[Thrain] Come back in five days! I'll have your new leg complete by then!
With their business finished, Sakyo and Garm head out. Garm is getting more used to the cane the old man gave him, though Sakyo still needs to slow his pace to match him.
[Garm] Thank you for asking them to commission a new leg for me, though I still do not believe you should have offered such rare materials for my sake.
[Sakyo] Don't worry about it. That was my plan for those fangs from the beginning. Not to mention, I still have some more work to do with the scales I still have.
[Garm] Will you be using them for armor? Or perhaps a new weapon?
[Sakyo] I've got a new idea for some armor, though I'll need some time to get the enchantments right.
[Garm] Knowing you, it will surely be a masterpiece.
[Sakyo] We've still got a couple hours before we can go back. Let's grab some lunch.
...
Sitting outside a quiet café-style establishment, Garm trembles in his seat, barely able to hold back his laughter.
[Garm] So...(pfft)... you kissed her, and then she pounced on you?
[Sakyo] It's not funny. I'm actually scared to go back because of that.
[Garm] I do not believe she will be able to hold back much longer. If she is already trying to mate with you, you may find yourself with lots of young ones soon.
[Sakyo] I'd rather not have her attack me in my sleep if possible.
[Garm] Still, I do not see any harm in mating with her now. She is already in love with you, and she will be one of your wives in the future, so why not take the time to make a few young ones?
[Sakyo] It's not that simple. I get that it might seem normal for you, but I'm not ready to have kids yet. I'd at least like to reach adulthood before I even think about that. Not to mention I still have to think about Ren and Yukina.
[Garm] Yes, I suppose humans are more concerned about the order in which they mate with their partners rather than the number of offspring they produce.
[Sakyo] I feel like you don't fully understand, but I don't have the energy to try correcting you.
[Garm] Well, perhaps you can find other ways to reaffirm your feelings.
[Sakyo] What do you mean?
[Garm] She lost control of herself after you kissed her for the first time, so perhaps it would be best to continue that action.
[Sakyo] You mean kiss her until she's used to it? Wouldn't that just make her attack me more?
[Garm] Not exactly, it may ease her desires a bit if she has some form of release.
[Sakyo] And if it doesn't work?
[Garm] Then you should expect three or four young ones to be born in the first liter, though sometimes up to six can be born too.
[Sakyo] Why do I feel worse about this than before?
...
After dropping Garm off back in the misty city and making a quick escape, Sakyo finds himself alone in his normal training spot.
[Sakyo] At least I can come here for some time alone. Making some new armor should help distract me.
He pulls out a large sack of wyvern scales, their maroon color glistening under the sunlight. He lines them up, taking note of the different properties between each individual scale.
[Sakyo] I'm still surprised how thin these things are for their size. If I can arrange them right, then I should be able to make a nice lightweight armor for myself.
Next, he pulls out a large number of slime remains from his storage until a large blob pile sits before him.
[Sakyo] Time for a little experiment. First, mash up all these slimes together until they're just one big pile. (Slimes are made from high concentrations of mana in certain environments, so I should be able to thread them all together pretty easily.)
A line of mana slips through each individual slime body, connecting them all together. Once the line passes through them all, Sakyo flattens the slimes into one big blanket.
[Sakyo] Next, place the wyvern scales all over this thing.
Making sure to space them evenly, he sections every scale until the entire sheet of slime is covered.
[Sakyo] Alright, now for the enchantments. First, reshape the slime to fit around myself like a bodysuit, making sure to keep each scale in place with the others.
As he applies the enchantment to the slime blanket, it begins to take shape, wrapping itself around his body. Every wyvern scale slowly begins to fit into each other, lined in harmony with the next.
[Sakyo] Alright, it worked! Now for retraction. If I alter the flow a bit, I should be able to compress the armor under my vest. If all goes well, I can have this armor on all the time without it getting in my way, and hiding it under my clothes will be a cinch.
All it takes is one moment for the slime and scales to retreat under Sakyo's clothes.
[Sakyo] Success! Wyvern Scale Armor. Add this with Garm's ability and I've got two layers of physical armor with some magic resistance in between. Dark red sleeves with a black vest. I wonder if I can get some kind of kimono style jacket to go on top. Hmm... meh, I'll think about that later. Maybe I'll do some more experiments before heading back.
...
