Hiraku was confused once he spotted the woman fleeing for the bathroom. There was a lingering sense of dread that his master may have done something that could jeopardize their standing with the World Government. With haste, he rushed to the man who was just about to exit the room, his breath heavy as he tried to catch himself.
"Master!... Ha... Hah... Is everything alright? That lady just stormed out there pretty fast. Please tell me nothing bad happened..." He may have seemed worried for his master, but it was more likely that the concern was only out of his own personal precaution.
"What's the matter Hiraku? You're acting as if someone has your life in the the palm of their hands." He jokingly slapped a hand against the lizard's back, letting out a brief laugh. "Let's just say that she wanted to play a game and I won. Aside from that, there's something I'd like to ask of you. It's very important..."
His tone turned serious, ushering the man to another room. Just to be sure, he closed the door behind them and locked it. "Take a seat if you need to; I'll be cutting straight to the point. Appears that I've been recruited as a research apprentice for this organization. This means that I may no longer be able to run this dojo due to my absence. However, that's where you come in."
"Y-You don't mean..." He was shocked to hear what his master was asking of him. He couldn't fathom the thought of having to run the dojo by himself. Just the mere thought of it gave him goosebumps. "I don't know Master... This sounds like something even bigger than even I anticipated.
Are you really certain that you can trust me with such a big responsibility?" He had his doubts that he would be the right candidate for the job. There was a hint of excitement in his expression, but the concern was blatant for anyone to see.
"Well... I guess I should be a little more precise. While it's true that I won't be able to run things around here, most of the usual activities that go on around here will have to be limited to the training grounds and shrine room. That accounts for meditation and so forth.
As for lessons, those would have to be put on hold until further notice, training and sparring are allowed. Long as you keep the remainder of the place in good order, there shouldn't be much work needed when it comes to maintenance."
He rests his hands on the table before folding them. "Though your main task is to take care of my two daughters until I find a means of getting them to my new vicinity. I know it's a little sudden, but you're the only one I could count on right now. I'm not forcing you to do any of this of course. You're always free to refuse but I wanted to hear your thoughts on the matter."
"...!!" Hiraku found himself shocked when he heard the terms his Master laid out. It was a big responsibility and actually being the first person he asks was invigorating to hear. A personal request just for him... That certainly made his day, but he still had to think it over.
"I-I'm sorry Master but, you really aren't pulling my leg here or anything right? I mean... I know I've been your student for nearly half a decade now, but what you're asking me is something you'd ask a trusted family member or really close friend. Are you certain I'm worthy of such an honor?"
The man would sigh and sit back in his seat. "If I'm to be honest with you, I'm not entirely certain. You know full well what my stance has been with my family. Otherwise there wouldn't have been a dojo for you to learn from. Nonetheless, you're the only guy I can appropriately ask; so I'd like to give you my trust if you're willing to accept it. If not, then I'll seek out other means while you stick to maintaining the place. My apologies for it being so rushed."
Hiraku quickly shook his head and gave a confirming nod. "If anything Master, I'm pleased to hear that you thought of me this highly, but I don't know if I will meet your expectations. I promise that I'll do my best." He stood up and bowed so hard that his head almost hit the floor. It was then that a question suddenly hit him. "Speaking of, where are they?"
The man could only laugh as he stood up and opened the door, revealing two young children who fell right inside. "I've told you two many times not to eavesdrop on your Papa when he's having a conversation with others." He knelt down and helped the pair up, gently patting them on the head as they looked at him with a face of apology. "Though I suppose you two haven't really spent that much time away from me; so I'm to blame for that much. Came at the right time though. There's someone I'd like you to meet."
The two girls looked at each other quizzically before turning around to face Hiraku. If one were to take things at face value, you'd hardly believe that a bear like Souma would be the father of a kangaroo and crocodile. He was in disbelief but staved off the awkward silence with a polite bow.
"W-Well hello there. I'm a student of your Father; it's nice to finally meet you." The two kids bowed in return out of respect before immediately clinging to their Father. It was clear that they were a little scared and worried. Mostly for their Papa of course.
"Rumin. Gale. Now now you two. I know that the change is a bit abrupt, but Papa's gonna be looking for a way to get both of you to come live with him. For the time being, I want you two to be nice to my student Hiraku. He's going to be taking care of you two while I'm gone. I don't know how long it'll be, but I'll be keeping in touch every now and then to make sure that all is in good order.
Is that understood?" The girls could only nod as they embraced their Father with great affection while he rubbed their heads in a caring manner. "Use this moment and try to get along with him. I have to check on our guest since I haven't really told her how the baths work around here." With that said, he got up and left Hiraku to interact with the children for a while as he tends to their guest.
