Chapitre 38: 38
I left a batch of cardamom cookies on the counter in the kitchen with a note for the two girls. In the letter, I ask them to contact me with a day to meet and talk. I underline "talk" twice for emphasis. I say Friday and Sunday would be better days for me.
I lace up my shoes and lock the door behind me when I leave. I send a mental message to Maria that I'm en route and ask if I missed anything. Rei is still there, and she's been pouring her heart out to Mio and Asia. Asia felt so bad for her that she started praying aloud, giving Rei a screaming headache until they convinced her to stop.
The way Maria describes it was like a comedy of errors. Asia felt so bad about causing Rei pain with her prayer that she immediately asked God for forgiveness, which, of course, started the whole thing over again. Asia ended up so upset that Mio and Rei ended up comforting her instead. Maria was doing everything she could not to laugh. That sounds about right to me.
'Hey, Sage?'
[Yes?]
'A couple of things. First, I've noticed that your voice is changing a little. Is that indicative of anything happening with you?' She'd gone from the sterile tone of an artificial female voice to a more natural-sounding voice that was a close match to how her dream avatar looked.
I figured that riddle out too. Sage's dream avatar was identical to a character from an anime I watched when I was a kid. I think it was even older than that, maybe pre-me even.
[... Analyzing.]
[Analysis complete. Anomaly located within ability structure. Would you like to eliminate the anomaly?]
'Whoa! Hang on there. We don't even know what this thing does. For all I know, it could wipe you out when removed. Can you tell what it does?'
[Analyzing...]
[Analysis failed. Would you like to eliminate the anomaly?]
'Still no. Keep an eye on it, but do not touch it. Do we know where this came from?'
[Analyzing.]
[Anomaly stems from auxiliary ability Plus Ultra.]
'Oh, definitely, don't touch it then. Plus Ultra's function is to allow abilities to grow and evolve. This is a good thing,' I think. 'Are there any similar anomalies in other abilities we've created or I possess?'
[Checking... Similar anomalies have been detected within all abilities. It appears that Plus Ultra implants a seed within abilities. As this seed grows, it increases the growth rate and opens avenues of development within the ability. It appears possible that the seed may also link multiple skills to form synergistic relationships and even spawn new abilities or evolve previous abilities into more powerful abilities.]
'We didn't know this before?'
[Negative. It appears that Plus Ultra has evolved itself to greater facilitate its purpose. It is now an SS-ranked ability.]
'Oh, wow. That's great.'
No, really, that's great. It's doing exactly what I wanted it to.
'There's a couple of other things I want to talk to you about creating and what things will cost. I'm going on a bit of a spending spree.'
.
.
.
It's about forty minutes before I get home and twenty more minutes after I arrive before I finally go inside. When I do, Maria comes running over to me.
"Issei! I just felt strange fluctuations in the wards around the house, but then it suddenly stopped," she says, running up to me.
"Oh, whoops. Sorry about that. I was... expanding on some ideas I had," I say.
She stops and blinks. "Oh... I guess I was worried for nothing then."
I scratch my head. "Sorry, I got excited to try out my idea."
'Hmm," She starts circling me while stroking her chin. "Something's different."
Leaning in, she sniffs me. "Oh, I see," she says with a smirk. "You got some, huh?"
I roll my eyes. "Would you like to help me with something later tonight?"
"Is it bigger than a baby's arm?" she asks. I blink. No Cary Elwes, but Christian Slater exists, I guess.
"Obscure reference is obscure, Maria. And that's not what I meant, though if you're asking..." I step in close, lift her chin, and plant a light kiss on her lips. "I'm always available to you."
She smiles. "Insatiable, aren't you?"
"For you? Absolutely."
"What is it you wanted help with?"
"Hmm?" I frown before remembering what I wanted to ask her. "Oh, yeah. I had a few ideas and abilities that you are uniquely qualified to help me develop. Most notably are some dream abilities similar to your type of magic. I also created a Dreamscape ability to allow us to train while sleeping."
"Wow..." Maria is shocked. "Seriously? That's crazy. Will we still get rest?"
