"Touya, look at this." = Normal speech.
'Touya, look at this.' = Thoughts/Telepathy.
(One hour later.) = Time skip.
~Yo, it's God.~ = Phone call.
"Come forth, fire!" = Chanting.
[Kingdom of Belfast] = Title/Place/Rank/Weapon Name.
{Gate} = Spell name.
=-=-=-=-=-X-=-=-=-=-=
(At [Garden of Babylon].)
"Nice to meet you." Francesca greeted Touya as he tried to avert his gaze down below, "I'm the terminal manager of this [Garden] of [Babylon], I am Francesca."
"... Why aren't you wearing anything below?" Touya inquired, closing his eyes so he wouldn't have to see anymore of this crazy lady's indecency.
"Why?" Francesca tilted her head in confusion, "I do not know how to answer your question."
"Listen, Francesca was it?" Touya asked.
"Yes, but please call me Cesca." She nodded.
"Okay, Cesca." Touya sighed trying to calm himself down, "Can you maybe put something on first? I'm… having trouble where to look."
"But I'm wearing panties, am I not?" Cesca pointed out.
"That's besides the point." Touya groaned, great, he was dealing with another closet pervert, "Just… Just please put something on."
"But, wouldn't you prefer if I walk around in my panties?" Cesca inquired.
"No, no I won't." Touya answered, and while he did like to see her in her panties, the moral side of him did not, and so he insisted that she'd cover herself up.
"Well, if you insist, I shall wear this skirt." Cesca pulled the piece of fabric out of seemingly nowhere, "Are you sure you don't want to watch?"
"No, I don't."
"You can even touch me-"
"No."
Cesca wore the skirt, finally giving Touya the ability to open his eyes and look at her without being distracted by her indecency.
"I have so many questions for you, do you mind?" Touya inquired.
"No, I don't, please ask away." Cesca nodded.
"What is this place?" Touya emphasized, pointing his hand everywhere.
"Like I said before. I'm the terminal manager of this [Garden] of [Babylon], it's a floating piece of land in the sky." Cesca explained, gesturing for him to follow her, he was taken to a platform overlooking both the [Garden] and the sky, "Some people have been calling this [Nirai Kanai]."
"Why was this place made? What kind of facility does this function as?" Touya asked another question.
"The construction of the [Garden] was the Professor's hobby." Cesca answered.
"Professor?"
"Yes, Professor Regina Babylon." Cesca nodded, "She is our creator."
"Creator?" Touya repeated, wondering why she said creator instead of mother, but then his companions answered his question.
"Master." Sango called out, Touya turned his head towards the small turtle half, "This person is not human, I couldn't sense any life force from her."
"What?" Touya gasped, he turned his head to Cesca who didn't react at all, only nodding her head as if what Sango said was true.
"I was created by the Professor to be the terminal manager of the [Garden]." Cesca explained, confirming her status as non-human, "That was five-thousand and ninety-two years ago."
"... Then, are you a machine? Cesca?" Touya asked, hoping that he didn't just say something offensive.
"Somewhat, I'm not entirely a machine per say." Cesca began, "I'm a magically made living being with organs and a magic reactor, so, technically I'm what you would call a Magical Gynoid."
"I see." Touya hummed, stretching his chin as he scanned Cesca from various angles and came to a conclusion that if didn't know, Cesca would be able to pass off as a normal, albeit a very weird, girl, 'No matter what angle you look at her from, she's basically no different from a human.'
"I'm incapable of reproduction, but I am equipped with the necessary parts for such an act, you know?" Somehow, Cesca misinterpreted Touya's staring for trying to figure out if she could have sex, the sudden answer came out of nowhere and caught Touya, Sango and Kokuyou off guard.
"Wha-!? That's not what I was thinking about!" Touya yelled, surprised at how casually Cesca told him about something so personal, "And stop lifting your skirt!"
Cesca did what she was told, letting go of the hem of her skirt.
'What in the fuck, did she not come with any shame at all?' Touya groaned.
"But it's still brand new down-"
"I don't need to know that." Touya interjected, sighing in frustration, "We're getting off track here – For something that stood for about five thousand and so years, this place looks well-kept."
"Agreed, the structure doesn't seem degraded at all, nor does the flora look decayed." Sango added, Kokuyou agreeing as well.
"This place is entirely strengthened by magic, so it doesn't need much maintenance other than the occasional check-up here and there." Cesca explained, "Most of the time, I'll go into hibernation mode unless there's an emergency, other than that, the [Garden] is fully automated."
