Day 25 of Construction
The thing about Oni, I was learning, was that they didn't do anything halfway.
Including falling in love.
It started subtly, or what passed for subtle when dealing with warrior women who'd spent their lives being the most intimidating presence in any room.
Kasumi began showing up to every single thing I did. Building walls? She was there, offering to carry stones. Checking trap lines? She insisted on accompanying me "for security." Morning coffee? She'd already brewed it, somehow knowing exactly how I liked it despite never asking.
"This is delicious," I said, taking a sip of perfectly prepared coffee.
"I watched you make it yesterday. Memorized the process. Also, your preferred mug temperature, the angle you hold it, and the specific moment you take your first sip." She said this as if it were completely normal information to collect.
"That's... thorough."
"I'm a warrior. Observation is survival." She leaned closer, her amber eyes intense. "Also, I wanted to make you happy. Did it work?"
The genuine hope in her voice was disarming. "Yes. Thank you."
Her smile could have powered a small sun. "Good. I'll make it every morning... And bring you breakfast... And make sure you're eating enough because you skip meals when you're focused on projects."
"You've been here four days. How do you know I skip meals?"
"I've been watching." She said it without a hint of self-consciousness. "You get this look when you're working, focused, intense, beautiful. And you forget about basic needs. So I'll remember for you."
Through the bond, Nyx's amusement: She's got it bad.
It's been four days!
Yes. Oni don't waste time. When they decide something is worth having, they commit completely. It's actually kind of adorable.
It's kind of terrifying.
That too.
I noticed Kasumi staring at my face, studying my expression with the intensity of someone trying to memorize every detail.
"What?"
"You do this thing when you're talking to Nyx through your bond. Your eyes unfocus slightly, and your tail twitches twice. It's fascinating." She pulled out a small notebook, when had she acquired a notebook?... and made a note. "I'm cataloging your habits."
"Why?"
"So I can understand you better. Know what makes you happy, sad, uncomfortable, and excited. Then I can maximize the first and fourth, minimize the second and third."
"That's..." I searched for words. "That's very organized?"
"I told you. I'm a warrior. When I commit to something, I commit completely." She closed the notebook, her expression shifting to something vulnerable. "Is it too much? Yuzuriha said I might be 'coming on too strong,' but I don't know how else to be. Subtle isn't really my specialty."
The honesty in her question, the genuine concern that she might be overwhelming me, was somehow more endearing than alarming.
"It's not too much. Just... new. I'm still getting used to having people care this much."
"Get used to it faster." She grinned. "Because I'm not stopping. You're amazing, and you deserve to be reminded of that constantly. So that's my new mission."
"Your mission is reminding me I'm amazing?"
"My mission is to make sure you never forget it. Big difference."
She bounded off to presumably continue whatever other Knox-related projects she'd assigned herself, leaving me standing there with perfect coffee and a growing understanding that my life had taken another turn toward beautiful chaos.
Yuzuriha's Approach
If Kasumi's obsession manifested as enthusiastic caretaking, Yuzuriha's was... strategically pervasive.
I found evidence of her everywhere. My favorite shirt, cleaned and repaired from the tears I'd been meaning to fix. The courtyard stones, rearranged in patterns that improved mana flow. Small touches throughout the fortress that made everything slightly better in ways I wouldn't have thought of.
And then there was her physical presence.
She'd taken to appearing in whatever room I occupied, usually positioned where I'd see her but couldn't ignore her. Draped across furniture like a particularly elegant cat. Practicing her forms in the training ground when she knew I'd be passing by. "Coincidentally," bathing in the hot spring I'd created, timing it perfectly to when I usually visited.
"You're not subtle," I said, finding her in the library for the third time that day.
"I'm not trying to be subtle." She looked up from the book she'd been reading, one of mine, I noticed, with my notes still in the margins. "I'm trying to be memorable. There's a difference."
"You're definitely memorable."
"Good." She set the book down, moving with that liquid grace that made everything look like a dance. "Knox, do you know what Oni courtship looks like?"
"I'm getting a demonstration?"
