But if she wanted to serve her princess, small sacrifices were a necessity. The queen certainly wouldn’t be happy to find out that something happened to her lovely daughter.
After what felt like centuries, Natalia finally rejoined the hellhound. She returned the basket of candy and chocolates to the loli.
“Why did you buy this again?” Matsume said.
“It’s a gift for Lady Alice,” Natalia said. “I made her angry this morning…so.”
Matsume blinked. This brat…She nodded.
“Very honorable.” She almost said sweetly, like the humans, but she wouldn’t forget herself. Her origins, her pack, her princess, her queen. Her future.
**
Somewhere…
Dark had done it. He defeated the ogre girl by giving her so much pleasure that she passed out from an intense orgasm.
A part of him didn’t want to leave. Contrary to popular belief, she lived in a nice house updated with the latest technology. A modern life. Many people stereotyped ogres as cave-dwelling morons. They lived out in the countryside, but not like cavemen. And of course were an all-female race due to the Supreme demon lord’s influence.
He looked at the green-skinned beautiful monster girl once more. Large breasts accompanying an athletic body, long white-purple hair, and small horns on the top of her head, Ilu raped him for hours before he remembered a piece of lore from a small village. Take control and make them orgasm. Rough as possible—and finally, boom! Their bodies will produce one so intense it knocked them out cold.
He had to admit…he needed the sex. Instead of halving his HP and MP, it gave him a temporary buff to all stats as well as an endurance boost. He wasted no time dressing. He looked back at the lonely woman once more, chuckled, then got the hell out of there.
He managed to find a town three miles later, rented an Inn room and washed. After he got some proper sleep for a couple of hours, Selkie actually returned. The news she gave was about the head of the watchers…And it worried him.
Episode 32 (Part 3)
Clyde’s house…
“Airi, this is Clyde. Clyde, Airi,” Harumi said. The girl seemed to inspect him from head to toe with a single glance. An inch shorter than Harumi, she had long dark-purple hair, skin the color of milk chocolate, and light-brown eyes. She asserted an air of pure confidence, maybe nobility. Dressed in normal casual clothing, no one but the gifted would know at first sight what she was about.
He gave her a quick analysis, shutting down the prompt before the sass could emerge.
Name- Airi.
Level: 120 (compressed.)
Type: Super Druid, adventurer, ???.
Relationship: Neutral. Extremely curious.
Question marks hiding an unknown type and a compressed level. The fuck? At this point, nothing really fazed Clyde anymore. That didn’t mean he lacked curiosity. Fuck, what would he give to find out what those question marks hid. Clyde held out a hand.
“Harumi and some of the others told me a lot about you,” he said. Airi seemed hesitant to accept at first. Her hands were soft and delicate, fitting for a young woman that carried the natural good looks of an anime girl.
It took him a moment to realize Airi was blushing. She quickly covered it up with a fake clearing of the throat. Her eyes stopped on Neko, widening.
Neko…was playing with a ball of yarn. Clyde facepalmed. He didn’t think Chika would seriously find one and trigger the cat within.
“Nyyyaaa,” Neko said then purred. Harumi facepalmed.
Way to embarrass us all , Clyde thought.
“Is she really a…” she looked at Clyde. “Did she take you as husband?”
Harumi nearly fell. Clyde gave a long, suffering sigh, before snatching the yawn from the cat girl.
“Nya, I was playing with that,” Neko said, false innocence in her eyes.
“Do you mind introducing yourself to our guest?” Clyde said.
Neko looked at Airi as if noticing her for the first time.
“Nyaaa, you attract trouble like a rabbit doing an eat-me dance near a wolf pack,” Neko said. Indignation flashed in Airi’s eyes. “I’m Neko. An observer from a family of observers.”
“If you’re jumping at her, then just wait to the others return,” Clyde said offhandedly. Ruri would probably make her panic at first.
Airi plucked at Neko’s ears.
“Oh wow.”
When she reached for Neko’s tail, the catgirl quickly moved it away.
