Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Hearing Vahn's words, Tiona felt a bit of anxiety begin to build inside her. "But, Vahn, all Amazons have to be born back at the village. It is our law, our tradition. Every Amazon only gives birth to other Amazons, and if they aren't raised properly, the entire clan would be up in arms." Tiona could see that Vahn had a very serious expression, and she wanted him to understand she wasn't doing it just to be selfish.Vahn frowned heavily after hearing her words. His brows were low, and he had an angry expression as he spoke, "I refuse. There is no way I can let a group of people I've never met raise my kid for me. I may not be ready to be a father, but if I let that kind of thing slide, I wouldn't be WORTHY of being a father." Even Vahn didn't know why he was so angry; seeing the somewhat scared and sad expression of Tiona, he wanted to hold back his words, but something inside of him made him unable to do so.Tiona was very concerned about this sudden change, but she also understood where Vahn was coming from. His desire to be a good father wasn't wrong, but it wasn't such an easy matter to deal with since it concerned the differences in their species. Though she didn't mind trying to protect the child with Vahn, she knew there was no way she would be able to keep the child safe from all the Amazons that would come after them. She would be labeled a traitor to her people and a failure as an Amazon.Vahn could see fear and anxiety in Tiona's face, and just like all the previous times, he thought it didn't suit her normally cheerful self. Reaching forward, he pulled Tiona's arm and then embraced her. Though she was a bit surprised, Tiona didn't resist and just allowed herself to be held by Vahn. Even though he was smaller than she was, Tiona still felt a bit of security in his embrace. Looking into his eyes, Tiona believed that, if Vahn made the effort, he would be able to protect their child...Staring into her eyes, Vahn could see that Tiona had calmed down a lot. Though she wasn't smiling, he could see a hint of expectation had replaced the anxiety that previously clouded her eyes. Vahn mulled over his words before speaking, "If we have kids...I will move to the village you mentioned previously. Even if I can't be there in person, I will always be nearby if you need me. If I have to, I'll become strong enough to break those traditions that separate families."Vahn hugged Tiona against his body, almost as if he was trying to affirm the promise and make her remember it. Seeing Tiona nod her head, Vahn continued, "But, for now, I want to focus on increasing my strength here, so I don't think I can have children yet. There are a lot of things I want to do...no, things I HAVE to do." Using the same forceful tone as before, Vahn spoke each word with force and conviction.Tiona looked into his eyes and saw his resolve, and it made her feel more secure about the future. As Vahn said, she wasn't really that old, and she also liked fighting alongside everyone in the Loki Familia. She didn't have to rush things, as there was plenty of time for the both of them to mature and become stronger. One day, they may even be able to walk into Telkyura and force Kali to concede and allow them to raise their child away from the village.Gripping him tightly, Tiona smiled before passionately kissing Vahn. Unlike the tame kisses from before, Tiona put strength into her arms and forcibly kissed Vahn's lips. The thought of becoming strong enough to break away from the village made her instincts act up. She became overly excited and, since the person she liked was in front of her, she was unable to control herself.Vahn, who had been focused and serious previously, was now flustered and panicking. The moment Tiona grabbed him, it felt like he had been captured in a vice. As she started kissing him, it wasn't long before she broke through his defenses and began invading the inside of his mouth with her tongue. Vahn was frantic, but he couldn't stop the invasion and was helplessly pushed to the ground with Tiona's body on top of his.Tiona had pinned him to the ground with her body, and she continued passionately kissing Vahn. From his perspective, Vahn could see her skin had become flushed and she had a dazed, but hungry, look in her eyes as she continued putting more strength into her grasp. Vahn felt like Tiona was trying to merge her body into his, and his instincts began triggering his danger sense. It felt like, if Vahn couldn't stop her, she would devour his body until there was nothing left.Suddenly, a flash of gold passed through his vision as Tiona was pulled from his body. Since she had been gripping him so fiercely, Vahn's body was also pulled forward and he nearly fell to the ground after the fact. Looking upward, Vahn was able to see Ais and Tione holding back the rampaging Tiona. She was flailing about and had a fierce look in her eyes as she stared towards Vahn. Failing to free herself from the combined grasp of two Level 5 adventurers, Tiona cried out. "Ais, I don't care if you want him to, but don't stop me when it's my moment!!!"Ais frowned and responded without letting loose her grip on Tiona, "Muu, Riveria