Author notes:
Next chapter is up! Quite hard to make a reaction chapter, now that I've tried my hand on one. Honestly, the troublesome part has been getting the tone down just right and setting the environment up for the reactions to be plausible. Took me more time than I would like to admit.
The freaking 42 Celsius heat ain't helping my endeavor over here. Yggdra damn it, the house is a like a sauna and I am highly afraid whenever I start cooking. I shit you not, I need not turn up the heater in the bathroom and, already, the water is hot!
But the good news is that we have a new Captain! Please welcome Captain Lukas Hulterbring with a round of applause!
Also, also, as promised, after Mobius' batch of imagery, I will start on a new one featuring less skin being shown kek. Gotta get creative here :D
New pictures are also in the album, btw. Enjoy at your viewing leisure!
https://photos.app.goo.gl/waZgkRa3UQhqKQBi9
P.S: I had way too much fun playing Modded Company of Heroes with my friends. And then there's the gacha game Snowbreak, a surprisingly interesting anime-Division game kek. And I heard that Helldivers have added an airburst rocket? Something to note for that is too much firepower for anyone to have.
Income goal: 654/700 USD to ensure to improve our standard of living
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I rest my back on a transparent throne. The throne is of an interesting design, mirroring that of the Chinese throne due to its size, being able to fit multiple occupants at the same time. Because of this, the glass-like throne is hosting not just me, but also Mobius to my left and Einstein to my right. The pair of truly normal human doctors are now tired and are resting in my arms after participating in the construction of the Transparent Wonderland. The name was decided unanimously by the brainiac trio once the see-through marvel had been constructed.
The Transparent Wonderland has been a direct result of my intervention. Seeing that they failed to agree on anything, I'd interjected myself into their conversation, listening to each and every single one of their ideas. Just that alone had eased up their growing irritation at one another, letting their normally cooler heads prevail. It's a surprise to see just how effective a receptive listener can be in certain situations. I couldn't help but smile teasingly at them back then when they finally realized just how much of an ass they'd been making themselves out to be. And while I knew that they'd started to realize their faults, I had to admonish themselves lightly to act as a further reminder. While the prior spat had been small, it would not do to leave it festering and causing further disharmony in the family down the line.
But really, they're wise enough to learn from the occasion, I didn't need to spare them many words for them to really see the crux of the matter. After a round of heartfelt apologies, they then truly worked with each other, even making me join in the design process. I had no reason to refuse since it was a fun activity to participate in. It doesn't have to be said that Einstein and Mobius had moved a tad too close more than a couple of times. I didn't mind their advance but was rather appreciative of them, despite my noticeable embarrassment when they decided to go a bit further to emphasize their womanly charm. Obviously, rather than me using my willies on them, the plan backfired with Einstein and Mobius trying to get a reaction out of me, which they succeeded much to Nicolae's glee.
As for the Shoggoth, unlike Einstein and Mobius or the rest of the family, I would say that our relationship with one another has been surprisingly pure. We are very appreciative of one another, even to the point of commentating on the other's works or attractiveness. Still, are we romantically involved? Honestly speaking, I don't think so, or at the very least, not yet. Right now, she is like a dorky but dependable sister to everyone in the family, especially to Ningyo. Even I see her that way as of now, and the way I see it, Nicolae is also treating the rest of our family like her dearest, but not to the point of lover-lover. It's hard to explain in detail, but if I really have to clarify some of it then it's because Nicolae is a Shoggoth. Shoggoths as a race are just one quirky bunch with wildly varied thought processes and emotional criteria. It won't be farfetched to say that Nicolae may go to sleep with us very chill one night before waking us up in the morning with her tentacles pleasuring every single one of our orifices... Not gonna lie, it's an intriguing thought.
But I digress.
With four brilliant heads chimed in together, adding a pinch of spectacular magic and wonderous improvisation, you now have a splendorous playground for kids and adults of all ages. Transparent Wonderland is a uniquely built vista, largely made out of high-tolerance glasses, crystals, and jewels of varying colors. The Wonderland exists in the form of an indistinct castle with multiple stories, it is encroached by glassy vines and faunas. There's the throne room, the dining hall, the kitchen, a multitude of display rooms with various ornamental objects, a study room, an armory, and even a large balcony with tables and chairs, acting as a place to relax and enjoy the sight, there's even an indoor pool with various faux terrains to explore. It has to be noted that, befitting of the name, you can see through every single thing when you're outside or inside the castle. Of course, to aid in visual clarity and avoid blinding reflection, the entire Wonderland is enchanted with hidden runes to help the eyes filter the barrage of optical information. Runes are pretty much needed to safely enjoy the Transparent Wonderland, it won't do if you misstep or swim into a glass wall.
