"This act of treason will have consequences, Lefi. Don't think you'll get out of this unscathed."
"Hmph. I am carrying out this act with an understanding of its meaning, for I will reveal my true power, and you will stand not a chance."
"Bullshit! Square up, we're settling this, here and now!"
I raised my weapon—my badminton racket—I had in hand and took up a neutral stance. Likewise, my draconic bride pointed hers straight at me as she would a blade.
"Prepare yourself, Yuki! I shall thoroughly destroy you!"
"Try it!" I swung my racket right as my target fell within reach. "Take this, Ballista Serve!"
The secret demon lord art, preserved for a thousand years, caused the birdie to whistle as it tore through the air and dove straight for her side of the court. And yes, if you're wondering, I did spend DP on it.
It would have been a serve that broke all previous world records had I still lived on Earth. But even so, it was easily received. Lefi's ridiculously high spec body allowed her to meet it in midair before it got anywhere close to reaching its target.
"That technique is one so pathetic it deserves not a name," she scoffed. "Behold, true mastery! Supreme Dragon Shockwave!"
The projectile she returned flew with all the speed of a literal bullet. In other words, it was easy to keep track of. My eyes followed it every step of the way.
"That ain't worth jack! Demon Lord's Divine Breath!"
I used wind magic to alter the birdie's trajectory after sending it back over the net.
"If you are to use the primordial arts, then I shall respond in kind! Supreme Dragon Dopplestrike!"
My archnemesis managed to deflect the shuttlecock regardless of its sudden shift. Though only one birdie had touched her racket, ten spawned from it, with each going off in a different direction.
"W-what the hell!?"
I knew it was an illusion-based spell, much like the ones that Rui often employed, but it wasn't possible for me to figure out which was real, no matter how hard I looked. In the end, I ended up swiping at a random birdie, which led to the real one hitting the floor shortly afterwards.
"…"
"…"
It was an epic game-changing outplay on her part. Or at least it would have been, had the birdie not landed out of bounds.
"I-it appears that I have employed too much force." She was flustered; the dragon reacted to my judging, cold stare by turning red "E-enough. There is no need for you to observe my mistake for such an extended period. B-begin the next round immediately."
After heaving an exaggerated sigh to express my supposed exasperation, I went to pick up the birdie whilst directing my ears towards the peanut gallery.
"Wow… Those two are ridiculous… This goes far beyond the level of a casual competition," said Nell. "And I didn't know Lefi was so athletic. She normally comes off as a lot more lethargic."
"Lefi's eyes are super good!" said Illuna. "And she's really fast and strong too."
"Yup! She's really really really ath-let-ick!" said Shii.
"Mhm. Strong," agreed Enne.
"Master's better at usin' his head, but Lefi's got him beat real hard when it comes to usin' her body," said Lyuu.
The warwolf had more or less summed the situation up. I was more accustomed to the various sports and games I suggested, but Lefi, being the Supreme Dragon, had me beat in terms of numbers. Having experience as my boon was a double-edged sword, as it meant that, although I was more or less sure to emerge victorious in the first few rounds, my win rate would slowly decline as she got better and better. With that said, it never plummeted all that drastically. In a way, Lefi was a boar. She had an incredibly powerful charge, but relied on it to the extent that she became easily predictable. And by now, I'd long learned all her weaknesses and bad habits. One such example was that she was incredibly observant. Now you might be wondering, 'Yuki, what the hell? That's not a real weakness!' and I see your point, but allow me to demonstrate.
I turned my eyes to a very specific spot on the court as I got into a serving position. You see how she totally noticed and is now focusing right where I was focusing? Yeah, we call that hook, line and sinker. She may be my archnemesis, but that doesn't mean she's not a stupid potato.
"Here goes!"
I launched the birdie-turned-missile towards the side of the court opposite the one I'd been staring at. Lefi did manage to flip the birdie back over the net, but she hadn't been able to put anywhere near as much power into the hit as she had previously. Focusing on my "intended target" had distracted her and delayed her reaction. And as a result, I'd been presented with the perfect setup.
"Time for you to get rekt! Demon Lord Hellfire!"
The air itself seemed to scream as my racket tore through it and smashed the birdie into the floor before Lefi could respond.
"Really? You missed that? I was expecting more from my archnemesis. I guess you were just all bark after all." I spoke in the most condescending tone I could possibly muster.
"Urgggh…" She groaned. "Very well. If you intend to mock me, then I shall show you the ultimate technique that I have just created for this very moment!"
She grabbed a bottle of sake from the picnic blanket, and chugged half of it before returning to the court and setting it down by one of the net's posts.
"You will stand a chance no longer."
"Impossible… There's no way you could've possibly mastered the Secret Art of the Drunken Racket!"
"So you know it? Then you must also know the despair you are soon to suffer!"
For the record, no, I don't know how anything like the drunken fist is supposed to actually help you when you're playing badminton. It doesn't make sense to me either.
"Be afraid, Yuki. Be very afraid!"
She threw the shuttle into the air and swung with such force that I could feel the wind rush past and nearly blow me away—
"Ow."
But the sound of the impact that followed her smash came not from her racket, which had hit nothing, but rather the birdie landing straight on her head.
"…I'm starting to think that you don't actually have a secret technique, and you're actually just really drunk."
"T-That is most certainly not true!"
