When the movie finished, Takechi bid his farewells and went home, after giving a slight kiss on Tomiko’s left cheek. As the door closed behind him, Hangaku placed one arm over her friend and gently bumped her head against hers.
“It’s nice to see you looking this happy. I would never expect you would fall for a guy like him, considering the boys that you are usually attracted to. It’s a nice change, after that bastard you dated last time. Takechi-sama looks too nice to mistreat you, and he seems to really care about you. Now, don’t you be a fool and let him escape, will you?”
“No… I won’t. He… makes me happy. I almost melted when he was stroking my head during the movie, especially during the most romantic bits. I… also like to hear him laugh. He has the most contagious laughter I ever heard. I think he also likes me…”
“What’s not to like? What do you say if we have a nice warm bath before going to bed and talk some more without this nosy guy around? He is not allowed to hear a girl’s talk, right?”
Tomiko stared at Sakamo, who was putting the cups on the balcony of the kitchen. “I am not sure. With that long hair of his and soft skin, he looks like a girl as well.”
Hangaku whispered, “He is not a girl, believe me. I felt a bump against my head during the movie, especially when I moved on purpose, to tease him. He tried to disguise it, but I could see very well that he was nervous every time my head touched it. He is so cute, being shy like that. What scares me is how much I am into him! I never felt like this! If he asked me to sleep with him, I would do anything he wanted under the sheets! And I just met him today! Why am I so crazy about him?”
Tomiko whispered back, “Probably because he is good-looking, and you always liked those types of guys? Together with the amazing things we know about him already, no wonder you are feeling like that. What I admire about him the most is how humble and down to earth he is. Any other guy that could live in a house like this would brag about it all over School. He just said a little about his house when we asked, but I would have never guessed it would be like this. How much do you think the rent is? And how can he afford it? He even said he has a cleaning lady!”
“He said he has a part-time job, but he didn’t say what it was. I will find out, rest assured. Let’s go to our bath. I need help with a plan.”
Tomiko checked what Sakamo was doing and warned her friend, “You should probably forget about one more of your weird plans to find the secrets of a boy. It never ends well. Sakamo might get annoyed and start to avoid you. Remember what happened last time? Even the mother of that boy hates you now.”
“Yeah… but I am so curious… I can barely hold myself from tying him up and making him spit everything… Now that is a marvellous idea, tying him up… See how I am lately? I was never like this! I just want a piece of him or several! Or eat him all up! You are right, I need to hold on and wait. He will eventually tell me more about him, as long as I don’t push myself too much upon him.”
Hangaku stopped whispering as soon as she saw Sakamo approaching and told him they were going to take a bath before going to sleep. He wished them a good bath and a good night because he had to retire to his office to do some work. Hangaku gave him a quick kiss on the lips and left giggling at his surprised look, and Tomiko followed her upstairs.
Sakamo mumbled as they were already on the first floor, “She is too dangerous… she is playing me like a violin. If I am not careful, I will fall deeply in love with her. I wouldn’t mind if I was sure she wouldn’t throw me away like a used doll, as soon as she got what she wants from me. And I have a pretty good idea about what she wants… Better if I return to Shinatobe’s side, I am safer near her.”
Sakamo went upstairs to his room and changed to his pyjamas after closing the door. He then touched the pendant and used the closet door as a passage, and on the other side of the magic door that appeared in front of him was his rented room in Azurath, with Shinatobe greeting him with a smile. “Hello again. I see you are ready to sleep. No one uses those clothes around here, but it’s just the two of us, and I don’t mind. Well, I would prefer if you were completely naked so that I could feel your skin against my body, but if you like to sleep like that…”
“I won’t mind sleeping naked, but it feels weird holding you like you are right now. I would feel like a pervert, sleeping and embracing an eight-year-old girl. Even one as cute as you.”
Shinatobe smiled and quickly removed her dress, standing in front of him with a thin blouse and ruffled shorts. She opened the bed and went under the sheets, tapping the empty spot near her. “Come here, my dear. I will cuddle you until you fall asleep. Don’t worry about the way I look, because tonight is only for you to sleep. When the time comes for us to indulge ourselves in some pleasant activities, I will change my body. This body is just a disguise. I can look older or younger, if I want. I can even change completely if you prefer another type of body or hair colour.”
Sakamo laid on the bed and fixed a curl of her blonde hair. “You look perfect as you are, but if you grow up to near my age, it would for sure make me feel better because having other activities when you have this size is so wrong in so many ways… Is this how you really look? Or this is just a body you chose randomly?”
“It was not random, I thought for centuries before deciding. I already told you I am made of living energy and Magic, and my parents, the God Izanagi and the Goddess Izanami had me millennia ago when this World was created. I made this body for myself to mingle with the beings living in this World, but I can change at will. I can look different, or be a Beast-kind. If you like Cat-girls, I can be one. Or a Dog-girl. Or any other kind. Just don’t ask me to be a boy. I enjoy being a girl because everything feels better when I am a girl. As a boy, I lose a lot.”
“As I said, I like how you are. As long as you feel the same, you don’t need to change because of me.”
