Chapter 37:
Mutsumi was taken completely by surprise when she was cornered in the hot springs by the person she least expected to be curious about her evening with Keitaro.
"What about it did you want to know, Motoko?" She asked the blushing sword maiden.
"I merely wish to know what he does to the slave girls he summons," the Shinmei-Ryu warrior replied. "He has taken Kaolla away several times, and last night he took you. I am just curious what he…does…to you."
"He had sex with me, of course." The Okinawan girl said, smiling.
Motoko sighed and said, "I know that! But is he rough with you? Does he restrain you? Or force you to do anything…strange?"
"Does it really matter, Motoko? When the time comes, you won't really have a choice either way…" the Okinawan trainer answered.
"Just allow me this, please. I just…want to know. I cannot help feel apprehensive about all this and feel that I can better prepare myself if I knew what he did to you…" Motoko stammered out, not noticing that in her effort to gather information from Mutsumi the other girls had begun filtering into the hot springs.
"Don't think that will help ya, Motoko. I think Keitaro does different things to each of us." Kaolla stated as walked toward the shower stalls. She was followed by Kanako and Shinobu who apparently had heard the exchange while they were in the changing room.
"Besides, wouldn't it be better if you just admitted that the reason you wish to know what he did to Mutsumi and Kaolla is so that you can fantasize what it would be like if he did those things to you?" Kanako said frankly as she sat on a stool and turned the shower on.
Motoko just blushed, not even bothering to deny it. She silently cursed their ability to decipher her feelings so easily.
"Don't worry, Motoko, I was just teasing you. Much like Kaolla, I don't mind sharing how I spent my time with Keitaro. We're all sisters after all." Mutsumi offered.
"Some more than others..." Kanako added as she scrubbed herself clean.
"Yeah…even Shinobu is a sister too…" The princess said from the next stall.
The young chef shook her head and said, "I don't know about that, Su. You all earned your places with Keitaro. I just bullied and used guilt to get Keitaro to tell me what was going on. I really don't deserve to be part of this or even know about the Annex."
"I don't think that's what she is referring to, Shinobu" the Goth girl soothed. "While we slave girls do watch out for each other, I think Mutsumi was referring to our little circle of girls who love Keitaro and wish to take care of him. Is that not right?"
Mutsumi nodded and smiled. "Yes! We've all opened up about our feelings for our beloved Regent in one way or another. Granted, not all of us have admitted our feelings to him specifically…" She hinted teasingly, giving a certain sword maiden the eye.
"But…I don't…" Motoko defended half-heartedly.
"I already told everyone else what you said in the Annex at the beginning of training, Motoko." Kaolla said, smiling as she slid into the hot springs.
"Su!" The Shinmei-Ryu warrior cried in outrage.
"What? It's not like it was a big secret." The princess said nonchalantly.
"You're not as discrete about your feelings as you think you are, samurai-girl," Kanako said in a frank yet still friendly manner.
"And I sort of already knew about it from when we found out about your stories, Motoko." Shinobu said quietly. Deep inside, the young chef felt honored that not only Kaolla considered her something akin to a sister, but that Mutsumi and Kanako did as well. It only strengthened her resolve to help both Keitaro…and his little sisters.
"Will I never keep a secret to myself when I'm around all of you?" Motoko muttered self-consciously.
"Not when it comes to your feelings. If it's safe combinations or swiss bank account numbers, then we'd have to resort to other means of interrogation." Mutsumi teased.
"Like having Keitaro sweat it out of you." Kanako said with a mischievous smirk.
"Oh yes! He does have a way with getting anything he wants from us, doesn't he?" The Okinawan agreed…then joined Kanako in sizing up the wary sword maiden.
Shinobu giggled a bit. It was funny watching someone else being the brunt of the teasing for once.
"Aww, leave her alone you guys!" Kaolla said laughingly. "They're just kidding, Motoko," The princess said soothingly.
"I wish I could believe that, Su." Motoko said, staring back at the two teasing slave girls warily.
"Do you really wanna keep secrets between us, though? I mean, seriously. Whatcha got to lose anymore? It's just us slave girls here now, Motoko. We've all got some bad stuff to work out from our past, so why not share? It's easier to deal with our baggage if we're all open about it. We ain't gonna judge ya. And besides, do you really think anything can shock us after what we've all been through?" Kaolla said plainly, much to everyone's astonishment.
"You're certainly full of surprises, Kaolla!" Mutsumi said appreciatively.
