Naoki reminded Bell in a firm tone not to say a word about what they had done to anyone. He was quite certain that if Ren ever found out what he had done with the girl, that arrogant woman would come looking for trouble without hesitation.
Not that Naoki felt even slightly afraid of Ren.
Even though the world worshipped Ren as the Apex of Humanity and treated her as the de facto Strongest, she was no threat to him whatsoever. Setting aside the time manipulation of his «Golden Hour» entirely, Ren still had no method for breaking through the Infinity spatial barrier of «Ame-no-Mitori». Simply put, defeating Ren wouldn't be particularly difficult for Naoki if he chose to get serious with his Peach Fruit Blessings.
The unfortunate reality was that, aside from himself, only Tenka and Yachiho, both of whom already knew the secret of the ten Blessings housed within «Pandemonium», were aware of this fact. For most people, Bell included, Yamashiro Ren remained an unbeatable symbol.
Naoki himself had no interest at all in a reputation as "The Strongest" or in hollow titles of that sort. All he wanted was to live his second life as fully as possible without a single regret.
Building a harem was the dream of any man worth his salt, and Naoki was determined to make it a reality this time around. Drawing on his knowledge of the plot from the manga Mato Seihei no Slave, he understood that the women of the Anti-Demon Corps were, in truth, not particularly difficult to win over, and they tended not to object to their man being with other women.
Even so, Naoki held to strict standards and kept himself selective about who he invited into that circle. His ambition wasn't so blind as to want to sweep the entire Anti-Demon Corps into his arms. He was perfectly aware that there were moral and aesthetic lines he needed to hold, and including elementary schoolers like Nei or elder figures like Riu on that list was simply not something he was interested in.
◆━⊰✿✧✿⊱━◆
That evening, in the Unit Six headquarters, Yachiho had just finished her bath. She stepped out of the steam room with a faint mist still trailing after her, her body wrapped in nothing but a white towel that contrasted sharply against her clean, pale skin.
"I feel a little tingle. Maybe Himari is thinking about her wonderful older sister?"
Finding herself alone in the room, Yachiho took the opportunity to study her own reflection in the large mirror. She examined herself with the satisfaction of someone who had no doubts about what they were looking at, a vision that was, in her entirely unbiased opinion, immaculate, and very different from a certain other person she had always found lacking.
"She really is a useless little sister. Someone whose only proper place is at my side for the rest of her life, following where I lead."
Her thoughts drifted back to their recent visit, when she had deliberately catalogued every one of Himari's shortcomings, hoping the girl would finally give up her position as Vice-Captain. Looking at the expression on Himari's face in that moment, Yachiho was confident her efforts had taken root. She respected the authority of Unit Seven's Captain well enough, but the Exhibition was the perfect opportunity to put their strength to the test. She felt no disappointment about it at all. On the contrary, something burning and eager was building in her chest, because the moment she had been waiting for was almost here.
"I'll show them everything I'm truly capable of during the Exhibition Match! I absolutely cannot wait to give her a lesson she won't forget!"
Yachiho burst out laughing in front of the mirror, a full and triumphant laugh that carried the complete conviction of someone who had already decided they had won.
*CLICK!*
The door swung open without warning. Naoki stepped inside and was immediately greeted by the sight of Yachiho laughing to herself with tremendous intensity. He looked at her with open bewilderment.
"Why are you standing in front of a mirror laughing by yourself, Yachiho? Are you suffering from NPD? Well, honestly, that's not exactly new information about you."
"Naoki!"
Startled, Yachiho spun to face him, though she made no effort whatsoever to pull the towel any tighter around herself. She planted one hand on her hip, pointed at him with the other, and fixed him with an expression of protest.
"Hey! You could at least knock before you walk in! Do you have absolutely no manners at all!"
Despite the complaint, there wasn't a trace of embarrassment in her voice. She didn't mind in the slightest that the man in front of her could see her like this. After all, the two of them had long since passed the point of awkwardness, having already gone through the final step that was usually reserved for couples.
