Nobunaga Oda's Isekai Cultivation Experience

Though Inami had helped him to "clean up", the first thing Nobu did following her departure was head to the bath.As frustrating as the situation was, the thing that upset Nobu most wasn't the fact he had basically been raped. It was the fact he was powerless to really do anything about it. To make matters even worse, the girl that had snuck into his room looked like a brat. Sure, he had enjoyed himself, quite a bit actually, but, at the same time, he couldn't help feeling as though he had crossed some kind of line he shouldn't have. He felt dirty.Soaking in the hot water of the bath helped, but, even after staying in long enough that his skin had turned tender and numb, Nobu didn't feel any cleaner."I need to get stronger..."Though a shonen protagonist might have said such words with conviction and enthusiasm, Nobu spoke them with a dull, lazy, almost apathetic monotone. After all, he was already well aware of the fact he needed power. More than that, however, he needed time to accumulate it...Allowing his body to sink into the murky water, Nobu allowed himself to sink to the bottom as an urge to simply take a deep breath welled within him. The only thing that prevented him from doing so was the knowledge that he would be taking a lot more than his own life if he succeeded...Despite understanding this, Nobu still stayed submerged for well over a minute before raising his body and calling out, "Is anyone there...?" in a lazy tone.Unsurprisingly, no one answered Nobu's call. They were undoubtedly still under the suggestion that had been placed on them, so, until Yui returned, Nobu was effectively alone unless he went seeking them personally.As that thought crossed his mind, Nobu felt around until the stone tablet just magically appeared beneath his hand. He had already confirmed it was waterproof a long time ago, so, after leaning back against the side of the bath, he opened the Messenger App to see if Midori, Sachiko, or Nariko had typed anything. They were usually too distracted by their studies to freely use their tablets, but, once their training had come to an end, they would chatter away non-stop for hours on end.Though he rarely said anything himself, Nobu had always been something of a lurker when it came to discord and other kinds of chat apps. It was a lot easier to read other people's discussions than it was to contribute anything himself."Haaaaa...these little brats..."Despite his groaning, Nobu actually felt a little better after thumbing through a few hundred of the girls' messages. The messenger app was something completely new and interesting to them so they didn't even think about filtering themselves. Thus, while most of their conversation revolved around their respective studies, there was a fair amount of discussion involving him. More specifically, they talked about how great he was and how fortunate they were to have been picked up by such a kind and caring Master...Feeling a bit of sourness in his nose, Nobu set aside the stone tablet before leaning back against the warm stone with his eyes closed.........Though she was feeling more optimistic after conversing with her Grandmother, a frown marred Yui's face as she rushed down the mountain. She couldn't understand the reason, but she felt as though something terrible had taken place. Her Grandmother had always told her to trust in her instincts, so, despite nearly crashing through a tree, Yui still rushed back to the estate as fast as her feet could carry her.Finding Kiku sitting atop the gate with a bored expression on her face, Yui's morphed into one of confusion as she asked, "What are you doing?"Tilting her head to the side, Kiku asked, "I'm sharpening my blade in preparation for tonight's shift. Since I had nothing better to do, I figured I may as well keep an eye on the entrance as well."Though her expression didn't change, the pupils of Yui's eyes shrank as she asked, "Did you swap shifts with someone else?""Huh...?"Without bothering to continue the conversation, Yui bolted towards the main house like a golden blur. This sent Kiku into an alert state, but, moments later, the light in her blazing blue eyes dulled as she returned to sharpening her sword.........After failing to find Nobu in his room, Yui felt a sensation similar to millions of ants crawling across her body as she punched the floor and screamed, "Fuck!" at the top of her voice.Though she had been trained never to panic, Yui flashed through the estate like a phantom before bursting into Shizune's room. This surprised the latter quite a bit, but, before she could even shout out, Yui grabbed her by the collar, shouting, "Spread out your Shikigami! Someone has invaded the estate! Our Lord is missing...!""Y-Yui-sama...?"As someone who had been affected by Inami's charm, Shizune's mind failed to process Yui's words. This prompted the latter to perform a hip throw, slamming Shizune into the ground as she shouted, "Wake the fuck up and make yourself useful...!"Blinking back to