"That's incredible." Touya was in awe, to think something like this existed, it was a marvel of engineering as well as magic, but then he caught what Cesca said, "Wait, if what you said was true, isn't this [Garden] in a state of emergency right now?"
"You can say that." Cesca nodded, "You're the first ever visitor in so long."
"Which reminds me, what is your name?"
"Ah, right." Touya smiled, he was so caught up with his questions that he forgot to introduce himself to her, "I'm Mochizuki Touya, Touya is my given name."
"Master Touya, I have recognized you as a compatible person." Cesca declared, "From now on, the ownership of Gynoid number thirty-two, codename: Francesca, has been transferred to you."
"Please take care of me, till death do us part." She bowed, confused, and Touya tried to find an answer for her seemingly sudden declaration.
"Wait, what do you mean compatible person?" Touya asked.
"You teleported through that magical circle." Cesca pointed at the platform that he previously stood at, "The only person that could go through that circle would be someone who had affinity for all elements, the same as the Professor."
"Continuing from that, the Professor had assigned us to a compatible person who could go through the teleportation circle. That was five-thousand and seventy years ago." She explained to him.
"A compatible person with the affinity for all elements?" Touya repeated and she nodded, "That's all?"
"No, not exactly." Cesca shook her head, and it confused Touya even more.
"What? So what were the qualifications exactly?" He inquired.
"Master Touya was recognized as compatible because he told me to cover myself after seeing me in my panties." She bluntly answered.
"That makes no sense." Touya facepalmed, "How does that make me a compatible person!"
"Easy, have you let your desires dominate your morals and sexually assaulted me, you would've been dropped to the surface." Cesca began to explain, "Consequently, if you had chosen to ignore my state of undress and continued as if nothing was out of place, I would deem you incompatible and politely asked you to leave."
"... Did that test really need to have a deeper meaning or is there something else here?" Touya deadpanned, he felt like there was something missing in her sentence.
"While yes, it is a gauge to see if a person is considerable or not as it was devised by the Professor, it is ultimately up to us whether or not we'll follow or make our own test." She answered.
"Both of you are massive perverts." Touya sighed.
"I will not deny that." Cesca agreed, "Personally, instead of some gentleman that is very kind and considerate while clearly used to seeing women, I would much prefer a degenerate who lusts after women but can control himself and pretend that he doesn't care."
"Master, to think such a being exists." Kokuyou shivered as he watched Cesca mumble while being in her own little world, "It is… Terrifying."
"Yeah no kidding." Touya groaned, great, he has to deal with another pervert…
"And for that reason, Master." Cesca smiled a little, her eyes holding something other than just a blank look, a sense of purpose was found, "I have become yours, your property, I hope we get along."
While Touya was gonna correct her on the comment of being his property, one look in her eyes told him that she was excited as well as overjoyed at something she chose to have. The moral side of him wanted to say no, she isn't property, but the empathic side of him told him that let her be, this is what she wanted after all.
Still, he doesn't think of her as property either way, but that's for her to decide, "Sure, Cesca, let's get along."
Now, how to explain to the rest of the group about this…
=-=-=-=-=-X-=-=-=-=-=
(At [Garden of Babylon].)
"A [Garden], huh? This could be the legacy of the ancient [Civilization of Partheno]..." Leen commented, marveled at the structure before her as well as the various different planets that she has never seen before.
It took a bit for Touya to make the barrier surrounding the [Garden] to recognize that he wasn't a threat, but he was able to, with the help of Cesca, finally create a {Gate} connecting to the beach he left his party at to the [Garden].
"Ancient [Civilization of Partheno]? What's that?" Touya asked.
"It's a highly advanced culture that's responsible for inventing various spells as well as magical tools, the artifacts for example." Leen explained as Cesca led the large group to a gazebo where they could all sit down and discuss their thoughts about what Touya found, "I was hoping that we might've discovered some ancient magic, but in all honesty, I think we found something greater!"
"Cesca, is there anything more to this place other than being a garden?" Touya inquired.
"No, nothing more." She shook her head, "Unlike the others, this is just a personal garden floating up in the sky, and if you're asking for any hidden treasures, sadly there are none – Same can be said for weapons, this is simply a wonderful garden in the sky."
"But the existence of this place can be considered a treasure in itself." Leen smiled, while it's true it's a garden, the fact that it was created so long ago and preserved up till this day was a marvel and deserved to be considered valuable even in a sentimental sense.