said in private." Ais's words seemed to have impacted Tiona somewhat as she began looking at her surroundings. There were several adventurers from the Loki and Hephaestus Familia looking at the site with various types of expressions. Some of them had amused looks, while others seemed annoyed at the events that had taken place.Tiona realized that, because of the words Vahn had spoken to her, she had gotten too excited and attacked him in the middle of the camp. There were more than twenty people in the area that had watched her attack and pin his body to the ground in the middle of the path...This realization made Tiona's mind calm down a lot, and now she started blushing for an entirely different reason.Seeing that Tiona has regained her senses, Ais and Tione released her, but Ais still took up a defensive position to block Tiona if she tried to 'attack' Vahn again. Tiona stared toward Ais with a bit of frustration but seeing Vahn kneeling on the ground like he was struggling for air, the most powerful emotion she was feeling was shame. Since she was still much stronger than Vahn, he wasn't able to resist her advances even if he wanted to. If someone hadn't stopped her, she might have ended up forcibly taking Vahn's first time, and he might even hate her for it.Bowing her head low, Tiona looked toward Vahn with a sad expression. "I'm sorry Vahn...you were just so manly that I couldn't stop myself." Even now, Tiona felt the urge to try and attack Vahn, but she was restrained by the atmosphere and the environment. She was both grateful and vexed at the situation, but she was still concerned with Vahn's reaction to everything that had happened.Vahn, seeing her sad look yet again, frowned a bit before mustering up a laugh. He tried acting like he wasn't bothered by what she did as he said, "Haha, it looks like I need to get stronger. It feels a bit awkward to be on the receiving end of someone's affection." Though Vahn had done his best to brush over the matter, Tiona could see that he was still shaken by everything that happened. So as not to deny his efforts, Tiona gave a fake smile of her own as she said, "Become stronger quickly. Next time, I want you to push me down, okay?" After her words, Tiona allowed her sister to take her away from the area. As a fellow Amazon, Tione knew it would take a bit of time for Tiona to calm down.Watching their two retreating figures, Vahn felt like his desire to grow stronger had increased a bit. The previous scene was one of the few times he had actually felt fear in his new life, and all the others were incidents where he had nearly died. Ais, who had been standing in front of him to protect him from Tiona, looked toward him and helped him stand. After thinking for a bit, she said, "Tiona is a good girl. Don't hate her." Ais had known Tiona for a long time, and she was able to understand that her current state was abnormal.Vahn sighed, but afterward, he showed a real smile. "I don't think I can hate her, even if I wanted to. Seeing someone have so much affection toward me, I would feel guilty if I pushed her away. I just need to get stronger and become more reliable..." Ais nodded at his statement before saying herself, "Nnn, you will become strong. It is strange." Ais seemed very sure of what she said, but even she couldn't understand why she believed her own words."What's strange?" Vahn asked because, he too, wasn't sure what she was trying to convey. Ais seemed to seriously contemplate her next words, as Vahn was able to see a genuine expression on her face. She seemed to be very concerned with what she would say next and had a big frown plastered on her face. "You never give up. Even when bad things happen, you always try hard. In the duel, against the Goliath, and now. You always keep trying."After her words finished, Ais looked into Vahn's eyes and paused a moment before continuing. "I think you can become stronger than anyone. I want to see it." Vahn could see a hidden passion in Ais's eyes as she continued her words. The small spark made Vahn feel like she had placed some of her hopes in him, and it made him feel courageous, almost like he could accomplish anything.Smiling towards her, Vahn felt full of conviction and positive feelings about the future. Placing his right hand over the 'eternal flame' in his heart, Vahn spoke, putting that conviction into words. "I will become the strongest. No matter what, I will never give up!" As he nearly shouted the last words, Ais's eyes opened slightly as applause began sounding from the surroundings.Hearing the applause, Vahn felt incredibly embarrassed as he looked toward the adventurers that were 'cheering' him on. "You can do it kiddo~!", "That's right, keep fighting, hahahaha!". Several people in the surroundings had been paying attention to the scene since earlier. They were amazed after seeing the passionate Vahn make his declaration, and they couldn't help but tease him a bit.Ais saw the crowd and the embarrassed Vahn, so she took his hand before dragging him away from the area. Seeing her actions, the crowd starting cheering even louder as the two disappeared from the central area of the campsite. Ais continued dragging Vahn until they