Chapter 36 – To become a woman
Today might prove a very interesting day… Very… Uhummm… But at the same time, as of today, we only have less than a month left to deal with the Neuroi Matriarch, before she starts her triumphal march across the whole world… For fucks sake, why did an enemy of such significance had to appear?! Next thing I'll know, is that some lackey of Mavet will crush the party! Geez… But at least I'll give the girls some fun today…
As per usual routine, Toshiro trained from five until seven. After he returned, he saw that Yoshika was still sleeping, so he crept into the bed.
"And how is my snuggly-wuggly Yoshika doing today?" he said while tickling her in the side slightly.
"Hahahaha! Very good!" she laughed. "Especially with such a wake up!"
"Good… Good…" he smiled with a mellow face.
"Were you thinking about something serious again, Toshiro?" she asked concerned.
"Yeah… It's the first of December now, and the only progress we are making is in the training department."
"Progress nonetheless, right?"
"Yeah… But I have a feeling that won't be enough…"
"Oh don't be such a pessimist… Especially not before the rest."
"But I can before you?"
"Of course, my love. We'll soon be married, so I'm somehow obliged to hear out your woes, heehee…"
"You're so sweet, Yoshika…"
Suddenly, a knock on the door was heard. Both of them made surprised faces, and at the same time, they said, "Come in!"
Shirley, in her white bra and panties, slid into the room silently.
"Hi you two…" she mumbled and yawned.
"Hi."
"Yo."
Both answered.
"If you want some action, you still have to wait," Toshiro said.
"Um… No… It's about Francesca…"
Toshiro raised an eyebrow.
"Not in that way!"
"Ah, okay…"
"What's the matter?" Yoshika asked.
"She woke me up a few minutes ago, saying that her tummy hurts badly."
"Francesca with indigestion? That would be a first…" Yoshika said a bit confused.
"Right? That's why I came for you to see her."
"Both of us?" Toshiro asked.
"Well, if you want… You're the commander after all… Just pull some pants on!"
"Suddenly, I'm the pariah here…"
"Thirteen to one…" Shirley shrugged.
"Yeah, yeah…"
Toshiro crawled out of the bed and put on the pants of his uniform.
"Let's go," he said.
Shirley led them to her room. She knocked on the door and said, "Hey, Franny, I have the two with me."
"Come in…" Francesca moaned.
Shirley opened the door and they entered. Francesca was lying on the top bunk under a quilt, with a pale face, pursed lips, and squinted eyes.
"Oh my…" Yoshika said and quickly scaled the small ladder to the top bunk.
Toshiro quickly hoisted himself up and leaned on his elbows.
"It huuuurts…"
"Where does it hurt?" Yoshika asked with a compassionate voice.
"My tummy hurts…"
Yoshika moved her hand over her belly and pressed it slightly over the belly button.
"Here?"
"No, a bit lower…"
"Hmm… I'll need to remove the quilt…"
Yoshika pulled it off, and they both suddenly saw something disturbing. At least for Toshiro, but he quickly added two and two.
"Does that spot of blood on Franny's panties mean…"
"What… What is it…?" Francesca asked with a faint voice.
Yoshika smiled and used her magic on Francesca.
"Oh, it doesn't hurt!" Francesca regained her energy immediately. "Thanks!"
"Well… I've got good news and bad news… And yes, Toshiro, you were probably right."
"But, with all my limited knowledge of female anatomy, isn't Franny too old to start now?"
"There are many factors governing it… She might be late bloomer."
"Uh… Whatcha talking about?" Francesca asked while tilting her head innocently.
"Ah, yes. The bad news is that you'll be repeating this every month until you're at least fifty…" Yoshika said quietly.
"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawwww…"
"But the good news is…" Yoshika smiled brightly. "You're becoming a woman, Franny."
"Huh?"
"That was your first menstruation, numbskull," Shirley said after jumping up on the top bunk.
"My first period?!"
"Yes," Yoshika said. "Growth awaits you, Franny."
Francesca grabbed her chest with sparkles in her eyes and shouted, "I'll have boobs! Just like the Francesca in the other world!"
"I guess I should start making breakfast…" Toshiro sighed.
"Hey, I'll go!" Yoshika protested.
"No, you explain EVERYTHING she needs to know."
"Oh, right… Well, go then, heh… You REALLY shouldn't be here…"
Toshiro went to his room he put on the rest of his clothing. Afterwards, he went downstairs and started making breakfast.
"Toshiro?" he heard a familiar voice.
"Oh, Lynne? Wondering why I'm here?"
"Well… A bit…"
"Yoshika is giving Francesca a lecture."
"Oh? Did she do something bad?"
"No, she got her first period."
"Aaaaaah… Yes, that calls for a talk…"
"How was your first time, if I may ask?"
"Umm… Sudden… There was a lot of blood, but it didn't hurt…" Lynne answered a bit baffled.
