Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos
chapter-20

After resting for a few hours Vahn awoke to the sound of another notification within his mind.

//Milan Yuel: Intrigue - 1//

Confused, Vahn called up the system log to see what happened while he was asleep.

//System Log//

//Milan Yuel: Affection +1//

//Milan Yuel: Intrigue - 1//

//Milan Yuel: Intrigue +1//

//Milan Yuel: Intrigue - 1//

//Milan Yuel: Intrigue - 1//

("This must be the extra details Sis talked about when I touched the aura of someone using ’View Affection’. It seems to show me whenever the values change. But why would they change when I’m nowhere near them?")

(*The reason is simple Vahn. Imagine if you were really angry at someone, but then they left for an extended period of time. Your anger would diminish over time, and if they were gone long enough it may cease entirely.*)

Vahn had a small epiphany after listening to Sis’s explanation. ("So you’re saying that peoples thoughts and feelings change based on exposure, time, and other factors?")

(*Yes, but you should keep in mind that everyone is unique. Different people may respond in unexpected ways, and time may even enhance certain emotions.*)

He could understand what she meant. Even though he had never had the opportunity to spend time with his Mother, his affection for her had only grown with time. Other than experiencing everything the ’records’ had to offer, it was the primary force driving him forward.

*sounds of stomach-sama demanding your attention*

Hearing the protest of his stomach Vahn quickly left the room, making sure to lock the door on his way out. Though he hadn’t left any valuables inside, he actually enjoyed the thought of locking away his own little personal space that nobody had free access to.

On his way down he came across the small girl who was shuffling between several tables serving food to the other guests. Noticing his appearance, she immediately began to back away before saying, "My mother said you were a guest~nya. And to make sure not to let you touch my ears or tail~nya."

Hearing what the girl said, the surrounding customers all burst out laughing.

"Hahahaha, you tell ’im lass. Don’t be gettin’ handsy now y’hear!" said one man with a deep baritone voice.

"Aye, you tell ’im Jim! Keep yer filthy mitts off our lit’le Tina!" shouted his companion while raising a flagon of ale.

Vahn didn’t know what to say in response to the ruckus of the crowd. He looked helplessly at the young girl that seemed to be terrified of him and noticed her aura was a wispy purple color. Though he wanted to ’touch’ her and see her values, he assumed it would probably make the situation worse.

Giving up, he waved towards the Proprietress who seemed to be enjoying his misery and left the Inn.

//Milan Yuel: Intrigue + 5//

//Milan Yuel: Affection + 2//

The moment the notification sounded, he almost tripped which caused another round of laughter to erupt behind him.

//Milan Yuel: Affection + 1//

He quickly left the area before asking a passerby for directions. Tonight he had decided to visit one of the more popular places in the manga, the ’Hostess of Fertility’. That was where Bell had met the silver-haired beauty Syr Flova and was also the workplace of Ryuu Lion who was one of his favorite characters. He wasn’t sure if they were working there yet, but it would still be worth it to visit. He remembered it being one of the most famous places in the City due to its all-women staff and incredible food.

After nearly half an hour traveling by foot, Vahn finally arrived at the ’Hostess of Fertility’. It boasted a size similar to the Guild office, and also had three floors that seemed capable of housing hundreds of guests with ease. Vahn could smell a captivating aroma escaping the slightly ajar double-doors. It was the first time in both his lives that the simple smell of food was able to dominate his senses.

*the sound of Cthulhu awakening from its thousand year slumber (A/N: This is his stomach*

With a rising anticipation, he entered through the doors and was immediately welcomed.

"Welcome to the Hostess of Fertility~nya. Will you be dining in tonight~?"

Vahn looked towards the voice and saw a black-haired Cat Person with green eyes smiling at him with a dangerous look in her eyes. She seemed rather petite at 158cm but was still slightly taller than he was. Her aura was a mixture of yellow surrounded by an almost illusory pink. (A/N: I switched to cm by suggestion, since not a lot of people liked meters for height. BTW, Vahn is 150cm tall right now~)

"Nyaa~? It’s not nice to stare Mr. Customer~" She seemed to be admonishing him, but the smile on her face grew to the point it reached her eyes causing her to squint slightly.

Snapping out of his stupor, Vahn gave a polite nod before saying, "Sorry about that miss. And yes, I’d like to dine-in tonight. I’ve heard great things about this restaurant and had to experience it for myself."

While guiding him towards an area near the bar she couldn’t help but ask, "What great things have you heard~nya?"

Without thinking about his response, Vahn replied, "They say this place has cute women and great food." Immediately after the words left his mouth, he felt a slight shiver down his spine.

"Cute women~nya? Does that include me?" She gave him her most playful look as she put her finger to her chin and tilted her head.

Vahn didn’t know why, but he felt a sense of danger in the look as he noticed the aura around her become a deeper shade.

Swallowing his saliva he responded with a smile, "O-of course."

Hearing his response, the Cat Person leaned towards him with a seemingly malicious grin. "Oh, and what part of me is cute~nya?" She couldn’t help but tease the young boy further.

Thoughts rapidly spun through Vahn’s mind as she inched closer and closer towards his face. When she was less than a foot from him, he blurted out the first thing that he could think of. "Your hair and ears are definitely very cute!"

