Chapter 326: Availability
Vahn awoke the next morning, slightly before 5 AM, which had given him slightly more than seven hours of sleep. He typically didn't require that much, but it was nice to sleep in every now and then. Though he could have slept in even longer, since there wasn't anything planned for today, Vahn had been curious about certain matters so he pulled out the blue logbook, which he decided to call the Status Log and the green logbook which he decided to call the Secret Log. The red logbook was just the standard type, so it didn't have any special moniker, at least for the moment.
Though he was more curious about the Status Log, Vahn decided to look through the Secret Log first to see if any of the girls had sent him private messages. He noticed there were a few things, but also that most of the messages didn't include who sent them. There were just a few sentences talking about various hopes and dreams, including desires like going on more dates and planning more events for everyone to get together at. The thing that caught his eye the most was a message that said, 'Whenever you can free up a good block of time, please let me know. -Syr'. Vahn was curious and wondered what she had in mind that would take up a long period of time...
Since it seemed like something that required proper planning, Vahn decided it would have to be on the upcoming weekend, or it would have to wait until after the Denatus, Monster Feria, and his rapidly approaching wedding. After thinking for a while, Vahn pulled out his own scroll and was preparing to write until he decided that it would probably be more appropriate to tell her in person, or to pass the message through a method other than the network. Since she sent the message in secret, Syr might want to keep the matter outside of the limelight for the time being.
Vahn decided he would just pass the message to Syr later when he went to visit the Hostess of Fertility. His other options were to let Fafnir pass the message for him, or to ask Ryuu to deliver the message when she returned. Since it was the weekend, she would be working there to help out later in the day. That decided, Vahn set aside the scroll and perused the last few private messages until he came across one that said, 'I want to go on a walk with Master again. -Anubis'. Vahn recalled the events of a few days ago and a small smile appeared on his face as he set aside the Secret Log. Anubis was one of the girls that he had a 'unique' relationship with, and Vahn couldn't deny he enjoyed her care when they had lived together for a time. If not for her 'deviancy', she would be very similar to Eina in how attentive she is to his needs. Her only problem is her lack of awareness and general perception since she always seems to be focused on other matters.
When Vahn picked up the Status Log, he hesitated a bit as a giddy feeling welled up inside his chest. He knew that, for the girls to add their names to the log, it showed that they were 'interested' in being with him. If he reached out to them, and they weren't busy, there was a good chance he could advance their relationship further. It was actually a pretty terrifying realization because Vahn suddenly felt like he had a lot more power and control over things. He showed inhibitions before, because he knew he wouldn't be able to manage so many things on his own. Now that the girls were aware of that, the fact they still put their names forth showed that they were at least willing to work through the potential struggles. Though some of them, as was mentioned by Loki and Aki, might have given into the momentum of the group, it would still strengthen the unity of the group if things were managed properly.
After taking a deep breath, Vahn opened the log and noticed that a lot of the information had been updated since the previous night. He could see the names and 'current status' of various girls and it made his hands shake with the book in his hand...
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[Status Log](A/N: Notice that this isn't read through the system, at least for now kappa.)
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Hephaestus: Busy: Available on request...
Eina: Busy: Contact in advance...
Loki: Free: My body is always ready...
Syr: Free: I'd like to spend more time together...
Tiona: Free: Please let me know if you want to do anything!
Ryuu: Free: Please consider Syr first...
Ais: Free: I like spending time with you...
Aki: Free: I'll do my best if you need me...
Chloe: Free: I heard Aki marked your shoulder~? Anyways, talk to Syr!
Arnya: Free: I don't know if I'm ready, but I will do my best! Also, you should talk to Syr...
Tione: Free: I'm not allowed to meet you unless there are several others present...
Aisha: Busy: Just let me know, I'll come running if you need me...
Lunoire: Free: I don't really know what to put here...you should spend more time with Syr...
Anubis: Free: Please call me if you ever need me, Master...
Lefiya: Free: I'd like to spend more time with Ais...
Riveria: Busy: I'd like to talk about your skills and abilities...
Tsubaki: Busy: Dungeon Expedition
Naaza: Busy: Dungeon Expedition
Lili: Busy: Dungeon Expedition
Nanu: Busy: Dungeon Expedition
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Other than the girls that looked like they were added on at the end, probably by Hephaestus, everyone else was either someone he was close to, or someone that met the 'conditions' he mentioned during the 'Vahnatus'. Other than Lili, who was a special exception, everyone else was Level 3, or they were a capable woman or goddess. Now he could see their 'availability', which they could update at any time, as well as a small excerpt of how they were feeling. The words were updated by the girls themselves, so Vahn was able to make a few guesses about their intentions just by reading the words. Seeing Loki's comment made him laugh a bit, while seeing Chloe's made him strangely nervous.
One thing that was very apparent was that every girl, with the exceptions of Milan, Tina, Shizune, and Mona, at the Hostess of Fertility showed themselves as 'Free', but they also all asked him to talk to Syr. Vahn knew she was the 'core' of the group, but it was still a little strange to see other girls advocating for her within the logbook. With the message he had gotten from her in the Secret Log, Vahn thought she might be up to something and it made him a little nervous since it seemed the other girls had an idea of what it might be. It was either that, or they had discussed things with Syr and had decided to help support her, even though Vahn had already opened himself up to her a little...
Vahn knew that Syr put in a lot of effort to try and appeal to him without being too pushy and he had never really done much for her besides sharing the occasional embrace and that one night of kissing. They had been on several outings together since she would often accompany other girls, but Syr always promoted the other girls more than herself. On their 'outings', Syr always played a support role and spent the majority of the time making polite conversation and trying to get Vahn to compliment the other girl more. He knew she was making the other girls more receptive to him, while also weakening his resistances in her own way...now that their relationship had become less ambiguous, he needed to take some initiative and probably reach out to her more often.
For nearly twenty minutes, Vahn considered what actions he should take and how he should spend the rest of his day. Though he could easily reach out to any of the girls, even during the weekdays, the majority of his time with them was compressed into the weekends when he wasn't in the dungeon. Now that he knew their 'availability', and had a direct line of communication with them, Vahn was actually in a more precarious situation than before. Though he felt very powerful and unrestrained at first, he now felt like he needed to consider things properly or it could cause problems in the future. He could choose to spend time with one girl, or several girls, depending on how things played out since they would all see his messages on the network unless he went to them personally...
Vahn was in a bit of a dilemma because a part of him actually wanted to just reach out to any that he pleased and just play to the situation as best he could. Though he hadn't been using any of the [Hearts Desire]s that he accumulated, Vahn was very curious about getting each respective person to 100 Affection, just so he could acquire a boost to his OP, skills, and potentially obtain unique items that could completely change the situation and turn it on its head. The [Matryoshka of Fertillity] and the [Virgin's Promise] were two fate-altering items depending on how they were used. Vahn really wanted a way to be able to obtain similar items, since they were inarguably some of the most useful things he had ever gotten through the system and they were only obtainable as rewards.
Before the girls made themselves 'available', Vahn was about to rationalize not getting close to them because of basic propriety and restraint. Now he was in a situation where it was blatantly aware they were interested, and they even had support from the network itself to move forward. Vahn suddenly lost his 'excuse' and was the only person that could make the decision to proceed based on his own desires and convictions. He had never expected that making things more transparent actually made the decision more difficult to make...
After a few more minutes, Vahn pictured each girl within his mind in sequence, including everything he knew about their nature, personalities, and disposition. He eventually shook his head and sighed through his nose before deciding that there was no correct answer. The only thing he could do was what he thought was best at the moment and hope things worked out. Since the network was somewhat unified, he had to trust that his oversights would be taken care of by the people he had entrusted himself to. As long as he didn't go out of his way to conceal things, there were literally dozens of people that would be able, and willing, to offer him advice on matters of the heart, mind, and life itself.
Vahn stowed the logbooks into his inventory along with his scroll of communication. It wasn't usable in the dungeon, but Vahn thought that was only a temporary thing and wanted to research how it functions in the future and find a solution. He knew there were items for observation and communication that reached into the dungeon, so he figured it would be possible to discover a better method of communication if he put in the effort. For now, however, Vahn decided to try his luck and reach out to Syr. There were so many girls that were pointing him towards her that he wanted to make sure to reach out to her and clarify things just so there aren't problems in the future. It seemed strange if he were to reach out to any of the other girls within the Hostess of Fertility when they were all telling him to tend to Syr at the moment.
