Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

After their discussion, Vahn drew up a schedule alongside Hestia and Ryuu that had several large blocks of time devoted to 'relaxation'. Vahn would be waking up early, just like every other day, and he would begin training Haruhime, Emiru, and Maemi in basic CQC techniques. Even if Haruhime only wanted to focus on magic, Vahn still wanted to improve her endurance and agility as well. The twins only wanted to be support units, but Vahn wanted them to be agile as well to make proper use of their racial traits. Both girls' agility parameter was their highest stat and they had lithe and flexible bodies suited for agility-based fighters.

Once their morning training was completed, Vahn had his first block of relaxation and was free until lunch to do whatever he wanted. Hestia emphasized he needed to use part of his time to relax and told him to clearly tell people what he wanted to do. If he left it to others, Vahn would just get wrapped up in the momentum of things again and it wouldn't be relaxation at all. After lunch, Vahn was 'allowed' to work, but only if it wasn't a serious project or something that could cause strain to his body. The day would wrap up with a bath, dinner, and then finally bed time. Even though he thought it was 'relaxing', Vahn was prohibited from using his massage technique unless it was during the afternoon. Unless it was for more intimate purposes, Vahn should spend his evening resting instead of pushing himself to satisfy others.

As he was drawing up the schedule, Vahn couldn't help but feel like it wasn't going to be as simple as what they drew out on the paper. He had the weekends off, but it seemed strange to him that his primary 'job' right now was meant to be relaxation. Knowing other people would be hard at work while he was supposed to be lazing around didn't sit well with him, but he still finalized the schedule and agreed to adhere to it unless something happened. Afterward, Hestia transmitted the schedule through the network while Ryuu and Vahn returned to the others to explain things.

Ryuu had taken on the position of Vice-Captain in the Familia, so she was the person that would be in charge most of the time and would help the girls train. Other than a bit of guidance, Ryuu wanted Vahn to focus on developing his own skills instead of worrying about others. It was impossible for most people to emulate his combat style, and the girls were similar to Ryuu in the fact they would be agility oriented. Since Ryuu was also incredibly talented with magic and [Concurrent Chanting], she was actually the ideal candidate to train the girls.

Vahn's ultimate role ended up being converted into a sparring partner and observer while he was meant to be training his own skills. Mikoto, who had moved into Haruhime's room, would also be training primarily on her own since she practiced a unique form of swordsmanship and also specialized in detection magic. Vahn was surprised to learn that her skill, [Yatanoshirogarasu] had the ability to detect hidden enemies as well as track allies within the same Familia. It wasn't nearly as developed as his own sensory abilities, but it was still an impressive technique that suited the role of a scout and vanguard unit.

By the time the afternoon rolled around, Preasia finally woke up and Fenrir immediately entered a high-tension state that drew Vahn's notice. He realized that she seemed receptive to the fact he could sense her aura and now used it to communicate with him if he was far away. After a short while, Vahn gathered everyone into the dining room while the twins helped Preasia out of their room. Though she looked very tired, Vahn saw that the light had returned to her light-grey eyes and felt more than a little relieved to see her on the road to recovery.

After settling down onto a sofa, Vahn sat across from Preasia while flanked by Haruhime and Hestia once again. Both girls had very gentle looks in their eyes and Vahn felt like the entire atmosphere had turned a little lighter while everyone was showing concern for Preasia. He felt like this was the ideal situation and something he wished he could see more often. The sight of people working together in concert to support each other had been something he aspired to see ever since the expedition in the dungeon. Vahn liked to see everyone helping each other out to bear the burdens of one another.

Preasia must have felt the atmosphere as well since her eyes were watery even though she didn't begin crying again. Though it was a strange way to describe it, she had a very sheepish and timid nature but it was a great improvement compared to her catatonic state from earlier. She hung her head low and peeked up through her curly bangs and said in a muted tone, "Thank you...for healing me..."

Vahn showed a gentle smile and spoke quietly as if he was afraid to startle her, "You are very welcome Preasia. I'm happy to see you're recovering a bit...feel free to stay in this Manor for as long as you please. You don't have to worry about anything, just go at your own pace...everyone here will help look after you." Until she stabilized or made a decision on her own, Vahn didn't want to put any pressure on Preasia at all. At least until the matter with the Ishtar Familia was resolved, he wanted her to stay alongside girls like Haruhime and Fenrir since Vahn believed it would be ther.a.p.eutic for her. Milan and Tina were also around, and Milan was very receptive to the suffering of Preasia and would hopefully be able to heal her heart after they get to know each other better.

Preasia heard Vahn's words and looked around at everyone and noticed that, other than Vahn, every else in the vicinity was a girl. They all had happy expressions on their faces and showed concern for her, so she began to feel like this really was a safe place. Back when Vahn had first purchased her, she thought he was just scheming against her until she dropped her guard. She was afraid that the moment she thought it was safe, Vahn would reveal his real self and then drag her into a deeper pit of despair. Instead, he treated her kindly since the beginning and even healed the wounds on her body.

