Heron grunted as Yuriko’s thighs, wrapped around his waist and hips, tightened with crushing force. Her pleased moans had heightened to a glad cry as he brought her crashing from the peak of pleasure. The melody made him shiver as he neared his own peak, though at the moment, he was more focused on not getting his hip bones pulverised.

Anima condensed in and around his loins, reinforcing his resilience and he endured gladly. She was so much stronger now than he was, and Ancestors, did that thought heighten his desires. The fact that he was finally able to let her lose control was a victory in itself—now if only he could survive unscathed!

The writhing pressure lasted for nearly a minute and he was locked in place. He heard of and researched how to increase a woman’s pleasure during the deed, but he didn’t have the leeway to try it out now. He also was sure he wouldn’t enjoy the aftermath of toying with her while she was in this state, heh. But he would get there, he was sure of it. Persistence and endurance, plus the willingness to change, to swallow foolish pride, had gotten him to this point, and nothing was going to push him off it. 

The pressure on his manhood as she climaxed eventually knocked him off the edge and he released his seed deep inside her. Even so, he didn’t lose the presence of mind to weaken his Anima. He could feel hers wrapped around him, gently holding him place while she milked him. 

Sparks ran across his vision, and after a timeless moment, both of them collapsed, breathing heavily in the throes of passion. He leaned over to kiss her soft lips and she moaned against his mouth. He trailed kisses down her jaw and her neck, where she giggled as his tongue brushed against ticklish flesh. Her hazy eyes flared at him for teasing, and she playfully pushed him off. 

Schlop!

She stroked his chest for a moment, then hummed as she rolled off the bed and headed for the bathroom. Heron couldn’t help but grin when he spotted the white stain running down her inner thigh 

After her ablutions, she was likely to go off for her morning training and the rest of her routine. He somewhat missed cuddling with her at night, but she had taken to exploring the planet’s dark side, so she normally wasn’t at the spaceport during that time. 

‘I need to wash too,’ Heron thought idly.

While he didn’t mind wearing her scent on him, he knew Gwendith would notice and probably tease him to the Abyss and back. He poked the bathroom door, and since it was unlocked, peeked inside. Yuriko was in the shower but had also filled the bathtub. She glanced at him with squinted eyes, then shook her head. Heron shrugged then left. Sometimes, she would welcome some shower fun, but since she wasn’t in the mood for it, oh well.

He dressed quickly, just his boxers and a pair of trousers. They were in Yuriko’s quarters, but his room was just a couple of doors away. When he went out into the hallway, he spotted Ilvara leaning against the wall with a half smirk on her face. Her gaze lingered on his naked chest, and Heron saw her lick her lips. 

‘Now I feel like grilled meat about to be devoured,’ he thought with some amusement. 

“The princess has a lovely voice,” Ilvara said casually and Heron jumped. 

“You were listening?” 

“Obviously.” 

“Oh,” Heron said awkwardly. He continued his retreat to his room, but as he opened the door, Ilvara pushed her way inside. “Well, come in, I guess.” 

“Thank you,” Ilvara said, her smile a bit strained. 

Heron put on his shirt and gestured for Ilvara to take a seat. She did so and he sat on an armchair opposite her.

“So, how can I help you?” 

Nothing much had happened between the two of them over the intervening weeks. While the woman had clearly indicated her interest, and he even had Yuriko’s permission… it was just that he wasn’t attracted to her. Sure, she was pretty, but any woman compared to Yuriko would pale in comparison. He wasn’t remotely attracted or aroused by anyone else, though he wondered if it was because of his feelings or a side effect of Yuriko’s Mien. 

He wasn’t ignorant of the Mishala Mien, and Yuriko explained to him how it could possibly affect him. He didn’t care and he accepted her completely, even if he knew that at the moment, she wasn’t equally in love with him. He was actually sure that their trysts were simply a physical release for Yuriko rather than an emotional one. Even so, he knew that she was fond of him, and while it wasn’t romantic love, it was love of some kind anyway. He was perfectly content to weather away the years at her side, and perhaps, hopefully, something would ignite between the two of them down the line. Hope springs eternal…

“I’d like to clear the air between us,” Ilvara said after a moment. 

“I agree,” Heron said. He somewhat felt bad about stringing her along, even if he already admitted to her previously that he was unlikely to be attracted to her. It was time to get closure for both of them anyway since the early release of the contract between Milstate and Stormdriven was close. 

“Heron,” Ilvara paused, then took a deep breath. “I like you, and all that, but…I think I’m more in love with the princess than anything else now.”

Her face was tinged red now, and Heron couldn’t help but chuckle. She glared at him from under her long eyelashes, and he held out his hands placatingly. 

“I understand. Let me guess, you were sure you weren’t attracted to women before, right?” 

“Uh, yeah.” 

“I see. Well, I could let you just talk to Yuriko, but I’m also sure you’re affected by her presence. We all love her to one extent or another, but she would be the first to tell you that it’s unlikely she’ll ever return the sentiment.” 

“Why is that?” 

Heron shrugged. “I’m not so sure. She’s probably not ready for it.” 

“I see. But she has sex with you and Gwendith.”

“Ah, that’s another matter entirely.” Heron scratched the back of his head and chuckled softly. 

