Bittersweet

As much as he enjoyed watching Black Rabbit's ears bob up and down as she greedily sampled his 'carrot', it was well past the time when Vahn would normally meet up with Sarina and Nono. He had also promised Lily he would teach her how to barbeque various foods, so, after gently grabbing her left ear with his right hand, instantaneously stopping her movements, Vahn softly mused, "Now that we've crossed the line, we can do this as much as we want. However, we still have other duties and responsibilities. Too much indulgence leads to degeneracy. I don't particularly mind you becoming a lewd bunny, but the children would be sad if you neglected them..."

Though she waited until Vahn had finished speaking, Black Rabbit ultimately released his penis from her mouth with a 'pop' before adopting an apologetically meek expression and answering, "Sorry...I guess I got a little too excited..."

Shaking his head, Vahn caressed the side of Black Rabbit's face as he said, "There's no need for that. You've done nothing wrong. Rather, I feel like you've suddenly become even more amazing...I'm not sure I'll be able to hold myself back once night falls..."

Offering a smile, Black Rabbit made her own intentions known by gently biting Vahn's thumb as it traced her lips. This was perhaps the only critique Vahn could give her, as, from start to finish, she had persistently bitten or nibbled parts of his body. He didn't particularly mind it, but it had startled her quite a bit when her teeth managed to pierce the lobes of his ears. After that, she tried to resist the almost instinctual urge, but, less than ten minutes later, she ended up nibbling the same exact ear...

Seemingly incited by Vahn's words, Black Rabbit tightened her grip around his still erect member, a lustful look in her eyes as she answered, "I'm looking forward to it..." before giving his glans one last lick...

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"He's late..."

Though it was only a few minutes past the time when Vahn would usually come to pick them up, Sarina had been feeling on edge ever since he introduced them to Shiryaukihime. The latter was one of the most beautiful women she had ever seen, and, based on the way she looked at Vahn and referred to him as 'Master', Sarina couldn't shake the feeling that something was going on between them...

"Fret not, Sarina-sama. I'm certain Master will arrive soon. He is most likely dealing with Shiroyasha-sama. She can be...troublesome at times..."

Shifting her attention to the buxom Water Goddess, Sarina's pout became more prominent as her eyes focused on the former's cleavage. This caused Hime to feel a little self-conscious, but, recalling Vahn's praise, she managed to appear calm and unflustered as she tolerated Sarina's piercing gaze.

"Sarina-chan. It isn't polite to stare. I know you're worried about Vahn. However, you shouldn't take it out on others."

Hearing the childish yet motherly tone, a sigh escaped from Sarina's throat as she looked towards the voice's owner, Lily. She was sitting patiently alongside them with a ceramic teacup in her hands, a friendly, almost grandmotherly expression on her face as she returned a smile and asked, "Would you like something to drink? I'm using the tea leaves Vahn left behind. They're quite delicious."

Though it had only been a week since their first meeting, Sarina had already accepted that Lily was simply 'too powerful' an opponent. Not only was she unbelievably cute, but, no matter how difficult their lessons were, she remained calm and poised. She also possessed strong maternal instincts and a mature temperament reminiscent of a kind and caring wife. Thus, even if she wanted to see Lily as a rival, Sarina knew she wasn't a match for the remarkably kind kitsune.

"No, but thank you..."

Smiling even more radiantly, Lily made a similar offer to everyone else present before returning to her own tea with a content look on her face. This left Sarina feeling even more exasperated as she couldn't fathom how a girl three weeks her junior was able to behave in such a mature and elegant manner. If Lily didn't dress up in casual clothes and an apron, she could easily pass as a princess...

As that thought crossed her mind, Sarina briefly considered asking Lily for advice when a familiar vibration reached her ears. At that exact same moment, Vahn appeared out of thin air with a pink-haired Black Rabbit at his side, saying, "Sorry for the delay. I was ironing out a few particulars with Shiroyasha. I'll be providing ice cream and cheesecake as compensation. Make sure you save some space after dinner."

Since he had appeared right in front of her, Vahn took the initiative to caress Sarina's head before speaking. This abated the majority of her frustrations, a smile developing across her face as she excitedly exclaimed, "Ice cream and cheesecake!? I've always wanted to try them~!"

Like most children her age, Sarina's wayward thoughts vanished the moment she heard a promise of sweets. Vahn found this particularly adorable, so, while it earned him a disapproving stare from Lily, he pulled out a cone of cheesecake ice cream, winking as he said, "Don't let the other children catch you."

With visible sparkles in her eyes, Sarina accepted the cone of ice cream with an enthusiastic smile, exclaiming, "Thank you, Vahn~!" before happily lapping up the impossibly sweet treat. It was unlike anything she had ever experienced, and, were it not for the fact she had also known Lily's gaze, she might have considered asking for seconds.

"Vahn-sama...you'll spoil her appetite..."

Scratching the back of his head, Vahn adopted a wry smile as Lily continued staring at him with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. She wasn't angry, but, much like a parent that had just caught their child performing mischief, her emerald green eyes possessed a certain judgmental quality that compelled guilt.

Fortunately, Lily was remarkably adept at reading the atmosphere, so, the moment things started to feel awkward, she immediately regained her characteristically soothing smile, suggesting, "Shall we move to the kitchen? I told the children we would be eating something special tonight so I'm really looking forward to what you'll teach us~."