were on the periphery of the camp and away from everyone's line of sight. Once they were 'safe', Ais let go of Vahn's hand and stared at him.Vahn, who was still feeling embarrassed, looked towards Ais and thanked her. He could see that she was also blushing slightly as she nodded to accept his thanks. Afterward, they both stood in silence for a while until they had begun to calm down. Vahn released a sigh and plopped down on the ground; it felt like he had been through a lot in the last few hours, and it felt like both his stamina and mental energy had been severely drained.While he was sitting down, Ais seemed to be lost in her thoughts and would periodically look towards Vahn. Though he wanted to ask, considering that Ais was the type to mull things over before speaking, Vahn decided to wait for her. Unfortunately, his patience ended up being a mistake, as the words she finally decided upon nearly drained what little energy he had left."I want to try it. Sex."(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Oh shit','Vahn is in danger, quick, sound the alarm!','Hephaestus's instincts doing acrobatics in her mind')

Hearing Ais's words, Vahn's mind exploded. He felt like all the energy that had remained in his body spontaneously drained out and he hung his head like a marionette that had its strings cut. Ais, who had been watching him, frowned slightly and said in a sad sounding tone, "You don't...like me?" Her words made Vahn's brain buzz, and he felt like everything that happened in the last few hours was too much for his mind to handle.In a small voice, Vahn tried to muster a bit of strength as the responded, "But we're not lovers or anything...and you are too young..." Ais seemed to agree with what he said, but she said in a matter-of-fact tone of voice, "Yes, but, I will be 14 soon. Then we can try." Each word she spoke made Vahn feel like a heavy weight was pressing down on him. He didn't know if he should laugh or cry because he could tell she was being serious.Vahn looked toward her and asked, "Why me?" Even though he knew her affection had risen to 88 after their earlier kiss, Vahn didn't think he was close enough to Ais for her to go so far. Ais tilted her head sideways in confusion at his words. "Mmm, you are different. Pleasant feelings..." As she spoke, she placed her hands on her chest and closed her eyes. After a while, she looked at Vahn again and said, "I think I can become stronger too..."Seeing the conviction in her eyes, Vahn couldn't help but release a sigh and smile at her. "I believe in you as well; I know you will be much stronger in the future." As Vahn had known the future version of Ais from the manga, he knew she would mature a lot in the next two years as her strength increases. Right now she was barely taller than he was and looked a lot like a young girl, instead of the cool beauty she was in the future.Ais, hearing the 'certainty' in Vahn's words, nodded her head and displayed a happy smile. Though it was minute compared to a normal person, Vahn could see she was pleased with what he had said. Returning a smile of his own, Vahn tried rising to his feet since he had recovered a bit of strength. Ais, seeing him try to rise, stepped forward and stopped him from doing so. Being pushed back to the ground, Vahn began having flashbacks of his earlier experience with Tiona.Fortunately, Ais didn't throw herself on top of him as he expected. Instead, she sat down next to him and locked eyes before saying, "You are tired. Rest here..." As she spoke, Ais patted her thighs which were covered in a metallic plate skirt. Her gauntlets made a 'thunk-thunk' sound as the two pieces of armor collided. Vahn knew she was trying to be kind, but he couldn't help but feel a little apprehensive seeing the hard metal surface covering her thighs.Ais noticed his look and realized her mistake. Standing, she removed the clasps that were holding her armor together and revealed a pleated black skirt underneath. Setting her armor to the side, she sat back down next to Vahn and once again patted her thighs. Unlike the metallic thumping from last time, it was now a soft a muted noise that sounded much more comfortable. Seeing her actions, Vahn laughed a little before resting his head on her thighs.Unlike his expectations, Ais's thighs were a bit more muscular than he thought. They were still very soft, but he could feel the tension of the muscles on the back of his head. He lay there, enjoying the strange sensations as he looked toward Ais. As he had been laying with his head facing upward, Ais was looking down on him with a blank expression. Seeing that he wasn't properly 'relaxing', Ais remoted the gauntlet on her hand and placed it on his forehead."Sleep. I will wake you when it's time." She continued stroking her hand along his head, and Vahn felt a mild blush touch his cheeks as he felt she was treating him like Lefiya. Instead of the normal 'patting', the way Ais touched people almost seemed like she was 'petting' them. Vahn almost wanted to laugh, but he managed to hold it back as he tried relaxing. Closing his eyes, he just enjoyed the moment and tried to focus on recovering his energy.