“Nyaaa, I don’t swing that way.”
Airi blushed, raising two hands in the air. She gave the beast kin a sad smile.
“Sorry. I…uhm, didn’t know tails were…a sensitive ordeal.”
Neko smiled warmly.
“It’s okay. Nyaa, learn something new every day.”
Chika emerged from the back, smiling at Harumi and Airi.
“Need some help with your bags? We’ve got a strong man right here.”
Clyde gave her a micro-glare.
“At least try not to sound as if you’re about to offer some help.”
“It’s okay,” Airi said, pulling a roller bag.
“I’m going to show Airi to her room,” Harumi said.
“I’d like to talk with you some more,” Airi told Clyde. “As much as possib—I mean sometime later if you don’t mind. You guys call yourselves, Team Stone?”
“Yep,” Clyde said.
“Interesting,” Airi said. “You have no idea how many questions…Never mind, I shouldn’t bother you. I’m here to see my best friend.” She gave the young man a Japanese-style bow. “Thank you for the hospitality.”
“It’s no problem.” Clyde said, a little moved by the politeness. As Harumi moved to take her friend to her room, Clyde spoke. “Can you make the team meeting or should we push it back.”
Her eyes burned with resolve.
“We’re carrying on this meet,” she said. “And if I have to drag Yusuke by the throat while beating him with my slippers, I will.”
Clyde stifled a laugh.
“Don’t worry about me stopping you. Full support.”
They both laughed. Harumi stole a kiss. Airi didn’t see.
“Besides Yusuke’s fate, I need to talk with everyone about Niyoto,” Clyde said.
“What about Niyoto?” Harumi asked.
“I’ll explain everything during the meeting,” Clyde said. “And of course bring your friend. I’d like to pick her brain.”
Clyde’s phone rang. Unknown number. For some reason, a gut feeling advised him against ignoring it.
“Hello?”
“Clyde! I’ve got a new phone,” Alice said.
“It’s about time,” he said. He offered to buy her a phone before, but she refused. Alice wanted to buy her own using earned money. “Are you still shopping?”
“We’re done,” Alice said. “See you in a minute. Oh and Tear says—”
“Don’t put false words in my mouth,” Clyde heard Tear snap. The line died. Sure enough, less than a minute later, Alice’s group arrived. The young man already had the door open. The general rule of thumb was to Jump only outside. His house may be huge, but teleporting in on someone while they were taking a shit or showering would obviously not be appreciated.
Besides Tear being the addition to Alice’s group, Kitome was there too.
“Here,” she said, handing Clyde a small box, almost without looking at him. “A gift—nothing special. It’s not like I’m thankful or anything.”
Clyde blinked as he took the box and opened it. Shining at him was a white-gold necklace with a well-crafted homemade charm attached to it.
[You received Necklace of Her Devotion. Item class: *One of a kind* This necklace was made with love. Unknown benefits. Has a 1% chance of triggering Enlightenment mode 1 during battle. All stats will increase by 100% during the mode.]
“Kitome…” Clyde said. “Thank—”
“Nya, just hug him already,” Neko said, pushing the magical girl into
him. Instead of exploding with fury, she melted into Clyde.
A rare vulnerable moment, the young man took in all of it until Airi cleared her thought.
“Okay, someone explain to me why she looks like a school girl in love with Harumi’s boyfriend.”
Airi seemed to shrink into herself when all of the glares fell on her.
“Clyde, is this—”
“Airi?” Kitome said as she pulled away.
“Kitome? And hugging him instead of ripping his head off,” Airi said.
“I’m not that mean,” Kitome said, hugging Airi. “It’s been a while.”
“Yes it has,” Airi said, nodding. “It has…And I’m just confused.”
“We’ve got a team meeting in a half-hour,” Clyde said. “Everything will be explained then. Harumi, do you mind catching her up?”
Harumi shrugged.
“It’s a bit complicated,” she told Airi, “but I’ll try.”
“I could always give you a drink to take off the edge,” Yuki said.