"That is very kind of you to say." Cesca bowed her head, "Although, the one that controls the [Garden] is none other than myself, at the same time, I am Master's property, thus this [Babylon] is Master's as well."
"Is that true?" Yumina asked.
"Yes, you can consider it as my dowry." Cesca answered.
"Say, Cesca, there's something that's been bothering my mind." Leen inquired.
"Yes, what may seem to be the problem?" The gynoid tilted her head.
"You said that 'unlike the others' this is a personal garden floating in the sky, what do you mean by 'others'?" Leen pointed out.
"Yeah, I've been wondering why she keeps saying that." Sally chimed in, finally speaking up after a while of silence.
"True, she kept saying we/ours." Setsuna commented.
"Can you explain why, Cesca?" Touya coaxed, the gynoid nodded as she stood up and began to explain.
"The [Babylon] was separated into several floating pieces." She explained, before continuing her sentence, "Besides this [Garden] that I manage, there are also the [Laboratory], the [Hanger], the [Library] among several others, all of which are managed by my sisters and all of them collectively is [Babylon]."
This drew gasps from the people listening, amazed by the prospect of more structures like this one.
"So, you're saying that the sky-floating island known as [Babylon] was created by your creator, Professor Regina Babylon, some five-thousand years ago? And then it separated and has been aimlessly wandering ever since?" Leen observed.
"Yes, that's correct." Cesca nodded.
"But if that's the case, wouldn't someone notice a giant floating island in the sky?" Elze remarked.
"I can't imagine this thing being able to hide among the skies for that long." Setsuna added.
"[Babylon] is surrounded by a magical barrier that interferes with an outsider's visual perception – Because of that, it's almost impossible to detect from the ground." Cesca explained, answering the two's questions.
"Other than that, how many floating islands are there?" Yae asked.
"Not counting my [Garden] and the aforementioned three I brought up earlier – There are the [Tower], the [Rampart], the [Workshop], the [Warehouse], the [Alchemy Lab], and finally, the [Barracks]." Cesca listed them off, one by one, and finished, after her sentence, the majority of those at the table began to discuss the remaining islands and their opinion on them.
"The [Barracks], huh?" Elze prompted, hearing the final island peaked her interest.
"I know right? Wonder what we'll find there." Setsuna agreed.
"I for one, am interested in the [Library]." Leen smirked, when there's a library, there's books, and when there's books, there's knowledge, "It sounds full of ancient, untapped knowledge just waiting to be discovered!"
"I'm not so sure about that…" Touya told her, but the Fairy was already distracted in her thoughts about ancient knowledge, so he opted to sigh.
"Is it possible to contact the other islands?" Linze inquired, Cesca thought about it for a second before she shook her head.
"Unfortunately no, the links between my sisters and I have been cut off, the barrier has been set to the highest possible setting, making communication impossible unless Master lowers the settings." Cesca answered.
"Master?" Linze repeated, narrowing her eyes, "And what do you mean by link?"
For some reason, Touya felt a chill down his spine.
"A link means a 'relationship link'." Cesca explained, which got the girls' attention, "And by Master, I mean 'my beloved husband'."
Ah, that's why. Shit, he's gonna have to explain it clearer because Cesca is definitely not gonna make any sense!
"Don't twist the narrative here. Master means I'm her superior." Touya explained, trying to mitigate the damage that this perverted gynoid was trying to do.
"... And why are you her superior?" LInze asked, her aura somewhat heavy.
"Because the Master had seen me in my panties, so I devoted my body and heart to him." Before he could even answer, Cesca ran her mouth again, without consideration about what she was going to say, unfortunately the damage was already done as Linze stood up and towered over Touya.
"Touya." Linze said, Touya looked up and felt himself shrink under the intense stare of Linze.
"Yeah-?" He managed to speak out, wondering just what she was angry about.
"You already saw us in swimsuits but apparently that wasn't enough for you so you went and headed for another girl's panties! Do you like panties so much!" Linze began to rant, "I know you were looking at our swimsuits so much, weren't you satisfied!?"
"That's the not the prob-"
"I even went and picked a bikini that paired with big sis' and that still wasn't enough! So underwear and swimsuits are different for you huh!?" Linze cut him off, her ranting continued.
"Now wait a second and let me explain-!"
"Since you've already seen hers, want to see mine?" Leen interjected, she already had her hand on her skirt, a mischievous smirk on her face.
"Please shut up." Touya groaned.
