Chapter 81: Remielle's Thunderous Grand Sitting (Patreon)

"And my pajamas? Why did you wash those too?"

Remielle pointed at the pajamas hanging on the rack and looked at Musachi, a trace of suspicion and a trace of shock in her eyes.

Had this guy been wearing her clothes while she was away?

No, wait. I need to go check later whether anyone's been through my underwear.

But he can't be that repressed... can he?

"They were rolled up in the sheets. I didn't notice and washed them together," Musachi said calmly.

"Oh."

Remielle nodded and said nothing more, deciding to take his explanation at face value for now.

"Alright, let's put Beli in your room."

Directing her as he spoke, Musachi had Remielle lay Beli down on the bed.

Luckily, Remielle's bed wasn't small. Even two people could sleep on it comfortably without running out of space.

"There..."

Once Beli was settled, Remielle let out a breath beside him.

Looking at Beli lying there with her peaceful sleeping face, Remielle couldn't help smiling.

"A few things happened along the way, but as long as Beli made it out alive, that's already a huge surprise."

As she spoke, Remielle tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear.

Then she felt a figure slowly approach from behind and wrap an arm around her waist.

"Hm?"

Remielle turned her head and saw Musachi holding her from behind, a look of puzzlement on her face.

"My dear Mr. Void Hunter, I don't think this is the right time for anything intimate. Beli's right there, and she could wake up at any moment."

Feeling the heat of Musachi's breath, Remielle felt a flutter of panic.

"It's fine. Judging by Beli's condition, she won't be waking up for a while. Of course, if that doesn't feel safe enough, you can keep your voice down. As long as you can control it."

As he spoke, Musachi's big hands roamed restlessly over her body, and before long they found her peaks.

"Gently."

She gave him a coy, reproachful look, her eyes glistening with moisture.

"I won't let you run away this time. Before, because of your identity, you kept a barrier up in your heart. I knew that. But that barrier's gone by now, hasn't it?"

Leaning close to Remielle's ear, Musachi softly blew into it, making her shiver. Then he smiled and spoke in a low voice.

"Mm... who said it's gone?"

Remielle's voice trembled as she said it.

This guy had been hungry for her body for ages, she knew that. And in this situation, it seemed she wasn't getting away.

"Even if it's not gone, that's fine. Barriers exist to be broken through."

Musachi gave a wicked chuckle, his eyes curving with a grin.

*

The battle went on for a long time. Perhaps because both had finally gotten what they wanted, neither Musachi nor Remielle was willing to stop.

At first, Remielle was the one holding her voice down. With Beli right there she was too nervous, and Musachi routed her almost at once.

Then, refusing to accept it, Remielle started a second round in Musachi's room.

Musachi had to admit, Remielle's firepower was simply too great. With one thunderous sit-down from her, he truly gave up everything he had...

Years of training had given Remielle formidable stamina. On that front, even Cecilia couldn't compare.

Normally, Cecilia would be routed within an hour, begging for mercy through tears before sinking into incoherent babbling.

But for Remielle, none of that was a problem. Even saddled with a first-timer's debuff, she was only at a disadvantage.

*

The next day, when a ray of morning sun slipped in through the gap in the curtains, Musachi slowly opened his eyes.

Then he sensed that something was off.

Why did his body feel so heavy?

Musachi raised a hand to feel around, and heard a soft murmur.

Next, he saw Remielle, who had been sprawled across his chest, lift her head and look at him.

Maybe because she'd just woken up, or because the afterglow of last night hadn't faded, her eyes were still hazy, and she didn't quite understand the situation.

Then she saw the smile on Musachi's face, and the events of last night came flooding back.

"Are you satisfied now, you impatient, scheming Shopkeeper?"

She said it through gritted teeth, plainly furious.

As the memories of last night returned, Remielle grew more and more furious.

After the two of them had laid everything out in the open, this guy had stopped holding back and eaten her up completely.

The worst part was that eating her was one thing, but he'd done it so wickedly, right beside Beli...

Heaven knew how agonizing it was last night, gripping the bed and enduring Musachi's teasing while staring at Beli's sleeping face in front of her.

She'd had to cover her mouth with all her strength just to keep the sounds in...

And Musachi knew exactly what state she was in, yet he pushed his luck and picked up the pace. When the first wave ended, Remielle was spent in a way she hadn't been in ages.

She'd collapsed on the bed without moving, her body still twitching slightly...

As for the second round afterward, that was pure stubbornness. But in the end she still came up one move short, and by the finish she didn't even have the strength to climb off. She'd simply slumped onto Musachi's chest and fallen into a deep sleep.

