Two Hundred And Fifty-Two
“That was intense. Aki, you’re a brute!” Shiro sighed, red-faced. “To think… I was going to shoot you down, and sohow we ended up kissing.”
“The mont seed right.” I smiled, still holding her in my arms. “Seriously though, I haven’t heard your answer. I love you, Shiro. Let help you with your burdens. I’ve got broad shoulders, I can help you carry them.”
She eyed then, my muscles rippling under my lavender shirt. “Yes, I never noticed, but you do, huh.” She sounded surprised.
“I’ve been working out, trying to strengthen the right muscles. I’ve been doing combat training too. I started with YouTube videos, Krav Maga, Muay Thai, that sort of thing. Gaining levels helps, it strengthens everything, but without hard work it ans nothing.” Shit, I sound like my father there. Speaking of… mom’s going to be overjoyed at having another daughter-in-law like Shiro, but father, auntie and uncle are going to be annoyed. At least… at least this was expected.
“So lean on . Please.” I said again. “After all, no man hates working hard for a girl he loves.”
“I haven’t said yes yet…” she muttered. Reaching for her phone, she started typing a ssage. Curious, I asked her what she was doing.
“Sending a text to your childhood friend, telling her you are kissing other won. And… send.” She tapped the screen with an impish smile. “I hope you enjoy getting scolded, Aki.”
“For you I don’t mind. But you are doing it wrong.” I grabbed my own phone, leaned in and placed my lips against hers, holding my phone up to take a selfie. Her dark onyx eyes went wide, but perhaps as she had beco accustod to kissing over the last few minutes, she didn’t resist, and we were soon entwining out tongues again. There was a shutter sound as my phone took a snapshot, and I then turned all my attention to Shiro, our kiss deep and passionate. As we parted, Shiro red-faced and breathing heavily, her chest straining under her t-shirt, I forwarded her the photo.
“Damn, we look good together, don’t we?” I said with a smile. “Anyway, if you are tying to get in trouble, use that. Look… they know, all right. I’ve told them there’s a girl who I’ve always liked, a beautiful, cheeky and proud princess with a lousy personality but a good heart. I want to help you, and I want you to be mine. So please, Shiro. I’m asking again. Be with . Forever.”
“I…” she looked down. “I don’t want to be just so mistress, Aki. I dread of a glorious wedding, where I wore a white gown fit for a princess, and everyone cheered and threw flower petals at . Even my useless parents were there, watching and crying. If you say you can make happy, then…”
“Shush now.” I placed a finger to her lips that were damp with my own saliva. “I promise you this, I’ll marry you, and it’ll be magical, everything you’ve dread of and more.”
“But, Eri, the others…” she began, only for to seal her lips, this ti not with a finger. When we were done, I allowed no further protests.
“Everyone. I’ll marry you all. And before you say ‘that’s illegal Aki you idiot’ or ‘have you lost your mind?’ I’ll tell you this. I’ve thought it all through. Originally I was going to stay loyal to Eri, but… she was the one that pushed for to accept others. Well, one other, really, but that kind of opened the floodgates a little. Still it opened my eyes. Eri wasn’t wrong. But if I’m going to do this, I’m going to do it right. I called in a few favours with powerful people, and now polygamy is going to be legalised.”
“Uh, Aki… I know you want to say yes, but you don’t have to bullshit . I’m not a little kid.”
“I know you aren’t. You’re a gorgeous princess.” I smiled. “Look, I could call up the Pri Minister’s secretary right now and get him to put his boss on the phone. No bullshit. He’d be pissed off I was doing it simply to get a beautiful girl to fall for , but if I have to do it, I’ll do it.”
Shiro looked at , expression dubious, before sighing. “I… I don’t think you’d lie to , Aki. Not now. Not about this. So… just what the hell have you been doing?”
“Stuff that keeps from working on your ga.” I winked at her. “But to be honest, I think your ga will have to be put on hold for a while. I want to get you stronger first.”
“But Tan is doing that…” she protested.
