On Astral Tides: From Humble Freelancer To Astral Emperor

Two Hundred And Fifty-Two

“That was intense. Aki, you’re a brute!” Shiro sighed, red-faced. “To think… I was going to shoot you down, and somehow we ended up kissing.”

“The moment seemed right.” I smiled, still holding her in my arms. “Seriously though, I haven’t heard your answer. I love you, Shiro. Let me help you with your burdens. I’ve got broad shoulders, I can help you carry them.”

She eyed me then, my muscles rippling under my lavender shirt. “Yes, I never noticed, but you do, huh.” She sounded surprised.

“I’ve been working out, trying to strengthen the right muscles. I’ve been doing combat training too. I started with YouTube videos, Krav Maga, Muay Thai, that sort of thing. Gaining levels helps, it strengthens everything, but without hard work it means nothing.” Shit, I sound like my father there. Speaking of… mom’s going to be overjoyed at having another daughter-in-law like Shiro, but father, auntie and uncle are going to be annoyed. At least… at least this was expected.

“So lean on me. Please.” I said again. “After all, no man hates working hard for a girl he loves.”

“I haven’t said yes yet…” she muttered. Reaching for her phone, she started typing a message. Curious, I asked her what she was doing.

“Sending a text to your childhood friend, telling her you are kissing other women. And… send.” She tapped the screen with an impish smile. “I hope you enjoy getting scolded, Aki.”

“For you I don’t mind. But you are doing it wrong.” I grabbed my own phone, leaned in and placed my lips against hers, holding my phone up to take a selfie. Her dark onyx eyes went wide, but perhaps as she had become accustomed to kissing me over the last few minutes, she didn’t resist, and we were soon entwining out tongues again. There was a shutter sound as my phone took a snapshot, and I then turned all my attention to Shiro, our kiss deep and passionate. As we parted, Shiro red-faced and breathing heavily, her chest straining under her t-shirt, I forwarded her the photo.

“Damn, we look good together, don’t we?” I said with a smile. “Anyway, if you are tying to get me in trouble, use that. Look… they know, all right. I’ve told them there’s a girl who I’ve always liked, a beautiful, cheeky and proud princess with a lousy personality but a good heart. I want to help you, and I want you to be mine. So please, Shiro. I’m asking again. Be with me. Forever.”

“I…” she looked down. “I don’t want to be just some mistress, Aki. I dreamed of a glorious wedding, where I wore a white gown fit for a princess, and everyone cheered and threw flower petals at me. Even my useless parents were there, watching and crying. If you say you can make me happy, then…”

“Shush now.” I placed a finger to her lips that were damp with my own saliva. “I promise you this, I’ll marry you, and it’ll be magical, everything you’ve dreamed of and more.”

“But, Eri, the others…” she began, only for me to seal her lips, this time not with a finger. When we were done, I allowed no further protests.

“Everyone. I’ll marry you all. And before you say ‘that’s illegal Aki you idiot’ or ‘have you lost your mind?’ I’ll tell you this. I’ve thought it all through. Originally I was going to stay loyal to Eri, but… she was the one that pushed for me to accept others. Well, one other, really, but that kind of opened the floodgates a little. Still it opened my eyes. Eri wasn’t wrong. But if I’m going to do this, I’m going to do it right. I called in a few favours with powerful people, and now polygamy is going to be legalised.”

“Uh, Aki… I know you want me to say yes, but you don’t have to bullshit me. I’m not a little kid.”

“I know you aren’t. You’re a gorgeous princess.” I smiled. “Look, I could call up the Prime Minister’s secretary right now and get him to put his boss on the phone. No bullshit. He’d be pissed off I was doing it simply to get a beautiful girl to fall for me, but if I have to do it, I’ll do it.”

Shiro looked at me, expression dubious, before sighing. “I… I don’t think you’d lie to me, Aki. Not now. Not about this. So… just what the hell have you been doing?”

