Though she got the impression her Master was about to do something very ‘dangerous’, Fenrir did not hesitate to appear at his side, eyes focused and ready for anything. This elicited an appreciative smile from her Master, but, before he could explain his intentions, Yoruichi burst into laughter while Hinata, having seen Gandr’s current state up close, covered her red face with both hands.
Following the direction of Yoruichi’s pointing, Vahn noticed that Gandr was still naked. His clothes had been destroyed during the naming process, and, now that he had lost access to the Inventory, he had no way to cover himself. He still didn’t understand why Yoruichi was laughing, however, as the boy wasn’t exactly lacking when it came to the development of certain body parts.
Having been agitated by Vahn’s Source Energy, Gandr wasn’t at all amused by Yoruichi’s antics. The nails on his fingers became progressively sharper, but, before he could act on his instincts, Fenrir’s paw came down on his head like a hammer as she firmly intoned, “Bad boy. We don’t bare fang and claw at family. Ask Master for some clothes and then go wait near the World Tree.”
As his template had him behave deferentially towards his older sister, Gandr’s ears instantaneously drooped in response to Fenrir’s words. His claws and teeth also quickly reverted back to normal as he lowered his head towards Vahn and asked, “Master, may I please have some clothes…?”
Since things were beginning to get a little awkward, Vahn handed Gandr a [REquip] system from his Inventory before ruffling the boy’s hair and saying, “Run along. We have training pretty soon.”
Nodding his head in understanding, Gandr placed the [REquip] system on his left wrist, donning his usual attire in an instant before promptly sinking into his own shadow. This caused his presence to disappear even from Vahn’s perception. In the next moment, however, he had reappeared, now on the ‘surface’ Texture. He had used [Shadow Step] to cut through a ‘Shadow Dimension’, and, though it was normally impossible to pass between Textures so easily, Gandr’s mastery over Space allowed him to ignore such restrictions.
With the not-so-young Vanargandr out of the picture, Vahn turned his attention to Yoruichi, his expression a perfect deadpan as he asked, “So, what’s so funny? Why did you laugh…?”
Demonstrating no hesitation whatsoever, Yoruichi offered a fearless smile in return as she asked, “Are you kidding me? Why does a boy that ‘young’ need such a comically oversized member? He isn’t even trying to woo any women, yet he’s got a tail on both the front and the back? Come on, that’s got to be some kind of joke, right?”
Not expecting such a response, Vahn found himself at a complete loss for words, his expression remaining the same deadpan as before. For a brief moment, he found himself remembering the first time he had taken a bath with Tsubaki, but, before he could become awash in his memories, Hinata exacerbated things considerably by pressing her fingers together and murmuring, “I thought it looked cute…”
With everyone’s attention shifting toward her, Hinata, once again, buried her face into her hands, a scarlet red hue coloring her ears. This was met with an oppressive silence that lingered for several long seconds, broken only when Yoruichi burst into laughter and began furiously patting Hinata on the back as she exclaimed, “It seems Vahn imagined you as a closet pervert! Maybe he read a few too many doujinshi? Hahahahahaha~!”
Hearing Yoruichi’s remark, imaginary steam began to rise from Hinata’s head as she regretted her honesty. One of the things that had ‘secretly’ troubled Vahn about her original character was that she was unable to speak her mind, so, now that she had developed a nascent ego that coincided with his perception of her, the most drastic change to her character was that she felt a need to tell people what she was thinking…
Deciding to put an end to Yoruichi’s antics, Vahn adopted a firm tone as he stated, “That’s enough. I understand you’re just playing around, but you’re taking things too far. You shouldn’t laugh at the expense of others, Yoruichi.”
Seemingly undaunted by Vahn’s words, Yoruichi adopted a challenging smile, arms crossed as she asked, “Hooo~? Am I doing something wrong? It’s not like I’ve insulted anyone. Besides, who is it that made me like this, I wonder? Aren’t I the confident, mischievous, and whimsical woman of your dreams~?”