“Yeah well, sorry to Tan, but I don’t entirely trust her yet. That contract… well, I’d like to have an expert in trickery look it over, but for now…” Shiro doesn’t need Lovers’ Link, I’d imagine, being a Candidate, but… now that it gives a small percentage of my stats if hers is lower and my stats are pretty decent… it’s still worth a try. Wait… is she even actually a Candidate? How does it all work anyway, with Tan? Shit, too many unanswered questions…
“You are grinning at rather unpleasantly, Aki.” She chided . “Are you thinking of lewd…” before she could finish, her eyes flared red and Tan peered out at .
“Trust is earned, not given. She trusts you, I do not. There is too much to gain were you to betray her. As for our contract, that is a matter for she and I to deal with. Your input is unwelco.” And with that Shiro’s eyes darkened once more.
“Sorry about Tan, Aki. Since she drank… err, got that skill she’s… well, it doesn’t matter. So, you never answered . What have you been doing?”
“Making mistakes. I was too visible.” I shrugged. “So I naturally crossed the radar of politicians and powerful nobility.” Giving her an abridged version of the political situation, though with few actual details, she looked at in shock when I was done.
“Damn, Aki you are radiating major protag energy right now. I’m impressed. All I’ve been doing is helping Tan. Though I guess we’ve done all right, considering the rough start. Anyway, I… look, Aki. Ask again, okay?”
“Sure thing. Wait, the mood isn’t right. Bear with a second…” I nipped out of the private room and called over a waiter. I had a brief discussion, and while my first request was rather ordinary, the second confused him a little. Still, considering that I’d rented a private room, and bought enough food for six and drinks for a dozen, thanks to that greedy Tan, my unorthodox request was accepted. Taking the item I had requested, as well as the bottle of champagne and two glasses I had asked for, I re-entered the room, shutting the door behind . Placing down the glasses, I uncorked the bottle easily, and poured us out so of the bubbling liquid. Placing down the bottle, I handed Shiro a glass.
“Damn, the suspense is killing . So theatrical, Aki. And… uh, just how much was that bottle? I’m sure I saw it on the nu and it cost…”
“… a lot less than the worth of a single smile from you.” I finished, and her already flushed face darkened as she writhed in embarrassnt.
“Shit, another critical hit. Aki you bastard, you’ve been keeping your natural talents hidden all these years! No longer will I consider Hayato the heartbreaker of the group, you’ve killed him dead!” she took a sip to cover her nerves. “Oh wow, this stuff is fit for a princess. At least you have good taste…”
“I do, especially in won.” I grinned, before getting down on one knee, surprisingly enough clutching a silver spoon in my hands, which was drawing her gaze.
“Uh, what are you doing, Aki?” she asked, before I silenced her with a look. “Shiro. I’m asking you once more, will you go out with ? No, will you marry ?”
“Marry?” she squeaked, completely blown away by the escalation.
“Yes. I want you to stand on the sa footing as Eri and the others. Now, I’m well known for my shitty proposals, it’s sort of a running joke…” I grinned, a touch sha-facedly. “… and normally I get the rings later, but… not this ti.” With spoon in hand I crushed it into a ball, eliciting a gasp from Shiro, though that was nothing compared to what I did next.
“Well, Tan isn’t the only one that can monopolise fire…” I grinned. A tongue of fla, quickly swelled by my plentiful wind energy, sparked into life, and Shiro let out another, longer gasp.
“Aki, that’s… what are you doing?”
“Oh, this? Yeah, I may have started off with just appraisal, but using that I managed to pick up a few more useful skills.” I winked at her as I worked, the silver ball turning molten. Earth energy insulated my hand as I worked, and with a mixture of more wind energy and aether I began to sculpt the object.
