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The following is a fan-based

FICTION

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Chapter 23: A Few Doors Open


If before I had just a hint of curiosity over Taffy's newest approach in my regard, now I was quite convinced that she had indeed taken a focus on me in particular when it came to 'test out' affectionate methods. It wasn't outright flirting as she seemed to catch herself before going too deep with that kind of attempt.

I was surprised and worried at first, but then I actually found the entire idea… amusing. Even Mora, despite her own doubts about the lovable bun being that kind of individual seemed to grow entertained by the new circumstance. Sure, there were moments where the pinkette would steal a hug or two, but she didn't go 'too much' with those. It was clear that she was feeling as awkward as one could at going so intense so suddenly. Especially when Taffy herself was never one to hug people this readily.

The only way I could explain why she decided to go for that kind of approach was that, since I was with Mora, I wasn't in the fine position of pushing her to do anything. Something that, to be fair, she would manage to achieve even with Sander and Randal. Both, compared to Miles, were fairly restrained- especially the Collie Prime with how calm and content he could be with so little. The humble aspect just seemed to put him in a favorable spot to date someone like Taffy and… yet that didn't happen for some reason.

Maybe I was really missing something about that entire predicament as I could see Sander still inspiring a little bit of Miles with his early approaches when talking to girls, but having a better grasp on when to stop pushing. Something that his sister lacked in most part when she knew she had the chance to push me in some aspects. It was something that had started to gain traction even with Rachael, with both actually taking chances to ask my attention to handle simple stuff that was generally… normal. Rachael was more into training through spars with me, but not asking for anything lewd out of it, while Sandy shifted her effort to 'do more job in exchange of extras in her wage'. Which was actually fine as confirmed by her contract, but it also left a troublesome element that made me wary of these two.

I saw them talk to each other. A lot. And I was fairly sure that they were plotting something due to their constant gazing aimed at me whenever they were together. I could tell it wasn't anything malicious or dangerous, especially since I knew them well enough now to not need to worry about such a silly matter- no, the issue stemmed more from the fact they were also eyeing Mora in the process, with Sandy being all giddy and eager when the Cow Prime's name was brought up, while Rachael had the kind of look one would get from swallowing a lemon.

Things sure were heating up in that process, but for the rest… everything was supposedly fine with the others. That was until Digit actually returned back to me with a couple of photos she had printed the 'proof' she wanted to show to the others. I was surprised by this development, but then she gave me the chance to give it a proper look. Albeit the pictures were mostly taken in a heat vision mode, it was clear to make out the shapes highlighted by the vision. Two small humanoids that were floating without using any means… beyond what I could assume being magic. Both wore skimpy sleeveless clothes with one wearing a witch-like hat, while the other one had a pair small wing-like protrusion coming just over her ears, possibly a headgear than proper wings.

I could only nod and utter the only words that I could mention about this matter. "You were right on this, Digit."

She giggled and celebrated a little bit, and I realized how much of an irritating thing it had to have been for her to be called a liar in that regard. Still, while I was convinced of this, I knew we both had to bring this up to Mora and see what to do. And that's where the problem really started as I showed the pictures to the Cow Prime, the young woman stared at those for long and then… blinked.

"There's nothing."

That response caught me off-guard.

"W-What? Mora, I know this is strange but there are two humanoids here and there," I said while poking my finger at the photo in question, right where the figures were.

"And dear, I can say there is nothing there."

I was confused by this development, and so was Digit as her jaw hung low at that reply. I kept quiet for a moment… and then nodded. "I suppose there is nothing there. Maybe my eyes are playing tricks on me."

Mora nodded slowly, surprised by my willingness to let go of this and still clueless as to why these pictures were there. The Nanozell Spirit looked ready to protest when I said we would check better before coming with this situation, and, once we were out of her office, the girl spoke up.

"Why did we leave like that? Mora couldn't see them."

I nodded, understanding more than well how angry she was, but I had my own reason to beat retreat there and not press the issue.. "Which means that there is something more other than just being invisible to others."

Digit paused, and then frowned as she digested my words. "Are you saying that they have done something to the others and made it so they can't be seen but just a handful?"

"It would seem so," I argued calmly. "We can double-check by asking others to look at the pictures. Surely someone else beyond us can see them."