The woman seemed to freeze slightly and Vahn noticed the ears on her head begin to noticeably twitch. The aura emitting from her body began to fluctuate slightly. Thinking he may have offended her, he was preparing his apology when she suddenly interrupted him.

"My name is Chloe Lolo, what is your name~nya?"

Vahn noticed her eyes seemed to shimmer with an ’evil’ light and felt compelled to answer. "My name? Vahn Mason?"

"Vahn Mason~? How old are you Vahn~?" Based on her demeanor, she almost seemed to be interrogating him.

As he prepared his answer, another voice cut in from across the bar. "Chloe, you’re terrifying the poor boy. Take his order and get back to work, or I’ll find someone else to take care of him!"

After the voice sounded, Chloe assumed a more professional stance and bowed slightly towards Vahn. "Forgive me~nya. I didn’t mean to pressure you, I just couldn’t help myself~nya."

Unsure of what had just happened, Vahn nodded slightly before giving his order to Chloe. As she passed by to submit the order to the kitchen, she made sure to swipe her tail secretly across his hand.

Feeling the unexpectedly soft touch, Vahn looked in her direction and saw her give a wink before turning away.

//Chloe Lolo: Affection + 7//

//Chloe Lolo: Intrigue + 11//

As he heard the notifications within his mind, Vahn couldn’t help but feel like he was navigating through a minefield and had forgotten the layout.

The woman who had spoken out earlier to admonish Chloe saw his expression and walked over.

"Don’t let her get to you kid. She gets that way sometimes when dealing with some of the younger boys. You need to learn to have a little backbone or someone will walk all over you in the future."

Vahn nodded his head and looked towards her as she went about serving the customers at the bar. Though she looked a bit different from the manga, he was able to easily determine her identity. She was Mia Grande, the Proprietress of the ’Hostess of Fertility’. She was around 180cm tall and had filled out in various areas due to her age. She had brown hair and eyes that both seemed to glisten in the taverns’ light. Though Vahn knew she was pushing into her 50s, she still maintained a youthful vigor likely due to her secret as being one of the few Level 6s in the City.

While he was waiting for his food he began to look around to see if he could recognize anyone else. Though he wasn’t able to see the appearance of Syr or Ryuu, he did spot Anya Fromel and Lunoire Faust. They were both going around in their waitress attire and Vahn couldn’t help but smile seeing their interactions with other customers.

"Enjoying the sight~nya?"

"Mmm." Vahn nodded his head in response before jolting his body and turning towards the voice.

Chloe was standing there with his food and had been observing him as he looked around the pub. Though she found it amusing at first, she couldn’t help but get annoyed when he hadn’t noticed her presence for such a long period of time. Seeing that Mama Mia was busy with other customers, she decided to ’punish’ Vahn for ignoring her.

Placing his food on the bar, she sat down on the stool immediately to his left which was a slight blind spot unless Mama Mia looked directly over here. She turned towards Vahn with a big grin before gesturing at his plate.

"Go ahead~. Eat up~nya."

Feeling the hair on the back of his neck rise, Vahn smiled as he picked up the fork and looked at his plate. Though the meal looked unlike any he had previously seen, he couldn’t help but feel like he was about to eat his last meal...

Slowly spooling the noodles called spaghetti, Vahn began to bring it to his mouth only to stop once his nose had caught the smell of the dish. Releasing all his previous anxiety, he couldn’t help but close his eyes and inhale deeply the rich aromatic fragrance. After several long breaths, Vahn finally put the food into his mouth as he was assaulted by the vibrant array of herbs and spices.

It almost felt like his soul was leaving his body and he was about to transmigrate to another world. He savored every single instance as he slowly chewed the richly textured noodles and perfectly spiced meat sauce. Before this moment, he didn’t even know food could taste so good. In his previous life, he was fed almost exclusively vitamin supplements and nutrient c.o.c.ktails. Ever since coming to this world he had the opportunity to sample various wild fruits and vegetables as well as wild game. He had mistakenly assumed the bland taste of the meat he roasted was something high-class since it tasted so much better than what he had back in the labs...

"Ano~ Why are you crying~nya? Did I go too far?"

Hearing a voice of concern, Vahn looked towards Chloe and saw an apologetic expression on her face as she stared at him. Reaching his free hand to his face, he noticed he was actually crying over the taste of the food.

Embarrassed, he could help but look away as he said, "No, it’s not your fault. The food was just so good that I..."

Sighing in relief, Chloe noticed that Mama Mia had been looking in this direction and panicked slightly. Instead of saying anything, Mia just gave a subtle thumbs up and then indicated for her to return to work.

Vahn continued to eat after Chloe left and even took the opportunity to order seconds. After finishing the second plate and paying his tab, he got ready to leave. On his way out Chloe personally sent him out and got him to promise to come back when she was on her shift.

On his way home he seemed to remember the notifications from earlier and decided to see the affection values for Chloe.

’View Affection: Chloe Lolo {[Affection: 64[Interested], Intrigue:71[Desire to Pet]}

Seeing the value for Intrigue, Vahn couldn’t help but feel a cold sweat for what seemed like the 10th time this evening. What does it mean ’Desire to Pet’!?

Lamenting at the implications, Vahn returned to his room and passed out in exhaustion.