"We should. That's one of the things that I want to check out, but the other nice thing is that time in the dream world is a bit more fluid, so training there for several hours may only be one hour in the real world. I want to use these dream abilities to pull other people in so we can all train. I figured your succubus dream powers would be a good match, and you'd be able to help me identify any pitfalls."
"That's amazing!" she says. "Count me in, big brother. In fact, let's go to bed, right now!"
I laugh. "Hang on. I need to talk to Mio and Asia before that, and I guess probably Rei if she's still here."
"Yeah," Maria says seriously. "That would probably be for the best. She's... Honestly, she's a bit of a wreck."
"How so?"
"She looks fragile, emotionally speaking. She feels like she's messed everything up with you and that you'll never forgive her. I think she needs your special brand of reassurance."
I nod. "Repeatedly tell her that I care about her and that I'll always accept her until it gets through her thick skull like I did with Mio, you mean?"
"I was thinking you could screw her brains out until she has your cum dripping from every orifice and covering her entire body," she says.
I smile at the pint-sized nympho. "Not everyone responds as well to sexual healing as you do, Maria. Sometimes they need different types of reassurance."
"Meh. My way is more fun."
"Ah, if only I could solve all my problems with my dick. Life would be much more enjoyable," I say. Maria laughs as we walk towards the living room, arm in arm.
Maria really is one of my favorite people. It might just be because our perversions sync up nicely. I do have a slight concern that she's just playing along sometimes, though. She seems to enjoy our time together, but she's been putting off taking it to the next level. She'll joke about it but then find an excuse for why we should put off intercourse.
I should probably sit her down and talk with her. If she wants to wait, I'm not going to push, but if this is some residual denial of personal want nonsense from insecurities related to her mom's condition, I'm not going to just let her wallow in it.
The living room was a bit subdued. The three girls inside were floating different shades of embarrassment. Asia, because of the headache she gave Rei with her praying. Rei, probably for a number of reasons, including the headache she got from Asia's prayer. And Mio, most likely because she's hanging out with what amounts to my ex-girlfriend after having had an intense sex session with me the night before.
"You guys all look super uncomfortable,"
They all jump to their feet. """Issei!"""
"Hi, ladies," I say and wave. "What's going on?"
"W-well..." Mio stumbles.
"I w-was- I w-wanted to..." Rei stutters.
"Welcome home, Issei," Asia says. I smile at Asia and look back to the other two. They're shifting their feet and wringing their hands, playing with their clothes. It's kind of cute, honestly.
"Why don't we sit down for now and talk a little?" I say and sit on one end of the couch.
"Hey, Asia," Maria says. "Would you help me get some tea for all of us?"
"Why sure, Maria. I'd be happy to," Asia says in the most genuine Asia way. Pure innocence. I'm sure Maria has some form of corruption in mind, but I'm also sure we're on the same page, and the taint will be to heighten her sexual awakening and not to her demeanor. Maria would want to preserve that innocence, if for no other reason than to contrast with the sexuality she'd awaken.
The two wander off, and I'm left with the other two in an awkward kind of standoff where neither is comfortable enough to express their feelings.
I let out a sigh. "Normally," I say. "I'd want to talk to you individually, but I'm going to break that and see if a three-way conversation might open the two of you up a little more."
Weird idea, right? Most people would shut down in a situation like this, but I'm relying on a few facets to lead us through this talk, first of all, my myriad harem-related abilities and traits. Second, these two have several similar traits and concerns that might help each other not feel quite as alone.
"Mio. Are you feeling alright after last night?"
"H-huh? Oh, yes. I-I'm fine."
"It must have been a little strange. One minute we're... and the next you're watching me massage a naked woman on the same bed."
She blushes and looks away. "Do you regret it?" I ask.
"No!" she says, jerking her eyes up to mine, seemingly in a panic.
"It's alright. I realize we've only known each other for a little less than two weeks. It's completely normal to feel like things are going too fast."