awareness, Shizune's pupils trembled as she instinctually attempted to crawl away. All the air had been forced from her lungs, so, even though she wanted to beg for leniency, all she could do was hold her hand up in fear that Yui would strike her a second time.Fortunately, Yui quickly noticed the change in Shizune's expression. This allowed her to calm down a little as she repeated, "Nobu's missing. Someone invaded the estate and placed everyone under a suggestion. Send your Shikigami to search the premises. I'll gather the others."Though she wanted to complain about Yui's methods, Shizune just nodded her head rapidly before pulling out a dozen paper talismans and transforming them into mice. As for Yui, she had departed the moment Shizune nodded her head. She had no idea how long Nobu had been missing so they were already working against time.With this in mind, Yui's next destination was the kitchen. Cho almost never left, but, more important than that was the fact that Midori possessed one of the strange stone tablets gifted to her by Nobu. The documents he had given them mentioned something called a Messenger App that enabled the wielders of the stone tablets to instantaneously communicate with each other. If this was true, there was a chance they could use it to, at the very least, confirm whether or not Nobu was safe.Sliding open the kitchen door with enough force to shatter the bamboo frame, Yui startled the trio inside before immediately appearing next to Midori and asking, "Do you have the stone tablet our Lord gifted you?"Unable to speak, Midori just fearfully nodded her head as Yui's grip tightened on her shoulders. A layer of moisture quickly built upon the surface of her eyes, but, fearing she would get in even more trouble, Midori did her best not to cry.Realizing she had terrified the teal-haired girl, Yui did her best to appear calm as she exhaled a sigh and said, "Use it to send a message to your Master. Ask about his location and whether or not he's okay. Can you do that for me?"Nodding her head, Midori reached into her mesh-formed shorts before pulling out the stone tablet. If Nobu knew she was keeping it there, he would have undoubtedly facepalmed. He had told her to keep it somewhere safe, not to keep it in her britches...While Midori was nervously tapping away on her stone tablet, Cho voiced what she and Onihime were concerned about, asking, "Yui-sama...did something happen to our Lord?"Exhaling a second sigh, Yui shifted her attention to Onihime, asking, "Why are you here right now?"Tilting her head in confusion, Onihime was about to answer that she was helping to prepare her Master's meal. However, now that she thought about it, she had basically just been standing around the entire day. She had helped to prepare Nobu's lunch, but, after that, she had just been observing from the side.As that thought crossed her mind, Onihime's eyes transitioned from an amethyst purple to a vibrant shade of red as her long brown hair began to spread outwards in defiance of gravity. Her fingernails began to grow at a visible rate, and, though her horns were covered in paper seals, their ivory white coloration became translucent as a red glow emanated from within.Fortunately, just as Onihime was about to go on a rampage in an effort to track down her Master, Midori surprised everyone by saying, "He's in the bath."Though she had clearly heard what Midori said, Yui's expression morphed into one of disbelief as she replied, "Pardon...?"Forgetting that other people couldn't see the screen, Midori held it up as she said, "I sent Master a direct message. He said he's in the bath and that he's okay."Feeling as though her spirit had left her body, Yui collapsed against the counter as a sigh mixed with relief and exasperation escaped her throat. Onihime, however, was still in an active state, so, the moment she heard Midori's follow-up remark, she bolted from the kitchen with an inhuman speed that belied her cultivation base.Rising to her feet, Yui resisted the urge to immediately chase after Onihime. Instead, she emulated Nobu's act of patting Midori on her head, saying, "You did well..." before shifting her attention to Cho and saying, "Go and tell Shizune to stop searching. Instead, focus on making sure everyone is accounted for. If anyone is behaving strangely, feel free to knock some sense into them..."Nodding her head in affirmation, Cho grabbed the confused Midori's hand before departing the kitchen with her characteristic smile. In reality, she was just as frustrated as Onihime and Yui, but, for the sake of preserving her life for as long as possible, she did her best to remain calm. Even a mild outburst could exacerbate her symptoms and lead to catastrophic organ failure. Though a part of her was interested to see how her Lord would react, there were still quite a number of dishes she wanted to prepare for him before she even contemplated dying.Inspired by Cho's calm, Yui took a moment to collect herself before departing the kitchen with a tired look on her face. She still planned to get to the bottom of this, but, knowing Nobu was okay, most of her tensions had evaporated into thin air. As strange as it might sound, all she wanted to do at the moment was snuggle up next to him in bed. Unfortunately, after this afternoon's incident, she wasn't sure he would even want to talk to her, much less sleep together..."Haaaaa...."