It was still very early, so Vahn went downstairs to wait for everyone else to wake up and decided to take it upon himself to cook breakfast. A few minutes after he started, both of the twins came out of their room in a hurry without seeming to have had enough time to fix their maid outfits properly. Vahn knew they had probably detected his presence through scent and then smelled that he was cooking breakfast before rushing to prepare themselves. Vahn gave the two girls a smile and said, "It's okay to take a break every now and then, so don't be in such a rush when I'm doing something I chose to do, okay?"
The twins nodded together and said, "Yes, Vahn-sama." Then, as if they hadn't actually heard his words, they moved over to the side and began preparing breakfast with him. Vahn shook his head and allowed them to do as they please while focusing on his own preparations. He had decided to make a large number of hash browns with eggs and a few baked goods that he kept in his storage. The twins made rice porridge and a light vegetable soup to compliment the meal and they set it out on the table in containers that retained the warmth of the dishes as everyone slowly streamed down from their rooms. Because of their habits during the weekdays, most of the people within the Manor woke up pretty early and it wasn't long before everyone, with the exception of Hestia, had shown up to eat breakfast.
After breakfast finished, Vahn told his plans to the group before leaving alongside Ryuu as they made their way to the Hostess of Fertility. As they were walking along, Vahn mustered up a bit of courage and said, "Ryuu, I saw your status...and I'm going to talk to Syr personally. My question is...umm, what kinds of things are you okay with?" Vahn couldn't help but wince at his own words, because they were very awkward to ask, especially to a taciturn girl like Ryuu. She gave him a sidelong glance and didn't say anything for a long while and Vahn almost thought he had offended her, even though her aura hadn't changed much.
When they were beginning to near the Hostess of Fertility, Ryuu finally said, "I don't like public displays of affection...but if it is in private, I'd like to spend more intimate moments together...it's up to you how far you want to go..." Hearing her words, Vahn stared into Ryuu's sky blue eyes for several long seconds before nodding his head and saying, "I'd like to spend more time together with Ryuu as well...you're a beautiful girl, and it's very comfortable to be around you. I'll try to come up with something that we'll both enjoy..." Ryuu nodded her head with a small smile before suddenly saying, "If possible, please consider Syr first...I want to support her as much as I can. She has done a lot for me in the past, and I don't want to feel like I'm betraying her trust for my own selfishness..."
Vahn furrowed his brows a bit but stated firmly, "I've decided to be with Syr, but I'm not sure how to progress things. I'll see what she wants me to do and then consider things from there..." Ryuu's smile widened marginally and she said confidently, "I was worried that Syr wouldn't be able to find a man to love, so I'm glad someone like you appeared...in both of our lives. Though the situation is a bit...unexpected, I think it is for the best that things have progressed this way. Syr will be a powerful ally that can help unify the entire group if you give her your trust."
The more he heard people advocate for her, the more disconcerted Vahn felt about Syr. He already opened his heart and decided to be with her, so it was a little strange to hear so many people still pushing for her to have more favor in his heart. He could tell they weren't influenced by her charm ability, so it could only be a result of their trust combined with Syr's subtle manipulation. Since her actions often resulted in her helping people, Vahn didn't consider Syr a bad person; it was actually the opposite and he had a lot of respect for her character considering everything she went through in the past. Shaking his head, Vahn showed a wry smile and said, "Don't worry Ryuu, I'll treat Syr well...I just don't want to see others prioritizing her happiness over their own. I'd like everyone to get along well and for our shared happiness to spread amongst the network so that we can all live happier lives..."
Ryuu's eyes squinted slightly and her small smile grew marginally larger, but she didn't say anything for the rest of the way until they had arrived outside the Female Dormitory. Before she entered the door, Ryuu gave the surroundings a cursory glance before stepping forward and taking the initiative to give Vahn a light peck on the lips. Her expression loosened quite a bit and she showed a genuine smile for a brief moment as she said, "Vahn, never change...even if you say some silly things, it's better to be optimistic and do your best...I'll also do my best to secure my own happiness." Her words finished, Ryuu gave Vahn one last look before opening the door and proceeding into the dormitory. Moments after she entered the building, Vahn saw the second presence that had been nearby move to intercept Ryuu for a moment before making its way to the door and opening it to reveal the beautiful smiling face of Syr.
(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'New day, new struggles?','Dangerously Tantalizing Information','Syr's Influence')
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