"Why did I actually ask you…?" he sighed. "Oh well, let's make breakfast."
The girls slowly flowed in to the table, and the last to arrive was the "Period Trio."
Francesca had a smirk glued to her face. She sat at the table, and Toshiro gave her her plate.
"Ketchup, Franny?" he asked with a wry smile.
"I see what you did there… Everyone, I'm having my first period!"
That single sentence started a conversation so uncomfortable for Toshiro that he tactfully left to his office to eat.
"Mother of God…"
"What can I say, womanly solidarity…"
"At least you don't bleed and fuss once a month for a few days…"
"Well, pff… That's one of the perks of being a spirit."
"Sigh… I hope they finished with their chattering…"
"Give them some rest, Toshiro. This godforsaken hellhole has absolutely no attractions, so this is like the circus coming to town."
"Don't worry, I've invited the circus over for after dinner."
"Oh yeah, right…"
He waited a few minutes and went back. The girls were slowly dispersing, and Francesca looked proud as a peacock.
Yoshika approached, grabbing his plate and the rest.
"I guess you had fun, huh?" he asked.
"That was the closest we had to entertainment in some time…"
"Yuki basically said the same…"
"Hey, Toshiro," Mio said.
"What is it?"
"You think we should still do training outside?"
"Wait, you are asking me whether I should allow training outside? Ain't you the first who would toughen the girls up?"
"Have you saw the temperature today? It's below zero already, and we only have the first. The forecasts say that this will be a winter of ages!"
"Okay then… From now on, the hangar doors should be shut at all times. At least you'll all be protected from the elements, more or less…"
"You should also crank up the heating a tad, it's getting a tad brisk in the morning," Minna said.
"Didn't feel it…"
"It was a bit cold," Yoshika said. "Especially in the corridors. Maybe we should start using the fireplace?"
"I'll see what can be done," he said and went to the control room.
He was here only once, and only to take a look. The manuals were where he left them, and even the temperature was the same.
Phew… What a damn sauna…
He quickly skimmed through the manuals and altered the temperature by two degrees.
This should do the job. If I hear complaints, I'll make adjustments…
When he got out of the room, everyone was gone, thus, Toshiro went to the office.
"Another tea time without me? Shaaaaaame…" Toshiro said while rubbing his index fingers.
"Have at it; we still have a whole pot of hot tea," Minna said, adding her usual smile.
"How much paperwork is there to do?"
"A whole lot, but we'll manage. Nobody called."
"Well then I'll sit beside Mio and enjoy myself a bit…"
"How can you not enjoy ourselves in our company, hahaha!" Mio laughed in her usual manner.
"Yeah, yeah… So, why aren't you training with the girls?"
"Oh I wanted to take it easy for once. See how it feels."
"My, this is something new," Toshiro smirked. "But yeah, even the greatest warriors need rest."
"Speaking of which, how is your otherworldly training doing?" Minna asked.
"Yeah, tell us!"
"It's nice. There's always late spring there, so I have an optimal temperature. And Livy is a total dear."
"Hell, you have it nice…" Mio mumbled.
"Not trying any of your usual shenanigans, Toshiro?" Minna raised her eyebrows.
"Training is a holy time, Minna."
"At least some decency…" Mio snickered.
"Yeah, yeah… Paperwork time…" he sighed.
Many hours later, Toshiro was swiped away from his world for training.
Once the allotted time was up, he returned, drained in sweat, and pumped out. His destination – the bath. After taking a shower, he immersed himself in the hot water.
"Baaaaaaaah… Nothing like some geothermal heat to warm up my flesh and bones…"
Suddenly, Shirley emerged from the water beside him
"Woah!"
"Hah, nice to be the surprised on one hand!"
"Heh… So, what are you doing here, besides letting your tits float?"
"Yoshika told me to monitor our friendly neighborhood boobdevil, but I decided to cut a short break. Hope she won't have a weird period…"
Toshiro recalled everything Yoshika knew about this condition.
"Like painful, lots of blood and stuff?"
"Yeah… Could be hard for her to accept it…"
"Nah… She has a caring environment around her, and a doctor. She'll manage. And remember what's happening in twenty three days, right?"
"Huh?" Shirley tilted her head in authentic surprise.
"Of all people, YOU should know…"
"Um… Christmas Eve?"
"That too."
Shirley pondered heavily for a while and said, "No idea."
"Uuuurgh…" he moaned and leaned over, whispering something to her.
"No shit?!"
"Yes shit."
"But… this will be a hassle to organize…"
"Don't worry, Shirley, I have… powerful friends."
"Like that… whatsherface… Layla?"
"Yeah, but I'm talking about somebody even more powerful."
"Damn, you just have the weirdest acquaintances. So I don't have to bother my ass over that matter?"