"As much as it is fun to see you go off on him, I'm afraid that's as far as you can go." Leen remarked, "You can't press him any further, not unless you make your position clear."
"Or at the very least, until you stand in the same position as our princesses." Leen glanced behind her for a second, catching the attention of Yumina and Setsuna who were watching Linze's outburst happen.
"...I understand." Linze backed down, all that flame she held snuffed out as she walked back to her seat while Elze tried to comfort her.
"Anyways." Leen clapped her hands, getting everyone's attention as she wanted to move on and continue the conversation prior, "We can't find the other facilities unless something causes them to lower their communication jamming barrier?"
"Indeed." Cesca nodded, Touya tried to find them on his phone using {Search}, but even that wasn't enough, he sighed as he placed his phone back into his coat's pockets.
"But, wouldn't you have encountered the others?" Yumina inquired, for as much time as the [Garden] has been floating up in the sky, surely it encountered some of the other islands, "Drifting for so long, there should be a chance for you to encounter them, correct?"
"Only twice, three-thousand and twenty-eight years ago, and the other, nine-hundred and eighty-five years ago." Cesca answered, Yumina frowned, while the gynoid did encounter the other islands, the fact that it was only twice and with such a long time frame from each other, told her that finding them by chance was out the window.
"Wow… That's like, really low." Sally remarked, the others agreeing with her.
"So we have no choice but to search for the teleportation circles…" Leen sighed as she leaned into the palms of her hands, "At least we found one, nine more to go."
"Speaking of which, do you know where the locations of the other teleportation circles are?" Touya inquired.
"I have no clue, I don't even know where this [Garden]'s teleportation circle is either." Cesca shook her head.
Touya hummed, maybe the reason why she didn't was because of Professor Regina, maybe the prof wanted to protect her creations, so she hid the circles somewhere that only the brave, or stupid depending on who you ask, could find them. He had to give the professor some praise, at least she wasn't sloppy in keeping her creations safe from harm…
"Why was a thing like this separated in the first place?" Yae pointed out, "By spreading it out, wouldn't finding them again next to impossible?"
"I guess it's for their safety?" Sally chimed in, "Think about it, if something like the [Barracks of Babylon] exists, who knows what else is in [Workshop] or [Warehouse]."
"That is true…" Yae hummed, understanding what their resident gothic reaper was talking about.
"We never asked the Professor why, so I do not know the reason either." Cesca added.
"Now, what do we do with you?" Leen said, scanning the gynoid, "With the discussion of finding the other islands decided, all that's left is you, Cesca, so how are you going to deal with her, Touya?"
"I'm not sure how to answer that." Touya confessed, he glanced over to Cesca, the gynoid still holding her ever so expressionless face, 'Now that I thought about it, she's been alone here for thousands of years, it's a wonder that she hasn't gone crazy yet…'
'Don't you know it.' Thanks to their mental link, Sally was able to pick up Touya's thoughts, he turned his eyes to her as she gave him a usual smirk, 'I guess it all depends on the person, but since she isn't human per say, I guess she's more resilient.'
'No point in discussing it here, better ask her what she wants to do.' Touya cut the mental link off and turned his attention back to Cesca, "What do you want to do, Cesca?"
"I would like to stay with you, Master." Cesca decided, "From the time you wake up till the time you sleep, from the bathroom to inside the bedroom-"
"Okay, that's enough." Touya stopped her from further running her mouth by covering it with his hand, 'Maybe it's better if she doesn't leave this place.'
"Even if you could do that, which you won't, is it okay for you to leave the [Garden] unattended?" Touya commented, "What if something happens, how would you get back here?"
"Don't worry, I instantly know when something happens in the [Garden] and I have the ability to teleport back." Cesca explained, "Also, using the auto-mode for managing the [Garden] is more than enough, so there isn't any problem."
"I see…" Touya mumbled, there goes his escape plan.
"With that in mind, I wish to finish Master's registration for the [Garden]'s ownership." Cesca began as she slowly stood up from her seat and walked towards Touya who was still sitting on his seat, "Although, I am already Master's possession, I need to make the ownership of the [Garden] official as well."
"Registration? What do I do for that?" Touya asked.
"Please excuse me for a second." Cesca said as she came close to him, held both sides of his face, Touya's eyes widened as he realized what she was going to do but before he could react, she was already digging her mouth deeper into his.
The action surprised everyone, the girls especially as Cesca just up and kissed Touya out of nowhere with no warning, Sally whistled as she watched Cesca shove her tongue inside of Touya's mouth as they continued to suck face, meanwhile the girls were reacting in a different way, a more envious and jealous way.