---Though nearly twenty minutes had passed, Vahn was unable to fall asleep on Ais's lap. Though he had originally been focusing on recovering, the longer he laid there, the more distracted he became. The 'awkward' patting of Ais began to become more pleasant feeling, while the sensation on the back of his head made his heart begin to beat at a faster pace. The most problematic thing though was the honey-like smell that came from Ais's body. The longer he lay on her lap, the more aware he became of the smell and it began to make his mind start to feel numb as a feeling of anxiety welled up in his temples.Vahn felt like, ever since the first kiss with Tiona this morning, his emotions had been entirely out of whack. Though the 'lesson' from Riveria was very insightful, it now made Vahn overly conscious of everything that was happening when he was in contact with a girl. He felt like, the previous him, would have been comfortably enjoying a lap pillow, much like he had been in every other situation prior. But now, instead of being comfortable, it made him feel anxious and excited.Ais had noticed he was still awake, so she spoke out, "Can't sleep? Uncomfortable?" She felt sad after thinking Vahn was dissatisfied with her attempts to help him relax. Vahn shook his head slightly before opening his eyes and seeing her sad expression. He didn't want her to misunderstand, so he explained what he was feeling. "It's not uncomfortable, but I don't think I can sleep easily either. My mind is too focused on the feeling of your thighs, the touch of your hand, and the smell coming from your body."The first part of Vahn's words made Ais feel 'fluttery' in her chest, but when he continued to the last part she couldn't help but frown."Do I stink? I took a bath..." As she asked the question, Ais couldn't help but sniff at her own body a bit. To her, the only thing she could smell was the soap they had used to wash with. Vahn shook his head again before trying to explain, "No, it's not a stench, it is more like a pleasant smell that makes my body get excited."After his clarification, Ais nodded with a small smile on her lips; she was glad she didn't stink and that Vahn found her smell 'pleasant'. Curious, she bent forward and began to smell his body to see if she could catch his scent as well. Vahn, seeing Ais bend forward, became a bit flustered. It felt like Ais was about to bury his face into her breastplate, but fortunately, she stopped before he made contact with the cold metal. Vahn noticed she began to smell him, and he started feeling very nervous..."Do...do I stink?" Vahn asked the words and began thinking back to all the previous incidents where girls seemed to smell his body. He wondered if he smelled bad, and recalled that he used to have issues with hygiene in the past. Ais shook her head before looking into his face and saying, "No...it smells strange, but I don't dislike it. It smells like you?" Ais didn't seem to understand how to express the words. After a while, she just nodded her head and said, "It smells good."Vahn gave an awkward laugh for a few moments before releasing a sigh. He was glad he didn't smell bad, but it made all the times when girls were sniffing him seem more awkward. Both Lili and Naaza often took care of his laundry, and Vahn had, on occasion, caught them smelling the dirty garments. He didn't think anything of it at the time, but now he understood that girls seemed susceptible to his aroma, just like his mind seemed to be influenced by Ais's.Apparently still curious, Ais bent forward and continued to smell Vahn's body, but before she was able to do so for long, he quickly escaped from the lap pillow. Knowing that she found his smell to be 'good', Vahn felt incredibly awkward just letting her sniff him. He felt like, if he remained in that situation for too long, any benefits he gained from resting would be entirely wasted.Ais stared at Vahn who had jumped away from her body so quickly. She wondered if her actions were a bit weird, but before she asked, Vahn began waving his hands back-and-forth. "Don't worry about it Ais, I'm just going to clear my head a bit and try to meditate a bit to recover my energy. If I stay on your lap any longer, I feel like my efforts to rest would be lost due to my excitement." Vahn disliked when his actions made the girls upset, and seeing how Ais has so few expressions, he didn't want any of them to be 'sad'.Ais nodded at his words before standing up herself. After re-attaching her armor, she turned toward Vahn and stared at his face, or somewhere slightly below his face. Realizing what she was looking at, Vahn felt his tensions rise a bit, but he decided to take the initiative as she seemed to be thinking to herself. Closing the distance, Ais made eye contact with him before opening her arms slightly. Vahn reached his hands around her body and gave her a gentle kiss. He continued to do so for a few seconds before pulling away after what he thought was an appropriate amount of time.Seeing the watery look in Ais's eyes, Vahn couldn't help but ask, "How was it?" Ais, who had been somewhat dazed, blushed a bit before she looked at him. "Nnn, it was good." After that, she separated from Vahn and began to head toward the center