......Though he was a little surprised to get a DM from Midori, it was nothing compared to the surprise Nobu received when Onihime burst into the bath and practically pounced him at a full sprint. She hadn't even bothered to remove her clothes so she ended up getting soaked from top to bottom as she hugged him tightly enough to prick his chest with her horn."Holy shit woman! Calm the fuck down! I'm okay! I'm okay...!"Hearing her Master's 'command', Onihime stopped holding on to him so tightly before staring up at him with her carmine eyes. She wasn't crying but it was very clear she wanted to. This left Nobu feeling a little helpless as they hadn't even known each other that long. He simply couldn't fathom why she would be worried about him when he hadn't even done anything to make that deep of an impression on her..."Listen...it's going to be okay. Don't cry..."Despite his words, Nobu felt the same sourness in his nose that had crept upon him previously. This made him feel pathetic, so, before Onihime could respond, he drew her into a hug, gently cradling her head so she couldn't look up at him as he repeated, "It's going to be okay..."......(A/N: Poor Nobu...)

Though it felt weird calming someone else down right now, Nobu did his best to prevent Onihime from freaking out. In the middle of this, Yui made an appearance near the entrance of the bath."Nobu..."Exhaling a sigh, Nobu released his hold on Onihime, saying, "Go and get changed. We'll talk more in my room."Nodding her head, Onihime quickly scampered from the room with a sad expression on her face. She had felt her Master's body tense up the moment Yui arrived, and, despite his apparent calm, she could tell he was anything but. She just didn't know what to say. All she knew was she didn't want to make things even worse.Emerging from the bath shortly after Onihime's departure, Nobu made his way over to Yui before surprising her with a hug. This caused a painful aching in her heart, and, for a brief moment, she couldn't bring herself to return his embrace. It was only when Nobu's grasp began to ease that she wrapped her arms around him, a choking sensation in her throat as she said, "You were in the bath for too long...your skin is as red as a lobster..."While laughing dryly in response to Yui's remark, Nobu hugged her with as much strength as he could manage. This resulted in the raven-haired beauty being lifted from the ground, but, instead of offering any resistance, Yui just nestled her face into the nook between his neck and shoulder.........Though he wanted to tell them the truth, Yui specifically, Nobu waited until everyone had gathered in his room before explaining the cover story he and Inami had come up with.Inami was, unsurprisingly, one of the big shots in the Yoshitsune Clan. As a result, she was one of the few people that could trespass the underground waterway without consequence. Thus, as part of their cover story, Nobu mentioned how he had encountered her when he used the passageway in his room to venture into the subterranean tunnels for some peace, quiet, and reflection.Simply put, Nobu used the excuse that he was pissed off, something everyone in the estate knew, to be alone. During that time, he encountered Inami, who, seeing how frustrated he was, decided to lend him an ear. One thing led to another, and, after a considerable amount of preparation, the two of them ended up doing it like rabbits until the sun had set beyond the horizon.When they learned Nobu had not only encountered but had sex with their Clan's Guardian, the girls were at a complete loss for words. Inami was famous for being as capricious as she was reclusive so it was difficult to imagine her willfully approaching someone, much less providing them council. If it was anyone other than Nobu telling them such a thing, they wouldn't have believed it.Surprisingly, the part where Nobu mentioned he and Inami had sex was the easiest aspect for the girls to accept. Not because he was particularly handsome or charismatic, but because they were in the middle of Spring. Inami may have better control over her urges but she was still a kitsune. Until the end of Spring, they were effectively pitfalls for any man unfortunate enough to encounter them.The thing the girls found most suspicious was the fact that Inami was anywhere near the estate. She knew the characteristics of her race better than anyone in the entire Clan. Fortunately, Nobu had an answer for this, explaining, "When I asked why she was here, she told me she and the Matriarch had a disagreement so she wanted to test the security measures we had in place. If she wasn't lying, she has been investigating the estate without anyone noticing for the last five days.""