Summoning Spree (1/?)

After opening the Intersection of Fate, Paul made his way into the interior, followed closely by Ningguang, Ganyu, Zhongli, Ei, Kusanali, and Kokomi. Paul wasn't yet aware of it, but the latter had joined Ningguang's staff as both a General Advisor and a replacement Secretary. Not because Ganyu had been doing a poor job, but because Ningguang anticipated she would want to follow and support Paul.

"Well, if it isn't Katheryne. It's good to see you."

Though Paul had already told her about Katheryne and the services she provided, Ningguang still acted surprised to see her. As for Zhongli and Kusanali, their reactions were a bit more genuine, the former smiling as she said, "This is a pleasant surprise." while the latter remarked, "I should have known you would appear at some point. Tell me, is there any place you Katheryne(s) can't appear?"

Returning a professional smile, Katheryne lowered her head and calmly replied, "Ad Astra Abyssosque. It's good to see everyone in such high spirits. If there is anything I can do to be of service, please let me know."

Since it appeared that Ningguang was about to force Katheryne to give her a thorough explanation of her goods and services, Paul waved to get the group's attention, saying, "I'm gonna get started on the summoning. Mind giving me a hand?"

Without any hesitation whatsoever, Ganyu replied, "Of course," followed by Kokomi chiming, "Certainly~!" with a friendly smile on her face. As for Zhongli, Kusanali, and Ei, they formed a perimeter around the summoning platform while Ningguang took a look at the catalog Paul had mentioned during their early-morning cuddle session.

With Ganyu's machine-like efficiency and Kokomi's earnest efforts, Paul managed to complete the summoning process in record time. The first two pulls netted him a Constellation for Lisa and a 4-Star Bow known as the Blackcliff Warbow. After that, he got his first unique pull, the meteor gaining a luminous purple hue that impacted the summoning platform and manifested into the form of a very petite girl.

Recognizing the girl immediately, Kokomi's face visibly brightened as she brought the tips of her fingers together and nearly exclaimed, "Sayu! How wonderful~!" in a merry tone of voice. In response, the sleepy-eyed girl, possessing short, green-tinted blonde hair, wine-red eyes, and a Maid uniform accented with a tanuki tail accessory, held up two fingers to form a half-ram seal as she replied, "Yup. It's me...nin..." in a lazy but fairly cute voice.

Since the two were clearly familiar with one another, Paul turned to Kokomi and suggested, "Why don't the two of you step off to the side and catch up? Ganyu and I can handle this."

Understanding that Paul was trying to be considerate, Kokomi adopted a squinty-eyed smile as she replied, "That is a wonderful suggestion. Thank you, Master."

Earning an instinctual smile from Paul a wide-eyed expression from Sayu, Kokomi punctuated her words with a kiss to the former's cheek. Her heart felt as though it was going to burst out of her chest when she did, but she wanted Paul to know she was genuinely appreciative of his concern.

With Kokomi moving off to the side to explain things to Sayu, the efficacy of manifesting Fates diminished by around 25%. Despite this, Paul and Ganyu managed to complete four additional 10-Pulls by the time Kokomi returned to assist them, netting two misses, a 4-Star Catalyst known as a Hakushin Ring, and Constellations for Rosaria, Kay, and Hina.

Following Kokomi's return, Paul managed to acquire a duplicate 4-Star Polearm, the Blackcliff Pole, before psyching himself up for his first Pity pull. Ningguang noticed this, as she had been keeping count, so she set aside the catalog for a brief moment, her ruby-red eyes focused squarely on the sky above.

Feeling the tensions increasing, the giddiness that always accompanied a 5-Star summoning caused a rather fierce-looking smile to develop across Paul's face as he raised his gaze to the azure sky and practically growled, "Confirm...!"

Noticing the change in Paul's expression and demeanor, a thoughtful glimmer flashed across Kokomi's eyes as she briefly made eye contact with Ganyu. Neither said anything, but both got the impression that, for a brief moment, Paul had become a completely different person.

Unaware of the girls' thoughts, Paul's gaze followed the brilliant golden meteor as it erupted into a series of smaller comets that crashed into the summoning platform. They produced a blinding light on impact, but Paul didn't so much as blink as he eagerly anticipated the arrival of a new ally, a powerful weapon, or a 5-Star Constellation.

Just as Paul's excitement reached a critical level, the light faded away to reveal the figure of a strikingly beautiful woman with sakura pink hair and droopy, distinctly animalistic ears. She was wearing a Maid outfit, as per usual, but it more closely resembled the clothes of a Shrine Maiden than a traditional Maid. When she opened her eyes, Paul felt a fresh layer of goosebumps spread across his body as her violet purple eyes seemed to pierce directly through him as she said, "It's about time..." in a casual-sounding yet somewhat still seductive tone.

Before Paul could even think to greet the woman, Ei abrupted shouted, "Yae!?" in a tone that was equal parts surprise and excitement. She was usually a very reticent woman, so even Paul was a little caught off guard by the beautiful smile that immediately blossomed across her face.

Adopting an alluring smile of her own, Yae replied, "It's good to see you again, Ei. However, before I can pick your brain for all the juicy details surrounding your relationship with our Master, there is another matter I must attend..."

While Ei was blushing up a storm imagining Yae's imminent pestering, the vulpine woman looked towards Paul before bringing her fingers together in front of her body and bowing low as she said, "Yae Miko, High Priestess of the Grand Narukami Shrine, personal friend of Raiden Ei, and Editor-in-Chief of the Yae Publishing House, greets her Master."

Since she hadn't risen to her feet following her summoning, Yae's bow resembled a young Japanese woman greeting her husband for the first time. It was the same type of bow that Ei had performed during her first encounter with Paul, but the impact was on an entirely different level. It was like every fiber of Yae's being exuded raw, unadulterated sex appeal.

