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The following is a fan-based

FICTION

Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation and other products set in the same universe are all owned by Rifujin na Magonote, Shirotaka, Shosetsuka ni Naro, Media Factory, and Studio Bind.

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Omake 2: Petting (2)

EDIT: Yeah, I know. I did leave a cliffhanger last time, but I didn't expect the commission month to start strong. Still, I believe the 'Petting' Saga needs some expanding, especially since Ghislaine needs the extra affection to handle meeting her estranged family.

When Zenith ultimately decided to check on Ghislaine and John to see how they were faring after hearing that they had sparred quite harshly against each other, she had somewhat expected to find them cuddling up somewhere around the ship and going 'quiet' to the rest of the world.

She also saw no point in talking much as she finally found them, one embracing the other while Ghislaine, now sleeping and yet attentive, allowed for the young man to rub her beastly ears as tenderly as he could. The sight was as heart-warming as usual, yet it wasn't as calm as before.

In fact, as Zenith joined the duo in Ghislaine's cabin, she could tell as she hugged the fellow girl from behind that... she was tense. She wasn't outright 'freaking out', but something had distressed her. And, at first, Zen thought it was something related to the topic which had her evade interactions with others earlier that trip. Soon enough, this assumption was proven wrong by Ghislaine herself.

"Zen?"

It wasn't John as he was currently sleeping at this point, and the blonde frowned softly at Ghislaine as she felt the beast-woman shift a bit. "Yes?"

"I am sorry for avoiding you."

The apology was expected and welcomed due to how sincere it sounded. Zenith merely snuggled closer, feeling any pushing against the girl somewhat unneeded for the occasion. She sounded sorry and her body was reacting to that by slumping in a sad way.

"It's alright. I am not angry."

"I am. At myself," Ghis argued flatly. "I thought... I thought this whole visit would have ended in an unpleasant way."

Zenith sighed, feeling a bit drained by keeping Elinalise from teasing Roxy too much. The Elf had gotten a bit too frisky around the poor Migurdian girl for some unknown reason.

"We are not going to kill your family if they are not going to attack us."

Much to her surprise, the silver-haired woman snorted. "That's not what I was worried about."

At this point, the healer felt her expression morphing in a confused one. "No?"

"I... I thought you were going to ditch me there."

...

The hug tightened by instinct alone, but Zenith took a few silent seconds to digest what Ghislaine had just uttered. She had expected so many potential reasons behind that sort of situation, but this one had actually taken the cake and left her stunned.

"What?"

"It's stupid I know-" The beast-woman tried to reason, but she was soon interrupted by the blonde.

"It's not stupid- I just... how did you come to this conclusion?" Zen inquired, trying to piece the puzzle together on what could have driven the swordswoman to react this way.

"The way I was coaxed into this. I am not happy about it even now, but I guess I may have gone a bit... too far with that guess."

In a way, Zenith could see how she could have come up with such a thought. But, at the same time, it felt a bit abrupt to jump to this point so quickly. Yes, John could have handled the news and the push to solve this issue for Ghislaine better- he may be somewhat savvy with talking heart-to-heart with people, but he wasn't infallible. And this little mess was proof of it.

"We are not 'ditching' you."

"I know," Ghislaine accepted without hesitation. "And I am sorry for thinking that."

"You really shouldn't," Zenith argued. "Yes, it wasn't fair of you to jump to this conclusion, however I admit John could have worded or acted better than how he did before we left."

"He is not bad-"

"But he is not perfect. And I think that's why it makes him 'perfect'."

Ghislaine hummed. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Well, if he was the perfect dashing knight in shining armor, he would be too much for me to bear," The girl argued. "And I believe you wouldn't be that happy to be in this situation if he was that."

A nod came from the beast-woman, but Zenith was far from done.

"Right now he is a nice mix of good traits. And flaws. Which is what makes him a good person through and through."

"You mean that... he would be too boring or too unpleasant if he was flawless?"

"Wouldn't he?"

The point drew an agreeing hum from Ghislaine. It wasn't even too much of a stretch to imagine how awkward it would be to have a posh and self-righteous knight in charge of the party. Would there be a party to begin with?

"Still, do you think he should be punished?"

Zenith felt mirthfully malicious in that situation. Who could blame her? She was just teaching her future husband to be less dumb when handling this sort of delicate matters. Ghislaine turned slightly, and her lone eye showed confusion... and interest to see what the blonde was up to.

A plan was concocted and the end result was nothing short of amusing. John would end up waking up with a groaning back as he was no longer resting on the bed, but rather the floor under it.

The girls had decided to throw him 'off-board' as they both cuddled together in a happier display of affection in the soft mattress. Part of him was annoyed but... then again, maybe he deserved some of that. Trying to hold back a small smile, he decided against taking revenge on Zenith.

This diabolical plan could have only been plotted by someone as devious as the healer, and while he was tempted to just come back with a prank at this, he ultimately ruled that one out. He knew he deserved this and... hopefully it was going to help Ghislaine feel more vindicated and less worried about any bad surprises by the time they reached their destination.

Now, if only the floor of the cabin was as forgiving as he was being right now to these two cheeky girls...

AN

So yeah, here's a bit more depth for the scene of the last chapter (Estranged), and I hope this adds some much-needed layer on the situation.

John is not perfect, but that's what makes him 'perfect' to so many people. He is relatable, but also reliable within the limits of the possible and the impossible.

REVIEW Q&A!

Ant0nius: There are a few specialization which can be added. I was thinking of a 'Ranger' to join the team.

King0fP0wers: There are situations and situations. While this is similar to the Zenith Situation, it's a bit more complicated than that. In the matter that the current chief of the Beast Tribe may have a bit of a grudge against Ghislaine herself.