But now, feeling the enormous thing pressing against her lower belly, Remielle felt a stir of alarm.

Is this guy's stamina infinite? After last night, how is he still this energetic?

"Time to get up and have breakfast."

Remielle made an excuse to slip away.

Musachi grabbed her at once and pinned her beneath him.

"Breakfast? Isn't my breakfast right here? Such a delicious breakfast shouldn't go to waste."

*

Thirty minutes later, it was 8:40 in the morning.

That was much later than their usual wake-up time.

But since there were hardly any customers in the morning, Musachi and Remielle weren't in a hurry.

Still, when Remielle came out of Musachi's room, leaning on the wall, her expression froze in dismay.

"Wait, Beli... you're awake?"

Remielle's eyes went wide, and she hurriedly hitched up her camisole strap, which had slid down her arm and exposed a wide expanse of skin.

"Mm, I'm awake."

Beli nodded, a flicker of hesitation in her gaze as she looked at Remielle.

"Wait, when did you wake up?"

Remielle had realized something very serious: had Beli heard what just went on in Musachi's room?

"I just came out and saw you."

"Oh, I see. Sorry, I need the bathroom first."

Feeling the warmth inside her about to betray her to gravity, Remielle clamped her legs together and bolted into the bathroom, shutting the door behind her.

Beli hesitated for a moment, looked at the door to the room beside her, and in the end lacked the courage to push it open.

In truth, she really had just woken up, only a few minutes ago. But she'd heard plenty of what went on in the next room.

Especially Remielle's trembling voice, laced with delight...

She was an adult, so of course she knew what had happened next door.

Right now, though... pretending not to know was probably best.

Beli badly wanted to flee the place. But simply leaving wasn't right either, and if she stayed, running into Musachi would be awkward too...

For a moment she agonized. If she'd had a second chance, she would have pretended to sleep for another hour, which would have let her skip this awkward stretch entirely.

Then she looked at the kitchen door, and an idea came to her. She walked in and looked over the ingredients in the fridge.

Small as a sparrow is, it has all its organs.

Musachi's fridge was fairly well stocked.

None of them had eaten breakfast yet, so Beli decided to make something simple.

Egg and bacon sandwiches.

Meat and eggs, nutritious enough.

By the time Remielle and Musachi had taken turns washing up, Beli's breakfast was ready.

"Looks like you're doing fine now?"

Musachi raised an eyebrow at Beli as she carried out the breakfast, asking as if nothing had happened.

Remielle was still a little off, but she could talk normally now and wasn't as flustered as before.

Worth mentioning: once Musachi came out, Remielle kicked him hard in the shin and then pinched his waist.

It's all your fault. If you hadn't insisted on doing that first thing in the morning, Beli wouldn't have found out.

That was roughly the message.

Musachi's reply amounted to this: even if he hadn't pulled that stunt, Beli would still have figured it out from you sleeping in my room last night, and what that means hardly needs explaining, does it?

But... what's done is done. Let's eat first.

Remielle grabbed a sandwich without delay and took a bite.

Then a blissful smile spread across her face.

"Mm... that familiar taste. I never thought I'd get to eat Beli's cooking again. Waaah, I'm so touched."

"I never thought I'd come back to life either. I don't like The Creator, but I have to admit, the guy actually did one good thing..."

Beli's face showed a hint of helplessness as she spoke.

"So how are you feeling now?"

Musachi looked at Beli with some curiosity.

"Not bad. That feeling in my head is gone. I can tell I haven't fully escaped The Creator's grip, but he can't control me anymore, and that counts as a good thing."

Beli smiled lightly.

At the same time, she couldn't help looking at Musachi with curiosity.

All of this was the result of what Musachi had done.

She was very curious about this man who had won Remielle's heart and who had such formidable strength.

"That's good."

Musachi smiled and nodded.

Then he fell silent. Not getting the answer she'd wanted, Beli turned to Remielle beside her.

"Aren't you going to introduce this gentleman to me, Remi?"

Beli said with a smile.

"His name is Musachi. He's a man, a lecher, a pervert. Anyway, don't get too close to him, or he'll eat you up whole."

Remielle spared Musachi no courtesy at all.

"?"

Chewing his sandwich, Musachi turned to Remielle with question marks all over his face.

That doesn't sound like me, does it?

But Beli heard something different in it.

She knew Remielle well. Remielle seemed warm, but she actually kept people at a distance.

