Following Blossom’s lead, Vahn soon found himself in an arena similar to the one located beneath Marble’s Vocational Office. There, a man resembling an older version of Quant, albeit with short red hair, could be standing in the very center of the arena.
Noticing one of his staff members clinging to a man with a peculiar black cat riding on his shoulder, Rubeus couldn’t help frowning as he asked, “Why have you left your post, Ms. Blossom? You are not being paid to slack off and flirt with other Regulars.”
Though she cowered in response to her Boss’ words, Blossom was still under the delusion that she was currently in a dream. As a result, she managed to muster up a bit of courage, clinging to Vahn with her left hand while forming a fist with her right and saying, “I’m here to take the Boss’ Special Test!”
Surprised by the normally timid woman’s response, Rubeus pulled up the personal terminal given to all Test Admins, confirming that Blossom’s name was, indeed, on the list of participants. With that being the case, he quickly dismissed the invisible panel, smiling as he said, “I won’t go easy on you just because you’ve been working here for the past six months. I will, however, wish you the best of luck.”
Even more convinced that she was in a dream, Blossom’s expression became even more radiant as she happily exclaimed, “Thanks, Boss! I won’t disappoint~!”
Though he felt like Blossom was behaving a little strangely, Rubeus just assumed it was because she had found a reliable man with deep pockets. One of the ways many of the weaker Regulars climbed up the Tower, especially attractive women, was by entering into a relationship with other promising Regulars. It was a little unscrupulous, but, considering many Regulars would happily murder just to eliminate the competition, charming members of the opposite sex was a relatively tame method of climbing the Tower.
With that in mind, Rubeus turned his attention to the admittedly handsome man that Blossom was clinging to. He had already heard about the man’s power through the Admin Channel, so, while he was a little surprised to be the first on Vahn’s bucket list, Rubeus didn’t particularly mind it. He was the type that preferred taking action, so, with most of his duties revolving around paperwork and compiling dossiers on specific Regulars, he was more than happy to entertain challengers.
Deciding to just jump right into things, Rubeus offered a polite smile that couldn’t hide his growing excitement as he said, “I’m guessing you’re already aware of the rules, but I have an obligation to explain the rules of my Special Test to new challengers. My test is pretty simple. You will be given a ten-thousand-kilogram ball that has the property of becoming lighter when infused with Shinsu. If you look around you, you’ll find that there are goals placed at the four cardinal directions and one located in the center of the ceiling. Your objective, simply put, is to place the ball into any of these goals within a ten-minute period. I can only take action from within the circles located around each of the goals so you won’t have to worry about me attacking. As for the goal on the ceiling, that one is a little special. If you have the ability to get the ball into that goal, I won’t even try to stop you.”
Realizing why Marble had suggested he come to Rubeus first, a smile spread across Vahn’s face as he mentally communicated, (“Looks like you’ll have to wait until next time. This Ranker seems like a nice guy so let’s spare him the embarrassment.”)
Though she was a little annoyed by the wasted trip, Yoruichi just hoped from Vahn’s shoulders, stretching her body a bit before walking off to the side. This drew the attention of both Blossom and Rubeus, the latter remarking, “Black Cats are pretty rare below the 100th Floor. It seems like you have quite the backing…”
Resisting the urge to inflate his own Ego by declaring he needed no such backing, Vahn just smiled in response to Rubeus’ words before asking, “Shall we proceed with the test?”
Since Vahn had already paid for himself and Blossom, Rubeus had no reason to refuse. Thus, after producing a bright silver ball from his personal storage, casually tossing it over to Vahn with a smile on his face. To his surprise, however, Vahn easily caught the ball with one hand, returning a similar smile as he promptly spun it on the tip of his finger…
Realizing he shouldn’t underestimate Vahn, Rubeus adopted a ready stance as he said, “The test has now begun…!”
Rather than aim for any of the other goals, Vahn shifted his attention towards the relatively small target located approximately 300m above. This caused Rubeus’ brows to furrow, but, as he already declared he wouldn’t block attempts to score on the above goal, he could only watch with a slightly sullen expression as the silver ball slowly ascended under the compulsion of Vahn’s Telekinesis.
Understanding that Vahn’s passing was inevitable, Rubeus released an annoyed sigh, scratching the back of his head as he said, “You’re no fun. Even the majority of D-Rank Regulars would struggle to get the ball into a target that high off the ground. Looks like Blossom lucked out this time around.”
Though she had previously been following the silver ball’s ascent with her eyes, Blossom snapped back to awareness when she heard Rubeus’ remark. A fluttery feeling immediately spread through her body, and, though she had only met Vahn a few minutes ago, she suddenly felt extremely lucky to have won his ‘favor’. It was pretty rare for Humans to be interested in her species, and vice-versa, but, for reasons she didn’t quite understand, Blossom felt a magnetic attraction to the inordinately handsome man. His aura reminded her of her home forest, and, though his scent lacked the same musk that would normally excite her, an uncharacteristically fierce fire began to spread through her body…
Feeling Blossom’s body heat gradually increasing, Vahn’s smile became wry as he made a mental note to research the characteristics of the various species calling the Tower home. He didn’t expect the woman to suddenly enter a state similar to a Chienthropes heat, so, before things could get any further out of hand, he began stroking the excited woman’s head, temporarily inflaming her passion before gradually restoring her calm.
Seeing the couple ‘flirting’ right in front of him, Rubeus’ smile began to crack slightly as he turned his attention towards the still-rising ball. The moment it made contact with the ceiling, he stopped the timer on his Pocket, saying, “The two of you have successfully completed my Special Test. Now, get the hell out of my sight with your lovey-dovey crap. I’ll give Blossom the rest of the day off, so go celebrate or something.”