"It's true, though! I doubt there's anything that can shock us anymore. It's just better when we're all open about everything. I know I felt better after I came out about my days in the Academy to big brother and big sis. It was a bit awkward at first, but in the end it came out great for all of us," the dark skinned girl explained.
"Tell me about it…" Kanako muttered, remembering how much the revelations about the young girl had literally changed their lives.
The princess swam over to the Goth girl, hugged her real right, and said, "Hey, you love me and you know it, big sister..."
Kanako was unable to help but smile. "Yes…yes, I do. Damn it," she replied with a sigh. Unconsciously, the older slave girl wrapped her arms around the precocious little princess lovingly. The dark skinned girl merely giggled and grinned.
"See Motoko? You can be open about your feelings like Kanako!" The princess said jovially. "She's okay with everyone knowing that she loves me and big brother lots…and that she thinks Shinobu looks real HOT in her tight little casual clothes when she does chores around the inn."
"Kaolla!" Kanako exclaimed as the young girl's very frank...and very accurate...statement took her completely by surprise.
"Oh my!" Mutsumi blurted, looking between the shocked Goth girl and the embarrassed young chef before bursting into pleasant laughter. On the other hand, Shinobu was torn between being amused at how well Kaolla set up her big sister and the awkward knowledge that the older GIRL found her attractive.
"What? Isn't that what you told big brother the other day? You even said you'd do Shinobu in a heartbeat…" Kaolla added, much to Kanako's shock. This only set Mutsumi to laugh harder while Shinobu began to giggle despite her embarrassment. Even Motoko began to smile at the Goth girl's predicament.
Upon seeing the other girls laughing, and how well she got pegged by her little sister, Kanako merely shook her head and smirked. "Don't forget that I can get back at you for this, little sister," she mock threatened.
"Countin' on it!" Kaolla said, winking slyly at Shinobu as she grinned from within the Goth girl's possessive arms.
Unwilling to develop any awkwardness with the young chef, Kanako decided to be direct. "Despite the fact that I DO find you attractive, Shinobu, I know that you are not into girls and I respect that. So please don't worry about me acting upon my physical desires on you. I'm quite happy taking advantage of my little sister whenever I feel like playing with a girl." She said, sliding her hand up and giving the dark skinned girl's breast a gentle squeeze in emphasis. The princess just sighed happily.
Blushing at the intimate display, Shinobu just smiled and said, "That's okay Kanako. It's nice to be noticed actually…"
"Keitaro had already noticed that you've grown into a lovely young woman for a while now, Shinobu. I'm sure you've caught him undressing you with his eyes a few times. Isn't that why you started to wear those skimpy clothes?" Mutsumi asked, tilting her head questioningly.
The young chef looked at the scatter brained girl in surprise, and then noticed the knowing smiles from both Kanako and Kaolla. Even Motoko had a small smirk at Mutsumi's statement. After blushing even more profusely, she nodded.
It would have been difficult for the Hinata Inn's resident housekeeper to deny it. She really had been dressing less and less conservatively ever since her new relationship with her Sempai made things more comfortable between them. It was subtle at first, but with each tweak to her wardrobe she began to feel both thrilled and flattered at the looks she would get from her beloved landlord. The appreciative glances she got from him were rewards that greatly outweighed her initial hesitation for fear of provoking a physical response. Unsurprisingly, the young man remained honorable, keeping himself at a distance and only making physical contact with Shinobu whenever she initiated it. Not once did he ever go beyond what she was comfortable with. This allowed the young girl to safely express herself and gradually increased self esteem to a level she never thought she could attain.
"I-I just like it when he looks at me like that. It makes me feel good about myself," Shinobu said in a small voice.
"There's no need to be embarrassed. We love it when our Regent looks at us like that. All of us do!" Mutsumi said confidently, turning to look at Motoko and giving her a knowing smile.
"Yep, even Motoko!" Kaolla piped up, winking at the rather embarrassed sword maiden. Motoko looked to object but was interrupted by the Goth girl.
"But luckily for big brother, he doesn't have to mentally undress Motoko since she's already quite naked when he stares at her like that." Kanako said with a smirk. Shinobu blinked repeatedly at the Shinmei-Ryu warrior in surprise.
Motoko looked disappointedly at the three other slave girls before turning away in embarrassment. "It is not like I have a choice in the matter. I am forbidden to wear clothes in the Annex and so I am always naked and kept in restraints during training. There is no way for me to cover myself up. Thus Regent Urashima can gaze upon my body as much as he pleases and I can do nothing about it," she defended.
