[Spirit of Lust] Chapter 115: Home, at last. (Patreon)

William went back to the copy of Reina’s apartment to check on Nanami and her aunt. The women were still in the bedroom. They were silent, but the atmosphere was peaceful. They seemed to have only just stopped talking.

“If you don’t have any other business here, then we’re ready to leave,” Will said, standing at the doorframe.

“What about the incubi and succubi?” Nanami asked, sitting next to her aunt on the bed.

“Already took care of it. They’ll be watching over this place and won’t let anyone get close to the portal.”

“And you trust these creatures?” Aoi asked him.

“For now, and mostly because they present a lesser risk for me than the oni did.”

Aoi nodded in agreement. “That’s true. And having them watch over the portal will be a reassurance, considering we don’t have the means to close it anymore.”

“Huh? You could close it before?”

“…We had someone who could. Not anymore.”

“I see. I’m sorry.”

Aoi shook her head. “Let’s head back. Even if we can withstand the pressure of this place, just being here is tiresome, and I’ve been here for some days now. We can talk more outside.”

They made their way down to the basement, having said their goodbyes to those who were now… Will’s subordinates. Just the thought made him shudder uncomfortably, so he dismissed the thought, rubbed his hands together and prepared to open of the portal. He got his hands on it and stretched it open. Nanami and Aoi crossed before him and he followed them quickly. The moment he stepped outside, however, a question he had nearly forgotten about came back to him.

Now in the building’s basement in the real world, Will looked back and forth from the portal to Aoi and finally asked. “By the way, why did you take the whole building with you when you opened the portal?”

“Oh,” Aoi exclaimed. “Yeah, that…” She let out a heavy sigh and rubbed the back of her neck. “It’s complicated, but for now, let’s say that, while Jack’s influence empowered me, it also prevented me from using my own skills. As such, in order to fulfill his orders, I had to…” In the blink of an eye and with a faint flash of white light, a katana appeared in her hand. “I had to use my sword to slice the portal open, overdoing it in the process and getting everyone in the building involved.” She grimaced. “Nanami told me you and your girlfriends got everyone out safely. I can’t thank you enough for that.”

“That was Ishtar, actually,” Will clarified. “How’s everyone doing, by the way?” he asked Nanami.

“Like I told you earlier, they’re in the hospital. They’re all stable, but some will take longer to recover than others.” She looked around the basement. “However, having them return to this building is too dangerous.”

“What will you two do now?” Will asked.

“There are still some things I’d like to discuss,” Aoi said. “About our immediate course of action, and perhaps to your immediate concerns, about Cynthia.”

That earned her all his attention. “If so, then I’d like you to come with me back to my place. I want to get to that as soon as we can, but I’m also worried about my girlfriends. They’re at my apartment, and even though it’s been only a few hours, I don’t want to leave them waiting much longer.”

“Very well. Lead the way.”

***

It was an awkward bus ride home. They may have had lots of things to talk about, but none that could be spoken of in public. That resulted in a heavy silence all the way back. And since Will was still a university student with a very limited income, any fancier methods of transportation were out of the question.

He led them down to his apartment, prompting Aoi to notice a coincidence. “A basement again?”

“It’s a lot nicer than you’d think,” Nanami said, chuckling.

“The… landlady had it remodeled and rents it to me at an affordable price,” Will said.

…Amelia. It had been weeks since they’d last spoken. Why, though? At first it was just out of a sense of jealousy born from Ishtar’s powers playing with his emotions, but now… It had been so long that Will simply didn’t know how to approach her, especially with all that was going on. But why hadn't she approached him, either? She didn’t have any issues sneaking into his apartment using her own key to get in his bed, so why keep her distance now? Did she… start feeling guilty about cheating on her husband?

Will shook his head. This was NOT the time to be thinking about it. He took out his keys and opened the door to his place, feeling immediately a fine scent of lavender. The whole place looked better, actually, with the dishes done, the bed made and the furniture all dusted off.

“Will!” Reina exclaimed, jumping from her seat at the couch with a smile on her face. She ran to him before stopping a couple of meters away and giving him a thorough look. “Wait. You ARE William, right?” Will decided to keep quiet, just to see if she could get it right. Reina then smiled and walked up to him, giving him a tight hug. “Yeah, it’s you.”

Will chuckled, hugging her back. “How could you tell?”

“Ishtar stands with looser shoulders.”

“You’ve seen her once,” he pointed out.

She smirked. “I’m a pretty observant girl. And besides, I’ve always liked the way you look at me.”

Having her so close made him unable to hold back. He captured her lips in a deep, intense kiss which she returned with just as much passion. Even knowing that Aoi and Nanami were watching didn’t stop them.

“I’m so glad you’re safe,” he told her.

“That’s my line. No injuries or anything?”

“Nothing major, thankfully. It was close, though. Where’s Ruth?”

“In the shower. We were bored, so we cleaned up your place.”

“You didn’t need to.”

“Like I said, we were bored. We were about to make lunch.” She looked past him to the two women feeling and looking just a little awkward by the door. She then let out a gasp in shock. “W-Wait! You! You’re that woman!” she said, pointing to Aoi.

“…So she was your girlfriend?” Aoi asked with a grimace. “I’d say it was a weird coincidence, but I suppose the odds weren’t that low.”

“You’ve met before?” Will asked.

“At the front of the building. She told us not to leave the apartment if we wanted to be safe before she left. Was she the reason we got… transported to that place?”

Behind him, Aoi grimaced further with guilt, but Will put a hand on Reina’s shoulders and looked at her with a wry smile. “Yes, but it’s complicated. I’ll explain everything once Ruth is out of the bathroom.”

“Are you sure you want them to know about all this?” Aoi asked.

Will nodded. “I’m not hiding anything from them anymore. Besides, they have the right to know.”

They knew about that world and knew about Ishtar. There was no point in trying to keep them in the dark. Hell, knowing them, they’d press him for answers even if he asked them to leave. No, it was better that they knew. There would be no more secrets for those who accepted him.