Hey guys, first of all I want to wish you a happy new year, and also, thank you to all the readers and supporters who helped this story move forward.
That being said, I have two things to say. First, the update schedule will return to normal from now on, meaning two chapters per week on the webnovel.
Second, from midnight on January 1st until 11:59 PM on January 7th (Brasilia/Brazil time), P_treon will have a 20% off promotion for the first month on all plans.
Promotion Name: New Year - 20% off
Promotion Code: ABAC0
--x--
After training, the sweaty pair left the room in silence. Hila had just returned, but hadn't yet gone to see Aurora. Ringo held her hand as they walked down the hallway toward her room.
Hila tried to pull her hand away a little, but eventually gave up, pouting reluctantly.
Ringo, on the other hand, was thinking about how to deal with Eva and Lena, more directly, how to talk to Hila about them.
Therefore, silence remained between them.
The fact is that Hila was feeling a little strange, Ringo wasn't usually this quiet, so she'd glance at him out of the corner of her eye from time to time.
Ringo could sense this with his precognition, another function he had just discovered was that he could sense when someone was looking at him.
So he tried to act normally, unfortunately... he just walked stiffly with a serious look.
This made Hila even more suspicious.
-What's the problem?- She finally asked, annoyed.
Ringo's lips trembled slightly, but he still sighed. -We need to talk.
Hila narrowed her eyes and asked. -About what?
-... - Ringo was quiet for a few seconds, finally sighing. - Lena and Eva.
This time it was Hila's lips that pursed, the hand that held his tightened and wine-red energy escaped from it, but Ringo wasn't affected, so he just pretended not to notice.
-...What's wrong?- Hila asked in a voice several degrees colder.
Ringo was about to reply, but noticing their arrival, he sighed slightly and decided to leave the conversation for later.
As soon as they entered, they saw Aurora running around chasing Jack with Will.
The girl's laughter filled the room as the pair clearly tried to steal Jack's bone.
Jack, who loved his chew bones very much, was quite unhappy at the moment.
Will, on the other hand, seemed like a child at Christmas, extremely excited.
The living room was a mess with everything scattered around, but Ringo just smiled without caring, he had long ago gotten rid of the things that broke so easily because of those three troublesome guys.
Hila's hard eyes also softened when she saw Aurora, she cast one last glance at Ringo before letting go of his hand and approaching Aurora. This time, Ringo did not stop her.
-Sister!- Aurora noticed her arrival and ran over happily.
Will and Jack saw Ringo and ran to him, Jack even leaving the bone behind.
Ringo didn't even need to bend down anymore, in fact, those two guys were still pounding on his chest. Ringo noticed the duo's tendency towards excessive growth and quickly began to control their development, focusing on improving density instead of size. He didn't want the pair to become giants, that wouldn't be practical.
Their grayish fur had also fallen out and was now white, their bodies as slender as wolve's, but with a stronger torso than hindquarters, a flatter snout, thick paws and drooping ears, they were very cute, even though they were large.
He continued to help them evolve while Hila talked to Aurora, he could hear their conversation, mainly about training with Eva and whether the other children were bullying her.
Ringo almost laughed, on her first day, Hila practically glared at all the children with deathly stares, daring them not to harm a single hair on Aurora's head.
Eva said that this caused most of the children to stay away from Aurora, but the fact is that Aurora has that positive feeling about her, along with her cheerful personality, nobody can dislike her.
So Hila's fear wasn't enough to scare the group of brats away, at least no one would bully her.
-Hey guys, go distract Aurora for a bit, I need to talk to Hila.- Ringo whispered to the pair.
Jack accepted the mission seriously, while Will just barked (though his voice still sounded hoarse) and went to play with Aurora.
Pulling her by the dress and spinning her around, Aurora became dizzy and laughed, before chasing after the culprit, Will.
Hila narrowed her eyes at Will, but seeing Aurora happy, she said nothing. She stood up and walked towards her room, ready to take a bath.
Of course, Ringo followed her.
Hila gave him a sideways glance before ignoring him, the pair had many of these moments of nonverbal understanding, so neither of them cared about the lack of words.
