Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Though they each had rooms of their own, Asuka, Yo, Lily, and the tiny Earth Spirit chose to stay in the same suite. The bed within was large enough to accommodate ten people comfortably, so they just needed to be careful of rolling onto Lily's tails or inadvertently squashing their little faerie friend.

Thanks to a bushel of golden apples and a functionally bottomless teapot provided by Vahn, Asuka had quickly overcome her nausea. She had also gradually come to terms with the events that had transpired earlier in the afternoon but still felt compelled to ask, "Yo, about what you said before. You know, the thing about you loving me..."

Adopting a beaming smile, Yo leaned her head back against Asuka. The latter had been brushing her hair, so Yo was able to conveniently recline against Asuka's breasts as she answered, "I meant it. I don't think we can become lovers, but I never want us to separate. You're my first and best human friend, and I want us to remain together always."

Exhaling a sigh, Asuka adopted an ostensibly helpless expression as she reached up to gingerly caress the sides of Yo's face, a faint smile on her face as she said, "I also want us to stay together. However, I'm not sure how things will work out with both of us loving different men. Izayoi may be a perverted brute, but he is also reliable. Ever since he saved us back in the Game Board, my heart has followed him wherever he goes. Unless he went out of his way to betray me, I don't think I could ever stop loving him..."

Recalling the incident Asuka was referencing, Yo simply nodded. Izayoi had stepped in when the two of them were being accosted by members of the Apollo Familia. Apollo had taken an interest in their abilities pretty early on, so he conspired to try and forcibly recruit them. Izayoi stepped in, and, as a result, he ended up being forced to flee the city after wiping out the Apollo Familia.

Following Izayoi's departure, Asuka had worked tirelessly to increase her influence and clear his name. She ultimately failed in her goal of becoming Governess of Orario, but the experience had all but solidified her views on the rather roguish hero...

Having been paying close attention to the conversation, Lily chimed in to say, "I think you may be overcomplicating things, Asuka. I can't really see Vahn-sama or Izayoi-san becoming upset even if you and Yo entered into a relationship. Vahn-sama only wants the people around him to be happy, and Izayoi-san is more likely to joke about it than take offense."

Furrowing her brows, Asuka remarked, "That may be the case. However, it is the principle of the matter that concerns me. If Izayoi were to cheat on me with another person, be they man or woman, I'm not sure I could ever forgive him. As fond...as much as I love Yo, it would be hypocritical of me to hold him to a higher standard than myself..."

Though Asuka's words caused her to feel a little empty inside, Yo could understand what she was saying. It wasn't that Asuka didn't want to be together with her; she just didn't want to hurt Izayoi.

Thinking of solutions, Yo briefly humored the idea of asking Vahn if it was okay if she entered into a relationship with Izayoi. She got the impression he would be okay with it, but, at the same time, Yo felt a strange feeling of anxiety just thinking about being with someone other than Vahn.

Dismissing the idea nearly as quickly as she had thought of it, Yo rose to a seated position before half-turning to face Asuka as she said, "So long as we can be together like this, I'm happy. I just don't want us to grow apart and be unable to share things like we do now. Even if we both got married and started families, I would rather we raise our children together than be separated..."

Feeling her heart melt, Asuka muttered, "Oh, Yo...even after all this time, you're still so precious. Come here..."

Inviting Yo into her embrace, Asuka gave the comparably busty brunette a firm hug as she quietly added, "I can promise you this...no matter what happens with Vahn and Izayoi, our bond will remain eternal. You are like a little sister to me...no, something much, much more..."

Though she didn't go for the lips, Asuka planted a chaste yet lasting kiss on the nape of Yo's neck. Her feeling towards the latter were nearly as strong as Yo's towards her. She just didn't have what it took to abandon her principles and live a life without inhibitions. In that respect, she and Yo were polar opposites. It just so happened that opposites attracted...

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After stepping in to prevent her from being captured by Izayoi, Maxwell, the Demon Lord of Thermodynamics, hurled the body of the scantily clad blonde in front of a petite demoness with short purple hair, saying, "Keep your pets in line. The Game hasn't even started, but one of your members nearly got taken out. Our Master will not tolerate a second mistake."

Squinting her blood-red eyes, the petite demoness began to discharge a hazy black mist from the inordinately large and frilly sleeves adorning her slender arms. She, like most people, had never liked Maxwell. He wasn't even her direct superior, so she didn't delay in sending the black mist to swirl around him as she said, "Leave."

"Black Percher! You ungrateful wench...!"

Gathering heat in his right hand and cold in his left, Maxwell was prepared to teach the lower-ranked Demon Lord a lesson when a soft voice echoed from the void, stating, "Maxwell, I wish to speak with you. Attend me."

Though the voice radiated no anger or hostility, everyone within the room tensed. Even the scantily clad woman on the ground awoke from her deep state of unconsciousness, goose pimples breaking out across her body as she contemplated prostrating herself and apologizing for her failure.

