1 - Foreplay

I stepped through the hole in the world, moving from a cozy interior office to an alleyway outside. I heard two small footsteps behind me and a small electrical sound. I looked back to see the portal I had just stepped through closed and a small girl standing there.

I'd never been very good at telling the age of someone just by looking at them, and there was a quality to the girl that made it even more difficult to pin down. She was young, but not pre-pubescent. Her odd and revealing outfit, a goth lolita dress with the front side of it replaced with ribbons that exposed 90% of the skin there, showed that she had started growing, with hints of curves and two small breasts that were completely exposed except for the black tape covering her nipples.

Not that her age really mattered, because I knew who she was. Ophis, the Infinite Dragon God. She was a shapeshifter, and older than most life-bearing planets. I had no idea why she chose to look like a little girl, but I didn't care. Legal lolis are fine too.

She looked up at me and tilted her head slightly, no doubt wondering why I was looking at her. Her expression was completely blank though. No, it was more apathetic. She didn't care what was going on.

My eyes glanced down to her equally exposed stomach, where a mark was plainly visible. A tattoo on her lower stomach, right above her crotch, that tied her to me. The center of the tattoo was a helmet with horns coming from it, and it was circled by a snake eating its own tail. An Ouroboros.

"Come on, let's go look around," I said as I looked forward again. "Tell me if you detect anything strange or non-human within a hundred meters of us."

"Okay," she said in a flat voice as I started walking. I exited the alley and got my first proper look at the city. It was night and the streets were fairly dead, but not completely so. I saw a couple other late-night pedestrians, but they weren't paying any attention to me. The streets were clean at least, and everything had a fairly modern look.

I tried to dredge up some specific memories over a dozen years old and grimaced. Time had blurred them enough that I couldn't be sure exactly where in the city I was. Well, that was fine. I picked a random direction and started walking. So long as we weren't here too early or too late, which I didn't believe was the case, it wouldn't be hard to get started.

As we wandered the streets, I pulled out my phone and was browsing what I could buy from the Company. The Company was an omniversal organization that was, to put it bluntly, a group of slavers. They acquired and sold people from the entire omniverse. They stood above all. And I was working for them.

That was how the Company operated. While they had customers in countless worlds that paid them in local currency, they also hired people to acquire those girls. These agents would pick a world, get a certain number of credits based on how dangerous that world was, use it to buy perks, tools, racial traits, abilities, and even slaves. Then they used those to capture targets in the world they chose. By default, when a target is captured, they are cloned and that clone is sent off to the company to sell to others, earning the Agent credits and allowing them to keep the original. However, the original could be sold as well, for slightly more credits.

Morally, it was wrong. I also didn't give a fuck. I wouldn't have signed up for the job if I had an issue with it. In fact, I got off on the feeling of control and mentally changing a girl to turn her into a sex doll.

But right now I needed those tools and abilities, as I had barely anything other than Ophis. Unfortunately, I had distressingly few credits, which was something I hadn't worried about before but was now a massive issue. I felt my jaw clench in anger as my thoughts brushed against why I had so few credits, but I pushed it to the side. I couldn't let myself rage right now. I need to take that anger and focus it. I'd use it like the flames of a forge, heating up the metal that I was hammering into shape.

Calming my rage cleared my head enough for me to put things in another perspective. Truth be told, I was in a good position. The credits I had were more than I would normally get for starting in a world of this Danger Rating, and I had Ophis here to protect me. I couldn't use her to accomplish my goals, not directly, but I wasn't worried about that. This world was an easy one, a safe one.

Still, Ophis did have a few indirect ways she could help. "There," she spoke up suddenly. I stopped and turned to face her. She was pointing in a direction, and when I looked in the direction she was pointing I saw the entrance to a park.

"How many?" I asked her.

"Just one, alone," she said.

I nodded. "Empower me with one of your snakes," I instructed her. Without any change in expression, she raises her hand, and a snake-shaped hole in reality shot from her hand and wrapped around me. I flinched reflexively but didn't fight it as it seeped into my body.

Ophis was considered a God in her world. I wasn't sure if she actually was, but she was as powerful as one, so the distinction was moot. One of the things she could do was share the smallest fraction of her power, in the form of a black snake, that could empower others.