To build such a marvel, we had to divide the work between us. In the end, other than Nicolae, all of us are tired from running around and building stuff, even though the Shoggoth had been doing most of the labor herself. That said, we enjoyed the building process immensely, acting like kids at a candy store, fulfilling a childish dream of building a magnificent castle just for ourselves. Even if this results in me slumping on the surprisingly comfortable glass throne with Einstein and Mobius too exhausted to care about their appearance. As for Nicolae, with her boundless stamina, she is now spending time with the girls who have been attracted by our swiftly constructed attraction. The girls, namely Sirin, Mash, Bronya, and Seele, are now being taught swimming by Nicolae in Wonderland's indoor pool.
I lazily gaze upward, just in time to see Sirin paddling in the pool a couple of floors above me. With her noticing my gaze, I gently wave at her with an encouraging smile. Having the girl learn how to swim is important, I should gather the rest of them for a swimming class later.
Sirin preens at the attention I have given her, eagerly greeting me with a similar wave of her hand before doubling her effort in learning how to swim masterfully. No doubt the girl would like a compliment later, maybe even a gift. Following behind her is the inseparable pair of Bronya and Seele, with Mash trailing close by, being the only one knowing how to swim properly in the bunch. Nicolae is just there, floating around in case things go wrong with a lazy smile.
Interestingly, Bronya, who is crippled from her waist down, is swimming with the assistance of a pair of mechanical legs she crafted using her power. The same pair of legs that allows her the ability to hover on land. When swimming, the legs propel themselves in a manner akin to water jet propulsion. It's somewhat cheating in a way when others still have to learn to paddle. Nonetheless, one can say that it's by her talent that Bronya can swim freely like flying. That does not mean she forgets about her Seele though, Bronya is every bit attentive to the light in her life.
The same can be said of Sirin and her fixation on me in particular. Even when explained about her abilities to foresee a potential path of the future, Sirin stubbornly insists that I am now and forever be her big sister. I find no steel in my heart to reject her teary puppy eyes, hence I introduced her and the others to Ningyo, my adopted little sis.
The development that followed suit was fascinating, to say the least.
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Ningyo squints her golden-colored eyes at the girls in front of her. Some of them are older than her, while others are younger than her. But the point is, all of them are clearly in the younger sister age range, a fact that causes Ningyo to step closer toward them. With a heavy scrutinizing gaze, Ningyo inspects the quality of the younger sisters in front of her, willfully ignoring the fact that they are squirming under her intense look. It may not score her brownie points right now, but it's a sacrifice that Ningyo is willing to make, just so that only the best of the best are allowed to be the little sisters of big sis Yuki.
After scanning all of them while mentally jotting down a few notes, Ningyo then arrives at Sirin last. Sirin gulps audibly but still manages to recover and put up a strong spirit. The void user's instinct warns her that this may as well be the most important make-or-break moment in her life. With effort, Sirin remains stalwart under Ningyo's drilling assault into her soul, figuratively of course. Still, as the seconds start stretching into a minute, Sirin can feel herself wilting bit by bit.
Fortunately, her effort finally paid off... Somewhat?
It's hard to say when Ningyo tackled her with a surprising burst of strength, cuddling her from all possible postures that the dark-haired girl could think of.
"Big sis Yuki! Sirin is so cute and cuddly! Now I understand why everyone loves to hug me to sleep! Please, please, please, can we keep her and the rest~!?"
At that request, Yuki giggles while nodding. "Well, if they passed your test with flying colors then I don't see why not."
Ningyo jumps around with Sirin confusedly dancing to her tune. The others can only watch on with a similar level of confusion before Ningyo ropes them into playing one of her games. Being left behind, Yuki can only look at Mei who is by her side, sighing audibly. The Chinese girl massages the bridge of her nose, an action she has learned from Yuki whenever Ningyo is up to one of her shenanigans again. "Seriously, I think big sis Elysia has been rubbing off on Ningyo way too much."
Yuki laughs at that.
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Ah, yes, good times... I can't help but quirk my lips up at the thought of my first sister and her quirky adorableness. Speaking of Ningyo, I wonder what is she doing right now.
I gaze out of one of the many tinted windows in the throne, all the while idly stroking heads of blue and green hair respectively. My vision soon swept over the beachside, finally resting on a gathering of familiar figures. They are Elysia, Ningyo, Mei, Bella, Rozaliya, Liliya, and the Einherjar which consist of Alina, Adeline, and the rarely since Architect.
Elysia has opted to wear a frilly white and pink bikini while retaining the sarong she worn in the prior scuffle with the younger girls. With an energetic cheer, the pink elf encourages the girls to cheer for the Einherjar, who by now have set up a racing match of sorts with water scooters.
Each participant can be easily identifiable by the color of their scooters and attires, with all of them wearing one-piece bikinis. Alina is draped in white. Adeline has decked herself in full black. With Architect standing proudly on her scooter with a half-black, half-white getup.
As Elysia starts the countdown, I can't help but think that the upcoming fun session will be an eye-catching one. And because of that, I think I should wake up Einstein and Mobius so that they don't miss out.