“Stuff that keeps me from working on your game.” I winked at her. “But to be honest, I think your game will have to be put on hold for a while. I want to get you stronger first.”

“But Tan is doing that…” she protested.

“Yeah well, sorry to Tan, but I don’t entirely trust her yet. That contract… well, I’d like to have an expert in trickery look it over, but for now…” Shiro doesn’t need Lovers’ Link, I’d imagine, being a Candidate, but… now that it gives a small percentage of my stats if hers is lower and my stats are pretty decent… it’s still worth a try. Wait… is she even actually a Candidate? How does it all work anyway, with Tan? Shit, too many unanswered questions…

“You are grinning at me rather unpleasantly, Aki.” She chided me. “Are you thinking of lewd…” before she could finish, her eyes flared red and Tan peered out at me.

“Trust is earned, not given. She trusts you, I do not. There is too much to gain were you to betray her. As for our contract, that is a matter for she and I to deal with. Your input is unwelcome.” And with that Shiro’s eyes darkened once more.

“Sorry about Tan, Aki. Since she drank… err, got that skill she’s… well, it doesn’t matter. So, you never answered me. What have you been doing?”

“Making mistakes. I was too visible.” I shrugged. “So I naturally crossed the radar of politicians and powerful nobility.” Giving her an abridged version of the political situation, though with few actual details, she looked at me in shock when I was done.

“Damn, Aki you are radiating major protag energy right now. I’m impressed. All I’ve been doing is helping Tan. Though I guess we’ve done all right, considering the rough start. Anyway, I… look, Aki. Ask me again, okay?”

“Sure thing. Wait, the mood isn’t right. Bear with me a second…” I nipped out of the private room and called over a waiter. I had a brief discussion, and while my first request was rather ordinary, the second confused him a little. Still, considering that I’d rented a private room, and bought enough food for six and drinks for a dozen, thanks to that greedy Tan, my unorthodox request was accepted. Taking the item I had requested, as well as the bottle of champagne and two glasses I had asked for, I re-entered the room, shutting the door behind me. Placing down the glasses, I uncorked the bottle easily, and poured us out some of the bubbling liquid. Placing down the bottle, I handed Shiro a glass.

“Damn, the suspense is killing me. So theatrical, Aki. And… uh, just how much was that bottle? I’m sure I saw it on the menu and it cost…”

“… a lot less than the worth of a single smile from you.” I finished, and her already flushed face darkened as she writhed in embarrassment.

“Shit, another critical hit. Aki you bastard, you’ve been keeping your natural talents hidden all these years! No longer will I consider Hayato the heartbreaker of the group, you’ve killed him dead!” she took a sip to cover her nerves. “Oh wow, this stuff is fit for a princess. At least you have good taste…”

“I do, especially in women.” I grinned, before getting down on one knee, surprisingly enough clutching a silver spoon in my hands, which was drawing her gaze.

“Uh, what are you doing, Aki?” she asked, before I silenced her with a look. “Shiro. I’m asking you once more, will you go out with me? No, will you marry me?”

“Marry?” she squeaked, completely blown away by the escalation.

“Yes. I want you to stand on the same footing as Eri and the others. Now, I’m well known for my shitty proposals, it’s sort of a running joke…” I grinned, a touch shame-facedly. “… and normally I get the rings later, but… not this time.” With spoon in hand I crushed it into a ball, eliciting a gasp from Shiro, though that was nothing compared to what I did next.

“Well, Tan isn’t the only one that can monopolise fire…” I grinned. A tongue of flame, quickly swelled by my plentiful wind energy, sparked into life, and Shiro let out another, longer gasp.

“Aki, that’s… what are you doing?”

“Oh, this? Yeah, I may have started off with just appraisal, but using that I managed to pick up a few more useful skills.” I winked at her as I worked, the silver ball turning molten. Earth energy insulated my hand as I worked, and with a mixture of more wind energy and aether I began to sculpt the object.

