One-of-a-Kind

~~ Author Note ~~

https://discord.gg/6PBf4ccNCT

Hello, readers.

I'm sorry for not uploading in so long. I've been rather busy. I could type at work instead of reading, but I dislike typing on my phone. I'm trying to get used to it.

In better news, I got the finished commissioned artwork of the main character. It's the new cover image of the book. It is the mc with Nero. Don't worry. Nero will appear soon in the story.

Anyways I think I have finished editing this chapter, but I'm tired currently, so I might've missed some mistakes here and there.

As always, I hope you enjoy the chapter.

~~ End Author Note ~~

***

Upon returning, Dianthus attempted to leave Eruza in her bedroom. However, when he laid her on the bed and began to pull away, her arms shot forward and latched around his neck. She snuggled into his chest and began to purr.

He sighed but still smiled warmly. Retaking the sleepy feline into his arms, he proceeded to make his way to his room.

On the bed, Semiramis was still sleeping soundly. Dianthus carefully laid down beside her with Eruza sprawled on top of him. Even in her sleep, the goddess sensed his presence and snuggled into his side. Dianthus happily patted the two women's heads before drifting off into slumber.

After several hours Dianthus was awakened by the yell of an angry ratel. "No fair! Why do you get to sleep with him!"

Dianthus sat up and saw Eruza grinning smugly at the fuming Hitomi. "You're just jealous you didn't think of it," she said.

Hitomi glanced towards Ui, who was standing at the door watching the scene with curious eyes. "Why aren't you angry? This stupid cat left us out of her plan!" Hitomi was seething in anger due to jealousy.

Ui hesitated in answering Hitomi's remarks. Before she could come up with a proper response, Semiramis' voice chimed in from beside Dianthus. "She doesn't need to be angry. After all, she's already tasted his lips." The goddess chuckled sweetly, fully intending to increase the drama. For her, their bantering was refreshing.

Hitomi's face burned red as tears threatened to escape from the corner of her eyes. She may be prone to anger and love fighting; however, she was the most innocent of the three yokai. Hitomi felt left out and insecure about the status of her relationship with Dianthus. "It's not fair," Hitomi mumbled through her sniffles.

Semiramis, Eruza, and Ui looked towards Dianthus in hopes he would solve the problem. He lightly sighed as he waved his hand towards Hitomi. Blue jasmines surrounded and lifted the crying girl into the air, whisking her onto Dianthus' lap. He purposely used this flower to signify his trust and love for her.

Dianthus wrapped his arms around Hitomi's stomach. "There's no need to feel so insecure, my adorable, yet feral, princess." His warm breath tickled her ear, causing her body to tense.

A slight blush crept its way onto Hitomi's face as she grumbled in his grasp. "I'm not a princess. And I'm definitely not feral," she harrumphed with puffed cheeks. She was already embarrassed due to the meaning of the flowers he used to ensnare her. His words were only serving to increase that feeling.

"Of course not," Dianthus said with a smirk. He closed the distance, hugging her closer, and kissed her cheek.

Hitomi was struggling to stay angry through Dianthus' teasing. However, she persisted and turned her head away. Dianthus decided to put an end to her futile attempt at pouting. Although it was cute, he didn't wish to see her so dejected.

Dianthus once again brought his face towards Hitomi's. Rather than kissing her again, he instead licked the tears that had escaped her eyes and onto her cheeks. "That salty taste is quite lovely. Perhaps I should cause you to cry more often."

Dianthus continued to lick the side of her face. Hitomi couldn't keep up her act as she broke into a fit of giggles. "Stop being so weird. And stop licking my face. It's gross."

She turned towards Dianthus to stop his antics but instead received a quick kiss on her lips. Her blush spread further across her face. The other girls could've sworn steam was escaping from her ears.

Eruza crawled her way towards Dianthus and Hitomi. "Now, it's not fair to me," she complained. "Everyone else has gotten a kiss."

