[Book of Eros] Chapter 159: Testing some limits. (Patreon)

After having an early shift at the fishery that next day, Leonardo returned home at about 11:00 am. He went into his room to find Seina still sleeping on his futon, and though she didn’t have to work today, it was still late enough that Leo didn’t feel guilty about waking her up.

“Seina,” he spoke, kneeling down next to her and brushing her arm with the back of his fingers. “Time to rise, lazy lady.”

Seina stirred languidly. The covers slid down her body, showing her naked upper body. She blinked in confusion a couple of times, looking towards the window and then back to Leo.

“What time is it?” she asked.

“11:00.”

“I swear it feels like I only just closed my eyes,” she chuckled.

“How can you enjoy sleeping so much?” he questioned with a sigh before kissing her forehead. “I’d go crazy if I was stuck to a bed for half as long as you sleep.”

“You just don’t understand the bliss of sleep. Relaxing, restful, quiet, dreamless sleep…” She yawned and giggled.

“No, I really don’t get it. The day doesn’t have enough hours to get much done as it is.”

“Of course you’d say that,” Seina sighed. Then she wrinkled her nose. “You smell like fish, by the way.”

“Yeah, I’m taking a second shower.”

Leo went into his bathroom with a change of clothes in hand. He was one of those with the habit of changing in the bathroom instead of coming out of it with a towel or a robe. However, after he was done, he realized he had forgotten a T-shirt. He still put on his underwear and pants, and came out with the towel around his neck to go hang it outside for it to dry.

He stepped out into the backyard, and immediately he heard loud whistling and some laughter. He looked around to see Kaede and Valerie sitting on the engawa eating ice cream from a small plastic bowl, with the latter having two fingers in her mouth which betrayed her as the source of the whistling.

“Look at that,” the redhead grinned. “Shirtless, damp hair, towel around the neck… If I didn’t know any better I’d call you a poser.”

Leo looked down at himself and started to feel embarrassed. “I just forgot my shirt, okay?”

“I wouldn’t mind if you forgot it more often. Don’t you think so, Kaede?”

Swept into Valerie’s pace, Kaede giggled and nodded with red cheeks. “I don’t mind the eye candy.”

Oh, so they wanted to tease him? Their attitude made him recall Lucia’s words from yesterday. She said to trust them a little more, that they wouldn’t throw a fit for every little thing. Leo wanted to put that to the test, to see how much he could get away with.

“Mm? Why settle with just looking, then?” he asked, walking up to Kaede.

“L-Leo?”

“You like what you see, don’t you?” he asked with a teasing smirk of his own. He held her hand and led it to his chest, letting her touch him. It was funny, considering the touching between them usually went the other way around.

Kaede pursed her lips and simply traced her fingertips along Leo’s chest and stomach. Valerie, on her part, suddenly went quiet and did nothing but look. Leo was relieved to notice the lack of jealousy, but he did notice that the redhead was trying to hold something back. And so… he grabbed her wrist, pulled her to her feet and got an arm around her waist, getting her close and kissing her lips. Valerie moaned in surprise, then started caressing his cheek, melting into the kiss immediately.

Then, Leo did the same with Kaede, pulling her to him as she let out a surprised yelp, and broke the kiss with Valerie to make out with her. His tongue slid inside Kaede’s mouth, and the quiet girl had a moment of hesitation.

Leo had a girl in each arm and was shamelessly making out with both. Kaede’s eyes turned to Valerie for a moment before she decided to go for it. She hugged Leo back and returned the kiss with passion, not even holding back her voice as she moaned softly into him.

He pulled away and kissed Valerie again. Without missing a beat, the redhead was all over him once more, tongues wrapped around each other and small drops of drool sliding down the corners of their mouths. He finally pulled away and looked at them both, still holding one in each arm.

“Too much?” he asked sheepishly.

“Yeah,” Valerie gasped. “In a good way.”

Kaede bit her lip and hid her face against Leo’s shoulder before whispering, “I… I got a little wet.”

“Me too,” Valerie laughed. “It was so sudden and exciting… I think I’m starting to get that kink of yours,” she told Kaede. “Sucks that Reiko went to the bathroom. She would’ve liked to see this.”

Leo let out a sigh of relief. It didn’t bother them. In fact, they liked it. He could be a little bolder with them. He’d still need to learn each of their limits, but… it was possible. His heart raced with excitement.

Excitement that was quenched when he heard Mrs. Wisler’s voice calling from inside the house. “Leonardo, could you come in for a moment?”

His disappointment was echoed by the two girls in his arms. Kaede swallowed and asked, “…More later?”

“Definitely,” Leo answered, pecking her lips.

Valerie poked his nose. “And don’t you forget we have a date tonight.”

He nodded. “From eight to ten. Then from ten to midnight I have a date with Lucia.”

“And tomorrow there’ll be five of us,” Kaede laughed nervously. “That’ll be weird…”

“Actually, with that many it’ll look less like a date and more like the many groups going together as friends,” Leo pointed out.

“Oh. I guess you’re right.”

“Okay, now go see what the old lady wants.” Valerie kissed his cheek. “Can’t wait for tonight.”

“Me neither.”

Letting them go was difficult, but the promise of more fun later was welcomed encouragement. He went back to his room to put on a t-shirt and then went to Mrs. Wisler’s room. He announced his presence and was quickly allowed in.