..."Hearing Nobu's explanation, an awkward silence descended upon the room. With what they knew of Inami, it wasn't difficult to imagine her butting heads with the Matriarch. There had even been a few instances in the past where Inami deposed Matriarchs who refused to step down or attempted to implement changes she believed were detrimental to the Clan. With that in mind, it wasn't much of a stretch to imagine her wanting to test their security measures out of spite...Affirming the fears that had manifested in nearly everyone's minds, Nobu went on to say, "After we finished fucking, she asked me if I wanted her help. I wasn't really thinking at the time so I ended up agreeing. In hindsight, I realize it was pretty stupid to agree without discussing the matter with each of you. I just didn't know what to say after learning who she was...""You didn't ask when you met in the tunnels...?"Shifting his attention to Yui, Nobu noticed the serious and analytical look in her eyes. She was one of the few that didn't believe a thing he had said. Rather, after their argument in the afternoon, she refused to believe it. After all, if he was telling the truth, this entire incident could be blamed on her.Shaking his head, Nobu exhaled an exasperated sigh as he closed his eyes and answered, "I wasn't thinking clearly at the time. All I knew for certain was that she was a hell of a lot stronger than me. If she was an enemy, I would have been killed in an instant. After we got to talking...well...I don't really know what came over me. I guess she reminded me of Kaia? I don't fucking know..."Hearing Nobu's words, Yui couldn't help feeling pain in her chest. After spending so much time with him, she was confident in her ability to ascertain whether or not he was lying. Despite this, she knew there had to be at least a grain of truth to what he was saying. He was clearly still hurting after their previous argument."Everyone. Leave us. We will discuss this matter in detail later. Right now, there is something Nobu and I need to talk about...""Yui...!"Clearly upset by Yui's words, Yuriko glared at her with a frustrated glower on her face. Before she could say anything further, however, Nobu raised his hand, saying, "Stop. Yui is right. Besides, it's already late and I'm super fucking tired. We'll pick this up tomorrow. Sorry for worrying everyone."With her expression morphing into a look of fretful concern, it was pretty obvious that Yuriko had something she wanted to say. In response to this, Nobu adopted an awkwardly apologetic smile as he said, "Come here..." while gesturing to that effect.Though she was a little confused by Nobu's words and actions, Yuriko still drew nearer to him. This allowed him to wrap his arms around her lithe and muscular body, his tone gentle and soothing as he repeated the same words he had said to Onihime, "It's going to be okay..."In spite of Nobu's words, Yuriko got the distinct impression everything was not going to be okay. It was clear to all of them that he was behaving strangely. At the very least, he was never this intimate. Not without a reason.Unfortunately, Yuriko wasn't given the chance to voice her concerns. Nobu's actions had effectively silenced her. As a result, she fell into a momentary daze that allowed Kiku and Kumiko to guide her away from the room. In the end, the only people left inside were Nobu, Yui, and, despite a deadpan stare from the latter, Onihime. Only Nobu could tell her what to do, so, unless he sent her away, she had no intention of going anywhere."It's fine..."Believing he understood the thoughts of both girls, Nobu gave Onihime permission to stay before urging Yui to continue with his eyes. He knew the half-oni wasn't going to blab on him. Rather, due to the Slave Crest on her body, even Inami wouldn't be able to force information from her.Exhaling a sigh, Yui ended up shaking her head before staring directly into Nobu's eyes and saying, "I won't ask what really happened. From my perspective, truth and lies don't matter. If they are your words, I will abide them all the same. It is my duty to support you..."Furrowing his brows, Nobu was about to say he didn't need people to go so far for him. Before the words could reach his lips, however, Yui left him in a state of stupefaction as she added, "After all...I am your fiancee..."Though she was seized by the distinct impression her response was far too late, Yui wouldn't have been able to rest peacefully if she didn't get this off her chest. Her Grandmother had basically told her that she should follow her heart and that it was a blessing, not a curse, that her desires just so happened to coincide with Nobu's. Suppressing her emotions and hiding from the truth would only make both of them unhappy, so, for the sake of Nobu's future aspirations, Yui was willing to allow herself to love him."