Tensei Skill Shop Chapter 27

Tensei Skill Shop

Disclaimer: I own nothing

Chapter 27:

“So it happened.”

I stared at the god. “Um, could you elaborate? Give more details? What do you mean ‘it happened’? What exactly happened?”

Sano took off his glasses and wiped them with a cloth, an unnecessary action given his powers, more of a way to express that he was thinking about how to answer.

“It’s a result of the changes that Sage caused,” He finally answered.

“You said that you were fixing it, I thought?”

“I might have missed a few,” He admitted without any shame, “Anyway, to continue my explanation…”

I ended up losing track several sentences in, but absorbed enough to get the gist of it; basically Sage’s disruptions ended up enabling connections to alternate universes of the ones Sano initially aimed for, like all those AU fanfics where something is different. The degree of the difference could vary as well, from a single, unimportant feature like a character having a different hair color, to multiple plot-altering changes. 

It was safe to conclude that this world fell into the latter option, because without the birth of Erza Scarlet, many important events were likely to go off course.

No wonder I thought it was strange she was asking to die, considering the canon version was focused on living for her unborn child.

“The management of fate in that world doesn’t seem to have any issues, however,” Sano informed me, “Perhaps another person will rise up to take the role of this missing character, but there is no need for you to worry about it.”

“Alright…”

“Now, what do you have to report about the one you were hoping to recruit?”

“There… were a few setbacks, but I think we succeeded?

“You think?”

Times like this makes me wish I had the job persona to rely on… but I don’t. I took a deep breath to settle my nerves and reported the recent events.

Our entry into Earth Land proceeded without any problems, and after arriving in the continent of Ishgar, we subsequently embarked on our journey to find Irene, following the map skill’s locator function. Although we could travel at faster speeds, we decided to take our time so we could gain a better understanding of the magical setting of this universe. Not just the obvious magic spells and tools, but the cultures that had been shaped by its widespread use.

Currently, it was like the pre-modern times of my world, with various establishments springing up to take advantage of and further expand the convenience magic could afford. One of those benefits was the large quantity of information available for us to peruse. There were books on the history of magic development, research notes of those who tried to delve further into its mysteries, even stories that had a kernel of truth buried under layers of fiction, and we did our best to take in as much of it as we could. 

At the same time, I was keeping track of Zeref’s location; the immortal mage didn’t seem to be able to detect my scrying as it wasn’t fully magical in nature, and his route was erratic compared to ours. That was how we eventually crossed paths as we entered the mountain range where Irene was hiding out in as a dragon.

Meeting the man was quite an experience. It’s one thing to know that the guy is a genius because that’s how canon plot introduced him, but actually meeting him and hearing his lessons? Seeing how he could easily break down complicated concepts into comprehensible parts? Displaying the depths of his understanding of magic in this world as a whole? 

All that for the expensive cost in LP to [Edit] his [Ankhseram’s Curse] to be restricted to only a few meters away from his body? I considered that a worthy price to pay. 

If not for his curse and his importance to the plot setting, he would definitely be a better choice than Irene. As it was, Matsu did her best to record down whatever he was willing to teach. Even if it was based on this world’s system, it was still very useful for understanding and modifying the skills we were able to acquire.

And then, after some time of traveling together, we finally found the person we had been searching for. Zeref did his canon act of returning Irene’s human form to her, and we stuck around until she realized that it wasn’t the true cure she thought it was.

Except our original plan fell through when she ate the Dragon Soul, and we had to ad-lib things a little.

“We might need your help to examine her condition when we get back.” No idea how this combination of [Dragon] and [Sekirei] will work out.

“Pre-employment medical checkups are included as part of the contract,” Sano reminded me.

“But do they include treatment?”

“That will depend,” He said non-committedly.

Oof. This reminds me of having to make decisions about my own medical insurance and other adult matters. “Alright.”

“Any other questions?”

I thought for a moment. “I do have a few.”

That response seemed to interest the god. “Sure, go ahead and ask.”

Later, after ending [Call Divinity] and returning to my current reality in Earth Land, I left the room and knocked on the door of the neighboring one. It opened instantly to reveal Uzume, who beckoned me to enter.

“How is she?” I asked.

“Still asleep, but otherwise her condition is fine,” Matsu answered from where she sat next to an occupied bed. “So, what did Sano say, Rick-tan?”

