Part 1
3rd Person POV
(Flashback ends)
"Ettu Nora-chan!?" Saya exclaimed. "You never told me you became a walking disaster to women! What's with that ability to arouse women to the point they came on the spot?"
"Kaa-san, please don't say it like that." Nora smiled bitterly.
"Listen to her, saying he became one..." Artoria clicked her tongue.
"I think he was born already as a lady killer so saying he 'became' one is a bit... you know?" Musashi awkwardly smiled.
"Nora-nya is the best!" Kuroka smiled brightly.
"Yes!"
A familiar voice for everyone but Saya was heard which caused the young-looking woman to be startled as she could not detect the presence that emerged from the youth's shadow.
A baleful aura covered her body before it dispersed, showing a rather voluptuous young lady who wasted no time to cling onto Nora.
"Nora-sama is the greatest! There is no one, NO ONE like him!" Miyako, who wore a loose kimono dropping until her shoulders and cleavage were exposed, wasted no time to speak wonders of the youth. "Ah! He is just... the best."
With a tone sweeter than honey, Miyako rubbed her face on the youth as she gave praise.
"...oh." Saya could only say that.
"I believe you understand what I have to deal with." Yasaka smirked.
"...I am very sorry for the problems my super handsome son must've caused you, Yasaka-sama." Saya stuck out her tongue.
"...you really are a headache." Yasaka sighed.
"...so is this child a result of using the technique?" Saya turned toward her son.
"Nope, this one is the same one we met back at Sora-san's place." Nora shrugged his shoulder.
"...she grew a lot." Saya mumbled. "Especially her chest. Still smaller than mine."
Glaring at the lovestruck maiden, Saya showed her assets to the youth and the girl.
"...What are you doing?" Nora sighed.
"Asserting dominance, showing her who is the boss. She never dared to even look at me before." Saya mumbled.
"She is not some wild animal I took in." Nora said. "It is not like you can decide the pecking order."
At those words, not only Saya but even Yasaka, Musashi, Artoria, and Kuroka snorted loudly. The youth felt the girl snuggling to him was perhaps his only ally.
"Miyako would do everything she can to show ANY insect that our bond is deeper than the Marianna Trench." Miyako mumbled in an intoxicated tone. "Hehehe."
Or maybe not, the youth was alone.
"You guys suck." Nora sounded sulky.
"...Ahem." Saya looked away.
"...fssss." Yasaka tried to whistle but failed and could only make an odd sound.
"Haha." Musashi scratched her cheek with a blush on her face.
"Nyahaha." Kuroka had a happy smile on her face.
Miyako was too busy sniffing the youth.
"...you guys are perverts." Artoria sighed as she saw the myriad of reactions.
"Ok, I know you were lonely, but I told you that you cannot just ignore your surroundings." Nora patted the head of the lovestruck maiden. "You know why I am doing this, right?"
Unwillingly, the girl separated from the youth and nodded.
As she gazed at the other women in the room, there was an initial glint filled with deep jealousy but it disappeared as she felt a hand on top of her head. A sweet feeling drove away the negative emotions and she smiled.
Facing Saya, Miyako gulped. It was not like she was unaware of the woman. It was the most ardent desire of the youth to find the person sitting in front of her. However, Miyako was an unusual being. Her existence was against the natural order. She was an amalgamation of negative emotions stuck together, and if she was not careful, letting out her aura could cause youkais to lose their mind slowly and turn aggressive. She was despised by many youkais and seen as a dangerous being. Chased away from many places because she was unable to control her powers... almost turning to the side of the cultist who offered her a place where her powers could be used without repercussions. It was a tempting offer for her back then, but Sora stepped in and took her under her wing. Many of her people were afraid of her, but Miyako was happy to have a place to stay, a place where she would not be chased off.
"I greet you, Mother-in-law, Saya-sama." Miyako deeply bowed her head toward Saya. "My name is Miyako, I have vowed to offer both my body and heart to Nora-sama, and dedicate my everything to him. I am deeply pleased to finally be able to be in front of you again."
Raising her head became difficult for Miyako. She was not afraid of getting hurt or going to battle and hurting others. However, she did not want to receive a cold stare from the mother of the person she decided to dedicate her life to. Even after being under the shelter of Sora, the fearful looks she received did not disappear. This is not to say they did not try to socialize, but there were times they simply could not stand it because her powers went berserk. It was only the youth who seemed reluctant to deal with her that helped her to calm down one of those times she went berserk.
"Raise your head." Saya simply said.
Trembling slightly, Miyako raised her head.
The object of her fear did not come to pass. Saya had a warm smile on her face as put her hands on Miyako's cheeks and pulled them gently.
"Another silly child huh." Saya pulled one of Miyako's cheeks one last time and put away her hands. "Do you like Nora-chan?"
"YES!" Miyako immediately replied despite being bewildered by the affectionate gesture.
"Good, I expect Nora-chan to have enough children to fill both a soccer and baseball team, so you have to prepare yourself because I want each girl to accomplish that. You will need to make a lot of kitties- ARGH!" Saya made a fervent speech but had to stop and roll on the ground holding her forehead.
"Can you stop saying that to the girls?" Nora sighed.
Lowering the hand that had just flicked Saya's forehead, the youth poked Miyako's cheek from the side. The feeling of pushing the soft skin felt nice, but the girl in question had frozen in place. Giving Saya a dirty look, the youth clicked his tongue before moving his hand behind Miyako... and a second later, the girl pushed her chest forward as her eyes widened even further while her cheeks reddened. She looked at Saya holding her forehead with tears in her eyes and Nora who had just run down his finger from the base of her back to her neck before darkness covered her whole body and she sank into Nora's shadow without saying another word. Yet it did not seem enough to calm down and she fled by going from shadow to shadow.
Shaking her head at that, Yasaka saw her friend's tears and opened her mouth.
"You deserve that." Yasaka mumbled.
"...I admit it was too much information at once." Saya replied.
"No, you idiot. That is not something you should be saying." Yasaka said.