..."Unable to find the words to express himself, Nobu surprised both Yui and Onihime by slumping backward and sprawling out on the ground. He felt happy, sad, angry, melancholic, and a whole host of other emotions all at the same time. Part of him even wanted to tell Yui to fuck off, but, at the same time, another part of him just wanted to hold her and tell her everything was going to be okay...In the end, Nobu just placed his forearm over his eyes and remained silent. This left Yui feeling a remarkably painful sensation in her chest. It was like someone had gripped her heart, and, though she did her best to maintain a calm expression on her face, she couldn't help sniffling as a layer of moisture rapidly spread across the surface of her obsidian-blue eyes.Hearing the unexpected sound, a part of Nobu wanted to shout, "Why the fuck are you the one crying!?". Instead, he just remained silent for several seconds before lazily asking, "How long are you going to keep me waiting...?"Blinking in surprise, Yui wiped away the tears building at the corners of her eyes as she intoned a confused, "Huh...?"Without opening his eyes, Nobu exhaled a fatigued sigh as he said, "I wasn't lying when I said I was tired. If you're my fiancee, shouldn't you be sleeping next to me...?"For a brief moment, Yui couldn't quite believe what she was hearing. It was only when Nobu rolled onto his side and muttered, "Whatever..." that she came back to her senses and exclaimed, "O-One moment! I just need to remove my armor...!"Though he heard Yui's words, Nobu didn't respond to them. He really was tired right now, and, due to his conflicting emotions, he didn't feel like saying or doing anything. He just wanted to sleep and forget that today ever happened..."Master...?"Hearing Onihime's concerned voice from behind, Nobu remained silent for several seconds before asking, "What is it...?"Handing her head, Onihime's expression turned even more melancholic as she asked, "What do you want me to do...?""..."Resisting the urge to tell her to fuck off, Nobu briefly recalled how worried Onihime had been when she charged into the bath. He didn't understand why, but, ever since she had become his slave, she had always regarded him very highly. It apparently had something to do with the fact he didn't care she was a half-oni, but, as someone with Earth's sensibilities, he didn't think it was anything to write home about..."Just do whatever you want..."Though she knew he was basically dismissing her, Onihime's eyes widened slightly when she heard Nobu's words. Yui was still removing her armor and neatly arranging it at the side, so, with a look of conviction on her face, Onihime moved around to the front of Nobu and said, "Pardon me..." before lying down with her back against his chest."..."Had she tried this at any other point in time, Nobu might have asked if Onihime was touched in the head. After having sex with Inami, however, it was difficult for him to really care about anything. She was also remarkably warm, so, after an oppressive silence, Nobu just muttered, "Whatever..." before closing his eyes and immediately passing out.........(A/N: This novel needs a drama tag...*heavy sweating*...)

Similar to when he was having sex with Yui back in the cave, the excess Yang Elemental Energy in Nobu's body allowed his bones to mend in a ridiculously short period of time. The most awkward part was having them set and the events that directly followed.Feeling somewhat apologetic about the incident, Inami swallowed her pride and allowed Nobu to, as he would describe it, pound her from behind. The simplest way to avoid accidentally injuring him was to let Nobu take charge, so, with bluish-green casts on his arms, Nobu railed into the petite fox girl for the better part of four hours.Though he was a little confused that no one had come to check in with him, Nobu believed the fox girl when she told him that none of his kunoichi had been harmed. She had just given each of them suggestions that made them believe other people were on duty. Thus, until it was time for the usual change in shift, they didn't have to worry about being interrupted.Taking advantage of this fact, Nobu released a lot of his pent-up frustrations on the unnamed fox girl. As for why he hadn't asked her name, well, he wasn't a complete idiot. The only other person he had seen with an aura similar to hers was Hitomi. This meant she was, at the very least, a Mithril Lord. If she really wanted, she could kill everyone in the estate without breaking a sweat. Thus, for the sake of himself and everyone he was growing to care about, Nobu suppressed all unnecessary thoughts as he focused on fucking the fox girl like a beast in heat.To her credit, Inami realized what Nobu was doing shortly after she had inadvertently broken his arms. She just didn't say anything about it because it was somewhat understandable that he would be a little 'shaken' after having his arms snapped like twigs.Of course, the main reason she remained silent was that it was surprisingly pleasant to be on the receiving end of someone else's passion. It had been several hundred years since the last time she had sex. Even