Shiro peered at me, black eyes curious, and I spared her little attention, concentrating on this difficult work, though I did notice a flicker of ruby light in her gaze, probably Tan watching, perhaps alarmed by the elemental energies I was channelling. Well, I’m only using a little, nothing special… though Shiro is so fragile I guess even this could harm her easily. “Well, this is harder than I thought, but…” I shaped the metal, folding it over and over again. Eventually, sweat dripping down my face from a combination of heat and the strain of doing such delicate work, which was only possible due to my significant Precision and Alacrity, I finally finished, summoning a little water to cool the ring, which hissed as it solidified. The ring glimmered brightly, reminding me a little of the moon in the Fae lands…

“What the hell did you do, Aki?” she asked, as I reached out towards her, the ring, a delicate circle of silvery petals, resting on my palm.

“You said you wanted flower petals at your wedding, right?” I grinned. “Consider this an advance. Sorry the ring is only silver, but… I put my heart into it. So… uh, Shiro, your answer?”

She absentmindedly picked up the ring from my palm, examining it cautiously, turning it around so she could see the detailing. “Uh… you made this right here in front of me, right?”

“Is that so surprising? After all, Tan is surely weirder than that.” I said reasonably, and she nodded mechanically.

“I guess so, Aki. I guess so. So… uh, you want to marry me? Seriously?”

“Yes. I love you Shiro. I admit, I love others too, but that doesn’t mean I love you any less. So, please, make me happy by saying yes, and I’ll return that happiness to you double! I’ll always have your back!”

“But… well, Tan.” She said, awkwardly, and I understood.

“Well, Tan just has to… keep sleeping… when we are being intimate. That solves that problem. And as for the other… you trust Tan, right?”

“I do. I haven’t really explained everything about why yet, but… I get that she means me no harm. Besides, she needs me, otherwise she’d have to go back home. But… she wants to be an Astral Empress, right? So… well, don’t you want to be the best, Aki?”

“If I have to be. Honestly, all I want is a safe, happy world for my family, friends and lovers to live peacefully in. A lot like your game, Shiro. I was starting to think maybe I’d have to take charge to make that happen, but… well, if Tan is trustworthy, like you say, then we can talk about it. But if not…” my grey eyes hardened like flint. “… if Tan betrays you, or hurts you, or turns out to be a danger to everything I want to protect…”

Shiro shivered at my intensity, as I was unconsciously flaring League. Her legs wobbled as she felt the pressure, and Tan responded, her hair and eyes flaring red and blazing brilliantly. She made to speak, but I got my words out first. “… if you betray her trust, Tan, I swear I’ll kill you. Just try me!”

“You think you can?” Tan chortled, licking at her lips, which had gone cracked and bleeding again, despite being moistened by the champagne only a few minutes ago. “I am no easy prey. My strength may be limited by the poor state of her body, but… were my hand forced, and I unleashed my true fury… well, let us say, drinking deep of your despair would be tasty indeed.”

“Don’t flatter yourself. When it comes to defending those I love, be it God, the Devil, the damn President of the USA, or even Aliens, I’ll win. But it won’t come to that, will it, Tan? Shiro believes in you, and you’ll not betray her trust, right?”

“You are stronger than you appear. Hold down your League, her fragile body cannot take the strain. I shall retire once more.” With that, her eyes changed back to black, her hair blanching.

“Damn, Aki, you jerk! I think I leaked.” She moaned, trembling in her seat.

“Sorry. I got carried away. But seriously… I don’t like the thought of you being bound to her. Sure, from an objective standpoint it’s not too different to my deal with Ortlinde. But… well, it doesn’t sit right with me. So from now on, lean on me, all rig… wait.” I trailed off. “Uh, Shiro… you never answered me? That’s a bit cruel!”

“Whose fault is that? You went off on a damn rant about protecting me from God, the Devil and… whoa…” she blushed. “… thinking about it, you looked deadly serious then. I think I leaked… wait, no.” she shook her head, fanning at herself nervously, peering down at the ring on her palm.

