The resounding statement that jumped out from Perlina's mouth echoed, lingering in the ears of everyone despite the absolute deafening silence. Even Vex himself can't help but look flabbergasted.
Did…did that female just claim ownership of me? More than once? Too many events are happening in rapid succession and none of it makes sense. It's making my head spin…
Just let me go or kill me swiftly!
"SQUEEEE!"
"Ack!!"
A booming, high-pitch noise pierces Vex's eardrums–it's coming from none other than giantess beauties surrounding him. Though it is true that they were initially spaced out, in just one blink, Perlina's sisters gather around their mother who is now holding Vex with a loose open palm.
"Aww, he's such a cutie!"
"Look at his little body–so muscular, yet slim!"
"Hmph, Perlina is sooo lucky! I wish I had him as my first…"
One after another, compliments and praise rain down upon Vex. Even though he is at the center of discussion, Vex shows not a single hint of bashfulness–rather, it's Perlina who quietly stands behind them all, in the same spot she arrived.
"No no no, i-it's nothing particularly s-special. I just w-wanted to help him–"
"How did I go from being considered nothing more than a piece of meat to being flirted with? This situation just gets weirder by the minute."
"W-what was that? Did y-you say something, Vex?"
"Hmm? You want to hear something from Vex? Come up here and…on second thought, I will come to you. This moment is a very special occasion, and we all will treat it as such–including you, Perlina. At long last, all of my daughters have acquired their first man!"
Just as they did to Vex, Perlina's mother and sisters surround her instantaneously. The more they cheered, the redder her face became.
Clap clap clap
"?????"
Finally, they heard me! Feels like I had to make my hands bleed to do this, but while they are quiet, I need to put a halt on this.
"Ahem, thank you for the compliments and uh, congratulations to Perlina, I suppose. As the object of discussion, it's only fair that I receive adequate explanations of what the heck is going on."
Without saying a word or making a sound, the women simply move their eyes to Perlina–staring intensely.
"Eeh?! Why are you all looking at me like that so suddenly–"
"Daughter, this man belongs to you, not me. He needs your permission to speak; do you grant him that permission?"
"Hey, do I look like a slave–"
"...yes, I do. Vex, you may ask anything you'd like."
"..."
Be permitted to speak just like a little kid. Keep a cool head, Vex…stay level.
"...Thanks, Perlina. I want to address my questions to your mother."
"As you heard from my daughter, ask to your heart's desire."
Her tone towards me sounds…motherly? I'm getting emotional whiplash big time…but I won't let that distract me. Nothing will.
"Where am I…actually more importantly, what kind of situation am I in? I am having a hard time following along with what's going on among you all."
"I am Gladdis and these are my four daughters from oldest to youngest: Ashirena, Milokari, Nerissa, and Perlina. We are water nymphs who have lived in this water palace for centuries. Since we are an all-female species, we have a special attachment to males–especially human men. In fact you can consider me a deity of sorts."
"A deity of what? This small island's garden? Its lake?"
"Of men, of course. Besides, our range reaches beyond this island you speak of."
"If we men are so special, then why do you eat us?"
"What a foolish question. Why do you humans hunt animals and consume their flesh? Wouldn't you find that question to be just as nonsensical?"
"..."
I can't refute that.
"As I was saying, we do have a special attachment to men, but we don't just eat them for nourishment. Typically as per our tradition, we take our first male not as substance, but as our property."
"So in other words, I'm Perlina's slave?"
"Mmm, I suppose you could consider it like that, but I think it's more akin to pet ownership. Regardless, it's solely up to Perlina the terms of your relationship; though now due to your bonding, she cannot eat you anymore. In fact, none of us can, lest our souls perish."
"Well that's reassuring. Since you can't eat me anymore, and I was never intended to be here, how about letting me go? I have a life I need to get back to."
"Weren't you listening to me? Once a water nymph captures you as her first man and claims you, you are bound to her. It's up to Perlina whether you can leave or not."
"Tch. All of these arbitrary restrictions…if I really have no other choice, then…"
Shifting away from Gladdis, Vex slowly turns his whole body towards Perlina. His unwavering eyes directly meet hers–Perlina's eyes slightly shift away, but only after an attempt to keep them stable.
"Perlina…"
"...V-Vex?"
"I see. It appears that before our celebration can begin, Perlina needs some personal time with her male. Ashirena, Milokari, Nerissa…let's leave them be at once."
"Yes, mother."
Following the instructions of their mother, the sisters leave simultaneously, though not without gesturing towards Perlina as they leave. Nerissa's gesture in particular forced Perlina to cover her eyes, lest her heart beat out of control. Remaining as the last one who has yet to leave, Gladdis brushes aside the part of Perlina's hair that spilled over her shoulder. With her daughter's smooth skin no longer obstructed, she places Vex on top of Perlina's shoulder.
"My apologies for withholding your male for so long. That was inappropriate of me."
"It's fine, mom. I understand why you would have a hard time believing this happened."
"Yes Perlina, it took you much longer to accomplish this milestone than expected, but nevertheless, the length of time doesn't make this moment any less undeserving of praise. Daughter, I am very proud of you."
"Thanks mother, that means so much to me…hmm?"
With a bend of her finger, Gladdis beacons Perlina to lend her ear. As her lips just barely avoid touching her fin-shaped ear…
"Whatever you do, you won't miss your chance. Right?"
"Y-yes ma'am!"
Satisfied with her daughter's response, Gladdis finally takes her leave, leaving behind a dazed Perlina with the tiny on her shoulder.
