Ch 142: Interlude 1: Return.

"What is this place?" wondered Takina aloud.

For the second time in a short while, she woke up in a strange place. But this one had familiar elements. She recognized the large house she had shared with Aria and Chisato in her original world, but that home somehow had been moved near a beach, and Gundam Vidar was kneeling beside it, one fist on the ground.

"This is your soul space." said Noah, appearing near her. "It is different for everyone, but I'm starting to see a pattern. They always represent a peaceful place for their owners. A bit ironic in your case, considering a Gundam is meant for combat."

"Ah, so you're using soul magic, and my real body is still asleep?"

"Got it in one." grinned Noah. "I figured it would be a nice place to have a conversation, since tomorrow is going to be a busy day for me, with returning to the SAO world and stuff."

"I see... But no." said Takina, shaking her head. She slowly walked to the kneeling mecha and patted its hand fondly. "Gundams may be war machines, but our ultimate goal has always been world peace."

"World peace, and the very survival of mankind on that world." nodded Noah, staring up and down at the black and purple mecha, and grinning. "Seekvaira, one of the girls you met before going to bed, is a mecha otaku. If she could come here, she would be all over that Gundam."

"Survival of humanity?" repeated Takina, tilting her head. "You think that A-Laws might do something that would endanger the whole world?"

"No, not them." shrugged Noah. "Those guys are a military junta, and they need to be defeated, but I am referring to something else. Have you heard about Aeolia Schenberg's Dialogue?"

"Of course. It's the name of Celestial Being's plan to bring world peace, by making all nations unite against us, then staging our own destruction. We managed the uniting part, but the world is now ruled by fascists, from what Aria told me."

"That's only temporary. I'm sure Aria and your other friends are working hard to change that, and I'll tell her everything I remember about the fiction your world is based on very soon. But the Dialogue part of Aeolia's plan is about humanity establishing communication with the second sentient race living in your solar system, deep within the gas layers of Jupiter."

"What?" exclaimed Takina, her eyes wide. "A-Aliens, inside Jupiter?"

"Yes. Basically, self-propelling gray crystalline life forms, able to shapeshift, and merging with each other to exchange information before separating again. The Jupiterians are pacifists, but since their attempts to communicate with humanity will consist of trying to fuse with them, well... The human body doesn't cope very well with merging with a crystal, as you can imagine."

"Huh." winced Takina, trying to imagine a scene like Noah was describing.

"Aeolia's plan is twofold. Bringing peace to humanity in the manner you described, and giving one human the ability to project his own thoughts around him, like some wide-ranged telepathy, to explain to the Jupiterians why humans can't fuse with them, and that they also want peace. That's why his plan is called 'Dialogue'. And that human will gain that ability thanks to prolonged exposure to the radiations of two of Aeolia's Solar Furnaces."

"Gundam 00." muttered Takina, understanding why the fiction that world was modeled after bore the same name as one of Celestial Being's newest Gundams, the only one who was powered by two reactors. Or would be, since they first needed, according to Aria, to recover Gundam Exia's Solar Furnace for it, and both Exia and its pilot were missing.

"Exactly. At least, that's how the fiction goes. With the world being created by Susanoo-sama, who knows if there are even Jupiterians."

Noah created two comfortable armchairs and a low table and sat on one of them. Taking her cue, Takina sat on the other.

"Would you like anything?" smiled Noah as many drinks, snacks and pastries appeared on the table.

"Feel free to eat anything you'd like. All the taste of the real thing, and zero calories."

"Thanks." Smiled Takina as she decided to take a slice of chocolate cake.

"You don't mind if I relay what you told me to Aria, right?"

"Not at all. I'll arrange with Akeno and Chisato to speak to her sometime today, and you'll likely want to participate, too."

She nodded as she tasted the chocolate cake. It was  just as good as it looked.

Noah smiled gently and occasionally sipped on his drink as he waited for her to finish.

"It was nice, thanks. And I think it's about time you tell me what you really went inside my soul for."

Noah chuckled.