I quickly filled them in on the explanation for the discrepancy, as well as the other things Sano informed me of. 

“Luckily,” I continued, “There’s no need to worry about going back to a different world instead of the one we came from, because the disruptions only affect the connection as it forms.”

“So the worlds we’ve already visited are fine too? Like Spira or the Harem Labyrinth one?” Uzume asked.

I nodded. “Yeah, but we can’t predict what will happen for the other worlds, until Sano can confirm that there aren’t any more disruptions.”

“Well, not that we can do anything about it right now.” Matsu looked at the redhead lying on the bed.

Shortly after I winged Irene as my Sekirei and we found out about her lack of pregnancy, the woman fell unconscious. We ended up making our way to the nearby town where we stayed at an inn until she woke up, but she remained sleeping for more than two days already. According to [Appraisal], it was a combination of stress and the shifting of her nature from dragon to Sekirei. But the skill wasn’t comprehensive enough to fully analyze her condition, so there was some doubt. 

The doctor we called out to inspect her also said it was stress, and just to leave her to wake up on her own. With no other option, and not wanting to resort to extreme methods, the only thing to do was to sit around and wait.

I certainly wasn’t going to try and fiddle around with her skills while she was in that unstable condition.

“Regarding my suggestion that we stay here longer to observe her condition, Sano said that’s fine.” I looked at my Sekireis. “Let me know if there’s anything you need, like to take over the role of watching so you can do other things.”

“There’s not really much we can do in a small town like this,” Uzume pointed out, “Anyway, we have enough funds to cover our stay for a month, not to mention the other… options available to us.”

“Besides, this amount of free time is great for practicing our own magic,” Matsu agreed, “I’m making so much progress!”

According to Zeref’s lessons, magic came about through the connection between an individual’s physical spirit and the spiritual flow of nature. As such, there were many factors to magic in this world; not just individual traits like life force, willpower, emotions, for example… there were environmental factors as well. Those influenced a mage’s development of their own magic, often leading to the acquisition of an attribute, or trait.

So it wasn’t any surprise that Matsu the Wisdom Sekirei, with her domain over information, gained the magic of Archive, which converted information into magical-based data for storage. The stored form could then be used in many ways, as Matsu was gradually discovering for herself.

Discovering was the only term for it, because we were more than a decade before canon, and Archive was said to be a recent discovery during the canon plot. That meant that Matsu was currently the only user of that magic. 

So my expectations of her being able to swipe data on various other magics from the pseudo-internet of Archive were disappointed. 

But it was only a temporary setback.

“Ufufufu~” Matsu giggled as her fingers flew over the floating keyboard, “Full network access and authority, with automated data logs, keylogger programs…”

I exchanged looks with Uzume, who shared my expression of faint worry as our resident genius hacker continued to lay her web out.

“How about yours?” I asked her.

She shook her head. “I’m still trying things out, but I’m doing the meditation exercises, and I can feel the magic energy within me.”

“Just can’t express it out yet, huh.” Maybe it’s a sort of Holder magic.

In contrast to Matsu, Uzume’s magic didn’t manifest as cloth manipulation or creation. The same went for me, as I also hadn’t discovered my own magic yet. I knew I could use [Creation] to make whatever skill I wanted, but it wouldn’t be the same as figuring out my own version.

Not that I have the LP to spare. I took a seat on the neighboring bed, examining Irene yet again.

[Clean] had done a lot to clear away the stains from our battle, and the remainder was taken care of with a wet cloth. On the other hand, her long hair would need more work to tidy up. But even then, there was no denying that Irene was very good-looking. Nice face and figure, yep.

Okay, appreciation done, on to more serious matters. With a wave of my hand, I brought up the Archive interface. All readings are consistent with normal levels, for an unadjusted Sekirei, that is. The transformation looks like it’s stabilized.

One of Matsu’s ‘pioneered’ creations was a medical observation program, applying diagnostic spells that were linked to a separate program that would compile the data for easy perusal, along with an automatic alert if there were any large changes in condition. It was clunky compared to the systems I used while working at a clinic, but for a first version, it was quite groundbreaking. 

And that was just for the medical sector. 

“Just don’t overdo it, okay? I know you tend to get carried away.”

“Don’t worry,” Matsu replied confidently, “I’ve got you and Uzume-tan to rein me in! But right now… I’m overflowing with ideas!”