On that hand, Yae was feeling a sense of deja vu, but her mind was fully focused on the female kissing Touya that she didn't notice that she drew her sword.
Thankfully, Sally was next to her and stopped her from fully unsheathing her katana.
Cesca pushed her tongue deep, trying to get every nook and cranny of Touya's mouth as he wrestled for control. They finished as Cesca pulled back, the thin line of saliva being a reminder of their shared kiss.
"Registration complete." Cesca said as she licked her lips clean, sporting a small smile on her face and a slight glint in her eyes, "I have collected Master's genetic information, and so the ownership of the [Garden] has been transferred to my Master, Mochizuki Touya-"
"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING!?" Yumina snapped, shooting out of her seat, "YOU SUDDENLY KI-KI- KISSED HIM! EVEN I HAVEN'T DONE THAT YET!"
"But this is the fastest way to obtain genetic information." Cesca explained, a finger on her lip as she continued, "There's also another way, but the process is longer and I unfortunately cannot bear any children…"
"Chi- Children!?" Yumina's mind went into overdrive from her sentence as she stumbled back into her seat, steam coming out of her ears.
The entire table was in uproar, everyone dogpiling on Cesca and why she suddenly kissed Touya mouth to mouth, meanwhile, the man himself was busy trying to recollect his thoughts, the phantom sensation of Cesca's lips still fresh on his mind, he had to admit, whatever material Professor Regina made Cesca out of, she was as soft and as warm as a real girl.
Reminds him of the time Sally suddenly kissed him.
"...Touya." Linze's voice snapped him out of his thoughts, she was once again standing over him.
"Huh-?" Touya blurted out.
"I… I like you, Touya." Linze confessed, she wasted no time and grabbed Touya's face before shoving her mouth against his.
"Fummh!?" Touya's eyes widened as he felt Linze's soft lips on his, his reaction somehow attracting the attention of everyone else as they turned to look at him and Linze sucking faces.
They were all stunned to silence as they watched Linze take control, deepening the kiss. Yumina was at a loss for words, first Cesca kissed Touya and now Linze just up and nowhere kissed him while they were distracted!
But it can't get any worse right?
"Is this a bad time to say that I already kissed Master before?" Sally nonchalantly said, blurting it out of nowhere.
Nevermind, it can get worse.
=-=-=-=-=-X-=-=-=-=-=
(At the mansion in [Belfast].)
It was currently night time, the party was finally able to get back home, using the [Garden] as their makeshift transportation and parking it just above the capital, Leen departed from them afterwards, saying that she'll have to report everything that happened so far except for the [Babylon], she said that it'll be their little secret.
After that, Sally and Setsuna showed Chiyome her room, Yae wanted to retire back to her room while Elze and Yumina went somewhere deep into the mansion, leaving Touya with Linze.
Of course, the air between them was awkward, moreso when Touya remembered her confession – He had no idea how to respond and was actively trying to find an answer, unfortunately, Linze thought of his silence as disdain and excused herself, going back to her room.
Touya saw her run off, tears swelling up in her eyes, he wanted to catch up to her, but the pit in his stomach stopped him from doing so, he sighed and just went back to his room.
He flopped onto the bed and groaned.
Which brings us to now.
"What the fuck have I gotten myself into…" He whispered, he wasn't dumb, he knew exactly how Linze felt about him, he was hoping it was just a crush, but her confession solidified her feelings for him and he… He didn't know how to respond… "I can't believe she's in love with me…"
He laid on his back, staring into the ceiling of his room, "Well, I guess it wasn't a stretch to know how, but I want to know why."
"Linze is definitely cute, a gentle girl who's always looking out for others, a bit shy here and there, but hard-working…" Touya listed off unconsciously, "But then there's my fiancees…"
"Yumina's a well-composed and considerate girl, reliable and yet so mature for her age…" Touya sighed, "And then there's Setsuna, despite our shorter time together, she's blunt, fun, and out-going, straight-forward about her feelings just like Yumina… I'm honestly at a loss."
"But why… Why does Linze love me?" Touya uttered, turning over to his sides, trying to process the aforementioned silverette's confession.
However, a knock on his door ripped him out of his musings.
"Touya? It's me Yumina." Her voice pierced through the wooden frame of the door, Touya got up from his bed and went to open the door to his room.
Yumina stood outside, smiling, Touya wondered what she was doing here so late in the night, but he didn't get the chance to ask as she made her way past him and sat herself comfortably on the couch, she gestured for him to join her and he did.