Sakamo kissed Shinatobe’s forehead and laid on the pillow. She rested her head on his arm and asked, “How was dinner? You said you were going to a restaurant near your house.”
“The food was fantastic. My friend works as a cook, and he made a lot of dishes. There was also…”
Sakamo thought for a brief moment, but then he remembered that even if he tried to hide it to protect her feelings, Shinatobe would sense something was wrong, because of the way they were linked to each other, like two sides of the same soul.
“Two of my classmates were also there. One of them thought I could be lonely, and they came to have dinner with me. We had a lot of fun, trying the food and talking. It was already late and one of them said that if they lost the last train to go home, they could sleep at my house. They went to take a bath and after that, they will sleep in the same bed in my spare room. We… watched a movie and drunk a cup of tea.”
“I feel it’s not only that what happened. You like one of the girls, don’t you? Yeah, you said classmates, but I can smell the sweet scent of a young girl. She was all over you, wasn’t she? Is she pretty, at least?”
“Yeah… sorry for trying to hide it, but I didn’t want to upset you. Yes, she is very pretty, but I am not sure if she likes me for real, or if she is only attracted by my looks and mysteries. I got the impression she is not the airhead she pretends to be, and… I wouldn’t mind finding out more about her… I just… Are you sad?”
“No, my dear, I would never be sad as long as you are happy. That girl is from your other life, it doesn’t worry me as long as you keep coming here to be with me. What worries me is if you fall in love with that crazy Mermaid or that Fairy. I could accept if you wanted one or two nights with them, but I would hate it if you preferred one of them to be with you instead of me! I know I have to share you with Sarutahiko Okami because of the way female Spirits link to their contracted male Mage Summoners, but I will not like it if you make me share you with another female!”
“You… won’t mind if I have a one-night stand with any of them? That’s… good to know, I guess. What if I make a contract with another female Spirit, besides you and Sarutahiko Okami?”
Shinatobe made a slight smile and caressed his chest. “That’s why I and Sarutahiko Okami are going to such lengths to find you two male Spirits of Fire and Water. None of us likes the idea of more females around you.”
“And none of you is worried if I fall for some male Spirit, considering how the contracts work? My father explained it to me, but I was not ready for all the sensations I got when my mind and soul bond with you. We became halves of the same soul, and I got divided again when I made a contract with Sarutahiko Okami. All my feelings and sensations mingled with you two, I don’t know what will happen if I make a contract with a male Spirit.”
Shinatobe made a slight smile. “You don’t need to be worried. Your soul will bond easily with a male Spirit, but you will not have physical interactions with them unless you want. None of them will force themselves upon you as well. Besides, no male Spirit would be fool enough to try something with a Mage Summoner that had a previous contract with a female Spirit! A male Spirit can only be friends with a male Mage Summoner if that Mage made previously a contract with a female Spirit. For example, I could only be a friend of a female Mage Summoner if that Mage already had a male Spirit.”
“And… if the female Mage Summoner didn’t have a male Spirit, and she made a contract with you?”
“Then I would love her, and she would love me like it is with us because we would be pieces of the same soul.”
Alex went silent for a few seconds, and he then asked, “You were also in love with my father? Because he never mentioned it.”
“I was, but that stupid Monk took very seriously his vow of chastity. He refused my offer and explained his vow to me. I never tried to seduce him. I respected him way too much to make him forget his vow.”
“I see… I still need to get used to how things work in this World.”
Shinatobe changed her position and clung to Sakamo a little more. “By the way, I think I found a new job for you. Tomorrow I am going to check the details, but it was a Quest made by the King, and a very profitable one, it seems. It comes with two big Magical Orbs and a purse full of gold coins.”
Sakamo had his eyes closed, and he was almost asleep, but he quickly opened his eyes, surprised by the amount of the payment. “Really? I bet it’s something crazy and a lot of Adventurers are applying to do that Quest.”
“On the contrary, the Quest is too dangerous for most Parties and that’s why the pay is so high. The King is having difficulties with finding a group of Adventurers that accepts it. He is already thinking about sending a portion of his army to do it, but he fears that most of them could die, and the Kingdom would lose a good amount of its soldiers.”
“As I said, something crazy… What is the Quest, anyway?”
Shinatobe kept on caressing his cheek until he closed his eyes again. She spoke in a low voice, like if she was trying to lullaby him, “Just an escort Quest. Travel to the ‘Republic of Beliersia’ and escort back the second Princess, that will marry the Prince of this Kingdom. The danger is because the road to ‘Beliersia’ is having a lot of attacks from Monsters that came from a Magical Void that appeared in the sky some weeks ago. Besides the payment from the Quest, you can get a few Orbs from the Monsters. I just need to search for an Adventurer’s Party that wants to do that Quest and hire you as extra security.”
“Ok… maybe my pretty Spirit of the Earth returns to me during the voyage… She said she was going to give me a present when she returned…”
“Yeah, I can bet what kind of present that crazy woman was talking about… Sleep, my dear, I will be right here, taking care of you.”
“Thanks… my dear… Shinatobe…”
Alex Brim fell asleep, and Shinatobe kept on caressing his cheek, smiling and enjoying his embrace.
…