burden, but you aren't. I truly care for you and just want you to be happy, even if it isn't with me.
"I can't say for certain you'll find someone better than me here mostly because I don't think of myself very highly. I'm clearly not the strongest since Alan and even Sharla could probably beat me black and blue."
He joked making Alicia try to hold in a giggle to no avail. He slapped her butt as punishment and continued.
"I don't want you to feel tied down to me. If you ever feel like you don't love me anymore, or you fall for someone else. Just let me know. Even if I bawl like a little kid, I'm mature enough to not stand in your way of happiness.
"Sometimes love needs to age like fine wine so hopefully the time we have to spend apart in the future will help us realize how much we care about one another."
Alex let the dainty girl think as he tried to calm his heart. He really did care about her and his other girls but could he really do what he said and be mature about them leaving him? He wasn't sure but he made sure he would keep an open mind.
He didn't want to stand in their way of happiness, but if they thought he would be the one to give them that happiness, then he would give 200% of his being to provide them with a loving home.
"That was corny..." Her sweet voice broke the silent atmosphere and ruined any sort of serious emotional feelings that festered in the bed.
Alex glared at her but she giggled and started hiding under the blankets.
"You little minx! I'm trying to have a serious conversation with you!" He chased after her and she giggled beautifully.
'I'm really lucky.' Alex thought as he caught his girlfriend and started teasing her.
"MMmmmmm~" He kissed Alicia passionately and she started playing with his dragon with her fingers.
Just as they were getting into the mood, someone decided to ruin it.
"Master," Grace called out after slamming the door open, "Mrs. Sharla wants to speak with you."
Alex sighed, "Alright I'll be there in a minute." He started getting dressed next to a downcast and angry Alicia who was interrupted by her mortal enemy but the two naked people froze in place and paled when the lovely redhead milf walked in!
'What the fu-' Alex thought before the milf finally saw his naked body and the naked Alicia beside him.
She blushed hard and turned away quickly.
"G-Grace! I thought you said they wouldn't be doing it?!" She cursed the sex slave that had no common sense.
Grace acted like nothing happened and answered casually.
"Master wasn't... until a second ago." Grace kept looking at her master with a smile, hoping to be praised but he glared at her instead so she lowered her head.
"G-Give me a second Mrs. Setter." Alex stuttered and Sharla nodded and held a hand over her eyes while leaving the room.
"I-I'll be outside!" Her voice got a bit higher from her nervousness.
Alex struggled to put his pants on and turned to Grace again.
"Grace, why the hell didn't you tell me anything!" Alex was still having a hard time trying to fix Grace's mentality.
Grace and Alex actually found out pretty recently that their master-slave contract through the blood he dripped on her collar, allowed them to communicate short distances with their mind. It all came to be known when Alex started hearing Grace's words when she dreamed!
It was pretty weird and freaky at first with all the raunchy thoughts she had about him, but after getting used to it, it became a great way of communication. Alan still never asked for the communication rings back from him and Alicia so he was able to talk to her that way and Kaya was usually around either of them so he could talk to her indirectly as well.
He hoped the ring would work long distances so he could "call" Alicia while he was gone but was unsure of the range and he was afraid if he asked Alan that he would take the rings back.
Grace tilted her head like a puppy dog.
"Master said this morning not to call him unless it was an emergency. Grace did not think this was an emergency so Grace let Mrs. Sharla see Master."
Alex and Alicia both slapped their foreheads.
'You sure she's going to be okay on your journey?!' Alicia whispered to him and he could only smile wryly.
He wasn't very confident, to be honest. He may end up just asking her to stay in the inn they end up lodging at while he was gone but now that plan didn't seem so full proof. It might just be better to take her with him all the time so he can keep an eye on her.
With their mood ruined, the two lovers quickly got dressed and Alex apologized and told Grace to stay inside while he went out fully dressed to talk to Sharla.
Sharla was blushing a bit after seeing him.
'He's definitely bigger than-' She started thinking but was interrupted when Alex called out to her.
There was a bit of an awkward atmosphere as the two couldn't look at each other directly. There was still a bit of tension after what taboo they did together recently and with what just happened a moment ago.
He could still feel her warm breath and soft lips touch his-
"I-I'm sorry for barging in like that, I didn't realize you were busy..." Sharla said to get him out of his naughty thoughts.
He cleared his throat, "It's not your fault, I should have been more clear with Grace, I'm sorry about that."
Sharla giggled lightly, "Yes that girl is a handful. It's unfortunate that all the geniuses like you two are so eccentric."
"How am I eccentric?" Alex laughed, "I'd like to think I'm pretty normal."
"Normal?" It was Sharla's turn to laugh, "If beating up two 3rd Rings as a 1st Ring is normal then this world truly has gone mad."
They joked and lightened up the mood. They both sighed inwardly, thankful for the other to help make it less awkward.
"Anyways I came here today to tell you that you have to be gone by the end of the week." Sharla got straight to the point.
Alex's heart skipped a beat. End of the week? That was tomorrow!
Alex paled, "W-Why the sudden decision? You guys could have given me more warning."
Sharla sighed, "My husband thinks you are causing too much trouble with the female workers and decided to give you the boot. He cares about you like a son, in his own crazy, unloving way, but he means well.
"You have been here for 3 months longer than you should have been and it's already been half a year since you collapsed on our doorstep."
The two of them thought back to when he first got here. Sharla remembered it like it was yesterday but Alex unfortunately still didn't get many clues to who he used to be. He only continued to have those scary death dreams and would wake up in a cold sweat.
Other than that, he had no idea who this body once was.
Alex cursed himself for not preparing his heart sooner for this day and knew the girls would be devastated. Sharla looked at his pale face like he saw a ghost and sighed. Her gaze softened and her heart tightened a bit too knowing her hard workers would be bawling their eyes out and her young protégé would be leaving by morning.
She would also miss Alex a bit too, but she knew he was causing too much trouble as a freeloading womanizer.
She patted his arm gently, discretely feeling his muscles, and said, "I'll let Kaya off for the rest of the day so you can say your goodbyes. I'd like to speak with you a bit this evening and I'm sure Alan will too so spend this time wisely with them."
She left him to process his departure while she smiled inwardly, a bit nervous about what she had planned later.
Alex slowly went back into his room looking like a family member died and the moment Alicia saw him, she knew that dreaded day had come. She ran up to him and gave him a huge hug crying and he wrapped himself around the little beauty and tears came down his face as well.
Not long later, Kaya came in dressed in her kitchen attired with red eyes. She jumped him as well and started complaining about how rude it was for the Setters to just kick him out so soon. Alex didn't retort saying he should have been gone long ago and just let his girls cry.
Grace on the other hand was off to the side feeling complicated. She didn't have to say goodbye but after spending so much time with these girls, although she would never admit it, their sadness made her a bit sad.
Alex spent the rest of the afternoon and evening talking, kissing, making love one last time, and discussing how he could contact them with the rings hopefully, and reassuring them he was all set. He had long gotten everything he would think he need and was just waiting for this fateful day.
After promising to come back soon to sleep with them in the same bed for one last time, he left his girls and went to find the Setters to speak with them.
Alex was in for a long night.