"Nope. Not in the slightest," Toshiro grinned.
"Well, you sure know how to make me sweat…"
"It's probably the water…" he shrugged.
"Say, we doing another thing after we all get safe?"
"Maybe without Adi this time…"
"Yeah, well, no need to get her here… Unless she volunteers, right?"
"I guess she will…" Toshiro sighed. "You know it's a bother to serve FIVE of you at the same time?"
"But you have superhuman stamina, Toshiro, heheh…" she laughed. "And potency… How much of that is Yuki's doing?"
"I'll surprise you, but he's going on his own batteries," Yuki said.
"Noooooooooo waaaay!"
"Way, redhead. Both after his training with Amaterasu, during the other world simulation, and even now, during his daily training sessions, his body changed."
"Damn… Now I REALLY envy Yoshika…"
"He would wear you out, trust me. The only thing keeping Yoshika healthy are her passive healing powers."
"Wear… out?"
"Hey, they do it daily! Outside the Red Tide of course…"
"Shit… I knew that the two don't restrain themselves, but daily?! Jesus bloody Christ…"
"Okay, Yuki, enough. Shirley, care for a backrub?" Toshiro asked.
"Meh…" she shrugged and turned around. "Just don't try to shaft me."
"Not without Yoshika's exclusive consent."
After a good backrub, Shirley returned the favor. They bathed for a few more minutes.
After some time, dinner rolled in. Francesca looked and behaved like her normal self, without any visible ailments. When the first ones started standing up from the table, Toshiro said, "Hey, wait up, there's gonna be some entertainment now."
"You called?" a very familiar voice sounded from the door.
Everyone turned around and they saw Kye and her twins standing in the doorway.
"Weeeee, twins!" Francesca cheered and double hugged the redheads.
"Heheh, nice to see you too, Francesca," Kaylie said. "Are you perhaps groping us right now?"
"She wouldn't be herself…" Layla sighed, and together with Kaylie they peeled off the grabby Romagnan.
"Toshiro, yet again you take in guests unannounced. That's rude," Minna said, displaying a half-serious pout.
"Not to mention we don't know why we're here," Layla said.
"Well, I guess I owe everyone some explanations… But Layla, didn't you meet anyone on the way in?"
"No. And I probably know there's someone there."
"Hohoho!" a jolly, deep male voice sounded, startling everybody in the room.
They all turned their attention to the door, and then, a man clad in red came in. He had a big white bear, small spectacles, and red hat with a pompon on the top.
"My, my! How many good children are waiting for me! Ho ho!"
Immediately, everyone looked at Toshiro.
"What? It's December already. And I can now tell ALMOST everything. I plan to organize a normal Christmas, with a Christmas tree, decorations, presents, and whatever. The good St. Nick will hear all your wishes regarding your presents."
"Hoho! Yes, but please, I'm just Santa… I can't give you things like love or world peace. But if it's a physical good, and can fit through a door, let your imagination loose, hohoho!"
"Weeeee!" Francesca cheered and latched herself onto Santa. "I want…"
"Hoho! Let's sit down first… My old bones are not what they were…"
Quick like lightning, Perrine procured a chair.
"Hoho! Thank you!"
Perrine blushed fiercely, but she stood where she was. Santa sat on his chair, and Francesca changed her position to his lap.
"I want…" Francesca leaned over to Santa's ear and whispered something.
"Hoho! Very much doable, little Francesca!"
"You know my name!"
"I'm Santa!"
"Ah, heheh…" Francesca scratched her head and jumped off.
Perrine slowly approached Santa.
"What is it, Perrine? Are you afraid of Santa? Hohoho!"
Perrine squirmed around, but she finally jumped on Santa's lap.
"Umm… Ummm… I would want… Ummm…" she quickly whispered something to Santa.
"Hoho! I can do that!"
"Thank you!" Perrine cheered and scooted off.
"So, who's next?" Santa asked. "Maybe you, Erica?"
"Me? Hummm… Well, you're Santa, I shouldn't have to externalize my wishes, right?"
"Hoho, what a smart young lady! Then maybe you, Lynne?"
"Oh… Well…"
"You don't want to sit on Santa's lap? Okay, just think about your wish strongly, okay?"
"Okay."
"Wish received. Sanya?"
"Oh… Well…"
She sat on Santa's lap and said, "May I have two wishes?"
"Hoho! Depends."
"Well… My public wish is for it to snow."
"Snow… Hoho! I cannot do this, but maybe I can throw a word to my higher ups, okay?"
"Okay. As for the other thing…" She said and then whispered to Santa.
"Good, hoho!"
Sanya went away.
"Eila?"
"N-Naaaah…"
"Hoho! As you wish! Maybe some of the older girls want to take a go? Oh! I forgot about Yoshika!"
"Me? I don't know…" she said and whispered, "Toshiro, can I ask you something?"
"Yeah?"