A pregnant silence enveloped the atmosphere, Touya shifting in his seat as he waited for Yumina to talk, the princess didn't, only staring into his eyes, which quite frankly, unnerved him.
"Touya." She finally spoke, he sat up straight, "You know why I'm upset, right?"
"Yeah…?" Touya mouthed.
"I haven't even gotten a kiss yet!" Yumina yelled, as Touya shrank into his seat, "And now! Three girls have already snatched that chance from me!?"
"Wait- You're not mad about Linze's confession?" Touya commented, he thought that Yumina was mad about Linze confessing to him rather than the fact that he'd been kissed twice.
"Why would I?" Yumina raised an eyebrow, confused at what he was pointing out, "Anyone who can see would tell you that Linze likes you."
"Is that so…?" Touya mumbled, 'I mean, even I could see it, I just… didn't think she would actually love me…'
"But-"
"No buts!"
"Okay…" Touya sighed, trying to wrap his mind around the topic, Yumina watched him with observant eyes before she sighed and spoke up.
"I think this is as good an opportunity as any to tell you this." She began, "Ten, twenty, thirty, or so many mistresses you have as long as you treat them with respect and love as much as me, then I won't mind – I don't think even Setsuna and I will be enough to monopolize your love."
"However! HOWEVER!" Yumina shot up suddenly, scaring him a bit before she got into his face, "You're so careless to get kissed when you haven't even kissed me! Your first wife!?"
She invaded his personal space, shoving her face into his as she made her point, "You have too many openings! You need to be more defensive! Be completely impregnable!"
"So suppose I kissed you beforehand, you wouldn't have any problems with this happening?" Touya suggested.
"Well, in that case, I would get a bit jealous, but I wouldn't be against it." Yumina answered him, Touya was really surprised at her mature response that he couldn't help but appreciate, "As long as you cherish me, it's fine."
"...Are you sure you're only twelve?" Touya asked, he found it hard to believe that someone so young was so… Mature in her outlook at something like this, it was almost scary.
"Yes, I am sure." Yumina smiled, before a frown took over, "However…"
"Touya. I am prepared to spend my life with you as my husband, I want to become your wife." She declared, "I love you, because I love you as much as Linze does."
"I don't want you to doubt that." Yumina emphasized.
Of course he doesn't, Yumina has made it blunt time and time again that she loves him – Never once did Touya doubt her love for him.
No, if he were to doubt someone, it would be himself.
"I… I really am sorry." Touya sighed, his head hung low.
Yumina looked at him with pity, she sighed as she reeled her face back and sat down next to him on the couch.
"I'll forgive you if you embrace me and kiss me."
Touya's head snapped back up, he turned to Yumina who had her eyes closed and waited for her hug and kiss – He shifted in his seat awkwardly as he tried to come up with an excuse, but realized that he was gonna need to do this if he wanted to reassure his fiancee.
Piling up his confidence, Touya wrapped his arm around Yumina and brought her close, her head against his chest, he looked down and saw her beautiful heterochromia eyes piercing through his onyx orbs.
No matter how many times he saw it, it was still mesmerizing to look at. Yumina gave him a smile before she closed her eyes again, waiting for her prize.
Touya sighed again, closing his eyes and leaned over, their lips connected – He felt the soft lips of his fiancee against his, compared to Cesca's, Sally's and even Linze's, Yumina's lips felt softer for some reason.
But just as soon as he kissed her, he separated.
Yumina smiled, before she happily hugged him again, giggling all the while and burying her face into his chest.
"Hehehe~!" She giggled, "You kissed me! That makes me the first one you kissed willingly, correct?"
"Yeah, now that I thought about it, you are." Touya nodded, a small smile on his face.
"What do you think of Linze?" She inquired.
Touya thought long and hard about it – What did he think of Linze, was she a friend? No, he did think of her as one when they met, but the longer he thought about it, the more he realized that just like with Yumina and Setsuna, he may be falling in love with her…
"I… I'm glad she confessed." Touya confessed, looking at his bed as he pondered whether or not to continue, but he might as well, "She's an honest and reliable girl, someone I can trust wholeheartedly and I'd be a liar if I said I wasn't happy she confessed to me."
"But?"
"But… I don't know how to feel, I know I like her, but at the same time, when I try to think hard about it, I go back to how I should feel about you." He continued, "It's not fair for you to keep showing how much you love me without me giving back! I know I should love you but it's so complicated! Hell! Don't get me started on Setsuna!"