As the last traces of it disappeared, I felt power surge through me. I felt stronger and more capable. It was only a fraction of the power I used to have, but it would do. I put a hand on Ophis' head, patting her. Her expression grew slightly confused as if she didn't understand what I was doing, but she didn't seem to mind it.

I removed my hand from her head. "Follow me. Don't take any action except to defend me." With those instructions, I headed into the park to confront the non-human there.

Based on what I remembered, there were one of two people I expected to find here. It was strange that "alone in a park" only narrowed it down that much, but either option was fine with me.

Guided by a few words from Ophis, I find who I'm looking for quickly. A woman sitting on a park bench, looking forlorn and wearing little except for a torn and bloodstained lab coat, and on her forehead, partially obscured by her bangs, is a familiar red mark of a bird in flight, a yin yang symbol, and four tomoe. The mark of a Sekirei.

I was told that I'd be starting in a world that wasn't too dangerous but could help me start building power. The world of Sekirei was definitely that. It was a modern-day world, but here in the capital of Japan, now known as Shin Teito, there were 108 aliens known as Sekirei. These aliens bonded with people to who they reacted, forming permanent bonds with them. They were insanely loyal and loving to their masters, their Ashikabi, and were superhuman.

Among those 108 Sekirei, a few were special. Number 1 was the most special of them all, barely able to be called the same species. And numbers 2 through 9 were known as the single digits and were more powerful. This was because the Sekirei originally came to this world on a spaceship, and in it was a fully grown number 1, partially grown numbers 2 through 9, and the rest were just embryos.

Mid Bio Informatics, a prominent pharmaceutical and health company, was the one that discovered them. They adjusted the Sekirei to more human levels. But they were limited in what they could do to the single digits, and they couldn't do anything to the already grown number 1. But the embryos were tinkered with and made less dangerous to humans.

There was a way to revert that, but that was a goal for later. Right now, I needed to claim the Sekirei in front of me. Normally all that was needed was a kiss. But the Sekirei I had just found was a bit special. She was Akitsu, number 7, and she was also known as a Scrapped number. Normally a Sekirei's crest doesn't appear until they've been winged, and it appears at the base of the back of their neck. But her crest appeared by itself, on her forehead. Normally this would mean she couldn't find an Ashikabi. But I had other methods of binding girls to me.

Akitsu didn't react as I came to a stop in front of her, her eyes staring blankly through me. Not a surprise. If I remember correctly, this is the result of a scientist being fired and deciding to try to rape Akitsu before he left. The not-insignificant amount of blood spattered on the lab coat she was wearing indicated it didn't go well for him.

"Are you a Sekirei?" I asked her. She blinked and seemed to be cognizant of my existence for the first time. She looked up at me and nodded slowly, her expression blank. It wasn't unlike Ophis' expression, though Ophis was more indifferent, where Akitsu just seemed empty.

"My name is Sam," I said. "Would you like me to wing you?"

She slowly shook her head, her expression growing sad. "Can't," she said, her voice cracking slightly. "I'm...broken."

I crouched in front of her. "I know you're a scrapped number, and I know what that means," I said. She withdrew a little at my words, but I kept going. "But let me tell you something you don't know. You might be an alien from another planet, but I'm from a different universe. I have options available to me that neither you nor MBI could even conceive of. I'm completely confident in my ability to become your Ashikabi, become your master."

Normally telling someone you're a multiversal traveler is a bad idea for multiple reasons. The primary one being that they'll think you're crazy. But I didn't care. I knew Akitsu would believe me, and I knew she wouldn't tell anyone. And so what if someone found out I was claiming to be from another reality? I was confident that it wouldn't cause me any issues here.

I could see a small glimmer of hope in her eyes that was at war with her despair, so I decided to push a little harder. I pointed at Ophis. "This is Ophis, a goddess from another world. See that mark on her stomach? That means she's mine. If I can claim her, then I can make you mine as well."

Granted, I had bought Ophis, but Akitsu didn't need to know what. Her eyes widened, obviously feeling Ophis' power, her eyes taking in the appearance of the tattoo. She then looked back at me and nodded.

"Yes, Ashikabi. I want...to be winged. How?" she asked.

I stood up and held my hand out to her. "First, come with me back to my home. We can eat some food, you can clean up, and then we'll handle it. It's a little more involved than just a kiss."