Dianthus leaned towards her and met her lips briefly with his own. Eruza's face brightened as she sat back smiling. Meanwhile, Hitomi was touching her lips with her hand as she replayed the scene in her head.

Semiramis just watched the whole interaction with a warm smile. At first, she was worried that she had hurt the poor girl's feelings by getting involved. However, now she was happy she got involved as it allowed the girl to overcome her complex.

As the girls calmed down from the situation, Dianthus clapped his hands to get their attention. "Although it wasn't exactly an ideal way to gather, you girls are all here. I have an important gift to give you all."

The three yokai looked at him curiously, wondering what it could be. As he released Hitomi from his lap, Semiramis questioned him. "You prepared a gift? How come I didn't know about it?"

"It wouldn't be much of a surprise if you knew, would it?" Dianthus shot back. "First, I want to confirm that all of you wish to stay with me forever. If so, I won't ever let you go."

"Fufufu," the goddess chuckled into her hand. "Do you really have to ask that now? Of course, my answer is yes."

Eruza raised her hand. "I want to stay with boss. He's sweet, fun, and caring."

"I want to be with you as well," Hitomi shyly mumbled, still embarrassed from earlier.

Ui nodded her head and smiled brightly. "I love you and want to stay as well."

Dianthus was happy to hear their words. "I see. I figured that would be the case, and I couldn't be happier that you all would choose to be with me." He snapped his fingers, causing the world to respond to his will.

Four vines sprouted from the floor of the room and grew in front of each woman. From each vine sprouted a unique flower that none of the women present have ever seen before, not even growing within the mass of flowers contained in this realm.

"In the many worlds I've visited, it's common to give the woman you love a ring that symbolizes your everlasting love. However, to me, it always seemed so lacking," he said sagely. "Instead, I decided to create a one-of-a-kind flower that symbolizes my love for each of you."

In front of each girl was a unique and special flower intended to exist only for them. In front of Semiramis was a beautiful jet-black flower with wisps of green that seemed to travel throughout the eight petals. As a goddess specializing in dealing with souls, Semiramis could recognize these wisps as fragments of souls that were destroyed and remodeled to fit the flower. The sight of these formerly living wisps was entrancing as they danced upon the petals of a simulated night sky.

Hitomi had an inky black flower with six petals that possessed jagged white rims placed before her. The plant contained a dangerous beauty that would deter most from touching it. Of course, that was a wise decision as those white edges were razor-sharp. Touching the black interior would cause the flower to curl the white blades inward to attack. Though, that wouldn't happen so long as Hitomi allowed them to touch the plant.

The flower in front of Eruza had twenty layered petals that formed a similar shape as a bloomed lotus. The entire plant held the same trademark pattern as her cheetah form. In the center of the petals was a smooth orb that was the same reddish-brown as her eyes.

Ui's flower had twelve petals stacked and arranged in a pattern similar to a drawn sun. Each petal was orange with wisps of pink along the spines. The colors were a picturesque representation of her favorite colors. Orange represented the color of her favorite food and vegetable. The pink was reminiscent of her hair and the unique strands of hair on the man she loved.

Each woman was smitten with the flower that was tailor-made for them. They continued to look over the flowers until Dianthus spoke. "The flowers are made to exist with you at all times. Go ahead and touch them."

The women reached out their hands and touched the plants before them. The flowers dispersed, leaving each girl with a warm sensation on their chest above their heart. When they checked what had happened, they noticed a flower tattoo similar in color to the plant that had just disappeared.

"The flowers can appear based on your will should you wish to view them at any time," Dianthus said. "Not only that, the flowers are connected to the concept of my godhood. That means you girls can come and go from this realm freely and appear by my side, should you so desire."

Each woman was so happy with the gift and its meaning that they worked together to tackle Dianthus into a group hug. Even the ordinarily elegant Semiramis joined in the fun.