“Now I’m even more worried.”

Uzume nodded. “I’ll make sure to stop her by force if needed.”

After passing some time with small talk, I headed out of the inn for the town hall. Rather than approach any of the staff on duty, I just hung around the place, listening to the gossip going on. 

Our altercation had been noticed, but with this pre-modern setting, the response was slow; some brave soul investigated and found the destruction we left behind, reported to his superiors who finally decided to send a request for further investigation, which was taken up by some mage guild, whose agent had finally arrived and was preparing to set off for the location. 

From the looks of the mage, he didn’t seem to have any urgency in handling the request, and while his skillset catered to investigative work, I couldn’t say the same for its degree of competence. What the people in charge would make of his findings was up to anyone’s guess.

It might be a good idea to move on elsewhere, just in case. But it’s going to be hard to do so while Irene’s still sleeping. I flipped through the pamphlets on display. Oh well, might as well try and focus on learning my magic.

There was one magic that I had my eye on, but it was a Lost Magic, forgotten from the history of the world for several reasons, usually because they were too powerful or had too severe a side effect. The risks of playing with incomplete magic were high; just look at Mavis Vermillion after she tried casting Law. It was better that I did things in the proper sequence.

The sound of a tinkling bell made me look up, but the front door remained shut. The realization hit me at the same time as the telepathic message.

<Rick-tan! She’s awake! Hurry up and come back!> Matsu’s voice said flusteredly in my mind.

<On my way!>

Upon returning to the inn, I saw the doctor leaving the room as I reached the floor we were staying on. He recognized me from our last meeting, and nodded with a reassuring smile.

“Oh, hello there,” He greeted me, “I’ve given her a check up, and she appears to be fine. I’ve told your lady friends already, but just feed her well and let her rest, and she should be fully recovered in no time.”

I thanked him, and he stepped aside to let me in. Sure enough, Irene was sitting up in bed with her eyes opened as she slowly chewed on something. Even as I watched, tears began spilling from her eyes again, and she swallowed.

“I can… taste it… I can taste the food…!”

“Eat slowly, you’ve got the time to enjoy it,” Uzume told her, the bowl in her lap explaining where the food had come from.

Irene nodded, the motion allowing her to catch sight of me. Her body twitched, but her gaze remained locked on me, and her face flushed slightly. She didn’t stop staring even as I approached her.

“How are you feeling?” 

“I-I’m… fine…” She blinked, then quickly recovered from her daze, “I-I mean, um… th-thank you… f-for your help…”

Her cheeks grew even pinker, and it looked like she wanted to shrink in on herself, but couldn’t do so because it would pull her gaze away from me. One of her hands pressed against her chest, as if trying to stop her heart from pounding so quickly.

The Irene Belserion in the manga was a determined queen who ended up broken by the trauma of her experiences into a harsh mistress of magic. In comparison, this one was like a blushing maiden being faced with her first crush.

“Okay,” I took a seat next to Uzume, “It’s been a few days since… you know, and I’m sure you want some explanations.”

“Yes…” Irene murmured dreamily, then suddenly blinked. “That’s right, what did you do to me? I…”

I exchanged looks with my two Sekireis, then quickly cast a privacy spell over us. “It’s a long story, so listen carefully…”

…

Irene was struggling to believe what she was hearing, mainly because it sounded too fantastical to be true. Yet there were several points that made it hard to reject what Rick was telling her. For one, she was no longer a full dragon. Having spent a long time slowly turning into one, then several centuries living as one, she could definitely tell the difference. Especially when she could also compare the sensations between her current body and the false human one Zeref granted her.

The second point was the whole existence of skills. Having honed her magic as the queen of her country, she knew very well how magic normally felt like, and the abilities these three showed did not fit within any of the categories she was familiar with. It was possible that magic had just developed to the point of being unrecognizable, but that was harder to believe than what they were telling her.

Lastly, her own emotions. All those years ago, she had married Rung, a general of the neighboring country, for political purposes, but she hadn’t loved him, even if they laid together in bed, or when he consoled her while she was grieving the death of Belserion the Sage Dragon. However, her current form made her feel… it felt… she couldn’t put it into words. It wasn’t anything like a Charm spell; her magic power could easily resist or dispel any such spell from her, and she did check. Several times.

A sudden burst of water snapped her out of her thoughts, causing her to blink and wipe her eyes. “What?”