She nodded again, slowly, and took my hand. Her hand was cold to the touch, but I expected as much. She was a cryokinetic, able to summon and control ice. I helped her stand up. Despite her appearance, she did so easily, with no faltering in her step, and I could feel her strength in her grip.

She also flashed me a little as she stood up, the lab coat parting in a way that exposed her to me. But if she noticed, she didn't show any sign of it. I drank in the sight but didn't let myself get distracted. We would be even more intimate shortly.

The three of us walked through the park, Akitsu's hand still in mine and Ophis bringing up the rear. It didn't take me too long to find what I needed; a wall just a little taller than me. I pulled out my phone and navigated the apps there until I found what I needed. With the push of a button, a rectangular portal appeared on the wall.

Akitsu's hand gripped mine a little tighter as the portal appeared, showing what looked like the entryway to a nice home. "Don't worry, this is simply one of the many things I can do," I told her. I let go of her hand and stepped through the portal, Ophis following behind me. Akitsu hesitated for a moment before stepping through as well.

"This is my home," I told her as I willed the portal closed behind her. "It exists in the space between dimensions and is inaccessible except through portals like that." Not entirely true, Ophis and other beings who could travel interdimensionally could probably reach it just fine. Or, they could, if I didn't have Ophis to guard it. She could only do that when she was here though.

This home was one of the few things I had spent my credits on. I was hesitant to spend too much right now. Acquiring more was difficult, and I could need them for a specific thing at any moment. It was better to hold on to them until I needed them. A pocket home like this was crucial though. It was a safe place to rest, relax, and eat. And more importantly, it had my workshop in the basement.

I didn't wait for Akitsu to get used to the new environment she suddenly found herself in. I walked through the halls, coming to a stop at a door. "This is a bathroom, you can take a shower and clean up while I make some food."

She nodded again, not saying anything as she entered the bathroom. She took the lab coat off, uncaring that the door was still open, and let it drop to the floor. I took another moment to look her over. She was about five and a half feet tall, had neck-length light brown hair, pale white skin, and very nice curves. Both her ass and her boobs were moderately large and topped by a pair of pink nipples.

She turned to me, bloody lab coat in her hand. "What about this?" she asked, unsure.

I held my hand out. "I'll trash it and leave some clothes for you," I told her. She nodded and handed it to me before stepping into the shower section of the bathroom. That door she did close behind her. Ah well.

I handed Ophis the bloody lab coat. "Dispose of this and bring down a simple set of clothes from the master bedroom upstairs. Place it on the sink over there."

Ophis nodded and disappeared, rapidly dissolving into black mist as she teleported away. Honestly, it felt a little surreal to order around a being that could atomize me with a thought. But it was also a pretty big turn-on.

Still, she left without a word too. Neither of my companions were very chatty. Well, I was used to that. Nino had been pretty quiet before-

My fist clenched tightly, nails digging into my skin hard enough to threaten to draw blood. No, I couldn't think about her right now. I just got this house, I didn't want to break it in a fit of rage. I pushed those thoughts aside and left the bathroom, headed for the kitchen.

One of my few other purchases was a type of perk known as a Lure. Lures were intended to be used to help seduce and capture Waifus, so most of them were geared towards bringing you closer to the girl. Of them all, Faerie Feast might be the best one. After all, the ability to make food so good it could literally bring you to orgasm could make you anybody's best friend.

My body moved on autopilot as I cooked dinner. I did rein in the perk a little bit. I just wanted the food to be amazing. I didn't need to make it so good it was addictive. Not yet. That was better suited for when I needed to ramp it up a bit. It would still be the best thing they've ever tasted. I primarily got this lure to make sure Ophis was happy. Also because I couldn't imagine going back to normal food, not after eating Faerie Feast influenced food after all these years.

Ophis appeared after I had been cooking for a few minutes. She didn't say anything, just sat on a counter and watched me cook. I wasn't sure if she was attracted to the smell or just didn't have anything better to do. She wasn't in my way, so I paid her no mind and kept cooking.

I kept my cooking simple, and as I set the three plates of fried rice on the table, Akitsu wandered into the dining room, hair still damp and wearing nothing but a white button-up shirt. Except she hadn't buttoned it up, and she wasn't wearing any panties either.

Ophis had picked that for her? Why not something that fit her? No wait, the pocket dimension only had clothes for my captured and purchased waifus. So all it would have were my clothes and Ophis' clothes. And she wouldn't fit in Ophis' clothes.

