Chapter 73: Gradual eptance


    Though there were a number of reasons why it wasn''t okay for Kaia to pounce on him, one of the most factors for Nobu was how well developed she was. He wouldn''t be a man if he didn''t have any reaction at all when a buxom and mature woman was rubbing up against him. This wouldn''t have been a problem with other women, but, thanks to her enhanced senses, it wasn''t long before Kaia''s pupils dted as she asked, "Master wants to mate with Kaia...?"


    "Hold up. You need to calm-"


    Before he could finish his words, Nobu found himself at a loss as Kaia brought her face near his crotch and took a very prolonged whiff of his junk. Just one would have been awkward, but, as if it was the most intoxicating thing she had ever smelled, Kaia held firm to Nobu''s waist as she nuzzled her muzzle against the fabric of his yukata like a dog looking for a treat.


    ("Fuck! Not this shit again...!")


    Fearing that he would get assaulted in front of Yui and the chick that had escorted them, Nobu did one of the only things he could think to do at the moment, his hands firmly grasping the sides of Kaia''s head as he said, "Kaia! Bad girl...!"


    "...!?"


    Though he wasn''t quite sure what he expected, Nobu was both surprised and relieved when Kaia promptly jumped away from him with enough force to embed the nails of her hands and feet into the wall. This allowed her to literally cling to the wall upside down, an extremely stressed look on her face as she stared at him through the gaps in her hair.


    Patting himself on the chest, Nobu remained seated as he exhaled a sigh and said, "Come here. This time, try not to jump on me. I don''t mind if you want to get close, but there are limits to what you can and can''t do. And no. While you are certainly very attractive, I don''t want to mate with you. My body just reacted because you were rubbing up against me..."


    Rxing her ws, Kaia managed to dislodge herself from the wall before cautiously crawling over to Nobu''s side. She didn''t really understand most of his words but she knew enough not to repeat the same mistakes as before. This time, instead of pouncing on him immediately, she waited for him to extend his hand before rubbing her head and ears against it.


    As strange as the scene of a mature beauty behaving like a pet was, Nobu would be lying if he said he didn''t find it strangely endearing. He had never even considered pet y and he would probably beat the living shit out of anyone who dared to refer to him as a furry. Now, however, he could kind of understand why people were into that kind of shit...


    With his fingers digging into the base of Kaia''s inordinatelyrge and fluffy ears, Nobu repeated the same phrase that hadpelled the bestial beauty to pounce on him, his tone soft and ostensibly affectionate as he muttered, "Good girl..."


    Though her body tensed like a spring, Kaia managed to restrain the urge to pounce. Instead, she just moved closer to Nobu''s side, affectionately nestling against him with her paw clinging to the fabric of his yukata. She was quite a bitrger than most Nianese women at 169cm tall, but, the moment she beside her Master, Kaia felt like she was a tiny mouse seeking the warmth of a hearth in wintertime. She could feel his body heat flowing into her, and, though it wasn''t enough to fill the emptiness that had apanied her throughout her entire life, it helped a lot...


    "Master..."


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    After a much longer stay than anyone anticipated, Nobu managed to pacify Kaia after promising to prepare a ce for her at their new home. The thought of leaving her alone didn''t sit well with him. He also had no intention of trekking halfway over the mountain once a month just to see her. Thus, for both of their sakes, he intended to have Kaia moved to his personal estate on the Northern side of the mountain.


    "That went surprisingly well. I never imagined you would have such a way with Kaia. Nobody else has ever been able to get that close to her..."


    Though he knew Yui was trying topliment him, Nobu was still feeling a little annoyed about Kaia''s situation. He knew he was the main reason for her imprisonment, but he still feltpelled to ask, "Have you ever tried? It seems to me like everyone has been treating her like a wild animal..."


    Exhaling a tired sigh, Yui left Nobu feeling at a loss for words as she said, "You''re right. However, we treated her that way for a reason. Lycans are among the most dangerous and bloodthirsty creatures in all of Nian. What you saw tonight is the most stable version of Kaia. As the moon begins its cycle anew, she will begin to grow increasingly temperamental as her body experiences rapid changes. By the eve of the full moon, she will be indistinguishable from a pure-blooded Lycan whose animalistic instinctspel her to consume human flesh..."


    Remembering the time her grandmother had forced everyone in Nobu''s entourage to witness Kaia in her fully transformed state, a rare shudder ran through Yui''s body. She had faced off against Aura Beasts that were dozens of times her size, but, the moment she found herself being stared down by the 3m tall werewolf, her body had frozen up like a small animal that had just encountered an apex predator. It was like staring into the eyes of death. There was nothing any of them could do.


    Noticing the strange states of Yui and the other girls escorting him, Nobu opted to remain silent for the rest of the journey. Even Kiku seemed genuinely spooked and she was wearing a demonic mask that covered the lower half of her face. Thus, at least for the time being, he decided not to question their decision to detain the surprisingly adorable wolf woman...