of camp. Taking a few steps, she stopped and looked at Vahn who had been watching her departure. "It was better than the last time." With those final words, Ais turned and quickly walked away from the area.After she had completely disappeared, Vahn let himself fall backwards onto the grassy ground below. Once again, he felt like all of his energy was drained as he looked toward the shining crystals of the ceiling. He didn't know 'dealing' with girls was so mentally and physically taxing, but at least he was able to increase Ais's affection to 90 after their second kiss. She was now one of the people with the highest affection towards Vahn, and it made him feel a mixture of emotions including happiness.In his reflection, Vahn felt like there were going to be a lot of difficult situations like this in the future, and he began to worry if his body and mind would be able to hold out. He began to worry if there were any other girls that liked him, and Vahn began to seriously consider how he would deal with them in the future. According to Riveria, it wasn't uncommon for people to have multiple partners, but Vahn felt like he wasn't even capable of dealing with Tiona and Ais, much less other girls. Remembering Ais's words and her interest in sex, Vahn began to feel both anticipation and dread for the future."I should have asked when her birthday is..."(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'The future is scary','Tiona smash','Thunk-Thunk')

Hearing that Ais wanted to kiss him, Vahn paused for a moment while thinking about his experiences with her. Much like Tiona, he had only known Ais for a short period of time and, in that time, they shared many of the same experiences. They had both dueled him, seen him naked, bathed with him, and each had relatively high affections for him. Tiona was leading with her 100 affection, but Ais was sitting at 81, which was very high considering the short period they knew each other.Ais was still looking toward him as he was mulling over the thoughts in his mind, almost like she was waiting for his decision. Vahn made eye contact with her and, after considering things, decided there was no reason to refute her. She hadn't done anything to make him dislike her, and according to what he had learned from Riveria, there shouldn't be any problems. Vahn nodded his head, and Ais walked closer to him before stopping right in front.Off to the side, Tiona stared at the two with stars in her eyes as she held Lefiya's mouth shut. Though she didn't plan to let anyone take away Vahn from her, it didn't mean she would prevent him from being with other people. For her, as long as she managed to secure all of Vahn's firsts, everything else just increased her prestige and Vahn's appeal. Lefiya seemed like she desperately wanted to stop the events that were about to transpire, so Tiona had sealed her mouth shut for the time being.Vahn and Ais stared at each other without either making any movements for a while. Seeing the blushing Ais and her peerless complexion and doll-like face, Vahn felt the emotions that had been plaguing him lately begin to build up. She really was a very beautiful girl and, though she lacked expressiveness, Vahn thought she seemed to be the kind and gentle type. Well, as long as she wasn't fighting a monster...After a while, Vahn got closer to Ais and reached his hands around her waist. Unlike Tiona, Ais actually wore much more armor than she did in the manga. Though there was a gap near her back, it was somewhat awkward to grab around the plating and leather bandings of the armor. Vahn took a moment to find a better spot to seat his hands as Ais's blush began to grow deeper. Finally, Vahn gave up trying to hug around her waist and just settled in the opening around her back, almost like he was hugging her normally.Once his 'preparations' were complete, Vahn looked into Ais's eyes and noticed they were slightly watery. Though her expression hadn't changed much, Vahn could see her brows had raised a bit. Slowly leaning his face toward her's, Vahn overlapped his lips with Ais's and gently kissed her. The moment they made contact, Ais tensed up a bit, but as the kiss continued she slowly began to relax.The first thing Vahn noticed during the kiss, was that her lips were both similar but very different to Tiona's. They were soft, but they had an extra springiness to them which made his head fuzzy. The next thing he noticed was the fragrance coming from her body. Unlike Tiona, who had a somewhat earthly smelling fragrance like fresh greens, Ais's fragrance actually smelled a little like distilled honey. It was a subtle, but almost addicting aroma and it seemed to seep into Vahn's mind and settle itself into the fuzzy feelings.Just like when he had kissed Tiona, Vahn lost track of time as he began focusing on the different emotions and sensations building in his mind and body. He enjoyed kissing more than he expected, and it seemed like the longer the kiss went on, the better he felt. Suddenly, Ais began to squirm in his arms and Vahn pulled himself away from her. He could see that her face was red and she was breathing heavily with watery, almost pain-filled eyes. "Air...can't breath."Hearing