Back in Eridu, Remielle had countless admirers, many of them dignitaries and nobles, but she'd always been cold to them, polite but never close.

It could be said that, apart from Beli herself, the only ones Remielle had ever been close to and relied on were the few other Void Hunters.

Sunbringer, for one. Hoshimi, for another.

And now, that intimacy was being given to a man.

"Alright, Remi, tell me everything."

As she spoke, Beli glanced at Musachi, seeking his opinion.

"To be precise, I'm your junior."

Musachi smiled at Beli as he said it.

"Junior?"

"That's right. My name is Musachi, but I have another identity: a Void Hunter of New Eridu, the Taixu Sovereign."

Musachi said.

Beli's eyes went wide.

"Wait, you're the Taixu Sovereign?"

"What's wrong?"

Musachi was puzzled. Why was Beli reacting so strongly?

"Nothing, I'm just shocked. I figured the hero from the news would be some seasoned old guy. I never expected someone so young."

Beli said, studying Musachi's appearance.

Hm. Handsome face, sword-straight brows and bright eyes, a high nose bridge and slightly thin lips.

A smile always played at the corners of his mouth, making him look very approachable.

He was every inch a sunny, cheerful boy, enough to make even her heart flutter.

Watching him, Beli felt her heartbeat quicken without meaning to.

For some reason, since waking up, Beli had felt there was something about Musachi that drew her, though she couldn't say what.

It was as if... she felt close to him out of pure instinct.

But then she glanced at Remielle beside her and swiftly flung the thought out of her head.

What are you thinking, Beli? This is the man Remielle loves. How can you compete with her for him?

"So you know her? Come to think of it, I haven't asked yet. How did you two meet?"

Remielle looked at the pair of them and frowned.

"I know of him. I've been absorbing information these past few days, and the Taixu Sovereign's famous name was hard to miss. As for how we met..."

Beli recounted how she and Musachi had met. After hearing it, Remielle gave the two of them a resentful look.

"Well, aren't you two lucky. Meanwhile poor me, roughing it for days to find you... not enough food, not enough sleep, waaah, so pitiful."

"I had no idea you two knew each other either! And didn't I contact you the moment I guessed?"

Musachi blinked and answered innocently.

Watching them, Beli couldn't help smiling.

It was clear that Musachi and Remielle got along well.

But Beli was also a little surprised.

She had just learned how those two had met, and that was why she was surprised.

Sometimes fate really is wondrous. New Eridu isn't small, yet two Void Hunters had found their way to each other in a sea of people, following the guidance of destiny... the odds on that are truly absurd.

"What are your plans now?"

Musachi asked Beli.

"I don't know. I'll take it one step at a time."

Beli shook her head.

"If you don't know what to do yet, I'd suggest keeping your identity hidden. The forces inside New Eridu are tangled right now, and if you show yourself rashly you might get dragged into their disputes. There's no need. Better to hide in the shadows like me and wait for an opening. Compared to acting rashly, that may turn out better."

"At this point, it seems that's all I can do."

Beli nodded, a little helplessly.

"Mm. Not bad at all, this cooking. It's about on par with mine."

Swallowing the last bite of his sandwich, Musachi couldn't help remarking.

"Of course! Beli's cooking is great. Isn't it, Mama Vike?"

Remielle grinned at Beli.

"Don't call me that, Remielle."

Beli glanced at Musachi beside her and said, a bit helplessly.

"Hehe. It's so nice to eat Beli's cooking after all these years. I really hope I can have it every day from now on."

Remielle said something heavy with hints and nudged Musachi with her elbow.

Musachi caught on and quickly struck while the iron was hot:

"Oh, right, the shop happens to be short a cook. How about it?"

His eyes lit up as he said it.

"I wouldn't mind."

Beli nodded, agreeing to Musachi's proposal.

Remielle, beside them, fell into thought:

"Come to think of it, we're just a tiny bookstore. Do we really need this many employees? Shopkeeper, can you actually afford our wages?"

She eyed Musachi with suspicion.

"If I can't, I'll dock yours and pay someone else with it. Anyway, an employee who slacks off every day and skips work should have been fired long ago."

Musachi raised an eyebrow, shot Remielle a glance, and said it without a shred of emotion.

"For a tiny bookstore, this place is really a den of hidden dragons and crouching phoenixes."

Vike remarked with a sigh.

After breakfast, Beli didn't stay at the shop. She went back to her own place first.

She had to pack her things there before moving to somewhere near Sixth Street.

Musachi's second floor had only two bedrooms. Remielle wouldn't mind sharing a room with Beli, but Beli minded a little.