"...all parents want grandchildren." Saya still held her forehead.
"...they usually wait until their child is old enough to get married." Yasaka clicked her tongue but swallowed the rest of her retort.
"Haha, what are you talking about? My child is more than ready to give me a ton of grandchildren." Saya gave her friend a thumbs-up with one hand while the other one still held her forehead.
"...how would you know that?" Yasaka narrowed her eyes.
"Hehe, how would I know? I am a doctor, don't you know that already?" Saya smirked... but it was not as annoying for Yasaka who saw her with tears in her eyes and still holding her forehead. "My son has been through a lot, so I must certainly make sure he is in perfect health. Indeed, it is purely for concern for his health."
"His health? You are speaking about the very definition of healthiness. If you look for the word 'healthy' in a dictionary, an image of him handing maid magazines on the street would be the first thing anyone will see." Yasaka snorted. "...his image would appear in other words such as 'flirt' and so on, but that is beside the point."
"Heh, you can say whatever you want, but I had a legit reason." Saya smirked but still held a hand on her forehead.
"It was just you running wild." Yasaka clicked her tongue in annoyance. "Besides, it is about being legit or whatever, he is already receiving medical care from HER. Regular checkups, even though he does not need anything of that sort."
"...Head Nurse." Saya gave a hollow chuckle but her hand never moved from her forehead. "She is a tough cookie, I doubt you can avoid her treatment once she sets her eyes on you."
Equally giving a hollow laugh, Yasaka shuddered briefly.
"You really have an odd friend." Saya mumbled.
"...Excuse me? She is YOUR friend, you are the one who brought the woman who was dead set on tying sick people to their beds using bandages so they would not move and rest." Yasaka groaned.
"...ah, youth." Saya sighed... while her hand rested on her forehead.
"You are going to hold your forehead forever?" Yasaka said.
"THAT'S BECAUSE IT STILL FREAKING HURTS!!!" Saya exclaimed. "Nora-chan, what the heck did you do?"
"That's love, you know? It adds true damage to my attacks." Nora muttered.
"...ehehe." Saya smiled happily.
"Simpleton." Yasaka snorted.
Rolling his eyes, Nora wondered why she was so naive at times. However, it was part of her charm.
"There is no way that is true." Nora said. "It is just a normal flick on the forehead. why do you guys like to make such a big deal out of it?"
"Heh, normal he says." Yasaka chuckled as she unconsciously covered her forehead with both hands.
"I remember he used it once against that golden dragon who had the reputation of being the toughest... Nora made him cry." Artoria shuddered.
"Nya... he used it on some thugs on the street-nya, he told them he would come back if they broke any law-nya." Kuroka had a faraway look on her face. "They joined a Buddhist temple and have embraced a life full of peace-nya."
"Oh, I remember he also used it on that Maou who has the greatest defense once, it was instant defeat, for the Maou." Musashi muttered.
Throwing a dirty look to the gossiping group, Nora coughed.
"Enough with those baseless rumors. As if a mere flick of a finger can break past the defenses of a dragon." Nora said. "You make it sound like I am some sort of supercat or something."
"...You are not-nya?" Kuroka's innocent question was something everyone wanted to say.
"I am just your regular, run-of-the-mill youkai, you can easily spot guys like me everywhere." Nora spoke. "If I had to say what makes me unique, I would say it is that I am a male nekomata, nothing more."
At those words, there was a unanimous silence.
"Nora-chan, sweetie..." Saya mumbled. "You are most definitely not a normal cat and it is not because you are a male nekomata."
Rubbing her forehead one last time, Saya looked around and saw everyone's awkward expressions.
"Has no one said anything about the way you move when you are inside the kitchen cooking? You were moving and leaving after images as you were making an OMELET, an omelet." Saya sighed.
"...I am nothing special." Nora shook his head. "...those truly amazing people, they are nothing like me."
Saying this, Nora closed his eyes and it was an obvious sign he did not want to continue the topic.
"Alright, you can say whatever you want, but for me, Nora-chan is the best son I could ever ask." Saya puffed her chest proudly.
At this point, Nora would usually smile wryly and make a funny retort, but he said nothing.
"I want to hear what happens next-nya!" Kuroka suddenly sprang forward.
Before the mood turned even more strange, Kuroka smiled as she jumped onto Nora to hug him. Her body had grown through the year and she had developed a body worthy of the title Onee-chan so she buried Nora's head in her bosom.
"Alright, alright." Nora answered as soon as he could free himself from Kuroka.
With a wry smile, the youth patted the head of the 'Onee-chan' who gave him an eager look as her tails wriggled excitedly behind her.
"So we were below Urakyoto on the underground tunnels..." Nora mumbled.
Despite the concerned looks from the others, the youth continued his tale.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
(Flashback re-starts)
3rd Person POV
Each step the youth took covered several meters as he tried to cover as much distance as possible. The ki reinforcing his body made possible this, and while it seemed normal for the youth. The lady in his arms had an eyebrow twitching as she avoided opening her mouth to ask given that she could bite her tongue. Nonetheless, she felt somewhat sour that Nora had not used this kind of skill in their fight.
"They are catching up huh." Nora clicked his tongue.
As his words dropped, a wave of negative energy crept to the duo. Regardless of the speed they advanced, it caught up to them. The tunnel, fully lit using some kind of supernatural stone to illuminate the path forward suddenly turned dim and darkness crept everywhere ready to swallow every single source of light.
Two pairs of eyes emerged close to the duo. One pair of eyes was red as blood and the other pair were yellow, but their size was way bigger.
"...are you going to use the technique from before?" Musashi asked.
"I would be mercilessly gangbanged by these two for who knows how long so I would rather not to." Nora chuckled but his tone was dead serious.
Understanding the seriousness of the situation and dead set opposed to that happening, Musashi left the youth's arms.
"What would you like to do? This is... honestly a little more complicated." Musashi spoke as she gauged her 'foes'.
"I am currently wondering what the best solution for this is." Nora gazed back at the two pairs of eyes on him.