“Aki…” she breathed out. “You’ll honestly love me and make me happy? Even if I’m not able to make you happy? I mean, I’m a selfish girl. Otherwise I’d never have accepted Tan’s offer, would I?” she sighed. “I do trust her, I do. But I had no reason to before, did I? For all I knew I was dooming the world to a tyrant’s rule…. and though the world never did anything for me, thinking of you, and Hayato, and Hina, Aimi, Shugo and Yasu, yes, even those dumb bimbos at my dorm, a lecturer who lets me off lessons knowing I’m too weak… even my shitty, selfish parents, I’d feel bad if you were to suffer because of me. I don’t… I don’t actually think I’m very lovable. All I have going for me is beauty. Besides…” she grinned bitterly. “If you are looking for sex, I’m probably too weak to be any fun in bed.”

“I’m not going to lie, I want you. All of you.” she looked down shyly at my honesty, unable to meet my gaze. “But if all you can do is kiss, I’ll kiss you from now until eternity. Didn’t your heart race when we did? Didn’t you like it?”

“I didn’t hate it… no, ugh, I swore I’d never be tsundere, that only works in stories. Yes, I liked it. I like you. Fine. I said it. I always thought you were like me, deep down. Something lacking. It sort of made me want to bully you, because it made me feel good. You always paid attention to me, and not… not like other guys. Don’t get me wrong… I know you always used to check me out, you are only human after all…” her smile returned. “… but it felt almost… well, reverent. It sounds silly, I know… but I didn’t hate it. Even when Yasu or Shugo got a bit too dirty, you or Hayato would calm things down. Hayato would do it by being… well, Hayato, natural peacemaker… but you, a clever quip here, embarrass yourself there, draw attention away. They never noticed. But I did. Hina too, funnily enough. Our Hina is sharp to lust and other emotions like that.”

“Reverence isn’t quite right, but… you know what, I always thought you were special too. And don’t get me wrong, I know a lot of beautiful girls. My mom is gorgeous, my sister too, she takes after her…”

“Gross, mothercon as well as siscon?” She chuckled, and I shook my head.

“No way. But good looks run in my family.” I laughed. “Eri was always gorgeous too, though she tried her best to hide it. So it’s not just that you were beautiful. It was… well, beauty is beautiful because it’s ephemeral, right? Because it could be gone any moment.”

“Mujō, right? Beauty and value because of impermanence? Are you saying you liked me because I was likely to drop dead any minute, Aki? That’s cold.”

“You know it wasn’t that. I just thought… I was privileged to see something special that might not be there tomorrow. It sounds stupid when I say it, but… well, the fact you might be gone, and that sad smile you often gave when you thought we weren’t watching. It made me want to make sure you weren’t impermanent, but remained with us forever. But I never had the guts to do anything about my feelings. Until now. Now… Shirohime, you are a princess to me. And I want you to stay by my side forever.”

“Fine. Aki, you win.” She picked up the ring and slid it onto her finger, the metal petals cool against her flesh. “I must be some sort of idiot. Hell, obviously I am. I leapt into a deal with Tan, because I had nothing to lose. I’m a bit of a bitch, really.” She sighed. “I just wanted to be meaningful, to matter, to snatch some happiness away from fate. For the world to be kind to me. But perhaps… perhaps I don’t need the world to be kind. Aki… no, Akio.” She said my full name, surprising me. “You can do it, right? Make me happy? And you’ll be satisfied with me? With all my flaws? I might not make the best wife. Eri will likely look down on me. You won’t let her bully me, right?”

“No way, if she tries to hit you with an axe I’ll stop her.” I promised. “Besides, Eri has changed. Okay, she’s still possessive and jealous, but she’s learned how to open her defences to others. I hope you can too. As for you being a bad wife… you’re not Mujō, not anymore. I’ll stay with you until you learn. I give to you, you give to me, and we are happy!”