her words, Vahn felt very awkward and a bit anxious. "Sorry, I got carried away..." Without thinking, he apologized and bowed his head slightly. Ais, who had been trying to recover her breathing, shook her head after hearing his words. "No. It was good...fluffy." Thinking that Vahn was blaming himself, Ais tried encouraging him using her thoughts about the experience. As it was her first kiss, she had blanked out very similarly to how Vahn did so previously. While she was struggling with all the new emotions inside of her, she forgot to breathe and began to panic slightly towards the end.After she had calmed down, Ais wrapped her arms around Vahn and tried to give him a kiss this time. Before she was able to do so, Lefiya managed to free herself from the somewhat dazed Tiona and shouted. "Noooo~! Ais, you can't!!!" Lefiya immediately pulled Ais away from Vahn's grasp, and she gave Lefiya a sad look with her brows furrowed slightly. "Lefiya...you want a kiss too?" Ais thought Lefiya had stopped her, much like she had stopped Tiona previously.Hearing Ais's words, Lefiya's face turned beet red and she began to stutter. "N-n-n-n-n-no way! No way, no how! I can't k-k-k-k-kiss this, this BEAST!!!" Lefiya was flailing her arms around trying to deny the question before pointing toward Vahn when she shouted 'beast'. Vahn frowned after hearing her call him a beast, as he doesn't recall doing anything to offend the small elf girl.Tiona had recovered by now and began to laugh playfully at Lefiya's innocent actions. "Ahahaha, he really is a 'beast' in a way~! Vahn is a 'kissing-beast' that makes a girls heart flutter, isn't that right Ais~?" Tiona knew which aspect Lefiya was talking about, but decided to twist her words a bit to tease her. Hearing Tiona's question, Ais paused for a few seconds with her head tilted. After finding an answer, she nodded her head saying, "Nnn, it made my heart beat very fast."As Lefiya listened to Tiona and Ais talk about kissing, she desperately wanted to try and 'correct' them, but she felt like if she tried clarifying things she would seem like a pervert. The pressure had been building up in her brain for a while, and the more she tried processing her chaotic thoughts, the closer she felt she was getting to passing out. Lefiya began to feel like today was the worst day of her life when, suddenly and unexpectedly, a hand landed on top of her head.All of the thoughts in her mind faded away at the unexpected contact as a gentle warmth began to flow through her head. Just like all the other times she had experienced it, it was a very pleasant feeling, but it also made Lefiya feel terrified at the same time. Turning her head slightly, she could see Vahn looking at her with a concerned expression. "It's okay Lefiya, I won't kiss you. I am not a kissing beast or anything like that."Hearing Vahn mentions the words 'kissing beast' while showing her kindness made Lefiya feel like she wanted to cry. Everyone seemed to be misunderstanding her feelings, but there was nothing she could do to explain it. She had experienced so many ups and downs today, and they were almost all because of Vahn. Lefiya wanted to resent him for inserting himself into her life and making things so chaotic, but no matter how much she tried, she couldn't seem to hate the naive, gentle, strong, and handsome boy.All Lefiya had wanted after joining the Loki Familia was to spend time with her friends and try to get to know Ais better. Now, it seemed like Ais was being taken away from her, and it made Lefiya feel like she was losing something she had never had the chance to obtain. She knew Ais didn't think of her in any strange way, and it was just her own fantasies mixing with reality, but Lefiya still felt very sad at seeing her so affectionate towards another person...especially a handsome boy.Feeling the warmth flowing from the palm, Lefiya could no longer hold back her tears as she dropped to the ground and started crying softly. Vahn continued trying to 'console' her, and the more he did so, the more terrible Lefiya felt. Not because he was being kind to her, but because she couldn't hate him for all the things he had been doing. She could understand why other girls would fall for him as she also felt strange after interacting with him in such a short period of time. Lefiya felt it was very unfair...Suddenly, Lefiya was embraced by a hard, but warm figure. Ais, who had been watching the incident, felt really bad for the crying Lefiya. She felt like she had wronged the girl in some way, but was unable to understand the reason. Instead of trying to figure it out, she decided to comfort the crying elf, so Ais kneeled down and embraced her gently. Unfortunately, as Ais was wearing armor, it wasn't a soft embrace, but Lefiya seemed to cheer up almost instantly.After Ais hugged Lefiya, Vahn removed his hand and smiled at the sight. Lefiya had stopped crying a bit, but there were still a few tears in her eyes. Ais, seeing that Vahn had removed his hand, began gently patting the girl's head like she was a small animal. "There, there, Lefiya. Don't be sad." Lefiya, hearing her words, turned her body and embraced Ais in return. She snuggled her face into the