Kasumi and Natsumi, in turn, helped Makoto and Meyumi, removing all hair from their bodies and selecting one-piece swimsuits. However, Meyumi didn't like Natsumi's choice and decided to wear a much more revealing swimsuit consisting of a small bikini and neat black panties. She felt a bit awkward, but the prospect of catching the master's eye outweighed everything else. Learning that Makoto had become one of his wives, Meyumi felt immense pressure and was terrified of missing her chance.
By the time the girls were finally ready for the sauna trip, Kenshin had been blissfully in the steam room for half an hour, enjoying the relaxing heat. The morning workout had exhausted him much more than any person with chakra. And though thanks to psionics he could somewhat withstand huge physical loads, his muscle recovery and rest speed was barely twice that of an ordinary human, while Ichiro and Fifteenth recovered in literally an hour.
The absolute silence and borderline scorching heat lulled him into a half-sleep state until a large group of incessantly chattering girls finally arrived in this huge complex of rooms.
Upon entering one of the rooms in this vast "hot springs" complex, Makoto felt an unfamiliar heat and looked surprised at her older friend.
"Don't worry, it's very good for your health. You just need to relax and enjoy it."
"So many beautiful girls dressed up for him, and he didn't even bat an eye, hmph!" Aya snorted discontentedly and gracefully walked past Kenshin.
By this point, he was fully awake and, with a smile, intercepted the beauty wiggling her butt. Ignoring her unconvincing protests, Kenshin sat her down next to him and gently kissed the corner of her lips. That was enough to quell her discontent, and Aya, with a satisfied smile, hugged him and kissed back.
"If I'd known you were going to engage in debauchery, you wouldn't see hide nor hair of me here!" Noriko declared ambiguously, laughed, and took one of the free spots.
Kenshin just shook his head with a smile and turned his gaze to the slightly shy Makoto. She was as cute as ever, dressed in a very modest one-piece swimsuit. Next to her stood Meyumi, and Kenshin couldn't help but glance at her. She had chosen one of the most revealing swimsuits, making her size-three breasts protrude prominently, showing excited Nipples. Her panties, in turn, left little to the imagination, and Kenshin had to muster considerable restraint to look away. However, his interested gaze couldn't go unnoticed by Meyumi herself, nor by Kasumi and Hitomi.
"Makoto, don't be shy, come to me," he said gently, inviting the fragile girl over.
She smiled happily and ran to him joyfully, then sat on the other side, almost pressing her whole body against him. She didn't quite understand the point of this hot room but was ready to keep him company anywhere.
For the next hour, Kenshin diligently built rapport with the new girls, not neglecting even the compliant Meyumi. He saw that she had heeded his words and was trying to control her behavior, and praised her several times for her quick thinking during discussions of various topics.
All the girls eventually sprawled out on the hard wooden shelves and, like cats, purred with pleasure. Noriko especially couldn't hold back, literally whimpering with delight and occasionally kneading her steamed muscles.
Two spots next to Kenshin were some kind of "elite" zone, and the girls unofficially swapped every fifteen minutes, wanting to coo with their beloved husband. Natsumi saw that Meyumi just couldn't muster the courage to sit next to Kenshin, even though she desperately wanted to, so, sidling up to her new acquaintance, the green-eyed beauty whispered something in her ear.
Meyumi was terrified of making that sudden move, expecting the master to get angry at her audacity. But when Hitomi, who was sitting next to him, decided to go lie down, Meyumi suddenly gathered her resolve and carefully shifted over to Kenshin, trying to make it as casual and unobtrusive as possible.
"Meyumi," Kenshin said calmly, and a fine tremor ran through her body. In a split second, she berated herself a hundred times for her foolishness and haste, until Kenshin suddenly smiled and continued.
"There's no need to fear me. After all, we've started everything anew, remember?" he said softly, brushing a damp strand of hair from her face.
"Uh-huh..." she replied with a smile, melting completely. All this time, she couldn't help noticing Kenshin's half-naked, muscular figure. She kept staring at his broad chest, sculpted abs, and bit her lip, savoring the sight of his powerful forearms bulging with thick veins. Now that she was so close, she lost all control and gazed at his handsome face with a silly smile.