"As if you would. We don't need to read you to know how much you've started to enjoy having him stare at you." Kanako said teasingly.
"Not…allowed…clothes?" Shinobu asked in astonishment.
"Slave girls are not allowed to wear clothes in the Annex, Shinobu. It's in the rules." Mutsumi explained.
"So when you're all in the Annex in Keitaro, all of you girls are naked?" The young chef asked, unsure about how she felt about this development.
"Yep! It's just like it was in the old Academy, except that now I don't worry about who might be leering at me. I mean, we're all girls so I got nothing to hide. And since big brother is the only Regent, I don't really have a problem with anyone seeing me naked during training anymore." Kaolla said happily.
"But you all gather in the Annex every afternoon. Does that mean you all have sex with Keitaro all the time too?" Asked Shinobu, feeling disappointed…and a bit jealous.
"Just because big brother is surrounded by a room full of naked slave girls doesn't mean that he's constantly using us for his pleasure. Even though we'd be happy to please him any hour of any day, he seems quite happy just to keep us close and gaze at our nudity. Occasionally, he will pick one of us to use and abuse, but that doesn't happen as often as you might think. And it's not for the lack of us trying either," Kanako explained.
"And I just recently became intimate with him for the first time yesterday afternoon, even after I've told him many times that he could have me whenever he wanted ever since he hired me." Mutsumi said with a smile and shrug.
"Yeah, poor Motoko is the only one still waiting for her turn," Kaolla said pouting playfully drawing a frown from the aforementioned slave girl trainee.
"You mean, he hasn't done anything to Motoko at all?" Shinobu asked skeptically. Although it was unlikely given what she knew about their beloved landlord, a small part of her believed that Keitaro would have exacted his revenge on the sword maiden immediately on the very first day. Having it confirmed was still surprising, though.
"He has done nothing but look at her admiringly. And as much as Motoko enjoys it, I'm pretty sure she'd rather that he do something more," Mutsumi said teasingly.
"And what makes you think I want…" Motoko started only to get her denials interrupted.
"Oh c'mon Motoko. It's obvious how much you like it since your nipples get rock hard and you open your legs a little wider when you "pretend" not to notice him staring at you. And don't even act as if you haven't been shaving your legs diligently and trimming your bush to make your pussy look nicer. We've been bathing with you for years and it's kinda hard for us to miss the extra care you've been taking with a part of your body that used to be only seen by us girls." Kaolla said cheekily.
"Besides, we know you like him. What would be the point of making him enjoy looking at you if not to entice him to partake of you?" Mutsumi asked airily.
Motoko looked sternly at the smirking slave girls, and then crossed her arms and looked away. "They why hasn't he?" she huffed finally.
The sword maiden's reluctant admittance was instantly met with cheers and applause. Even Kanako was applauding despite the smirk she had on her face. Shinobu was smiling as she recalled how her own admission of fondness for Keitaro was received. It really was fun seeing someone else being teased for once. Despite her embarrassment, Motoko couldn't help but smile a bit.
"If you are all finished cornering me into admitting my desire to have physical relations with Ke…Regent Urashima, I would like to know why it was so important that I admit it in front of everyone," Motoko stated with as much dignity as she could muster.
"Cause it's fun!" Kaolla said cheerfully, earning herself a pinch from her smirking older sister.
Mutsumi smiled and said, "Actually, it's because our beloved Regent firmly believes that you want nothing to do with him so he's stuck in a very awkward position right now. He knows it's his responsibility to evaluate you and provide you with an outlet through which you can experience the joys of submission, but at the same time he doesn't really want to force you into anything. In short, he doesn't see you as a slave girl."
"Didn't all the papers I signed effectively make me his slave girl?" Motoko asked, frowning a bit.
"Legally, yes. But deep inside he still sees you as the strong willed force of nature that stands firm in your convictions. He is unable to wrap his mind around the fact that you can be both a formidable warrior of the Shinmei-Ryu and a submissive slave…for the right person." The Okinawan girl explained, purposely leaving her statement open ended to make a point.
"But Kanako is just as formidable as I. How come he has no problems seeing her as both?" The sword maiden argued..
"Perhaps it's because I've never struck my big brother in anger…" Kanako said simply.
"Kanako, that's mean!" Kaolla complained at her big sister's awfully direct statement.
