<h4>Chapter 2002: Urgency : Compromise</h4>


    With the sky outside gradually brightening, Vahn, feeling a little impatient, began to lightly drum Blossom''s small yet bubbly butt. She always found a way to invert herself whenever they were all sleeping together, so, more often than not, the first thing he saw when he opened his eyes in the morning was her pert posterior a few centimeters away from his face. Some might suspect this was an attempt to get him addicted to her inordinately potent pheromones, but, while this was certainly the case, it was more of an instinct possessed by pure-blooded Mares than actual malice.


    Feeling gentle yet stimting ripples bounce around her body, Blossom''s eyelids began to twitch, but, rather than opening her eyes, she softly groaned, "Just five more hours..." before attempting to wiggle away. Unfortunately for her, this actually made it significantly easier for Vahn to drum on her bottom, so, having already decided it was time to wake up, he thumbed the hem of her panties into her intergluteal cleft, fully exposing her fair white buttocks before thrumming the tune of one of his favorite anime.


    Though she was more than a little annoyed by Vahn''s behavior, Blossom was unable to prevent a cute yet sonorous moan from escaping her throat. Even when he was spanking her bottom, Vahn''s hands radiated pleasure andfort instead of pain. Thus, rather than attempting to put a stop to his antics, she allowed the pleasure to build within her body before opening her eyes and nibbling at the zipper of his trousers with her teeth.


    Realizing what Blossom was trying to do, Vahn gave her bottom an audibly firmer smack, the sound echoing through the room and arousing even the deepest sleepers as he said, "We have a busy day ahead of us. If you want to continue sleeping, you''ll have to stay behind."


    Shifting her focus away from the throbbing sensationing from her right buttocks, Blossom rose to a seated position before half-turning to face Vahn as she asked, "What''s the rush? It''s not like the Lo Po Bia Family is going anywhere. Besides, we literally have all the time in the world. Don''t tell me you can''t spare a few minutes to make sure we''re all energized and ready to go~?"


    Rather than immediately responding to Blossom''s goading, Vahn briefly shifted his gaze to Fenrir and Mikoto. Noticing this, the former adopted a slightly serious expression to indicate that she was ready to take his side while thetter, seemingly imagining how things might y out, allowed a bit of red to bleed into her cheeks as she habitually averted her eyes.


    Though Mikoto''s reaction tickled his fancy quite a bit, the tensions building in Vahn''s body rxed when a monstrous rumble emanated from Yuri''s stomach. This earned her the attention of virtually everyone in the oversized bed, but, demonstrating a remarkableck of concern, she proceeded to brazenly scratch near the base of her tail as shezily inquired, "What''s for breakfast...?


    Smiling in response to the former Princess'' words, Vahn used Telekinesis to gently lift Blossom from his body as he casually replied, "I was thinking ricotta hotcakes with aged maple dressing, self-serve omelets, and a variety of pastries. If you''re craving something more substantial, I can cook up some rice, sausage, eggs, and-"


    With a bit of drool escaping the corner of her mouth, a voracious glimmer appeared in Yuri''s deep crimson eyes as she interrupted him to demand, "I want dragon steak with biscuits and gravy...!"


    Understanding what she meant when she said ''dragon steak'', Vahn''s smile became somewhat wry as he shook his head and said, "Some other time, perhaps. I''m not really in the mood to cook up anything tooplicated right now. Sorry."


    Though her expression briefly shifted into an exaggerated pout, it didn''t take long for Yuri to adopt her usual smile and answer, "No biggie. You''re the one doing all the work so who am I toin? Cook what you want. So long as it''s made by you, I''m sure it will be delicious~!"


    Punctuating her words with a surprisingly adorable ''guts pose'', Yuri''s aura immediately shifted to a bright and vibrant yellow to indicate that she wasn''t just giving him lip service. She might prefer to eat specific types of food, but, until now, Vahn had yet to disappoint with any of the dishes he had prepared. Rather, eating his cooking filled her with a tremendous amount of energy, and, as strange as it might sound, she was reasonably certain that she could taste the feelings he infused into each and every meal.


    Suppressing his sudden urge to go ahead and prepare his trademark brand of dragon steak, Vahn''s smile promptly returned as he advised, "I''m going to head down. You all should go ahead and take a bath. Last night was pretty intense, and, while I don''t particrly mind the smell, it might cause a problem when we visit the Lo Po Bia Family."


    Though the reaction of most girls was to blush slightly, Yuri responded to Vahn''s words by sniffing her armpits, scrunching up her nose, and saying, "That''s probably a good call. I might not be able to control my anger if one of those arrogant clowns from the Mandrill or Lemuroidea Families chooses toment on my smell..."


    With the various tribes of the Lo Po Bia Family focusing heavily on strength and bloodline, the fact Yuri now possessed a monkey-like tail was more than enough justification for the members of a few families to target her. It didn''t matter that she was out of their reach, and, so long as there was even a chance they might be able to woo her, the various primate tribes would do everything within their power to either capture or ingratiate themselves to her. She could even take over the position of an Elder or a Matriarch if she really wanted to, but, having no such desires, Yuri was already thinking of ways to mask her scent before the impending encounter.