"I just… I just know I like you three… But love? I- I'm… I'm not so sure…" Touya slumped back into the couch, "I'm pathetic aren't I?"
"I don't think so." Yumina shook her head, "I think it's admirable that you consider how you feel about us despite our advances. I'm glad to see that you don't take for granted our feelings."
"But-"
"No buts." Yumina silenced him, her finger on his lips, "I only ask, do you like Linze?"
"...Of course I like her." Touya nodded, "She's very dear to me after all."
"Then that's all I needed to hear." Yumina smiled, turning her head to the doorframe, "Isn't that right, Linze?"
Touya's eyes widened as he snapped his head towards the doorframe and saw Linze's form appearing – He was flabbergasted at the situation and wondered how she was able to sneak into his room without hearing anyone going inside.
"Before she left, we asked Leen to cast the {Invisibility} spell on Linze, without it, she wouldn't agree to join with me." Yumina explained, getting up from the couch and walking behind the older female and pushing her forward a bit, "It's your fault, you know? You up and left Linze without giving her a response."
"If it weren't for Setsuna and Sally, Elze would've come here and beaten you up for making her sister cry." She disclosed.
Touya felt bad, and he felt even more bad when Linze started to cry.
"I- I'm sorry!" She choked, her chest heavy with guilt over her actions, "Wh- When I saw Cesca kiss you- I- I felt so frustrated-! That- That I didn't want to lose to her!"
"I- I realized that I wasn't thinking straight and- and- I didn't even consider how you felt!" Linze bowed her head in shame, "I- I'm- so sorry-"
Touya heard enough, he grabbed Linze and embraced her, it surprised the silverette, but soon enough, she accepted the embrace and cried into his chest.
"I… I like you too Linze." Touya confessed, Linze momentarily ceasing her tears, "I'm sure you heard what I said before, but I don't hate you, I like you as a person and I don't know if I love you yet, I do know that I want to cherish you."
"Touya…" Linze sniffed, looking up and finding herself lost in his eyes.
Until Yumina clapped her hands together and caught their attention.
"Now that we've settled you feelings for one another, how about taking Linze as your third wife?" Yumina suggested.
"Wait- what about Setsuna? Shouldn't she have a saying in this?" Touya remarked.
"I'm sure she wouldn't mind, I know my fellow princess well enough." Yumina smiled, "And she would be up in the sky over the news, after all, for royalty, nobility and even wealthy merchants it's common to have more than one or two wives. I'm sure you don't have a problem with that, right Linze?"
"I want to be Touya's wife too!" She blurted out, a flame reignited within her as she staked her claim.
"Wait wha-!?" Touya was stunned, he knew Linze loved him but he didn't think she'd immediately agree to be his wife.
"Do… Do you not want me?" Linze muttered.
Something inside of Touya snapped, the way Linze showed her vulnerability, how she waited for his response, his instincts screamed at him to accept.
'I- No, I want to keep seeing her smile.' Touya mused, 'If she wants me, then she'll have me.'
"Are you sure you want to be my wife?" Touya asked.
"Yes." Linze immediately nodded her head, "I get along with Yumina and Setsuna – And knowing that we can get even closer while sharing the same man we fell in love with… Nothing else would make me happier."
There it was, her smile gracing her face, Touya felt his heart flutter when he saw it, he smiled back and nodded.
"Alright then." Touya smiled, "If you really want to since Yumina already gave her blessings, and I'm sure Setsuna would agree if she was here, I'll accept you as my third wife."
Linze's smile widened, she hugged him once more while Yumina cheered, happy for her friend and soon-to-be fellow wife.
"From now on, Linze is just like us, your fiancee." Yumina addressed, joining in on the hug, Touya felt awkward that he was hugged from both sides but figured he might as well roll with it and hugged them back.
"However, I still have one request." Yumina said out of nowhere as she separated from the hug, "I'm still upset about you having gone and lost your first kiss… Which is why I want something only you can give me."
Touya wondered what she wanted, as she stared at him waiting for his answer, she smiled as she approached him again and cupped the sides of his face, she brought him into a kiss, except this time was… No less lovely, it was all full of want.
They separated thereafter, a trail of saliva bridging their lips, Yumina smiled as she saw Touya's mind finally catching up to what she wanted.
His mind raced, was he really going to do this? This early when they're so young!? But one look from Yumina told him that she wanted this as well, he turned to Linze, but he saw the same needy look in her eyes – Touya was hard pressed, he couldn't run away if he wanted to and yet, he felt like he didn't.