And that was actually what we did. I was so certain we weren't the only ones that could see those and we asked around. Randal was unable to spot anything, same for Sander and Taffy; Miles imagined three chicks blowing kisses at him, Rachael saw just a blot and Sandy saw four hunks flexing at her- she even had the gall of asking if this was the 'prelude of spicier pictures'. Truly a grueling search, but one that eventually took us to check on two others before going out to see Minos on this too. Sarah had taken the process of testing her prowess as a writer particularly serious. Idward mentioned how she was dedicated, albeit lacking when it came to some basic aspects of grammar due to her lack of education. Those mistakes could be fixed… especially when her creativity was nothing to scoff at, even though infantile to the core when it came to fantasy-related stories. She had just a few short ones, but those were pleasant to read and entertaining once Idward was done fixing the mistakes left and right.

So, we found both by Idward's room, with the Fox Prime carefully having Sarah practice some reading of complex stories and some of her own exercises to fix her missing grasp on the grammar. Both greeted us happily, clearly enjoying a little break, and giving me the chance to offer them the pictures and see what they could find there.

"Oh, there are two fairies," Sarah hummed in surprise, looking both surprised and eager at once. "One is also… a witch?"

I could only nod at this, happy that this confirmed my suspicions. My relief was broken when Idward took a glimpse at these and… he sighed in a state of dismay.

"What did they do?" He asked calmly, making it seem like he was somewhat responsible for those creatures.

"You know what those are?"

"I call them my 'muses'. They are two fairies that I managed to find back when I was first… removed from the farm. I ended up on a deserted Island and made some friends with the natives. Lovely people, they thought I was a god," He mirthfully remembered. "They ended up following me here, and I know they can be quite troublesome when in some mood. What happened?"

"They have been causing some issues around and-"

"They tried to break into my core," Digit swiftly said, as if trying to make it too quick for me to hear. Sadly, I heard and… I was quickly shocked by what I just heard. I had studied the core that was now tied to her down in the basement when it came to set it up. While it wasn't an essential element for her to be fine, the main purpose of it was to give Digit a perfect 'understanding' of what was going on in the farm. If the core ended up suddenly unplugged without the appropriate care put through it.

"What?" I asked, my voice sounding stern due to the seriousness of the matter, just enough to make Digit herself flinch at that as she didn't say much about it.

"I didn't want to worry you or Mora," She argued weakly and I huffed.

"That doesn't mean you had to keep quiet about it," I remarked, sounding legitimately upset as I knew how that would have been a really dangerous element for her if they succeeded even so in damaging the core. "You could have said something about it and we would have put more effort in trying to stop this early on."

She looked a little nervous, caught completely unprepared by this lecture… and I was soon given an odd look from Sarah. It looked like a mix of annoyance and confusion.

"But why are you taking it on Digit?" The blonde asked and I found myself sighing as I realized how much steam I was letting out without keeping track of it.

"It's… I'm not angry at Digit, just incredibly concerned by the fact she didn't tell me about this first. Either me or Mora in that regard," I replied with a tired look. "Digit's core, the big gem in the basement, isn't exactly something that can be damaged, which is why the only way it can sustain anything would be from direct aggression and… that wouldn't do well for her."

"I'm not very informed on Nanozell Technology, could you elaborate on this part?" The writer asked and I sighed.

"Think of it as a process similar to shutting down a pc by turning off the power from an entire house. I believe you are aware of the damage that would do to the computer itself if that happens," I offered this as an example as I knew it was a common issue even nowadays, and I was relieved when the Fox Prime nodded. "The situation is similar but… worse. Much worse. If the core is unplugged out of nowhere, that could ultimately damage Digit and she could-"

"It's not happening!" Digit jumped in tensely, clearly frightened by the concept itself. "They didn't- they didn't get close to that. So there isn't anything to worry about. Anything."

She didn't mind that I carefully pulled in a hug. She nuzzled onto my shoulder and I patted the back of her head. "That doesn't mean I'll just stop worrying. Okay? How about we talk some more about it in private?"

At first the Nanozell Spirit remained silent and too invested into the hug, but soon she delivered a slow nod that I perceived through the embrace and I nodded. I looked back at Sarah and Idward and I sighed. "I hope you understand it's imperative that these two are stopped at once. I don't care which way, but I want them to stop. If they want to talk about staying at the farm, then they can check on me and we can talk about it with Mora."

"Are you… not going to do anything to me? You know for-" Idward tried to inquire but I interrupted him.

"From my understanding, they were messing with it because they don't know what it is all about. Plus, you knew little of it," I argued flatly. "You've been doing fine, Idward. I don't consider you a buddy, but I know you're a good person. And I trust you to keep being like that… because perhaps something will eventually happen with how many workers will start pouring once we start hiring again."