"Yes. We identify what we want. We prove we're worthy. And then we make ourselves indispensable." She stopped in front of me, close enough that I could feel her warmth. "I want you. I've proven I can match your will. Now I'm making sure you can't imagine your life without me in it."
"That's... remarkably honest."
"Why would I be anything else? You value honesty. Therefore, I'm honest." She reached up, fingers trailing along my jaw. "I think about you constantly. Wonder what you're doing, if you're safe, if you're happy. I've memorized the sound of your laugh, the way your tail moves when you're content, the specific shade your eyes turn when you're focused on a project."
"Yuzuriha..."
"I'm not asking for anything. Not yet. I'm just making sure you know... I'm here. I'm watching. I'm learning you like a language I want to be fluent in." Her smile turned playful. "And when you're ready to admit you want me too, I'll be waiting."
She left, and I stood there realizing that "subtle" was never going to be part of Oni vocabulary.
Through the bond, Nyx: She's very good at this.
At what?
At making you think about her. She's in your head now, even when she's not in the room. That's advanced psychological warfare wrapped in seduction.
Should I be worried?
Only if you don't want her. But Knox? A pause, warm and certain. You do want her. You're just scared of how much you want all of them.
That was uncomfortably accurate.
Momo's Method
If Kasumi was enthusiastic and Yuzuriha was strategic, Momo was... systematic.
I found her in my workshop, surrounded by my tools, taking notes.
"What are you doing?"
"Optimizing your workspace. You spend forty percent of your time looking for tools you just set down. If I rearrange everything by frequency of use and natural hand position, you'll save approximately three hours per week." She didn't look up from her notes. "Also, you're out of number four chisels. I've ordered more."
"I don't remember mentioning I needed chisels."
"You didn't. But you use them at a rate that suggests current supply will be depleted in six days. I anticipated the need." Now she looked up, and her eyes were soft. "I notice things about you. Small things. The way you favor your left hand when you're tired. How you unconsciously sort materials by color before starting a project. The fact that you haven't replaced your work gloves even though they're falling apart because you 'haven't had time.'"
She held up a new pair of gloves, perfectly sized. "I had time."
"Momo, this is..."
"Obsessive? Yes. I'm aware." She stood, moving closer. "Knox, I'm Oni. When we decide something matters, we study it until we understand it completely. You matter. Therefore, I study you. Your habits, your preferences, your needs you don't even realize you have yet."
"That should probably be alarming."
"But it's not, is it?" Her smile was knowing. "Because you're realizing that being known... really, deeply known... feels like being cared for. And you're not used to that."
She was right. Again. Momo had a disturbing habit of being right.
"I made you something," she said, pulling out a small journal. "I've been cataloging the plants in Shadowfen... which ones are edible, medicinal, dangerous, or just interesting. Organized by season, location, and magical properties. I thought you might find it useful."
I took the journal, flipping through pages of meticulous notes, detailed sketches, and cross-referenced information that must have taken hours to compile.
"This is incredible."
"It's practical. You're building something permanent here. You need comprehensive knowledge of the resources available. This is my contribution." She paused, vulnerability flickering across her features. "Also, I enjoyed doing it. Learning about your territory, understanding what sustains the home you're building. It made me feel... connected."
"You are connected. You're part of Ashenhearth now."
"I know. But it's nice to contribute something tangible. To prove I'm useful for more than just puzzles and observations." She looked away. "Kasumi has her strength. Yuzuriha has her presence. I have... information. It's not as impressive, but..."
"It's exactly as impressive. Different skills, same value." I set the journal down carefully. "Momo, this represents hours of work. Careful observation. Intelligence applied to a practical purpose. It's one of the most thoughtful gifts I've ever received."
Her smile was radiant. "Then I'll make more. Catalogs of the local wildlife. Weather patterns. Optimal construction techniques for the soil composition. Whatever you need, I'll learn it and organize it and present it in ways that make your life easier."
"You don't have to earn your place here."
"I know. But I want to anyway. Because you matter to me, and when things matter to me, I give them everything." She picked up her notes. "Now, I'm going to reorganize your supply storage. The current system is chaos masquerading as organization."
"It works!"
