MI111: Admission (Patreon)

As much as he was enjoying the girls' performances, Paul took advantage of a natural lull in the action to ask, "Are you girls okay with this? I kind of get what Ningguang was aiming at, but doesn't this all feel a little, I don't know, forced...?"

In response to Paul's question, it was Xinyan, wearing tight, black leather shorts, fishnet stockings, and skull-shaped stickers over her nipples, who answered, "I get that. Back when this place was still a work in progress, it was kind of a ghost town. Over time, however, it became a fun little place where we could just hang out, sing, dance, and cut loose without having to worry about how the people outside viewed us."

Nodding her head, Yaoyao, wearing a lace bodice, panties, and stockings, added, "If you look closely, this place incorporates elements that reflect each of the people you have summoned through the IOF. Diona came up with the idea for the bar, Xinyan and Yun Jin came up with the idea for the stage, and I'm the one who pitched the idea for the Red Room's registry. I know you enjoy spending time with certain girls, but you shouldn't ignore the rest of us..."

Seeing Yaoyao briefly shift her gaze to the pair of sisters flanking him, a wry smile developed across Paul's face. While it was true he had stronger feelings for Jean and Barbara than most other girls, the only reason he invited them to sit next to him was that they had finished changing shortly after he sat down. If Yaoyao had come over first, he probably would have had her sit on his lap.

Shaking his head, Paul said, "You're mistaken. Your words make it sound as though I'm actively avoiding certain people. You're not wrong, but the simple truth is that there are some lines I just didn't want to cross. I can set aside my reservations and fuck a loli if they're legal, but even if they were as hot as Ei, I wouldn't lay my hands on someone I still viewed as a child. And I mean by my standards, not societies."

Though he knew the current legal age was the result of humans having short lifespans and nearly going extinct, twice, Paul believed society was long past due for a reformation. At the very least, 30, 40, and even 50+-year-old men shouldn't be marrying girls as young as ten. It was a little more acceptable for tweens to get engaged and marry one another, but letting old ass Nobles legally prey on young girls was unbelievably fucked up.

Conveniently forgetting that Reida would be included among the people Paul found disgusting, Paul went on to say, "Not that that matters in this situation. It's been more than six years since I summoned you, and you were around twelve years old at that time. That makes you a fine, albeit adorable, adult. The only reason I didn't drag you off to a broom closet or something while you were chasing me is that I didn't feel like it. Sex might be one of the defining characteristics of my life, but it's not what gets me up in the morning...well, most of the time..."

Shaking away his lascivious thoughts, Paul adopted a serious expression as he said, "I never want to view you girls as little more than an outlet to express my desires. Truth be told, I miss the days when we could all just hang out and mess around without it leading to sex. Hell, I even miss our bath times..."

Though he still took baths with the girls, Paul reminisced of a time when everyone was still uneasy and worried about being seen. Girls like Xinyan had been an exception, but even that had its charms. Now, the majority of his baths included blowjobs, titjobs, or full-blown sex. Paul enjoyed every single second of it but spending nearly a third of his life fucking had a way of building up stress rather than relieving it...

"Paul..."

Hearing Paul's words, Barbara couldn't help feeling guilty. The same could be said for the others gathered around, but she knew she was one of the most 'fervent' when it came to spending time with Paul. She wanted to be the first person that entered his mind when he thought of people he could rely on to endure anything he could throw at her, so she used Healing and Water Magic so that she could continue until the end.

"Hey, what's with that face? You didn't do anything wrong..."

Since he already had his arms wrapped around the two sisters, Paul was able to pull Barbara close and press a kiss to her lips. It only lasted for a few seconds, but it was enough to return the smile to her face when they separated.

Adopting a faint smile of his own, Paul returned his gaze to Yaoyao and the group as a whole as he said, "So, yeah, I'm down to give you a good shunting if you doubt my willingness, but I'd rather we get to know each other first. I would have liked to do the same with Diona, but she kind of burst into Ningguang's bedroom, and, well, the rest is history..."

Not wanting to reveal that Diona was on the verge of tears and that he was in a bad mental state at the time, Paul just smiled and allowed the silence he had created to linger. It wasn't his intention to make the girls feel guilty, but his intuition told him he would be fucked three ways from Sunday if he didn't come forward now. After all, even with a few people being away on missions, he was outnumbered at least thirty to one. After tonight, that disparity would increase even further...

As confident as he was in his abilities to satisfy his partner, Paul wasn't foolish to believe he could compete with 30+ women. He could probably manage if Ningguang or someone created a schedule similar to the Red Room's registry, but that just felt so...disingenuous. He would much rather encourage the girls that had accompanied him from the North to catch up and reintegrate with the others while he focused on doing the same. 