"I… I know it might be too early for such a thing- But I feel- No, I know that we will come to this moment sooner or later…" Yumina confessed, "So, why not show us just how much you love us, Touya."
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(Unless you're in Ao3, you won't be able to read this, lmao.)
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(A day passes.)
Touya opened his eyes, feeling relaxed after his escapades last night, he turned his head and saw his fiancees clinging onto each side of his arms, sleeping peacefully with smiles on their faces. He was honestly surprised he wasn't more drained after the girls had their way with him yesterday. Touya smiled, remembering the night before but then realized he needed to get the day started and carefully maneuvered so as to not accidentally wake them up.
It took a while, especially when Linze hugged him when she felt the bed shift, but he was able to successfully slip his way out of their grasp, with the loss of warmth, they unconsciously tried to find him but instead found each other, thinking that they were him, they snuggled and wore a content look on their faces.
Touya smiled as he watched his lovers cuddle together in their sleep but that wasn't what he was going to do, he needed to start the day.
As he found his clothes, which were laying exactly where he stripped them off, he put them back on. He took one last glance at the women he loved, sleeping peacefully in each other's embrace, smiling one more time before he walked to the door and went outside of his room.
He closed the door behind him slowly, until he heard the click of the door, he was about to start walking until he came face to face with Elze.
"Woah- Hey- Elze what's up?" He asked, a little nervous now that he realized that he spent the night with her sister, "Need me for something…?"
"I do." Elze narrowed her eyes, easily picking up his nervous body language but chose to ignore it for now, "Come on, follow me."
She turned around and started walking away, he watched as she walked further into the hallway to her destination. Touya let out a sigh of relief, he figured she must want to talk about Linze… A sense of dread swelled up inside of him as he realized what she wanted but he shook his head.
He knew this was coming the moment he accepted Linze as his third wife, he needed to do this. To confront her and prevail no matter what.
Touya quickly followed Elze, the two silently strode through the mansion until they were outside and at the garden of the place, Touya raised an eyebrow when he saw Yae sitting on the ground, her eyes closed with her katana on the ground in front of her.
"Yae? What are you doing here?" Touya inquired.
The moment she heard his voice, her eyes opened, she wore a frown as she picked up her katana, "...Touya-dono, I have been waiting for you."
"You took Linze as your wife, didn't you?" Elze bluntly asked, not beating around the bush.
"Ah…" Touya slowly nodded, he was now being interrogated by who is basically his sister-in-law… "Yeah I did – It- It happened yesterday."
"And that makes you my brother-in-law." Elze pointed out
"More or less…" Touya nodded again.
Elze frowned, she narrowed her eyes and stared deep into his eyes, he felt a bit afraid under her intense gaze, something he never thought he would be subjugated to, but here he was.
"Do you love her?" She questioned.
"I…" Touya muttered, mulling over his feelings, but after what happened yesterday, he can't let himself wallow in his thoughts nor can he let himself be indecisive anymore, "I do. After the conversation we had yesterday, I came to realize that I have feelings for her, Yumina and even Setsuna…"
"And she agreed to it?"
"Yeah."
A frustrated sigh left Elze's mouth, scratching her head as she tried to calm down. Letting out another sigh, she looked at him once again except her gaze was a little more softer than the previous one.
"That girl has always been like this…" Elze sighed, but a small smile crept up, "Despite being timid and a scaredy-cat most of the time, she's always been the bold one when it comes to these things… The complete opposite from me."
"I'm not so different from you, Elze-dono." Yae sympathized, "I am unable to be determined without a proper push."
"...What are you two talking about?" Touya asked, confused at the sudden change in atmosphere.
They didn't seem to acknowledge his question as Elze donned her gauntlets and fastened them while Yae placed her katana at her hip with her hand hovering near the handle, both of them took a fighting stance.
"...Touya." Elze addressed, with the intense look in her eyes, back once more.
"We want you to fight us, here and now."
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And that's a wrap.
For the folks at/here in FFnet, you'd want to look up the Ao3 version of this fanfic if you want the spicy stuff!
Other than that, I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Nothing much was derived from canon as of now, but later, we should enter a completely 'original' plotline I planned.
What can I say? This is a short one since most of it is more or less in line with canon, but after this and the next chapter is when things start to divert, I got one Arc planned that isn't a part of canon, but it should be interesting for you all.
Until next time, this is V_KJ, signing out.