Though it felt weird calming soone else down right now, Nobu did his best to prevent Onihi from freaking out. In the middle of this, Yui made an appearance near the entrance of the bath.
"Nobu..."
Exhaling a sigh, Nobu released his hold on Onihi, saying, "Go and get changed. We'll talk more in my room."
Nodding her head, Onihi quickly scampered from the room with a sad expression on her face. She had felt her Master's body tense up the mont Yui arrived, and, despite his apparent calm, she could tell he was anything but. She just didn't know what to say. All she knew was she didn't want to make things even worse.
Erging from the bath shortly after Onihi's departure, Nobu made his way over to Yui before surprising her with a hug. This caused a painful aching in her heart, and, for a brief mont, she couldn't bring herself to return his embrace. It was only when Nobu's grasp began to ease that she wrapped her arms around him, a choking sensation in her throat as she said, "You were in the bath for too long...your skin is as red as a lobster..."
While laughing dryly in response to Yui's remark, Nobu hugged her with as much strength as he could manage. This resulted in the raven-haired beauty being lifted from the ground, but, instead of offering any resistance, Yui just nestled her face into the nook between his neck and shoulder...
...
..
.
Though he wanted to tell them the truth, Yui specifically, Nobu waited until everyone had gathered in his room before explaining the cover story he and Inami had co up with.
Inami was, unsurprisingly, one of the big shots in the Yoshitsune Clan. As a result, she was one of the few people that could trespass the underground waterway without consequence. Thus, as part of their cover story, Nobu ntioned how he had encountered her when he used the passageway in his room to venture into the subterranean tunnels for so peace, quiet, and reflection.
Simply put, Nobu used the excuse that he was pissed off, sothing everyone in the estate knew, to be alone. During that ti, he encountered Inami, who, seeing how frustrated he was, decided to lend him an ear. One thing led to another, and, after a considerable amount of preparation, the two of them ended up doing it like rabbits until the sun had set beyond the horizon.
When they learned Nobu had not only encountered but had sex with their Clan's Guardian, the girls were at a complete loss for words. Inami was famous for being as capricious as she was reclusive so it was difficult to imagine her willfully approaching soone, much less providing them council. If it was anyone other than Nobu telling them such a thing, they wouldn't have believed it.
Surprisingly, the part where Nobu ntioned he and Inami had sex was the easiest aspect for the girls to accept. Not because he was particularly handso or charismatic, but because they were in the middle of Spring. Inami may have better control over her urges but she was still a kitsune. Until the end of Spring, they were effectively pitfalls for any man unfortunate enough to encounter them.
The thing the girls found most suspicious was the fact that Inami was anywhere near the estate. She knew the characteristics of her race better than anyone in the entire Clan. Fortunately, Nobu had an answer for this, explaining, "When I asked why she was here, she told she and the Matriarch had a disagreent so she wanted to test the security asures we had in place. If she wasn't lying, she has been investigating the estate without anyone noticing for the last five days."
"..."
Hearing Nobu's explanation, an awkward silence descended upon the room. With what they knew of Inami, it wasn't difficult to imagine her butting heads with the Matriarch. There had even been a few instances in the past where Inami deposed Matriarchs who refused to step down or attempted to implent changes she believed were detrintal to the Clan. With that in mind, it wasn't much of a stretch to imagine her wanting to test their security asures out of spite...
Affirming the fears that had manifested in nearly everyone's minds, Nobu went on to say, "After we finished fucking, she asked if I wanted her help. I wasn't really thinking at the ti so I ended up agreeing. In hindsight, I realize it was pretty stupid to agree without discussing the matter with each of you. I just didn't know what to say after learning who she was..."
"You didn't ask when you t in the tunnels...?"
Shifting his attention to Yui, Nobu noticed the serious and analytical look in her eyes. She was one of the few that didn't believe a thing he had said. Rather, after their argunt in the afternoon, she refused to believe it. After all, if he was telling the truth, this entire incident could be blad on her.
Shaking his head, Nobu exhaled an exasperated sigh as he closed his eyes and answered, "I wasn't thinking clearly at the ti. All I knew for certain was that she was a hell of a lot stronger than . If she was an enemy, I would have been killed in an instant. After we got to talking...well...I don't really know what ca over . I guess she reminded of Kaia? I don't fucking know..."
Hearing Nobu's words, Yui couldn't help feeling pain in her chest. After spending so much ti with him, she was confident in her ability to ascertain whether or not he was lying. Despite this, she knew there had to be at least a grain of truth to what he was saying. He was clearly still hurting after their previous argunt.
"Everyone. Leave us. We will discuss this matter in detail later. Right now, there is sothing Nobu and I need to talk about..."
"Yui...!"
Clearly upset by Yui's words, Yuriko glared at her with a frustrated glower on her face. Before she could say anything further, however, Nobu raised his hand, saying, "Stop. Yui is right. Besides, it's already late and I'm super fucking tired. We'll pick this up tomorrow. Sorry for worrying everyone."