“An axe? Is she Kotonoha? If so, your head is ending up coming clean off your shoulders… Well crap, I spent the whole date shooting you down, and in the end… I still got engaged. Shit, Akio, yes. I’ll marry you, you damn idiot. Even the ring… I watched you forge it from a bloody spoon in front of me…” she snatched her phone, typing another message.

“Uh, what are you doing?” I asked, and she grinned.

“Watch.” She snapped a picture of her hand wearing the ring, before adding it to a message along with the picture of us kissing. “If Eri hasn’t learned to open those defences like you say, it’s a nice boat for you for sure.”

“Be sure to send it to Eri…” I warned, embarrassed but concerned, joy and worry mixed in my chest. I’m delighted Shiro finally agreed to be my girlfriend. But Tan still worries me. A lot. I really want to check that contract. The way she said it, Shiro has almost no power of veto on Tan’s actions at all, for rather meagre reward… I understood Shiro was desperate, eager to grasp a chance at being special, a true white princess, with nothing but her conscience at stake for her, but even so, it seemed a little foolish for a girl as smart as her… “If you send it to one of the gang by mistake, we’re kind of in trouble.”

Her hands paused over the phone, double checking the address. “Don’t scare me like that, Aki. Shit… they know you are already engaged, so if I say anything… what the hell do we do?” she said in a panic, which was unbearably cute, so I rose to my feet and hugged her. For a moment she stiffened, but then her arms circled me.

“I… can feel my heart racing. Shit, I never thought I’d do romance…” she whispered, before we started kissing. Her dark eyes were wide with amazement. As we pulled apart, her breathing heavily, I gently cupped her bottom through her tight jeans, giving it a gentle squeeze.

“Whoa, what the… that’s a bit much, isn’t it?” she protested, flushed. “We’ve only been dating like thirty seconds and you’re already feeling me up? I know I’m like all super hot and all, Aki, but… take it slow, okay?”

“Sorry. Couldn’t resist.” I grinned, making her smile in return. “Besides we aren’t just dating. We’re engaged.”

“Shit, yeah. I leapt right over the boring levels and headed straight for endgame. Efficient but… kind of scary. Still, what… what do we tell everyone?”

“For now, we don’t have to say anything. The law changes won’t be for a while, so we can’t use that as an excuse… hmm. I’ll think of something.” I promised.

“You’d better. And also wear a stab-proof vest next time we are out. If Yasu finds out you got your hands on the beautiful, snow white princess and stained her lips with your colour, he’s going to go mad. Especially when he can’t find a single girl to date and you have… uh, I never asked. What’s your harem at, playboy?”

“Including you? Seven.” I said, and Shiro paused, expression going blank.

“Seven? Seriously? Shit, I underestimated you Aki, turns out you were actually a wolf all along!”

“No backing out now! Don’t forget, you have to honour contracts and promises!” I joked, trying to calm her down. As we bantered and argued, the feeling of warmth in my chest was wonderful, my mood light. Damn, now if only I didn’t have to worry about Tan this would be perfect…

********

After our heated discussion over my rampant infidelity finished I paid the bill for the night. Shiro went deathly pale at the sheer cost, which admittedly was the sort of obscene money that would have made me feel sick had I been made to pay it only a few months ago. Hell, I probably couldn’t even pay it if I wanted to then. That was three months’ salary. Hell, three good months.

“So, are you tired? I can take you back to your dorm now, though I’d be sorry to see you go.” I asked, as we stepped out into the chilly air of Ueno. The car was waiting for us, ready to take us anywhere we wanted to go.

“Yes, I’m tired. Bone weary, in fact. But I’d have collapsed hours ago normally. See, Tan is helping. So… I want to carry on. Make me feel normal, Aki. In fact… I want to walk! Akihabara! It’s only a short one!”

“Sure. Worst case scenario, I don’t mind carrying you, darling.”