"...I am somewhat familiar with Kiyohime so..." Musashi mumbled.
"You want to face her, alright-" Nora nodded but he felt a hand rest on his shoulder.
"No, I want you to let me talk to Miyako." Musashi said in a serious tone.
"...are you sure?" Nora asked with some concern.
"Now now, who do you think you are talking to? You are speaking to the beautiful swordmaster, unparalleled in both skills with the sword and beauty." Musashi winked at Nora to dispel his worries. "...I think that while you need to solve your issues with them, I need to have a chat with them as well. It is only fair... and this child, she-"
"Alright." Nora nodded. "Musashi-chan is a hero so I believe she wants to 'save' her. If that's the case, I will put my trust in you... after all, Musashi is the real hero."
Smiling wryly at Nora's words, Musashi unsheathed one katana and pointed it forward.
"Thank you for waiting, I am well aware that you would love for the charming prince to be your partner for this dance, but I am afraid you will have to deal with me." Musashi smiled.
As she said this, the beautiful swordmaster was swallowed by a lump of darkness.
It was then that Nora was left with Kiyohime in her giant serpent form. The darkness still crept everywhere, but you could not see Musashi or Miyako nearby.
"Guess this is just you and me." Nora said. "So, what is it going to be? I am willing to get beat up by all of you if that will help you to vent out your anger."
"...anger? Do you really... think that what I feel can simply be called anger?" Kiyohime, in her serpentine form, swung her tail behind her and made a loud sound.
Contrary to what she initially hoped, the ground did not suffer even a dent. Kiyohime paused for a second and doubted the strength she used as she hit the ground again with even more force, but the result was the same.
"Don't do that, you will hurt yourself." Nora said in concern. "I added shock absorption runes everywhere and after bribing the Ice cream Goddess and my Shishou to come here to check, they said it would do the trick."
His words, however, did nothing to stop the snake. In fact, it only made her angrier as it added more strength with each strike to the ground.
"DON'T ACT LIKE YOU ARE WORRIED ABOUT ME!!!" Kiyohime screamed.
"...regardless of what you believe, I did not want to hurt you." Nora did a slide of hands and pulled some seeds from who knows where. "Although given the current state of affairs, my words don't have much persuasive power."
Throwing the seeds in his hands, they grew once they hit the ground. The roots were the prominent part of the that grew and extended toward Kiyohime's tail, tying it.
"YOU ARE JUST LIKE THE OTHERS! YOU ARE JUST TRYING TO DECEIVE ME, YOU DID IT BEFORE AND YOU WANT TO DO IT AGAIN!" Kiyohime directed a menacing look full of killing intent toward the youth.
Without changing expressions, the youth endured the emotions directed at him. He did not welter and embraced the simmering feelings bottled up inside Kiyohime.
Indignation.
Outrage.
Resentment.
Frustration.
Fury.
Wrath.
Exasperation.
Kiyohime's emotions were complex and the youth had a hard time slowly making out each of the things directed at him. The ability to read emotions was not something youkais were unable to do. Given that they were ki users, they were sensitive about anything that could affect it. Naturally, emotions were capable of altering the properties of ki. Negative emotions could even cause ki users to go berserk. That was one reason why despite the large number of ki users, not many dared to focus on detailing emotions. They were content with superficially detecting what was on top and was easy to understand. To avoid being affected by it.
However, the youth was making sure to feel everything himself. Nora was not an expert or someone skilled at doing such a thing. Yet, that did not mean he would not try. If the first time he failed, he can try again. If that was a miss again, he will do it again.
It did not take him long to find other emotions mixed in.
Pain.
Fear.
They were not deeply hidden so the youth easily felt it.
It was overwhelming to let her emotions influence him, but the youth did not complain.
"...now then, I guess taking care of it will not be easy." Nora sighed. "Not like you can expect to gloss over what you went through with just headpats."
Smiling to himself, he gave the snake, breaking apart the roots preventing her from moving, one last sad look. It was then he shook his head and opened his mouth.
"...I am well aware of your obsessive nature. I understand the reason behind your infatuation with me.... however, do you think you are the only one with obsessive thoughts? I am no different than you. There are things I want, and things I am not willing to share. In fact, I am far greedier than you, than anyone." Nora stepped forward. "The question is... do you think you will be able to accept me for real? I will be extremely unfair to you. It is impossible for me to offer my everything to only one person now."
Saying this caused the snake to get angrier and she went on a rampage.
"I should've been to that snake charmer class back then..." Nora chuckled. "I guess I can only use the plummeting method on you."
Thinking to himself how crappy of a guy he was for beating a girl who liked him because she was angry at him for kissing another girl, the youth could only say.
"...these girls got a totally terrible taste in men." Nora said.
...
...
...
With her eyes closed, Musashi focused on her other senses given that there was only darkness around her.
She had talked big, but it was indeed a bit troublesome to face the young lady attacking her.
*Clang*
Parrying an attack for the Nth time, Musashi gave up in trying to locate the position of the young lady within the darkness.
"This darkness is part of you..." Musashi mumbled.
It was difficult to pinpoint her 'foe' when her body had taken such a large and incorporeal form. Not to mention, that even if she managed to strike any place, it was not certain that Miyako would receive any solid damage. There was one way to put a stop to this, but Musashi was certain that Miyako would go crazy from it and might even enter a frenzied state. However, it was also the fastest way to do it. Not to mention, it will open the path of conversation.
"You will suffer!!!" Miyako's venomous tone was harsh and cold.
The tone was filled with malice, but Musashi did not take it to heart. With her eyes closed, Musashi recalled the technique she used before against the bishop of the cultist.
That one attack that was able to make her succeed, she was unable to do it again. Even back then, the reason she was able to use was because she was able to see using-
"It would not be a lie to say it was Nora who saved me again that day..." Musashi muttered.
It was not exactly something she was proud of. Using THAT was possible because she had made a mistake before.