After hours of training and experiments, Sakyo finally begins to make his way home. The setting sun reminds him of just how long he's been out. The conversation with Garm about Naja keeps replaying in his head as he gets closer to his room.
[Sakyo] "Let her get used to it." I guess that could work, but how would I bring it up to her?
As he finally stands in front of his door, the looming sensation of dread finally washes over him. He doesn't know what to expect, but knows that he needs to face it. The door swings open and he finds Naja there, kneeling with her head against the floor. Ren stands behind her like a parent forcing their child to apologize for something bad they did.
[Sakyo] Um, what-?
[Naja] Boss, I am so sorry for what I did this morning! I lost control of myself.
[Sakyo] Have you just been kneeling there all day?
[Naja] Yes, Ren said it is a pose of ultimate apology to get anyone to forgive you without fail.
[Sakyo] (stare) Ren.
[Ren] What? It works on Kaya. I thought it might work on you.
[Sakyo] And just how long were you planning on making her kneel like this?
[Ren] I-It's been about five hours. It would've been six, but we... stopped for... lunch...
Her voice begins to break as she feels the pressure of Sakyo's stare. Even if she meant well, he's clearly not happy with her actions.
[Sakyo] Ren, kneel.
She does so without hesitation, kneeling on the floor right next to Naja. Sakyo walks to both of them, and gently lifts Naja's head until she's looking him in the eye. He continues to lift her chin until she's standing up again.
[Sakyo] Naja, I'm beginning to understand what happened this morning. While I want you to exercise a little more restraint, it would be wrong of me to completely cut you off from receiving any kind of affection.
[Naja] I will accept any punishment you see fit for me.
[Sakyo] Alright, then for your punishment, you have to let me kiss you at least once every day.
[Naja] ...Huh?
She can only stare at him, not understanding why he is giving her a reward rather than a punishment.
[Sakyo] It's come to my attention that you might feel less... pent up... if I give you a little more release, so to do that, I'm going to show you more affection until you're used to it.
[Naja] B-but what if I lose control of myself again?
Without warning, Sakyo pins Naja down on the floor where she was just kneeling, holding each of her wrists next to her fluffy ears. He leans in closer, whispering so only she can hear him.
[Sakyo] You may have caught me off guard this morning, but I won't let it happen again. Don't forget who among us is the one that submitted~.
Her face turns bright red as steam pours from her overheated head. Even when he releases her, she can't bring herself to move a muscle. In the meantime, Sakyo makes his way back to Ren who's still kneeling on the floor at the door.
[Sakyo] Ren.
[Ren] Yes?
[Sakyo] Get up, it's weird talking to someone like this.
She stands up, feeling a bit wobbly from her legs going numb on the floor. Once she finds her footing, she looks up at Sakyo almost expectantly.
[Ren] So, are you going to punish me too~?
[Sakyo] Yes. Since you made Naja kneel here for the whole day, you're not allowed anymore good morning kisses for the rest of the week.
Crack
The silence was almost deafening, the only sound being Ren's heart breaking. In a desperate attempt to change his mind, she clings onto Sakyo, wrapping her arms around his body. She pushes her breasts into his chest, knowing he usually likes their soft feeling.
[Ren] Please, have mercy! I'll do anything! Just don't take away my happiness!
[Sakyo] (sigh)
[Ren] Eep!
He doesn't raise his voice. He just pushes her against the nearest wall, pinning her down as his face closes in just inches away.
[Sakyo] How's this? If you're a good girl, I'll give you what you want, but if you keep being bad, I'll be forced to give you an even harsher punishment~.
She can only stay still, feeling something she'd never experienced in the face of such dominance.
[Ren] Um, y-yeah... cool...
He lets her go, though much like Naja still on the floor, Ren can't bring herself to move a single muscle.
[Sakyo] Now, I'm gonna clean up in the bath. I'll be back in a few. (I think that went well. I just wish I didn't say such embarrassing things like that.)
Even as he leaves the room, the only movement is Ren sliding down the wall as her knees give out under her. Both girls take a moment of silence to allow their flushed faces to return to their original shades.
[Naja] Ren.
[Ren] Yeah.
[Naja] I have never wanted to make babies with Boss more than I do right now.
[Ren] Same here.
[Naja] I think I will sleep in the library tonight. I cannot trust myself in this state.
[Ren] Same here.