Ch 176: Interlude 6: Chains of Lust.

"Are you miss, Kamura-san?" asked the delivery guy.

"Yes." replied Shikimi Kamura, showing her ID card.

"This package is for you. Please sign here."

She scribbled her signature on the document and took the package.

"Thank you, have a good day." smiled Shikimi.

"Yes, you too." said the man as he left.

Shikimi closed the door and locked it, then engaged the two additional locks. She lived alone in her apartment and knew she was very attractive, so she didn't hesitate to invest in security.

She took the time to finish her weekly housecleaning, then walked to her bedroom and opened the package. Inside was something she had been thinking about buying for a while, but a recent conversation with her friend Tomo had convinced her to take the plunge.

The silver AmuSphere, looking like a sleek, futuristic visor, was the second generation FullDive console, and the Nerve Gear's successor. It had all the safety features that made certain the previous tragedy couldn't be replicated.

She plugged to device to the wall outlet, connected it to the house's wireless network, and noticed that the inner batteries were already near full charge. This AmuSphere must have been fresh off the production lines.

Shikima had a few hours to test her new toy before she would need to go prepare dinner. As she was about to get started, she had second thoughts. Was this really a good idea?

After hesitating for a while, she reached for her phone and called Tomo.

"Shi-chan?"

"Hi, Tomo. How are you?"

"I'm great. lazing around on the world's greatest beach right now. Well, technically, that beach isn't on Earth, but who's going to argue. The weather is ideal, the sea is clear and blue, and everyone's having a good time."

"You're making me envious." smiled Shikimi. "…Tomo, I have just bought an AmuSphere."

"An AmuSphere? Oh, that mean you're going to try that game after all?"

"Yes. have been thinking about it, since you told me about it. I just have to give it a try."

"I understand you completely now, Shi-chan. I wasn't into it at first, but Noah convinced me to give it a try, and it has grown on me. And now, you too will get an opportunity to scratch that itch safely. "

"Yeah…" smiled Shikimi, blushing at she remembered the incident that had brought her and Tomo close.

They had been classmates before the Sword Art Online incident. One summer day, when they had both been on the schedule to tidy up the classroom, Tomo had found a SM porn magazine hidden behind the cabinet and the wall, in the back of the classroom. She had fished it out, wondering who among the boys had brought it there, and Shikimi had stared at it.

There was something in those pictures of bound women she found… fascinating. Tomo had noticed her classmate's strange reaction, joked about it, and Shikimi had vehemently denied any interest as she threw the magazine in the trash can.

Once they were done and left the room, Shikimi had faked needing a bathroom break, remained in the toilets for a few minutes, then returned to the classroom and retrieved the magazine. Only to be caught red-handed by Tomo.

Shikimi had been extremely embarrassed. She came to school the next morning dreading that everyone would look at her like a pervert, but Tomo hadn't told anyone, and aside from a few good-natured jabs when they were alone, never mentioned the magazine again.

Over time, they had become friends.

Then, the SAO incident happened, separating them for two years, until they both met again in the same hospital.

Surprisingly, Shikimi had also been a SAO player. But she never knew that Argo was Tomo's avatar, and Tomo wasn't aware that Shikimi was one of the nine thousand new players either.

Right after waking up, she had thrown away her Nerve Gear. There were too many negative memories associated with it.

They had both resumed their friendship, although meeting Tomo in person was now difficult, as she lived with the Champion Noah, and spent some of her time on another world, according to her.

But two weeks ago, Argo had sent her a mysterious message, saying that a new VR game was about to come out, and that she would really miss something if she didn't try it.

Shikimi had inquired for details, but Tomo didn't give any for a few days, then sent her a link.

"Be sure to download the game using the link I gave you, okay? This is important." said Tomo.

"Sure. You'll get your sponsorship gift, or whatever it is they give you for reeling in new players."

"Eheheh. Call me again after your first play session, I want to hear your opinion."

"Yes. Call you later." smiled Shikimi, ending the call.