"Is that the real Santa? I mean the bishop Saint?"
"No, that's Kye," he winked.
"Wait, what? Two Kye's?"
"She's nigh omnipotent, this is kinderspiel for her."
"Ooooooooooooh… Heheh… Okay, I'm going then."
As she approached Santa, Toshiro activated his Celestial Eye. A certain discord occurred in his senses, as he saw the outer outline of Santa, but the inside was Kye, smiling towards him.
"Damn, must you toy with my senses like that?"
"You wanted this on your own, heehee…"
"Thanks for doing this, Kye."
"Don't mention it, Toshiro. You and the girls should focus more on the Matriarch then on such trifles. That's why I'm helping you."
"Hey, mind playing it straight with your… second you?"
"Bah, already ahead of you, T-man!"
"Yeah, by a few eons…"
Toshiro deactivated his magic and he saw Yoshika jumping off Santa's lap.
"Now, what about Mio?"
"Over my dead body!" the Fusojin yelled.
"Hohohohoho! Then maybe Kye?"
"Me? I don't even believe in you, old man!"
"Hohohoho! Then what am I then?"
"The hell should I know…" Kye shrugged.
Well played, Kye. Thanks.
Suddenly, the redheads double-teamed Santa.
"Hohoho! What energetic young ladies! Now what would you like of me?"
The two started whispering at the same time.
"Hoho! What perfect synchronization!"
The two jumped of Santa's lap and scooted off towards Kye.
"I see that nobody else wants to take a turn on my lap. Remember, just think of what you want, and it will surely appear under the Christmas tree, hohoho! Now, I will be leaving."
Santa stood up and started walking towards the exit.
"Bye Santa!" Francesca cheered.
The other girls also waved off Santa, and Toshiro said, "I can assure you, that Santa wasn't a sham. And now, I wanted to show you something."
"Do we have to watch too?" Kye asked.
"Yeah."
"Whatever."
"Oh, and you don't need to dress up, this will be fast."
They went outside and he said, "Okay, give me a bit of space."
He walked a few meters away, and the Flame of Kōjin sparked around him.
"And now…"
He made a handstand and spread his legs open. Suddenly, Toshiro spewed a flame twenty meters high out of his posterior. As a follow up, he let out a fireball that exploded like a firework.
"How was that?"
The girls were shocked and speechless at first, but all the redheads cracked up in laughter at the same time. It spread like wildfire, and soon everyone was cackling, either standing up or lying on the runway. Even the usually stern Kye was giggling under her nose.
"Thank you, thank you…" he said while bowing around.
He felt something cold on his nose. He crossed his eyes and saw something rather familiar.
"Sanya, it seems your wish has been heard by the highest instance…"
"Humm?"
Toshiro pointed up, and everyone looked up.
"Kye, you can now retrieve your… family. Really, thanks for everything."
"Sure thing, Toshiro. It seems that when it comes to helping others, you swallow your pride…"
"Oh can it…"
The three disappeared, but nobody noticed it, because they were focused on the snow that slowly started falling to the ground.
"It really is snow…" Sanya gasped.
"Snowmen! Snowball fights! Angels in the snow!" Francesca cheered.
"At this rate it will take a day or two," Mio said. "Yeah, good that I moved training indoors now."
"Come on, everyone, it's cold outside," Toshiro said. "Let the snow build up in peace. I promise I'll let you go out later."
"Okay!" the girls responded, and they all returned inside.
The rest of the day was spent on various activities. Some of the girls tutored Mio on the final straight of her housewife education, and Toshiro was watching in with a smirk on the face. He also took active part in one fragment, playing the man of the house.
Lying in the bed with Yoshika after supper, he was asked of her, "Toshiro, will Kye help us with Christmas?"
"Yeah. She will get the presents that the girls want, decorations and some delicatessen."
"So we will have Christmas here?"
"I have the feeling that she's somewhat cryptically telling us that the final battle will take place afterwards."
"Oh… That would make sense."
"Remember, Yoshika, the gods shouldn't meddle with the life of the mortals too much. Kye could just flip an eyebrow and poof, no Neuroi in this universe."
"But this is something we must take care of ourselves, right?"
"Yeah… Exactly…"
Yoshika sighed and said, "So we have at least three and a half weeks for ourselves… What do you think will happen later?"
"Kye is swearing that there will be a good ending…"
"Well, okay… Not that she has any underlying motive… Good night, Toshiro."
"Good night, Yoshika."
"Good night, Master," Livy's voice said.
"Night!" the two said in sync.
Or does she? Maybe Kye is telling me about a good ending, but shit could hit the fan somehow anyway? Damn it to hell… She didn't specify how the war would end exactly, and what a happy ending would be… Aaaaaaaaaaaargh… Yoshika, you're giving me a headache…
I apologize to every woman reading this - I don't know shit.
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