Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Entering the Chamber of Flames, Asuka was the first to speak, asking, "Where are Yo and Lily...?" in a flat but audibly concerned tone.

Turning her head up, Sandora, who was currently sharing her throne with Vahn, remarked, "I'm not entirely sure, but I'm certain Vahn knows."

Nodding his head, Vahn briefly exchanged glances with Izayoi before meeting Asuka's gaze and answering, "They're right here."

Immediately following Vahn's words, Lily and Yo appeared out of thin air. Thanks to his ability to manipulate time, he could extend the brief moment between his words and their appearance to infinity. Thus, even though Yo and Lily had been 'preoccupied' at the time of Asuka's inquiry, they were able to appear composed and unflustered after being allowed ample time to collect themselves.

"Asuka~!"

Seeing Asuka, Yo's face lit up as she trotted over to give her first and best friend a hug. Asuka was pretty used to this, so she happily accepted Yo's affections with a gentle smile.

Though the scene seemed relatively wholesome at first, everyone, even Vahn, was surprised when Yo suddenly kissed the bewildered Asuka. The latter's eyes widened as round as saucers, but due to the rather drastic difference between her and Yo's strength, she wasn't able to break free as quickly as she would have liked.

"What the heck...?"

Instead of stepping in to save his girlfriend from Yo's sudden assault, Izayoi shifted his attention to Vahn, asking, "What did you do to Yo...?" with an incredulous yet curious look on his face.

Returning to his senses in response to Izayoi's question, a wry smile developed across Vahn's face as he answered, "I liberated her...?" in an uncharacteristically uncertain tone. Yo had informed him that she would no longer hold herself back, but this was outside even his expectations. He didn't particularly mind Yo kissing or doing even 'more' with Asuka; the problem was that Asuka was in a relationship with Izayoi.

Fortunately, at least this time around, Yo didn't take things further than kissing. She did, however, continue kissing Asuka for the better part of a minute and a half before releasing her lips, adopting a radiant smile, and saying, "Thanks for becoming my friend and always being here to support me. I know you're happy with Izayoi, but I just wanted you to know that I really, really love you. You're my best friend, and I cherish every moment we spend together."

Though her brain had short-circuited due to Yo's surprisingly passionate canoodling, Asuka quickly regained her wits when she heard the bubbly brunette's words.

"Yo..."

Shifting her attention to Izayoi, Asuka's expression went from conflicted to moderately annoyed when he promptly raised his hands and said, "Why are you looking at me? I had no hand in this."

Rolling her eyes, Asuka returned her gaze to Yo, a potent heat spreading through her cheeks as she answered, "I love you too, Yo. However, I do-"

Before Asuka could finish speaking, Yo, in her excitement, started kissing her anew. This time, however, the two girls ended up tumbling over, Asuka pinned beneath Yo as the overly affectionate eagerly sought her lips.

Realizing he should probably intervene, Vahn rose from Sandora's throne but was stalled when Izayoi waved him down, saying, "Hey now, no need to rush. There's a pretty good chance this is just a one-time thing. I vote we enjoy the show and let things take their course."

Hearing Izayoi's remark, Asuka groaned in frustration. She knew he was a pervert, but preventing Vahn from stepping in to aid her was a bit much. If Yo weren't the one kissing her, she would probably wring his neck the first chance she got. As for why she didn't just avert her head to the side and break the kiss? It was complicated.

Unfortunately for Izayoi, Vahn ignored his suggestion, appearing next to the two girls as he whispered, "Yo..." in a soft yet authoritative tone.

"Mnn...?"

Releasing Asuka's lips, Yo sat atop her in a straddling posture before wiping her mouth and asking, "What's up?" in a curious tone. Then, as if she had realized what Vahn was thinking, she furrowed her brows into a slight pout as she said, "I don't think Asuka or Izayoi would be okay with you kissing her..."

Having opened his mouth to respond to Yo's first question, Vahn found himself, momentarily with a slackjawed expression on his face. It quickly reverted to a smile, but there was a moderate amount of exasperation in his tone as he said, "You shouldn't kiss people without permission. Even if they offer little to no resistance, it doesn't indicate consent."

"Eh...?"

Shifting her gaze from Vahn to Asuka, Yo decided to question the target of her affections directly, asking, "Did I do something wrong...?" in a soft, audibly apologetic tone.

Instead of immediately responding to Yo, Asuka cast an accusatory glare in Vahn's direction before adopting a gentle smile and saying, "I wouldn't say you did anything wrong, per se. However, Vahn isn't wrong when he said you should have petitioned my consent. For now, how about you get off of me? We can talk about this later, in private."

Though she felt a sensation akin to suffocation, Yo responded to Asuka's words with a nod before bouncing to her feet and helping the latter stand.

Noticing the traces of discomfort visible in Yo's usually bubbly expression, it was Asuka's turn to feel guilty. She knew Yo hadn't meant any harm, so it felt wrong to even consider chastising her. After all, Yo was just showing how much she loved her...

Fortunately for Asuka, Vahn freed her from the responsibility by wrapping his hand around Yo's waist, planting a kiss atop her head, and whispering, "The thing about freedom is that it's a very personal thing. Your version of freedom doesn't apply to everyone, Yo. As suffocating as restrictions feel to you, they provide comfort to others..."

Caressing Yo's face with his left hand, Vahn guided her to meet his gaze, but before he could continue his words of love and reassurance, Asuka stepped in, her face beet red as she shouted, "Don't even think about it!"