The game Tomo had urged her to try was actually making the news since its launch last week, because of its content. Chains of Lust, as was the name of the game, was strictly reserved for adults. It was a game that allowed both dominants and submissives to have sessions together, in the safety of a virtual room and with their identities protected. There were also public areas were Dominant and Submissives could go to socialize with other players, dance, and do many other activities.

Shikimi had gathered what information she could from the internet, and for a few days, the temptation of actually living some of her fantasies in a safe and anonymous environment quickly grew, until she couldn't resist it anymore. So she ordered an AmuSphere.

Shikimi protected her bed with a few towels, changed her outfit into a sports bra and leggings as she expected to sweat a lot, and looked at herself in the bathroom's mirror. She had an attractive face, black eyes, and long, silky black hair with two red ribbons tied at her nape. She was the proudest of her long legs and smooth skin, but her breasts left much to be desired.

She laid on the bed, put on the AmuSphere, adjusting it for a comfortable fit, and took a deep breath.

"Link Start."

Her vision was quickly replaced by the AmuSphere's default interface. After adjusting the settings for a few minutes, she had to run her hands all over her body and head for the machine to memorize her body shape and uploaded from her cloud storage a copy of her identity card, proving she was an adult. The device compared the mapping data of her face to her picture on the id, and determined she was indeed Shikimi Kamura.

Next came the creation of her Avatar. The name and ID would be the same for all FullDive games, but the Avatar's appearance could change from one game to another.

She chose the name Kanae, changed her default appearance to have red eyes, neck-length blue hairs, and additional pair or ears to look like a cat girl, a cat's tail to go with it, and chose to keep her body shape as it was, excepted for the breasts, where she gave herself a generous augmentation.

With this done, she went into the online store and started downloading the local files for Chains of Lust. The game was free for those who would register as submissives, but would cost 5 000 yen a month for the dominants. As the local files were downloaded a window appeared in her vision.

TERMS OF USE. PLEASE READ CAREFULLY.

Listed below are the rules you will need to adhere to. Infractions will result in punishment ranging from temporary suspension to a permanent ban. Any crime committed within the game might lead to local law enforcement being contacted.

Dominant side:

Submissive side:

Shikimi read the rules carefully. The system seemed safe enough to use, with the submissive being able to bail out at any time and indicating her limits beforehand, and Dominants being punished if they ignored those limits.

Chains of Lust was ready to launch, and Shikimi did so. After the welcome message, she registered herself as a submissive, and started filling out the survey about her preferences, from choosing the Dominant's gender to specific kinks. There were so many kinks she didn't even know existed.

It took her a while, and when she was finally done, a message appeared.

"Searching for a Dominant matching your preferences..."

Under the message was a web browser interface, so she could do something as the search was in progress.

After a few minutes, a message appeared.

"A Dominant named Polaris is interested. Do you wish to start a session with him?"

Shikimi took a deep breath, and clicked Yes.

The scenery changed, and Shikimi found herself the middle of a large room. The furnishing was rather sparse but looked comfortable. A thick, dark blue carpet covering the whole floor, a large bed, two armchairs with a small table between them, and a cabinet.

Her attention was on the man sitting on one of the armchairs. He had short blond hair and blue eyes, a well-toned body, and was attractive enough to be a model. At least, his Avatar was. He was dressed in a black tuxedo.

"Greeting, Kanae. I am Polaris." said the man with a nod.

"…Hello." said Shikimi, feeling intensely nervous. She knew what was going to happen. She had come from that very reason. And her body was already burning in anticipation. But she was still in a room with a stranger, about to have sex. She felt almost tempted to use the emergency exit right here and then. She also felt the presence of the collar snug around her neck, and she had to fight an urge to try to remove it.

"I have seen on your profile that this is your first session." kindly smiled Polaris. "And you seem really nervous. How about we just speak for now?"

Polaris gestured to the other armchair.

"…Yes. I am sorry, but…" hesitated Shikimi before she sat down.

"I understand." chuckled Polaris. "I am also a bit nervous, and I'm the dominant one!"