That got a rise out of her, and as I was informing the driver we would be walking, she started complaining that I just wanted to piggyback her so I could feel up her ass again. Still, she sounded like she was having fun. As the car pulled away, heading for a pickup location, I turned back to my new fiancée. “So, where do you want to go? The usual maid café? An arcade? A pub?”

She tilted her head, thinking. “You pick, Aki. I’m never out this late so I don’t know.”

“All right. I have a few ideas.” I offered her my arm and she took it, pushing it to her chest, leaning on my shoulder. In the past, such an action would have embarrassed me, but now it felt right. “We should be off. I’ll go slow, let me know if you feel tired and we can find a bench or I can carry you. With my strength now you’re as light as a feather.”

“Rude much, Aki? I’m always light! And my only weight is from my chest and ass. I don’t see you complaining about that!”

“No, you are just about perfect!” I agreed, as we started walking down the brightly lit, still busy street. The pair of us were attracting gazes, which made Shiro shrink in on me a bit, but I carried us through proudly.

“Hey, don’t be shy. They are just jealous.” I laughed quietly.

“Oh, of who?” she asked.

“Both of us. After all, we are quite the catch, no? Both Astral Emperor Candidates, attractive… well, too bad, because you are all mine now!”

“Flattery will get you nowhere… I’d usually say, but it seems it got you everywhere tonight. Shit, I still can’t believe it, Aki.” She looked down at her ring. “I … kind of got swept up in the moment, didn’t I? Telling you about Tan, finding out you were just like me, with blood-soaked hands… finding out you loved me. It’s hard to take it all in.”

“Not having second thoughts I hope?” I said, and she shook her head.

“No, if anything you said before was true, it was that there aren’t going to be many men who can understand me like you do. I can’t say I’m thrilled at all about having to share you, but… well, I guess I’ll be busy helping Tan a lot, so… hmm, that feels kind of sad now. Damn, I never thought I was such a… well, girl. I’m already starting to feel like I want to spend more time with you.”

“I should hope so…” as we continued to talk, we reached the first destination. Shiro was panting heavily, clearly very tired, but I let out a trickle of Ether Healing. Her eyes flared red, and Tan surfaced once more.

“What are you doing? Using aether is a hostile…” she began, but my withering retort shut her down.

“Are you being this dumb deliberately? I get the impression you don’t like me much. I’m just restoring some of her strength. It’s a talent. Now if you seriously think I’m going to hurt her, then you need to get a clue. Now, shut those red eyes and leave us alone. I’m on a date, I don’t need a third wheel!”

Tan made an indelicate noise, before Shiro’s eyes turned onyx again. “Really, she’s just worried about me.”

“Sure. if you say so. But I resent her paranoia. But enough of her, I’m not talking about Tan on my date with you, my dear fiancée.”

“Well, my dear fiancé, where are we going?” she asked, chuckling.

“Here.” I declared.

“Here? A department store?” she asked, and I nodded.

“Yeah, this one is the only store in Akihabara open this late, and there’s a fun little maid café on the top floor I believe, a little quirkier than the mainstream ones we usually go to. So, in we go…” I guided her in, and while it was quiet inside, we still had a short while to shop. Guiding her to the ladieswear section, I smiled. “Time for that new outfit. And none of that ‘you don’t want to waste money’ bullshit. If I can’t treat my girlfriend, I’m a pretty shitty guy, right? In fact… you don’t have to worry about money again.”

“That seems a bit sudden…” Shiro was a little uncomfortable with the rapid pace of the night, which I understood, but… We don’t have time for leisure. The world won’t wait for us.

“It is sudden. But Shiro, I don’t want you worrying about finances. You have enough to worry about. Besides, I bet you are going to look gorgeous in something like that…” I pointed, and Shiro flushed.

“Oh, fine.” Shiro conceded, and after taking the items I pointed out to the changing room, I waited for her to try a fresh new look…

********

“So, uh, how do I look?” Shiro asked, emerging from the changing room.