"It's not that!" she nearly shouts. "It's not... I just... I'm just worried that- I know that you're going to have lots of girls and I'm glad that I was... you know, but-"
This is painful. I hold up my hand. "Are you worried that I'll forget about you or not have time for you?"
She blushes harder and looks away again. I roll my eyes. "Mio, sweetie. Every relationship takes work. It's on us both to make sure our needs are being met. This type of relationship is even harder than most, as there are massive power imbalances inherent in the relationship. Our circle is relatively small now, but you are still going to have to advocate for yourself. I will never try to hurt you, and I will never deliberately ignore you, but I am fallible, and our circle will be expanding, and with it, time will start being more limited. If you feel at any point that your needs aren't being met, you should tell me, and we can work together to find a solution."
Rei's mouth has entirely dropped open. "What's wrong, Rei?" I ask.
"It's just... I've never heard you... so confident and... mature," she says while blinking a lot.
"I don't know if I'd say mature," I say. I don't know. Maybe to a doe-eyed eighteen-year-old that sounded mature, but I don't think wanting everyone in a relationship to be satisfied should be a measure of maturity so much as a measure of being less of a dick. "I mean, I'm basically living in a male power fantasy right now, but maybe what you're hearing is that I don't want drama and heartache caused by a lack of communication."
I hold her gaze for a moment longer until she blushes and turns away. She recognizes that communication breakdown is what led to our issue. This isn't me blaming her, but acknowledging that both parties made serious mistakes and could have resolved the issues with better communication. Hell, her joining Sona's peerage could be said to be a direct result of that lack of communication. It works out for me, but I doubt Rei would have made that choice if she had talked to me first instead of trying to solve all the problems by herself.
"I'm supposed to go over to Saya's next weekend. Maybe you'd like to come by as well?" I say. Rei goes from pink to white as a sheet in a split second.
"I-I-I-I doubt she wants to see me," she stutters.
"Yeah, probably not," I laugh. "Especially since I told Saya it would be a date... but I think we need to clear the air between us all."
"And bringing me on your date with Saya is your idea of clearing the air?" she asks.
I shake my head. "I'm not taking you on the date portion of the day."
'Unless something extraordinary happens,' I think to myself.
"I'm going over there earlier in the day so that we can reconnect, and then we'll go on our date. You can come along for the reconnecting part. It'll be talking and reminiscing. Maybe I'll say hi to her mom."
'Mmm... Yuriko. A MILF if I've ever seen one. Speaking of MILFs... I have to talk to Maria about that later.'
"I-I'll think about it," she says.
"Can I ask you something?" I say. She nods. "Why did you join Sona's peerage?"
Her cheeks recover the rosy tones of embarrassment, and she takes a deep breath. "Sona approached me a while ago about joining the student council. Even before your engagement. She didn't explain the devil thing, but my family is somewhat aware of the supernatural influence within Kuoh. My dad is the chief of police, after all. Most of the politicians in the city are already under the influence of the devils. So, he's had to be aware of the situation as well.
At first, I was shocked. Who would give up their humanity and become a devil? It was then that I remembered Shido and the threats he made."
Hang on. "What threats?" I ask Rei, my voice hard.
"Vague things like, I 'don't understand the political climate of the city and how it would change soon,' and 'what would my mother do if something were to happen to my father,'" she says.
Pfft. "Obviously, the dumbass doesn't know your mother."
"I know, right?" she says. "When he tried to touch me, I punched him in the solar plexus and walked out. The next week our grades were announced, and I was held back due to failing his class and one other."
"Who was the other class with?" I ask.
"Mr. Takayama's class."
"The P.E. teacher? How the hell did they justify you failing P.E.?" I ask incredulously.
She shrugged. "I don't think they needed to justify anything at the time. Mr. Takayama apologized to me with tears in his eyes. I'm pretty sure Shido forced him into it."
I shake my head. I hate that guy. I hated him in the anime, and here he's even worse. I can feel my blood start to boil just thinking about him. I decide to change topics. "How is your mom, anyway?"
"She and dad have been fighting a lot lately. I feel bad for Asami; she's caught right in the middle of the whole mess."