This reassured Shikimi, and she smiled.

"We cannot reveal anything about our private lives at this point, so the conversation is going to be rather limited, but I would like to know, Kanae, what you expect from this session."

"Yes… I, want to confirm something. For a long time, I've had those dreams, of being… well, dominated... I want to see if this is just a temporary phase, or… something deeper."

"I see. I take it you have zero experience in real life?"

Shikima shook her head.

"Kanae, are you willing to tell me about those fantasies? Would you like for me to replicate them, or do things my way?"

"I… You won't mock me, okay?"

"I won't." nodded Polaris.

"I dream of being with… Noah."

"Noah Enfield?" asked Polaris with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes." shyly admitted Shikima. "He is the Champion of the goddess of Conquest, Lust and Domination, so surely, he must be a dominant as well. And he is handsome."

"There's no way I'd mock you for this. He is a handsome guy after all, or so people tell me when he is mentioned, and strong. And really famous now. There must be millions of women all over the world who have fantasies about him."

"…In those dreams, he ties me up. And he has sex with me. Most of the time, I try to resist, but he just… ignores my protests, and shortly after, I give in and let him have his way with me."

"How does he tie you up? Is it always the same way, or does it vary?"

"It varies. Rope, leather, or metal cuffs and collar. Rubber, too."

"Do you have a favorite, Kanae?"

"…Rubber, I think."

In her fantasies, Noah almost always made her wear at least some rubber clothes. Or she already wore them when the scene started. Sometimes at was just underwear. Other times, leotards or stocking and gloves, or even full bodysuits.

"I do not have much stuff yet, since my account is only a few days old. Just a pair of long gloves for you to wear, if you wish, but if you agree to future sessions with me, I will make sure to keep your preferences in mind."

"Do you have, other… submissives?"

"In the game? Two. And they both chose to wear red collars after our first meeting, so I guess I'm not too bad at this… Do you know why I chose Polaris as my nickname, Kanae?"

"No." replied Shikimi immediately. It obviously was a rhetorical question, as she had no way to know.

"Polaris is also known as the Northern Star. The one that ancient navigators and travelers used to find their way in the dark and avoid getting lost. I chose it because I see my role in this game as a bit comparable to that of a guide, helping young women like you explore their own kinky desires in a healthy way... Of course, I also enjoy it a lot." grinned Polaris.

"I'm sure." smiled Shikimi.

"And I think our conversation is about to become more physical, since we are running out of things we can talk about without violating the rules. Are you feeling less nervous now?"

"Yes. Thank you, Polaris. I'm okay now." nodded Shikimi.

"I am glad." smiled Polaris as he rose to walk to the cabinet.

"Since we're going ahead with this, I am going to establish a few ground rules, Kanae. Disobeying them will result in a spanking. The first of them, and the only one I require you to follow for your first session, is that you must call me 'Sir' from now on. If you ever chose to change the color of your collar to black, I would require you to call me 'Master' instead. Okay?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Good girl." smiled Polaris. Shikimi saw him take from the cabinet a pair of long black rubber gloves and hinged metal cuffs.

"That's all I have for now, as far as latex is concerned, Kanae. There will be more in the near future, if I do not make you run for the hills."

"I do not feel like running right now, Sir." smiled Shikimi.

So far, she had a very good impression of this man. She had expected a Dominant that would immediately start by binding her, then order her to give him a blowjob or do something equally crude, but Polaris acted like a gentleman and obviously made her wellbeing a priority. She understood why two other women were willing to be exclusive to him, at least within the game.

Polaris placed the cuffs and gloves on the table.

"Stand up, Little One. I am going to undress you."

"Yes, Sir." quietly replied Shikimi as she stared into his eyes. She thought she saw both amusement and affection in them.

Polaris slowly removed the white and green dress she was wearing, then her underwear. When she stood naked, blushing, her helped her put on the long rubber gloves. As it was a virtual game, they didn't need silicon oil to be perfectly shiny.

"It is your turn to undress me, Little One." said Polaris.

