102 Conflict : Resolution

While Ningguang stared off into space with a listless look on her face, too tired to even activate the crest on her abdomen, Paul silently marveled at her naked form, covered from thigh to face in his fluids.

Having gone to prepare towels and warm water around the time Paul was going down on Ningguang in a compromising position known as the butter churner, Ganyu was ready and waiting when the 'spirited' session of love-making came to an end. While Paul seemed to be admiring his handiwork, she approached him with a warm towel and began to wipe him down with a faint, dreamy-eyed smile.

After saying nothing for the better part of a minute, Paul, still staring at Ningguang, questioned, "Do you think less of me now that I have shown my 'true' colors...?"

Maintaining her smile, Ganyu dabbed at Paul's chest with the towel as she unhesitantly replied, "I could never think less of you. Despite the burden that has been forced upon you, you've done your best to stay strong and support our cause. So long as you never lose sight of the person you wish to become, I think it's okay for you to be a little selfish..."

Moving the towel further down Paul's chest, Ganyu's hazy, purple-pink eyes began to shimmer as she sensed the changes in his aura. When she looked up at him, she found Paul staring at her with a possessive look on his face that caused her heart to begin racing.

Exhibiting nothing but pure devotion in her gaze, Ganyu drew her face and body closer to Paul's as she asserted, "If you're worried about hurting the others...you can always unleash your desires on me. The bodies of Adepti are much stronger than humans...I promise not to break..."

With Ganyu's face only a few centimeters away from his own, Paul was unable to resist planting a kiss on her pale, almost imperceptibly purple lips. After what he had done to Ningguang, forcing her to climax over and over until she was slipping in and out of consciousness, he couldn't help feeling a little ashamed of himself. He didn't regret it, but he was afraid that Ganyu would judge him or that the others might come to fear him if he stopped holding back. Hearing Ganyu's supportive words, it was like a great weight had been removed from both his heart and shoulders...

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With Ganyu showing the way, Paul found himself at the entrance to what would ordinarily be the woman's bath. The few men that worked as a part of Ningguang's staff weren't allowed to come anywhere near the parts of the complex that had been set aside for women's bathing and relaxation, but Paul was, unsurprisingly, an exception to that rule.

Stopping outside the entrance to the changing room, Ganyu maintained her usual smile as she asked, "With your permission, I would like to return to Lady Ningguang's chamber. Her pride will not allow her to make use of the bath in her present condition, so I would like to help her get cleaned up before joining her in the bath later this evening."

Since he had expected Ganyu to return to Ningguang's side the moment they reached the Strife Zone, Paul just nodded his head and said, "Sure. I guess I'll see you tomorrow morning?"

Adopting a marginally more prominent smile, Ganyu replied, "Of course. If you'd like, I can even come by to wake you. Miss Diona will probably be out of commission first thing in the morning, so I can look after her while you eat breakfast and speak with Lady Ningguang."

With Ganyu's reminder, the image of a brave but naive cat girl appeared in Paul's mind. He had no intention of treating her like Ningguang, but it was reasonable to assume she would be in a sorry state come morning. It was still pretty early in the afternoon, and he had promised to stay with her all night. Against his monstrous stamina and considerable experience, Diona was at a rather extreme disadvantage trying to take him on herself.

Nodding his head in approval, Paul answered, "That's probably a good idea. I intend to go easy on her, but I get the feeling she will egg me on even after she's reached her limit."

Covering her mouth, Ganyu issued a soft chuckle before lowering her hand to reveal a radiant smile as she said, "That certainly sounds like Diona."

Not wanting to keep Paul for too long, Ganyu followed her words by folding her hands over her lap and bowing respectfully. Paul had forked over 1300AGC to purchase everyone their original outfits from the game, so this placed a heavy emphasis on her perfectly sculpted breasts, thinly veiled behind a piece of formfitting black cloth.

Though he would beat the shit out of others for doing the same, Paul made no attempts to conceal his gaze as he followed Ganyu's departure. It was only once she had disappeared around a corner that he shifted his gaze to the group of girls that had been 'sneakily' observing him from the shadows of the entry corridor, musing, "Enjoying the view...?" in a cheeky tone.

Stepping out from behind the wall preventing people from peeking into the changing room, it was a dark-skinned beauty with streaks of fiery red and orange in her long hair who replied, "See? I told you he would be able to sense us. We shoulda just waited with everyone else."

Before her other two cohorts could respond, the lithe and athletic-looking woman adopted a toothy smile as she raised her hand and said, "Yo! Long time no see, Paul. You're lookin' good."

Returning a broad smile of his own, Paul countered, "Speak for yourself. You look amazing, Xinyan. Have you started wearing your hair down...?"

Laughing to conceal how bashful she felt as a result of Paul's compliment, Xinyan reached up to grab a few strands of her hair as she replied, "Nah, I just took out my hair ornaments to bathe. Speaking of which, how long do you intend to keep dawdling out here? Some of us have been waiting for a full hour."

