"Lady Ayame!"
"Lady Ayame!"
As Ayame walked back toward Ryuji's compartment, everyone greeted her respectfully. Thanks to the warriors' publicity, she had now become the guardian deity in everyone's hearts.
Mumei glanced at the beloved young woman, then looked at Ryuji beside her.
"Lolicon, you did it on purpose, didn't you? You let Ayame deal with those three Gikitori."
"Mm… more or less," Ryuji shrugged.
"Hey—can I learn that amazing ability too?" Mumei lifted her head, amber eyes full of expectation as she looked at him.
"You can, but there's a prerequisite." Ryuji looked at her moist red lips with ill intent.
"Eh?! Don't tell me you want me to be like Ayame…"
Mumei instantly remembered the sounds she'd heard at the door last night. Hugging her breasts tightly with both arms, she jumped back and widened the distance between them.
"You dead lolicon—no way! Hmph!"
Ryuji: "???"
Getting cursed out for no reason, he was momentarily dumbfounded.
Looking at Mumei, arms crossed over her chest and cheeks flushed, he understood and rolled his eyes.
"I meant a kiss. What are you thinking?"
"Uh…" Mumei felt awkward, but quickly grew wary again. "No! Even kissing is not allowed. Mother said only married couples can kiss! You're definitely plotting to take my body, you dead lolicon! Pervert!"
…What's going on? That's not right. Why was Mumei acting like such a bratty little devil?
Ryuji didn't remember her character being like this!
He glanced around and saw there was no one else nearby. Angered, he reached into his pocket. He pulled out a camcorder.
Mumei, who'd been frightened by Ryuji's expression and movement, saw the strange object in his hand and made a "that's it?" face.
"Hmph." Ryuji snorted, played the recorded video, and shoved it in front of her.
"Mmm…"
"Mm…"
Familiar sounds came from inside. Then, when Mumei looked at the footage, her face instantly turned beet red.
"Y-you-you! How do you have that?!" She stared at the screen in shame and fury.
In the video, she was leaning against the door with unfocused eyes, biting her finger, while the other hand slipped under her skirt.
"Heh heh. Mumei-chan, you don't want Kajika and Shino to find out, do you? That you like eavesdropping on people having sex… and while eavesdropping you even masturbate?"
Backed into a corner, Mumei trembled in terror.
Suddenly, she lunged. Just as she was about to grab the camera—already smiling in relief—
Pop!
The camera vanished.
Mumei blinked. She looked at Ryuji's now-empty hand, then at his other hand.
"Looking for this?" Ryuji produced the camcorder again.
Right in front of Mumei, he played a little trick—making it disappear, reappear, disappear again.
"Ahaha… you dead lo—no, Ryuji… can you…" Mumei forced an awkward laugh.
"No. If you don't want Kajika and the others to know, come to my room later."
With that, Ryuji left smugly, leaving Mumei standing there with a gray, ashen face.
✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦
The moment he entered his compartment, he saw that Ayame had already returned.
"Ryu-kun!" Ayame looked thrilled to see him back and threw herself into his arms. "The power you gave me… it's really incredible…"
Her uplifted little face was full of excitement.
In the past, she had lived only under her father's protection. She'd never imagined she would be admired like this. Everything was something Ryu-kun had given her.
Thinking that, Ayame rose on tiptoes. Her soft cherry-pink lips, carrying a sweet fragrance, kissed his. Her pale arms wrapped around his neck. Her soft breasts pressed into his chest.
Ayame kissed more and more fiercely, proactively extending her little tongue. Wet, soft, carrying a sakura-like scent—it made Ryuji dizzy.
"Hah…"
Their lips parted, and a glistening strand snapped as they separated.
"Ha… Ryu-kun…" Ayame tilted her head back, eyes hazy, her delicate face flushed.
Feeling her legs begin to wrap up, Ryuji knew she was aroused. He supported her soft, perky hips.
Ayame hooked her long legs around his waist. As if addicted to last night's sensation, she eagerly and passionately rubbed her dampness against Ryuji's hard, corded abs.
That hot, hard feeling made the panties already wet with stains grow even wetter.
"Ayame is quite the little slut," Ryuji chuckled, kissing her pink lips.
Supporting her hips, he carried her to the bed.
Ryuji's words made Ayame shy, but she still offered her sweet little tongue.
He inhaled her body scent and kissed her lips. His hands also covered those soft mounds.
Ayame responded eagerly—responded to the naughty hands on her chest—twisting her waist and grinding forward.
Dry kindling met raging fire. The room's temperature rose sharply. One piece of clothing after another fell, until skin pressed to skin and the battle was about to begin.
"Ah… I'm filled…" Ayame's eyes were unfocused, feeling incredibly full.
Click.
"Lolicon, what do you want before you'll…"
Mumei looked at the two white naked bodies tangled together inside. The sight of that huge "baguette" thrusting into a valley overflowing with springwater was too intense.
Her mind went blank for a beat.
And Ryuji felt as if he'd seen this scene somewhere before. It felt oddly like a "White Album" situation.
What the hell?
Mumei's hand tightened around the doorframe. She should have run. But her feet wouldn't move.