***
"Whew. That was a solid workout," I stretched my back as I plopped myself back down onto the picnic sheet. "Since you lost, you're gonna have to be responsible for keeping me boozed up throughout the rest of the day."
Once I was done stretching, I picked up my now empty cup and presented it to her as one would to a servant.
"…I suppose it cannot be helped." She was groaning in frustration, but did exactly as requested regardless. "Next time, it will be I who emerges victorious."
"As a demon lord, I will accept whatever challenge you bring, peon," I cackled. "But enough of that, in my name, I order you to cease your grumbling and take your place by my side immediately."
"If I must…"
She leaned onto my right shoulder in a loving manner that clearly demonstrated she wasn't as angry or dissatisfied as her outward attitude made her seem.
"Wow, Yuki, you should see the face you're making. You're practically dripping with joy" said Nell, quietly. "You two are so affectionate…"
"Jealous? Now ain't that just adorable?" I chuckled as I patted the spot on my left. "Stop pouting and come here already."
"C-Can I?"
"Of course."
"Okay, I'll be right there!" She happily scooted over and attached herself to the side opposite Lefi.
"Is it just me, Master, or are you leavin' me out!?" complained Lyuu.
"Well, my lap's still free."
"Your lap!? You're real good at figurin' out how to please a gal, y'know that?" The dog girl curled up in front of me, with her head resting on my thighs.
I was literally surrounded by women that loved me. Their softness and sweet scents assaulted my senses, amplified only by the wonderfully delicious liquor now running through my veins. Ahhh… This, this is the life…
We weren't the only ones enjoying the afternoon. The kids and pets were keeping each other entertained, namely due to the former group riding the latter. My pets had long grown used to playing with the kids. There were now all rather skilled at taking care of them while also keeping them occupied.
In other words, Leila was the only other person on the picnic sheet aside from my wives and I. The sheep demon in question was currently in the middle of sipping away at one of the many alcoholic beverages brought out for the occasion. Though it may have been rather difficult to guess given her usual prim and proper behaviour, she was a huge fan of booze.
"You should come 'n join us, Leila!" said Lyuu.
"If you insist, then I'll do just that."
She giggled in the playful manner that only a mature woman could as she wrapped her arms around my neck and leaned into me from behind. It was a position that reinforced my understanding of both the abnormal size and softness of her chest.
"That ain't playin' fair Leila. You're cheatin' with somethin' none of the rest of us have!" complained Lyuu, despite being the instigator.
"I-it is exactly as she says. Wipe that slovenly look off your face immediately, Yuki!"
"Leila's breasts are terrifying…" said Nell. "They're like a weapon of mass destruction…"
I realized, upon seeing the girls panic, that I had the perfect opportunity to mess with them. I placed one of my hands on Leila's head and ran it through her hair as I spoke my next line.
"My bad, girls. You see, the truth is, Leila and I have always been a lot closer than we've made ourselves out to be."
"Oh my. Are you sure this is the time to be revealing that, My Lord?" The quick witted maid caught onto my plan immediately and began to play along. "I suppose there's no going back now that the cat's out of the bag."
"…" For a moment, Lefi frowned silently, but then she began to speak in a tone that was surprisingly calm and accepting. "I suppose I do not mind it. Leila has always been one of us." She sighed. "But I would have liked to be told that you had the intention of romancing her. There was no need to sneak about."
"Finally! I've been expectin' you two to get together for a real long time!" said Lyuu.
"Leila's both pretty and reliable. I can easily see why you'd fall in love with her," said Nell.
"Uhm… girls? You do know that was just a joke, right? You weren't supposed to take it seriously, let alone be low-key okay with it."
For some odd reason, Leila met my awkward smile with an expression of profound sadness.
"Oh… yes, right. Of course it was just a joke. The night we spent together was just… a mistake, wasn't it? Just a one night long dream that should've never been."
"Huh? Leila?"
"I thought it was meant to be a heartfelt profession of love. But… I guess I was wrong. It's okay, My Lord. You don't need to say anything else. I know that I'd best just forget."
"Uhmmmmm!?"
Leila, why!? What the hell kinda line was that!? This isn't some kinda k-drama, you know!? Oh god, I'm screwed…
"W-what!? How absurd!" screeched Lefi. "As a man, Yuki, you must be responsible for your actions! I have no recollection of raising you to be such scum!"
And I don't remember being raised by you at all.
"T-that isn't right, Yuki! I'll help you apologize, so… uhm… please don't do this to her," said Nell.
Like hell anyone's apologizing. I'm innocent!
"O-oh no! If Leila ends up as one of Master's wives, then I ain't gonna have a place anymore! She's a real good maid that can do anythin'! My whole identity's in danger!"
And as for you, Lyuu, you really need to calm down…
"Girls, please. You're getting ahead of yourselves. She's just messing with us. I never did anything to her."
"Y-yes, he's right. There was… never anything between us," she said between muffled sobs.
"Leila, can you please just shut the fuck up for one second? Like, literally one second."
"Do not make excuses, Yuki! Reflect on your actions immediately!"
"Y-you're a real bad playboy, Master! This ain't right!"
"Yuki… I'm really disappointed… I didn't know you were like this…"
"Okay, okay. I'm sorry or whatever. Just, calm down and listen to me already!"
I glanced at the root of the problem as I tried to calm down the angry mob, to which she responded with a chuckle. Goddammit, Leila! Friggin' troll! You got me good! I wonder if this is the alcohol's fault… I mean, she is clearly drunk, after all…