"Losing my eye should've been my responsibility to bear." Musashi spoke in a bitter tone. "It was never something you should've worried about. Even though your healing abilities were sealed and you could not help me regenerate my eyes... it was nothing to feel guilty of."
As she said this, Musashi opened her eyes. Instead of her usual eye color... there was one difference. One of her eyes was different as it constantly changed color, shifting between green and blue, a different blue than her normal color. This happened twice again and it settled in green.
"...I cannot help but marvel at the way he sees the world sometimes." Musashi said.
Instead of total darkness, from her different eye, she was able to capture everything as it should be. There was nothing restraining her vision. In fact, if she focused, she was able to see a myriad of things that were not possible to get a glimpse of. The burden of doing that was great, but Musashi was able to accomplish a great feat thanks to it.
"WHY! DO! YOU! HAVE! THAT! EYE!?!?!?" Miyako shrieked angrily.
It was indeed the case. Musashi had lost one of her eyes before while fighting to protect the youth. As she lay on the ground, the youth who could not bear to see her lose her eyesight gave her his eye. Lacking healing healing abilities at that time, he ripped off his own eye without hesitating and applied all his medical knowledge to transplant it to her. Nora did not doubt, with his own hand he acted swiftly without any concern for his health.
"This is a gift." Musashi said. "A gift too precious I cannot ever compare to anything in value. However, it is also my sin and biggest blunder. A reminder that I cannot stop getting stronger. Proof of the feelings Nora has for me. A mark engraved in my body, a mark whose meaning is to always make me recall that I should never be happy with how strong I am. I must never be complacent."
The raging Miyako increased her attack rate as her blows continuously were aimed at Musashi, but regardless of the angle she used, Miyako was unable to land a single blow. Musashi parried every single attack directed at her with the back of her katana and caused them to miss by shifting the position of the blade slightly. Instead of her, the attacks hit empty air or struck the ground.
"THAT DOES NOT BELONG TO YOU! THIEF! IT BELONGS TO HIM! YOU STOLE HIS EYE! YOU ARE DECEIVING HIM!" Miyako screamed. "YOU ALSO WANT TO TAKE HIM FOR YOURSELF! GIVE UT BACK! GIVE BACK ALL YOU TOOK!"
Hearing the girl, Musashi could understand her mindset and why she reached that conclusion.
The depth of her feelings for the youth must not be shallow. Her yearning and desire to be together with him is without doubt the reason why she finds the idea of her being a thief so infuriating. Even so-
"I have not stolen anything other than his lips. It might've been an accident, but it is the truth that I took his first kiss... and he took mine in return." Musashi added. "Even so... even so... his heart is not something I have stolen. He is free to do whatever he likes and have feelings for whoever he fancies."
Swinging her weapon, Musashi felt her katana cut something albeit the response was small.
"What!?" Miyako's shocked tone was heard.
It could barely qualify as a hit and she did not hurt Miyako, but Musashi had cut the darkness.
Contrary to using brute force to drive the darkness away or using magic to destroy it, Musashi was focusing on something she was catching from the corner of her eye. The eye belonging to Nora was showing her a new world and she was making use of it.
"I will not deny I am not happy to be liked by him. I am madly in love with Nora after all." Musashi admitted. "But make no mistake. I will never force his hand. I will never make him choose me over anyone else."
Ignoring most of the words from Musashi so far, Miyako paused. She could hear the sword woman talking and her words made sense. However, Miyako could not accept it so she decided to ignore everything coming out of her mouth. Yet, the more she talked, the harder it was for Miyako to ignore Musashi.
"You must be aware of why is that." Musashi said.
Taking a stance, Musashi held her sword vertically with both hands, the handle was parallel to her right cheek. She focused her senses to the limit and a throbbing pain tormented her directly from the green eye.
"I am over heels for him and my wish is for him to live happily." Musashi spoke. "I decided that at that time I found him wandering aimlessly with a lost gaze."
Ignoring the pain that almost made her scream, Musashi swung her katana. She had opted for a single sword style because it was all she needed.
This time, Musashi was able to accomplish what she wanted. One slash. A downward slash with a simple stance without any fancy movements. Her katana traced a path her eye showed her and it was done. Like her earlier surroundings had been a lie, the darkness was dispelled. What remained was the tunnel where they were not long ago. In front of Musashi, Miyako stood with a teary expression. The negative emotions from earlier seemed to disappear with the darkness as a result of Musashi's attack or it was simply because Miyako was no longer letting out those emotions. It did not matter to Musashi. She ignored the pain from her eye as much as she could and sheathed her blade.
Feeling the liquid running down her cheek, Musashi was about to pull a handkerchief but Miyako extended her hand with one already there.
Smiling wryly, Musashi used it to wipe the blood. In response after she cleaned herself, she pulled one and helped wipe Miyako's tears.
"I am not going to take him away from you." Musashi spoke in a gentle tone. "He isn't going to abandon you either."
Nodding to herself when she finished, Musashi patted Miyako's head.
"He is everyone's Nora." Musashi chuckled. "He is a gentle child who only wishes to make happy the people he cares about... or do you think otherwise?"
"Never! Nora-sama is the best! There is no one like him!" Miyako raised her voice.
"That's right." Musashi grinned. "He is amazing, right?"
Nodding furiously, Miyako accepted the head pat.
"He can be a little silly at times." Musashi said. "He might make bad choices sometimes, but he only acts for the sake of others."
"The maid costumes..." Miyako retorted.
"...he mostly acts for the sake of others." Musashi coughed awkwardly. "A-N-Y-W-A-Y-S! Even though he might look like he is a super cat and has no weak points, he can also get hurt and make mistakes. Just like we love to see him shine and how he loves to see us shine. He works to make a path for us to succeed, and then it is only normal for us to do the same for him. Whenever he is feeling down or he needs assistance, I decided to be there for him, to cover his back."
"I..." Miyako mumbled.
"Don't sweat the small details." Musashi muttered. "I am not asking you to do the same as me. Everyone has a different way to express their love. I would be thrilled if we could date like a normal pair of lovebirds, but I am also happy with how things are. I just want to be by his side. I am happy with that."