"There's no point in sugar coating this, little sister," Kanako replied. "If we intend to be honest with each other then we have no other option than to resort to the plain, blunt truth. Despite my long relationship with big brother, it still took me a long time before he was comfortable with being physical with me. Granted he has gotten better, but it still took time. Even with people that he had a long and loving history with like Mutsumi."
Motoko sighed sadly and asked, "So have my efforts all been in vain?"
"No, not at all. But you need be honest with yourself moving forward. Are you really doing all this just for a shot at Keitaro? Or are you really sorry for what you've done in the past and wish to atone for it by being his slave?" Kanako asked.
The sword maiden thought silently for a moment then replied softly, "Can it not be both?"
The Goth girl snorted and said, "Good. Now you ARE being honest. Don't worry, we would have never let Keitaro accept you as a trainee if we didn't believe that you had a submissive side in you. The problem is that you've buried it behind your art."
"W-What are you talking about?" Motoko asked worriedly.
"We all know that the Shinmei-Ryu are proud warriors with very firm beliefs. You assaulted Keitaro because you felt that he was a threat to yourself and everyone in the inn. However, the entire point of your animosity was not just because you felt he was being perverted, but also because you hoped that one day he'd turn around and fight back. Deep inside, you wanted him to both defeat and conquer you." Kanako said frankly. The sword maiden merely blushed and looked away guiltily.
Shinobu watched Motoko's reaction and couldn't help but agree. The young chef remembered reading a short story like this in the older girl's notebook. At first, she couldn't believe that someone like her would have such a steamy "bodice ripper" type fantasy like that. Now in retrospect, she realized that the handful of stories Mitsune pointed out DID portray the heroine as being subdued or under the control of the male protagonist. And he always seemed to be described similar to Keitaro…
"Ooooh…to be a prize by conquest. How romantic!" Mutsumi said dreamily.
"Wasn't that kinda like how I was back then? I mean, I wanted to be with big brother. But I was so messed up in the head so I hurt him instead," Kaolla asked.
"Yes, but in your case, little sister, you realized your error and decided to make amends on your own. Motoko needed outside help. She had the disadvantage of negotiating between her lifelong training and her inner desires. I think she found herself trapped with no possible outlet until Granny Hina made this offer. Is that not right, Motoko?" The Goth girl asked.
The blushing Heir of the Shinmei-Ryu nodded, seeing no point in denying anything. "You are correct. While I honestly did wish to atone, I also had selfish desires as well," she said honestly. The Academy graduates looked at each other and grinned, nodding approvingly.
"Wonderful! So will you stop pretending you don't want him now?" Mutsumi asked cheerfully.
"Do I have a choice?" Motoko sighed.
"Do you want to have a choice?" Kanako posed, smirking knowingly.
"You know, a gagged slave girl can't say 'no' …" Kaolla joked, drawing a giggle from Okinawan.
"I suppose we could have Keitaro throw a sack over her head, drag her over to some discrete corner of the Annex, and then have him ravish her…" The Goth girl suggested teasingly.
Motoko stared pointedly at Kanako with her eyebrows furrowed. The warrior part of her was offended that they thought such an attempt would even succeed. Granted, the thought of Keitaro actually subduing her provoked some very interesting feelings…
Unsure whether or not the slave girls were kidding, Shinobu blurted out worriedly, "Motoko would kill Sempai if he tried!"
"Not if she's tied up. That's part of the reason why we always keep her helpless and available in the Annex," mused Mutsumi.
"You said that was for training!" Motoko complained.
"It is. But I decided to use more thorough restraints not only because you looked lovely in them, but also because we were afraid you might lash out at our beloved Regent accidentally." The Okinawan trainer reasoned. Kaolla nodded in agreement, and then shrugged while smiling sheepishly.
The blushing Shinmei-Ryu warrior pondered a moment then asked, "If I were to give my word that I will never lash out at Regent Urashima again, will you cease restraining me so severely and allow me to be bound similarly to Su during training?"
"I guess that depends on whether you're ready to admit your feelings to him or not." Mutsumi said simply.
"Why does it always have to come back to that?" Motoko sighed.
"Because that's the way he is. For him to want you, you must first let him know that it is okay for him to want you. The best way to do that is to admit that you want him. That will help you form that special bond of trust between the two of you. It's the only way for you to truly come full circle…sister…" Kanako replied.
Unbidden, a smile slowly formed on the sword maiden's face.