Pop!
Ryuji took a slow breath and deliberately stepped back from Ayame, putting distance between them and his dick made a little sound of "disconection". He grabbed a blanket from the bed and covered Ayame's body first, careful and gentle.
Mumei's gaze involuntarily locked onto the "baguette" swinging in the air, still streaked with overflowing "springwater."
Then Ryuji faced her, voice low and steady.
"Don't be scared." he said. "You can leave right now. I won't stop you."
Mumei's cheeks burned. She looked away, then back at him, swallowing hard.
"…I came because you told me to," she muttered.
"That doesn't count." Ryuji shook his head. "I want to hear what you want. If you don't want anything, we're done."
Mumei's fingers trembled. She remembered the heat that had crawled through her last night, the shame, the curiosity she hated admitting.
"I… I don't understand you," she whispered. "But… my body is annoying."
Ryuji softened. "Then we do it your way. We stop the moment you say stop."
Ayame, half-dazed beneath the blanket, blinked awake. Seeing Mumei at the door, she gasped, then quickly hugged the blanket to her chest.
"Mumei-chan…?!"
Mumei's eyes darted to her. She expected anger or disgust.
Instead, Ayame's voice turned small and earnest. "Are you okay?"
Mumei's throat bobbed. She nodded once, then again, as if convincing herself.
"I'm okay," she said, barely audible. "I… I'm not here to stop… you."
Ryuji looked between them. "Ayame, do you want Mumei here?"
Ayame hesitated, then nodded, cheeks flushed. "If Mumei-chan truly wants it… then I'm okay."
Ryuji held out a hand, palm up, not touching. "Mumei-chan. If you come closer, it's because you choose to. If you don't, you walk away and nothing changes between us."
Mumei stared at his hand for a long moment. Then she stepped in and placed her small fingers into his.
Ryuji didn't pull. He only asked again, quietly, right beside her ear. "Is this okay?"
Mumei's lashes fluttered. She nodded.
"Say it," he insisted.
"…Yes," Mumei whispered, face burning. "It's okay."
Only then did Ryuji guide her to the bedside. He kept his movements slow, checking her expression each time his hands moved. Since she was already here, he wasn't about to miss this chance.
He pressed her onto Ayame—who still hadn't fully come back to her senses—and tore off her annoying safety shorts and cloth undergarment.
Ayame reached out from under the blanket and took Mumei's hand, squeezing lightly.
"If it hurts, tell us."
Mumei didn't answer, only bit her lip as if enduring something.
Ayame lifted her head to look behind her. She saw Ryuji pinning Mumei down. The tip of the "baguette" that had made her feel so full had disappeared beneath her.
Using the "springwater" as lubrication, Ryuji pressed the "baguette" against Mumei's perky hips like filling in a sandwich.
"Mmm…" With his movement, Mumei's body rocked back and forth on top of Ayame. And she let out a muffled, shameful moan.
"Ryu-kun, Mumei-chan, she…" Just as Ayame was about to ask what was going on, she felt a finger slip inside.
That emptiness was eased a little.
✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦
That night, Ayame's emptiness was satisfied. Mumei also finally understood why last night's sounds had made her burn.
But both of them paid the price—dry mouths and parched tongues—as they lay on the bed like fish dying of thirst.
Ryuji hugged two naked beauties left and right. Only he was the winner tonight.
The next day, when Mumei groggily sat up, she felt a burning fullness between her legs. Coming back to herself, she realized that some early-morning "attachment" was still filling her.
Recalling last night scene after scene, she covered her face in shame, wisps of steam rising from her head.
'Ugh… what do I do? Mother said my first time should be for my future husband. Does that mean I have to treat this guy as my husband?'
Peeking through her fingers at Ryuji's handsome sleeping face…
It seemed… maybe… it wasn't impossible.
No, no. Last night's thing has to be compensated.
Yes—let him support me for the rest of my life. It's definitely not because I'm greedy for his rice and snacks. And definitely not because it feels good and makes me happy when I do it with him.
Mm-hm. That's right. Its not like I said okay to him!
Once she'd made up her mind, Mumei stopped thinking about running away. She obediently snuggled back onto Ryuji's chest, enjoying the warmth.
Just not sure whether it was warmth from above… or warmth from below.
〖 Ding! Achievement completed: Penta-Squirt the Fated Girls! (Godlike) 〗
〖 Skill Obtained: Fortune Plunder! 〗
〖 Skill Effect: Plunder the Protagonist's fortune. You may actively replace the Protagonist's identity, with a certain chance to obtain the Protagonist's Talent or Skill. 〗
〖 Condition: only if you can beat the Protagonist. 〗
〖 Ding! Effect 5 of the [Harem God Divine Spark] was unlocked! 〗
⤚———————————————————⤙
〖Harem God Divine Spark (Prototype, Unique)〗
⤚———⤙
〖Effect 1: Transcendent Stamina〗
⤚———⤙
〖Effect 2: Retainer Contract Rulebook〗
⤚———⤙
〖Effect 3: EXP Gain Rulebook〗
⤚———⤙
〖Effect 4: Awakened Super Perception〗
⤚———⤙
〖Effect 5: Crystal Palace Realm: A special Divine Kingdom branded within the Divinity. The Crystal Palace forms a world of its own, with four seasons, fertile soil, and abundant water sources. Currently unlocked: 1,000 Km² (Unlock more areas as you gain more Fated Heroines).