He had the decency to blush at that idea, and I soon left with Digit still in the hug. She clearly enjoyed it as her body was at ease while she snuggled onto me. I patted her upper back and decided to go back to the living room where to enjoy some quiet time with the girl.

We ended up discussing some more about this matter, and my suspicions about Digit being moved more by the need to prevent that kind of disaster than else were confirmed by the girl herself. I moderated my voice as I knew I was getting heated up over the matter as I really felt worried about Digit in that regard. After that conversation, I decided to check on my own for anything that could be installed to prevent external attacks to the core and maybe add an option to prevent it from being unplugged without Mora's permission.

It's been a troublesome week indeed, and… I really wasn't that surprised by the fact that the 'worse' had yet to come.


"I'm glad to see that you two are doing much better now that we started," Hope said with a cheerful tone, starting the second session of the therapy with this sentence.

There wasn't much of a choice about it, and I knew that we really didn't have to worry for anything bad until we gave her anything to go through that kind of behavior. For now she was fairly tame and quite capable as a couple therapist. We were back to her flat, back on that couch and the girl had decided to switch up her outfit to something different but still fairly skimpy. Her 'Cutie Pie' shirt was now replaced by a dark-pink shirt.

She was taking notes, clearly paying attention to the answers we provided her for her questions. Her inputs were driven by thoughtful attention and proper understanding of the matters from an objective standpoint. It started smoother for the session I had imagined it would have turned into considering how we started last time, and yet I was caught off guard when she called for a 'break'.

"It wouldn't be right if I just interrogated you for too long. I'm not torturing you, and, as a therapist, I think you both would do fine with some water," The Gazelle Prime argued before standing up from her seat and walking up to the kitchen's corner. "Plus, it would seem both of you had a full week, and I can see you are tense and rather frustrated."

Mora merely nodded, while I remained quiet as I looked for any trick being employed by the girl during that circumstance. After sparing a close look at the glass of water I was offered, I started to sip some of it as soon as I was certain nothing strange was afoot. It was normal water and I nodded thankfully to the girl as she drank from her own cup.

"Still, I have to admit that it's quite interesting how you managed to actually settle with a single lady despite your… interesting past, Declan. Penka told me a little more about your time in college," Hope resumed the conversation. "Of course, this isn't meant to be a shot at you, Declan. Everyone changes, especially those that had years to get their mind set for a different path in life."

"I didn't take it as one," I admitted with a sigh. "I'm well aware that… It can sound really surprising how that kind of change happens. I just had a life-important event that… sent me into this path, I suppose. I just couldn't afford to think of 'playing around' and being so bold with people when I lost a lot by not paying enough attention to my surroundings."

"So you were afraid of making the 'mistake' again by being so free and brazen with girls? I don't want to sound insensible, but I believe you're putting too much of your own actions behind what happened to you," She argued with a huff. "It's understandable to believe that much might cause some issues, but to believe it was the main element that let you in that situation is… egoistical."

I frowned. "What?"

"Let me put this in a better way since I know this came out a little antagonistic: you are putting some blame on what happened to you to the way you behaved. You correlated the fact that you were so distracted enjoying the youthful life you had to the fact you didn't see any sign of what happened next," The Gazelle Prime elaborated with a serious tone. "Sure, some of that might be right because you didn't notice that something was off with your father, but that doesn't mean the blame should linger so much on that part of your past. Which is why, after taking some time considering and pondering over this topic, I believe I can honestly say that the only reason you attacked that part of yourself is… because you are afraid of being manipulated with ease."

My frown deepened at that last detail. It was something that would have normally got me protesting over this absurd claim, and yet I felt that her words were hitting something really interesting and… that I couldn't help but agreed to a fair point. While she was wrong in assuming that I hated being 'manipulated' and thus I got off from being this into the game, the truth was that I had to stop being this lustful around people because it would have penalized the first few years of being on the run from my family. Early on I couldn't exactly expect to be left alone when I was well aware my father wasn't going to leave that entire issue until I was 'brought back to the fold'. The run was a long and quick-paced one, where I had to go through multiple stops, working at odd jobs to make things round and keep running away from home. Eventually I arrived at Las Lindas, but at that point the entire interest in being that bold had faltered away due to how long it's been since I had the chance to do anything about it. And then I got in a relationship with Mora.

"I… I think you're wrong. Partly," I confessed quietly. "While the… fact I stopped playing around with hearts coincided to when I left, it wasn't because of what happened that very day, but what followed next."