“Are you okay, Irene-san? You seem pretty out of it.”

Brushing her hair out of her face, Irene turned to see the brunette Uzume looking at her with concern. 

The recent memories came rushing back. After hearing their story, she asked for some time to consider it and their request, which they had granted. However, her long time asleep made her wish to be properly clean, and so the two women had brought her to the inn’s bath. That deluge of water was meant to wash off the shampoo.

“You sure have a lot of hair,” The other woman, Matsu, remarked, “It’s going to take some time to properly wash all of it.”

“Is there some magic that helps to manipulate hair? It could be very useful for us.”

“There is, we’ll just have to find it.”

Initially intending to just listen, Irene spoke up when her vision noticed something curious. “What is that on your back?”

“Hm? Oh, you mean here?” Matsu pointed at the bird-like symbol just below the neck. “That’s our Sekirei mark. You have one now too.”

She reached up and rubbed the same spot on her body, but didn’t feel any different. “Sekirei mark…”

They had explained Sekireis to her as a human-like race, one whose members sought to bond with their fated partner, their Ashikabi. That was the main reason for the emotions she was currently feeling.

The memory of that kiss with Rick kept coming up in her mind. At that time, it was a simple act in order to discard the eternal suffering of being a dragon, but now…

All the rage and despair over losing her humanity and turning into a dragon, they were all gone now, replaced by a serene calm that was almost surprising. And occasionally, there was a strong warmth that seeped out from her chest, usually when she looked at Rick.

It was a nice feeling that she didn’t mind wanting more of.

“Since you’re now one of Rick-tan’s Sekireis, just like us, how about some girl talk?” Matsu suggested.

“Girl talk?” Irene asked, bemused.

“Well, it’s a bit too early for a Sekirei Declaration.”

Her confusion continued to grow. What was a Sekirei Declaration? It was just the first of many questions that she had.

Irene was aware that they wanted to recruit her for a job, they had made that clear from the start, and she appreciated that honesty. For saving her from staying in the body of a dragon, that was a middling task to accept. In fact, from their descriptions of what they did, it would be quite an interesting experience. Perfect for this new stage of her life, in fact.

Initially, she was at a loss as to where to even start, and eventually followed their advice to just observe and decide for herself. Then as the days slowly passed in their company, Irene found that the number of questions she had were dwindling. As were her doubts. 

…

“Alright, let’s give it a try now.” I smiled at the woman standing in front of me.

She glanced away with a blush, but stepped closer.

Placing my hands on her shoulders, I leaned forward and pressed my lips against hers, holding it there for a moment. It was a pleasant surprise when she returned it, moving her small lips as though trying to capture more of the sensation. If it went on longer than intended, I chose not to make an issue of it.

I finally pulled back as the power surged out of her in wings, observing as her hair fluttered in the pressure she was giving off. That’s a pretty cute expression too, that small smile as though she’s basking in bliss.

She had cleaned up quite nicely too; her clean red hair was styled in low twintails, leaving two locks of hair to frame her face, while her outfit was a white top with a black skirt that emphasized her buxom figure, courtesy of Uzume.

“Go ahead, Irene-tan!” Matsu called out from nearby.

Irene opened her eyes with a determined expression. “Magic of my pledge… be the light of blessing on my Ashikabi!”

She followed up those words with both hands thrusting out towards me, causing my whole body to glow with a powerful aura. Looking at where Matsu was, I waited for her to give a signal.

And waited.

…how long is she going to take? I blinked a few times, then realized that she was moving. Is she… wait, she’s really moving that slowly?

Rather than wait, I decided to test out my current boosted status. It wasn’t just the speed; cutting several meters in the ground with one swing of my sword, being able to endure a hit from Uzume’s [Sylph’s Raiment] with hardly a bruise… The enchantment ended wearing out in a minute, but for that one minute, I was extremely powerful, and with no backlash afterwards either. 

“That was far more powerful than I expected,” Irene confessed as we sat in a circle to discuss the results. “Are all Noritos like that?”

“Unfortunately not. I think it’s Irene-tan’s natural magic power making it stronger,” Matsu answered.

“Don’t put yourself down,” She countered, “Your Archive magic might appear to be simple, but you’ve come up with so many uses that I wouldn’t have thought of. And that’s without using your Sekirei powers.”

“Oh, but what about the…” The three of them fell into a comfortable chatter over their abilities.

