[Book of Eros] Chapter 172: If you love something, let it go… (Patreon)

Leo had to call an emergency meeting. Thankfully it was Sunday, because this was big enough to skip school for. He asked everyone to wake up early, even calling Reiko.

“Leo? What is it?” she asked, sounding drowsy over the phone.

“Sorry, but could you come over right now? It’s important.”

“Right now? But it’s 6:30 on a Sunday…”

“It’s about the Book. And the curse.”

“…Let me take a shower and I’ll be there in a moment,” she answered, now sounding completely awake.

Mrs. Wisler hadn’t been at dinner last night, but she should’ve returned at some point during the evening. Leo knocked on her door, hesitant to wake her up but knowing she wouldn’t forgive him if he didn’t tell her.

“Who is it?” she asked.

“It’s Leo,” he answered. “I’m calling a meeting. It’s about the Book.”

“Is that so? Give me a minute, then.”

With that, Leo returned to the kitchen and started working on breakfast. Keeping to his routine helped him ease his racing heart. Putting water to boil, slicing some green onions, beating the eggs… It was all so easy he could do it without thinking, keeping his thoughts away of the prospect that troubled his heart.

By the time everyone arrived, he had the table ready. At what point did he become able to have breakfast for nine people ready in under 20 minutes? Again, everyone’s smiling faces at seeing the food gave it all a much needed air of normalcy.

He sat down with the entire group, and with their eyes silently asking for answers, he shook his head and smiled. “Eat first, or it’ll get cold.” No one objected. They ate in a sufficiently comfortable silence until Valerie decided to ask something.

“Okay, the thing about the Book can wait, but what about you?” she asked Angela. “Is there something you want to share?”

The blonde flinched and looked at Valerie with narrowed eyes. “How did you find out so soon?”

“My room is next to yours, remember? When I didn’t hear you going back I wondered if you were doing something interesting.” The redhead grinned widely. “And what do you know? You were.”

“What? What was she doing?” Reiko asked.

“…spending the night with Leo and the coach,” Angela admitted.

“Oh my,” Mrs. Wisler chuckled.

“W-What? Seriously!?” Reiko asked, excited.

“If you were up for threesomes then I should’ve asked,” Lucia told Victoria.

“It was… a special case,” the coach said. “Still, it was more fun than I thought.”

Kaede put down her bowl of soup and turned to Angela. “My question is: does this mean you…?”

“…Yeah, I gave in,” Angela sighed. “I asked Leo to get back together.”

“Fucking finally,” Valerie groaned.

“Not like it changes much,” Lucia said. “You were always a part of this weird relationship.”

“You know it’s about mental clarity,” Seina told her. “No need to wonder ‘what are we?’ or ‘What does it mean?’. Putting a name on it helps.”

“Exactly,” Victoria agreed. “Angela needed this. Now she can stop moping and can start acting like the love-struck girl she is.”

“Okay, now you’re just teasing me,” Angela said, annoyed.

“But it’s not fair,” Valerie sighed. “I would’ve liked to be there as well!”

“And I would’ve liked to watch!” Reiko pouted. “You didn’t even record a video or take a picture?”

“Woah, woah, woah,” Victoria laughed. “Asking a little much there, aren’t you?”

“S-Sorry! I got ahead of myself!” Reiko said, hunching her back and hiding her head between her shoulders. “It’s not like we really know each other…”

“No, I remember you. You used to go to the gym every summer. I have to guess you found a better way to work out this time,” the coach said, shooting Leo a knowing look.

“Ahaha…” he and Reiko both laughed nervously. “Well… it’s effective,” she said.

“Certainly is. Good for stamina and burning a few calories. Don’t overestimate it, though. It’s a great workout, but not magical. Especially if you let him do all the work.”

Reiko giggled. “I’ll keep that in mind, I promise.”

“But still, I’m surprised. I wouldn’t have thought you’d be into that type of stuff. Then again, I suppose it makes sense.”

“It’s literally always the quiet ones, I tell you,” Valerie said. “Wait until you see Kaede. This girl is wilder than any of us.”

“I-I’m not!” Kaede protested, her face red. “Lucia is into far stronger stuff than I am!”

“Ahaha! Guilty,” Lucia laughed.

“Imagine the guys at school found out the new assistant teacher likes it rough,” Angela said, grinning.

“…Please don’t,” Leo groaned. “I’ve already been asked. Goes without saying I didn’t answer.”

“Woah. Seriously?” Valerie asked. “They ask about us?”

“Of course they would,” Seina said. “Sorry to break it to you, but I bet you haunt the dreams of a big percentage of your schoolmates.”

“Whaaaaa…?” Kaede blinked.

“Why is it a surprise?” Victoria asked. “Extremely attractive, busty girls in the place where teens are the most curious about what the hell sex feels like. Announcing you were taken must have broken more than a few hearts.”

“On the opposite side…” Lucia started, holding her chin with her fingers. “Now everyone believes the Tensai Clan practices polygamy. I wouldn't be surprised if more than one girl approached our dear boyfriend here.”

“Eh?” Leo blinked at having all eyes fall on him. “You really think so?”

“Attractive,” Angela said.

“Hardworking,” Reiko followed.

“Easy to talk to,” Kaede added.

“Reliable,” Seina continued.

“A terrific cook,” Valerie said, biting on some tamagoyaki.

“And a monster in bed,” Lucia finished.

