MI97: Reflection : Resolve (Patreon)

Though he had only ever tried it once or twice in his previous life, Paul felt a sudden urge to smoke a cigarette as he stared off into the dimly lit room he and Kaeya had leased for the night. The latter was lying next to him on the sofa, a similarly dazed expression on her face as she absentmindedly caressed the glowing seal on her abdomen.

*tok* *tok* *tok*

Hearing a knock at the door, Paul wrapped a towel around his lower body while Kaeya just rolled over so that her back was facing the door. She was beyond exhausted, so she didn't feel like getting up to get dressed.

Opening the door, Paul found a short, freckle-faced girl with pale blonde, nearly white hair staring up at him with a faint blush on her face. Paul was far from the tallest person in the world of Mushoku Tensei, but he towered over the average person by nearly a full head.

Breaking the tensions, Paul asked, "What's up...?" in a lazy-sounding tone.

Fearful of Paul's gaze, the petite woman lowered her head only to blush further as she caught sight of his perfectly sculpted abs. For the briefest of moments, she imagined herself tracing her fingers across them before finally mustering the sense to mutter, "Honored guest...the matron asked me to inform you that it's already morning...if you'd like to continue using the room, you'll need to pay a fee..."

"Mmm..."

Leaving the girl standing at the door, Paul walked over to his coin purse to grab a single Asura Gold Coin. The suite they were renting only cost two silver, but he wasn't of the mindset to care about such things as he flicked the coin to the startled girl and ordered, "Bring us something to eat."

After biting the coin to ensure it was real, the pale-haired woman bowed in a manner that accented her rather large breasts as she replied, "Please, take your time. We'll have food and drink prepared shortly."

With Paul waving her away, the woman promptly closed the door behind her before hurrying downstairs. As for Paul, he made his way over to the sofa where Kaeya was currently curled up, plopping down beside her and staring up at the ceiling as he repeated, "It's morning..."

"I heard..."

"..."

As a tense silence began to permeate the ambiance of the VIP suite, Paul eventually exhaled a sigh. He honestly didn't know what to feel right now, but that didn't stop him from muttering, "It was good..."

"Mmm..."

Since she also didn't know what to say, Kaeya just hummed as memories of the previous night repeated in her mind. She wasn't lying when she said she preferred women, but having sex with Paul was just...different from anything she had ever experienced. She suspected the Intersection of Fate was to blame, but their compatibility was ludicrous...

She didn't want to admit it, but for the first time since she was summoned into this world, Kaeya genuinely felt like a woman.

*tok* *tok* *tok*

With the passage of several minutes, a trio of women carrying plates of food and pitchers of various liquids arrived at the luxury suite. Their faces flushed a deep crimson when they saw Paul but subsequently paled when they noticed Kaeya, seemingly despondent, curled up on the sofa.

Noticing the pitying looks the girls were directing at Kaeya, Paul rolled his eyes and said, "Leave us." in a firm tone. They immediately complied, but that wouldn't stop them from speculating and spreading rumors. Paul was a pretty popular subject among the residents of Sharia, so the fact he had spent nearly ten hours fucking a single woman was bound to circulate.

Since he had intended this to be the first and last time he and Kaeya had sex, Paul kept his word and kept going until the very end. Ironically, that was pretty much the only rule that survived the evening, as, less than an hour into their carnal exchange, Kaeya was crying out intensely, and Paul was kissing her without regard for his previous apprehensions.

Now that he had calmed down, Paul felt like he should be disgusted with himself, but the only thing he felt was a peculiar feeling of emptiness. It was like he was in a perennial state of post-nut clarity, forcing him to stop and reflect on his previous words and actions...

Freeing Paul from his endless reflection, Kaeya abruptly sat up and said, "We did nothing wrong." with an uncharacteristically serious look on her face.

Though he was momentarily surprised by Kaeya's sudden outburst, Paul eventually nodded his head and replied, "Yeah...if anything's to blame, it's the IOF for forcing us into this situation. If it had let-"

Shaking her head, Kaeya interrupted Paul's words, saying, "Stop. What's done is done. You're the Champion, and I'm a chick. All we can do now is move forward and make the most of the hand we've been dealt. Agreed?"

Seeing Paul nod his head, Kaeya forced a smile and added, "Then that's that. From now on, let's only think about the future. To make things easier, you can call me Kay from this point forward. Since this is a new life, I may as well adopt a new name to go along with it."

As if the matter was settled, Kaeya, now Kay, combed through her silky blue hair with her right hand, a marginally more genuine smile adorning her face as she mused, "Also, you're wrong about last night..."

Recovering from his momentary stupor, Paul furrowed his brows as he asked, "What do you mean?"

Adopting a squinty-eyed smile reminiscent of Lisa, Kay stared directly at Paul as she asserted, "It wasn't just good...it was amazing..."