Well, I wasn't complaining. It was an erotic look. "Perfect timing, why don't you come eat?" She nodded and took a seat. She seemed a bit more relaxed now. A bath and some time did wonders. Ophis was already sitting down and eating, shoveling food into her mouth with more emotion than I had ever seen from her. But that was Faerie Feast for you.

"Go ahead and dig in," I tell Akitsu, picking up my own fork. I could use chopsticks, but a fork was far more convenient. I took a bite and let myself bask in the flavor of the best-tasting fried rice I'd ever had. That was the best thing about Faerie Feast. It never got old, and you never got used to it. It was always the best thing you've ever had. It did ruin food made without the perk though. Not completely, but it was just so much less in comparison.

I watched Akitsu take her first bite, and I saw her eyes widen in surprise. Before I could blink, she was following Ophis' example and was shoveling the food into her mouth as fast as she could.

"Take care not to choke," I warned her with some amusement as I ate at a more sedate pace. I felt a tug on my sleeve and looked over to see Ophis, her plate empty as she looked at me intently. "Do you want more?" I asked. She nodded, and I stood up. "Don't touch my plate, got it?" She nodded again, unable to resist an order like that.

Assured that my own food was safe, I went to the kitchen and got two more plates. Sure enough, by the time I got back, Akitsu's plate was also clean and she was looking at my own plate with desire in her eyes. I placed a plate of food in front of them, and they didn't even hesitate to dig in.

"That's the rest of it, I didn't make any more than that, and I won't tonight," I told them. I knew the dangers of Faerie Feast. The first time I had it I hadn't stopped cooking and eating the food. Even with my strengthened body, I had pushed past far beyond the limits of my stomach and had spent several miserable hours in the bathroom afterward. After that, whenever I cooked, I made sure to never cook too much.

They both nodded, and the three of us finished our meal in silence. After we were done, we all leaned back and basked in the aftermath of a good meal. "Ophis," I said after a moment. "Why don't you go to the living room, I believe there's a TV there that should provide some entertainment."

She paused but nodded. While the wording I gave wasn't an order, she was still inclined to do what I said, so long as it wasn't something she was opposed to. She got up and left the room, leaving me alone with Akitsu, who was sitting up now.

"Normally to wing a Sekirei, all you need is a kiss," I started. She nodded, knowing this. There was a hint of sadness, in her expression at the reminder that she couldn't be winged that way. But it was almost entirely drowned out by hope. To a Sekirei, or most of them at least, there was very little that mattered to them more than finding an Ashikabi and bonding with them. It was love and their reason for existence. And with the things I had shown her, Akitsu seemed ready to believe that I could make it happen for her, despite her previous beliefs of it being impossible.

And I could. I wasn't sure if it would be a traditional winging, but I had high hopes. The Company was pretty flexible like that. I had a couple ways of capturing a target, but there was one I preferred above the others.

"In your case, we'll need a bit more," I said. "Kissing isn't enough. We'll have to have sex." I didn't draw it out, just stated it bluntly.

"Ah," she said out loud in a soft voice. "That will work?" She seemed unsure, but not against the idea.

"It will with me," I assured her. "Even with non-Sekirei, I can bond with girls by having sex with them." It was a perk of my chosen Heritage. Signing on as an agent of the company gave you more than just special abilities. You could even change your race entirely by choosing a Heritage perk. They had quite a large number to choose from, but I was given the opportunity to beta test one in particular, the Demon heritage.

As a Demon, I was able to choose a sin to represent, and my choice was Lust, effectively making me an incubus. One of the things that came along with being an incubus was a unique capture method. I could sleep with a girl and it would bind them like I had used a Stamp on them. A Stamp was the default binding method, and it did little more than enforce their loyalty, friendship, and sexual interest in me. They had to follow direct orders, but they weren't forced to like it, not entirely. A genuinely good person would protest doing something cruel, but would still do it.

Her eyes widened. "It seems my Ashikabi is amazing," she commented, and I grinned. I had her. I stood up and walked around the table until I was behind her and I placed both hands on her shoulders, which I squeezed lightly.

"Indeed I am," I said. "And I can show you exactly how amazing I am if you want. All you have to do is say yes, and I'll wing you in my special way."

