Following their rather unceremonious victory over the Perseus Community, Vahn decided to take Sarina and Nono to celebrate and get to know one another. The two girls, now young women, had changed rather drastically during their time in the Game Board so he wanted to catch up with them before heading back to the Sage Dragon’s Hearth.
From what he could tell, Nono was the same quiet yet perceptive girl she had always been. There was an air of maturity that lingered around her, but, due to suffering a fatal injury in the Dungeon, her stay was cut short at two and a half years.
While others might have been traumatized by such an experience, Nono took it in stride as she had died protecting her friends. As for her physical appearance, she wasn’t all that different from before. She had grown taller, her bust had practically exploded, and her bottom had developed quite a bit, but, even at a glance, it was impossible to mistake her for anyone else.
Sarina, on the other hand, was like a completely different person. Her time with the Loki Familia had drastically altered her character. She was no longer a brash yet adorable young tomboy who single-mindedly pursued the things she was interested in. Instead, she had mellowed out quite a bit whilst simultaneously developing a calm and confident personality.
Though she had only managed to reach Level 3, Sarina had become close with Tiona, Tione, Lefiya, Anakitty, and Ais. She had tried to become closer with Riveria as well, but, as a member of the 3rd Squad, it was hard for her to get close with the leadership of the vanguard unit. She spent most of her time acting as a Supporter and was only able to reach Level 3 thanks to her knowledge of future events and her relationship with Lefiya and several other young members of the Loki Familia.
Unsurprisingly, it didn’t take long for Loki to figure out that Sarina possessed knowledge of future events. It was her encounter with the petite Goddess that caused Sarina’s shift in mentality. At first, she was completely horrified that Loki had forced her to expose the truth. She did her best to keep her head down, and, for a time, even avoided interacting with the other members of her Familia. It was only when Loki confronted her months later that her fear gradually turned to respect, as, even after learning her world was false, the red-headed Goddess didn’t care in the slightest. Her highest priority was ensuring the survival of her Familia, so, rather than blame Sarina for the differences in the nature of their existence, she protected her like the rest of her children.
As an orphan, the closest thing Sarina had ever had to a parent was Vahn. Unfortunately, she had always viewed him as a potential love interest, so, even though he treated her very well, she didn’t have the heart to view him as a father.
After overcoming her fears and growing closer to her matron Goddess, Sarina began to genuinely view Loki as her mother. This allowed her to open up quite a bit, and, thanks to the advice she had received from her ‘older sisters’, specifically Tiona and Tione, her confidence was only rivaled by her ever-increasing beauty.
Unfortunately for her many suitors, the only person Sarina had even given the time of day was Raul due to the latter’s relationship with Aki(Anakitty). Aki was the person placed in charge of her when she first started out, and, much like how the Second Unit supported the First, Sarina’s Third Unit was never far behind the Second.
After Aki suffered an injury that forced her to give up adventuring, she was hoping that Raul would finally man up and confess. Instead, the pressure he was under to replace Finn caused them to grow apart. By the time he gained the confidence to come forward, Aki was already in a relationship with another retired member of the Familia. He was eventually consoled by Alicia, but, as Vahn had never fixed the issues with Elves in this version of Danmachi, their relationship lasted less than a year since Raul was unwilling to move beyond simple dating and hand-holding.
Though she respected Raul as the Commander of the Second Unit, things became pretty awkward when the twenty-seven-year-old executive confessed feelings for her. She was only around sixteen at the time, and, while age gaps didn’t really bother her that much, it was pretty well known by then that she was already in a relationship with someone else. This didn’t stop quite a number of people from making a pass at her, but, in the end, Sarina managed to keep most of her would-be suitors at bay by coming out as a Lesbian.
This was perhaps the biggest factor behind Sarina’s change in mentality, as, for the last six months, she had basically been dating a young half-elf named Aleesa. Their relationship never reached the point of having sex, but, having already come to terms with the fact she would be interacting with a lot of women in the future, everything else was fair game. She just wanted her first time to be with Vahn.
Since he knew exactly how persistent the men in Danmachi could be, Vahn was largely unaffected by the news that Sarina had dated a slightly younger woman. If anything, he was curious to meet this Aleesa as Sarina seemed quite fond of her, particularly her breasts.
After suffering at the hands of Loki for several years, Sarina’s perverted nature had mellowed into a genuine appreciation for the female form. This was reflected in how she presented herself to others, as, rather than conceal her beauty, she flaunted it. She wore skirts that barely covered the skin-tight shorts she wore beneath, fashionable stockings, a leather bodice that pushed up her full yet modest breasts, and a half-vest that only concealed her neck, shoulders, and upper arms. Her black hair had grown past her waist, and, though they still possessed a hint of amethyst, her eyes had faded into a glistening shade of silver.