then, it was primarily for ritualistic purposes, and, more often than not, resulted in the death of her partner.Knowing that the man behind her was her future Lord, the father of her child, and the prophesied unifier of all Nian, Inami felt an emotion she could only describe as placation. She would normally feel disdain or outright disgust towards her partners. Nobu's 'compassion' and 'understanding' had left a deep impression on her, so, even after the seal on her womb had activated, Inami allowed him to continue ravishing her without complaint. Rather, she quite enjoyed it.........After firing what felt like his twentieth load, Nobu's body trembled violently as the last few drops of Yang Elemental Energy were squeezed out of his balls. He was honestly becoming addicted to this sensation of absorbing Yin Elemental Energy from his partner; it was almost like being hooked up to an IV filled with adrenaline. It not only healed his broken arms in record time, but, even though he had been going to town for several hours, Nobu felt like he could run up and down the mountain without needing to rest."Your pussy is insane..."Succumbing to the afterglow of his own ejaculation, Nobu wasn't thinking clearly as he gave Inami's bottom a light smack. This caused her tails to flicker, but, instead of lashing out at him for daring to strike her, she just trembled lightly before turning her body sideways and allowing his penis to free itself from her furnace-like insides.Exhaling a hot sigh, Inami observed the contented look on Nobu's face with a conflicted look in her eyes. She honestly didn't know what to do at the moment as this was the first time in thousands of years she hadn't killed her partner outright. It was also the first time in her entire life she had let her partner take the lead, much less slap her bottom. Thus, for a brief moment, she was at a complete loss until Nobu asked, "Are you okay? I doubt I actually hurt you, but it would be pretty dickish of me not to ask..."Though her ears twitched atop her head, Inami snorted in response to Nobu's words before looking away and saying, "I'm fine. If someone at your level was able to injure me, I'd be the laughing stock of everyone in Nian...""Right..."Scratching the back of his head, Nobu looked around his room for a moment before saying, "Well, I guess you should be going? I wouldn't want you to get in trouble with whoever you report to. Next time, try not to make such a big mess out of things. If it turns out you injured any of my people...I'll never forgive you..."Furrowing her brows, Inami turned to face Nobu before asking, "Why do you care about those girls so much? They are kunoichi. Tools used for killing and gathering information. If this situation were repeated with any other Noble, it wouldn't be strange for someone to need to apologize with their life. Why are you acting so nonchalant about everything?"Adopting a frown of his own, Nobu ignored the fox girl's line of questioning and asked, "Did you have a choice in coming here?"Tilting her head to the side, an action that caused her ears to flop in an unintentionally adorable manner, Inami asked, "What...?"Repeating himself, Nobu's voice became firmer as he said, "I'm asking if you had a choice. Were you told to come here or did you choose to do so of your own accord?"Though she didn't appreciate Nobu's tone in the slightest, a look of conviction gradually developed across Inami's face as she asserted, "I didn't have a choice." in a growling tone.Shrugging his shoulders, Nobu asserted, "Then it doesn't really matter, does it? In the end, none of us really had a say in how this event played out. Why should anyone be punished if the end result is something beyond their control? That would be like razing a village to the ground because you hit your toe on a rock in the forest. It's nonsense."Shaking his head, Nobu left Inami feeling even more at a loss for words as he leaned back onto his now healed arms and added, "Besides, with the exception of Yui, you're inarguably one of the best lays I've ever had. So long as you don't drop a bombshell like telling me you're actually fifteen years old, I'm not going to complain. If you weren't clearly trying to keep this a secret, I might have been tempted to talk to the Matriarch about letting you become a member of my staff."Though he was lying when he said he wasn't going to complain, Nobu got the impression that the fox girl in front of him wasn't simple. Unless he was sure of his and everyone else's safety, he wasn't going to antagonize her. He was even willing to keep what happened today a secret so long as she didn't try pulling a similar stunt in the future. As for sentiments like revenge, that could wait until he was much, much stronger.With her ears drooping slightly and her tails splaying out on the ground, Inami's expression became noticeably less tense as she asked, "You're not going to tell anyone about what happened today? It may sound odd coming from me, but do you believe that to be wise?"Surprising Inami