"Yes, I suppose I should… There are two things, actually. The first is that I do not want you to tell anyone about their worlds being based on fictions. That is one existential crisis they really do not need."

"Yes. I understand. I would have preferred not to know, as well." nodded Takina.

"Thank you. The other thing… what do you think of my family, Takina?"

"They all seem to be good people. But you gathered so many women it's a bit dizzying. Can you properly take care of them all?"

"I can't." admitted Noah. "Being able to spend time inside someone's soul space helps to some extent, and I am experimenting with the idea of creating an item that will record one of my girl's sensory input when we make love. If I can create some kind of sex library the girls can use whenever they feel an urge, that will help."

"I'm not sure it would be a great idea." frowned Takina. "It would feel very unpersonal, for something that is supposed to be intimate."

"…I get your point. I'll ask the girls around if they want me to go ahead with this or not."

"I have a compromise in mind. Maybe you could create those records, but they would be your girls' possessions, and they would decide if they want to share between themselves or not."

"Yes, that's a good idea. Thanks. And the other way I compensate for my inability to properly take care of them, is that I make certain all my girls are bisexual, so they can have fun with each other if I am not available. Which bring me to the main reason I wanted to talk to you. Did Chisato or Aria mention who is the Goddess I work for?"

"No, they didn't."

"She is Lilith. The Goddess of Conquest, Lust, and Domination."

"…Oh."

"Yes. And, let's just say and I am her Champion for a reason. Lilith specifically told us that she expected Akeno to subjugate her female rivals, and that includes Chisato. She is going to join my little harem eventually."

"Aria isn't going to like that. I do not like that." frowned Takina.

"I understand. That being said, I do not intent to stop Chisato from seeing you and Aria, and I won't mind if she spends more time with you and her other friends than me. I expect her to keep helping you and Aria in the Gundam 00 world. The only restriction I'll put on her will be that she will not be allowed any romantic or physical relationship with another man. Because I'm jealous and possessive like that."

"…And, because I am also greedy and lustful, in case you would not have figured already, I also intend for you to be mine, Takina."

Takina slowly nodded.

"…I won't pretend I'm shocked to hear that. The size of your harem is a giveaway of your intentions. Assuming I end up in your harem, which is a huge assumption, mind you, since I'm not into men… Would you let me return to the Gundam 00 world? Aria needs me. And I want to see my friends."

"Of course. Just like Chisato, you would be free to come and go, and contribute to making the worlds Aria is in charge of better. I don't want Aria to resent me for taking her friends away from her or anything… Or, maybe more than friends?"

"…More." admitted Takina.

"Aria has good tastes." nodded Noah. "As for your sexual orientation, that's not really an issue. I mentioned my girls were bisexual. Few of them started that way. I am confident that you and Chisato will both be happy, as part of my harem. And to reiterate, I won't stop you and Chisato from going on dates with Aria and such."

"Do I even have a choice?"

"…To be honest, no. But I'm not going to make a move on you right away. I want you to get used to living in the island and make friends with everyone before I make a move on you. I am just telling you now, so you can have time to get used to the idea, and if you have any preference or wish, I can accommodate them."

"Has no one ever told you that you could easily seduce girls without having to resort to forceful methods? I do not feel any attraction toward you, because you're a man, but I can still acknowledge that you're very handsome. And not giving a girl a choice is a major turn off."

"I do not think anyone ever has, actually, but I know you're right about that." nodded Noah. "However, while most of my girls have joined willingly, for one reason or another, when it comes down to it, this isn't a relationship between equals. A girlfriend would have a hard time accepting being part of a harem and being in a BDSM relationship. A properly trained sex slave will only feel happiness with having a loving Master and many fellow slaves to share her interests with."

Takina remained silent for a while, digesting his words, before she spoke again.

"Will you make Kurumi and Chris yours as well?"

"How old is Kurumi?"

"Fourteen."