Shiro peered at , black eyes curious, and I spared her little attention, concentrating on this difficult work, though I did notice a flicker of ruby light in her gaze, probably Tan watching, perhaps alard by the elental energies I was channelling. Well, I’m only using a little, nothing special… though Shiro is so fragile I guess even this could harm her easily. “Well, this is harder than I thought, but…” I shaped the tal, folding it over and over again. Eventually, sweat dripping down my face from a combination of heat and the strain of doing such delicate work, which was only possible due to my significant Precision and Alacrity, I finally finished, summoning a little water to cool the ring, which hissed as it solidified. The ring glimred brightly, reminding a little of the moon in the Fae lands…
“What the hell did you do, Aki?” she asked, as I reached out towards her, the ring, a delicate circle of silvery petals, resting on my palm.
“You said you wanted flower petals at your wedding, right?” I grinned. “Consider this an advance. Sorry the ring is only silver, but… I put my heart into it. So… uh, Shiro, your answer?”
She absentmindedly picked up the ring from my palm, examining it cautiously, turning it around so she could see the detailing. “Uh… you made this right here in front of , right?”
“Is that so surprising? After all, Tan is surely weirder than that.” I said reasonably, and she nodded chanically.
“I guess so, Aki. I guess so. So… uh, you want to marry ? Seriously?”
“Yes. I love you Shiro. I admit, I love others too, but that doesn’t an I love you any less. So, please, make happy by saying yes, and I’ll return that happiness to you double! I’ll always have your back!”
“But… well, Tan.” She said, awkwardly, and I understood.
“Well, Tan just has to… keep sleeping… when we are being intimate. That solves that problem. And as for the other… you trust Tan, right?”
“I do. I haven’t really explained everything about why yet, but… I get that she ans no harm. Besides, she needs , otherwise she’d have to go back ho. But… she wants to be an Astral Empress, right? So… well, don’t you want to be the best, Aki?”
“If I have to be. Honestly, all I want is a safe, happy world for my family, friends and lovers to live peacefully in. A lot like your ga, Shiro. I was starting to think maybe I’d have to take charge to make that happen, but… well, if Tan is trustworthy, like you say, then we can talk about it. But if not…” my grey eyes hardened like flint. “… if Tan betrays you, or hurts you, or turns out to be a danger to everything I want to protect…”
Shiro shivered at my intensity, as I was unconsciously flaring League. Her legs wobbled as she felt the pressure, and Tan responded, her hair and eyes flaring red and blazing brilliantly. She made to speak, but I got my words out first. “… if you betray her trust, Tan, I swear I’ll kill you. Just try !”
“You think you can?” Tan chortled, licking at her lips, which had gone cracked and bleeding again, despite being moistened by the champagne only a few minutes ago. “I am no easy prey. My strength may be limited by the poor state of her body, but… were my hand forced, and I unleashed my true fury… well, let us say, drinking deep of your despair would be tasty indeed.”
“Don’t flatter yourself. When it cos to defending those I love, be it God, the Devil, the damn President of the USA, or even Aliens, I’ll win. But it won’t co to that, will it, Tan? Shiro believes in you, and you’ll not betray her trust, right?”
“You are stronger than you appear. Hold down your League, her fragile body cannot take the strain. I shall retire once more.” With that, her eyes changed back to black, her hair blanching.
“Damn, Aki, you jerk! I think I leaked.” She moaned, trembling in her seat.
“Sorry. I got carried away. But seriously… I don’t like the thought of you being bound to her. Sure, from an objective standpoint it’s not too different to my deal with Ortlinde. But… well, it doesn’t sit right with . So from now on, lean on , all rig… wait.” I trailed off. “Uh, Shiro… you never answered ? That’s a bit cruel!”
“Whose fault is that? You went off on a damn rant about protecting from God, the Devil and… whoa…” she blushed. “… thinking about it, you looked deadly serious then. I think I leaked… wait, no.” she shook her head, fanning at herself nervously, peering down at the ring on her palm.