"It works the way a broken clock is right twice a day, accidentally and inefficiently." She patted my arm. "Trust me. You'll thank me later."
She left, and I stood there surrounded by evidence of three very different but equally intense forms of Oni affection.
Through multiple bonds, commentary:
Nyx: They're courting you. Aggressively.
Lira: It's like watching a really enthusiastic pack hunt, but with feelings!
Pip: Should we be concerned about the intensity?
Siraq: ...I should probably be doing something similar, shouldn't I?
That last one made my tail twitch nervously.
Day 27 - The Intervention
I was working on the final tower when all three Oni appeared simultaneously. They'd clearly coordinated this, which was either a very good sign or a sign I should start running.
"Knox Ashford," Kasumi said formally. "We need to talk."
Oh no.
They'd arranged cushions in a circle in the main hall, and I got the distinct impression this was an ambush disguised as a conversation.
"Sit," Yuzuriha said, gesturing to the center cushion.
I sat. My tail curled nervously around my leg.
The three Oni exchanged looks, some silent communication passing between them, then Momo spoke:
"We've been here for a week. In that time, we've observed, learned, and... become invested."
"Extremely invested," Kasumi added.
"Possibly unhealthily invested," Yuzuriha admitted with a grin.
"We're Oni," Momo continued. "We don't do anything halfheartedly. When we commit, we commit completely. And we've committed to you."
Kasumi leaned forward, her intensity focused like a laser. "I think about you constantly. When I wake up, my first thought is 'what can I do to make Knox's day better?' I've memorized your schedule, your habits, your favorite everything. I want to fight beside you, protect you, challenge you, and wake up every morning knowing I get to do it all again."
Yuzuriha's turn: "You're in my head. Incessantly. I see something beautiful and think 'Knox would appreciate that.' I plan my day around catching glimpses of you. I've become the kind of person who engineers coincidental meetings, and I'm not even embarrassed about it because seeing your smile is worth any amount of strategic stalking."
"It's definitely stalking at this point," Momo confirmed. "I've compiled seventeen notebooks about you. Your preferences, your patterns, things that make you happy or upset. I've analyzed your speech patterns to predict your needs better. I dream about conversations we haven't had yet and wake up disappointed they weren't real."
They all paused, watching my reaction.
"This is the part where most people would run screaming," Kasumi said. "We're aware we're intense."
"Possibly terrifying," Yuzuriha added.
"Definitely obsessive," Momo finished.
"But we're not going to apologize for it," Kasumi said firmly. "Because this is who we are. When Oni love, we love with everything we have. Completely. Obsessively. Forever."
"Love," I repeated, my voice slightly strangled.
"Yes." All three said it simultaneously, with absolute certainty.
Yuzuriha moved closer. "We're not asking you to reciprocate immediately. We know you're still processing having three fairy wives, a dragon soul-mate, and a bear kin matron who's clearly falling for you even if she won't admit it yet."
"We're patient," Momo said. "We can wait. But we wanted you to know where we stand. To understand that this isn't casual interest or a temporary obsession. This is us choosing you. Permanently. Completely. Irrevocably."
Kasumi's expression was fierce. "You're ours, Knox Ashford, even if you don't know it yet. Even if it takes you time to accept it. We've decided, and when Oni decide something, that's it. Done. Finalized."
I sat there, surrounded by three incredibly powerful women who'd just casually declared their obsessive, eternal love for me with the same matter-of-fact tone someone might use to discuss the weather.
"I..." I started, then stopped. What did you even say to that?
Through the bond, Nyx's warmth and amusement: Say yes, you idiot. They're offering you something rare... complete, unconditional acceptance. Stop overthinking.
Lira: SAY YES! This is the most romantic thing I've ever witnessed!
Pip: They're being remarkably honest about their feelings. That takes courage.
Siraq: ...damn it. Now I have to figure out how to compete with this level of intensity.
I looked at each of them: Kasumi's fierce determination, Yuzuriha's confident certainty, Momo's analytical devotion. Three different expressions of the same truth: they'd chosen me, flaws and all, and they weren't backing down.
