An Arcanist in Karakura Town 43 (Patreon)

An Arcanist in Karakura Town

Chapter 43

-VB-

I got my responses.

Aizen agreed to the ceasefire. Shinigamis agreed to the ceasefire.

The local magician-onmyouji … did not accept.

They ignored my warnings about a potential war that loomed over not just the material realm but the spiritual realms. In their reply, they called me a mad, violent lunatic who needed to be put down for the dishonor that I supposedly heaped upon them.

Now, as much as I was hesitant to leave the safety of my protected warehouse, I saw the ceasefire as good of an excuse as any.

I had hoped to use the short amount of time I had outdoors to prepare Karakura Town for the eventual showdown between myself and the onmyouji (whatever they were). However, Tatsuki and Orihime saw this as a chance to entertain themselves. As such, I was left to allow Hide to make the preparations that he could while I … spent time with my women.

Well, spend time with both of them after I actually talked with Tatsuki.

“You know no one truly important would care if you were to just move away,” I told her.

Tatsuki still nominally lived with her parents. Part of the reason why she was here with me and instead of with them was because she got pregnant.

Yes, Japan was still a society where girls would get disowned for getting pregnant out of wedlock. Not all of the time and there were certainly many families who wouldn’t give a shit about norms and customs but the majority of people were still like that.

Tatsuki wasn’t disowned, however, which said more good things about her parents than bad.

She glared at me. “Trying to kick me out already?” she asked half-heartedly.

She didn’t mean it, but our relationship wasn’t the lovey-dovey thing everyone imagined their first time would be. She had been “seduced” to join in on a threesome, and I think she hated how easily she’d gotten involved on some level. She was a proud girl. She’s had her own accomplishments … and then a few debaucherous nights left her pregnant.

Oh, once she let herself go, she enjoyed the literal dicking and threesomes Orihime got us to indulge in. Afterward though, she would be moody.

Like now.

“No, no, no,” I replied. “I would rather have my girl next to me then far away. That’s how you get the stupid parody of heroic son coming to beat up his villainous father or something.”

She snorted, and I could tell she was a little amused.

“Then what is this about?”

“... I don’t want you to be here against your own will,” I told her firmly. “Orihime wants to be with me on almost all levels. She still wants to see her friends like Collateral Damage Kurosaki-”

She snorted again.

“-you and even that molestor. But she loves me more,” I grinned at her before letting the grin die down. “But you’re not like that, are you? This is more about Orihime than me.”

She hesitated before nodding.

“... Are you lesbian? I’m not judging.”

She raised an eyebrow. “No.” And that was that.  “If I leave,” she began on the original topic and question. “Then it would be like running away and I hate running away from my problem.” I didn’t interrupt her with a sassy remark, even though an immature part of me wanted to. “I chose to let you fuck me and then I fucked you in turn. We had sex and now I’m pregnant. I’m big enough to know that I … will be a mother soon. I need to take care of my child, and you had responsibility to us.”

I nodded.

“So I came to you because as much as I knew that you were a blunt asshole who treated people’s lives callously. A bit of a hypocrite, too. Those bombs of yours aren’t exactly collateral damage-friendly.”

“I am. I don’t lie about it.”

“Yeah, well, if you are now responsible, then I am also responsible. Orihime can’t keep you in line but I can at least try,” she narrowed her eyes. “And that means no killing people out of hand for their words.”

I raised my eyebrow in return. “Then how do you expect me to keep you, Orihime, and our growing children safe when the monsters and self-proclaimed guardians will act first?”

“You have your fortress, don’t you? Can’t you do something like that?”

“I can,” I nodded. “But I don’t have the resources. Part of the reason why I’m stuck inside is because I failed to get the resources that would let me roam freely. That’s why Hide was over in Europe.”

She took a deep breath in and let it out slowly. “And that’s what you were trying to do before Orihime got you to come with us.”

“Yes.”

She looked frustrated. “... Just a few hours with us should be enough.”

“Of course. I can’t be skipping out on my responsibilities now, can I?” I chuckled dryly.