And though Kenshin greatly admired her truly beautiful body, his sympathy at the moment stemmed from nothing more than a man's physiological reaction to an attractive woman's form. That's why he tried not to allow any unnecessary physical closeness with Meyumi.
However, things were different with the other girls. His wives seemed to have completely shed all their shyness and occasionally sought out affection, showering his neck and face with kisses. Kenshin tried to control their playful behavior and keep it from going too far, but the innate cunning of his tamed foxes chipped away at his patience time and again, leaving him unbearably frustrated.
"It's harmful for you in your condition to stay in the sauna this long, so let's continue in the pool," Kenshin commanded, addressing his pregnant wives. And though their bellies were only slightly rounded and their Chakra had made their health extremely robust, Kenshin had no desire to subject his beloved women to extra strain.
He carefully scooped up the relaxed, dozing Makoto into his arms and headed to the adjacent room with the large pool. Meyumi, not wanting to miss such an opportunity, scurried after him. Kenshin half-turned, making her freeze in place. She feared she'd done something wrong, but Kenshin just smiled and lightly nodded in the direction of his path, inviting her along.
Kenshin spent the next few hours with great pleasure in the company of all his girls, enjoying swimming and sunbathing under the simulated sunlight. Even the picky Noriko couldn't wriggle out of swimming with Kenshin's help. He justified the necessity with their binding contract, leaving her no retort.
For the first time in several years, Makoto was truly happy, splashing joyfully in the water and playing water volleyball with everyone. She liked her new family so much that the short-haired young girl still feared it was all a dream.
Over time, Meyumi fully relaxed and grew more accustomed to all these people. She noticed that none of these women wished her ill and slightly eased her natural wariness toward strangers. She still clashed with them occasionally during games, but Kenshin wisely turned a blind eye.
By dinnertime, Kenshin finally taught all the newcomers how to use the contextual menu for ordering food. After that, no matter how he tried to stop them, Makoto, Meyumi, and Noriko ate until their small bellies were stuffed. While Makoto and Meyumi merely plotted their criminal conspiracy and sneaked to the kitchen in secret, Noriko ate without shame, staring shamelessly right into Kenshin's face.
The following days were smaller copies of the previous ones. Makoto and Meyumi gradually settled into their new home, strengthening their friendship. Meyumi noticed that Kenshin really liked this slender girl, and some of that warm attitude extended to her as well. Besides, little Makoto was very gentle, so no conflicts arose from their differing personalities.
Noriko grew more tolerant of Kenshin and his words with each passing day. At first, she could snap at him and refuse his requests, but by the fifth day of her stay in the Nakayama Family home, she calmly agreed to go for a walk with him.
This guy irritated her far less than everyone else, so she didn't mind making up for her lack of social interaction with him. Deep down, she knew it was all thanks to the passive influence of his ability, but for some reason, she didn't care.
On the 419th day, Kenshin finally introduced all the new women to his sons and was a bit surprised by their reactions. They were extremely friendly and smiley with Makoto, but looked at Meyumi and Noriko barely better than at empty space.
He had long noticed how warmly they all treated his wives, who weren't even their mothers or close acquaintances. Back when he went to Hitomi for treatment, Ichiro, as his bodyguard, had been completely neutral toward her. But once she became Kenshin's wife, his attitude changed entirely. He became extremely respectful and never addressed her without the suffix "san."
On the 420th day, a trusted envoy from Kazoku Watanabe visited, and after lengthy negotiations, Kenshin managed to close the deal. The Nakayama Family agreed to pay rent of 500 thousand ryō per month until next year. Then the amount would increase to 800 thousand ryō.
Kenshin wasn't too upset about losing that money, as he planned to get rich by a much larger sum by next year. Besides, in just two years, he planned to reach such heights that Kazoku Watanabe would have to personally refuse payment from such a respected organization.
However, what happened on the evening of the 421st day threw Kenshin off balance and made him forget his grand plans entirely, for trouble had knocked at the door of the Nakayama Family home.