By the time he got there, he could hear a feint murmur in the distance. It's only when he got closer that he heard the woman cursing the water for not coming out. He knocked to get her attention before entering, causing the woman to haphazardly slip while trying to get a towel around herself.
"Fuck that hurts... Could you have at least waited for me to get all washed up first? I know you're eager but a gal has to look presentable you know." Begrudgingly she took his offered hand and helped herself up, covering up as much as she could with her tail even though it was rather pointless at this moment.
"Well I heard someone was having water problems; so I came to see if everything was ok. Judging by the fiasco, it seems that whoever they were appears to have a problem. A common mistake for first-timers." He played the notion off as he demonstrated for the woman on how to operate the bath.
It was a fairly simple process as he only needed to crank a nearby handpump enough for the water to build up and flow out of the hollowed bamboo shoots. The tigress could only look with intrigue, disbelief and embarrassment as the man made it look so easy in comparison to her constant usage of automated showers.
"You are truly one of the most interesting gentleman I've encountered throughout my travels. It's rather refreshing honestly. Can't say I get treated like another being often. Most would only see me as a woman or a conquest, but you're different." She giggled at the thought and decided to play one last daring card from her sleeves. "Care to help me wash off~?"
"Sometimes I really do question your profession Doctor." He hands her a towel but she insisted in keeping it in his hands, guiding them to her back; forcing him to wash her down. He noticed just how smooth her skin really was to touch, but he knew he still had to be wary of the situation. "Do you always try to entice your candidates into participating with the goals of your cause? You seem to be pretty consistent with using your charms in these negotiations."
She smiled in a coy manner, brushing herself against him slightly. "Well it works with most of the clientele. You'd be surprised at how many men would feel great pride in knowing that they can have as much sex as they want for the sake of the world. Although, many would jump at the prospect of free intercourse with no repercussions."
She thought deeply about something for a moment but shook her head. "I can't say the same about you however. Probably why I can let loose a little bit around you. Not that you're complaining anyway~"
"That may be so. If I wasn't in the best shape of mind, there's no telling how you'd end up. By that, I just mean that I'd probably throw you out by force. Which would probably make me an enemy of the government but that might've been a better deal. Sadly, I do have others I care about to keep in mind. You probably never had to worry about such things. Correct me if I'm wrong."
She would sigh, not getting the entertainment she craved, but still enjoyed the company of the man. "Not a single day I had to be a parent or mean any significance to anyone outside of being a good lay for the night." Once she got up to guide the man to sit down, she straddled herself on top of one of his legs, giving her a good view to look at him while ignoring the fact that her body was on display for him to see.
"I've... accepted that thought for a long time. People never tend to look past face value when the front cover is so appealing. Sometimes you just learn to accept it and roll with the punches, but with you... It's just a different case all together. I'm not used to this..."
Seeing that the woman was wrapped up in her own thoughts, he rests a hand on her thigh. "Well you're gonna be dealing with it a lot since we'll be working together for the duration. Just so you know, I could tell that you had a bit of baggage the moment you came to my doorstep. Call it a hunch but you'll be just alright after a while.
Only do what you feel comfortable doing. No one has to approve for it to be validated. Now let's get out of here before you start wrinkling like a prune." They shared a laugh and eventually left the bathroom clothed in their respective attire. "Speaking of which you do seem rather young Yvette. Though, I suppose recruiting wouldn't be possible if you were old and dusty like myself. I'm well passed the age to be considered attractive."
She could only stifle a laugh and smirked. "Well you certainly may be too intimidating if the roles were reversed. You're a literal bear with quite the muscle mass, you run a dojo as a single father of two orphan girls who's species defy your own and you're at least almost eight feet tall.
Just to list a few but you'd be an example of a stern and strict individual who could lop off anyone's head if he so chose to." She purred, content with the results of the bath as the two finally made it to the living room to sit down.
"You got all that from just looking at me? That's quite an eye you have for detail. Guess it comes with the job. I'd say most of that is true. You can imagine how it was in my younger years. People would either feel threatened or run away from me half the time. Wasn't all too bad though. I'll save the rest of the details for our 'date'."
She stretched herself in her seat, relaxing as much as she could while listening to him. "Wouldn't say it came from work, even though the nature of it is pretty precise. In honest, I've just always had a sharp vision from a young age. It's probably bad to tell you my age but, I'm actually in my thirties.
A little shameful but you already knew what I was hired for mostly. I only luckily became the head of my department because the previous one was a little too infatuated with me. Not the best of times, but it was a means to an end I suppose. I agree. There'll be plenty of time to know each other once we get back."
After the time had passed, Souma got to give his daughters one last hug on the promise that they'll see each other again and departed with the World Government to embark on a quest that will soon come to uncover troves of which no normal person should ever acknowledge.