Feeling that the silence had lingered long enough, Paul opened his eyes, smiling as he said, "So, yeah, let's talk. Preferably over lunch. A piece of sausage and a single bite of toast isn't much of a breakfast. I'm not sure what time it is, but I'm sure it's well past time for lunch."

Though the other girls kept their eyes on Paul, Xinyan and Yaoyao looked toward a clock located by the bar. When they saw that it was already past 2 PM, they were genuinely surprised as it didn't really feel like eight hours had passed...

Following the girls' gaze, Paul's smile widened as he said, "Time flies in good company." before surprising Barbara and Jean by rising to his feet and adding, "I'll see you girls in the canteen. If you're not really feeling hungry, then I guess I'll see you when I see you."

Ignoring the feeling of 'wrongness' that accompanied walking away from a bevy of beautiful women wearing little more than lingerie, Paul departed the showroom with a listless smile on his face. Throughout his speech, he had been willfully hoping that the girls would, at least for the time being, focus less on him and more on getting to know each other. It wasn't that he didn't want to spend time with them, quite the opposite; he just didn't want them basing their every decision on whether or not it would satisfy him. 

Being the center of other peoples' lives was as exhausting as it was gratifying...

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After reaching the canteen, guided by a peculiar Maid with dark skin, lime green hair, and leaf-green eyes, Paul thanked the apparent Half-Dryad for her assistance before making his way over to the buffet tables. He wasn't on the verge of starving, but his stomach had been protesting even during his impromptu game of tag with Yaoyao. 

While it allowed him to stay awake and continue fighting for days on end, one of the downsides to possessing a Dendro Vision was a rather drastic increase in appetite. Paul wasn't sure of his exact caloric intake, but even a glutton like Ghislaine couldn't compete with him in terms of food intake. She had tried on several occasions, but while she could put down food at a rather ridiculous rate, he always came out ahead in terms of quantity.

With the bouncers allowing him to pass without issue, Paul was prepared to find a table for himself but paused when he noticed three people sitting within. Most people ate lunch between the hours of 10 AM and 1 PM, so it was a little strange to find three people present and, more notably, seated apart.

As Paul stepped into the lounge, the trio of women eating alone all shifted their attention to him. The one closest to the entrance had teal eyes, pale skin, and ashy, light brown hair that extended past her shoulders. She had a slender frame and modest breasts, but her eyes gave off the impression she could see through all the secrets of the universe.

Sitting a little further away from the woman Paul had instantly identified as Albedo was yet another person he immediately recognized as she had appeared during his impromptu summoning the previous night. Not in her physical form, but as a naked Constellation. She was a little taller than the average woman, but the traits most people would take notice of were her Ei-tier breasts, her voluptuous figure, and her distinctive, brown and white hair. She also had dog ears and a tail, but those were fairly common in the world of Mushoku Tensei.

As the final girl was someone who had returned with him from the North, Paul raised his brows and inquired, "Albedo, Gorou, Rosaria? Why are the three of you sitting so far apart...?"

Being the closest to the entrance, and, as a result, Paul, Albedo took it upon herself to answer, "I do not like to tarry during meals, so I typically eat alone. If Ningguang had not prohibited it, I wouldn't bother coming to the canteen and just dine in my lab. Speaking of which..."

Rising to her feet, Albedo left the food on her tray as she walked over to Paul and added, "I have been meaning to speak with you. If time permits, please have someone escort you to Research Block 3."

Assuming that Paul would invite them to eat together, Albedo promptly excused herself after she was finished conveying her message. She didn't particularly mind socializing, but there were more productive uses of her time. After all, while she had been teaching a few promising students, she was singularly responsible for the scientific and alchemical advancements of their group. Even a few minutes of her time was equivalent to a nation's entire research and development department taking the month off.

"..."

After following Albedo's departure with his eyes, Paul shook his head, a wry smile developing across his face as he turned toward the other two present and asked, "Are the two of you going to run off as well...?"

In response to Paul's words, Rosaria exhaled one of her characteristically exasperated sighs, muttering, "How troublesome..." before picking up her plate and moving over to where Gorou was sitting, her voice a lazy drone as she asked, "Mind if I sit here...?"

"Uh...by all means...?"

Since she wasn't planning to encounter Paul this early, Hina's mind was a mess. Despite that, she had always been someone who cared deeply for her comrades, so she didn't have the heart to run away or refuse Rosaria's request. 

"Mmm..."

Placing her plate a little bit away from Hina's, Rosaria looked toward Paul and asked, "Happy...?" with a lazy deadpan on her face. In response, Paul just smiled as he made his way over to the girls' table, understanding why Rosaria had left some space and was still standing. She was clearly giving him the middle seat, so Paul slid into the booth before her, pretending not to notice Gorou's body momentarily tensing like a statue as he proceeded to make light conversation...

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