Lowering her hand, Musashi sighed.
"Yet... he always makes me part of his world. He drags me to dates and to hang out with all of you." Musashi smiled wryly. "Ah, ah, I really love that silly cat."
Speaking her honest feelings made Musashi feel somewhat embarrassed, but she did not feel like hiding her reddened cheeks.
"It is not fair... you have spent so much together..." Miyako mumbled. "I also want to be of help to him... I want to repay even if it is a small part of everything he has given me."
Meekly looking at Musashi, Miyako spoke in a low tone.
"I have tried to offer my body many times, but he has not made any advances on me..." Miyako said. "Sora-sama told me that any man would be thrilled if a woman did that, yet Nora-sama has not pushed me down."
Almost spitting her saliva, Musashi gave Miyako a surprised look.
"What a terrifying child." Musashi mumbled.
Giving a look over at the way Miyako dressed, Musashi praised Nora's self-control for not lying a hand on her. No, thinking about it... Musashi realized that Nora's self-control was in the realm of almost reaching divinity. If you only did a head count on the women around Nora and you added the way they dressed for HIM, it was nothing but a miracle how he had remained chaste so far.
Watching how Musashi expression changed so fast, Miyako was confused. She felt scared but in the end, she decided to ask for something from the woman in from of her.
"I want to learn more about him... can you tell me about it...? What happened back then, the other things I missed..." Miyako pleaded.
It took a second for Musashi to go back to reality and another one to understand what was said to her, but her brain did not take that much to come up with an answer.
"Sure! Let's have a girl's night and chat all night long. Let's invite all the girls and talk about Nora!" Musashi smiled brightly.
"YES!" Miyako smiled back.
--------------------------
(Flashback ends)
3rd Person POV
"MUSASHI-CHAN!!!" Saya called out. "Just how much of a good girl are you going to be!?"
As she stood up and was ready to leap at her daughter-in-law, Saya was stopped by Nora who made her trip and then caught her before she fell in a swift motion. Holding her in a princess carry, the youth sighed and he sat down with Saya lying on his lap.
"Look at her, are you planning to give her a heart attack?" Nora scolded.
Just like he said, Musashi was with her arms raised in a defensive position.
"...why is she scared? Am I scary?" Saya pouted.
"You are not scary, but rather, you are lovely." Nora pinched Saya's cheek. "Anyone would get scared if you jumped on them out of nowhere. Besides, you are sort of her mother-in-law, I dare you to find a single son-in-law or daughter-in-law who would not be afraid if their in-laws jumped on them."
Nodding at that, Saya easily accepted those words.
"Musashi is in a league of her own. She is nice, beautiful, her personality is awesome..." Nora mumbled.
"And she is thicc." Saya added.
"And she is extra thicc, you gotta admit that her usual garments hide what is beneath splendidly. Thin waist and heavy breasts with and bouncy behind like those cannot be admired through her garments." Nora said.
"...you are not embarrassed after spouting all that huh." Saya muttered.
"If you expected me to go shy mode for what you said, forget it. I am a healthy man, for some reason or another I have seen everyone here naked already and they have seen me as well, why would I be embarrassed by something like this?" Nora snorted.
Instead of replying, Saya pointed toward two places with a smile on her face. The first place Nora gazed upon was Musashi who had her face buried in her knees as she tried to look as small as possible.
"You might be shameless, but she seems like an innocent maiden." Saya chuckled.
Instead of retorting, Nora turned toward a sulky Yasaka.
"Ah, ah, you made her mad." Saya grinned.
"I am not mad." Yasaka spoke.
"Sure, sure~" Saya smirked.
Looking from one side, Artoria tried her best to blend with the surroundings.
"I think if I work hard, I can use Presence Concealment. Not my class skill, but I would rather make the impossible possible than get caught in the crossfire." Artoria said.
"...why don't you just leave-nya?" Kuroka asked.
"Cuz this is fun." Artoria plainly replied. "Although I expected you to get jealous."
"Me-nya? Not really-nya." Kuroka denied. "I receive plenty of 'love' from him on a daily basis-nya. I don't get to feel lonely-nya. I also have to share-nya."
Unable to say otherwise, the spectators who had not received damage until now enjoyed the show.
"Hah! Hearing the world share from you is a surprise, are you perhaps an imposter?" Artoria asked.
Giving the blonde a dirty look, Kuroka snorted.
"Many of the cat girls plan to have his children-nya." Kuroka said. "As the one leading them-nya and making them behave, it is important that I listen to what they want-nya."
Pointing at Saya with her chin, Kuroka shrugged her shoulders.
"His priority has always been finding his mother-nya." Kuroka spoke. "It was something holding him back-nya. The next thing was that he had reserved his virginity for Yasaka-nya. Furthermore, he was not originally into harems-nya."
"That sounds about right." Artoria nodded. "But what of it?"
"Saya-nee-sama is here now-nya." Kuroka raised her hand while holding up 3 fingers and lowered one. "He accepted the harem idea-nya."
Lowering another finger, Kuroka was left with only one more.
"All that is left is that Yasaka-nya eats him up once." Kuroka muttered. "...after that, he is all ours-nya. As a nekomata-nya, it is our duty to leave a lot of descendance-nya. Our numbers are too low-nya. My mother told me so-nya."
Nodding, Kuroka pointed at Nora.
"Many cat girls were interested in him because he was a rare male nekomata-nya." Kuroka said. "They were interested in that... and he was cute-nya."
"...he was, huh, you don't think he is anymore. Good to know, I can tease him with that." Artoria smirked.
"Right now, he is..." Kuroka licked her lips.
"Could you not lust for the guy for one second?" Artoria retorted.
"Anyways-nya! It was something that not many expected to last long-nya." Kuroka mumbled. "However, Nora-nya has not been mean to them at any moment-nya."
"I am pretty sure he has flicked their foreheads a couple of times and that should count as being mean." Artoria added. "Although, they earned that for stealing his underwear... now he no longer gets bothered when it goes missing."
