If we reach 100 power stones, there will be extra chapters.
×××
When Yuu arrived in the apocalyptic world, he'd manipulated time so that it ran at the same speed as inside Égida.
He'd done it that way so that even if a day passed here, a year wouldn't pass inside Égida. It was a simple adjustment because he just needed to synchronize the temporal flows of both worlds.
After that deep kiss, which had lasted more than ten minutes, Yue was now staring ahead from the top of the building where they'd appeared.
Since she'd once been a princess and a queen, despite her petite body, she now carried herself with nobility.
But Yue's golden hair looked a bit messy, with a few rebellious strands sticking out in every direction. And there were very visible hickey marks on her pale neck.
'She looks funny like that…' Yuu smiled.
Trying to look noble while clearly having just gone through an intense make-out session. Well, they hadn't actually had sex, since they'd agreed to do it somewhere special.
Still, she looked unbelievably cute. Like a kitten trying to act fierce after rolling around in the grass.
"Yuu… I can feel them."
"The others?"
"Nn."
She was Yuu's Emanator. That meant she stood above the Pathstriders in hierarchy. In many ways, she was his closest companion.
Even though she hadn't formally received the Blessing yet, mainly because she didn't really need it, she shared the same connection with him that the Pathstriders did.
That's why she could sense a link with others in this world. The girls Yuu had talked about before. Saeko, Saya, Jin-ah, and the rest.
Even while being in another world, Yue could still feel the connection with Rias and the others.
This bond really had no dimensional limits.
Except when he was inside the Castle of Fate. Then, they wouldn't be able to sense him.
This connection he shared with the girls was something he himself had created. It wasn't something innate to the Aeons.
"They're not far. We should go say hi."
"Mm."
×××
In fact, right when Yue and Yuu arrived in this world, Saeko and the other girls felt it too.
It was like an internal alarm going off. A tug on their souls whispering, "He's here."
They were all excited to see him again so soon. After all, only about two days had passed since he'd left.
'Though for me, it's been ten days.'
Time manipulation really was confusing that way.
Saya seemed excited at first too. She could feel his presence through their link. She was pacing restlessly, probably wondering where exactly he was.
But after sensing him for a while without him showing up, she started getting impatient.
"That man… what's he doing?"
'Ah, Saya. You're so impatient.'
Thinking that, Yuu decided to do something fun.
He teleported instantly behind her and whispered near her ear.
"Boo~"
"KYAAAAA!"
Saya jumped away with a sharp shriek, every hair on her body standing on end. That kind of reaction was normally seen in a cat that had been splashed with cold water.
She spun around fast, eyes wide and breathing heavy.
And saw Yuu smiling, waving at her.
"Hey, my dear girlfriend."
Since he'd teleported behind her instantly, she hadn't noticed the move through their connection. He'd been too fast. The link couldn't keep up.
"YUU! Don't do that! I almost had a heart attack!"
Again.
"Sorry, sorry. I couldn't help myself."
She glared at him, cheeks flushed pink.
Then she noticed Yue standing beside him, and her eyes narrowed suspiciously.
"Who's she?"
Saya looked her up and down. The blonde girl's hair was messy, and she had very visible hickeys on her neck.
Yue had purposely left those marks visible. She considered them love marks. Proof that she belonged to him, and he to her.
And now Saya was staring right at them.
Considering that both Yuu and this girl had just arrived together...
Yue took a graceful step forward despite her messy appearance.
"I'm Yue. Yuu's wife."
Then she lifted her left hand, showing the ring gleaming under the apocalyptic sunlight.
Her small breast puffed up proudly.
Yuu got the impression she really wanted to establish dominance here.
"..."
In that brief silence, Saya stared at the ring. Then at Yue. Then at Yuu. Then back at the ring.
Her right eye twitched.
"Wife?"
The way those words came out was slow.
"Nn~ Yuu proposed to me. I accepted. I'm his wife now."
"..."
"Saya? You okay?"
Yuu waved his hand in front of her face cautiously.
She didn't respond. Just kept staring blankly.
Then suddenly, she turned toward Yuu with a fierce expression.
"YUU IZUMI!"
"Yes?"
"You left for two days and came back married!"
"Technically, we're not married yet. Just engaged."
"That doesn't make it any better!"
She was his girlfriend!
Saeko appeared just then, drawn by Saya's shouting. Her eyes landed on Yue immediately, assessing her. From the side, she looked like a samurai evaluating an opponent.
"Yuu-sama. You've returned."
She greeted him in a calm voice.
"Yeah. And I brought someone with me."
"I can see that."
Her blue eyes locked onto Yue's ring.
"Congratulations on your engagement, Yuu-sama."
'Eh… at least Saeko's taking this calmly.'
He wisely ignored the fact that Saeko looked like a yandere at that point, despite her soft smile.
"Congratulations?! That's all you're gonna say?!"
Saeko just smiled calmly in response to Saya's shout.
"What else should I say? Yuu-sama is free to make his own choices."
Indeed, even though jealousy burned inside her and she wanted to monopolize Yuu, she knew that wasn't possible.
"But—!"
Jin-ah showed up then, followed by the other girls. They all looked at Yue with varying degrees of curiosity, surprise, and...
'Yeah, they're definitely all jealous…'
Yue watched them with a neutral expression, but Yuu could feel her satisfaction through their link.
She was enjoying this. Establishing her position as the first wife.
"Mm. You're all Yuu's Pathstriders, right?"
After evaluating them and nodding, Yue finally addressed everyone.
"That's right," Saeko replied.
"Then we're sisters. Under Yuu. I'm the Emanator. You're Pathstriders. We all serve Yuu."
She went straight to the point.
Saya opened her mouth to protest, but Saeko placed a hand on her shoulder, stopping her.
"We understand. Welcome, Yue."
Yue nodded, apparently satisfied.
Then she turned toward Yuu and took his hand.
"Yuu… did I do well?"
Yue worried that she might've hurt Yuu's relationship with the girls. Wondering if she'd gone too far, Yuu patted her head.
"You did well."
"Fufu~ Pet me more."
Yuu sighed as he felt sharp stares from all directions and turned toward the others.
"I guess we should sit down and have a proper talk. There's a lot to explain."
"Oh? Finally figured that out? Yeah. There's a lot to explain." Saya was about ready to jump in and pull Yuu away from Yue.
Meanwhile, Yue squeezed his hand gently, a small smile on her face…
'Guess it'll be fine.'
Probably.
Maybe.
'…I'm in trouble, aren't I?'
×××
You can read 15 advanced chapters on my Patreon.
patreon.com/OlwinMoriarty