If there was a downside to my demonic binding method, it was that it needed to be consensual. I couldn't just rape a girl and have them by mine. They either needed to have sex with me of their own volition or agree to become my slave. Which meant rape was still on the table, but it required me to break them down first, pleasuring them until they agreed to become mine. I couldn't just knock them out or restrain them, I had to sexually torture them until they agreed. Which I didn't mind doing, in fact, I looked forward to it. But it was far more work than just seducing them in most cases.

"Please," was all she said.

AN: The following scene has been mostly cut and the remainder modified for the FFN version, see AN #2 for details

I took her right there on the kitchen table, making love to her until we both climaxed, two light blue wings appearing behind her back.

After a few moments, the wings disappeared and Akitsu opened her eyes. Gone was all emotion except for love. "My Ashikabi," she said in a soft and loving voice. "Forever and ever."

With that, she passed out, her energy gone. Well then. She probably had a long day. I picked Akitsu up in a bridal carry and moved to leave the room, coming to a stop in front of Ophis, who was still standing in the doorway.

"Is there something you need, Ophis?" I asked her casually, despite my nudeness.

She glanced briefly at my lower half before looking up at me. "What was that?"

"We were having sex," I said, seeing no reason to hide it or pretty it up. "It's something that feels good for both of us."

"I see," she said. "Will we have sex?"

"Are you interested?" I asked. Ophis wasn't very expressive. I wasn't sure if she would even be interested in sex. Then again, the Company would hardly have a waifu who wasn't interested in sex. The basic binding would make them interested if they weren't already.

She nodded. "We'll have sex soon then," I told her. "If you're a good girl that listens to me."

"Okay," she said. Then she turned around and went back to the living room, where the television was still on.

Well, that was a weird interaction, but a promising one. I continued walking, uncaring of my nudity, and headed upstairs to the master bedroom where I put Akitsu down onto the bed and tucked her in.

My phone, sitting on the nightstand, beeped quietly. I paused. Hadn't I left that downstairs in my pants pocket? Though I guess it did have a function of always being near me. I shrugged and picked it up, looking for why it beeped, and I saw a message.

Congratulations on winging a Sekirei! As a reward for obtaining your first Sekirei, you have been granted a bonus capture method. You can now kiss unclaimed Sekirei to wing them normally, as an Ashikabi would. This is the normal method and does not work on Sekirei who have already been winged by an Ashikabi unless they have been terminated. Other binding methods, however, can take a claimed Sekirei and make them your own. Have fun!

Huh. Convenient. Being an Ashikabi required more than just kissing a Sekirei. It was actually a genetic trait. Long ago, other Sekirei had landed on Earth, and they had mingled with humans. Potential Ashikabi were the descendants of those Sekirei and the humans they mated with back then. Without that genetic code, you couldn't be an Ashikabi.

But something like that was nothing to an organization like the Company. Now I could capture unwinged Sekirei normally, despite not even being born on a version of Earth with Sekirei on it. That was certainly easier and more convenient, even if it was less fun.

I put the phone back on the nightstand and slipped under the covers next to Akitsu. I pulled her bare back to me, my erection pressing against the soft flesh of her ass. Instead of being aroused though, I felt my eyelids grow tired as sudden fatigue overtook me. It had been a long day for me as well. Too long, and too hard to think about right now.

The world faded to black, and I entered a deep and dreamless sleep in moments.

I woke up to sunlight on my face and the feeling of two bodies pressed against me. I slowly blinked the sleep out of my eyes, my mouth open wide as I silently yawned. Wait, two bodies? I looked down in confusion. On my left was Akitsu, as I expected. She was as naked as she was when I fell asleep, her boobs comfortably pressed against my arm as her leg wrapped around my own.

To my right was an equally naked Ophis, her slim body mirroring Akitsu, though with less padding pressing against my arm. It was still a nice feeling though, and I liked the juxtaposition of a busty girl on one side and a loli on the other. If I had to guess, Ophis found us in bed together and decided to join, stripping because the two of us were naked.

Unfortunately, I had things that needed to be done, so I couldn't spend all morning in bed. I extracted myself from the grips of the two girls without waking them up and left my bedroom.

After a quick shower and throwing on a casual outfit, I started making breakfast. Only a few minutes into it I hear the other two girls come downstairs, both still naked. I contemplate for a moment if I should let them stay naked. It's a nice sight. But no, we have to go out today, so they may as well get dressed.