A memory from before my time flashes in my mind. A bit of a scandal in which the police chief knocks up a newly recruited twenty-one-year-old officer fresh out of the academy. It wasn't the knocking up that pissed Kiriko, Rei's mom, off; it was the lying and hamfisted attempts to cover it up.
If I remember right, Asami Nakaoka was a bright-eyed and energetic officer with a can-do attitude that got can-done by the much older Chief Tadashi Miyamoto. She should be about seven months along with her pregnancy.
Kiriko took Asami in as family instantly, but Tadashi was on the outs with his wife for taking advantage of the young girl. The pregnancy also made him an easy target for Shido's family and led to Rei's predicament.
Shido just didn't realize that Rei was her mother's daughter and had enough spine not to bend when blackmailed. What's interesting is that she didn't show any signs of infection by the parasite. This might mean that Shido didn't acquire the parasite until after that incident. It helps limit the timeline.
"So, how did all this end with you becoming a recently converted devil?"
"As I said, I've been aware of the supernatural aspects of the world for a little while. I already was from Saya when she told me how you're from a super-secret hero society that fought monsters."
"Some secret."
"We were ten and shared everything. You included," Rei says. Mio, who had been quietly listening, perks up at that. "Sona-sama approached Busujima and me on Tuesday afternoon and told us that she had recently become engaged to you and offered us a place by her, and thus your side. She explained what it was that you could do and made it clear that no normal human could stay by your side for long, but she doesn't really know the half of it, does she?"
"She's a smart girl. She'll figure it out. I feel like she might have tricked you into joining. I can't say that I'm surprised, but I still don't like it. How are you coping with your new life?"
"Honestly, I'm pretty good. I feel better than I thought I would and... it's not what I thought it would be. I don't feel evil or anything, just stronger and strangely calmer. Is it true, though? What Sona-sama told me about you and what you can do... and what we'll... be doing?"
"Pretty much. It's a bit more complicated than she's aware, and my abilities are evolving, but it is still true that intimate contact is the best way to facilitate the abilities," I say. "Don't push yourself, though. If you don't want to or you're just not ready, we can figure something out."
She blushes again. Yeah, I didn't think that was going to be a problem.
.
.
.
We talked for a few more minutes before Asia and Maria brought the tea. The rest of the conversation was small talk that was very much in the vein of 'nice weather we're having, isn't it?'
After a while, Rei heads off to her home, it's not exactly a long trip, and the rest of us start thinking about heading off to bed.
But first...
"Asia, I have a new room for you upstairs," I say.
"A new room?" she says, and the others look at me funny.
"Yeah, I played around with the wards earlier and increased the internal space of the house by adding copies of the other rooms. We shouldn't run out anytime soon, at least."
Maria is the first to run upstairs to look.
"Oh, wow! There's like a dozen rooms up here now," she says.
"Fifteen and I've increased the interior size of each room and bed so we'll all be more comfortable."
"I'm definitely in favor of being comfortable in bed," Maria says. The other two are staring wide-eyed at the new hallway.
L’AVIS DES CRÉATEURS 
Sue_D_Nymn
Sue_D_Nymn Hello Cats and Kittens, it's been a while. As probably could be predicted, moving to a new house did not go as smoothly as movies and tv would have you believe. It's... been a bear of a time, and I've only recently been able to hook my computer back up.
As of this writing, and before I forget my thoughts, I should tell you I've updated the two auxiliary chapters to make them a little more readable. I'm refamiliarizing myself with the characters and the story I was trying to put together, (and the timeline) and If you're reading this, I've moved on to the next step. Writing.
The next chapter may have some lemony goodness in it, but I'm not entirely sure. Things flow weird sometimes and this chapter did not end where I thought it would.
Then again, I had forgotten about Rei being at the house and only remembered after I reread everything I wrote... I was very off on my time estimates. It hasn't even been two weeks since he's arrived in this world.
I at least know somewhat of where I'm going for the next few chapters so maybe things will flow a little faster... probably not, but I can try.
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone