As Saeko fell asleep after sex, Yuu carefully dressed her.
Her limbs were completely relaxed, making it like dressing a life-size doll.
"Umu. A very beautiful and sweaty doll."
Carrying her in his arms, using the classic princess carry, he took her to her room.
She instinctively snuggled against his chest as he walked, muttering something incoherent that vaguely sounded like his name.
"Cute."
Sleeping Saeko is completely different from awake Saeko.
Because she always wore a sharp, samurai-like face, she now looked vulnerable and soft.
Yuu reached his room and opened the door with his foot. He gently laid her on the bed, making sure her head rested comfortably on the pillow.
Then he covered her with a blanket and tucked it around her body so she wouldn't get cold during the night.
Seeing her sharp face sleeping peacefully, her lips slightly curved upward in what looked like a satisfied smile, Yuu caressed her cheeks.
Her skin was quite warm.
"...And now I know every inch of her."
He decided not to think too much about it, as there would surely be many moments like this with her. Since she was also his wife.
Yuu lowered his head and kissed her forehead.
"Good night, Saeko."
She murmured something in response, though she remained fast asleep.
—Click!
He left the room quietly, closing the door behind him.
×××
Upon leaving Saeko's room, Yuu immediately saw a little vampire pouting in the hallway.
Her arms were crossed over her small chest. Her cheeks were puffed out like those of an annoyed hamster. Her crimson eyes stared at him indignantly.
Oh no.
Yue definitely heard everything. Well, that was obvious considering she has enhanced vampiric senses. And probably her connection as an Aeon and Emanator allowed her to sense exactly what was going on.
Yuu was in trouble.
"What's wrong, Yue?"
Even so, he didn't worry and had the nerve to ask that with an innocent smile.
Without saying anything, Yue approached him with short steps as her golden hair covered her eyes, giving her a slightly scary air to any normal person who looked at her.
Like a girl from a horror movie.
When she reached him, she began to punch him in the chest with her small fists.
"Pom. Pom. Pom."
She wasn't really hitting him hard. It was more like when a small child is upset but not enough to actually hurt someone.
Although technically Yue could destroy entire galaxies if she wanted to now that she was his Emanator.
So the fact that she was being gentle meant that she was only pretending to be angry.
'Well, at least I hope so.'
She lifted her head, and her crimson eyes met his golden ones.
"Bad Yuu."
Her voice sounded incredibly accusatory.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
There was no way Yuu didn't know. It was because he had just been like a bastard husband who had sex with another woman who wasn't his wife.
And in fact, Yuu felt a small flutter in his chest when he realized this.
Was that guilt?
'...So I can feel guilt now.'
Even if it was only fleeting, it didn't take away from the fact that he was beginning to feel various kinds of emotions again.
Yue pointed her finger toward Saeko's room.
"Nn. Yuu had sex with Saeko. When I myself haven't done it with Yuu yet."
She was sulking. Genuinely sulking.
"It's not fair. I wanted to be the first."
"Huh?"
Yuu tilted his head. Wait, is that the problem?
"I mean, is that what's bothering you?"
Jealousy over "who was first"?
"I thought you were angry because I had sex with another woman."
Yue sighed, and her indignant expression softened slightly.
"Nn... Yuu having relationships with other people doesn't make me angry... Although I am a little jealous."
Make sense. Jealousy was normal in this case. The important thing was that she didn't try to kill the other girls, even though her love points for Yuu exceeded any measurable scale.
She could basically be a complete yandere if she wanted to.
"Yuu is a powerful being. And powerful men usually have many wives. That just shows that Yuu is manly."
'Manly? I mean, I think 'bastard' fits better.'
Yuu was very self-aware. He was a man who sought the affection of many girls. He wanted them to be his forever.
That's why he believed he was a bastard.
But unlike an irresponsible bastard who would only use their bodies and then disappear from their lives, Yuu was a bastard who would take responsibility for the girls. He would cherish them, and when he regained his emotions, he would pour all his love into them.