“Aki…” she breathed out. “You’ll honestly love and make happy? Even if I’m not able to make you happy? I an, I’m a selfish girl. Otherwise I’d never have accepted Tan’s offer, would I?” she sighed. “I do trust her, I do. But I had no reason to before, did I? For all I knew I was dooming the world to a tyrant’s rule…. and though the world never did anything for , thinking of you, and Hayato, and Hina, Aimi, Shugo and Yasu, yes, even those dumb bimbos at my dorm, a lecturer who lets off lessons knowing I’m too weak… even my shitty, selfish parents, I’d feel bad if you were to suffer because of . I don’t… I don’t actually think I’m very lovable. All I have going for is beauty. Besides…” she grinned bitterly. “If you are looking for sex, I’m probably too weak to be any fun in bed.”
“I’m not going to lie, I want you. All of you.” she looked down shyly at my honesty, unable to et my gaze. “But if all you can do is kiss, I’ll kiss you from now until eternity. Didn’t your heart race when we did? Didn’t you like it?”
“I didn’t hate it… no, ugh, I swore I’d never be tsundere, that only works in stories. Yes, I liked it. I like you. Fine. I said it. I always thought you were like , deep down. Sothing lacking. It sort of made want to bully you, because it made feel good. You always paid attention to , and not… not like other guys. Don’t get wrong… I know you always used to check out, you are only human after all…” her smile returned. “… but it felt almost… well, reverent. It sounds silly, I know… but I didn’t hate it. Even when Yasu or Shugo got a bit too dirty, you or Hayato would calm things down. Hayato would do it by being… well, Hayato, natural peacemaker… but you, a clever quip here, embarrass yourself there, draw attention away. They never noticed. But I did. Hina too, funnily enough. Our Hina is sharp to lust and other emotions like that.”
“Reverence isn’t quite right, but… you know what, I always thought you were special too. And don’t get wrong, I know a lot of beautiful girls. My mom is gorgeous, my sister too, she takes after her…”
“Gross, mothercon as well as siscon?” She chuckled, and I shook my head.
“No way. But good looks run in my family.” I laughed. “Eri was always gorgeous too, though she tried her best to hide it. So it’s not just that you were beautiful. It was… well, beauty is beautiful because it’s epheral, right? Because it could be gone any mont.”
“Mujō, right? Beauty and value because of impermanence? Are you saying you liked because I was likely to drop dead any minute, Aki? That’s cold.”
“You know it wasn’t that. I just thought… I was privileged to see sothing special that might not be there tomorrow. It sounds stupid when I say it, but… well, the fact you might be gone, and that sad smile you often gave when you thought we weren’t watching. It made want to make sure you weren’t impermanent, but remained with us forever. But I never had the guts to do anything about my feelings. Until now. Now… Shirohi, you are a princess to . And I want you to stay by my side forever.”
“Fine. Aki, you win.” She picked up the ring and slid it onto her finger, the tal petals cool against her flesh. “I must be so sort of idiot. Hell, obviously I am. I leapt into a deal with Tan, because I had nothing to lose. I’m a bit of a bitch, really.” She sighed. “I just wanted to be aningful, to matter, to snatch so happiness away from fate. For the world to be kind to . But perhaps… perhaps I don’t need the world to be kind. Aki… no, Akio.” She said my full na, surprising . “You can do it, right? Make happy? And you’ll be satisfied with ? With all my flaws? I might not make the best wife. Eri will likely look down on . You won’t let her bully , right?”
“No way, if she tries to hit you with an axe I’ll stop her.” I promised. “Besides, Eri has changed. Okay, she’s still possessive and jealous, but she’s learned how to open her defences to others. I hope you can too. As for you being a bad wife… you’re not Mujō, not anymore. I’ll stay with you until you learn. I give to you, you give to , and we are happy!”
“An axe? Is she Kotonoha? If so, your head is ending up coming clean off your shoulders… Well crap, I spent the whole date shooting you down, and in the end… I still got engaged. Shit, Akio, yes. I’ll marry you, you damn idiot. Even the ring… I watched you forge it from a bloody spoon in front of …” she snatched her phone, typing another ssage.
“Uh, what are you doing?” I asked, and she grinned.