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    "What do you think? He''s rather interesting, isn''t he~?"


    Having observed the encounter between Nobu and Kaia from start to finish, Hitomi''s impression of him had improved quite a bit. Sure, he was foolish and naive to the point of being a liability, but, at the same time, there was a certain charm to his behavior that made people want to support him.


    "His ability to suppress his fear is remarkable. Had he been born in a shinobi family, he would have be an excellent assassin..."


    Shifting her attention to the woman who had spoken, Hitomi adopted an amused smile as she said, "Fumetsu-dono. While I can appreciate your passion, your penchant for evaluating people based on their capacity as an assassin is ill-suited for this particr situation..."


    With a dark mask covering the lower half of her face, long bangs covering her eyes, and pitch-ck sclera framing her golden eyes, it was impossible to see even a modicum of change in Fumetsu, the Security Elder''s expression. The ornamental gold and ck horns protruding from her forehead also gave her a rather demonic impression, so, whenever people encountered her for the first time, they would typically freeze up, forfeiting their lives in the process.


    "..."


    Since she didn''t really have anything else to contribute, Fumetsu decided to remain silent so that others might have a chance to speak. This allowed Suzune, who was in high spirits after reaching apromise with Nobu, to remark, "I concur. His personality and character are markedly different from native-born Nianese. He presents himself as a harsh and abrasive person on the surface, but, deep down, he has a kind and forgiving heart. We''ll have to take extra precautions to prevent him from being taken advantage of. Ufufufufu~"


    Contributing her own giggle, Hitomi made a mental note to keep a close eye on Suzune in the near future as she shifted her heterochromatin gaze to the final Elder present, Yumie, the Poison Elder. In response, thetter returned a teasing smile as she noted, "He has inherited the temperament Lord Seken was known for in his youth. I''m looking forward to seeing how the two will interact with each other."


    Though she could have concealed it, Hitomi allowed a reminiscent smile to develop across her face as she mused, "You''re right. To that end, we must do everything in our power to protect Nobunaga-sama until he can mature. The fate of Nian may very well depend on it..."


    As those words left her lips, Hitomi caressed the glowing crystal ball with the palm of her hand. This earned her curious looks from the three Elders, but, understanding the former had a personal stake in their Young Lord''s fate, they elected not to question her intentions...


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    After a surprisingly peaceful evening, Nobu awoke to find Yui nestled against him in all her naked glory. This was bing increasinglymon as ofte, so, without thinking about it, he nted a simple peck on her forehead before rising to stretch his back and body.


    Waiting until she heard Nobu''s groan, Yui resisted the urge to touch her head as she opened her eyes and emted his behavior. This earned her an amused chuckle from the former, who, at the same time, couldn''t help internally remarking, ("I guess yawning is as infectious here as it is in my previous world.")


    As that thought crossed his mind, the smile on Nobu''s face faded as the voice of Yuriko reached his ears, asking, "Need some help with that?"


    Even without following the direction of her gaze, Nobu knew Yuriko was asking about the rather sizeable tent he was pitching. His interactions with Kaia had left him a little high strung, but, due to how tired he had been, the notion of having sex had only briefly crossed his mind.


    Though he was tempted to say it would take care of itself, Nobu recalled that it had been a few days since he and Yurikost did anything together. He was gradually beginning toe to terms with the fact that he owed each of these girls quite a lot, so, after a moment of consideration, he surprised by Yui and Yuriko by lying back, hands crossed behind his head as he said, "Go for it." in an ostensibly casual tone.


    As her initial intention had been to tease him, Yuriko was pleasantly surprised by Nobu''s response. For a brief moment, she even had a triumphant look on her face until she noticed Yui staring at her with a pointed look in her eyes. This caused her smile to immediately vanish, but, deep down, deep enough that it tickled a certain spot beneath her navel, Yuriko was still feeling very excited.


    Fortunately, Yuriko almost always kept her hair in a ponytail. Thus, under the watchful eyes of quite a number of Kunoichi, she deftly loosened the belt of Nobu''s yukata before lowering her mouth to meet his ns. Then, for the better part of half an hour, she used every technique she could think of to keep him hard for as long as possible. A part of her hoped that he would get excited enough to ask for sex, but, with multiple people watching, she knew it wasn''t going to happen...


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    Taking advantage of the fact that Nobu and his entourage were away, Inami was skulking around the former''s bedroom with a serious expression on her face. As the Guardian of the n, she knew all the n''s secrets, so, while others would struggle to navigate the waterway hidden beneath the estate, it might as well be an open passage from her perspective.


    "Come on...there has to be something here. How can I possibly seduce that man if I don''t know anything about him?"


    With the intention of discovering some kind of weakness, Inami was crawling around on all fours with her nose pressed to the ground. There were a lot of different scents present within the room, but, as time passed, an idea of who she could target began to appear in the back of the kitsune''s mind...


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    (A/N: O_O...)