"Both of you should have a room upstairs," I told them. "Figure out which one is yours and look in the closets. There should be clothes that fit you. Go ahead and get dressed." The two of them stopped in their tracks, wordlessly looking at me, and then at the food I was still preparing. Seeing that I had just started, they both nodded and went back upstairs.

I was already going to have to upgrade the house soon. It was currently at the Sweet Home level, which meant I had a master bedroom, three other bedrooms, a comprehensive living area, and three extra rooms. One of those was still unassigned and could be turned into a bedroom, but the other two were already decided. Which means I only had enough room for one or two other girls here.

I wasn't sure how necessary it was though. The upgrade wouldn't be too expensive, I earned more credits than it cost by capturing Akitsu last night. But I was hesitant to spend any points I didn't absolutely have to. There were still two more bedrooms, and I planned on getting a place to stay in the normal world. Plus, I could probably get two girls per bedroom, right?

Either way, it could wait. There were more expensive items that I would like to save for while keeping at least 20 credits available to me at all times. 20 credits was enough to purchase a Tier 5 girl, and there were a lot of situations that could be solved by the right Tier 5 girl, especially in a world with a relatively low threat level like this one.

At that moment I had over 130 credits, but I wasn't sure how high I could keep that number. There were quite a few things I knew I should probably purchase sooner rather than later. But again, I didn't want to until I needed to. I was stuck. There were things I needed to keep me safe, but I didn't have enough points for all of them. I could buy the ones most likely to be of use, but potentially never use them and then not have the credits for what I needed when I faced it.

I took a deep breath and forced my thoughts to come to a stop. No, my strategy of waiting until I needed something before purchasing it was fine. I had Ophis, and I now had one of the strongest Sekirei completely devoted to me. I was safe here, for now. No enemies were coming for my life and no allies that could betray me.

I pulled out my phone while I was cooking and opened one of the apps. It was the app used for world travel. It had a list, but only the first and last one were named, the rest were question marks. I chose the one that said "Sekirei", indicating this world, and it pulled up another screen.

1. Capture at least 5 Sekirei of any ranking(1/5)
2. Find and obtain at least 4 Jinki(0/4)
Both tasks must be done without the direct help of a Tier 11 Waifu

Strictly speaking, these were the only two things I needed to achieve while here. The first one was easy, and I would spend most of my time over the next couple of weeks focused on it. The second one was harder.

Eight ships of Sekirei landed on Earth, each with 108 Sekirei and a single Jinki. The first 7 landed in the past, and the eighth one crashed into the ocean and was only recently discovered, hence the Sekirei wandering the streets now.

MBI had collected all eight Jinki, mystical artifacts with a connection to the Jinki. The manga made a big deal out of them being able to wipe out all Sekirei and potential Ashikabi, but I was far more interested in their other capabilities. The way they could empower Sekirei.

I only had to get four of them. But my own goal was to get all eight. That would be trickier, but it was doable, especially as things progressed and MBI started handing them out as prizes.

I heard the girls coming back downstairs and put my phone away, focusing on finishing breakfast. I had my goals, and I even had a plan. There was a place I could go to get started on several issues at once. Wing a few Sekirei, obtain a Jinki, and even obtain a place to stay in the real world. Izumo Inn, the inn run by Sekirei 01, Miya.

Akitsu and I wandered the streets of Shinto Teito. I had told Ophis to stay in the pocket dimension to guard it, though that was only half the reason I didn't bring her. The other half was that she stood out too much. Even with normal clothes, which she had a few of in her closet, there were still her pointed ears, and anyone sensitive to the supernatural could feel her power.

I had her empower Akitsu before we left though. One of the nice things about capturing a waifu was that they would grow to their full potential as soon as you captured them. And while Akitsu hadn't grown much from that, her skills had likely become more refined, and Ophis' snake would bring her to the level where she was a serious threat. She was already a single digit. Now? There were two Sekirei I could think of that could maybe fight on par with her. Or so I assumed, I still hadn't seen her in action.

That was part of why we were wandering. I knew the general area the Izumo Inn was in, but not the exact one. I wasn't in a rush though, it wasn't even lunchtime, and I wanted to see if we ran into other Sekirei, winged or unwinged.