“Watch.” She snapped a picture of her hand wearing the ring, before adding it to a ssage along with the picture of us kissing. “If Eri hasn’t learned to open those defences like you say, it’s a nice boat for you for sure.”
“Be sure to send it to Eri…” I warned, embarrassed but concerned, joy and worry mixed in my chest. I’m delighted Shiro finally agreed to be my girlfriend. But Tan still worries . A lot. I really want to check that contract. The way she said it, Shiro has almost no power of veto on Tan’s actions at all, for rather agre reward… I understood Shiro was desperate, eager to grasp a chance at being special, a true white princess, with nothing but her conscience at stake for her, but even so, it seed a little foolish for a girl as smart as her… “If you send it to one of the gang by mistake, we’re kind of in trouble.”
Her hands paused over the phone, double checking the address. “Don’t scare like that, Aki. Shit… they know you are already engaged, so if I say anything… what the hell do we do?” she said in a panic, which was unbearably cute, so I rose to my feet and hugged her. For a mont she stiffened, but then her arms circled .
“I… can feel my heart racing. Shit, I never thought I’d do romance…” she whispered, before we started kissing. Her dark eyes were wide with amazent. As we pulled apart, her breathing heavily, I gently cupped her bottom through her tight jeans, giving it a gentle squeeze.
“Whoa, what the… that’s a bit much, isn’t it?” she protested, flushed. “We’ve only been dating like thirty seconds and you’re already feeling up? I know I’m like all super hot and all, Aki, but… take it slow, okay?”
“Sorry. Couldn’t resist.” I grinned, making her smile in return. “Besides we aren’t just dating. We’re engaged.”
“Shit, yeah. I leapt right over the boring levels and headed straight for endga. Efficient but… kind of scary. Still, what… what do we tell everyone?”
“For now, we don’t have to say anything. The law changes won’t be for a while, so we can’t use that as an excuse… hmm. I’ll think of sothing.” I promised.
“You’d better. And also wear a stab-proof vest next ti we are out. If Yasu finds out you got your hands on the beautiful, snow white princess and stained her lips with your colour, he’s going to go mad. Especially when he can’t find a single girl to date and you have… uh, I never asked. What’s your harem at, playboy?”
“Including you? Seven.” I said, and Shiro paused, expression going blank.
“Seven? Seriously? Shit, I underestimated you Aki, turns out you were actually a wolf all along!”
“No backing out now! Don’t forget, you have to honour contracts and promises!” I joked, trying to calm her down. As we bantered and argued, the feeling of warmth in my chest was wonderful, my mood light. Damn, now if only I didn’t have to worry about Tan this would be perfect…
********
After our heated discussion over my rampant infidelity finished I paid the bill for the night. Shiro went deathly pale at the sheer cost, which admittedly was the sort of obscene money that would have made feel sick had I been made to pay it only a few months ago. Hell, I probably couldn’t even pay it if I wanted to then. That was three months’ salary. Hell, three good months.
“So, are you tired? I can take you back to your dorm now, though I’d be sorry to see you go.” I asked, as we stepped out into the chilly air of Ueno. The car was waiting for us, ready to take us anywhere we wanted to go.
“Yes, I’m tired. Bone weary, in fact. But I’d have collapsed hours ago normally. See, Tan is helping. So… I want to carry on. Make feel normal, Aki. In fact… I want to walk! Akihabara! It’s only a short one!”
“Sure. Worst case scenario, I don’t mind carrying you, darling.”
That got a rise out of her, and as I was informing the driver we would be walking, she started complaining that I just wanted to piggyback her so I could feel up her ass again. Still, she sounded like she was having fun. As the car pulled away, heading for a pickup location, I turned back to my new fiancée. “So, where do you want to go? The usual maid café? An arcade? A pub?”
She tilted her head, thinking. “You pick, Aki. I’m never out this late so I don’t know.”
