Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos
chapter-1840

After returning to his hotel room, Vahn wasn't even remotely surprised to find that Yuri had made herself comfortable in the living room. She liked to jump down from her own balcony in order to raid his fridge or fish for snacks. This was in spite of the fact that he had gotten an extra keycard for her to use the door. As for her reason? She thought it was more fun to enter from the balcony...

Lying on the sofa in little more than yoga pants and a sports bra, Yuri craned her head back with a half-eaten potato chip in her mouth. Her brows raised slightly when she noticed his company, but, rather than show actual surprise, she just shook her head, finishing her chip before remarking, "I'm not really one to talk, but you need to show some restraint. It doesn't really matter to me, but Soo-Yun will be sad if you 'cheat' on her with another member of the Eurasia Family. They aren't fond of sharing their 'favorites' with others."

With that said, Yuri hopped up from the sofa, her body seemingly blinking out of existence for a brief moment as she appeared in front of Arusha, the representative of the Lo Po Bia Family. This caused the latter to startle, but, rather than shy away, she instinctually threw a punch towards the former. She had been trained to 'fight' whenever her fight or flight response had kicked in, so, even though she could sense that Yuri was a lot stronger than she was, her body automatically reacted.

Catching the fist with absolutely no effort, a smile spread across Yuri's face as she said, "Not bad. I heard that the Zebra family members were the weakest among the Lo Po Bia Branch Families. Your punch is a little light, but your reaction and instincts aren't bad. If you apply yourself, you should be able to become much stronger."

Since she had been under the influence of Yuri's Reverse Flow Control, Arusha had little choice but to listen attentively to the former's words of advice. When her hand was finally released, freeing her from the irresistible freezing effect, she forced herself to take several labored breaths before saying, "Thank you for your guidance..."

Waving her hand in a dismissive manner, Yuri's smile became even more prominent as she said, "No need for any of that. Since Vahn brought you here, that basically makes us sisters. You'll have to call me Princess when others are around, but you can just call me Yuri when we're alone."

Though she didn't fully comprehend the meaning of Yuri's words, Arusha still nodded her head in mock understanding before saying, "My name is Lo Po Bia Arusha. My mother and blood kin call me Aruru..."

Finding Arusha's pet name rather adorable, Yuri's eyes began to shimmer as she gave the former a thumbs up and remarked, "Great name! We're going to get along great, Arururu~."

Though she noticed Yuri had tacked an extra 'ru' onto the end of her name, Arusha's only reaction was the subtle twitching of her ears. Then, alongside the former, she turned her attention to where Vahn had just emerged after placing Soon-He, the Eurasia Family representative, in the guest room.

Before Arusha could even think to ask what she should be doing, her mind totally blanked as Yuri unabashedly remarked, "You really have a thing for girls with tails, huh? Is it because they usually have more toned butts?"

As if to confirm her own suspicions, Yuri looked around behind Arusha, noticing that, while her butt was rather small, it appeared very toned. She also had plump yet muscular thighs, a trademark of the Zebra family that was known for their exceptionally powerful kicks.

Having never been the type to restrain herself, Yuri surprised Arusha quite a bit by squatting down and spontaneously squeezing her thighs. She wasn't completely sure, but, thinking this was part of her duty, she ultimately chose to tolerate the intrusion until Vahn muttered in a slightly exasperated tone, "Yuri...we need to have a serious talk about invading people's personal space..."

Without retracting her hands, Yuri just rolled her eyes in response to Vahn's words before retorting, "Lecture me when you stop petting everything within arm's reach. I don't recall you ever asking for permission to touch my head or place your hand around my waist."

Though he wanted to argue that it wasn't the same thing, Vahn found himself unable to speak. He had a natural inclination to avoid lying, so, while they 'were' different, that was merely the result of his unique perspective on the situation. From the perspective of others, including the recipients of his petting, there wasn't that much of a difference between his own actions and Yuri's. He couldn't even make the argument that his petting was less invasive, as, the moment he placed his hands on their heads, he knew everything about the structure of their body...

Realizing she had gotten one over on him, Yuri's smile blossomed into a toothy grin as she released Arusha from her clutches and added, "You might have brought Aruru here with good intentions, but don't think you can deceive me. You don't have the heart to mind control someone so your options are pretty limited when it comes to convincing people to remain loyal..."

Hearing Yuri casually vocalize his intentions, Vahn couldn't help but feel a little guilty, his expression showing the conflict he felt in regards to the situation. He had been doing his best to ignore it, but, now that his intentions had been laid bare, he suddenly felt an overwhelming sense of perturbation. After all, he was basically intending to 'conquer' Arusha in order to spare her from suffering she had been fully willing to face. He had arbitrarily made the decision, and, due to her strong sense of duty, she wouldn't even resist...