Furrowing his brows, Vahn looked towards the former heiress and asked, "Have you lost your mind? Who are you-"

Interrupting Vahn's rebuke, Izayoi's expression was uncharacteristically serious as he explained, "She doesn't want to share an indirect kiss with you. Let it go, old man."

Widening his eyes, Vahn's expression went from annoyance to surprise as he shifted his gaze from Izayoi to Asuka's faintly swollen lips. At the same time, quite a number of relatively recent memories surfaced from the back of his mind—memories of the things he and Yo had been doing just hours prior.

Though she was more than a little temperamental, Asuka was still a very sharp woman. Her intuition and ability to read others had been cultivated over years of navigating high society and conducting business. Vahn was also like an open book to people he didn't recognize as an enemy, so she immediately understood what he was thinking when his eyes deviated to her lips.

"I think I'm going to be sick..."

While she had secretly enjoyed Yo's kiss quite a bit, Asuka began feeling sick to her stomach the more she thought about the implications behind Vahn's glance. It didn't help that Yo had actually confided in her many of the things she wanted to try once her relationship with Vahn had finally moved forward...

...

..

With Asuka feeling ill, Sandora suggested that everyone return to their rooms. The matter that had transpired at the Corridor of Displays wasn't something they could resolve through talking, so there was no reason to stick around unless they wanted Vahn to reveal everything he knew.

Fortunately, the identity of the faerie was something he could disclose without really revealing anything as it simply didn't have a name. It was just a young Earth Spirit belonging to the Rattenfänger Community.

The most interesting thing about the tiny earth spirit, or, more accurately, the Community it belonged to, was that it didn't exist before the start of the Festival of the Fire Dragon. Salamandra kept detailed records of their affiliates, so it was a pretty major gaffe that a Community had effectively appeared out of thin air yet was included in their ranks.

Though Vahn could have revealed the culprit to be Mandra, Sandora was determined to uncover the truth for herself. Thus, for the remainder of the day and much of the evening, she mobilized the forces of Salamandra to increase security and try to resolve the matter prior to her Coronation and the Festival's conclusion.

With Mandra supporting her from the shadows, Sandora was able to make fairly decent progress in a remarkably short period of time. Unfortunately, she was compelled to stop when a very important guest arrived from the East, Shiroyasha.

...

..

"I see the two of you are getting along splendidly."

As the Floor Master asked to oversee Sandora's ascension, Shiroyasha was always going to attend the Festival of the Fire Dragon. She had even told Vahn as such, but he suspected she may have changed her mind due to her late arrival.

It was, unsurprisingly, very difficult to know what Shiroyasha was thinking without asking her directly.

Unaware of just how involved Shiroyasha was in her engagement to Vahn, Sandora had momentarily reverted to her veil of regality, her back straight and voice perfectly poised as she replied, "Yes. His Imperial Majesty, the Sage Dragon Emperor, has been nothing but caring and considerate since his arrival. To that end, I would like to thank you on behalf of the entirety of Salamandra. Shiroyasha-sama's willingness to act as an intermediary has benefited us tremendously."

Amused by Sandora's response, Shiroyasha covered the lower half of her face with a fan, an impish snicker emanating from her throat. Before she could even think about teasing the delightful dragoness, however, Vahn interjected, saying, "Though she is markedly more independent than the majority of women in my harem, Shiroyasha is undoubtedly a part of it. In fact, she had been contributing to its growth quite a bit since my arrival in the Divine Realm..."

Recalling that Vahn had mentioned something similar during their first few days together, a look of understanding developed across Sandora's face as she adopted a slight pout and growled, "Shiroyasha-sama..."

Rolling her eyes, Shiroyasha snapped her fan shut, saying, "Don't give me that look, brat. If anything, you were right to be thanking me. The moment you break down this idiot's defenses, you're going to experience a degree of pleasure others can't even imagine. If you thought that massage was a game-changer, you're underestimating the lengths Vahn is willing to go to for his women."

Since the cat was already out of the bag, Shiroyasha fearlessly sauntered over to Vahn, a mischievous smile on her face as she mewled, "Perhaps a demonstration is in order~?"

Though she had been keeping it a secret, Shiroyasha promptly grew to her adult form by the time she had reached Vahn. He didn't resist as she linked her arms around his neck and shoulders, but his voice was firm as he answered, "I'll consider it once we return from the Game Board."

"My point exactly..."

Swatting Vahn's hands away before he could grasp her butt, Shiroyasha separated from him before taking a seat next to Sandora and whispering something into her ear. The young dragoness's face immediately turned red, illusory steam rising from her head as she averted her eyes and said, "I could never do such a thing..."

Shrugging her shoulders, Shiroyasha remarked, "Your loss." before rising to her feet, staring at Vahn, and asking, "We doing this or what?" with her brows raised.

Exhaling a sigh, Vahn briefly closed his eyes, the flow of time coming to a sudden and spontaneous halt before he subsequently opened them, met Shiroyasha's gaze, and asked, "What are you up to?"

Adopting her characteristically mischievous smile, Shiroyasha retorted, "If you're that eager to know, feel free to use that ability of yours. I have very different priorities at the moment."

Though it had only been a few days since their last encounter, Shiroyasha had been feeling an itch that only Vahn could scratch. Watching him go to town on Yo, Lily, Semiramis, and quite a number of other girls had caused her tensions to increase to a dangerous level. Thus, even though Sandora was frozen in time less than a meter away, Shiroyasha shed her lavender kimono and declared, "My previous question was more of a courtesy than anything else. We are, most definitely, doing this..."

...

..

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Did anyone else see this coming...?','When Asuka realizes the reason Yo's saliva tastes sweet...','Yo isn't the only one lacking in inhibitions...')