quite a bit, Nobu nodded his head before casually answering, "I mean, yeah? What kind of idiot would go around advertising they were basically raped? Besides, those girls would lose their shit if they learned they failed to this extent. I would rather avoid seeing them beat themselves up over something they had no control over. I also don't need you lashing out or trying to eliminate witnesses and shit. So yeah, I'd say it's a pretty wise fucking decision."While she didn't completely agree with everything he had said, Inami was marginally impressed by Nobu's paradoxically brash level-headedness. A normal Noble might be haunted by this incident for the rest of their lives. They would do virtually everything in their power to regain their honor, even if it meant bastardizing their beliefs and committing irredeemable atrocities.A stark contrast to the typical Nianese Noble, Nobu seemed largely unaffected by the events that had transpired. There was a chance he was just trying to deceive her, but, based on his pulse, facial expression, and body language, that didn't seem to be the case. It was like he was completely used to things like this happening. Thus, instead of taking it to heart, he just pressed forward as if it was no big deal...("Perhaps this is one of the qualities required to unify the provinces? The ability to accept failure in stride and continue moving forward...hmmm...")Though she was in deep thought, Inami's expression remained relatively unperturbed as she stared at Nobu with her pale pink eyes. She had lived for more than six thousand years yet she had never encountered anyone even remotely similar to him. Since there was a very high probability she was now carrying his child, Inami couldn't help wanting to know more about him.Unfortunately, fate had never been kind to Inami. Without Inari's protection, there was a very high chance she would be executed the moment her crimes were brought to light. Truth be told, she was looking forward to this as she had long grown tired of acting as Inari's vessel. Now, however, a very small part of her wanted to continue living. She wanted to see how far Nobu could go, and, even if he never loved their child, she could still take some small pride in the fact she would be bearing his first...As that thought crossed her mind, a glimmer of conviction appeared in the depths of Inami's eyes as she suggested, "If you're serious about keeping this a secret, I can pull a few strings to make sure I'm among the members of your staff. As you've no doubt guessed, my status within the Clan is not low. Out of respect for your character, I will do my best to train your entourage so incidents like this never occur. Also..."Since he might not accept her terms directly, Inami tapped into knowledge she hadn't made use of in several hundred years. Her face immediately became beet red, and, though she pretended it was an involuntary reaction, she forced her ears and tails to fidget nervously as she swallowed audibly and said, "I wouldn't mind if we continued...you were a lot more...talented than I expected..."Though he was gradually becoming more cautious, Nobu, like most men, was still susceptible to having his ego stroked. Quite a number of men had performance anxiety so it was always a boost to their confidence to hear someone profess they were good at sex. It was a hell of a lot better than hearing they were shit at it, that's for sure.With an awkward smile developing across his face, Nobu scratched the back of his head as the age-old adage "keep your friends close and your enemies closer" briefly crossed his mind. He knew that the inordinately petite woman sitting in front of him was remarkably powerful. She may even be on the level of someone like Hitomi, so, while there were considerable dangers involved, there was also a tremendous amount of merit to having someone like her on his side.Understanding this was a chance to learn more about the woman without inadvertently triggering her suspicion and ire, Nobu only hesitated for a brief moment before answering, "Uh...sure? I don't really have a problem with it. I even reached an agreement with Suzune to have her daughter work for me. If someone as powerful as you is offering to help out, I would have to be an idiot to refuse."Despite sensing there was something amiss with Nobu's statement, Inami didn't call him out on it. This was one of the only ways she could reasonably conceive his child without drawing too much suspicion from the Elders. If she played her cards right, Nobu might even take her side when it was discovered she was pregnant. He had an abrasive nature, but, at the same time, he showed genuine concern for the people around him. If he believed he knocked her up of his own accord, that would eliminate a lot of future problems. Thus, with a seductive glimmer in her eyes, Inami crawled toward him with a practiced yet sincere smile on her face as she teased, "Wise choice..."......(A/N: Did Nobu grow a brain in the last ten chapters...?)

Chapter 80: Beneath the Surface...