"So, are you ready? You're not frozen, are you?"
"No, it's…it's not what you t-think!"
"?"
"Sorry, nevermind. Yes, I'm as ready as you are."
"You only saved me so that you could make me your slave. That's the impression that I'm getting."
"N-no! I didn't mean for this to happen. I just don't like seeing men die. I really just wanted to save you and secretly release you after you completely healed, but then my sister found you and if I didn't claim ownership of you then you would have…you would have…"
"...I understand."
"You do? Then–"
"But I want you to release me from our supposed contract. I am nobody's slave or under anyone's ownership."
"I-I can't do that. Even if I truly wanted to, it is impossible for me to undo our bond–it's connected to our souls. If you try to leave me or do anything that would harm me…"
"I would die?"
"..."
"Do you still want to release me as you originally planned?"
"...no."
"Do you now intend on keeping me?"
"...yes."
"Is that truly what you want?"
"...y-yes. Yes it is!"
"Perlina, let me be frank with you…"
"Yes?"
A wave of hopefulness washes over Perlina's face, widening her eyes.
"I can tell that you are a kind soul, but you are also very naive. I've had my share of special people in my life…they are gone. All I have now is a little girl who I've temporarily partnered with to help her find her mother or some family member who knows her. Do you know why?"
"...why?"
"It's all due to my curse. Perlina, please get this through that giant head of yours–if you insist on keeping a close bond with me, you will be affected by my misfortune. With a curse like mine, being closely attached to anyone is a bad ordeal. So again, not just for my sake, but for yours as well, you should distance yourself from me. You'll be better off finding another man."
"..."
"After all of that being said, do you still want to keep a connection with me?"
"Yes. My answer will forever and always be yes. I do want to stay connected with you, Vex!"
With absolutely no hesitation whatsoever, Perlina excitedly responds to Vex's final question without a second thought. Vex facepalms, then softly exhales.
"...there's nothing more I can do then. You are the master, after all. Neither one of us will get what we truly desire from this."
"I-I disagree! There is a way to maintain our relationship! Even though we cannot separate our bond, I can set the terms of our relationship. Vex, I don't want you to be my slave or object! I want to help you get back to that girl so that you can help her find her mother. Of course, I also want to help you with your goal!"
"You do? You're a water nymph, so you can't leave your water domain, I assume. Is that correct?"
"That's true…only to an extent."
"Plus, with you being a giant, having you around would be inconvenient for the both of us. How could you possibly assist me?"
"I know! Do you ever travel in bodies of water?"
"Not often, but I might need to eventually…! Actually, I need to travel across the Iniku Sea to get to Fraus."
"Wonderful! I can quickly transport you to any body of water! As long as you are near a body of water, I can instantly appear there and take you and your partner wherever you need to go that's accessible by water. I'll even defend you from your…no, our enemies if necessary!"
"Seriously, you can do all of that?"
At last, I won a jackpot! This is even greater value long-term than those platinum coins…nevertheless, I'm still getting what I'm owed. Nothing can replace money.
"It's the least I can do! All you have to do is call my name, and I will appear as quickly as possible."
At least this way I'm able to reap the benefits without being bound by her. Perhaps since we won't be together often, my curse won't impact her. Ultimately, as long as I manage to get all the crystals in a timely manner, I can get rid of my curse anyway.
"I'm grateful and all, but I don't know how I could accept all of this without guilt. You saved me from death twice, and now you are basically offering yourself as a convenient tool for my disposal. This connection still feels lopsided."
"Then…would you feel better if you were to do something for me?"
"Yeah, I guess that'd work. Though I don't know how I would top everything you have offered."
"There is one thing that I really…really want from you…"
"As long as it's possible, I will do it. I promise."
Not that it means much since I'm kinda forced to.
"Then…um…uh…"
"Are you…? Your face is a little…"
"You know how men are very special to our species…very important, you could say…"
"Yes…"
"And we are all female…"
"Yes…"
"And we can't reproduce without a male…"
"Okay…?"
"And we typically do that with our first male that we form a bond with…"
"Perlina, are you implying that you want to have sex with me?"
"Aaah, do-don't say it like that!"
"Sorry, but I refuse to give up my virginity to you. I know that I technically could do it, which means that your request doesn't violate my terms, however–"
"No no no, it-it's not like that! We don't have to reproduce the same way you humans do. In fact, you don't have to do anything at all!"
"So I don't have to penetrate you or anything?"
"P-penerate? I could never force you to do that! I could never! Absolutely never ever!..."
"Are you trying to convince me or yourself?"
"Uhh, anyway, the procedure might make your memory a little fuzzy."
"Is that so? Then I suppose it's fine. So, what do you want me to do?"
"Well…just stand there in my hands for a few seconds. You can slide down my arm…"
Vex nods, then uses Perlina's offered arm as a grind rail to slide down to her hands. Perlina giggles softly.
"Okay…so what now–"
"FUUUUUU"
A pinkish cloudy stream of air streams from Perlina's mouth and submerges Vex. As it clears, what's left is a now unconscious man–peacfully resting.
"This won't take long–I promise I'll be delicate."
Perlina extracts an object from Vex's body–it resembles a golden sphere. After staring at it longingly, she carefully picks it up and holds it in the air. She squints her eyes as she nervously opens her mouth.
Gokuri
"Thank you from the bottom of my heart, Vex."
With a pink blush and satisfied smile, Perlina embraces the sleeping Vex in her bosom.
A stream of tears flowed from her eyes.