Though he ‘knew’ Yoruichi liked to tease people, almost incessantly, Vahn found it difficult to simply accept her words. As a result, his expression became somewhat dour, compelling Yoruichi to adopt a frown of her own as she remarked, “You’re no fun. I bet Hinata isn’t even upset…you’re just being overprotective. You should learn to cut loose a little. This whole Emperor play you’ve got going on is just going to make everyone’s lives more difficult. You should just be yourself, not the person you think the situation needs you to be. I sure as hell won’t pretend to be something I’m not…name or no name…”
Taken aback by Yoruichi’s words, Vahn’s expression softened somewhat, replaced by a not-so-subtle look of conflict as he seriously considered her words. Unfortunately, or perhaps the reverse, he was unable to consider them more deeply as Hinata regained enough composure to say, “Ms. Yoruichi is right…this journey is pointless if you don’t enjoy it. Even though I’m embarrassed to think about the future…I’m happy to be here right now…I want to see and experience lots of things…I want to do my best to help all the people that need our help…I want to support our friends and allies…I…I…”
With her complexion quickly reaching dangerous levels of crimson, Hinata became a little unsteady on her feet. Fortunately, before she could drop any ‘substantial’ bombshells, Fenrir stepped in, her expression serious as she stated, “Master is at his best when he acts however he pleases. Going at the pace of others is going to make you feel suffocated, just like in the Akamatsuverse. You should just do what you want to do. Even if you make mistakes, we will help you clean them up.”
Unprepared for the sudden pep talk, Vahn could only stare blankly at the three girls, confused as to how the conversation had shifted towards him. He suspected this was orchestrated by Yoruichi in an attempt to lessen her own blame, but, considering the context of their statements, it was hard to be certain. All he knew for sure was that they were trying to get him to stop holding back, much as Sis had been…
Aware of his every thought, Sis seized the opportunity to add her own opinion, stating, (*You need to learn how to trust yourself. Constantly holding back will never allow you to reach the peak. Stop being afraid of things like expanding your harem or disappointing others. You are the man who will stand up the very pinnacle of creation, shaping reality itself with your thoughts. Have confidence in the person you have become, Vahn. This is the best thing you can do to repay the trust others have placed into you…besides, even if you were to try and convince them that your harem wasn’t going to increase any further, how many of your wives do you think would believe you?*)
Though he couldn’t help but question Sis’ dual mention of expanding his harem, Vahn understood the basic premise of what she was trying to say. She, and everyone else, actually made a very good point. He was someone aiming for an absolute and incomprehensible amount of power; an amount that would see him rule over infinite cosmoses. There was no way he would be able to reach such a level if he continued doing things like playing by the rules of other people and observing from the sidelines as others grew into their power…
Realizing he was focusing more on the growth of others rather than himself, an exasperated sigh escaped Vahn’s lips. He was supposed to be aiming for an incomprehensible level of power, yet, in spite of this, he was slowing his pace just to protect a group of people he had met little more than a month prior. At the same time, he was ignoring the countless others who had similar aspirations and ambitions; idling about as the people he had ‘chosen’ gradually increased their strength.
Vahn knew that, if he really wanted to, his power would increase explosively just by moving up the Tower. Even the Guardians wouldn’t be able to hold him back, and, though he was bound to meet a few setbacks along the way, he could, quite literally, pull himself back together and try again. There were no limits to the things he could accomplish, and, unlike others, the chances of him becoming corrupt were virtually non-existent.
With the exception of the family he had left behind, the family he was desperately trying to reunite with, Vahn already had ‘everything’ most people could ever desire. His potential was unlimited, he had absolute dominion over a functionally infinite Realm, a massive harem of passionate lovers, an ever-expanding family tree, trillions of believers, and, most importantly, an empathetic heart and a sincere desire to help other people.
No matter how strong he became, no matter what he experienced along the way, the singular truth that resonated at the very core of his existence was that he wanted to help people. Despite the path his Divination counterpart had walked, Vahn firmly believed that he would never stop trying to help people. He felt genuine pain when others were hurt, and, though there were some people he could never forgive, it was impossible for him not to feel guilty after taking a life. Their pain and anguish resonated with something deep inside of him, and, though they had undoubtedly deserved to die, the fact they had been pushed down such a path saddened him.