It had been nearly two weeks since then, and Irene had largely gotten used to her new nature as a Sekirei. It would have been faster, but we chose to take our time to ease her into it. Instead, our focus had been on getting to know Irene better as a person.

Similar to how my meeting with Matsu and Uzume had resulted in slightly different personalities from what their canon selves were like, interacting with this version of Irene was a fresh new experience. To begin with, she didn’t have an unborn child she cared desperately about, she didn’t suffer the torment of a false human body for a long time, and she got her wish of regaining a proper human-ish body. All those differences led to a much more distinct change in personality.

The former queen had an almost desperate need to oblige any request we had, no matter how minor, because of how grateful she was for our help. Or as though she was afraid that we might withdraw her current body if she offended us, no matter how much we tried to convince her otherwise. It was going to be a difficult task to break her of that servile behavior, I could tell. 

For the time being, we tried to figure out her interests by introducing her to all sorts of new experiences, and so far, we found that Irene was interested in exploring and learning things. It seemed like Irene’s way of trying to override her past bad experiences, so the three of us unanimously agreed to keep on pursuing that for now. 

Fortunately, Earth Land was relatively peaceful at the moment, so there was no shortage of new experiences to try, even as we were traveling towards the city of Era, where the Magic Council was situated.

In one town, we rented a food cart and spent the whole day selling Uzume’s cooked food from it, while in another, it was selling clockwork knick-knacks made with Matsu’s Air Gear expertise. Quite a number of what we did involved similar sales stuff, with Irene being put to work as promoter or assistant, to get her used to the experience. While she didn’t voice any objections to being appointed to those tasks, all the signs we could observe indicated that the redhead was enjoying it.

Of course, work wasn’t the only new experience we showed her. Interacting with new cultures and learning their history, tasting new cuisines, experiencing stunning sceneries, we did whatever caught our fancy.

And that included exploring the field of magic, which was what we were doing today. Of course, there was a break for lunch, with Uzume making separate boxed meals for each of us.

“Rick-kun, say ahh~” Uzume held out a fork with a rolled omelette on it.

I did so, and let her feed me. “Mm, nice.”

“My turn next, Rick-tan!” 

“Sure.” I ate the meat piece Matsu offered.

“And now…” The two of them looked at Irene.

“U-um! H…here…” She speared a different piece of meat and timidly offered it.

“Thank you, Irene. Don’t mind if I do.” After delicately biting it off the fork, I did the same and offered her one of my rolls. “Here, try this one.”

“Y-you don’t need to…” 

“No need to hold back, Irene-tan, you’re one of us now!” Matsu encouraged her.

“Alright…” She accepted the food, chewing it slowly. “It’s delicious…”

Sometimes I worry if we’re going overboard into peer pressure like this, trying to include her as one of my Sekireis. I smiled when she looked at me, making her glance away with another blush. But most of the time, I can tell through our bond that she’s happy when I interact with her in such a way.

“By the way, Rick-tan, how’s your LP now?” 

Prompted by Matsu’s question, I checked the number. “Just above two thousand.”

She frowned. “That’s lower than I expected.”

“Well, we were busy taking care of Irene,” I shrugged, “And it’s not like I need to gather a lot of LP right away.”

“Sorry…” The woman apologized automatically.

“It’s not something you need to apologize for,” Uzume told her with a reassuring smile.

“But you spent a lot of this LP for me, didn’t you? Please let me do something for you to make up for it,” Irene offered.

““Ah.”” Uzume and I froze.

Since she had already heard the explanation for our unique abilities, Irene was aware about the various methods through which I could gain LP. Although at this point, I had been restraining myself to simple kisses and gropes while we were traveling as a group, and even then, only doing so discreetly to avoid making it awkward. 

This was the first time she made such an offer, but our reaction was because of the perverted fiend in our midst.

“Oh my, oh my,” Matsu grinned at Irene like a beast about to pounce, “Are you sure about making such an offer?” 

“Matsu,” I said sharply, “You shouldn’t-”

A held-out hand cut my words off. “It’s okay, Rick-dono,” Irene said, with strong determination in her tone, “I’m your Sekirei too, after all. Besides…”

She opened her mouth to continue, but nothing came out of her mouth, and she looked away with a deep blush on her face.

“Someone’s feeling a little left out… Ow!” Matsu’s teasing was punished with a smack to the head from Uzume.