All eyes fell on the demoness maid, Toru-style. Airi laughed.
“I accept! And it’s not like I’m judging.” She said softly. The rest of her sentence was a whisper. “It’s like having a family, right?”
Clyde decided not to touch the matter any further. If Harumi didn’t explain, he’d show, not tell. He put on the necklace, allowing the power to flow through him. Kitome managed to wiggle her way past the others and back into his embrace.
“Do you like it?” she said.
“I fucking love it,” he said truthfully. “You are amazing.”
[The existing quest, Either call or visit Kitome in the late hours has changed to mandatory. Reward: unknown.]
[Kitome’s current relationship with you is Friend, closer level 10. Excellent job, but you know that’s not enough. Kitome has the love in her heart, but doesn’t know how to show it. Break that shell by completing the above quest.]
Clyde mentally nodded. He couldn’t help but admit to himself that he was eager to spend time with the magical girl.
That tsundere moment. Fortunately for him, his nose didn’t bleed.
Episode 32 (part 4)
[Your Ki has increased. Here are Chika’s Ki stats. Currently, she has cultivated the highest.]
[Vitality: 5. Speed: 5. Aura: 5.]
There must be a way to break the once-a-day Ki increase, Clyde thought.
Clyde was pleasantly surprised that Tear had prepared what seemed like a boardroom. What other nice surprises did she set up? Like that movie theater room. In fact, she was seated beside him as the women agreed that sitting on his lap would make him seem less of a leader. Alice flanked his right. The love he felt from the two only served as a reminder of his luck. The young man had, at last, stopped wondering if he deserved it. Or pushed the thought somewhere in the depths of his mind. Maybe the women liked modesty. Maybe not. Instead, he’d focus on putting effort into being there for all of them.
Yusuke had a neutral expression on his face. Harumi too, but the twinkle in her eyes spoke volumes. He felt Alice’s annoyance of the ninja through the bound and almost sighed. To bring down the disapproval of the two most lax members of the team. His phone buzzed.
A text from Kitome? She was there, of course, the third seat from him.
Kitome: you look good with the necklace. But…Are you sure you like it?
Clyde: Kitome, this is literally epic. I fucking love it.
Kitome: Don’t lie, I’ll box your ears if you are.
Clyde: Kitome, I wouldn’t be wearing something I didn’t like. Now focus. And thank you again. You are the best .
Clyde put away his phone and briefly eyed each member of his team. They housed looks of expectancy for their leader. He could lay on the dramatics like some of the CEOs on TV, but decided that Toru wouldn’t be the only one giving him a blank stare.
“We’ve got a few things to talk about, but let’s get the elephant in the room out of the way,” Clyde said. He looked at Yusuke. “I’m going to be blunt man—and while you’ve apologized for it—we’ve got to beat this dead horse again. First, let me make this clear. Do not under any circumstances target me with your ninja soul again. I’m just barely starting to properly control these powers. They’re like acid to you. If you find yourself burned ou—”
“You needlessly put the entire team in danger,” Harumi snapped. “Did you know that Clyde had a vision and in it, we all died horrifically. Your actions were irresponsible and quite frankly, Clyde is being too lenient on you.”
“Running off on your own is the number two taboo of an adventurer’s party,” Airi added. “After the party saves the moron, risking themselves in the process, he or she gets the boot. Which surprises me, Yusuke.” She glared at him. He paled. “I’ve known you since high school. You weren’t this stupid. So, what the hell?”
“Oh you don’t know about his reaperess girl,” Kitome said, her voice full of distaste, though strangely, not as strong as before.
Airi’s eyes widened.
“Reaperess? Pfft, there’s no such thing. What girl ticked you off this time? I wish I could say y—”
She froze as Clyde’s glowing-eyed glare continued to coat her.