Shikimi nodded and started removing his clothes. First his vest, then his bow tie, followed by his shirt. When he was naked from the waist up, she marveled at his chest and well-defined muscles.

"Do you like what you see, Little One?" smiled Polaris as she ran her gloved hands over his chest.

"Yes, Sir." nodded Shikimi. Seeing his chest, as well as the gloves she wore, were contributing to make her horny. She gulped as she removed his pants and boxers, and saw his cock free, standing at attention. It was huge.

She finished undressing him, and he took her in his powerful arms, hugging her.

He looked like he was about to kiss her, but she hadn't allowed it in her preferences. Instead, he sat back on the armchair, bringing her into his lap, her back against his powerful chest. He gently massaged her large breasts, and she gasped.

His touch wasn't just pleasant. His fingers felt like they had an almost electric quality to them, giving them abnormal pleasure. If that wasn't enough, he obviously knew how to play with a woman's body. One of the hands descended to her crotch.

"You are already quite wet, Little One." softly said Polaris in her left cat ear, before nibbling it.

"Yes, Sir. I like this." gasped Shikimi.

"Do you feel my cock pressing between your butt cheeks, Little One?"

"Yes, Sir. It is hard and hot."

"Ask for it, and I will bring you to the bed and make you cum. But I do not want you to ask for it."

"…Sir?"

"Little One, I want to test how far I can push you before you ask for it. And the longer you endure, the better the orgasm you will get. Do you want to feel good now, or feel even better later? And the longer you endure, the prouder of you I will be. Do you want me to be proud of my Little One?"

"…Yes, Sir. I will resist… as long as I can." gasped Shikimi.

"That's my good girl." praised Polaris. He never stopped playing with her body, giving her pleasure, keeping her close to the edge.

She gritted her teeth as she attempted to endure the pleasure Polaris's hands were giving her. Hearing the occasional praise from him. She liked hearing it. She wanted him to be proud of her.

It was strange, really, since that person had been a complete stranger less than an hour ago, but it somehow felt right.

She didn't know how long she held up, but she reached her limit.

"Sir, please, let me cum! Please give me your cock." she cried.

"Nearly thirty-five minutes. That was very good, Little One. Your Sir is proud of you." smiled Polaris, getting up with her in his arms.

He carefully laid her on the bed, then lifted her legs and held them by her ankles. She positioned the head of his cock against her sopping wet pussy, and looked her in the eyes as he slowly pushed.

"Ah, I'm about to cum!"

"Cum for your Sir, Little One." smiled Polaris as he suddenly accelerated his rhythm.

"Yes, I… I'm cumming!" shouted Shikimi as her body convulsed.

The orgasm lasted a long time, and she barely came down from it when another started.

She had cum twice when she felt him come inside her, and then he lifted her again, putting her on the ground.

Polaris walked to the table, picked up the hinged cuffs, and opened them.

"Present your hands, Little One." smiled Polaris, and she nodded as she did.

Polaris closed the first cuff very slowly around Shikimi's right wrist, letting her hear every single click as it got tighter and tighter. She groaned in lust.

"By the time I'm done training you, Little One, hearing this sound will make you horny. Or maybe I should say hornier, since the sight of any restraint will also turn you on."

"Yes, Sir." moaned Shikimi. It was already the case to some extent, but she didn't doubt that Polaris would reinforce it.

Polaris guided her arms behind her back, and slowly closed the other cuff around her left wrist.

"I like you like this, bound for my pleasure, helpless in my hands." grinned Polaris. "Will you keep being a good girl and use your mouth to serve your Sir's cock? You made quite a mess."

"Yes, Sir."

Shikimi nodded and opened her mouth.

"Look into my eyes as you do it, Little One." smiled Polaris. "And keep at it until I cum again in your mouth."

She nodded slightly as she focused on the task, staring at his face. Being tied turned her on, and so did the humiliation of being on her knees, sucking on his cock as he towered over her.

He occasionally praised her as she did, and after a while, she felt the cock twitch, seconds before he came.

