[Training Space]
"So, what did you want to talk about?" Sakura, feeling both nervous and combative after being taken to a different part of the [Training Space], asked Violet and Aletia.
"Just wanted to get to know you and tell you a little bit about our situation." Violet replied calmly. "For example, everyone noticed that you have feelings for Tatsuo-Kun."
Hearing that, Sakura tensed slightly, thinking that Violet, Tatsuo's girlfriend would tell her to forget about being with Tatsuo.
"And to be honest, you're not the only one." Violet continued, somewhat surprising Sakura with her response. She then gestured towards Aletia, who was standing next to her with a nearly emotionless expression on her face. "And she's the easiest to read in that regard."
Glancing at Aletia, Sakura nodded her head in agreement.
"In fact, there are more than just the three of us." Violet said while smiling wryly. "I know there are at least two in Tatsuo-Kun's world, one more in mine, and a few in James-San's world, as well. And that probably won't be the end."
"What are you getting at?" Sakura asked, her tone a little more hostile than she intended. "Trying to brag about your position as his girlfriend?"
"Not at all." Violet replied while smiling kindly. "To be honest, I never even thought I'd be his only one."
Though skeptical, Sakura gestured for Violet to continue.
"It's actually Tatsuo-Kun who has refused to reciprocate the feelings of the other girls." Violet said while shaking her head. "But I can somewhat understand why he does that."
Hearing that Tatsuo was the reason why he only had one girlfriend was surprising to Sakura. Because most of her interactions with boys were only from her late brother Shinji and Shirou, her impression of the way boys acted was quite skewed. In her mind, boys only looked to dominate women for a petty sense of power or were too dense to realize that a girl had feelings for them. But according to Violet, Tatsuo was aware of the feelings of all the girls and women he associated with and did not press to have them all to himself.
"Based on the expression on your face, I can tell you don't understand." Violet replied, still with the same kind smile. "But just how much do you actually know about Tatsuo-Kun, other than the fact that he saved you and is a talented mage and fighter?"
"Not much, to be honest." Sakura replied honestly. "I didn't have much time to hear about him after he and Taylor-San finished their [Mission] in my world."
"Understandable." Violet replied with a nod. "Well, when you hear this, you might understand why Tatsuo-Kun is the way he is."
Violet then went on to tell Sakura about Tatsuo's past. And with every word, Sakura's eyes widened in disbelief. Like her, Tatsuo had been taken away from his family, experimented on, and tortured for years. Though, there's no way to tell which suffered more.
"I would have never guessed." Sakura muttered.
"Yes, that's more than likely a result of what he was forced to learn." Violet replied. "His ability to act as if he is well-adjusted is incredible. And to be honest, I think he desires a normal life. And a normal life only includes having one girlfriend or partner."
"I see…" Sakura replied softly, face set with an expression of contemplation.
"But at the same time, Tatsuo-Kun is also very kind." Violet said, a gentle smile spreading across her face. "Because of that, he does not want to hurt anyone. That's why he just accepts Aletia-San hanging all over him. Yet, he never initiates anything on his own."
"Hmph!" Aletia snorted in displeasure while crossing her arms and looking away from Violet. "If I had met him first, I would be his girlfriend, not you."
Smiling wryly, Violet shot a glance at Aletia before turning her attention back to Sakura.
"She's probably right." Violet admitted, surprising both Aletia and Sakura. "If I hadn't been the first to show that I love him, it probably could have been anyone else."
"Is that really the case?" Sakura asked, sounding a bit unsure. "What about that woman he calls Mai-Nee? I've heard stories about her. She's undoubtedly the first one to proclaim her love for him, isn't she?"
"That falls back into wanting a normal life… I think." Violet replied unsurely. "From what I've heard, Mai-San is about eight years older than Tatsuo-Kun. And having a girlfriend that much older than you isn't really normal, is it?"
"That makes sense." Sakura replied with a nod.
"Plus, Tatsuo-Kun has said that he finds her over the top displays of affection kind of annoying." Violet added with a shrug.
Hearing that, Sakura blinked in surprise. Then, she turned her attention to Aletia, who was also quite over the top with her displays of affection.
Feeling Sakura's gaze, Aletia, who was still looking away, flinched. Then, she shot a glare at Sakura, which did little to bother the violet-hauired beauty and caused Violet to giggle.
"Anyway, the point is, Tatsuo-Kun is destined to attract a lot of female attention."
Violet said with a slightly amused smile on her face. "But he's conflicted. As a boy his age, he's probably thrilled. I mean, what teenage boy wouldn't be. But because he wants to lead a normal life deep down, he is hesitant."
Both Aletia and Sakura remained silent, their gazes lingering on Violet as they felt that she had more to say.