Responding with a light-hearted chuckle, Vahn took advantage of the fact that Lily had risen to her feet to caress her head as he answered, "Now I'm feeling even more motivated than before. Guess I'll have to pull out something truly special for tonight's lesson."

Supplying a chuckle of her own, Lily's tails began to waggle slightly as she mused, "I suppose so." in a calm yet audibly expectant tone of voice...

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After teaching most of the senior group how to braise and grill the meat of a mythological chicken known as a Basan, Vahn helped prepare food for the entire No Name Community before placing a number of self-serve ice cream stations around the restored banquet hall. It was adorable watching some of the children lament the fact they had eaten a little too much during dinner.

Fortunately for the children, Vahn promised to leave the ice cream stations until noon the next day so long as they promised not to quarrel over them. This earned him quite a bit of fanfare from the children, who, over the past week, had come to view him as something of a Patron God after Black Rabbit spilled the beans regarding his status.

Though the 'revelation' had caused Jin a bit of a headache, the teal-haired youth didn't blame Vahn for the mishap. Rather, after gaining access to some of the grimoires Vahn had transcribed for him, it was difficult for Jin not to view him in a similar light.

While magic was relatively common within the Divine Realm, knowledge related to it was both rare and valuable. The Little Garden didn't possess anything even remotely resembling a school system, so, unless you were born in a Community that emphasized the importance of education, you might not even have the chance to learn anything more than basic arithmetic. As a result, even elementary level magical grimoires would sell for a substantial amount, and, unless you had an alliance with the Community printing it, the odds of them actually selling it to you were slim.

The grimoires Vahn provided were so far beyond the basics that Jin had barely been able to control his trembling the first time he held one. They were the type of grimoires that, once mastered, would provide a substantial increase to the reader's capacity as a Magus. Thus, once he learned that Vahn was willing to share the knowledge contained within countless grimoires, how else could Jin regard him if not a Patron God? A Teacher? A Master? He was much more than either of those things...

"What are you thinking about, brat...?"

Hearing Vahn's words, Jin looked up from the ancient-looking grimoire spread out before him, a fatigued yet eager look in his eyes as he casually answered, "I was just thinking about how amazing you are to have memorized tens of millions of grimoires. I feel like I could spend the next ten years studying this one and I would still be learning something new each day..."

Shaking his head, Vahn ruffled Jin's already messy hair before saying, "Theoretical knowledge will only take you so far. I'm just lending you this grimoire so that you have an idea of what the future might hold. Once we start our actual training, I'll demonstrate the path to becoming an Archmage without needing to worry about things like this. You might not be able to imagine it now, but, once you exceed a certain level, the only things you need to actualize virtually any spell are imagination, authority, and control."

In an effort to prove his point, Vahn placed a seed of Source Energy into Jin's body, smiling as he said, "Go ahead and give it a try. I've granted you a bit of my power. All you need to do is imagine something you want and it should appear right in front of you."

"Something I want...?"

Nodding his head, Vahn placed his hands on Jin's shoulders, his already velvety voice taking on a somewhat resonant tone as he said, "The power I've lent you can only summon things within the vicinity of the No Names' territory. As for what-"

Before Vahn could finish speaking, both he and Jin were surprised when Sarina suddenly appeared out of thin air, a befuddled look on her face as the ice cream atop her cone plopped to the ground.

"Vahn? What just happened...?"

Using the grimoire in front of him, Jin concealed his beet-red face as an amused chuckle emanated from Vahn's throat. At the same time, a green glow appeared around Sarina's cone as the scoop of ice cream on the ground promptly returned to its place. This served as an ample distraction for the young girl, her eyes widening as she exclaimed, "Whoa...!"

Gesturing with his right hand, Vahn cast a basic obscuration spell on Jin's body to drastically reduce his presence. Even a beast person with extraordinary perception wouldn't be able to detect him, so, as far as Sarina was concerned, he might as well not even exist in the present moment.

Taking advantage of this, Vahn earned an embarrassed groan from Jin as he casually asked, "Sarina. What do you think of Jin...?"

Though she was a little surprised by the sudden question, Sarina didn't have to consider her answer, saying, "He's a little girly right now but I feel like he could become a dependable guy if he stopped studying and actually did something. Why do you ask?"

Shaking his head, Vahn maintained his smile as he answered, "No reason. I was just curious to know what you thought. After all, you are the Sub-Leader of my Community. Is it wrong for me to ask for your opinion~?"

Starling in response to Vahn's words, Sarina nearly crushed the cone in her hands as she exclaimed, "Of course not! If it's you, I don't mind answering all kinds of questions!"

Using a sound-nullifying spell to prevent Jin from hearing the latter half of Sarina's statement, a wry smile developed across Vahn's face as he said, "I'm going to transfer you back now. Thanks for your help, Sarina. I really appreciate it."

Since she didn't want to get in the way of whatever Vahn was doing, Sarina nodded her head with a happy smile on her face. She was delighted to be able to help even if it was just to answer a single question. The last week had been a little rough as she felt like she hadn't been able to contribute anything to their Community. This made her feel a lot better, so, without even questioning why he would call her to the library, Sarina maintained a smile even as Vahn teleported her away.

With Sarina returned to whence she came, Vahn returned his attention to Jin, a massive grin on his face as he asked, "Mind telling me what that was about...?"

Without any hesitation whatsoever, Jin replied, "I would rather not..." while burying his face further into the grimoire...

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(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Rabbits are known to nibble when they're horny (O w O)...','Lily could give Senko-san a run for her money...','RIP Jin xD...')

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