Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Chapter 2270: Acceptance

While Vahn was busy dealing with Sandora and Lily, Izayoi, Yo, and Asuka were gathered together in a lounge-like room featuring a self-service bar.

Since there were no laws to prevent it, Izayoi made himself comfortable behind the bar, his usual smile nowhere to be seen as he mixed drinks for the two girls seated across from him.

Though she had never been particularly fond of Jin, Asuka couldn't help feeling a little guilty. It was no secret that she aimed to take over the No Names, so she couldn't shake the feeling she had directly contributed to Jin's gradual breakdown and departure.

Breaking Asuka from her reverie, Izaoi placed a scotch glass filled with plum wine in front of her, saying, "Chin up, Oujo. Jin's decision to leave isn't that different from the three of us coming to the Divine Realm. We shouldn't be moping about like a bunch of bereaved babies. Our priority should be making the No Names into the best Community it can be…"

Pushing the glass a little closer to Asuka, Izayoi's smile promptly returned as he whispered, "You're in charge now, Leader…"

Though she didn't immediately bounce back, Asuka's back straightened in response to Izayoi's words. With Jin's abrupt departure, she was officially in charge of the No Names. Izayoi was their Strategist, and, despite being one of their most powerful members, Yo had refused to accept any official position or title. Thus, while it wouldn't be official until they submitted the request to the Gate Administration, Asuka was the de facto Leader of the No Names.

Accepting the previously offered glass, Asuka downed the contents in a single go before slamming it on the counter and exclaiming, "Right! Now isn't the time to be moping around! Let's show that little brat what the No Names could have been if he had a bit of backbone…!"

Raising a glass of his own, Izayoi flatly replied, "I'll drink to that." before following Asuka's example and downing the contents in three large swills. He would never admit it, but he was one of the people most impacted by Jin's departure. He viewed the No Names as his younger siblings, so he couldn't help feeling as though he had failed them by letting Jin leave.

Fortunately, Izayoi and Asuka weren't alone in their suffering. They had each other to rely on, and though she had deeply rooted affections for Vahn, Yo was there to help and support them. No matter what obstacles they faced in the future, the trio of friends was determined to overcome them together.

If only Jin had been willing to do the same…

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In the span of a single evening, Vahn spent the better part of five weeks attending Lily and helping her cope with Jin's departure. The two of them literally binge-watched three of his lives in the form of anime, so while it was a little surreal, Lily was able to obtain a bit of closure by watching Jin overcome his personal demons.

Though there were some painful moments where Jin would reminisce about his childhood, they became less frequent in later episodes. By the time he was nearing the end of his third life, a journey spanning well over ten thousand years, the only time he ever talked about his past was as a cautionary tale for his descendants.

As ironic as it sounded, Jin ended up parroting many of the things Vahn had attempted to teach him. Age, experience, and wisdom had helped him mature considerably, but the thing that had impacted Jin's life the most was the birth of his first child. The event had drastically changed the way he viewed the world around him, and, by the end of his first life, Jin had followed in Vahn's footsteps by becoming an Emperor in his own right.

Watching Jin gradually mature from an unstable, clearly troubled youth into a confident and reliable father drastically impacted Lily's views on his departure. She went from feeling despair and loss to mild annoyance and eventual acceptance as Jin's looks and personality invariably attracted a number of heroine-class beauties.

By the end of the first season, Lily was actively rooting for certain girls to end up with Jin. She began viewing him as less of a person she was close to and more as a fictional, or, at the very least, a separate individual living his own life. When he finally confessed to one of the heroines, she literally jumped for joy before subsequently quieting down and becoming meek as the scene developed from a confession to something far more intimate.

Though it was probably one of the most inopportune times imaginable, it was during the scene depicting Jin's loss of virginity that Lily gave up her own. She felt incredibly guilty after the fact, but, at the same time, she felt as though a tremendous weight had been removed from her chest.

Following their first time together, Lily and Vahn were nearly inseparable for the remainder of their stay in the timeless suite. Lily had been holding herself back for a long time by that point, so, with nothing else standing in her way, she explored her sensuality to the fullest while reveling in Vahn's care and constant attention.

If there was anything Lily regretted about her time in the royal suite, it was the fact she had gotten a head start on Yo. The two had promised to give up their first times together if the opportunity presented itself, so she couldn't help feeling at least a little guilty…

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With Vahn informing her that the time for their return had come, Lily spent their final few hours together trying on new clothes. She had spent nearly three of the five weeks wearing little more than lingerie and sleepwear, so it felt a little strange going back to 'normal' clothing.