Without waiting for Vahn’s response, Rubeus’ used his authority as a Test Administrator to teleport the duo alongside the peculiar Black Cat. Then, with an exasperated sigh escaping his mouth, he caught the ten-ton ball with a single hand before smiling as he remarked, “It looks like I’ll need to increase the intensity of my training. I look forward to facing you once you become a Ranker you god damn riajuu…”
—
Vahn wasn’t particularly fond of being forcibly teleported, but, understanding it would needlessly complicate things if he resisted, he allowed himself to be teleported outside. Then, before Blossom could further mistake his intentions, he grabbed the bubbly girl’s shoulders, holding her in place as he calmly explained, “Ms. Blossom…I won’t deny that you are a beautiful woman. However, I am not trying to start a relationship with anyone right now. I just found your reactions adorable so I wanted to make your day by allowing you to pass the Special Test. Please don’t misconstrue my intentions. I do not wish to hurt your feelings…”
Hearing Vahn’s remark, Blossom lightly pinched her own cheek, confirming that she wasn’t actually dreaming. This made her mood diminish quite a bit, but, considering she had earned 2000 Points and a free License, it was hard to be too upset. She knew she had a penchant for misunderstanding things, prompting most of her teammates to abandon her, so, despite feeling as though there was a hole in her chest, she managed a smile as she replied, “I understand. Thank you for taking pity on me.”
Realizing he probably didn’t want her clinging to him, Blossom attempted to break free from Vahn’s hold so she could find someplace quiet to cry. It wasn’t that she had fallen in love with the man she had only recently met, but, feeling as though her luck was finally changing for the better, having her delusion shattered was a little heartbreaking. Unfortunately, that was the grimness of reality, a place where dreamers were often disappointed…
Understanding his blame in the situation, Vahn surprised Blossom quite a bit by refusing to let her escape. Instead, he wrapped the woman gently in his embrace, stroking her back as he said, “There is no reason to feel sad. Though I can’t take you with me, I can still help your dream come true. This was the only thing I had planned, so, from now until the sky turns dark, allow me the great fortune of accompanying you. At the very least, let me treat you to lunch in order to celebrate our victory…”
Since her eyes had already moistened from the earlier rejection, Blossom couldn’t help shedding a few tears when she heard Vahn’s words. She wanted to comment that he was only making things worse by treating her so kindly, but, feeling his warmth invade her body, she couldn’t bring herself to separate from him. Instead, she buried her face into his chest, sniffling as she wrapped her arms around his body to prolong the contact…
—
Though it probably would have been better for him to return early, Vahn ended up creating a proxy to return alongside Yoruichi as he kept Blossom company, not just for the remainder of the day, but until early the next morning. She had told him about her past and her desire to become a protector for her people, a species that was often poached as slaves within the Outer Tower.
Unfortunately, as a relatively pacifistic species who lived alongside nature, she wasn’t very suited for combat. The best she could do was act as a Scout, but, with Scouts being the most common of the five Positions, it wasn’t long before her former team had replaced her with someone less accident-prone. To make matters even worse, the ‘leader’ of her team, consisting of five men, had offered to let her stay if she was willing to earn extra Points in the brothel while also serving as ‘relief’ for the rest of the party.
Needless to say, Blossom had refused the man’s offer, so, for several months, she had to survive outside of the Town of Beginnings until she had earned enough Points to return. This wasn’t too bad, as she was very adept at surviving in the wild. Her biggest problem was that she was still very weak, and, due to her propensity to misunderstand things, she was often tricked out of her Points or used as a gopher by the few people willing to let her join their Party. None of them, however, were willing to take her to the next Floor, so, after failing to find a group for more than a year, she ended up working as a Floor Receptionist in various Vocational Offices.
Blossom was one of many Regulars who were unable to advance to the next Floor, but, due to her unwillingness to simply give up on her dream, she continued to persevere. She couldn’t give up on her people, so, even though she had been tricked countless times, she never gave up hope that a Party would eventually help her ascend to the next Floor. This seemed to be the case for many of the people working as Receptionists, a job that solely recruited personable Scouts.
After listening to Blossom’s story, Vahn knew he had made a mistake, but, rather than lament, he decided to just go with the flow and follow his instincts. There was no way he could simply ignore the plight of someone right in front of him, especially when said person was an extremely kind and caring young woman who just wanted to help her people. She might be a little ditzy and prone to misunderstandings, but, disregarding this, and his original intentions; Vahn stayed at the woman’s side for the entire night, making slow and passionate love to her until his Pocket alerted him to the fact it was already morning.
Disabling the alarm that only he could hear, Vahn looked down at the woman on all fours, her face flushed with an impassioned hue as she stared back at him with glazed eyes. At the same time, his hand lightly caressed her firm, plump, and fur-covered butt, savoring the smooth sensation against his palm. He found it extremely arousing that the lighter part of her fur formed a heart shape from behind, but, as that wasn’t important right now, he allowed himself to slip out of the woman’s fiery and moist cavern with a ‘pop’. Then, after laying her on her side, he occupied the spot next to her, gently caressing the side of her face as he said, “Don’t worry…I’ll make your dream come true…”
(A/N: Alternate Titles: ‘Rubeus dodged a bullet xD…’,’Blossom used Escape…it was ineffective! Unable to Escape…’,’I want to say that Vahn is very responsible…but…’)
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