Our walk was uneventful though. Even Akitsu's outfit, a thin kimono that showed a lot of cleavage with chains keeping the kimono from opening entirely, didn't draw much attention. A few young men stared at her boobs, but a glare from me scared them off. Maybe Shinto Teito was just the kind of city where seeing people dressed strangely wasn't that strange? Or maybe it was some sort of low-level psychic effect of the Sekirei? I knew that they were mildly psychic, maybe a sort of "there's nothing strange about me" field was part of it? I'd have to look into it later.

My own outfit was far more normal. A pair of jeans, a pair of steel-toed work boots, a plain black t-shirt, and a light zip-up hoodie that I left open.

"Don't think we're gonna find anyone this morning," I said out loud to Akitsu at around noon. "Come on, let's get settled in at Izumo Inn."

"Yes, Ashikabi," she replied dutifully.

Some more wandering and asking a few people for directions led us to the place we were looking for. It was a traditional Japanese building surrounded by walls. It looked pretty nice, and there was a sign out front that clearly marked it as Izumo Inn, with a convenient "Tenants Wanted" sign below it. Perfect.

"Akitsu, while we're here, be careful about what you say," I instructed her. "Don't speak of anything that would hint at my other home, Ophis, or that there's anything abnormal about me. Understood?" There were numerous cameras and microphones hidden around the Inn after all. It would only be a concern for a short time though. I just needed to capture the voyeur responsible.

"Understood," I heard Akitsu say. Satisfied that she wouldn't give the game away too soon, I led the two of us to the front door and knocked.

A few moments later the door opened to reveal a beautiful woman with purple hair and wearing a white and purple kimono. "Yes?" Miya asked.

I put on my most charming smile. "Hello there, sorry to bother you. My name is Sam, and this is my wife Akitsu," I said, introducing the two of us. I felt Akitsu stiffen behind me as I called her my wife, making me wish I had done that somewhere I could see her face. "We recently arrived in the city and saw that you had rooms available as we looked for a place to stay."

Her eyes moved from my face and lingered on Akitsu's face, studying her for a moment before she looked back at me with a knowing smile. "We do indeed have rooms available. Please, come in. I'll make some tea, and we can discuss prices and rules."

No doubt she noticed Akitsu was a Sekirei, though I doubted she knew much more than that. Miya was Sekirei 01, but she was relatively hands-off with things and was pretending to be a normal widow that ran the Inn.

"Thank you very much," I said. I didn't have to fake my smile. I was looking forward to staying here, and the fun I would have.

Sekirei 02, Matsu, stared at the wall of monitors in front of her, eyes rapidly flicking between them as she took in all the information they were displaying. Her fingers danced over the keyboard in her lap, changing each screen as she processed the information they showed.

There was a soft knock on her door before it opened, and Miya walked in.

"Landlady," Matsu greeted her without taking her eyes off the screens.

"What did you find about him?" she asked. That did cause Matsu to turn around in surprise and look at Miya. "You started looking up information about him as soon as he arrived, right?"

"You've never asked me that before," she said.

Miya grimaced. "I don't think he's suspicious, and he had a Sekirei with him, so I agreed to rent out room 202 to him. They're out retrieving their belongings right now. But…" she trailed off before shaking her head. "There was something strange about him, and his Sekirei as well."

"The Sekirei is easy," Matsu said, turning back to the monitors. The largest one was suddenly filled with data, alongside a picture of the woman who was just downstairs. "Akitsu, Sekirei 07. A Scrapped Number."

Miya stiffened. "Are you sure about that? Because she was winged. I saw the crest at the nape of her neck, and I saw the way she looked at him."

Matsu grimaced. "I noticed as well. According to MBI's data, she was definitely prematurely winged by one of her adjusters. The adjuster in question was fired for the mistake but...before he left, he tried to force himself onto Akitsu." Matsu felt a dangerous aura coming from Miya, so she scrambled to continue. "Ah, but she fought him off, killing him in the process. After that, she fled. This all happened last night. Presumably, he found her and winged her, somehow."

Miya frowned. "I didn't think such a thing was possible. Does MBI know how?"

Matsu shook her head. "They don't even know she was winged yet. Akitsu fled before she had the full array of tracking equipment implanted into her. There's no way of knowing where she went last night, and her winged status isn't automatically tracked, it has to be manually updated."

"I see," Miya replied. "How about the man then? Sam, he said his name was."