If Vahn were being honest with himself, the moments he had experienced as Gandr were some of the happiest he had accumulated in recent memory. He enjoyed the feeling of ‘freedom’ that came with just doing whatever he wanted, so, when he heard the words of the four, Vahn couldn’t shake the feeling he had messed up the order of things. He was supposed to be walking a path towards the absolute pinnace, a place where others could follow but never reach. If he set his pace based on the growth of others, it wasn’t an exaggeration to say that it would take thousands of years, if not longer, to reach the goals he had set for himself…
As if to hammer the point home, Sis picked up on this train of thought, appending,(*Though there are bound to be powerful beings in the Tower, they are far beneath the entities that lay beyond it. If you want to experience a true challenge, you should move ahead at your own pace. The further and faster you climb, the more people will try to bar your passage. It is through overcoming these trials that your strength will blossom. You already have everything you need, and, even if you don’t, you can obtain it along the way…what are you waiting for?*)
Hearing Sis’ words, a mystical light began to illuminate within the depths of Vahn’s eyes, the void around him trembling in response to his aura. He knew she was right, and, if he genuinely pushed himself, it might only take a few years to conquer the entire Tower. There were bound to be people barring his passage, but, as he had attested to time and again, one of the things he feared the least was a challenge. In fact, it was something he craved to the point of foolhardiness, so much so that one of the first thoughts he had entertained after obtaining his new Innate was creating a powerful rival for himself.
Realizing how contrary his actions had been up until this point, Vahn couldn’t help but burst into a hearty laugh, startling the bashful Hinata to the point that she nearly fell down. As for Yoruichi and Fenrir, they both just smiled in response, the former raising her chin slightly while the latter seemed to grow increasingly agitated. She was the most affected by his mental state, so, as his excitement grew, so too did Fenrir’s.
Though he knew he would mellow out once he calmed down and had time to properly consider his future actions, the current Vahn was too caught up in the moment to hold himself back. As a result, he unabashedly fluffed up Fenrir’s hair and ears for several seconds before turning to Yoruichi, hand extended as he said, “Come…”
Despite closing the distance without any hesitation, Yoruichi didn’t miss the opportunity to adopt a vicious smile of her own as she playfully remarked, “We’ll see if you have what it takes…”
Ignoring the woman’s goading, Vahn made use of his Petting Laws to caress Yoruichi’s silky, dark-purple, hair. It was something he had always wanted to do, and, though it more than a little selfish considering the circumstances behind her creation, he got the impression she wanted him to do it. Rather, much like her personality had been dictated by his perception of her, his adolescent crush on her had manifested in a way that made her uncharacteristically receptive to him. After all, much as she had alluded to previously, he had always thought about what it would be like to keep her as a pet. She was very likely the reason he had developed such a fondness for Cat People, and, though she lacked the characteristic ears and tail, her ability to transform into a literal black cat gave Vahn a strong desire to pamper and play with her…
As if her earlier words were false bravado, Yoruichi quickly developed a contented smile in response to being caressed. She even began pushing her head against his palm, and, after a few seconds had passed, two purple cat ears spontaneously sprouted from the top of her head. This resulted in Vahn using both hands to fondle the newly formed ears, his fingers massaging their interior as the edges of Yoruichi’s mouth curled into a vaguely feline smile.
Petting one of his childhood crushes was a pretty surreal experience for Vahn, but, before he could get fully into it, a demure voice emanated from just outside his periphery. This caused him to turn his head to the side, his pupils shrinking to the size of pinholes before rapidly expanding when he saw the cat ears that had sprouted from the timid girl’s head. Then, as if to destroy the last vestiges of his restraint, she pressed her fingers together and muttered, “Ano…I would also…like to be pet…”
(A/N: Alternate Titles: ‘It’s better to have and not need than it is to need and not have (UwU)…’,’An unexpected intervention…!’,’A monster has just been created…’)
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