“Perfect!” I gave her a thumbs up, admiring her gorgeous figure. She was wearing a deep purple jumper which hugged her curves, as well as a blue skirt for contrast. The skirt was pretty long, but even so, seeing her ankles was a different experience. “I knew with your hair and skin, you’d look fantastic in deeper colours. We’re taking them!” I bundled up her other clothes, as well as several other things she’d tried on earlier. “Excuse me!” I called to a tired-looking shopgirl. “We are taking all these. She’ll wear those out if that’s okay?”

She assented, so shortly afterwards we were on the top floor of the building, sitting in a rather small maid café, the waitresses not just normal maids, but ones wearing cat ears, tails and other animal accoutrements. We had asked for a small booth to ensure our privacy, and the maid who had served us complimented us both regarding our outfits, which made Shiro blush. The maid just earned herself good feedback. I must remember to email the cafe website later.

After a while, Shiro was picking away at a parfait and a glass of beer, while I was happy enough just to drink along with her. But it’s time to ask. “So, Shiro. Your contract with Tan. It seems… well, shit, to put it bluntly.”

“Well, I might have exaggerated a little. I was feeling pretty sorry for myself. Talking about the blood on my hands, even though you said you understood and had been through the same… well, I was shoving you away, I guess.”

“Too late for that.” I glanced down at her ring, she followed my gaze and blushed. “So, you can tell me. I’d like to know.”

“No she cannot. I see no reason why you should be privy to such information…” Tan declared, her hair smouldering with flames.

“For fuck sakes, Tan you moron. Stop with the flames in public. I know this is a private booth, but it isn’t another room like before.”

At my criticism the hair turned silver again, only the tips crimson. As she conceded to me, I continued. “As for why I should be privy to the information, it’s obvious. I’m going to be marrying Shiro. I know you’ve been listening. That means I need to know I can trust you, or I’m going to have to take steps to secure her safety.”

“You believe you can?” she scoffed. “Do not get ahead of yourself, foolish man. If the contract is broken, then it will be Shiro who suffers as well.”

“I don’t like your threats. It doesn’t sound very friendly. Now piss off and let me talk to my damn fiancée in private. You want to win, right? Well, shouldn’t you be trying to appeal to me then?”

“True.” Tan mused. “Very well. You may know.” And with that she relinquished control back to Shiro.

“Sorry. She’s normally only this grumpy when she’s thirsty.” Shiro apologised. “Now… the contract is sealed between us. Tan is to protect my life, keep me from harm as much as possible, and interfere with my daily life as little as she can. She’ll slowly repair my body, and help me grow stronger, so I can eventually live a better than normal life. When she triumphs as an Astral Empress I’ll be given any position of my choice below her. I’ll be well rewarded.” She smiled. “In exchange though… I can’t stop her doing what she needs to win, even if that’s killing an opponent.” She sighed. “However, she has to abide by causing the minimum harm possible to achieve her goals. See, I’m not stupid, Aki!” She pouted, stirring at her half-full parfait with her long spoon. “She is not to harm people needlessly, or perform evil acts unless there is no alternative. And she intends to rule benevolently, though our world will join her faction as her demesne when this is all over. But apparently that would happen whoever wins. It’s normally the Throne, she says, and they don’t play nice with any other faction, leading to trillions of needless deaths, countless worlds lost. She’s just taking a chance to redress the balance a bit, and it’ll benefit me and us all too.” She smiled, relieved to have told me.

Uh… yeah, okay. That sounds good at first listen, but… it’s… basically the same as what she said when she was supposedly ‘shoving me away’. One thing Shiro was proud of was her mind, so for her not to notice seemed… odd. “So, uh… yeah I get it. There’s some benefits for you, but… who decides what is possible, what is necessary? If it’s Tan… well, to put it bluntly, what if she decided she needed to level up, and the best way was to massacre a town or two?”