With her expression morphing into a look of fretful concern, it was pretty obvious that Yuriko had sothing she wanted to say. In response to this, Nobu adopted an awkwardly apologetic smile as he said, "Co here..." while gesturing to that effect.
Though she was a little confused by Nobu's words and actions, Yuriko still drew nearer to him. This allowed him to wrap his arms around her lithe and muscular body, his tone gentle and soothing as he repeated the sa words he had said to Onihi, "It's going to be okay..."
In spite of Nobu's words, Yuriko got the distinct impression everything was not going to be okay. It was clear to all of them that he was behaving strangely. At the very least, he was never this intimate. Not without a reason.
Unfortunately, Yuriko wasn't given the chance to voice her concerns. Nobu's actions had effectively silenced her. As a result, she fell into a montary daze that allowed Kiku and Kumiko to guide her away from the room. In the end, the only people left inside were Nobu, Yui, and, despite a deadpan stare from the latter, Onihi. Only Nobu could tell her what to do, so, unless he sent her away, she had no intention of going anywhere.
"It's fine..."
Believing he understood the thoughts of both girls, Nobu gave Onihi permission to stay before urging Yui to continue with his eyes. He knew the half-oni wasn't going to blab on him. Rather, due to the Slave Crest on her body, even Inami wouldn't be able to force information from her.
Exhaling a sigh, Yui ended up shaking her head before staring directly into Nobu's eyes and saying, "I won't ask what really happened. From my perspective, truth and lies don't matter. If they are your words, I will abide them all the sa. It is my duty to support you..."
Furrowing his brows, Nobu was about to say he didn't need people to go so far for him. Before the words could reach his lips, however, Yui left him in a state of stupefaction as she added, "After all...I am your fiancee..."
Though she was seized by the distinct impression her response was far too late, Yui wouldn't have been able to rest peacefully if she didn't get this off her chest. Her Grandmother had basically told her that she should follow her heart and that it was a blessing, not a curse, that her desires just so happened to coincide with Nobu's. Suppressing her emotions and hiding from the truth would only make both of them unhappy, so, for the sake of Nobu's future aspirations, Yui was willing to allow herself to love him.
"..."
Unable to find the words to express himself, Nobu surprised both Yui and Onihi by slumping backward and sprawling out on the ground. He felt happy, sad, angry, lancholic, and a whole host of other emotions all at the sa ti. Part of him even wanted to tell Yui to fuck off, but, at the sa ti, another part of him just wanted to hold her and tell her everything was going to be okay...
In the end, Nobu just placed his forearm over his eyes and remained silent. This left Yui feeling a remarkably painful sensation in her chest. It was like soone had gripped her heart, and, though she did her best to maintain a calm expression on her face, she couldn't help sniffling as a layer of moisture rapidly spread across the surface of her obsidian-blue eyes.
Hearing the unexpected sound, a part of Nobu wanted to shout, "Why the fuck are you the one crying!?". Instead, he just remained silent for several seconds before lazily asking, "How long are you going to keep waiting...?"
Blinking in surprise, Yui wiped away the tears building at the corners of her eyes as she intoned a confused, "Huh...?"
Without opening his eyes, Nobu exhaled a fatigued sigh as he said, "I wasn't lying when I said I was tired. If you're my fiancee, shouldn't you be sleeping next to ...?"
For a brief mont, Yui couldn't quite believe what she was hearing. It was only when Nobu rolled onto his side and muttered, "Whatever..." that she ca back to her senses and exclaid, "O-One mont! I just need to remove my armor...!"
Though he heard Yui's words, Nobu didn't respond to them. He really was tired right now, and, due to his conflicting emotions, he didn't feel like saying or doing anything. He just wanted to sleep and forget that today ever happened...
"Master...?"
Hearing Onihi's concerned voice from behind, Nobu remained silent for several seconds before asking, "What is it...?"
Handing her head, Onihi's expression turned even more lancholic as she asked, "What do you want to do...?"
"..."
Resisting the urge to tell her to fuck off, Nobu briefly recalled how worried Onihi had been when she charged into the bath. He didn't understand why, but, ever since she had beco his slave, she had always regarded him very highly. It apparently had sothing to do with the fact he didn't care she was a half-oni, but, as soone with Earth's sensibilities, he didn't think it was anything to write ho about...
"Just do whatever you want..."
Though she knew he was basically dismissing her, Onihi's eyes widened slightly when she heard Nobu's words. Yui was still removing her armor and neatly arranging it at the side, so, with a look of conviction on her face, Onihi moved around to the front of Nobu and said, "Pardon ..." before lying down with her back against his chest.
"..."
Had she tried this at any other point in ti, Nobu might have asked if Onihi was touched in the head. After having sex with Inami, however, it was difficult for him to really care about anything. She was also remarkably warm, so, after an oppressive silence, Nobu just muttered, "Whatever..." before closing his eyes and imdiately passing out...
...
..
.
(A/N: This novel needs a drama tag...*heavy sweating*...)
Reviews
All reviews (0)