"But because of who and what he is, things won't stay that way forever. As much as I'd rather he did…" Violet continued, a hint of melancholy making it into her tone. "But considering how kind he is, he won't want to see the girls that like him get hurt. On top of that, I can't imagine a dragon letting go of the things or people he treasures, either."
This time, both Aletia and Sakura nodded in understanding while giving Violet sympathetic looks. No girl would want to share their man, after all. Yet, it seems that Violet has accepted the fact that it was more or less inevitable for her.
"So, all I can say is, just be patient." Violet concluded. "If you really love him, he will probably accept you, eventually."
"I understand." Sakura said softly while looking at Violet with a complicated gaze.
'She seems to know him so well.' Sakura thought to herself while continuing to stare at Violet. 'They don't even live in the same world. How could she know his personality so well. I mean, after living with him and Taylor-San for several weeks, I understand that he is kind, as well. But to be able to see so deeply into his personality, I must admit, I'm kind of jealous.'
"Anyway, I think we should get back to Tatsuo-Kun." Violet said with a smile. "We came here to train with him. Yet, we're just using this time to have a private conversation."
Nodding in response, both Aletia and Sakura followed Violet back to where Tatsuo was working out. However, when they arrived, they all stopped short because of what they saw.
Currently, Tatsuo was using a shoulder press machine, testing his maximum lift. However, that was not what gave the three ladies pause. Though, the number on the machine, 182,000 lbs. was quite absurd for all three of them. Seeing the muscles on his shirtless torso covered in a sheen of sweat was more eye catching.
"Oh my…" Sakura mumbled as her cheeks took on a soft, pink shade.
Aletia did not speak. Rather, she only licked her lips with heat in her gaze. As for Violet, she had seen him topless more than a few times. So, she was not quite as affected as the other two. Though, she could not help admiring the view.
"Oh, you're back." Tatsuo said as he glanced over his shoulder when he heard the trio's footsteps. "So, was your talk productive?"
"I would like to think so." Violet replied, stepping forward to circle around Tatsuo as she did so. "I think we've come to an understanding."
Sakura nodded in agreement as she followed Violet to circle around Tatsuo. Aletia, on the other hand, still did not speak, her eyes glued to Tatsuo's muscles as she looked him up and down hungrily.
"That's good." Tatsuo replied. "Anyway, I don't know what kind of training you all want to do, but this place has everything. A sparring ring, target dummies, weight lifting, a track… You name it, they got it. So, you can train practically anything you want."
Hearing that, the three finally took their attention off of Tatsuo and looked around. And just like he said, there was everything they could need to train in the [Training Space]. Meanwhile, Tatsuo feeling that he was at his limit for the shoulder press, stopped the machine with a simple voice command and returned it to its resting state.
"I think I'd like to spar." Violet said softly after looking around. "It has been a while since we sparred together, Tatsuo-Kun. And I don't feel like I've improved as much in my spearmanship since then. Though, training with Shin-San has undoubtedly helped."
"Sure, I'm fine with that." Tatsuo replied with a shrug as he reached into his [Inventory] and took out a towel. He then turned to Aletia and Sakura while wiping himself down. "What about you guys?"
"I'll practice my Magecraft." Sakura replied softly. "Though, I would like if you could teach me some martial arts, should time allow."
"I'm fine with that, too." Tatsuo replied. "Though, to be honest, I 'm not sure exactly how much we can get done in such a short time. I mean, sure, the time passes five times slower in here than in the outside, but even if we stayed here for a whole day, you would only start picking up the basics."
"I'm fine with that." Sakura replied. "With knowledge of the basics, I can refine them on my own. I can just record my training to show it to you and the other martial artists in the [Chat] for guidance."
"That's actually a really good idea." Violet replied. "I can't believe I never thought of that."
"Neither did I." Tatsuo replied while shaking his head. "Then again, I've always had someone supervising my training. So, it makes sense I never thought of it. And what about you, Aletia?"
"I'll practice magic." Aletia replied with a pout, clearly irritated that she had no good excuse to be closer to Tatsuo during this training period. "I'm no good at fighting with my body."
"Cool." Tatsuo replied with a nod. He then reached out and patted Aletia on her head. "Watching someone as talented with magic as you will be helpful for my own improvement in magic."
Immediately upon hearing that, Aletia's pout turned into a smile. She then threw herself into Tatsuo's arms, not caring that he was still covered in sweat.
"Before we start…" Aletia said, her smile turning seductive. "I'm hungry. Need energy to train."
Then, without waiting for a response, Aletia licked the side of Tatsuo's neck before sinking her fangs into it and starting to drink.
Seeing that, Violet only shook her head. At the same time, Sakura understood Violet's explanation of Tatsuo a little better when she saw that his only reaction was to hold Aletia so she could drink comfortably while patting her head.
After that, the three got to training for the next fifteen hours, which was only three hours on the outside. During that time, Tatsuo sparred with Violet, which turned out to be quite the workout, since she had improved her spearmanship by quite a bit while climbing the Dungeon. She had also begun learning spearmanship from Kang Shin, which improved her spearmanship even faster.