    Fortunately, there were a number of methods at her disposal, as, even as far back as the Record of Danmachi, Vahn had been forced to acquire techniques and shampoos to mask both his scent and the scent of others. He had even developed a version of his self-made ''cleaning magic'' that would linger for several weeks, passively preventing the build-up of dirt and grime while simultaneously masking the recipient''s natural aroma. If he was especially serious, he could even manipte the Laws topletely ''erase'' the concept of a person''s aroma, but, as personal odor was surprisingly important for mental wellness, he had never needed to resort to such extremes...


    ---


    While most of the girls were enjoying a rxing in the hot springs-like bath, Vahn found himself unable to suppress a smile as he snuck nces at Mikoto humming at the side in a frilly pink apron. She enjoyed cooking nearly as much as he did, so, ever since she had returned from the exploration group, she had been helping to prepare meals.


    Though she could sense Vahn''s gaze whenever he shifted his attention her way, Mikoto did her best to appearpletely oblivious. If he were ''serious'', he wouldn''t even need to look her way to grasp even the individual molecules in her body, so, with Vahn behaving like a boy paired with his crush in a Home Economics ss, Mikoto couldn''t help humoring him. She was even tempted to tease him a bit, but, having stepped on thatndmine more than a few times during their stay in the Actualized World of Toaru, she ultimately managed to restrain the urge.


    As thoughts of ''home'' crossed her mind, Mikoto couldn''t help thinking about what all of her friends and family were up to. She knew Vahn had effectively stopped time following their departure yet, as was often the case, the mind failed to think rationally when influenced by sentimentality. Thus, for a very brief moment, her hands slowed as memories of the past began to surge forth like a wave that had just breached a floodgate.


    Sensing the not-so-subtle change in Mikoto''s aura, Vahn''s own actions ceased as he instinctually wrapped his arms around her body, asking, "What''s wrong?" in a concerned tone.


    Since her mncholy hadsted less than a single second, Mikoto found herself habitually rolling her eyes as she answered, "You''re too sensitive..." before following it up with a demure, "I''m fine..."


    With familial longing having be a perpetual acquaintance of his, Vahn knew when others were experiencing something simr. Thus, even though they had previously promised to put off visiting until he had reached the Divine Realm, his tone became gentle yet resonating as he asked, "Do you want to return home for a short while? I''m sure you would feel much better..."


    Feeling Vahn''s words spread through her body, Mikoto felt as though the marrow in her bones was vibrating as a pleasant warmth suffused her entire being. Despite this, she managed to set aside her kitchen knife before leaning into his embrace and softly replying, "Dummy...you shouldn''t be using your Authority for something like this..."


    Resisting the urge to chuckle in response to the chastizing remark, Vahn kissed the top of Mikoto''s head before proceeding to gently rock her body as he said, "I''d rather use it for things like this than to truly force someone''s hand...if I can make things a little easier for the people I love, I don''t mind being shameless..."


    Having experienced quite a bit of Vahn''s shamelessness, an exasperated sigh parted Mikoto''s lips as she ovepped her hands with his and muttered, "You can''t make me say it..."


    Though he could easily do exactly that, Vahn nodded his head in affirmation before strengthening his hold on the bashful brte and saying, "I''d like to visit the Toaruverse. Even if little to no time has passed from their perspective, I''m sure everyone will be happy to see us...I''m feeling excited just thinking about it..."


    Rolling her eyes in response to Vahn''s words, Mikoto entrusted her full weight to his embrace as she half-heartedly retorted, "It sounds to me like you just want to have another orgy..."


    Unable to suppress hisughter, a jovial chuckle emanated from Vahn''s throat, his voice taking on a teasing tone as he asked, "Remind me...who was it that proposed the idea of linking her senses with her ''sisters'' in order to spur the development of their individuality...?"


    With her face turning redder than a tomato, sparks began to emanate from Mikoto''s ahoge as she found herself at aplete loss for words. Vahn had actually done his best to behave as a unique aspect of her esper abilities during the early days of their time in the Toaruverse. In the end, it was she who asked him to take a more proactive role in things, as, despite possessing far greater power than even Aleister, she couldn''t protect everything on her own. It was impossible to y the part of a normal middle-schooler while meddling in the affairs of global organizations, so, more often than not, it was Vahn working behind the scenes that allowed them to reach a ''happy end''.


    Remembering the time she had given Vahn the green light to sleep with her mother, an offer he had ultimately refused, Mikoto''s face became a dangerous shade of crimson before she ultimately reverted to her Pikachu form in order to hide the evidence of her embarrassment. Then, despite his previous ims that there were more important matters to attend, time began to slow to a crawl as Vahn and Mikoto disappeared into thin air. This was immediately followed by them ''popping'' back into existence, but, from the perspective of the duo, weeks had passed in less time than the blink of an eye...


    (A/N: Alternate Titles: ''*Cowboy Bebop Theme Intensifies*'',''Never change, Yuri...'',''Mikoto is a closet pervert...'')