hard breastplate of Ais and treated it like the most comfortable pillow in the world. "I won't be sad anymore Ais. As long as I can be like this for a little bit longer..." In response, Ais just kept patting the girls head and said, "Nn, but not too long."Tiona, seizing the moment when Vahn was free, ended up dragging him away while Ais followed their retreat with her eyes. She seemed to want to say something, but she was busy coaxing the small elf that was dripping snot and tears on her armor. Vahn allowed himself to be dragged away by Tiona as he gave an awkward smile towards the 'disgruntled' Ais.Once they had gotten a far enough distance away, Tiona once again embraced Vahn and quickly gave him a kiss before he could react. It was just a small peck on the lips, and then she immediately pulled away while laughing. "Ahaha~! As expected, a hero has many heroines at his side. Just make sure you always have a place in your heart for me, okay~?" Though Tiona was acting playfully, Vahn could tell she was very serious when she spoke her words.Vahn nodded his head before giving her a serious response, "I will try, but I don't know much about love and things like that. There are still a lot of things I want to do, but I will do my best as long as I don't make anyone I care about sad..." Tiona beamed after hearing his statement, and then seemed to ponder for a while with her index finger to her chin. "That's right, there were a bunch of others girls around you at Tsubaki's place. I thought they might be your lovers, but seeing as how you didn't have any experience, that means I am your first, right?"Vahn was very confused, and without thinking, he asked, "Eh? We're lovers?" Vahn knew they had been intimate, but he didn't think they had crossed that line yet. He thought lovers had to have sex or get married. Tiona saw his flustered state and closed the distance between them. She bent forward with her hands behind her back, low enough so that she could look up at Vahn's face from below. "Do you not like me, Vahn?" Tiona had a pleasant smile on her face as she asked the question.With how Tiona had approached him and asked her question, Vahn felt a bit nervous and swallowed his saliva. It was true that he didn't dislike Tiona, and he didn't think he would feel so strange if he didn't like her. "I think I do like you..." Vahn slowly spoke the words, almost as if he was testing them on his lips for the first time. After hearing himself, Vahn realized that this was technically his first confession to a girl...Tiona smiled with a smile more radiant than the crystals shining overhead. "Good, because I really really like you~! Since we both like each other, that means we can be lovers, right? You don't have to worry, even if we have a baby it won't interfere with your life. I will do my best to raise it at the village before I come back!" Tiona was getting very excited since she felt like she had finally found the 'hero' she had been looking for. Not to mention, the 'hero' was a boy her age and he was both handsome and strong!Vahn felt like he was getting caught up in her excitement. Seeing how happy she was, Vahn didn't think he had enough courage to refuse her. Desperately holding back a sigh, Vahn smiled toward Tiona and said, "Sure, but I think we should take things a bit slower...we are both still young..." Vahn didn't even believe his own words as he spoke, and Tiona seemed to completely ignore them as well. "Ahahaha, you don't have to worry about that Vahn~! My body is perfectly capable of having kids already! Don't underestimate the strength of an Amazon~!"Hearing Tiona repeatedly talking about kids, Vahn began to feel a cold sweat build up on his back. No matter how he thought about it, he didn't think he was ready to be a father...as Vahn had that thought, he felt a peculiar emotion build up in his mind. Frowning, Vahn began to think about various things. He wondered if he had a father, and why he had never heard anything about him. Even his memory of his birth, the only person in the room beside the hospital staff was his mother...Vahn began to realize that, in his mind, he didn't really have any expectations for what a father should be like. Even in the manga he read, most of the main characters either didn't have parents, or they would only have a single parent. Vahn had no idea how to be a father, but he also noticed something bubble up from deep inside him. Recalling what Tiona had said about raising their child away at the Amazon village, Vahn felt like it was unacceptable...Tiona had noticed the grim expression on Vahn's face, and she began to feel anxious. "Vahn...is something wrong?" Tiona was worried that she had pressed too hard and made Vahn change his mind about things. Vahn, hearing Tiona call out to him, looked toward her with a firm expression on his face. He slowly spoke the words, "If I have a kid, I won't abandon it. I can't let you take it away to a village...I just can't!" Vahn felt like, if he let his kids be raised in a place away from him, he would have failed himself as a person.(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Lefiya's Confusion','Ais's Competitive Nature','Tiona is sneaky')

Chapter 101: Firm