“You didn’t think we all accepted to date you together out of pity, right?” Victoria asked.

A monster in bed, huh? Yeah. That’d be a reason, wouldn’t it?

“I still don’t know what to think, really,” he told them. “For what is worth… Yeah, the prospect of sleeping with many girls was always exciting, if not extremely worrying as well. But I never wanted to involve others in our mess. Victoria knew from the start, but I’ve always felt some guilty about dragging Reiko into our drama. In the end, though, I just fell for you girls. I… I really do love you. It’s you I want to be with, because this routine, this day to day, this life… I like it because I’m sharing it with you.”

Yeah… It was good while it lasted. An unforgettable experience Leo would never forget. He was unsure if he ever could.

“A little corny, but I like it,” Victoria said.

“I take it that means no new girls joining us?” Lucia asked, to which Leo nodded.

“That’s a relief,” Seina said. “Nothing against you, Victoria, but I was worried we wouldn’t get along. Glad we did.”

“Hey, same here,” the coach laughed. “And it’s not like this is settled. It’ll be an ongoing process.”

Mrs. Wisler, who had remained silent through it all, chuckled softly and finally addressed them. “It warms my heart to see this. Since my generation, the descendants of the Tensai Clan have tried to avoid each other, forgetting their roots and looking only after themselves. To share such a lively table makes all of this old woman’s struggles worth it. And in that regard, I think it’s time you tell us what you know, Leonardo.”

All the plates were practically empty. Everyone finished eating, and at Mrs. Wisler’s words, they went quiet and turned to him. Leo had to take a deep breath before he started. No use delaying it any further.

“Just this morning, Aizen-Myo contacted me through the Book of Eros. She says we’re ready. We’ve collected enough energy and it’s time for a final ritual to finally get rid of this curse. However, there are a few… complications.”

Mrs. Wisler frowned and pursed her lips. “Ragaraja?”

Leo nodded. “He had been quiet since we pleaded Aizen-Myo for help, but now he’s acting up again, apparently. Aizen-Myo says we have enough energy in the book, but that her brother is halting her movements.”

“Meaning…?” Angela asked.

“Aizen-Myo made it so Ragaraja couldn’t tamper with the Book of Eros like he once did. Now, however, Ragaraja is doing the same to his sister. To put it in mortal terms, we have the fuel and the car, but our driver is indisposed.”

“And the vehicle is not made for any of us to command,” Mrs. Wisler understood. “Our ancestors offered all their pleasure in a single night in return for power beyond human limits. The way the Book of Eros works is by accumulating energy through sex, slowly gathering it until we had enough to offer it to the gods, who would then free us and our descendants from the curse. Now Ragaraja is unwilling to cooperate and is also stopping his sister from helping us.”

“Not entirely correct,” Leo said. “He’s stopping Aizen-Myo from helping, but instead he’s offering to release us himself.”

“That sure sounds like a trap to me,” Valerie said.

“I thought the same, but there are two things that would let us trust him. In the same way he’s stopping Aizen-Myo, she could stop him if he tried to break his word. So if he attempted to do something other than free us, his sister would immediately stop him.”

“That’s reassuring,” Lucia said. “And the other?”

“He’s saying he’ll do it, on the condition we accept an extra deal.”

“An extra deal?” Seina asked. “Sounds shady. He wants us to give him more energy?”

Leo chuckled. “No. He probably knows that wouldn’t be a problem by this point.” His smiled then turned wry. He looked down at the table, relieved and conflicted. “He offering us another blessing. He promises to give us good health, to us and our descendants on top of freeing us from the shackles he put on us.”

“Sounds a little too good,” Lucia said. “What’s the catch?”

“It’s so cheap that it almost feels like no catch at all,” Leo said. “He asks that I let go of my Gift, and that the Book of Eros be destroyed, taking with it all the lesser Gifts it has given me.”

Leo would lose his resistance to pain, his near endless stamina. He would lose the powers the Book granted him when completing certain tasks. He would go back to being just a normal guy, like everyone else.

Kaede stopped him. “He asked YOU? JUST you?”

Leo nodded. “Just me. He explicitly said he would let you girls keep your Gifts. No catch. You’d have your powers and your sensations back. And with Aizen-Myo’s assurance that he was speaking the truth, there was no reason to say no.”

“Wait! ‘Was’ no reason?” Angela asked, standing up. “You mean you answered already!?”

Once more, Leo nodded. He tried his best to keep a calm smile, but couldn’t quite stop it from shaking. “Like I said, there was no reason to say no. I’ve said it multiple times. If I could fix this by simply giving up my Gift, I’d do it in a heartbeat. There’s nothing I want to do I can’t accomplish without it.”

Or so it used to be, until he fell in love with these women.

Leo wasn’t blind. He knew a big part of why the girls accepted being with him was that he was supernaturally good at sex. His stamina let him go at it without rest, and the powers of the book made it so they all felt extraordinarily better while doing it. They’d said it before. They adored the sex and he could keep them all satisfied, so they accepted this relationship.

After today, that wouldn’t be the case anymore. He doubted he would be able to keep up with seven girls, and he would lose all the supernatural powers that helped him be so good at it. His touch, his kisses… nothing would feel as good as it once did. Leo would be no one special, and with their sensations back, there would be no reason any of them would be forced to stay with him.

The blissful dream was over, and Leo was okay with it. It was such a cheap price to pay, he would pay it a hundred times.

Didn’t mean it wasn’t painful.