“Seems things are working out well for you lately,” the old lady said. She was being genuine, without a hint of teasing in her voice.

“Surprisingly,” Leo admitted. “I feel like it’s all too sudden.”

“Some people experience a life-changing moment that makes them rethink their entire view of what they believe. However, for most, it’s a slow buildup. Day after day, conversation after conversation, experience after experience. These girls didn’t suddenly come around to the idea. It’s been happening since the day they set foot on this island. No, perhaps since the moment they knew what they were coming here for.”

Leo sighed. Seeing it like that made him a bit more comfortable. Leo was very much a product of his own daily routine and years of consistency. Maybe the last couple of days had been nothing for a trigger to something that had been growing for months.

“But that’s not what I called you for. Here,” she said, offering him a large bag. “A gift for you to enjoy the festivities. You’ve been so busy I haven’t had the opportunity to give it to you. It should fit, but tell me if there any issues.”

Surprised, Leo took out Mrs. Wisler’s gift from the bag. It was a robe. A yukata, if he remembered correctly. Dark blue with a black sash. The fabric was soft to the touch and it looked to be the correct size.

“You didn’t have to.”

“But I wanted to. I threw you all into this mess for our sake and for the future of our clan. I know it hasn’t been easy and I’ve seen how conflicted it’s made you all. But things are finally looking up, along with our chances of cleansing the damn curse. The least I can do is let you enjoy your youth as much as you can.”

Leo bit his lip as a thought came back to his mind. He wasn’t entirely comfortable with it, but that wouldn’t stop him from asking. Again.

“Are you sure you don’t need me to… use the new Gift on you, Mrs. Wisler?” he asked.

“Oh, so very sure, dear,” the old lady chuckled. “I told you when we first had the conversation about the Book. My own libido is gone, for which I am grateful. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t bitter over what was taken from me, the chance to experience my own youth like everyone else. But I’ve lived my life well. I made friends, experienced more of the world than most people do in their entire ‘normal’ lives, met incredible people, of which I count you and our other housemates as well. I no longer need the release, dear. And from what we know, it might do more harm than good. The curse has had its hold on me for far longer, after all.”

“…It still doesn’t sound fair to me.”

Mrs. Wisler smiled kindly. “Nor is you having to part with you father at such an early age. But you’ve made sure to make the best of your life as you can, and so have I.”

Leo grimaced and rubbed the back of his neck. “When you put it that way…”

“I knew you’d understand. Now, off you go. I don’t want my own daughter yelling at me saying I’m spending too much time with her boyfriend.”

Leo blinked. It had only been a day, so he hadn’t had the time to realize it, but… Mrs. Wisler was kind of like his mother-in-law now, right? Not knowing how he felt about that, Leo thanked her for the gift once more and left the room.

On his way back to his room, however, he heard voices coming from the dining room.

“You certainly look refreshed,” Lucia said with a playful tone.

“So do you. I’d say I miss you bitchy face, but I’d be lying,” Seina answered.

With worry in his chest that things might take a turn for the worse, Leo decided to approach and listen in from outside the room, away from their sight.

“Hard to stay bitchy when you’re having fun,” Lucia answered with a chuckle.

“…It’s not always going to be fun, you know?” Seina sighed with a hint of frustration. “What will you do then?”

“Suck it up and work towards better times, what else? Just because I’m a pleasure seeker doesn’t mean I’ll run away the moment things get tough. That was what you were worried about, wasn’t it?”

“Yeah. If I’m gonna do this, I’ll be serious about it. I can’t exactly force anyone to be as committed as I feel, but…” Seina let out a frustrated groan. “I’m just worried about Leo. He’d be heartbroken if you were just playing around here.”

“Well, I’m not playing around. And I’m worried as well, but for different reasons. Our boyfriend likes us all, but he’s a little scared we’ll get jealous of each other.”

“…”

“He’s going out with Valerie and me tonight. How do you feel about that?”

“It’s… a little frustrating, yeah. I want to go out with him as well.”

“Going as a group on the second day is not the same, right?”

“Of course not.”

“Then let’s go and talk to him about it. Tell him it’s frustrating and figure out how you can make it less so. These feelings are not going to magically disappear if we keep them bottled up. The earlier we figure things out, the better for us all.”

“…You’re right. I don’t want it to bother me, but it still does. Not enough to make me throw a jealousy fit, but…”

“What if he promised to take you out on another date?”

“I… think that’d work. Urgh, but then I remember I had him to myself last night and then I start feeling guilty.”

“Apples and oranges, dear. The sex is absolutely amazing, but it shouldn’t replace common care and attention. Luckily for us, our man is pretty good at those already.”

“He is, isn’t he?” Seina giggled. “Did you know that he perfectly remembers my work schedule and even when I tell him I’m working late?”

“Caught him looking in his phone where he could buy the book I’m currently reading, too. I told him I loved it and he got curious immediately. Love that about him.”

“Oh? What are you reading?”

“The Count of Monte Cristo. How familiar are you with western literature?”

“Not much, I’m afraid…”

The conversation started to go in another direction, and Leo felt a guilty for listening in. Thankfully, these two were no longer at each other’s throats. That was a thing of the past. Like Lucia had said, he should trust them more. He made his way back to his room, all the while browsing on his phone for possible spots in Naha to take Seina out on a date. Or perhaps she’d prefer somewhere in the island? He’d ask her, too.