Smelling Paul's arousal, a seductive smile developed across Yae's face as she raised her head just enough to reveal her purple eyes, glistening like active Electro Visions as she purred, "Yae looks forward to being able to serve her Master...whatever he may desire..."

Resisting the urge to push the pink-haired fox girl then and there, Paul returned a smile of his own as he said, "You and I are going to get along." before jerking his head toward Ei and saying, "Go and talk to your former Master. I still have more summons to do."

Though she couldn't help squinting her eyes when Paul referred to Ei as her former Master, Yae didn't protest or try to refute his claim. She knew what kind of situation they were in, so she just lowered her head politely before rising to her feet and gracefully meandering toward Ei. The God of the Boundaries had told them that time flowed at a rate of 100:1 between the outside world and the Intersection of Fate's waiting area. Thus, even though it had only been 24 days and fours hours since Ei was summoned, Yae knew it must have been around seven years from the perspective of her friend and former owner. If Paul had hurt her even once in that time period...

Unaware of the terrifying thoughts brewing in Yae's mind, Paul, assisted by Ganyu and Kokomi, continued with their summoning. As a result, they were able to obtain a 4-Star Claymore resembling a giant katana, a miss, and a Constellation for Fischl before acquiring their next ally, a demure yet intellectual-looking girl with mint-green hair, wolfish ears that blended in with her hairstyle, and amber-eyes that quivered nervously behind a pair of thick-rimmed glasses.

Recognizing the young woman as one of his formerly favorite characters, primarily as a result of her default, form-fitting outfit and clumsy nature, a teasing smile developed across Paul's face as he playfully mused, "I was wondering when you would make your appearance. Welcome to the world of Mushoku Tensei, Sucrose."

"Ah..."

Not expecting Paul to address her by name, Sucrose appeared even more nervous, a prominent red hue spreading through her face as she appeared to shrink into herself, replying, "H-Hello. Y-You must be Master Paul. It's a p-p-p-pleasure to meet you...!"

With nearly a month to think about what she would be forced to do once summoned, Sucrose couldn't meet Paul's gaze as she held up her thick-rimmed glasses with both hands and squeezed her thighs firmly shut. His apparent familiarity with her only made things worse, as it heavily implied he had been looking forward to summoning her.

Feeling a strange combination of satisfaction and guilt seeing Sucrose's reaction, Paul's smile became a little wry as he scratched the back of his head, turned to Ganyu, and asked, "Can you take care of this one? I get the feeling she might pass out if I'm the one to explain things."

Nodding her head, Ganyu replied, "Certainly." before rising to her feet and approaching Sucrose with a disarming smile. Her aura immediately helped to alleviate some of Sucrose's nervousness, but her movements were still a little awkward as she pressed down the front of her curiously short skirt and shuffled away with her thighs squeezed together. What Paul found most amusing about this was the fact that Sucrose's efforts to protect her front ended up completely exposing her pert and perky bottom...

While silently regretting the fact he hadn't summoned Sucrose earlier, Paul returned his attention to the summoning circle and continued the process of slotting in Asura Gold Coins to produce Acquaint Fates. The addition of two animal-eared beauties to his entourage had put him in a great mood, so, even though he got four misses in a row, Paul maintained a smile and pretended it didn't bother him. Fortunately, the roll after that was guaranteed to give him a 5-Star ally or weapon.

Placing his palms against the stone activation panel, Paul mused, "Here's hoping for an Archon..." before adopting a far more severe expression and shouting, "Confirm...!"

Following another spectacular light show, something Paul never got tired of, the brilliant golden light faded away to reveal a petite figure that many in the community argued to be the 'true' Pyro Archon. And why shouldn't they when her idea of leisure was creating bombs and using them to blow up fish?

Standing at a meager 121.5cm tall and possessing features that included elf-like ears and pale blonde hair fastened into two pigtails, the faux-Pyro Archon, better known as Klee, appeared disoriented as she looked around and asked, "Mommy? Where did you go...?" in a flummoxed tone. From her perspective, she had been in the middle of enjoying her mother's embrace when, all of a sudden, a floaty feeling filled her chest. After that, she felt a sensation of weightlessness, followed by a sudden yet painless stop.

Feeling a nervous sweat breaking out across his body, Paul's smile visibly cramped as he stared at the ruby-eyed girl seated across from him. Back when he was a child, he had made a concerted effort to try and summon Klee as early as possible. He figured he could avoid a lot of trouble by growing up alongside her, so obtaining her now was kind of a slap in the face. Not because he wasn't happy to have her as a part of their group, but because Klee's words made him feel as though he had just abducted her...

Finally noticing the presence of other people, Klee tilted both her head and body as she stared at Paul, a thoughtful "Hmmm...?" emanating from her throat. She usually wasn't very good at critical thinking, a quality that often got her into trouble, but, as far as Klee could tell, Paul was the only boy present. Thus, after a tense moment of silence, she said, "My mommy told me to tell you she would skin you alive if you touched Klee before she grew up. She also told Klee to put bombs under your pillow you ever-oh, I wasn't supposed to tell you that part...well, it's fine? Klee will do her best, just no naughty stuff, okay~!?"

Since he had no intention of placing his hands on a girl that looked to be around 8-10 years old, Paul just exhaled a dry laugh in response to Klee's words before adopting a less cramped smile and saying, "I'll keep that in mind. Welcome to the world of Mushoku Tensei, Klee."

Linking her hands behind her back, Klee adopted a smile as radiant as the sun as she leaned forward slightly and happily replied, "Let's have lots of fun, okay~?"

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