Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos
chapter-1766

After spending nearly three hours discussing theory and walking his students through several basic control exercises, Vahn lightly clapped to draw everyone’s attention before saying, "Well, it’s almost time for breakfast. We’ll stop here for today. If you have any questions, write them in your journals and ask about them tomorrow."

Following Vahn’s instructions, Baam, Laure, and Hwa Ryun quickly wrote a few things down in their journals. They, unsurprisingly, had a lot of questions about the things they had covered, but, thanks to the benefits provided by the Laws of Progress, they had actually made a considerable amount in just a few short hours.

Nodding his head in approval, Vahn waited until everyone had gathered their stuff together before teleporting alongside them back to the Surface. This brought them into the central courtyard of a large mansion that existed within the seventh outer ring, a place where the time dilation had been adjusted to emulate a flow of 7:1. This would allow them plenty of time to wash up, rest, and eat a hearty breakfast before returning to the outside world to continue their daily activities.

Though it was relatively small compared to the mansions that existed within the higher floors of the Tower, Laure and Hwa Ryun were awed by the aura emitted by the immaculately constructed estate. There were innumerable magical formations present, and, though the majority were invisible to the naked eye, their ability to see the flow of energy, not just Shinsu, allowed them to ascertain the true majesty of the relatively homely-looking mansion.

Before his students could ask questions, Vahn gestured to the east wing, explaining, "That is the location of the women’s bath. The flow of time in this place is different from the outside world, so, even though there is only fifteen minutes before the agreed-upon time, you will have 105 minutes to relax your bodies and minds within this place."

Finished with his basic explanation regarding the different flow of time, Vahn gestured to the west wing next, adding, "As you might have expected, the men’s bath is located in the west wing. There are a lot of protections that prevent members of the opposite sex from roaming places where they are not meant to be, so, if you want to avoid some pain, you will do well to stick to your own baths and changing rooms. Do I make myself clear...?"

Though he was speaking to everyone, Vahn’s eyes settled on Hwa Ryun, compelling the woman to blush. Her powers as a Guide actually functioned within the Little Garden, so, while it might be hard for others, she would eventually be able to find a way through the formations protecting the men’s bath from wayward women. She had just been thinking about a way to find Vahn’s bath, so, to hear him suddenly say such words, she couldn’t help but feel a little bashful after being seen through so easily...

What Hwa Ryun was unaware of was that her thoughts and desires, especially when she got excited and was thinking about him, were directly transmitted to Vahn. They were like silent prayers that, in spite of his lack of Divinity, echoed within the back of his mind. Under normal circumstances, Vahn would ignore these murmurs, as there were far too many to count, but, as Hwa Ryun, Hoh, and Grey were his only Believers in the current Record, it was pretty easy to make out their individual appeals.

Fortunately for Hwa Ryun, Vahn was feeling more ’decisive’ after his motivational intervention just a few hours prior. As a result, he casually reached out his hand, gently caressing the redhead’s hair as he said, "Behave yourself. There will be plenty of time for things like that in the future. For now, you should focus on increasing your strength and guiding Team Wolf Pack. Though I’m confident in my ability to protect you, the enemies we will face are the strongest within the Tower. You’ll need to be much stronger if you want to continue standing at my side..."

Understanding the meaning behind Vahn’s words, a fiery determination blazed in Hwa Ryun’s eye as she replied, "I understand. In order to witness your glory firsthand, I will endeavor to overcome my limits. Please continue to guide me from now on..."

Though she felt compelled to bow, Hwa Ryun was enjoying having her head caressed far too much to willingly part with Vahn’s palm. She was also feeling ’extremely’ excited right now, and, though she was doing her best to restrain herself, the upper half of her face became a vibrant shade of red as an uncontainable smile made its way to her face.

Finding Hwa Ryun’s reaction rather cute, Vahn felt a strong desire to continue petting her, but, with a subtle glow beginning to emanate from her body, he ultimately retracted his hand as he said, "Go and wash up. Breakfast will be ready and waiting within the central dining hall."

With that said, Vahn gave Baam’s hair a casual ruffling before walking past the trio and entering the front door of the estate. He felt like cooking alongside Phae, so, while everyone else was enjoying a much-deserved rest, he was looking forward to engaging in one of his favorite pastimes.

Despite having ’seen’ what was awaiting her within the onsen-like bath, Hwa Ryun still paused for a brief moment when she stepped into the interior. There was Hinata sitting near the very edge of the bath, knees tucked up to bashfully conceal her figure, Yoruichi swimming around happily in her cat form, and, most notably, three ’corpse-like’ figures floating lazily within the large pool of water.

Noticing someone else enter the bath, Hinata turned her attention towards the entrance, smiling timidly as she said, "It seems you are the last to arrive, Ms. Ryun."

Almost immediately following Hinata’s remark, a flash of brown appeared directly to Hwa Ryun’s left, stealing the towel concealing the redhead’s body with a loud, "Let’s see how the new girl stacks up~!" in an excitable tone.