“Oh Aki, don’t be so silly.” Shiro giggled, and I caught a hint of red in her vision. “That would be an evil act. Surely there’s an alternative way to level?”

… yeah, that’s true. There would surely be… wait, no. that’s naïve. “It depends how stringently you apply it. If it needs to be done this minute then there wouldn’t be an alternative, so she could go right ahead, by the terms of the contract, right?”

“Well… uh…” Shiro said, idly spooning parfait into her mouth. “That seems logical, but there’s a problem with that! There would be other ways to win, so she’d have to do those!”

Okay, I’m a little worried. She seems too trusting of Tan. What Shiro says may well be true, she knows her better than me… wait, no, I can’t trust to chance. Shiro is my priority. I’m done making mistakes. Shaking my head, I decided to approach the matter differently.

“Hey, Aki. I know you are rightly suspicious of Tan. You don’t know her. But she’s saved my life several times. And others trust her too.” She looked down at her ring again, running a finger over it. “Aki, you told me you have allies too, right? Well, I do as well. Tan helped me gather them. I think it’s fine to tell you. Though…” she looked at me with her dark eyes, her cheeks flushed. “… I’m not sure if I want you to meet them. One’s a cute girl, and another is a gorgeous woman. I worry they’ll turn your head…” she pouted. “… I think seven is plenty, thanks!”

“Oh Shiro.” I chuckled, rubbing her head, leaning in for a kiss. With a giggle she obliged. As she pulled away, she licked at her lips, but the view reminded me a little of Tan, which niggled at me. Still, I kept my face impassive as Shiro giggled.

“I got used to kissing you so quickly. Damn, Aki you are truly a master seducer. Yep, no way I’m letting you meet them! Well, there is a third woman, sort of… but she... well, you can meet her, I guess.” She giggled again.

“So just girls then?” I asked, and she shook her head.

“No, we have the guys too. I have more allies than you it seems.” She winked. “Now don’t be jealous, none of them are my type, and I’m the boss, aren’t I?” she pushed out her chest proudly, which was a sight in her new jumper. “Besides, unlike you, this princess doesn’t cheat! I’m content to be monogamous.”

That stung a little, but I laughed it off. “Well, it would be good to pool our forces. Working alone or in small groups will just lead to needless conflict and deaths. As for the rest…” I paused, considering. I still don’t know what compensation is in this contract. It said death if the compensation wasn’t paid, but if the compensation is modest enough… Whether that would be a good thing or not was hard to say. Any lessening of the risk to Shiro would be good, but if Tan could do whatever she wished for a minor cost… as I opened my mouth to raise that issue, Shiro asked something else.

“So, uh. I know Eri, right. Your childhood friend. So… who are the others? And… when do I get an introduction? I don’t believe it, but I’m actually nervous. Me, Shirohime, the white princess! Nervous about meeting your other girls! Damn, Aki, what have you done to me? If Aimi and Hina could see me like this I’d die of shame…”

That’s true. I haven’t really talked about them. I suppose I have to. I can use it to give me another opening to talk about Tan again too… “Well, there’s Hinata, and Motoko, Natsumi… oh, that’s right.” I grinned. “Funny thing is, my beloved Shirohime, you won’t be the only princess in my harem.” I winked, to show I wasn’t serious with the term harem. Well, it is one, but calling it one makes it seem like I’m just collecting girls, not loving them properly.

“Really? That’s weird. Just so you know, anyone else calling themselves a princess is obviously a faker, unlike me.” She picked up her spoon, scraping away the last of the parfait from the glass.

“Yeah, her name is Shaeula, and she’s a…”

There was a gentle clinking as Shiro dropped her spoon, frozen. Puzzled, I looked at her, only to see she had turned deathly pale, looking sick. The tips of her hair were darkening, turning red.

“Shaeula? Shaeula Tu Shae Dannan?” she asked, and as her hair burst into flames, I nodded dumbly. How do you know about Shaeula. I’ve never mentioned her name to you…