That's how, two hours later, Hila was still in the bathtub, her face flushed and her body weak, leaning against Ringo's chest with her eyes closed.
Ringo seemed pleased with how things were going and even forgot about the main topic for a while, but he soon remembered what he needed to talk about.
Well, after doing that she would be more relaxed, right?
Ringo swallowed hard, not knowing where to begin.
Question, How do you tell your girlfriend you want a harem?
-Speak up, your pounding heart is irritating me.- Hila complained, still with her eyes closed.
Ringo looked away, slightly embarrassed. He wouldn't use his evolution for things like that, so of course, he was nervous.
But there was no point in running away forever.
-About Eva and Lena...- Ringo began, but Hila cut him off.
-Do you like them?- Hila asked, still with her eyes closed.
-Yes.- Ringo replied, after a moment of hesitation, not hesitating about whether he liked it or not, but about how to proceed with the conversation, since Hila had quickly taken control.
He sensed Hila emitting some energy, but he didn't move, at most, the bathroom would need fixing, it wouldn't be the first time they'd broken something.
-And then?- Hila asked, her voice sounding normal, but only Ringo could distinguish the notes, she was annoyed, he knew it.
-So... can you accept this?- Ringo finally asked.
Hila remained quiet for a long time, a few minutes, but to Ringo it felt like years. She didn't dare move, nor breathe loudly, he could only hear her heart pounding in her chest.
He wouldn't give up on Eva and Lena, but Hila's attitude could change their relationship for a long time, he didn't want to lose either of them, which is why he was nervous.
He would never use his power to force them, that crossed his moral line. So now he was just a normal guy telling his girlfriend that he wanted to have relationships with two more women.
There was no way he wouldn't get nervous.
-Do whatever you want.- Hila finally said, but Ringo could sense the alienation in her voice.
He sighed, this was what he feared. He groaned deeply inside, but outwardly he still acted quickly.
He embraced her naked body, he felt her body stiffen for a moment, but she didn't move.
-Hila, I don't want you to feel bad about this, but I really can't give them up, I really don't know what to do now.- Ringo cursed his luck.
Damn, why is your love life so complicated!
Hila scoffed, unconvinced, but didn't budge.
Her eyes opened slightly and a rare fragility could be seen there.
Ringo was important to her, more than she could admit, it was a mix of guilt, gratitude and duty, but now she knows she lost that sense of duty long ago, she had truly fallen in love with him.
That's why, despite being furious about "sharing", she couldn't really get up and end it all, even knowing he wouldn't force her to keep her promise. She could only cling to that promise to show she was angry, but wouldn't leave because of it.
What did she hope to achieve with this? Hila didn't know.
She could see the affection between Lena, Eva and Ringo, it was obvious to everyone, there would even be gossip if 99.99% of the current Germinal weren't brainwashed mobs.
Thus, Hila could only hide her feelings, as she always did, but Ringo always seemed to have a way of making her let them out.
Hearing his lame excuses, she wanted to scream in anger and punch him in the face, she wanted to mount him and declare her sovereignty, she wanted to beat up the two shrewish, man-stealing women, but no, she stayed there, leaning on him while he embraced her.
Hila took a deep breath, frustrated, more than she could admit, she didn't know what to do either.
Finally, she decided to listen to him. - Tell me about them.
Ringo paused for a moment, he didn't want to share their personal history like that, not without permission, so he spoke about the basics he knew. He had learned a lot about them through conversation over time.
Ringo got carried away and even ended up talking about his mother.
It was at this point that Hila realized she didn't even know Ringo had family. She felt embarrassed for a moment, thinking about Melissa, she felt a different kind of emotion. What would it be like to meet his mother?
She stayed like that for another hour while he talked. Hila didn't bother him, she didn't even ask questions, she just listened, until Ringo stopped talking and the pair simply stood there.
Hila stared sadly at the white bathroom ceiling.
Eva? Sister... yes, that's strange even for her.
Lena? Childhood friend.
Her? The woman who tortured him day after day for months.
Finally, Hila asked a question that had been on her mind for a long time. - Why me? Why not kill me? Why all this trouble just for a woman like me?