Feeling somewhat sympathetic, Artoria found it pitiful that the youth never questioned anymore when his underwear was stolen.
"That's not the point-nya!" Kuroka clearly changed the subject. "Nowadays, he is the object of their respect-nya. He is stronger than them-nya. Nekomatas always look for a strong mate-nya."
"Wait, putting you aside who has a flower field in your head..." Artoria asked. "There should be people far stronger than Nora out there. They could always try their luck with the strongest people in the world. In fact, isn't there a lecherous guy who would most certainly take in all of them? You know, Zeus."
"Artoria-nya." Kuroka gave her conversation partner a deep look. "They are not desperate."
"...fair enough." Artoria nodded. "There are still many strong men whom they could become the mate of. Putting aside how strong Nora currently is, if we are talking about the Nora from the time they came here... there were many people they could go for that were stronger and had an agreeable personality."
"You do not understand-nya." Kuroka shook her head.
"I sure don't." Artoria admitted defeat.
"You don't know-nya, but Nora-nya has been very kind to them-nya. He provided a house for them to live close to us-nya, when he could've made them live as far as possible-nya, but he kept them close to watch out over them-nya." Kuroka said. "He has sat-nya and talked with each girl individually-nya. He went as far as to call their mothers-nya, all so they could discuss their future-nya. He told them that thinking of the future of the race was nice and all-nya. However, they should also think about their future-nya. He asked them if they simply wanted to have children-nya or if they had other dreams-nya. He has encouraged (forced-nya) them to study-nya. To not get stuck on being forced to make children-nya."
"That's typical of that busybody." Artoria clicked her tongue.
Looking at the youth who continued to improve the mood of the kitsune by now letting her rest on his lap as well, Artoria clicked her tongue again for reasons she did not understand.
"It did not stop there-nya. He created a space pocket here for the nekomata to live in-nya." Kuroka said. "About 80% of the nekomatas have emigrated there-nya."
"Huh, so that's why I have seen more nekomatas than what I was used to seeing." Artoria nodded but soon stopped midway. "Wait a moment, putting aside the younger nekomatas that the flirting master has hoodwinked already, I seem to recall how nekomatas were under Magari who was part of the Youkais of the East."
"Oh, that-nya?" Kuroka gave Artoria a look of someone hopelessly uninformed asking the obvious. "They all want a piece of Nora-nya."
"...that look annoys me, but I have to admit it was a stupid question." Artoria clicked her tongue. "He has money, influence, good (?) personality, and his body seems like it was sculpted by the greatest sculptor to ever exist."
Somewhat lost in her thoughts, Artoria seemed to be focused on a particular memory.
"... Nani?" Kuroka gave Artoria a suspicious look.
"Eh?" Artoria shook her head.
"...anyways-nya. Nora-nya has won over every nekomata he has met-nya." Kuroka mumbled. "He is considered an influencing figure among our kind-nya and his words carry heavy weight-nya. Responsability-nya. Nora-nya is not the type to escape from it-nya. He told us he will accept the duty of expanding the nekomata race-nya."
"...isn't he just going to find partners for the other nekomatas instead of doing it himself?" Artoria inquired.
Snorting, Kuroka raised her index finger and shook it from left to right, in from of Artoria's face.
"Naive-nya." Kuroka clicked her tongue.
"Oh? Then tell me if he has actually said he will do it in person." Artoria smiled but the vein on her forehead said what she felt about Kuroka's action.
"He has-nya." Kuroka said.
"BS!" Artoria mumbled. "He is one of the most perverse guys I know, but he was struggling to accept more than one person a few years ago."
"That's why you are naive-nya." Kuroka muttered. "He agreed upon certain conditions being met-nya."
"Do tell." Artoria gestured for the cat to speak.
"He said that if they were involved sexually-nya, they cannot go to another guy anymore-nya. Nora-nya was extremely clear about that-nya. He said that once they do it-nya, they are his-nya. He stressed it clearly-nya." Kuroka said.
"That is obvious. He is surely making that clear because of the whimsical nature of nekomatas for looking for strong mates. Once they do it with him, they must be ready to submit to him in body and heart." Artoria nodded in understanding.
"I already submitted to him-nya!" Kuroka smiled.
"That so? Good for you, dofus." Artoria sighed.
"The younger ones agreed immediately-nya, but the older ones did not so at once-nya." Kuroka spoke.
"Well, younger ones are inexperienced and most likely virgins. While the older ones must have experience with many guys, they would not be happy with a youngster who might not be as good as... wait, it is Nora who we are talking about."
"They saw him naked and instantly agreed-nya." Kuroka chuckled.
"...are nekomatas ok in the head?" Artoria sighed.
"Nora-nya is amazing." Kuroka spread her hands to her sides.
Nodding at that, Artoria had to admit that while she had not seen any other male, the books she had been made to read by Nora about all kinds of subjects were quite clear about details. Such as the average.
"...he is a menace for women." Artoria did not elaborate further.
Agreeing to such a thing Kuroka nodded.
"...are you really ok with that?" Artoria gave a serious look to the cat girl.
"I think I will be split in half during our first time-nya." Kuroka gulped.
"I can't tell if you are really that silly or are acting the part." Artoria sighed. "There should be close to 300 nekomatas, which I must say is more impressive than I expected, that want to eat your cat."
"Nora-nya has been gathering them world wide-nya!" Kuroko proudly said.
"...that's not what I asked." Artoria rolled her eyes. "As far as I recall, the one always going everywhere advertising Nora and making an appeal to those nekomatas worldwide are you. Nora will be sucked dry if those thirsty women attack him."
"Can you even see him running out of stamina-nya?" Kuroka smiled wryly.
"...I cannot. I can easily imagine Hades turning into one of those idol fanboys rather than Nora running out of stamina." Artoria mumbled.
"See-nya?" Kuroka smiled smugly.
"You can be as annoying as Nora if not even more." Artoria clicked her tongue.
"I am not the only one-nya." Kuroka muttered.