After several long seconds of looking around at everyone in the room, Preasia turned her gaze back to Vahn and nodded her head before turning her face down and saying, "Thank you..." For the next few minutes, Vahn reiterated the schedule for the future days while Hestia tacked on a few things while also talking about the regulations of the Familia and their relationship with the Alliance. She let everyone know about the dangers of the Ishtar Familia and to always be on guard unless they were inside the Manor or accompanying Vahn, Ryuu, or someone else that was trusted by them.

Though it was a quiet atmosphere after that, the mood had turned for the better when everyone started eating dinner. Since Milan was staying over, she had cooked a lot of food for everyone in order to celebrate all of the new members of the Hestia Familia and welcome them into the Manor. The twins assisted her and even made a few light dishes alongside Tina such as salads and porridge. Since Preasia wasn't able to keep down foods well, the porridge had been made the help nurse her back to health. After her earlier words, Preasia had turned silent and only made curt responses in a very quiet voice whenever Fenrir said things to her. Since Fenrir had always been around her ever since she arrived, Preasia was slowly dropping her guard against the voracious wolf-girl.

After dinner, all of the girls went to take a bath together while Vahn relaxed in the men's bath by himself and just enjoyed the heat of the water. Though he had expected Ryuu or Hestia to try and join him, he was actually a little relieved to lay back in the water on his own while enjoying the cold night air on his skin. Because they were only separated by a wall, Vahn could hear the somewhat cheerful sounds of the girls next door and it made him feel very relaxed knowing they were enjoying themselves as well...

---

On the other side of the divider between the men's and women's pools, all of the girls were in the largest pool and had somehow devolved into a discussion regarding each other's bodies. It had started when Fenrir made a passing remark to Preasia and then matters exploded when Haruhime made a comment asking about Vahn's taste in women. Though not everyone was discussing things at first, it quickly developed to the point where they were each proactively discussing Vahn's assumed preferences.

Representing the busty and petite faction, Hestia proudly flaunted her large, flawless, incredibly fair b.r.e.a.s.ts to the rest of the group. With a somewhat haughty expression on her face, Hestia claimed, "Even if Vahn doesn't care about b.r.e.a.s.t size, I know he thinks mine are the softest~!" In response to her words, many of the girls looked between their b.r.e.a.s.ts and Hestia's as if to compare them. Other than Milan and Mikoto, everyone else had either modest b.r.e.a.s.ts or still-budding b.r.e.a.s.ts like Haruhime.

As if to confirm Hestia's claim, Ryuu had snuck up behind her and reached around before coping a feel that made Hestia shriek out before shying away from the sneaky assailant while muttering, "Only Vahn can touch my b.r.e.a.s.ts..." Ryuu looked at her and commented, "They really are very soft." Ryuu then touched her own small b.r.e.a.s.ts and felt they were a little firm because of her lean and athletic figure. She also began to poke and prod around her body while feeling the tension of her own muscles with a strangely concerned expression on her face.

Though they hadn't said anything at first, Emiru and Maemi began to mimic Ryuu's actions while inspecting their own bodies and the body of each other. Since they were identical twins, there were little to no differences between them and they appraised each other as if they were looking at themselves. They also had somewhat lithe figures with modest b.r.e.a.s.ts and were on the thinner side due to their racial traits.

Fenrir was everyone's strange behavior and said, "Vahn likes pat pat. Vahn no care about other things. Be good and Vahn give pats to everyone!" Since she had been talking to the twins, they both tilted their heads in the same direction and asked, "Pat pat?" Every girl in the room, with the exception of Emiru, Maemi, Mikoko, and Preasia had a reminiscent look on their faces as they recalled all of the 'petting' they had received from Vahn in the past. Several of them had even received his massages while others had been a victim of sorts.

Even Haruhime had been stroked by Vahn on their very first meeting and she had a pleasant smile on her face that was noticed by Mikoto as she asked in a low voice, "Is Vahn really that kind of boy? He seemed like the honest and polite type to me..." Haruhime's smile widened into a radiant expression as she began to preach the virtues of Vahn with a healthy amount of embellishment. Her speech was so momentous that every girl that had received 'pat pat' from Vahn pitched in their own comments, even the relatively taciturn Ryuu. By the end of the discussion, the phrase 'godhand' had become the agreed upon way to refer to Vahn's technique. For those that had received his affections in the past, they had expectant looks on their faces while the four girls that had yet to experience it had mixtures of anticipation and curiosity.

The only two that didn't proactively participate in the discussion much were Fenrir and Preasia who were sitting at the side. Fenrir made a few remarks, but Preasia just listened to everyone's words in silent. After matters started calming down and people were getting ready to leave, Preasia asked Fenrir in a low voice, "Is it really...such a nice thing?" As if she had been asked the easiest to answer question in the entire world, Fenrir's eyes blazed a bit and she stated proudly, "Vahn is the best, super good!"

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Routine Established','Celebration : Silence','Herald of the Godhand')

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