Not expecting Vahn to suddenly become depressed, Yuri's eyes widened as she adopted a slightly incredulous look and asked, "What the hell got into you? I didn't say there was anything wrong with what you're doing. I mean, not that you should let it go to your head, but anyone who catches your interest, regardless of the reason, is pretty lucky. The Little Garden is basically a paradise, and, once they get a taste of Rindo's cooking, anyone with a functioning brain would want to live out the rest of their days there. Don't even get me started about your displays of affection...honestly, I'm a little envious of Fenrir and Ryun..."

Shaking her head free of such thoughts, Yuri took a half-step behind Arusha, smacking the latter's butt hard enough to produce a crisp sound while subsequently propelling her forward with Shinsu. This caused Arusha to crash into Vahn, but, thanks to the thin membrane surrounding her body, she hadn't even felt the initial smack. The only person affected was Vahn, his bewilderment preventing him from acting until Arusha had already crashed into him.

Finding Vahn's compromised state rather amusing, Yuri's smile inevitably returned, crimson eyes shimmering as she added, "You're both consenting adults. Don't worry about the circumstances too much. Just like we in the Ha Family always say, 'No matter what, charge forward'. You already made up your mind, so what reason is there to hesitate? Go have some fun."

Though he was used to her being pretty straightforward, this version of Yuri left Vahn feeling at a complete loss for words. Her behavior was like a mix between Tsubaki and Tiona, two of the most influential women present during his formative years. This filled him with an overwhelming sense of nostalgia, and, though he couldn't simply set aside his guilt, he suddenly found himself unable to contain his laughter. This wasn't because of Yuri's words, however, but because Arusha's face had become beet red as she made no effort to separate herself from him...

Three hours after his entrance into the Little Garden, Vahn emerged from his room wearing nothing but a pair of pajama bottoms, his muscular body glistening with a thin layer of sweat. He had never activated his Magia Erebea constitution after entering the Transcendental Path to Heaven, so, while it wasn't completely necessary, he was quite fond of sweating in certain situations.

Noticing his emergence, Lisanna, who had also just emerged from her room further down the hall, adopted a slightly impish grin as she mused, "You better not have paid more attention to that new girl than my sister~."

Since Lisanna had taken the initiative to walk over to him, Vahn extended his hand to pat her head, his relaxed smile becoming somewhat wry as he answered, "I wouldn't dare. Though it's not as bad as her passive-aggressiveness, your sister can be pretty scary when she's mad. Besides, she actually took the lead this time around. When she gets like that, there isn't much I can do but go along with her suggestions."

Giggling in response to Vahn's words, Lisanna continued to stand with her hands behind her back, head presented for his convenience as she remarked, "You're pretty bold to be petting the younger sister of your lover right outside your bedroom..."

Rolling his eyes, Vahn ruffled Lisanna's short white hair as he said, "You shouldn't play with fire. I'm someone who has a thousand different Oyakodon 'recipes' contained within my mind. Do you think I have any reservations about 'eating' two sisters? If you're not careful, Mira might even be the one holding you down..."

Rather than display any fear, Lisanna just giggled in response to his words, pristine blue eyes turned up in a playfully seductive manner as she traced her finger along his bare chest. This caused Vahn to squint slightly, his vibrant aquamarine irises gaining a golden hue as she drew herself close enough that her breasts were pressed against him.

Though he understood that she was 'mostly' just playing around, Vahn surprised Lisanna quite a bit when he suddenly wrapped his arms around her, firmly gripping her rather bulbous butt and lifting her off the ground. This caused her mouth to open in surprise, but, before she could say anything, he sealed her lips with his own, kissing her for a full three-and-a-half minutes before pulling away to reiterate, "You shouldn't play with fire..."

Not expecting her 'prank' to develop into such an intense and passionate kiss, Lisanna found herself at a loss for words. It took her several seconds to fully process what had just happened, her feet still dangling from the floor as an intoxicating sweetness pervaded the interior of her mouth. It was only after she swallowed the residual saliva that she fully returned to her senses, but, rather than petition for her release, her curiosity compelled her to lean forward and lightly nibble his collarbone...

Surprised by Lisanna's escalation, Vahn felt a sudden compulsion to look over his shoulder to see if Mira was standing behind him. He knew she wasn't, but, for some reason, he felt like he needed to confirm it with his eyes. This hadn't gone unnoticed by Lisanna, who, feeling emboldened, wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling herself closer to his ear before whispering, "Don't worry...it will be our little secret~."

Though he got the impression she was back to messing with him, Vahn could tell by the state of Lisanna's body that his previous actions had stoked the fires within her body. He suddenly felt as though he had gone a little too far, but, as Mira had already given him permission long ago, even going so far as to suggest Lisanna during the time when he was first creating new Templates, there was no particular reason to hesitate. Rather than whisk her away to engage in a secret rendezvous, however, he laughed like a madman as he drew the panicking beauty into the room containing her sister...

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'What is this? Utawarerumono...!?','Yuri would make a great spokesperson for Nike xD...','Get burnt')