Stealthy pointing at Yasaka, Kuroka had a cunning smile on her face. Given her usual silliness, Artoria found it hard to take her seriously, but her next words made her sweat coldly.
"Do you think I am gathering a bunch of cat girls-nya, and I plan to just dump them on Nora-nya? Without any reason-nya, just for the sake of my race-nya?" Kuroka smirked. "I am indeed acting as my Okaa-sama instructed me once-nya, she told me about our duty to find mates-nya, reproduce-nya, have many kitties-nya, all for the dying nekomata race-nya."
Artoria had heard about such a thing before, although it came from Shirone's lips so it was a bit strange to hear back then.
"However-nya, that woman-nya, she has been responsible for many women included in Nora-nya's life. She encourages Nora-nya to go to the kitsune's village and repeatedly allows him to stay for the night-nya. She has also allowed them to stay here at Nora-nya's house. Yasaka-nya has been teaching many 'techniques' to Kunou-nya for when she is at the age of 'that'-nya." Kuroka explained. "She has made a point-nya, never get ahead of Kunou-nya."
"No, no, that makes no sense-nya, urgh, I mean, that makes no sense." Artoria blushed embarrassedly. "If anything, Tamamo should be the one behind the kitsune's village plan."
Despite feeling like digging a hole and hiding there after her mistake, Artoria offered a valid point.
"Contrary to what you believe-nya, Tamamo-nee-nya is not aiding the kitsune's village endeavour-nya. She is taking a look at the bigger picture-nya. She is working on a system to keep everything under control-nya." Kuroka said.
"...you are talking about the woman who dressed as a cat girl and barged in the living room while Nora and I were playing video games and proclaimed that since she was now a cat girl, there was no race barrier and Nora should just pound her right there." Artoria muttered in a monotonous tone.
"...even the most hardworking person(kitsune) needs a day off-nya." Kuroka looked away.
"Ettu, Nora?" Artoria pointed at the youth.
"I think Nora-nya has a disease-nya, in which he might die if he doesn't work-nya." Kuroka spoke in an uncertain tone.
"I have never seen this guy resting for real, even when he looks to be resting, he doubles the number of shikigamis he is controlling to do this and that everywhere." Artoria furrowed her eyebrows.
"It is one of the seven wonders of the Shiki Household-nya." Kuroka followed up. "By the way-nya, they are pretty much related to Nora-nya in a way-nya."
"...until just recently, he was the only Shiki in the house so it is kind of obvious." Artoria retorted.
"Ahem-nya." Kuroka 'coughed'.
"Now, cut it out. I want to hear what's this about Tamamo and Yasaka's plan to increase his future harem." Artoria ignored the fake cough.
"Nya? I said that Tamamo-nee-nya was not trying to hook him with kitsunes-nya. Yasaka-nya is the one who has made it possible-nya." Kuroka mumbled.
"That makes no sense." Artoria shook her head.
"Naive-nya." Kuroka snorted. "It makes a lot of sense-nya."
"No, what you are saying makes no sense. Why would she make this kind of situation? Isn't she in love with him? Putting aside her patience over accepting a couple of women more given the obvious development... just the nekomata make hundreds of women." Artoria pointed out a little annoyed.
"That must be what it looks like to you-nya." Kuroka said. "The kitsunes-nya, Kudans-nya, Zashiki-no-warashi-nya, bunny tribe-nya... and several others such as Tengus-nya."
Raising her fingers one by one and going from a closed fist to an open palm with her fingers spread, Kuroka's eyebrow twitched as she counted.
Observing such a detail, Artoria felt somewhat pleased. It was a feeling hard to explain. Maybe being too much with Nora made her enjoy being a bully.
"Gununu... I'm not even counting the devils-nya." Kuroka seemed troubled but sighed to regain her bearing. "Nora-nya has two jobs here-nya. The first one is being in charge of Urakyoto's defense-nya."
Nodding at that, Artoria was aware of it. There was no mistake in all the efforts that Nora had put into the safety of Youkais in the city. He raised the overall fighting power of Youkais, combatants, and even non-combatants. He strengthened the barriers protecting the city and created escape routes for the Youkais in case of emergency. Added functions to some buildings that would turn them into battle golems. It was a long list that would make most people think he was overdoing it from all the measures he took. However, he had earned the respect of Urakyoto residents and he could properly lead them in cases of emergency.
"The second one-nya... he is in charge of diplomatic matters of all kind-nya. He is in charge of forming ties with youkais from outside Urakyoto and other forces... Nya." Kuroka said.
"Oi, don't tell me Yasaka used him to hoodwink potential allies... particularly women, so they would agree to his requests." Artoria asked.
"Nora-nya is handsome-nya." Kuroka smiled widely and gave Artoria a thumbs up.
Face palming, Artoria could only say it was expected of a kitsune to be cunning. The flirting master and communication meister would be doing a great job if he was in charge of that. He was also doing a job of similar nature in the Underworld so he is definitely being put to good use.
"...I am not sure if I should be feeling pity for that cat or be annoyed that his job is basically rizz the pants off women." Artoria mumbled.
"Why are you complaining so much about that-nya?" Kuroka sighed.
"Am I really the weird one? Are you not uncomfortable with your man talking to other women or even making moves on them?" Artoria inquired.
"I get jealous-nya." Kuroka admitted.
"Then-" Artoria was cut off.
"...have you ever heard Nora-nya ask for something-nya?" Kuroka suddenly spoke in a serious tone.
"...maid cosplay." Artoria immediately said.
Smiling wryly, Kuroka could not offer even a single comeback to that.
"He makes food for all of us-nya. Everyday-nya." Kuroka said. "If we ask for clothes-nya, he would get it for us-nya. If we wanted to go out-nya, he would take us whenever we wanted-nya. He fights for our sake-nya. He gets hurt for our sake-nya."