"Hell no. I'm not touching a minor. Ask me again in five or ten years, if she's still single. As for Christina… She didn't leave me a strong impression in the fiction, so, likely not. In the Gundam 00 fiction, the only two women I have an interest in are Sumeragi and Feldt. And isn't Christina already in love with that guy Tsery?"

"They are?"

"I seem to remember them confessing to each other just before the Ptolemaios exploded in the fiction."

"I wasn't aware. The loss of the Ptolemy happened nearly two months after my death, according to Aria. But I'm not surprised, they do spend a lot of time together." frowned Takina. "But Sumeragi-san?"

"Is it weird?" shrugged Noah. "She's a tactical genius and has a good character. She does have an issue with alcohol and a bad trauma, but the alcohol part is easy to fix, and for her trauma, well, there's therapy, and time."

"Feldt is in love with Lock-On." pointed out Takina, slightly worried about her friend.

"Too bad. For me, I mean. If he marries her, I'll wish them happiness. But if he doesn't return her feelings, I'll swoop in and take her for myself. Assuming I ever get the opportunity, of course." smiled Noah.

"You really are greedy." sighed Takina.

"Guilty as charged… Well, I've told my piece, and it's about time I get some rest. One nice thing about soul magic, is that only two or three minutes have passed in real life during our conversation, so you have plenty of time to rest as well. Good night, Takina."

"…Good night."

Noah disappeared, and a few moments later, the space around Takina started blurring. Her eyelids became increasingly heavy, and she fell asleep.

…

Rika exchanged glances with her companions who had stayed behind.

"So, they're gone. Should we wait here, or start exploring our new home?"

"Maybe we should wait a little." said Keiko. "Noah-sama mentioned that that castle is alive, but it responds to him. I'd like for him to be there, just in case something happens."

"I agree." said Misumi. "according to Lilith-sama, we shouldn’t have to wait for long anyway, and if they came back and don't see us, they may be a little disappointed."

"Should we take bets on how many new sisters we're going to get?" grinned Rika.

"What stakes are you suggesting?" asked Tomo.

"When he comes back, the one who gives the closest number spends the first night with Master, the others get to have fun with Asuna, Suzu and Kaede."

"You're assuming that he's only going to bring one of us to his bed, and that he won't just decide the order himself, but I'm game. I'd say… nine."

"Oh, that's a lot, Tomo. How about you, Keiko?"

"Six?"

"Noted. Misumi? How many new sisters?"

"How many? I'd say, yes." said Misumi with a chuckle.

"Very funny. We need a real number, or you don't participate in the bet."

"…Very well. At least twelve."

"So many?" wondered Rika, and Misumi shrugged.

"Lilith-sama sent Master with Asuna and the twins. Our world is Master's first, and the one Lilith-sama used to evaluate him. Logically speaking, it should function a little like in a game, with the difficulty increasing with each level. So, I expect they're going to spend quite a bit of time over there, and lots of time means lots of girls Master will seduce."

"Hum, you may be right. As for me, I'd say… Seven. That's my lucky digit." decided Rika.

"Huh? Isn't the daylight more intense than it was an instant before?" asked Tomo as she walked closer to one of the windows. She thought that the sun wasn't in the same place it had been previously.

Rika frowned, as she had the same impression. Misumi and Keiko were also going closer to the window.

"Could it be something that the castle did?"

"I wonder…" mused Tomo. "Wait, Lilith-sama said she would put the world into stasis. But does that mean the world stops turning around the sun? Maybe…"

Her words trailed off as four people appeared in the living room. They were dressed differently, but Rika recognized them instantly.

"And we're back!" exclaimed Noah, smiling warmly as he walked to them.

"Noah!" shouted Rika before jumping into his arms.

"Hi, Rika. I've missed you a lot." said Noah just before giving her a long kiss.

When Rika was released and allowed to breathe again, Noah hugged and kissed Misumi next, and Rika found herself in a group hug with Asuna and the twins.

"Hi guys! I'd say we missed you as well, but you've been gone from less than five minutes." grinned Rika.

"About six months, from our point of view." grinned Asuna. "It's so good to see you girls again."

"So, what is that world like?"