As if the owner of the voice could read her mind, it assured her, "There is no need for you to apologize, Ratten. The appearance of the Sage Dragon Emperor has obfuscated matters in a way even I couldn't divine. For now, just focus on supporting your Master. As for you, Black Percher, continue according to the original plan."

Cupping her hands together despite her oversized sleeves, Black Percher respectfully lowered her head as she said, "Very well, Master. I will do as you command."

Though no one could see the voice's owner, everyone in the room got the impression it had just nodded. It was like an aura of affirmation had filled the room, drastically improving the morale of everyone present. The only exception was Maxwell, who, prior to his departure, directed a disgusted, hate-filled glare towards Black Percher and Ratten.

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After pacifying Shiroyasha and accompanying her back to the Thousand Eyes Branch, Vahn spent some time restoring the Chamber of Flames to its original state before renewing the flow of time. When he did, Sandora immediately started sniffing at the air, her face turning a little red as she noted, "Shiroyasha-sama is missing, and the air suddenly smells cleaner than before..."

Directing her crystalline blue eyes to Vahn, Sandora's expression became serious as she said, "Please tell me Shiroyasha-sama didn't do anything to my body when you stopped time..."

"What...?"

Though he understood why Sandora might ask such a question, Vahn was still a little taken aback by it. Shiroyasha had endeavored to 'prank' him by pulling Sandora into their flow of time, but he would never allow anything like what she was currently thinking to occur.

Learning everything she needed to know from Vahn's reaction, Sandora exhaled a sigh of relief. She would trust Shiroyasha with her life, but she was well aware of the Eastern Floor Master's eccentricities; they weren't exactly a secret.

"Sorry, Vahn. I'm just feeling a little befuddled due to Shiroyasha-sama's previous remark. She offered to let me piggyback her consciousness so I could experience what the two of you were going to do together. Though I refused, I would be lying if I said I wasn't at least a little curious..."

Shaking her head, Sandora attempted to clear her wayward thoughts. She didn't want Vahn to think she was a desperate or perverted girl.

Seeing through Sandora's thoughts, Vahn's expression visibly softened as he exhaled a sigh through his nose.

Only a few days had passed since Vahn's arrival in the North. However, thanks to his gratuitous manipulation of time, several months had passed since his initial encounter with Sandora. This included nearly two months with Sandora herself, so his views towards her had already changed quite a bit. He still felt she had a lot of maturing to do, but there was no reason they couldn't just expedite the process.

"Sandora..."

Feeling shivers pass through her body due to Vahn's soft yet resonating tone, Sandora found herself unable to speak as she turned to meet his luminous, aquamarine eyes. When he grabbed her hand, she felt a wave of warmth spread through her body that was only exacerbated when he said, "I feel like visiting one of my Actualized Worlds. Will you come with me...?"

Opening her mouth, Sandora's first instinct was to ask about the Festival of the Fire Dragon, but, knowing what she knew about Vahn's Actualized Worlds, they could spend a lifetime inside and still return before morning.

Without having to consider her response for too long, Sandora adopted a faint yet excited smile as she asked, "Where are we going...?"

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Though Sandora would have been fine with finding a place to settle down in the mountains, Vahn wanted to bolster her confidence and give her the opportunity to experience a grand adventure. He also wanted to create a unique experience for just the two of them, so he ended up taking her to an Actualized World known as the Ghibliverse. More specifically, he took her into the world of a game known as Ni No Kuni II.

While the story of Ni No Kuni II took place over several months, it had a kingdom-building aspect that spanned generations. The world itself was also remarkably similar to the North Side as there were vast, open plains and countless Elemental Spirits known as Higgledies roaming around. As for the civilization level, it varied quite a bit as the setting combined the fantasy tropes of excavating ancient yet highly-advanced technology and summoning Heroes from modern and futuristic worlds.

Sandora initially struggled due to the drastic disparity between her power in the North Side and her abilities within the Ghibliverse. Fortunately, she had Vahn there to help acclimate her to a brand new system of magic. He had also placed them at a point seven months before the start of the main story, so they had plenty of time to both adapt and simply live together.

Though things became a little complicated when one of the Heroines, a girl named Tani, started imprinting on Vahn, the latter managed to steer her back towards her intended love interest, a boy named Evan, using a bit of fate manipulation. He ended up feeling a little guilty about it, but he hadn't entered the Actualized World with the intent of having yet another young girl imprint on him. He was there to spend time with Sandora, so that was exactly what he did.

In the end, Vahn and Sandora spent close to seven years helping Evan and Tani build and expand their kingdom before choosing to return. They had already informed the residents of Ni No Kuni that they were travelers from another world, so the parting wasn't nearly as sad as it could have been. The only complication was Sandora promising they would return if the Kingdom were ever imperiled. Since Vahn had knowledge of the entire timeline from the outside, he and Sandora ended up having to return three times just to prevent her from being a liar...

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(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Asuka is a woman of principle...','Maxwell is slowly building his Aggro...','Vahn takes promises very seriously xD...')