After that, Violet when to use the workout machines to increase her physical strength while Tatsuo watched Aletia and Sakura practice their magic and Magecraft, respectively. Unfortunately, He did not spend enough time to learn any of their spells.
Then, when Sakura was done with her Magecraft practice, Tatsuo started teaching her the basics of martial arts.
"It's good to learn how to defend yourself in close combat, Sakura." Tatsuo said while watching Sakura throw slow punches while keeping proper form in mind. "But you've been in the Archery Club, right? Instead of learning how to fight with your body, you should learn combat archery. That way, you'll be able to put your training to use."
"I've considered that." Sakura replied as she pulled her left fist back after throwing a punch. "But I need to understand the best way to move my body before I can do that. And I thought learning martial arts, at least to an acceptable level would be the best way to do that."
"I see, that makes sense." Tatsuo replied with an understanding nod. "Well then, if you ever need advice, don't be afraid to ask."
"I won't." Sakura replied with a nod.
Scattered Cherry Blossoms Universe, Human World, Japan, Kuoh.
"Ugh… I hate paperwork." James, just after teleporting into the living room of his mansion in the Human World with Scáthach, said while stretching his arms over his head.
"Welcome back, Sweetie. You, too, Scáti." Leona said with a smile while holding Aaliyah, who immediately started reaching out for her big brother after he arrived. "I bet you're regretting being made into the Fifth Great Satan now, aren't you?"
"Hey, Mom." James said with a smile as he made his way over to his mother and his little sister. He then continued after taking Aaliyah from his mother's arms. "Yeah, I know I don't' have nearly as much paperwork as Sirzechs or Sera-Tan. But I hate it all the same."
Leona only laughed at her son while Aaliyah, hearing her mother laugh, laughed as well. James, on the other hand, could only smile helplessly at his mother, who found joy in the misfortune of others.
While Leona and Aaliyah were laughing, the mansion's elevator doors opened. Through the open doors, Venelana, accompanied by Grayfia, stepped into the living room. At the same time, Zest, feeling her master's presence, entered the living room from the kitchen with a pot of tea for James. And when the two maids made eye contact, imaginary sparks collided between them.
"Ah, you're back, James." Venelana, her face lighting up when she saw James, said with a smile as she approached.
"Oh, hey, Venelana." James replied with a smile. "How's it goin'?"
"Not bad… Not bad at all." Venelana replied as she stopped right next to James. "But I heard something rather interesting from Lady Lilith."
James immediately understood what Venelana meant. Like Kunou, Maria, and Lilith, Venelana had also been asking about the next time Tatsuo would return. Kokoa was probably thinking the same thing. However, she was a bit too shy to say it out loud like the others.
And while James found Kunou's, Maria's, and Kokoa's infatuation with Tatsuo cute and good ammo for teasing, He felt a little uneasy about Lilith's. As for Venelana…
'*Sigh* This is bad.' James thought to himself. 'I think I'm getting jealous of Tatsuo. I mean, he's taking the interest of two of the women who had been showing me affection. Aislynn is fine, I never really felt like she was really interested in me in the first place. More like she was settling. But Venelana, she was definitely trying to get some. But I've basically rejected her the whole time for Ri Ri's sake. But still, the fact that she's showing interest in someone else kinda bothers me.'
"Pfft… James, you're so cute sometimes." Venelana said, reading James thoughts from his facial expression. "I divorced Zeo to pursue you, you know. Do you really think I'd give up so quickly just because Rias is a bit stingy? I just want to see Tatsuo because of I appreciate his skill on the piano. Plus, there's always a chance he might accept joining my peerage."
'Unlikely.' James, Leona, Grayfia, and Scáthach thought simultaneously.
"Anyway, when you go to Tatsuo's world to see his concert, I would like you to take me along with you." Venelana said while staring at James with upturned eyes. "Oh, and of course my [Queen will be accompanying me, as well."
"*Sigh* You know, I haven't even talked to Tatsuo about it yet." James said while smiling awkwardly. "But sure, I'll ask if it's okay."
"Thank you." Venelana said while smiling brightly before rising onto the tips of her toes and planting a kiss on James' cheek. "Well then, the concert should only be a few days away, correct? The, I'll start packing."
And with that, Venelana skipped away and got back into the elevator with Grayfia following behind her after giving everyone in the living room a bow.
"You know, I didn't say it was happening, right?" James asked to no one in particular.
"Sweetie, it doesn't look like you have a choice in the matter anymore." Leona replied, mirth sparkling in her eyes. "You'll just have to make sure it happens."
"*Sigh*" James could only sigh. Then, he decided to not think about it until Tatsuo came back into the [Chat]. Until then, he would just enjoy the time with his little sister.