Though she had been ’disrobed’ by Yoruichi, Hwa Ryun didn’t fluster in the slightest. Instead, she puffed out her chest slightly, a hint of a smile on her face as she asked, "Well? How is it...?"

Amused by Hwa Ryun’s response, Yoruichi issued a light, ’Hooo~?’ before adopting an appraising stance, eyeing the woman from head to toe before answering, "Not bad at all. You could benefit a lot from a bit of exercise, but the base material is pretty good. Still, you’re far from being able to compete with me~!"

Despite the fact she was 12cm shorter than Hwa Ryun, Yoruichi’s lithe body had excellent balance and immaculately sculpted proportions. What truly made her stand out, however, was her darker skin tone and the subtle trace of muscle that could be seen whenever she made a large movement. Vahn had always had a thing for women with athletic bodies, so, while her form was a little different from what it would have been in the Record of Bleach, Yoruichi’s body was pretty close to ’perfect’, at least within the eyes of her accidental creator.

Rather than refute Yoruichi’s claim, Hwa Ryun ultimately nodded her head in response, saying, "You are, indeed, a very beautiful woman. However, I do not wish to compete. So long as I can remain at my God’s side, I am more than content."

Hearing Hwa Ryun’s remark, one of the three corpses floating within the onsen, Endorsi, seemed to regain a bit of its vitality, stirring to life in order to ask, "Oh yeah, I’ve been meaning to ask. What is your relationship with Vahn? And I don’t just mean Ryun. I’m curious about all of your relationships with that man."

Surprising nearly everyone within the baht, Yoruichi raised her hand like an excited schoolchild who had the answer to her teacher’s question, firmly asserting, "I’m his pet!" with a massive grin on her face. This was enough to resurrect both Anak and Nare, each adopting incredulous looks as they stared back at the bronze-skinned woman.

With all eyes focused on her, Yoruichi proudly crossed her arms under her breasts as she explained, "I’m won’t bother going into any details, but Vahn has had a crush on me ever since he was a snot-nosed brat. Now I get to tease him, eat tasty food, and enjoy his pampering to my heart’s content. I won’t give up my position to anyone, so, if you do wish to compete, don’t expect me to go easy on you."

Even Hwa Ryun was a little taken aback by Yoruichi’s words, but, whenever she imagined her God giving her head pats and spoiling her, she couldn’t help but feel a little envious. This seemed to be noticed by Yoruichi, who, with an even bigger grin on her face, added, "Don’t worry. Like the fuzzy butt said prior to the training, Vahn is pretty generous when it comes to rewards. Though the other girls might not have a chance, you just need to keep working hard. Before you know it, pampering is the minimum you can expect from that overachiever."

Though she had no particular intention of aiming for Vahn, Yoruichi’s words caused Endorsi to feel slightly offended. As a result, she stood up within the bath, proudly puffing her chest out with arms akimbo as she proclaimed, "Ha! If I put in the effort, do you think that man would be able to resist my charms? Even a God wouldn’t be able to resist my charm, you know~?"

Shifting her attention to Endorsi, Yoruichi adopted an ’unimpressed’ look on her face, smiling in a teasing manner as she stated, "You can give up right now. It is impossible to seduce someone like Vahn. Back in Avalon, he has literal Goddesses of Sex, Love, and Beauty as his wives. You’re a pretty flower, sure, but your personality prevents you from appearing truly beautiful in the eyes of Vahn. Besides, don’t you already have a thing for that furry brat? Don’t bite off more than you can chew, girl. That boy is already too much for you to handle. Aiming for the leader of the pack is suicide."

Raising her fist like she wanted nothing more than to punch Yoruichi in her smug face, Endorsi was seriously considering her odds when Anak suddenly asked, "Huh? You actually like Gandr? I thought you said he was a brat...?"

Since she rarely paid any attention to what was going on in her surroundings, Anak was genuinely confused by Yoruichi’s remark. This caused Endorsi to feel a little awkward, her smile straining a bit as she tried to think of a way to explain the complexities of her relationship with Gandr. Before she could, however, Yoruichi and Hwa Ryun approached the bath, the former saying, "You shouldn’t fret stuff like that, lizard-britches. Gandr isn’t going to be taken away from you. That boy is more than capable of taking care of multiple women, so don’t waste your time on things like envy or jealousy."

Following her statement, Yoruichi sat down in the space next to Hinata, hooking her arm around the bashful girl’s shoulders as she added, "I won’t stop you from competing to be Gandr’s only woman, but you’re seriously underestimating him if you think just one of you has what it takes to deal with him. Seriously, that boy might look like a wolf, but he is hung like a horse."

Though horses didn’t exist within the Tower, everyone present could understand what Yoruichi was trying to convey with her words. This caused the upper half of Endorsi’s face to go red, and, though she generally didn’t think about such things, Anak began to blow bubbles near the surface of the water. As for Nare, she adopted a somewhat impish smile on her face, cupping her right cheek as she mused, "Oh my~." with a rosy blush coloring her cheeks.

(A/N: Alternate Titles: ’Give that Witch a headpat. Witches love headpats...’,’Yoruichi is like the main character of her own story xD...’,’Gandr has been betrayed...’)