Unable to refute the blunette's words, a wry smile formed across Paul's face as he exhaled an awkward laugh. He still wasn't entirely sure how he felt about the previous night, but he could appreciate Kay's willingness to move forward. Paul often struggled to do the same, but he was willing to make an effort if she was.

Forcing a smile of his own, Paul held eye contact with Kay as he asked, "What now...?"

Shrugging her shoulders, Kay replied, "That is literally up to you. If you're giving me the option, I wouldn't mind going another round or ten, but the others might complain if I continue monopolizing your time and attention. I'm frankly a little surprised that Barbara hasn't come by to check on us. I remember her being a lot...clingier."

Understanding better than anyone what Kay was referring to, another soft chuckle emanated from Paul's throat before he went on to state, "I guess we're all moving forward, one way or another..."

"Nn...can't argue with that..."

Grabbing one of the glass pitchers brought to them nearly an hour prior, Kay downed nearly half its contents before exhaling a refreshed sigh and proposing, "One more round and we call it? Either that or I can give you a tit job. Since I'm embracing my newfound femininity, I may as well try all the things I had been avoiding."

Lowering his gaze to Kay's large and ostensibly flawless tits, Paul would be lying if he said he wasn't tempted by the offer. Thus, without thinking too hard, he replied, "Sure. You can top me off, and then I'll blow another load or two in your vagina. That's the original reason you asked Jean and Eula to talk to me, right...?"

Adopting a sly smile, Kay replied, "Something like that..." before pushing her breasts together and adding, "Let's do this..." in a faintly nervous tone. Seeing it up close, Kay couldn't help wondering how her body, much less Roxy's, was able to accommodate such a monstrous object...

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With Kay choosing to return separately, Paul meandered his way back to the Western District. He still had some lingering doubts, but he didn't feel any regret concerning what he and Kay had done. Instead, his mind was preoccupied with thoughts regarding the others whose genders had been flipped by the IOF.

Though the girls hadn't expressly told him anything, Paul wasn't an idiot. Sure, he had his moments, but even he could deduce that something was amiss when people like Jean and Eula were coming to him and performing dogezas. Eula, in particular, wasn't the type that would lower her head to others unless she had a good reason.

Upon realizing there were even more secrets about the Intersection of Fate being kept from him, Paul would be lying if he said he wasn't more than a little annoyed. At the same time, however, he understood why the girls felt compelled to keep secrets from him. His mind wasn't nearly as stable as he feigned it to be, and he was already under a lot of pressure having the fates of two worlds thrust upon him.

While he would have been justified lashing out and demanding to be told the truth, Paul knew he would regret it. If he compared his circumstances to the situation people like Kay had found themselves in, he might as well be living the most blessed existence in all of creation.

Piecing together what he thought he knew, Paul reached the distasteful conclusion that the girls summoned through the Intersection of Fate were far more reliant on him than he had initially believed. Just as the Archons 'needed' him to produce Seelies and circulate Elemental Energy into the world, Paul postulated that the crests carved into the girls' bodies served the additional purpose of helping to stabilize their existence.

Though Paul wasn't aware of the 'exact' reason for Kay being the first to experience adverse effects, it wasn't difficult to extrapolate the answer based on the information available to him. She was one of the very first people he summoned through the Intersection of Fate, and, though he did his best to act like it was none of his business, Paul was aware that Kay had been very 'active' from the moment she was summoned.

With a body comprised of Cryo Energy, even if Kay were to look to others to stabilize her condition, the average person had a minuscule amount of Mana. To make matters worse, even if she was able to find someone with a decent amount of Mana, the chances of them having an affinity with the Ice Element were slim. Water was pretty common, but the vast majority of Water Elemental Mages were female.

If Paul's assumptions were correct, Kay had been slowly poisoning herself by absorbing contaminated and incompatible forms of Mana. The reaction she had shown the previous night was like a drug addict getting a fix after failing to quit cold turkey. It was a combination of profound relief and pure ecstasy, almost like morphine had been pumped directly into her system.

Recalling Kay's intoxicated look as she gradually entrusted herself more and more to him, Paul couldn't help shuddering. He no longer felt anything like disgust towards the dark-skinned blunette. Rather, when he imagined himself in her position, a feeling of dread that was impossible to put into words descended upon him. If he were thrust into a female body and told he needed to have sex with some random man just to stay alive, he would probably kill himself...the fate of the world be damned...

Resolving himself to never again look down on Kay, or anyone else in her position, Paul made his way towards Amalie's Bakery with a severe look on his face. He would continue to sleep with everyone, but a resolution to free them from the Intersection of Fate's influence gradually took form in his heart. To manage that, he would need to become much stronger than he currently was, so, as much as he had enjoyed his stay in Sharia, it was time for him to depart...

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