She didn't like the taste of semen. But she still swallowed dutifully, wanting to make him happy.

Once she was done, she cleaned him with her tongue, and waited.

"Get up, Little One." smiled Polaris, helping her. He took her in his arms and sat back on the armchair with her in his lap, and started playing with her body again.

"You have been a very good girl. I am going to reward you with one more orgasm. You do not need to hold out this time, just tell me when you cum."

"Yes, Sir."

"I am quite pleased with you, Kanae. You are a natural submissive."

"I, think so, Sir. I had never considered it, until I found…"

"Careful, girl." cut in Polaris. "Do not say anything related to your private life."

"…Yes, Sir." nodded Shikimi, starting to pant again as his hands gave her pleasure.

"What did you think of your session, Little One."

"I liked it, Sir. You are different from what I imagined you would be. More caring. And you are so skilled."

"I have some experience." chuckled Polaris. "And I am playing the long game. Only an idiot would treat his submissive harshly, especially during the first time. All they would manage would be to push the submissive to try another dominant, and maybe get banned."

"Yes, Sir… Oh… I am glad you were the first suggested by the game."

"So am I. You are a treasure, Little One. I am very pleased with you."

"Thank you, Sir… I'm about to… I'm cumming!" exclaimed Shikimi as her whole body tensed.

When she went limp, Polaris held her close, nor saying anything, only smiling gently at her.

Shikimi wanted this moment to last forever. She was mostly naked and cuffed, into the arms of a stranger she just had sex with, but she felt content and safe.

They stayed like this for a while, then Polaris sighed.

"I would love to spend more time like this, but unfortunately, I have some work to do, so this session is going to end."

"Yes, Sir." replied Shikimi as she got to her feet, and Polaris removed the cuffs.

"I will be going. Thank you again, Kanae. It had been a pleasure, in more ways than one. Hopefully, it won't be the last time we meet."

"I think you can count on it, Sir." smiled Shikimi.

Polaris disappeared, and a message with a timer was displayed. She left the room before its end, and another screen asked her to write a comment and if she wanted to give Polaris D-Coins. She wrote a glowing comment, gave him the maximum possible amount, and chose to turn her collar red.

She doubted she would find anyone better in Chains of Lust.

Shikimi logged out, and immediately felt a wave of desire. She might have been satisfied in the virtual environment, but her body wanted some real relief as well.

She reached for her favorite vibrator in her bottom drawer, deciding she would ask for another session with Polaris within a few days.

…

Noah removed his AmuSphere and looked at Yui and Hikari, who were snuggling against him on the bed.

"Well, it is nice to see one of my devious ideas coming to fruition."

"Yes, we both watched." smiled Yui. "She's hooked. Who wouldn't be?"

The day after Noah had locked chastity panties on Suguha, he had entrusted Yui and Hikari with creating Chains of Lust using one of the SAO Seeds. They had needed less than two weeks to create a fully functional game and test it for bugs.

He wanted to mess around with Suguha at first, training her in a way that would make her take a more active part, but, after thinking about it more carefully, he dropped the idea. It would be too dishonest, and he didn't want for Suguha to get the feeling that he had played her for a fool for months.

As administrators, Yui and Hikari had access to the players' real appearances, and they would be able to arrange for the pretty ones to be redirected toward Noah, if he wished too. Just like they had directed Tomo's friend straight into Noah's arms, even if she knew nothing of it.

The game was already having some huge success, gaining over two hundred thousand users over a week. Part of it, he was certain, was related to Lilith. Some players thought, not without merit, that she approved to consensual Dom/Sub relationships, and imagined that they might attract her benevolence this way. Or maybe they thought that it was the lifestyle their Goddess wanted them to live. Fetish communities all over the world were going more public, being emboldened and gaining many new members.

It didn't really matter to Noah. The profits from the game would be more than enough to cover the rent of the server farms, do some advertising of the game later, and its existence offered some interesting possibilities.

"In the next update, make sure a dominant can invite several submissives, please. I won't do threesomes with my Little One for a while, but that will come eventually."