“All right. I have a few ideas.” I offered her my arm and she took it, pushing it to her chest, leaning on my shoulder. In the past, such an action would have embarrassed , but now it felt right. “We should be off. I’ll go slow, let know if you feel tired and we can find a bench or I can carry you. With my strength now you’re as light as a feather.”
“Rude much, Aki? I’m always light! And my only weight is from my chest and ass. I don’t see you complaining about that!”
“No, you are just about perfect!” I agreed, as we started walking down the brightly lit, still busy street. The pair of us were attracting gazes, which made Shiro shrink in on a bit, but I carried us through proudly.
“Hey, don’t be shy. They are just jealous.” I laughed quietly.
“Oh, of who?” she asked.
“Both of us. After all, we are quite the catch, no? Both Astral Emperor Candidates, attractive… well, too bad, because you are all mine now!”
“Flattery will get you nowhere… I’d usually say, but it seems it got you everywhere tonight. Shit, I still can’t believe it, Aki.” She looked down at her ring. “I … kind of got swept up in the mont, didn’t I? Telling you about Tan, finding out you were just like , with blood-soaked hands… finding out you loved . It’s hard to take it all in.”
“Not having second thoughts I hope?” I said, and she shook her head.
“No, if anything you said before was true, it was that there aren’t going to be many n who can understand like you do. I can’t say I’m thrilled at all about having to share you, but… well, I guess I’ll be busy helping Tan a lot, so… hmm, that feels kind of sad now. Damn, I never thought I was such a… well, girl. I’m already starting to feel like I want to spend more ti with you.”
“I should hope so…” as we continued to talk, we reached the first destination. Shiro was panting heavily, clearly very tired, but I let out a trickle of Ether Healing. Her eyes flared red, and Tan surfaced once more.
“What are you doing? Using aether is a hostile…” she began, but my withering retort shut her down.
“Are you being this dumb deliberately? I get the impression you don’t like much. I’m just restoring so of her strength. It’s a talent. Now if you seriously think I’m going to hurt her, then you need to get a clue. Now, shut those red eyes and leave us alone. I’m on a date, I don’t need a third wheel!”
Tan made an indelicate noise, before Shiro’s eyes turned onyx again. “Really, she’s just worried about .”
“Sure. if you say so. But I resent her paranoia. But enough of her, I’m not talking about Tan on my date with you, my dear fiancée.”
“Well, my dear fiancé, where are we going?” she asked, chuckling.
“Here.” I declared.
“Here? A departnt store?” she asked, and I nodded.
“Yeah, this one is the only store in Akihabara open this late, and there’s a fun little maid café on the top floor I believe, a little quirkier than the mainstream ones we usually go to. So, in we go…” I guided her in, and while it was quiet inside, we still had a short while to shop. Guiding her to the ladieswear section, I smiled. “Ti for that new outfit. And none of that ‘you don’t want to waste money’ bullshit. If I can’t treat my girlfriend, I’m a pretty shitty guy, right? In fact… you don’t have to worry about money again.”
“That seems a bit sudden…” Shiro was a little uncomfortable with the rapid pace of the night, which I understood, but… We don’t have ti for leisure. The world won’t wait for us.
“It is sudden. But Shiro, I don’t want you worrying about finances. You have enough to worry about. Besides, I bet you are going to look gorgeous in sothing like that…” I pointed, and Shiro flushed.
“Oh, fine.” Shiro conceded, and after taking the items I pointed out to the changing room, I waited for her to try a fresh new look…
********
“So, uh, how do I look?” Shiro asked, erging from the changing room.
“Perfect!” I gave her a thumbs up, admiring her gorgeous figure. She was wearing a deep purple jumper which hugged her curves, as well as a blue skirt for contrast. The skirt was pretty long, but even so, seeing her ankles was a different experience. “I knew with your hair and skin, you’d look fantastic in deeper colours. We’re taking them!” I bundled up her other clothes, as well as several other things she’d tried on earlier. “Excuse !” I called to a tired-looking shopgirl. “We are taking all these. She’ll wear those out if that’s okay?”
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