[Effect 1: Crystal Palace's Protection: When Retainers suffer fatal injuries, the imprint will ignore all restrictions and teleport them here, entering a near-death hibernation mode. (Note: In certain cases, they may transform into an indestructible item. When you are about to leave this World (Instance), they will be recalled to the Divine Kingdom, though they may also remain beside relevant people. You can bring them into the Divine Kingdom to awaken slowly.)]
[Effect 2: Not unlocked.]〗
⤚———⤙
〖The Divine Spark is bound to your soul and cannot be discarded, stripped, copied, or destroyed〗
⤚———————————————————⤙
Ryuji had already been awake when Mumei got up—he was just checking the newly unlocked divinity abilities.
After reading the system info, he nearly sat up in shock. But noticing the "baguette" was still inside Mumei's garden, he forcibly held it back.
Ryuji almost laughed out loud. With Fortune Plunder, in the future when he went to other worlds, he could replace the protagonist and pick up the protagonist's girls.
Fortune Plunder was great—but Divinity Effect 5 was even more shocking. With the Crystal Palace Realm, wouldn't Ryuji be able to bring Saeko and Mumei along at any time?
How could he not be excited?
But after thinking, Ryuji dismissed the idea of keeping Saeko and Mumei at his side. If he kept them inside the Crystal Palace Realm, they'd only become fragile vases. That would be like confining them in another form.
Ryuji didn't want that. They should have room to grow. And with the realm's special effects, he wasn't worried about his retainers dying outside.
Of course, for retainers who didn't like fighting, he could bring them into the Crystal Palace Realm to develop his divine kingdom—still nothing but wilderness.
Ryuji was now certain that Ikoma's sister had become a crystal because of the Crystal Palace Realm's special effect.
Knock. Knock-Knock.
A light knocking sounded. Ryuji, who hadn't been sleeping anyway, opened his eyes. Carefully pulling the "baguette" out of the narrow spring, he put on only underwear and opened the door.
"Ryuji, this is the chicken soup you told me to prepare last night. I brought it to you," Kajika said.
Carrying a tray, she blushed after glancing at Ryuji's strong upper body, then lowered her head.
"Oh, thanks, Kajika. Take the other portion to Yukina at the front car," Ryuji said. As He patted her head and took the tray.
Only after the compartment door closed did Kajika, cheeks burning, go to find Yukina.
At breakfast, Mumei enjoyed the same treatment Ayame had yesterday morning—being fed by Ryuji one mouthful at a time.
Maybe because Ayame was watching beside her, Mumei's face stayed bright red the whole time, looking very cute.
After breakfast, Ayame got dressed and left. She still had to assist her father in inspecting last night's losses. After all, the cars after the seventh had fallen—no one knew how many had died.
Ryuji pulled Mumei into his arms and toyed with her delicate, petite feet in his hands. Soft. Small. One hand could hold them. Toes like pearls.
It was hard to imagine that such small feet could unleash strength far beyond an adult's.
"Hozumi-chan, can you tell me about Mother-in-law?"
Mumei shifted into a comfortable position, letting Ryuji's big hand knead and stroke her little feet.
'Mother-in-law, my ass. I haven't admitted anything yet.'
That's what she thought, but her body was honest.
Blushing, Mumei reached into her kimono collar and took out an amber-colored gemstone.
"Mother said that from the day I was born, I was a Kabaneri. People around me were afraid of me, and that made them reject Mother too. Mother took me to several stations, and in the end we settled in a remote station where no one knew us. But one day, I used my Kabaneri power to save a child being chased by wild dogs. After that, others misunderstood me as a Kabane. Mother stood in front of me to protect me. Then I only remember a flash of white light, and everyone surrounding us disappeared. Where Mother was… only this gemstone remained."
After speaking, Mumei stared at the amber gem, lost in thought.
"Hozumi-chan, do you believe me?" Ryuji held the hand that carried the gem, warmth passing into her.
Mumei lifted her head and looked at him with her amber eyes.
"Mm!"
"Mother-in-law is fine—she's only asleep for special reasons. And the place she's sleeping…"
Ryuji released her hand, letting the amber gemstone show.
"Inside here?"
"Mm!" Ryuji nodded solemnly.
"Give it to me. I have a way to wake Mother-in-law— it'll just take a lot of time."
"Really?" Mumei's amber eyes filled with hope.
"Mm!"
"That's… that's wonderful." Mumei smiled brightly, like flowers blooming all at once.
✦✦✦
T/N: Comment, give me Power Stones, like and favorite, it all supports me and makes me go foward with this. Appreciate my other stories as well, I guarantee the good work!
If you want 20 chapters ahead of this novel for just $1, as well as smut chapters ($2) or spicy images ($5) or enjoy a large catalog of good novels with excellent translations (free or starting at $1.5): MrBlackWing (you know where to search)
That's it and happy reading! (-‿◦)