"Nothing," Matsu replied with a growl. "I found the information about Akitsu in just a couple minutes. Since then I've been poring over every bit of data I can get my hands on but as far as I can tell, he didn't exist before today. Hell, he still doesn't exist. The only evidence I have that he exists is the camera footage from the cameras I've placed around the house."

"He did say he'd pay me in cash, maybe he just doesn't have an online presence?" Miya posited.

"No, you don't understand," Matsu argued. "MBI has been keeping a strict eye on everyone coming into and out of the city for months now. If he just arrived, MBI would have a record of it. But they don't."

"Did he sneak in then?" Miya asked. "If so, why?"

Matsu shook her head. "No idea. I'll keep looking. What was your impression of him?"

"He seemed like a nice young man," she replied. "Confident and serious, but polite. He obviously cared about his Sekirei, calling her his wife, and she seemed happy. He said he worked in a smithy."

"A dying industry," Matsu commented. "Are there even any smithies in Shin Teito?"

"There are a handful actually," Miya said. "I've gone to them to have tools and cookware repaired instead of replacing it. They're usually very small though."

"Hmm," Matsu replied noncommittally. "Well, I'll keep looking. Are you sure you want someone this shady sticking around?"

"Oh, I don't think it's that bad," she replied. "There are plenty of reasonable explanations for his lack of history. You should be able to empathize with hiding your tracks, no?" Miya smiled. "I'm willing to give him a chance. I'm sure he's not a bad person."

"We'll see," Matsu replied, unconvinced.

Miya shook her head. "Don't get too carried away looking into him. I'll bring up some lunch in a few minutes."

"Uh-huh," Matsu replied, already distracted by her search. As Miya left, Matsu focused on the screens, her eyes constantly darting to the still frame she took from the cameras she placed. He was tall, muscular, and had short but messy blond hair. His eyes were a dark gray and filled with confidence.

As she desperately searched for more information on the man, she failed to notice the way her heart beat faster or her face reddened whenever she looked at the picture of him.

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AN: Another fic? Yeah, sorry. I wasn't feeling very motivated for Villain of the Void, and I'm still reading/planning for Gamer of the Void, but I also finally decided to check out the Waifu Catalog. At first, I felt it was too restricting, but made a build anyway for fun. I went with a T11 build because my initial impression was that you got a super-powerful waifu, but not much of anything else, and I thought that was a neat way of balancing things. That is until I took a closer look at the prices and realized that no, the T11 build is just easy mode.

But I was inspired by that thought. The idea of starting out with very little except an OP waifu was interesting to me. Especially once I decided on Ophis, who would serve as good defense and decent utility, but she's not a very offensive waifu. At least, she's never shown to really do any attacking in DxD canon. And I liked that. She'd prove to be an invincible shield and provide some utility, but she wouldn't neutralize every obstacle or threat.

Over the course of a week, I kept refining and reworking the idea until it became an entirely different story than what I started with. But he still has Ophis, and he's still starting out with not much more than that.

Those of you familiar with the Waifu Catalog no doubt noticed some oddities and inconsistencies. I'm going to remain quiet on the details for now, as they'll be explained in the story in the future, but to address them: We've started partway through the story technically, so there's some prequel/backstory stuff that has influenced things. I've also come up with a custom Heritage for this because the Dragon one is overused and I had a theme I wanted to work with. I did my best to balance it to the same level as the other Heritages. Both the details of what happened and the custom Heritage I'm using will be revealed in time.

For those of you not familiar with the Waifu Catalog, don't you worry, I've tried to explain it in a clear but brief manner so you understand the general gist of it and I'll continue to do so.

I have 7 planned worlds for this fic(though that list is subject to change), but none of them will be too long. 200k words at the most, with a few of them being well under that. Also, this fic will feature non-con, mind control, maledom, and some generally fairly dark smut, so if that's not your cup of tea, then bow out now.

Anyway, Gamer of the Void is still my priority, but Villain of the Void might take a backseat until I get back my motivation for it. Until then, I hope you enjoy this!

AN #2: So I guess this fic got reported at a time when the admins were actually paying attention and it was deleted for breaking the rules by having explicit content. Which means that I'm going to have to remove the explicit scenes for FFN. If you want the unedited versions, look on QQ or Ao3. I'll put a link to my profiles of both those sites on my profile. You need to make an account to view NSFW threads on QQ.