“I apologize,” Airi said. “I—I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
Clyde nodded, then continued. They could sit there and scrutinize Yusuke all day, but it wouldn’t solve the problem. He let the tiny trickle of power go to avoid aggravating the strain. He would’ve accused the system of place limits on him to prevent the OP, but as his grandmamma once said, “boy you betta learn to crawl before you walk. Or else, you’ll keep falling on your face.” Clyde folded his arms, eyes locked with the ninja. “You will be retrained. Harumi will be assisting Toru, whenever she pleases. Or she may not at all. You’ll probably pray for the latter. This isn’t me being a dick, dude. This is for your own good.” Yusuke reluctantly nodded, dropping his protests. “Harumi’s right about me being lenient, but nobody’s perfect. Sometimes we fuck up once in a while. Kind of like how we began.” He turned to Airi to see that she was pale.
“They’re…not human,” she said. “I couldn’t tell at first...”
“That’s because Yuki’s aura masks everything in here,” Clyde said.
“It does?” Chika said, then nodded a couple of seconds later. “You’re right. I simply grown used to it.”
“Demonesses,” Airi said softly.
“Don’t forget us,” Ruri said, waving, allowing her wolf ears and tail to show. Airi bounced out of her seat, eyes wide.
“And me,” Tear said, allowing her wings and tail to show briefly.
Airi nearly fainted, but quickly covered up her surprise by doing the fake clearing of her throat again.
“I have so many questions,” she said. “And especially for you.” She pointed at Clyde. “You don’t seem to be human either. But neither demon.” She looked at Melody briefly, then Alice. After a few moments, she sat back down and shrugged. “I will not begin to try to understand this clusterfuck. You all seem to be nice people and so that’s that. Yuki, may I have another drink after this, please? Or better yet, I’ll pour one for both of us.”
Yuki laughed.
“Harumi’s not as formidable with it as you.”
Airi grinned.
“When you’ve traveled to as many places as I have, you taste even the strongest. The only one I couldn’t handle was the Jobberwock Surprise.”
Yuki cringed.
“You…actually drank that. You do know what’s in it, right?” Yuki said.
“It was a dare by some ditzy elf,” Airi said. “Needlessness to say, my group had to babysit me all the way to my room.”
Matsume shudder.
“You could not pay me to drink that. Did you at least vomit it up.”
“Yep and the dinner I hate,” Airi said. “Anyway, enough about that. Clyde take it back.”
Clyde gave her a Toru-style blank stare. Toru actually joined in, which she s
natched a small pillow off the floor and nailed him in the face. “He still does that stupid look.”
The other women burst into laughter. Clyde cleared his throat, silencing them.
“Let’s talk about Niyoto,” he said. He told them about the news report. Fortunately, before the meeting, he was able to verify that men were still going missing. The claims of minotaurs were even more strongly in the air. There was even a minotaur-worshipping group called the Children of the Minotaur. The women were nuisances to the people in the city. Claims of having magic-users within their group kept away anyone that would challenge them. “So yeah,” Clyde concluded.
“Let me join you on this,” Airi said. “I didn’t get the chance to come back and challenge Hades again.”
“You challenged my father?”
Airi’s eyes widened then she marched out of the room. Harumi hurried after her. Alice’s expression showed the fucks she gave. None. Minutes later, the legend twenty-seven returned with a cup. Harumi shook her head.
“I don’t know where she snatched this alcohol habit.”
“I’ve seen a lot of things, but a gathering like this and Hade’s daughter?” Airi downed her cup in one go. “This is extraordinary. Something never-before-seen or done. You know the whole human-demon thing right.”
Tear sniffed.
“Get out of the fairy tales. Demons these days are about money, business, and maintaining and building their positions of power, whether in the demon realm or the human. These aren’t the old tales of terrorizing villages.”
“I didn’t mean to imply any stereotypes,” Airi said, then gave a short bow and hands clasp, as if asking for a favor. “I simply wish to learn as much as possible—I’ve never seen a gathering of friends like this before.”
“Anyway,” Clyde said. “Who’s actually able to go to Niyato? Chika and Maki will handle everything with the school. It shouldn’t take us no more than a few days, if that.”
The Anime Trope System: Stone vs. Viper, #6 a LitRPG (ATS) Page 2