Mainly because she had no habit of eavesdropping.

She didn't want to wake up in the middle of the night and find her roommate had slipped off next door...

Or, to make it even more thrilling, the two of them might be up to mischief right beside her while she slept...

Although she hadn't spent much time with Musachi, Beli had a feeling he was exactly the kind of man who'd do something like that...

She was quite sure of it...

Nothing like that happened while she was unconscious yesterday, right?

*

Musachi spent the whole morning in the shop and didn't go out again.

The battle with Beli the night before was now the talk of Inter-Knot.

There were posts like "Showdown Atop the Ballet Building" and "The Fall of the Twin Towers."

Everyone spoke with great authority, and gossip threads were everywhere.

But the city government still hadn't found the culprit.

Seeing that, Musachi observed two minutes of silence for Senior Qingyi.

Clearly, Musachi could tell that Qingyi's favorite thing was slacking off.

You Qing folks all seem to have a habit of slacking...

"Shopkeeper, Shopkeeper, we're here~!"

While Musachi was scrolling through Inter-Knot, the little trio of Sunna and the others walked in.

"Oh? Big Sister Remielle is back too?"

Sunna's eyes lit up, and she said it with delight.

"Mm. I was busy with some things these past couple of days. Now that they're done, naturally she's back."

Musachi nodded.

"So... shouldn't we hold an event for the first time in a while? It feels like we haven't had one in ages."

Nangong said with a beaming smile.

"An event? I've got nothing else on today, so sure. What, are you planning another performance?"

Musachi looked at them with some curiosity.

"Yep, that's right. We've been preparing for our second show lately. This time, though, the ticketing will change. We plan to release half the tickets for events and sell the other half online or in person."

Nangong said cheerfully.

"I have a feeling that one day I'll be the one reaching up to you. Maybe once your tickets become hot items, I'll get rich."

Musachi's eyes lit up as he said it.

"Hehe, our Angels of Delusion account has quite a few followers now, and lots of passersby are saying they want to see our show. That's why we dared to put half the tickets up for sale."

Sunna was obviously delighted, since she was the one who'd built that account from nothing.

"Maybe in the future people will line up at my bookstore's door to buy tickets..."

Musachi was already daydreaming.

"Keep dreaming. Once our little angels get more popular, they won't save precious tickets for you."

Remielle pursed her lips.

"We will! The Shopkeeper has helped us so much. Even when we're famous, we'll keep half the tickets for the Shopkeeper's events!"

Aria said with a smile.

Musachi looked at Aria, touched.

"That's my Aria. I knew I didn't dote on you for nothing."

"Hehe..."

"No need, really. Scarcity makes things valuable, and if there's too much of something it loses its worth. If the event works that way, customers will see no tickets left and just leave. It won't last."

Nangong said with a beaming smile.

"So why not put out just a few tickets as a lottery prize? Each month of membership gets one lucky draw, and each draw has a chance of winning a ticket to an Angels of Delusion concert. That way, a handful of tickets can stretch several times over, even dozens of times over!"

"Nangong, you're a genius."

Musachi stared at Nangong, eyes wide, and gave her a thumbs-up.

This girl, so young, and she's this good at business?!

"Hehe, thanks. Some things carry over. Running a business isn't that different from playing the stock market."

She stuck out her tongue and said it modestly.

Musachi knew Nangong was wealthy. During one training session, Remielle had happened to catch a glimpse of the total Nangong had in the stock market.

Most remarkable of all, Nangong actually made money in the stock market!

That was incredible.

The stock market is a dangerous thing. On the surface it's a romantic market, but in reality it's treacherous beyond measure.

There was a student named Kurumi who played the market and dragged her friends into it too, and it seems it all ended up on the news...

And a good number of the other students who went bankrupt gambling on stocks ended up becoming divine attendant girls.

All you could say was that Nangong running wild in the stock market was a bit too ridiculous.

Thanks to the groundwork laid last time, this event was a great success, and today's revenue set a new record for Musachi's bookstore. As the Angels of Delusion grew more popular, it seemed things would only keep improving.

Sunna, meanwhile, was assigned to reception at the door.

In Nangong's words, this was a way to train Sunna. Making her stand at the door in a maid outfit and say "Follow Angels of Delusion, nya. Please follow Angels of Delusion, thank you, nya" was a very challenging task.

Still, it had to be admitted that the method was quite effective.

The Angels of Delusion were gradually getting on track.

Just then, another figure arrived at the shop door.

It was Hoshimi Miyabi.