The emotion of want seeping through our bond pushed me to act, so I reached out and grabbed hold of Irene’s hand, causing her to look at me. 

“I’ll ask again, Irene,” I met her gaze head on, “Are you really okay with this?”

Her eyes dipped momentarily to our joined hands, before she nodded, a small gesture. “...yes.”

In the face of her decision, I wasn’t going to reject her.

“A-hem,” Uzume cleared her throat pointedly.

I released Irene’s hand, letting her pull back to a modest distance, and we resumed our meal.

“Tonight then.”

“Tonight,” She agreed.

After lunch, we continued our magic training until the evening, upon which we returned to the nearby town where we were staying. Dinner was a quiet affair, and I let the girls take their leave first. A short while later, Matsu contacted me through telepathy.

<Okay, Rick-tan. Go and take a wash. She’ll be waiting for you in your room.> The link cut off without giving me any chance to respond.

Things are moving faster than they did with Matsu and Uzume… but then again, those two have been encouraging this development. Well-, I amended my thoughts. Mostly it’s Matsu. But Uzume had a not insignificant number of PDAs in front of Irene too.

When I arrived outside my room after washing up, I paused to glance at the one next door, where I could sense my other two Sekireis waiting, while a nervous aura came from behind the door in front of me. 

I pushed it open and entered. In the dark room, lit only by the faint glow from the streetlights outside, stood Irene.

She had a towel wrapped around her, and her hair was let down as she stared back at me.

“You look beautiful,” I told her as I shut the door behind me, and approached.

“...really?”

I reached out and cupped her face, running a thumb over her cheek. “Yes, you are. Your skin’s so smooth…”

That statement was definitely the right thing to say, because the surge of emotion through our bond raised my LP. She must have had bad memories of the time she had scales.

“Rick-dono…” Irene whispered, looking up at my face with teary eyes.

Her eyelids came down, and she tilted her face back further. I accepted the silent invitation to kiss her.

Slowly, tenderly, as though seeking to strengthen the bond we shared. My other arm went around to her back, pulling her body against mine as we immersed ourselves in the kiss. Her arms, which had been holding her towel around her body, moved to wrap themselves around my neck.

Oh? She’s taking the initiative?

Irene started pushing more, and I let her. Her tongue brushed against my lips, then slipped inside for a bit before withdrawing. She pulled back for a moment, her eyes fluttering open to gauge my reaction, before pressing forward again.

It seemed like a never-ending cycle of kissing, a brief respite to confirm my reaction, then more kissing. 

Until it felt like a switch flipped somewhere. 

Irene stepped back slightly, still within arms’ reach, but enough for me to see her towel was nearly slipping off. 

“Rick,” She murmured, “You said my skin’s smooth… right…?”

I nodded. “Yeah.”

“Would you… check the rest of me?”

She shifted her body a little, and the towel fell off entirely, exposing her naked body.

I didn’t know whether it was the Sekirei genes influencing her looks, or Uzume’s cooking being that good, but her body had developed rather voluptuous curves, on par with Kazehana’s figure.

The body of a MILF… though that term doesn’t apply to her… I gulped as I took in her body with my eyes.

Irene moved one hand, sliding it down past my shoulder and along my arm. Taking hold of my hand, she guided it to one of her breasts, pressing it against my palm.

“Confirm every bit… of your Sekirei’s body… with your touch…” She whispered.

[2800 LP]

Goddamn… the dere level of this is overwhelming! “Alright…”

Slipping off my clothes, I guided her to the bed, where I had her straddle my lap as I sat on the edge. In the dim lightning of the room, my other senses were telling me so much, especially my skin; the heat of her body as it pressed against mine, the heavy softness of her breasts resting on my upper chest, the smooth skin of her back, her silky hair tickling my hands and legs, and the plumpness of her butt on my thighs.

And most of all, the hot wetness pressed against my own erection.

“I’m going to check now, Irene…” 

“Mm…”

My hands began roaming her body, tracing her curves as they covered every inch of her skin, eliciting gasps and moans. They weren’t the only thing that moved; my head was in motion as well, rubbing my face against her chest as my tongue left saliva trails on her smooth skin. I could feel her arms tensing around my shoulders whenever one of her nipples found their way into my mouth, shaking as I teased their hardness with my tongue.