"You left and… you couldn't stop," Hope summarized while nodding. "And fooling around wasn't an option."

"I can… relate to that," Mora added quietly. "I suppose you just changed from the run and go."

"I guess that's a point in common we have," I pointed out and she smiled a little bit at that comment.

"Beyond this lovely moment, I have to say that this brings up the same perspective in some way. I connected my supposition to the problem you two might have, but even now with this other situation I can easily say it is all tied," The Gazelle Prime interjected with a calm look. "You are not accustomed to that kind of relationship- at least, not to the point you can easily know when your partner is holding back or not."

"Are you saying we just need to… let this sort out on itself?" Mora suggested and Hope didn't seem completely sure of that way of summarizing the matter.

"While I would say yes due to what I know right now, I believe trying to check on your side of things would help too, Mora. After all, it's a problem on both sides, not just from Declan's bit," The young woman replied and then sighed. "Still, I believe the session can end there for today. We accomplished a lot together."

We all nodded at this, knowing that Hope did an amazing job all things considered. Despite my small doubts, she sure had the capacity to uphold a fine work when she put effort into it. Sadly, that conclusion wasn't without a little trick on her part, with the girl taking the opportunity as we stood up. I didn't see the hug, I didn't expect Hope to go for the triple hug, and I definitely didn't expect her to have an excuse for it.

"And don't forget to share intimate moments no matter what, even those that aren't outright sex," She added with a giggle, masterfully nuzzling her face onto Mora's chest while pressing hers onto mine. Really precise and really brief as she knew she was playing with fire in that regard. "Now, how about we resume this in four days?"

I could only nod as we were quickly ushered to the door and put out of the flat at once. Looking at Mora, I noticed her green eyes staring back at me.

"You saw-"

"She groped," The woman replied flatly. "And she got away with it. To be fair, she was really fast with it."

"That doesn't exempt her from being a pervert," I remarked dryly and she nodded.

"Yep," Mora concluded as we both started to make our way back to the streets, and it didn't take long for us to return to the farm. "By the way… do you want to talk about it?"

A frown adorned my face at that question as I failed to grasp the topic it was tied to. "About what?"

"The… fact you just stopped being this open about relationships. I don't want to push you or anything but-"

"You think I will eventually fall back on that?" I guessed and she shrugged.

"It could happen. But I wanted to know what you think about it."

"Well, if it happens I will make sure to put all that interest in giving you even more loving, big girl~," I replied as smoothly as possible. The Cow Prime giggled and nodded, but she didn't seem completely satisfied with that question.

"What if, you know, there was an interest to have… another partner in bed?" She asked with a carefully slow tone. "A girl, of course."

I blinked as confusion entered my brain. "Rachael or Sandy?" I asked out of the blue, knowing these two were the ones that generally wanted to get something like that done. At least on the Sandy's side of things as I doubted Rachael had completely warmed up to Mora despite how much effort was put to make sure these two would at least be open for a positive friendship.

Much to my surprise, Mora shook her head and gave me an odd look. "What if… this girl is rather tame and I trust her to not try anything funny?"

I… I had a slight suspicion on who it was, but I just couldn't tie her to this. Not without stretching beyond any resemblance of logic shredding over what I knew about her. Still, despite the uncertainty about her possible 'candidacy' I still asked.

"Taffy?"

Mora merely nodded, looking forward and sighing. "She asked. As… a personal test to see if she can do it?"

I frowned. "Test for what?"

"I believe it's about… to prove if Miles said the truth or not when she said she couldn't bring herself to have sex with others or not," The Cow Prime elaborated. "I told her that it shouldn't be a reason to prove anything but she was stubborn about it."

"I… what?"

"I mean, she spent a few days flirting with you, I believe some hints and clues should have come out of that," She argued with a small smile and I frowned even harder at that comment.

"What?!"

At my exclamation, Mora giggled and shook her head. "Yes, that was Taffy's flirting."

...AH!?


AN

One thing is being dense, another is the flirt game is just so unconsciously subtle it just doesn't make sense from a logical standpoint.

There is a reason why she hadn't broken into Randy's density and Sander's hyper-sensitive capacity to perceive an attempt.

Declan was just the moderate between two sides and… she got him to listen! Isn't that a win?

Definitely. By the way… why are you scratching my chin?

Plans for an omake, Ambar.

...What?

Shhh, just accept the cuddling.

(When the turns get tabled!)