In the end, Lily settled on a lilac-purple blouse that resembled a kimono but functioned more as a crop-top. In other words, it left her shoulders, back, and navel completely exposed. The rest of her outfit wasn't much better as her skirt, matching with her top, barely concealed more than a third of her milky white thighs. It was enchanted to prevent people from sneaking a peek at the contents, but it was still a rather risque garment that left very little to the imagination.

To complete her outfit, Lily, somewhat ironically, donned a pair of long, kimono-like sleeves that extended from her biceps and flowed well past the tips of her fingers. As for accessories, she decided upon a flowery hairpin to accent her flowing golden locks and a dark-purple collar with Vahn's name engraved in gold lettering along the interior.

Though Vahn had offered her a ring and a pendant, Lily had refused both. She appreciated his concerns, but she wanted something that embodied the notion she had 'given' herself to him. As for why this was important, it was due to the fact she was a Harvest Spirit. They were entities bound to serve and protect, so while the notion of becoming Vahn's bride made her tails twitch excitedly, Lily was content with simply 'being his'.

Since Lily was far from the first woman he had collared, Vahn didn't mind it too much. So long as she was happy, he was even more so.

Extending his hand toward the breathtakingly beautiful kitsune, Vahn's smile illuminated the entire room, at least from Lily's perspective, as he asked, "Are you ready…?"

Returning an affectionate smile of her own, Lily gingerly linked her hand with Vahn's as she sonorously replied, "Where you go, I will follow…"

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Though his super-human regeneration should have prevented it, Izayoi awoke the following morning with a mild hangover. He could barely recall the previous evening's events, so, first and foremost, he looked around to get his bearings.

"Well, fuck…"

While it wasn't atypical for him to sleep naked, goosebumps developed across Izayoi's body as he noticed the high-brow brunette lying next to him in her birthday suit. If it were just her, he wouldn't be too upset, but lying on the other side of the girl was a chestnut-haired woman wearing a onesie.

Reacting to Izayoi's voice, the brunette languidly rose to a sitting position, hair sticking to her face as she lazily observed her surroundings. She had also gotten blackout drunk the previous night, so it took her a moment to recognize the room as the suite afforded to her by Salamandra. After that, her gaze moved to her body before her brain completely stalled…

In a vain attempt to deter the coming storm, Izayoi forced a smile as he said, "I know what this looks like, but I don't think it's nearly as bad as it seems…"

Ignoring Izayoi's words, Asuka's reached between her naked thighs to check for blood or moisture before shifting her attention to her right. The presence of Yo caused her body to tense, eyes to widen, and pupils to contract, but, as Izayoi had suggested, things weren't nearly as bad as they first appeared. At the very least, there was no evidence of anything irreversible occurring.

Shifting her gaze to Izayoi, Asuka mouthed the words, "Get the hell out of here." with a panicked expression on her face.

More than willing to get as far away from the coming storm as possible, Izayoi raised his hands in a lazy gesture of surrender before grabbing a pillow to cover his crotch. He wasn't ashamed to be seen naked, but he knew Asuka would give him crap about it if he sauntered around with Yo sleeping nearby.

Following Izayoi's departure with her eyes, Asuka's gaze briefly lowered before she quickly shook her head and began to search for her [REquip] System. Then, recalling the existence of her Companion, Abyssinian, she focused her mind and imagined the form she wanted it to take.

With Izayoi long gone and a pair of pajamas to conceal her nudity, Asuka went into investigation mode. It nearly awoke Yo, but she removed all the blankets from the bed to inspect them for any evidence of blood or bodily fluids. After that, she searched around the room and under the bed before finding three sets of clothes littering the floor of the adjoining bath.

Seeing several empty bottles around the still-filled tub, it wasn't difficult for Asuka to piece together what must have happened the night prior. The three of them must have gotten blackout drunk at the bar before retiring to her room to continue drinking. The only mystery was whether the three of them had taken turns or entered the bath together. As conspicuous as three sets of clothes were, it didn't indicate they had been abandoned at the same time.

Deciding to trust in Izayoi, Asuka busied herself with cleaning up until Yo awoke nearly three hours later. Fortunately, she couldn't recall so much as a single detail from the previous night. This might have been a boon if not for Yo immediately coming up with a solution Asuka had overlooked.

Curious to know what had transpired, Yo asked her own Companion, the Maneki-neko, for an explanation. Neither it nor the Abyssinian had taken in a single drop of alcohol, so they could easily recollect the events of the previous night. Thus, despite dodging numerous death flags, Izayoi's fate was set in stone when the two Companions reported that the trio had, in fact, entered the bath together. To make matters exponentially worse, at least for Asuka, it was apparently at her insistence…

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(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Gotta move forward…','That's one hell of a way to speed up the process of acceptance…','This is why you shouldn't drink xD…')

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