"It's a world with modern society, but also man-eating monsters, magic, angels and devils!" boasted Kaede. "And we met a few gods, too, Odin and Loki! Not real gods like Lilith-sama, but still, beings strong enough to be considered gods by the people living there. And there's three dragons in the family!"

"Whoa, slow down the crazy train, it's too much information at once." said Rika,

"master had upgraded our powers, too." said Asuna with a warm smile. "Rejoice, Rika, you are now immortal, and Master is now able to resurrect people."

"What?"

Noah was done kissing and hugging Misumi, Keiko and Tomo, and they all sat down. Noah was sitting in the middle of a sofa, with his arms around Keiko and Tomo.

"It's going to take a while narrating everything we've done on that other world, but before that, I'll say a few things about the current situation. We now have a whole island for ourselves, with enough space for literally thousands of people. You girls will be able to teleport over there once you've gone once, by using myself, Asuna, Suzu or Kaede as focus for the first teleportation. Most of the new members of our family have agreed to stay over there for a few days, to give us time to celebrate our return properly."

"That's very thoughtful of them." grinned Rika. "So, how many new sisters? Before you came, we were betting on the number."

"Yeah, about that. Frankly, I'm not even bothering to count anymore. A lot of the people living with us as permanent residents have signed soul contracts with me, others are waiting for me to properly seduce and train them, others still are living with us, but there's nothing sexual in our relationships."

"Has the harem become so big that we're going to need name tags?" gasped Rika with worry.

"It's not quite that bad." Shrugged Kaede. "But circumstances over there sometimes gave Master girls by packs of ten or more, and he couldn't really say no."

"You girls won't ever need name tags. You're part of the inner circle, and always will be." said Noah. He was about to say more when his phone started ringing. Seeing who was the caller, Noah accepted the call.

"Hello, colonel Kikuoka?"

"Hi again, Noah. Sorry to bother you so soon after parting, but something strange is happening, and we're wondering if you or Lilith may be involved."

"Something strange?"

"The sun's position shifted abruptly a few minutes ago, and we're receiving panicked calls from astronomers saying that the solar system's planets are out of position as well."

"Oh…" replied Noah, taking a moment to consult his system.

"I know what happened, Colonel. Long story short, Lilith is giving me more than one world to oversee. But since my presence here is required at such a critical time, she decided to put this one into stasis while I was away. I've been gone for about six months in another world and just returned. The time anomaly event is just the world being pulled out of stasis. So, yeah, there's going to be a bunch of readjustments to do, regarding clocks and calendars and such."

"…Heavens. It's going to be a mess."

"Yes, and there's not much I can do about that. This aside, I have a request for the government."

"How can we assist you?"

"I'd like for Japanese Intelligence to provide me with a report on every national and foreign politicians and lawmakers, in particular the crimes they have committed. I'll spend some time fact-checking the report, and then I'll get to work. It's going to be a bad month for dictators and presidents for life all over the world."

"…I'll see to it. It will take a bit of time." sighed Kikuoka.

"Thank you, Colonel. I'll invite you for a beer in a few days and show you a few interesting things as an apology. Would you like being the first human being outside of my team to set foot on another world?"

"I'll admit to being intrigued by that possibility."

"It should also do some good to your career. Now if you don't mind, I have some catch-up to do with some of my subordinates."

"Yes, see you later."

Noah ended the call with a smile.

"…So, when Lilith brought me, Asuna, Suzu and Kaede in a white room, she asked the girls if they wanted to start exploring the new world with me, or separately. And she would give each of them a special ability if they chose to start on their own…"

It took a while for Noah, Asuna, Suzu and Kaede to bring the others up to date about what had happened. They had to make some pauses to give the girls time to digest it all, but by the time they were done, Rika and the others were all eager to go visit the island and start rubbing elbows with devils and fallen angels.

One thing Noah hadn't mentioned was his ability to visit his girls' soul spaces. Noah intended to use it tonight and spend about two days with each of his girls, in addition to what he planned after dinner. It had been a while since they had an orgy.