Realizing what she had just said, the blush creeping into Xinyan's cheeks became far more prominent. Luckily, she wasn't the only one present, so she attempted to play it off by saying, "Anyways, you three have fun. I'll be inside with the others."

Without waiting for a response, Xinyan promptly retreated into the relative safety of the changing room. As for her compatriots, a buxom, strawberry blonde with a wild ponytail and a very free-spirited looking girl with long brown hair and a large bow resembling bunny ears, they adopted knowing smiles as they lingered behind.

Recognizing the two women as Yoimiya and Amber, the teasing smile on Paul's face softened into an affectionate look as he said, "The two of you also look incredible. Sorry for not saying so sooner..."

While Yoimiya just smiled and held up a peace sign, Amber adopted her characteristically toothy grin and replied, "Thanks for the compliment! I was honestly hoping to grow a little more around the chest area, but I'm happy enough just having my original form."

Blinking in surprise, Paul asked, "Original form? This is what you looked like back in your previous world...?"

Since the world of Mushoku Tensei appeared to be covered in some kind of cel-shaded filter that made it resemble an anime, there were several disparities between the girls' current and video game appearances. Paul had always thought they were like him, experiencing a world significantly different from their own, but it appeared their version of Teyvat had the same graphical fidelity as the world of Mushoku Tensei. In hindsight, that actually made a lot of sense. After all, their actions were supposed to be creating a bridge between the two worlds; It would be strange if they had drastically different appearances.

Confused by Paul's words, Amber reacted with a puzzled, "Huh?" before asking, "Did I look different where you were from?"

Instead of answering Amber's question outright, Paul just shook his head before looking to Yoimiya and asking, "What about you? Is this the same appearance you had in your previous world?"

Though she was just as confused as Amber, Yoimiya maintained a friendly smile as she cheekily replied, "Why? Disappointed~?"

Realizing he might be overreacting, Paul shook his head a second time before staring into the girls' fiery eyes and answering, "No way in hell. If I even pretended to be disappointed in your girls' beauty, a horde of ghosts from my previous world would find a way to break through the boundaries and possess me."

Adopting a broader smile, Yoimiya playfully mused, "Spooky." before half-turning towards the changing room and adding, "I'll see you on the inside. There, you can admire my beauty as much as you like."

After punctuating her words with a wink, Yoimiya turned around and made her way into the changing room. This left Paul and Amber as the only two people remaining in the corridor, the latter suddenly appearing nervous as she hid her hands behind her back, averted her eyes, and softly muttered, "Hey...about tonight..."

Raising his brows, Paul asked, "What's up...?" in a curious tone that belied the fact he already had a pretty good idea what Amber was about to ask.

Matching Paul's expectations, Amber eventually met his gaze as she said, "I'm worried about Diona. I know you would never do anything to try and hurt us, but I don't think she should be alone for her first time. I talked to Eula, and she told me about some of the stuff you did together..."

As someone who had only slept with the immature version of Paul, Amber couldn't help feeling worried after hearing Eula express just how much he had grown. Seeing him in person had only exacerbated her concerns, as, despite being around 153cm tall, she barely came up to Paul's shoulders.

Though he understood Amber's concerns, Paul ultimately shook his head and said, "I promised Diona it would be just the two of us. If I showed up with you and other girls in tow, can you imagine how betrayed she would feel?"

Knowing Diona better than just about anyone, Amber exhaled a defeated sigh in response to Paul's words. Diona had an excessive amount of pride and was borderline obsessed with the concept of adulthood. Amber had even discovered the pink-haired cat girl engrossed in some pretty colorful books, all in preparation for the day she would prove herself to Paul.

Hugging herself as an act of self-comfort, Amber looked up at Paul with a pleading gaze as she said, "Please be gentle with her...she likes to act like an adult, but Diona is still a child in many ways. She would never admit it, but there are times when she will cry and call out to her father when she sleeps..."

Exhaling a sigh of his own, Paul annoyed Amber ever so slightly by patting down her ribbon and caressing her head. The truth of the matter was that he was well aware of Diona's recurring nightmares. She was a desperately lonely girl, so much so that the entire reason she became a bartender was due to her father's alcoholism. Her dream of creating a drink so disgusting that it caused people to quit drinking entirely was so that her father would spend more time with her.

"Relax. I'm not some brute that only knows how to shove his dick into a hole. Even if someone put a blade up to my throat and threatened to kill me, I wouldn't harm Diona..."

Though she crinkled her brows due to Paul's roguish language, Amber felt at ease hearing his follow-up remark. Paul wasn't the type of person to go back on his word, so she believed Diona would be okay after hearing him make such a bold statement.

Surprising Paul with a firm hug, Amber rubbed her cheek against his chest as she whispered, "Thank you, Paul." in a sincere tone. Then, feeling more than a little embarrassed, she followed Xinyan's example by turning away and promptly retreating into the changing room...

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