Her hips ground against mine, the roughness of her pubes very clearly coming through against the sensitive part of my body. But that was the only rough sensation, as every other part of Irene’s body in contact with mine…

Was so incredibly smooth.

“Rick… it feels so hot… please…” She whimpered.

“Yeah… alright…”

My hands grabbed hold of her hips and lifted her up slightly, while my fingers inexpertly helped guide her waiting hole to where we both wanted it to be. And then slowly… she descended, letting me slide deep into her.

“Ahn! Aahhh… it feels… wonderful…” Irene gasped, her eyes fixed on mine. “What is this… I’ve never… oh, oh, oh- Mmmm!” 

Her lips captured mine once more, pressing tightly as though trying to match the same pressure her vaginal flesh was applying down there. 

Fuck, I can’t hold back any longer. 

And so, I abandoned myself to enjoying her body. 

I learned many things about Irene’s body along the way. One of which was that she preferred positions that had the most skin contact. And that while she was not as tight as Uzume… the heat of her body was unbelievable. 

Part of me wanted to go faster, but I restrained myself, keeping it slow as I pumped away at her, enjoying the sound of her gasps and moans. Even after I reached my own climax, we kept going on and on…

“Rick…dono…” Irene murmured as she cuddled against me much later, her head resting on my shoulder as I lay on my back.

“Hm?”

“I love you.” 

I reached up and patted the back of her head.

“Even if you don’t feel the same way towards me…” She continued quietly, “I won’t stop loving you…”

I can see myself falling for her like this… The Sekirei-Ashikabi bond really is powerful. 

Irene suddenly flinched, and I caught sight of her blinking several times as she stared in my direction without actually seeing me.

“What’s wrong?”

“Actually…” She said slowly, “I think there’s something I want to try…”

She slowly made her way down my body, then I felt her take me into her mouth. Wait, when did she… oooh, that’s… how’d she…? 

That’s when I realized. The tongue movements, the rhythm of her sucking, they were very familiar. 

Irene paused when she noticed me looking down at her. “Did I do something wrong…?”

“...no,” I answered after a moment, “Just keep going, it feels really good.”

She did just that, and I let my head fall back down onto the bed as she engaged in the cleanup blowjob. 

As expected of Matsu, to think of using Archive to transfer bedroom skills.

…

“Well, someone sure enjoyed herself last night,” I heard Uzume remark.

Opening my eyes, I saw my other two Sekireis looking down at me, wearing slightly envious expressions. 

“Good morning, you two,” I greeted them with a smile.

Turning my head, I saw Irene cuddled up against me sleeping peacefully. I reached out to brush some of her hair away from her face, revealing the small smile she wore even as she slumbered.

“Better wake up before it’s too late,” The brunette informed me, “We’re supposed to check out soon.”

“Or we could extend for one more day,” Matsu suggested, “Then we can make up for all the fun we missed…”

She cupped and lifted her breasts for me to appreciate, before dodging the smack Uzume tried to deliver. 

“Whuh…?” Irene stirred, sitting up in bed and looking around. “Oh… Oh!”

“Good morning, Irene-tan,” Her fellow redhead greeted, “How was it?”

“Um… good?” She squeaked, clearly remembering how she had indulged. 

“Good to hear that. By the way, did you tell Rick-tan that?”

“...I didn’t, I forgot.”

“Well, why don’t you do it now? It’s somewhat of a custom for us Sekireis.”

Irene finally nodded and turned to face me. I held still for her as she leaned in and pressed her lips against mine in a fierce, but quick, kiss.

“I’m your Sekirei… now and forever.”

Afterword: Woot, managed to do another short smut scene, hope my readers enjoyed that. I tend to enjoy some kinky stuff, but this sort of deredere romance is pretty great too, and I tried to portray that. Irene’s personality is going to take a bit of fleshing out for sure.

Anyway, my muse came up with this whole alternate universe tweak, which definitely frees up my writing for a lot more stuff, compared to having to stay restricted to canon. It’s not just Fairy Tail, there are a lot of other series to explore with this sort of freedom, and that’s very helpful for my muse. As for the magic, Matsu getting Archive was a given, but I really thought that Uzume having some cloth creation seemed too plain. A manipulation version appeared to be more up her alley. And I bet even though I didn’t say it directly, I left enough hints to indicate which one Rick is aiming for. 

Do share your guesses and suggestions though.