Guiding Hand

Though it allowed its user to both fly and teleport, Vahn ended up gifting the Bong Bong to Arusha. He was perfectly capable of performing both functions without the aid of an item, so, with the Bong Bong manifesting as a pair of pink fairy wings, he couldn't shake the impression it was better suited for a woman's use.

Not expecting to receive a B-Rank item as a gift, Arusha fallen silent for several minutes following their return to his VIP suite. Then, despite being moderately submissive during all of their previous romantic rendezvous, she suddenly became 'very' proactive. It seemed that the members of the Lo Po Bia Family regarded gifts and favor in higher esteem than most, so, while there were no actual misunderstandings, she felt 'compelled' to work harder after receiving such a blessing.

Vahn had never been the type to expect his women to remunerate him for actions he performed as a matter of course, but, as it was always more fun when both partners were enjoying themselves, he didn't prevent Arusha from expressing her 'gratitude'. After all, he was just as blameworthy as many of his women when it came to handing out rewards, so, rather than make a big deal out of nothing, he decided to, quite literally, just enjoy the ride...

---

As a vessel designed almost exclusively for use as a Cruise Ship, the Archimedes was equipped with a number of facilities that even exceeded the accommodations of most Rankers. There were even a number of shops that were fully stocked by the Workshop, shops which, unlike those back in Sepia Harbor, had no restrictions. The only thing that mattered was that you had enough Points to spend, so, if you had somehow managed to accumulate billions of the coveted currency, there were even A-Rank defensive items available for purchase. As for weapons, anything above B-Rank was highly regulated by the Jahad Empire, so, unless you had obtained one during a conquest or as the result of a challenge, they were nearly impossible to obtain.

With the ability to produce comparable items without too much difficulty, Vahn wasn't particularly interested in the items being peddled by the Workshop. They wouldn't just allow him to analyze the items at his leisure, so, with only a few million Points to his name, he spent most of his time aboard the Archimedes at the pool or lounging within his suite. There was an entire waterpark inside of the city-sized craft, so, with more than a week until the second round of the Workshop Battle was set to begin, he decided to spend it observing and analyzing the tens-of-thousands of Regulars who had purchased passage onto the massive cruiser.

Fortunately, while he had earned a fair amount of attention from both solicitors and the paparazzi, they were less insistent than he had imagined. There seemed to be a rule against badgering people who were trying to relax onboard the Archimedes, so, after refusing them once, journalists from the same organization stopped bothering him. This was quite the surprise as, even in his Realm, people who purported themselves as 'advocates of the truth' could be 'very' insistent.

By the eve of the second day, Vahn's relaxation was only ever disturbed by teams seeking to recruit him or women seeking a momentary escape from the stresses of climbing the Tower. When it came to the former, Vahn didn't even need to consider his answer before politely refusing them. When it came to the later, however, he ultimately ended up accepting quite a number of their invitations. It had always been difficult for him to ignore people who were in pain, so, even if it was just for a few hours, he didn't mind listening to their stories and helping treat some of their mental scars before returning them safely to their original teams.

Though it wasn't really the reputation he was trying to build, these actions earned Vahn quite a bit of 'appreciation' from members of the opposite sex. Rumors could spread quickly even in a large city, so, with everyone confined to the same ship, it wasn't long before his name became common among intertwining information networks. This basically forced him to act as both a confidant and a therapist to numerous women, but, as this was par for the course when it came to his life, he didn't mind becoming their emotional anchor for a short period of time. As for the men who begrudged him for his actions, they ultimately had nothing but their sensitivities and personal expectations to blame...

---

Finished with yet another massage, Vahn used a clean towel to wipe away the oil from his hands before gently caressing the head of the white-haired Gynoid lying on the table. His skills weren't limited to beings of flesh and blood, so, even though she perceived pleasure and satisfaction in a fundamentally different way than wholly biological lifeform, it only took him a few minutes to both map out and master the unique beauty's weak points.

Feeling a sensation similar to a rush of caffeine or a small dose of adrenaline, the woman lying atop the table quickly blinked into awareness, her expression briefly showing confusion until she saw the figure of the man she had been conversing with several hours prior. After that, all the memories of their time together came surging back, and, though blood hadn't pumped through her veins in a very long time, the artificial chromatophores in her cheeks allowed her to emulate a blush as she averted her eyes and remarked, "It seems the rumors of your skills weren't exaggerated..."

Chuckling in response to the woman's remark, Vahn passed her a bathrobe to help cover her nudity as he casually replied, "I won't deny that I have a penchant for showing off, especially in front of a beautiful woman. Despite that, none who have known me personally have ever referred to me as a braggart. I'm just 'very' capable."