"Yes, Master." grinned Yui.

"How about a threesome right now with Yui and me, Master?" suggested Hikari, presenting her butt to him and pulling on her top to partially reveal the fully formed Thrall Crest. She knew that Noah liked seeing it, as proof that they belonged to him.

"That doesn't sound like a bad idea at all, actually." grinned Noah as he groped her butt with one hand, and brought Yui closer for a kiss with the other.

…

"Shi-chan?"

"Yes. I've done it, Tomo. And it was great." smiled Shikimi as she pressed her smartphone against her ear. She had just taken a shower, then decided to call Tomo.

"I'm glad it worked out. You did use my link, right?"

"Yes. And you must have gotten a nice gimmick, considering how insistent you were."

"Nope, I didn't receive anything. That's not what the custom link I sent you was for."

"It wasn't?"

"No. The link was a referral, so that you would first be directed to Polaris. Wouldn't want you to get your first experience with an incompetent dominant. It might have ruined the whole thing for you, Shi-chan."

"Oh, I… see. I am happy that… wait, are you one of the two other submissives that Polaris mentioned?"

"What do you think?" replied Tomo, laughing.

"It feels a bit weird, that I just had virtual sex with the same man my friend met. And… aren't you supposed to be part of Noah's harem? According to the rumors, all the girls from the press conference are in a harem relationship with him."

"That is the case, yes. but don't go shouting it from the rooftops."

"Then… aren't you cheating on him? You must stop, it could be really dangerous, with a man like him."

Shikimi was seriously worried for her friend's safety, but Tomo's answer surprised her. She laughed.

"Shi-chan! You really are a treasure. I'm not cheating on Noah. He knows that I had a session with Polaris."

"Oh? So, he is fine with it?"

"Shi-chan. Noah also has an account in Chains of Lust."

"Oh… WHAT!" yelled Shikimi, trembling as the realization struck her. "Did I just have sex with, with him?"

"Virtually speaking, yes."

"You should have told me!" shouted Shikimi, her emotions a mess. She had nurtured a few fantasies about Noah, since he was handsome, and obviously strong, and so charismatic. But she had felt guilt over entertaining such thoughts about her friend's SO. And now, that very same friend had arranged for Shikimi to have sex with him.

And she had confessed to him having sexual fantasies about him tying her up and using her while ignoring her protests!

As she thought about it, she felt her face heat up furiously.

"You would have gotten cold feet if I told you." countered Tomo. "Or maybe you would have played Chains of Lust on your own and risked being in the hands of a fool. Don't worry, I don't mind you having sex with Noah. He has a whole harem, what's one more? Besides, you are my friend, and I want you to be as happy as I am.

"… It's not like I don't understand your reasoning, but still… I don’t want you hiding things from me."

"Yeah. Sorry about that."

"…as long as you won't do it again, I'll forgive you. And that's only because it felt so good… Hey, can I ask Noah for one thing?"

"You can always ask."

"Well… for the next session, I want his avatar to look like the real him."

"Hehe, I'm glad you're still willing to continue. Let me ask him… Yes, he says he will do it, but he also wants you to do the same, and also to use real names."

"Real names? Won't that be against the rules?"

"…Shi-chan, who do you think is managing Chains of Lust?"

"I'm not sure, actually. The company that created it is brand new, but that's nothing strange with how easy it is to create games from the Seeds. And the CEO is called… Yui Dorifune, if I remember correctly."

"Yes. And try to pronounce Dorifune, in reverse."

"Dorifune? That's… Enufirod... Don’t tell me, Enfield?"

"Ding Ding Ding! The original concept of the game was Noah's idea, and some very talented people in the family turned it into reality… oops, someone's calling on the VIP line and I'm on duty, so talk to you later." said Tomo as the call abruptly ended.

Shikimi sighed, and laid on her bed, thinking. Her emotions were a mess, with receiving one shock after another. Her thoughts quickly drifted back to Noah. Would he eventually add her to his harem in the real world, or keep their budding relationship within the confines of the game?