Simply put, Sarina was now a remarkably beautiful woman with a hint of Japanese features. She was also a lot more confident, so, while Nono was perfectly content with sitting across from him, Sarina shamelessly sat next to Vahn with a relaxed smile on her face. She no longer felt compelled to hurry things along, but, at the same time, she intended to make her interest in him very clear.
Fortunately for her, Vahn had no qualms with her current behavior. If anything, he was genuinely impressed by how much she had matured over the course of her time in the Game Board. He had expected her to become even more perverted after hanging out with people like Tiona, Tione, and Loki so this was a drastic yet welcome change. Sure, he was a little sad that he didn’t get to see her grow up but that was just another part of life. Everyone had their own path to walk and he couldn’t be there to see every step taken by others. Not yet…
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“Since the two of you were gone for so long, feel free to request anything you can think of. I won’t promise to fulfill your every desire but I’m more than capable of rewarding your efforts.”
Though an expectant glimmer flashed across Sarina’s silver eyes, she managed to suppress her true desires as she answered, “I want you to prepare a banquet and hand-feed it to me. It might sound a little silly, but I have literally dreamt about your food while we were apart.”
Nodding her head in understanding, Nono chimed in with a curt, “Indeed…” before pressing the tip of her index finger against her moderately puffy lips and adding, “If we’re able to request anything, I would like a massage and to have my status updated. After that…I would be happy just to have my head pat.”
Seeing Nono gently trace her finger across her lips, Vahn had the distinct impression she wanted to ask for something else but her aura made it hard to tell. Sure, there was a fair amount of pink mixed in, but, rather than give off an amorous vibe, it gently exuded from her body as if it were completely natural. Compared to Sarina’s, it was like comparing a simmering flame to a bonfire.
“Sure. I was actually planning to update your statuses the moment we got home. I have no problem giving you a massage in the process.”
Smiling radiantly, Nono ceased tracing her bottom lip before leaning forward, elbows on the table and hands supporting her head as she replied, “Splendid…” in a soft, ostensibly amorous tone.
“…”
Seeing the way Nono was behaving, Sarina’s silvery eyes formed into a squint. She thought she had the advantage now that she was older, but, even if she were to force herself, she doubted she could match Nono’s sex appeal. What made this even more frustrating was the fact that Nono didn’t even have to try. She was a complete natural.
Shaking such thoughts from her mind, Sarina comforted herself with the knowledge that she didn’t actually have to compete with the auburn-haired minx. Vahn was more than capable of loving them both. Thus, rather than waste time comparing herself to the sly woman seated across from her, she decided to focus on Vahn, saying, “If that’s the case, I would like to revise my request…is that okay?”
Though he could see the calculating glimmer in Sarina’s eyes, Vahn didn’t hesitate to nod his head. He had already come to terms with the fact that she was no longer going to be deterred, so, even if she asked him to bed her the moment they got home, he wouldn’t refuse. After all, six years was a long time to be away from the person you loved.
Smiling in a playful yet mischievous manner, Sarina leaned into Vahn’s shoulder as she looked up at him and said, “I want you to do whatever you want…truth be told, there are so many things I desire that it’s impossible for me to place them all into a single request. All I know for certain is that I want you to be happy. After all, so long as you’re happy, all of us will be…”
With each word bringing her close to Vahn’s lips, Sarina made it very clear what she wanted. In the end, however, it was ultimately Vahn’s decision to make. This was something she had come to terms with after reflecting upon Nono’s words for the past six years. If she kept pressuring him, she would be no better than the people who only coveted her looks. Thus, while a part of her wanted nothing more than to press her lips against his, Sarina knew the action would have much greater meaning if Vahn met her halfway.
Fortunately for her, Vahn had always been weak to sentiment and sincerity, so, shortly after Sarina finished speaking, he returned a smile before leaning down to give her a peck on the lips. It was a much tamer kiss than she would have liked, but, at the same time, Sarina couldn’t help smiling as a sensation akin to a horde of butterflies swirled around in her body. She had no idea what the future held but this was sure as hell a step in the right direction…
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(A/N: Alternate Titles: ‘Oof. Even if it’s his fault, I kind of feel bad for Raul xD…’,’Nono is like the girl next door amped up to the level of a Goddess…’,’Sarina is slowly starting to figure things out…’)