"I don't understand why," I said quietly. "Why me? You're incredible warriors. You could have anyone."
"But we want you," Kasumi said simply. "You're strong but kind. Powerful but gentle. You see people... really see them... and treat them like they matter. You build instead of destroy. You choose compassion when strength would be easier."
"You're real," Yuzuriha added. "Not performing strength or hiding weakness. Just genuinely, authentically yourself. That's rarer than you think."
"And you're brilliant," Momo finished. "Not just intelligent... emotionally, socially, practically brilliant. You see problems and create solutions. You take broken things and make them beautiful. Including yourself."
"We're not perfect," Kasumi continued. "We're intense, possessive, probably too much for most people. But you don't need perfect. You need people who will fight for you, stand with you, and never let you forget you're worth fighting for."
"That's us," Yuzuriha said. "Like it or not, Warden, you've collected three Oni who have decided you're worth obsessing over. We're not going anywhere."
I felt something shift in my chest, not the soul bond with Nyx, not the marriage bonds with Lira and Pip, but something new. An acceptance, maybe. A recognition that being loved this intensely wasn't a burden but a gift.
"Okay," I said.
They blinked. "Okay?" Kasumi repeated.
"Okay. I accept your obsessive, intense, possibly unhealthy devotion. On one condition."
"Name it," all three said simultaneously.
"You let me be equally obsessive back. You want to memorize my habits? I want to learn what makes you happy. You want to make my life easier? Let me do the same for you. You're choosing me? Then I choose you too. All three of you. Completely."
The silence that followed was deafening.
Then Kasumi tackled me, a full-body collision that knocked us both off the cushions. "YES! You said yes! Did everyone hear that? HE SAID YES!"
Yuzuriha laughed, the sound full of joy and relief. "Of course, he said yes. I told you he would."
Momo's smile was soft, her eyes shining. "Seventeen notebooks. I filled seventeen notebooks preparing for this conversation, including contingencies for rejection, and you just... said yes."
"Was there doubt?" I asked, now pinned under Kasumi, who seemed to have no intention of moving while rubbing her face against my chest like a manic cat.
"There's always doubt," Momo said. "Until there isn't."
Kasumi finally released me, but only so Yuzuriha could pull me into a hug that was significantly more suggestive than necessary. "Welcome to being loved by Oni, Knox. Hope you're ready for what that means."
"Probably not. But I'll learn."
"We'll teach you," Momo promised, joining the embrace. "Starting with lesson one: from now on, you're never alone. Ever. We'll always be watching, always be present, always be there."
"That should probably concern me."
"But it doesn't," Yuzuriha said knowingly. "Because you're finally realizing that being watched over isn't surveillance... it's care."
She was right. They were all right. And I was surrounded by three women who'd decided I was worth this level of intense, devoted, slightly unhinged affection.
Through the bonds:
Nyx: I approve. They'll keep you safe when I can't.
Lira: Welcome to having six wives! Well, five and a half if we count Siraq as still pending.
Pip: We should probably expand the sleeping arrangements.
Siraq: ...I need to up my game, don't I?
"My life," I said to the ceiling, still surrounded by Oni, "has become an anime harem story."
"Yes," Kasumi chirped. "And it's wonderful."
"Terrifying," I corrected.
"Those are the same thing," Yuzuriha purred.
"That explains so much about Oni culture."
They laughed, and I let myself be swept up in the warmth of being chosen, being wanted, being loved by three incredibly intense women who'd decided I was worth the effort.
[ONI INTEGRATION: COMPLETE]
[RELATIONSHIP STATUS: OBSESSIVELY IN LOVE (MUTUAL)]
[KASUMI: DEVOTED â†' ETERNALLY COMMITTED]
[YUZURIHA: INTERESTED â†' IRREVOCABLY BOUND]
[MOMO: ENCHANTED â†' PERMANENTLY INVESTED]
[HAREM COMPLEXITY: MAXIMUM CHAOS]
[HAPPINESS LEVEL: SURPRISINGLY HIGH]
"Yeah," I said, finally extracting myself from the pile of affectionate Oni. "This is definitely my life now."
And honestly? I was okay with that.