"I won't get angry as long as Yuu doesn't sleep with random women... As long as it's with your Pathstriders, who love you... then it's fine. I'm okay with that, even if you end up with dozens of women."
Dozens...
Yuu laughed at Yue's words.
How many girls did this little vampire think he was going to collect?
Yuu knew what the girls had talked about while he slept because he could hear everything that happened in all multiverses if he concentrated. That was how he had also detected the The Void That Devours All while resting. He had left his omniscience active in the background.
Even so, he was surprised that Yue said this so directly. That she accepted that he had many wives...
"But..."
Yue raised both hands and, standing on tiptoe, squeezed Yuu's face.
"I should have been the first."
Although, come to think of it, it was partly her own fault. She had had the opportunity to have sex with Yuu before. But she had said at the time that she wanted to do it in a special place.
She wanted it to be perfect, romantic, and memorable.
And apparently, thinking about it now, she felt depressed. Because she should have had sex with him at that moment instead of waiting for the perfect moment.
Her pout slowly turned into a sadder expression.
"Nn... I should have agreed earlier. Now Saeko was first. And I..."
Her voice broke a bit at the end.
Oh no.
Sad Yue is worse than angry Yue. Much worse.
For Yuu, it was adorable and heartbreaking at the same time.
He crouched down to her height. His eyes were level with hers as he raised his hand and placed it on her head before patting it gently.
"Yue."
"Nn?"
"The order in which I touch your bodies does not define who is more important to me."
He stroked her golden hair gently.
"That's right. It doesn't matter who came first. Or who will be last. What matters..."
She looked at him with crimson eyes.
"...is that, at the end of the path, when everything fades away and nothing remains but stardust, you will still be here, with me."
His fingers slid from her hair to her cheek, gently poking her.
Yue's eyes widened slightly.
"Time can't erase that."
With a smile on his face, everything Yuu said came from his heart.
"So don't think about who came first."
The little vampire stood still.
"Because from the moment you said my name for the first time, Yue... you were already before everyone else."
Her breath stopped for a second. And then her face flushed red up to her ears.
"Y-Yuu..."
Yue stared at him with wide eyes, tears now flowing freely down her cheeks.
Then, suddenly, she threw herself at him, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck.
"Yuu..." She sobbed against his shoulder. "Yuu is unfair. Saying such beautiful things... Nn... my heart can't..."
Yuu laughed softly.
"I know."
Sadness in her heart had vanished, replaced by a warm, gentle heat.
"Then... is it okay if I remain the first in your heart?"
Yuu looked at her fondly and replied without hesitation.
"You're not the first, Yue."
"Eh...?"
"You are the beginning."
Yue blinked. A tiny smile formed on her lips before she kissed him on the lips as her slender arms wrapped tightly around his neck.
"Nn... Yuu... mean and tender at the same time."
Yuu smiled, stroking her back.
"I'm just trying not to be a total bastard."
After a few minutes of kissing, Yuu said.
"I love you, Yue."
More than he could probably express with his limited emotional capacity. But he was starting to love her.
"Nn... Me too... I love you too, Yuu. So much... so much it hurts."
Yuu believed that what he said was genuine.
He wasn't acting, nor was he imitating emotions.
He really felt it. Small fragments of real emotion.
"But I still want to have sex with Yuu soon."
And here we go again.
"When you find your 'special place'. Then we'll do it."
"Nn... promise?"
"Promise."
Yue smiled. That small smile made her normally expressionless face light up completely.
"But first... Yuu must make it up to me."
"Make it up to you how?"
"Nn... by sleeping together tonight."
"Okay."
"And hugging me."
"I can do that too."
"And letting me suck your blood."
"...Okay."
He took her hand and they walked together to her room.
×××
20 advanced chapters on Patreon.
patreon.com/OlwinMoriarty