The words were not spoken in a loud tone, in fact, Kuroka was using some sort of technique where Artoria seemed to be the only one listening because it was not normal that Youkais as powerful as Yasaka and Saya would miss their conversation. It did not seem to be magic either. Artoria recalled that because Kuroka had gotten interested in kunoichi training, Nora began gathering all kinds of knowledge about techniques from ninjas and even martial artists so he could teach the other cat.
"It is not only that-nya, you must be aware by now how much attention he pays to what we like-nya." Kuroka said. "Your bikes... since you like them so much-nya, you must know that it is extremely difficult to get them-nya."
Nodding at that, Artoria could not act oblivious to the fact that he got her a bike that she came later to know was over 10 million dollars when she saw one in a magazine and she carelessly hoped to get one.
"Even... the issue with women-nya." Kuroka mumbled. "He is just going along with everyone-nya."
Furrowing her eyebrows, Artoria had to accept it. Nora had only voiced his desire for a harem after being almost pushed for that. It might not be like he loathed the idea of having a more romantic relationship with Kuroka and Shirone even after having Yasaka, but he had always expressed his desire for a simple relationship with the kitsune.
"...I can't dismiss Okaa-sama's wishes-nya." Kuroka muttered. "I am not sure if Saya-nee-nya told him about the nekomata's duty-nya, but he seemed half resigned to accept it when we met Magari-nya."
Biting her lips, Kuroka sighed.
"...I was naive back then-nya. I simply said something outrageous to Nora-nya." Kuroka spoke.
"If you think that way, then you can just tell him to-" Artoria muttered. "No, I guess it would be useless."
"Nora-nya is the most responsible person I have ever met-nya." Kuroka said.
"He said he will do it, so he will get it done." Artoria sighed. "It would sound more awe-inspiring and worthy of respect if it was not about doing this and that with women."
"...I agree-nya." Kuroka smiled.
"Then, why do you keep increasing the number of women?" Artoria asked.
"...don't ask me-nya, I am responsible for the cats only-nya." Kuroka raised her hands as if showing that she had nothing under her sleeves, in fact, she showed her sleeves to Artoria.
"You are a dumb cat." Artoria sighed heavily.
"It is not like he is going to be forced to sleep with them-nya." Kuroka mumbled. "If he likes them-nya, he will eat them-nya. If they get ahead of themselves-nya... heh."
Feeling a shudder running down her spine, Artoria felt like that chuckle was too scary for some reason.
"You are dumb most of the time but you seem to have made plans to deal with those women." Artoria said.
"We can't just allow nobodies to pester Nora-nya." Kuroka smiled.
"...you are scary. I always considered you comedic relief." Artoria clicked her tongue.
"You are a rude lady, do you think my name is Tamamo? I am not comedic relief." Kuroka snorted.
"Oi, I think you are ruder than me, and you forgot the 'nya'." Artoria retorted.
Covering her mouth hastily, Kuroka turned toward Nora who was trying to separate Yasaka and Saya who were in a wrestling match, and Musashi who tried to pull him out before he suffered from the two women playing around.
Sighing relief when she noticed that no one was paying her attention, Kuroka patted her chest.
"You know, I was thinking... you can always try modern medicine methods." Artoria decided not to ask.
"...about what-nya?" Kuroka asked.
"You guys can just use his semen and go to the hospital for one of those pregnancy procedures." Artoria pointed out.
At this, Kuroka turned pale.
"Silence, woman-nya. Do you want to c*ckblock my entire race-nya!?" Kuroka said.
"Now you are thinking about your entire race!? What about the flirty cat? You dumb cat! I bet you are in cahoots with the kitsune, you plan to make him Nyan Nyan many women so you can use him to influence the world!" Artoria exclaimed.
"Nya!? The world!? You nuts-nya!?" Kuroka hissed.
"No! You nuts!" Artoria raised her voice.
"No-nya! You are-nya!" Kuroka pointed at the blonde.
Clicking her tongue, she smacked Kuroka's hand. Artoria then pointed at Kuroka.
"Don't you know that if you make him mate with all those cats... he would be too busy to make food for you!?" Artoria muttered. "Imagine if he has hundreds of kitties at once! No time for food!!!"
Kuroka almost passed out as she imagined that.
"That's... that's..." Kuroka held her head with both hands. "A nightmare-nya..."
Proud of herself, Artoria believed she did a fine job of protecting Nora (Nora's cooking) by dampening Kuroka's mood that much. Perhaps, she might even reconsider her nefarious plans of making the cat Nyan Nyan so many cat girls.
"No big deal-nya." Kuroka shrugged her shoulders. "I am priority-nya."
Or not.
...
...
...
Watching as Kuroka and Artoria were arguing the youth who finally managed to separate the 'adults' wrestling just before was now caressing Saya's hair as she lay asleep on his lap. Yasaka was sitting beside him with her eyes closed as she let their shoulders barely touch. Musashi on the other hand had her head on Yasaka's lap, and she was knocked out.
There was no need to address what happened and the youth would appreciate it if everyone simply prayed for Musashi's recovery after that friendly fire.
"...sorry about Musashi-chan." Yasaka mumbled.
"It's ok, I am not angry. It is a little reckless to get into a fight with two Great Youkais so this was a mild consequence." Nora extended his hand to caress Musashi's hair.
"...Saya-" Yasaka opened her mouth.
"I know." Nora plainly replied. "I know..."
There was a moment of silence, except for the duo of ladies pulling each other hair in the background.
"The time she can remain awake has been reduced..." Yasaka muttered. "It is progressing faster than we expected."
"It is indeed..." Nora mumbled. "I guess, there is really no other choice."
"I will take that responsibility." Yasaka muttered in a sad tone of voice.
"I will be taking her back to her room." Nora said and easily stood as he carried Saya in a princess carry.
Without looking at Yasaka, he began to walk away.
"Saya is mine. She is my responsibility to bear." Nora spoke.
Leaving those words behind, he left.
Yasaka tried to follow after him, but she had Musashi on her lap so she 'carefully' dropped her and chased after the youth.
As she lay on the ground unconscious, Musashi shed some tears in a pitiful manner.