Punctuating his words with a playful wink, Vahn left the woman to ruminate for a few minutes as he retrieved her clothes from the wash. She had an important decision to consider so he didn't want to put her under even more pressure by just standing around. He knew what kind of effect he had on people, especially those who had experienced his 'attentiveness', so this was the least he could do to respect her autonomy. He had already deactivated the tracker within her body, so, regardless of what she chose, her future would be, at the very least, a little brighter...

Carrying back a pair of form-fitting shorts, a skintight top, and a rather stylish jacket, Vahn wasn't particularly surprised to find that the peculiar beauty was still naked. She had been lost in thought as she sat atop the table, her ruby-red ocular lenses flickering with light as she attempted to weight the positives and negatives of the choice he had presented to her. This, combined with the fact that she had no actual aversion to being seen naked by him, resulted in her simply sitting in silence until his return.

Coming back to her senses in response to his arrival, the woman showed a considerable amount of apprehension as she muttered, "Though I greatly desire for my body to be remade flesh, I still have many things I wish to accomplish. Prior to the procedure that turned me into this...thing...I was little more than a sickly girl who placed a heavy burden on her family and friends. With this body, I now have the power to fight and make my dreams come true...though it might sound hypocritical after all my prior complaining, I realized long ago that the weak are fated to suffer at the whims of those who hold power. Even if I am ultimately nothing more than someone's experiment, I never want to go back to being the same helpless girl as before..."

Suppressing a sigh, Vahn had to forcibly combat the urge to reveal everything he knew about both her and the people who had turned her into a Gynoid. She was just being used by one of the more errant members of the Workshop to test a number of different experimental technologies. Though she possessed a considerable amount of power compared to the average Regular, her current form also prevented her from growing stronger. As a result, she would have little choice but to undergo several other procedures as she climbed higher up the Tower. If she proved incapable or unwilling to abide by their demands, the only fate that awaited her was being 'recycled' for parts...

Unfortunately, regardless of the truth contained within words, that didn't make people willing to believe them. The most natural response was to adamantly refute inconvenient truths, as, without some form of direction in their lives, the average person would simply feel lost before ultimately giving in to despair once they had confirmed the truth for themselves. From there, very few were ever able to recover, so, after several seconds of tense silence, Vahn's casual expression gave way to a far more serious one as he said, "Even if it is only temporary, I want you to join my team. Allow me to show you a better way, one that doesn't require so many sacrifices..."

Since she was well aware of the fact that Vahn had refused a number of pleas to join his team, the biomechanical woman couldn't help but show considerable confusion as she asked, "You want me to join your team? Why would you extend that offer to someone...'something' like me? With your looks and capabilities, there are surely countless women who would happily accept such an offer..."

Understanding that a detailed explanation would actually make things more difficult, Vahn ignored the woman's self-deprecation as he approached the table. This caused her to recoil slightly, but, as he gently guided her to look back at him, most of the anxiety and apprehension in her countenance quickly gave way for a ruddy and embarrassed look. Then, once she had finally turned her eyes up to meet his gaze, he simply stated, "Everyone has the right to make their own choices. I know that, if you were to leave here without me having done my best to help you, I would regret it for the rest of my life. Though it might be selfish of me to put you on the spot like this, I would never be able to forgive myself if I didn't at least try..."

Though it was inarguably manipulative of him, Vahn had moved his hand to gently caress the side of the woman's face during his speech. He even went as far as to trace his finger along the back of her elf-like ear, exacerbating the blush on her face in spite of the fact that her left ear was almost entirely biomechanical. Then, just as she was beginning to show doubt, he tenderly placed his right hand at the side of her stomach, his palm resting against her unnaturally cool yet exceptionally soft skin.

Feeling a little overwhelmed by the situation, the woman's lens-like pupils began to expand and contract rapidly as her brain failed to process everything that was happening. If one were to look closely, they would even be able to see numerous 'error' texts appearing across her pupils, each an indicator of how she was currently feeling. Despite this, she continued to stare into Vahn's eyes, her conflicted feelings gradually melting away until she inevitably replied, "Okay..." in a meek tone.

Though a smile immediately blossomed across his face, Vahn knew she would still feel doubtful if her answer was something so half-hearted. Thus, as he brought their faces progressively closer, he adopted a firm yet guiding tone as he said, "You'll need to be clearer than that...I want to hear you say it directly...tell me, what are you going to do...?"

Having already acquiesced before, an almost imperceptible glimmer of conviction spread through the woman's eyes as she answered in a slightly more confident tone, "I will join your team...I want to follow you up the Tower...please, take me with you..."

Hearing her say 'please' towards the very end, Vahn began to feel a little awkward, but, burying his burgeoning feelings of guilt, his smile became even more prominent as he softly remarked, "That is a much better answer..." before giving her a simple yet passionate kiss.

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Arusha smash (OwO)~!','You thought he was having sex with all of them? Tsk tsk...','Is this the Legendary Cyber Elf Waifu...!?')

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