Naoki gave a quiet snort and closed the door behind him without a hint of guilt.
"Privacy? I don't think something like that applies between us anymore, not after everything that's happened." He reasoned, stepping closer.
He held Yachiho's still-irritated gaze, then continued in a tone that had dropped into something softer and more intimate. "Besides, what's wrong with walking into my own wife's room without knocking?"
The word "wife" slipping so easily and warmly from Naoki's lips dismantled her composure on the spot. The arrogance in her expression slowly gave way to a flush that crept up her face. She turned her head to one side, trying to push down the small smile that was doing its best to surface, and failing, because she simply wasn't accustomed to being called something as sweet as that.
"Hmph, you really are far too good at using words like that." Yachiho muttered, folding her arms across her chest, though the color in her cheeks hadn't faded quite yet. "But don't expect me to be like other women who melt the moment someone throws a cheap compliment or two their way."
"..."
Naoki didn't answer with words. Instead, he stepped forward and in one smooth motion scooped her up into his arms in a princess carry.
Yachiho went still for a beat, her arms moving on instinct to loop around his neck. As he carried her toward the bed, she began to make a show of resisting, upholding what remained of her pride.
"Why don't you spend your time with the Captain? I thought you were very attached to her."
Naoki lowered Yachiho onto the soft mattress and settled over her.
"I already slept with Tenka earlier, so now it's your turn." He answered with complete honesty and not a flicker of hesitation.
He held her gaze and continued in a low, private voice. "Truthfully, I prefer doing it with you. I don't have to bother with a condom and I can finish inside whenever I want, which isn't something I get with Tenka."
Hearing that candid admission, a flash of satisfaction moved through Yachiho's eyes. She worked hard to keep her expression flat and proud, but she was quietly pleased to know she held one advantage over Tenka in this particular area.
Yachiho reached up and pulled at Naoki's collar, drawing his face closer to hers. The provocative, confident smile came back to her lips.
"Is that so? You prefer the particular comfort I offer?" she whispered, her tone a challenge. "Then you'd better be ready. Because tonight, I'm going to leave you so thoroughly drained you won't be able to get out of this bed, Naoki."
Without wasting another moment, Naoki closed the last distance between them, and the bed began its slow, rhythmic protest beneath them.
The quiet of the Unit Six headquarters broke apart, replaced by the sound of quickened breathing and warmth.
Yachiho answered each movement with a deep, slow breath, feeling the heat spreading between them.
In the dim glow of the room, every motion carried weight, a wordless language that belonged only to the two of them.
The tension that had been there before dissolved slowly, replaced by something rhythmic and full, a harmony built out of emotion and release.
They lost themselves in a moment that seemed to hold time in place, the world beyond the Unit Six headquarters feeling very far away. Their entire attention was only each other, sharing an intensity of presence that left no room for anything else.
◆━⊰✿✧✿⊱━◆
Today was the Exhibition between Unit Six and Unit Seven, agreed upon two days prior.
The Exhibition was a competition between units, though this particular one had a friendly character. The format itself had originally been a formal procedure for resolving disputes when certain units came into conflict, and historically, those clashes had tended to be far more intense and charged with pressure.
A variety of event types were available to choose from, with the Captains of each unit agreeing on a single format to participate in together.
For this Exhibition, both sides had already settled on one-on-one combat.
Unit Six arrived in full formation: Tenka as Captain, Yachiho as Vice-Captain, senior member Sahara, and their newest addition, Naoki.
They came through the spatial portal Tenka had opened, arriving at Unit Seven's headquarters. Wearing their Anti-Demon Corps uniforms with perfect precision, they stepped out of the portal carrying an air that immediately commanded the room.
"Our objective is the absolute victory of Unit Six." Tenka declared, her voice calm and fully authoritative.
Yachiho followed that up immediately, adding her own particular stamp to the declaration. "And with elegance. An absolute, elegant victory!"
At the back of the formation, Naoki and Sahara said nothing at all. They didn't add a single word, simply falling into step behind the two of them.
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