“I see,” Ilvara sighed. “But I think I’ll be fine with that kind of arrangement, too.”

“I think it would take more than willingness on your part to get anything out of Yuriko,” Heron laughed. “Gwendith and I took years before we reached any kind of understanding, although,” he added, “that was when we were all much younger.” 

“I see. I will approach her on the matter then,” Ilvara said. “But I guess pushing for it would more likely backfire than anything else, huh?” 

“Probably,” Heron said, though he didn’t add that Yuriko would probably welcome Ilvara to her bed if Heron or Gwendith were along for the ride. Probably. His beloved’s moods were mercurial of late. “Of more import is what you intend to do now. Stormdriven’s contract will expire soon and we will not renew. We’re heading towards the Void Ocean’s centre, Shangria Station, so we can delve deeper into the Tower.”

“I will apply for a leave of absence from the corporation,” Ilvara said, “if you allow me to tag along.” 

“I don’t mind, but you’ll have to ask Yuri.”

“Of course, Divines forbid you act without her leave.” She smirked and Heron grunted in annoyance. 

“Are you saying I can’t decide things on my own?” he huffed. 

“If the shoe fits?”

“Yuri trusts our opinions, you know. If I support you, she will agree.” 

“And will you support me?” Ilvara asked, voice as smooth as silk. 

“I guess I will,” Heron sighed. “Despite your unsubtle manipulations, you were quite helpful. And I think we need a better information technology expert than just Gwendith.”

“You’re all from the same place, right? Not a very technologically adept region?”

“Yes.”

“Hmm, then I doubt Miss Sharine, as quickly as she could learn, would be enough to handle all the pitfalls of a technologically savant civilisation.” 

“I agree, which is why I said I would support you joining the group on a more permanent basis.” 

“Thank you, then.” Ilvara’s smile widened, then she pursed her lips and said, “I never did ask: you three are contemporaries, right?”

“Well, yes. We all went to the same academy, well, I guess university would be a better description.” 

“Hmmm, how old are you?” 

“Eighteen.” 

Ilvara’s eyes widened and she muttered half under her breath, “Am I robbing the cradle?” Then, she gulped, “That young and that powerful…”

Heron rolled his eyes then poked Ilvara’s side with his Anima, “Well, I’m going to bathe and change. Mind giving me some space?”

“Oh, I don’t mind,” Ilvara said absently as she stood and walked out of Heron’s quarters. “I’ll send the request to the company, then.” 

“Alright.” Heron chuckled. “I think the plan was to leave in a couple of days.”

“I understand.” 

_____________

In a darkened room lit only by the light of monitors, the twins sorted through oceans of data. They were but two of the administrators of the Network, which meant their work was complicated enough without trying to hide their illicit activities. Their labours were practically akin to slavery, bound as they were not just with words on a contract, but with chains binding their core. Escaping wasn’t an easy goal, but then, freedom was worth anything, even death. 

[Side A: An agent has been neutralised. It has not been detected until the perpetrator was long gone.]

[Side B: Agent mission: observation of possible talent.]

[Side A: Conjecture: Target of surveillance acted to neutralise threat.]

[Side B: Based on observed behaviour, conjecture is unlikely.]

[Side A: Conjecture unlikely, but possible.]

[Side B: Agreed. Scenarios with a higher percentage of likelihood must be considered. Conjecture: A rival faction acted to eliminate our agents.]

[Side A: A likely scenario. Options and recommendations?]

[Side B: Recommendation: Send agents to secure possible talent.]

[Side A: Likelihood of hostility from talent increases with forceful means.]

[Side B: Agreed. But better an angry talent than one who becomes an enemy.]

[Side A: Agreed. Sending recommendation.]

______________

The two weeks before the fencing club’s training camp passed like a breeze. Yuriko spent most of that time in class, then at work afterwards. She’d forgone some of her modelling gigs to focus on her acting, or more specifically, on learning how to be a better actress. It wasn’t going well at all. 

She could memorise the script easily enough, but her delivery was usually flat. She couldn’t figure out why except for the fact that she wasn’t really keen on overt deception. She didn’t like lying intentionally and doing so made something within her twinge. It wasn’t quite pain, but the sensation was close enough. She recalled that back when she was younger, she was always blunt and honest. It wasn’t until her travels that she learned that she didn’t have to say anything if she didn’t want to, and letting others come to their own conclusions wasn’t lying at all. 

Alright, it was mostly Damien’s slyness that taught her that. 

Either way, acting seemed to trigger that part of her, so that her acting was stiff unless she played a character that was close to her own temperament. Thankfully, it seemed that Jeannette Marau was one such character. Still, she’d prefer not to be incompetent, so she signed up for acting lessons. They were mostly a waste of time. 

As for the campaign ads, they were still in the planning phase, so there was little she needed to do about it. She did research on how the mayor and her running mate’s governance, and while they were not outstanding, there wasn’t much stink either. She wondered if they buried their mistakes so deeply that the media didn’t uncover it, or perhaps they silenced those who tried to expose the problems. Hmmm, if she was going to support them, then she needed to know more. The problem was that she wasn’t that good at digging out information. 

Well, now that the training camp was upon her, she set aside those worries and focused on the now. She, along with the rest of the fencing club, piled into a bus, and off they went towards the mountainside fifty longstrides south of Neo Prism City.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep