Ch 278: Redefined relationship.

"We are close enough now, so I am going to teleport everyone." said Natsuki, and the girls nodded, their expressions tense.

Their surroundings changed, and they all found themselves in a room. Jinah recognized it as one of the bedrooms in their new apartments.

Reina was awake, surrounded by Misaki, Mikoto and the others, sitting in the bed with an expression full of regrets.

"Reina, are you okay? What happened to Avrora?" urgently asked Nagisa.

"Nagisa, I'm sorry. I was completely blindsided."

"What happened?" insisted Natsuki.

"It's the Lion King Organization. Paper Noise knocked me out. While I was losing consciousness, she told me that she needed to borrow Avrora, and that she would return her to us later."

"And those idiots couldn't just ask?" wondered Gudako, watching the conflicted expressions on the faces of the five Observers in the room.

"Who is Paper Noise?" asked Jinah.

"One of the three Saints who lead the Lion King Organization." replied Natsuki. "What the hell do they think they're doing?"

"…I'm off to make a call." sighed Jinah, leaving the room.

Sayaka, her designated Observer, hesitated for an instant, wondering if she should follow her, but Jinah shook her head at her.

Jinah took the Sanctuary, and used its discharge feature to disperse the mana it had been loaded with, turning the time dilation off. She entered inside, the one place where she could be confident Natsuki or someone else wouldn't be spying on them, and called Chaldea.

"Olga-Marie." replied the Director.

"Good evening, Director. This is Jinah. Sorry to bother you at this hour. I would like to talk to Noah, if possible."

"I'll arrange it, give me a few minutes."

"Thank you." nodded Jinah. She could hear from the sounds coming from the phone that Olga-Marie was walking down a few hallways and taking a set of stairs, until she knocked at a door.

"Darkness, are you there?"

Jinah heard a barely audible, muffled response, then the sound of a door opening, and Olga-Marie's audible sigh.

"…Why am I not surprised. Jinah, are you in private right now?"

"Yes, I isolated myself in our Sanctuary."

"Good. Give me a moment to untie that pervert. No, on second thought, she can stay just like this."

Jinah heard an approving 'Mmph.' in answer.

"…Darkness, how did you even manage to bind yourself like this? You truly have a gift for self-bondage. Anyway, Jinah needs to speak with Noah. Can you lend me your… Good Girl. Since Jinah's conversation with Noah might be about something private, I will plug your ears and put a sensory-deprivation hood on you, then go away once the phones are set up. Yes, I knew you wouldn't mind. I'll come back in… let's say an hour to untie you, surely Noah and Jinah will have ended their conversation by then. Or maybe I won't untie you or remove the hood. Maybe I will do something else with you."

"Mmephs!"

Jinah smiled, understanding that Olga-Marie was describing her actions for her sake. And Darkness's muffled answer as certainly approving.

"Hello, Master… Yes, thank you. Jinah wishes to speak with you urgently. Can you activate the video, please? I will put both phones facing each other.

Jinah activated the video feature on her end, and when Olga-Marie was done, most of her screen was showing Darkness's phone, with Noah looking back at her. On the edges, she could see a glimpse of what was behind Darkness's phone, a view of a bed with a blonde girl hogtied on it with a white rope, her head covered by a tight black leather hood.

Jinah shook her head and focused on what was important.

"Hi, Noah. Sorry to bother you. I was wondering if you knew about the timeline I am currently in. One of our new friends just got kidnapped."

"Hi, Jinah. I'm sorry to hear that. Can you describe the timeline?"

Jinah did, and before long, Noah nodded.

"I know about that one, although not in great details. I am sorry, but I do not know why the Lion King Organization targeted Avrora. What are those noises? Sounds familiar."

"Just Darkness having some fun behind the smartphone, please ignore the bound and gagged girl. That's troublesome. The Lion King Organization just assigned us a few Observers, but we only met today, not long enough to build any loyalty between us. And I do not think they know anything in the first place."

"Then I guess you have three options. Let them do whatever they want to Avrora to keep a good relationship with them and your Observers, threaten them with retaliation if they do not give her back, or directly go to war with them. Whatever you choose, you probably do not have much time."

"I see… The first one is a no-go. What good relationship is there even to preserve? Does it even exist, if they believe they can kidnap one of our friends behind our back and think we'll do nothing about it? We can't have a good relationship if they disrespect us like this."

"That's a good point. Two options, then." nodded Noah. "The gods gave you guys the authority to do as you wish, as long as you deal with the Demonic Pillars and do not deliberately harm innocents." nodded Noah. "You can even ignore the quests they gave you if you really need to, although I do not recommend it."

"Don't worry, it's not like I intend to destroy the Lion King Organization if they play hardball. I will just… make sure they cannot harm us again. What else can you tell me about this world, while we are about it?"

"Not all that much. I was aware about Astarte, the Nalakuvera and Vatler crises, as well as the Faux Angel one involving La Folia and Kanon, but that's about… Wait, there an incident where a young witch who can switch bodies by kissing her target temporarily steals the body of the Fourth Progenitor and use the Familiars to break open the dimensional prison, in order to free her mother, Aya something."

"Aya Tokoyogi?"

"Maybe. I do not remember her last name. Very attractive, purple hair, long black hair and black kimono."

"That's her." nodded Jinah. "Aya is already in the Sanctuary's basement. Medb is almost done training her."

"Ah?"

"Yeah. On our first night there, we were sort of flagged as hostiles due to a misunderstanding, and I got sent to that prison. I broke out of it, and I grabbed Aya due to a quest where we were asked to tame a few villains."

"I understand. Well, keep an eye out for her daughter. Her name is Yuume, Yuma or something like that. Purple eyes and short brown hair. She's not a bad person, but she has been conditioned to free her mother by any means necessary."

"We'll be on the lookout for her. Do you know anything about the first three Progenitors? I may have offended the strongest one by killing that Vatler guy." sighed Jinah.

"No, sorry."

"Thank you anyway, now I need to hurry. I do not want to have to ask you to revive Avrora."

"I will not mind if it proves necessary. Good luck." nodded Noah.

"Yes, bye." nodded Jinah, ending the call. She headed down to the basement, finding Medb and Aya using strap-ons on Beatrice. The blonde woman, hooded and bound in a strict strappado, was grunting and gasping as Medb impaled her mouth and throat, and Aya, her arms bound in an armbinder, was taking her from behind.

"Medb, we have an emergency! Avrora has been kidnapped by the Lion King Organization!"

Medb immediately stopped and quickly removed Aya's armbinder.

"Slave, you will finish, then put the toy back in its cage. I will be back shortly."

"Yes, Mistress." nodded Aya.

"I will play with you when I return, so behave yourself."

"Thank you, Mistress." smiled Aya.

"Aya, you have a daughter, right?" asked Jinah.

Aya hesitated before glancing at Medb, wondering if she was supposed to ignore someone calling her by her name instead of 'Slave'.

"This isn't a trap, answer the question." said Medb.

"I have." replied Aya after a glance at Medb. "Did she come to Itogami Island?"

"No, but a certain person warned us she would likely appear to try to break you out of the dimensional prison."

"That is the case." nodded Aya. "She was my trump card to get out of that place. It doesn't matter anymore… Should I present her to Mistress?"

"We'll talk about it later." said Medb, now wearing prim and proper street clothes, black leather pants and a red turtleneck.

For an instant, Jinah envied the Heroic Spirit's ability to clean herself and change her outfit in mere seconds. Now one would have guessed that she was engaging in sex just moments before.

"Let's get out." said Jinah, and they both teleported out of the Sanctuary. Jinah retrieved it and followed Medb to the apartment's living room.

"Did I miss something?" asked Jinah, immediately sensing the tense atmosphere.

"We contacted the Lion King Organization, but they refused to release Avrora. They only reiterated that they would return her to us in a few days." replied Mash with a flat tone.

Sayaka, Yuiri, Shio and the Himeragi twins were looking very awkward.

"I do not think any of you know what they are going to do with her, right?" asked Jinah to the Observers.

"I don't." replied Sayaka, and the others shook their heads.

"Well, surely your Saints do. Where are the headquarters of the Lion King Organization?"

"Don't answer that question!" cut in Natsuki. "Jinah, I understand that you're angry. I am, too. But the Lion King Organization is still part of the government! Don't do something reckless. Give me a day to talk some sense into them."

Jinah looked at Mash, Gudako and the others, and they shrugged or nodded at her, silently telling her that they would keep following her lead whatever she decided.

"…Very well. We will wait, one day only. But I warn you, Natsuki-sensei." said Jinah with utter seriousness. "If by this time tomorrow, they still refuse to return Avrora to us unharmed, there will be heavy consequences for the Lion King Organization."

Natsuki gulped, keenly aware that if Jinah and the others decided to go on a rampage, she wouldn't be able to stop them.

"I will do everything I can to bring Avrora safe and sound." promised Natsuki.

…

Noah entered the new Sanctuary he had made barely a day ago. finding the vast majority of the space inside empty. One corner had been turned into a control room, where Erin, Tabane, Ernesta and Camilla were working, typing away in front of large monitors. A thick metal cable ran from a computer bank to a strange machine the size of a truck, consisting of a seemingly plain metal base, with a spherical device on top of it, one meter in diameter, mounted on a thick socket that would allow it to rotate.

"Ah, Master-kun!" yelled Ernesta as she left her chair, trotted to him, and hugged him, leaning her head back and closing her eyes.

Noah smiled and gave her the requested kiss.

"I've brought coffee." smiled Noah when she released him.

"Thanks. Have you come to check on our work?" grinned Ernesta.

"Yes, I am curious about it." nodded Noah, entering the office area where Erin, Tabane and Camilla were lining up, smiling.

"Hi, girls. How are you doing?"

"Great. This project is an interesting one." nodded Tabane. "Wasteful, stupidly big and cumbersome, and we could do something ten times better with a quarter of the mass, but its sheer scale still makes it interesting."

"Not everyone is as talented as you girls. What is that device over there?"

"We're almost done with the design, so now we are starting to make prototypes of the individual systems, Noah-sama." answered Camilla. "The base is simply weight, and the sphere is a gravity engine."

"A gravity engine?" asked Noah with a raised eyebrow.

"Take a look, Noah." smiled Erin as she turned a knob on a console, and a slight humming noise came from the sphere. The device left the ground, and Erin manipulated a small joystick, causing the sphere to rotate slightly in its socket. The truck-sized device moved left and right like a helicopter moving by tilting the axis of its main rotor. Erin was careful not to damage the cable as she decreased the power and made it land again.

"This engine produces gravity affecting only the engine itself, but we can decide its direction. We make it 'fall' upward, countering the natural gravity pulling everything down. This little one can easily lift over fifty tons. Those we will install on the Object will be three meters in diameter, about twenty times more powerful, and there will be hundreds of them inside four wide pads to make the Object float above ground or water, or even fly or move underwater!"

"That's impressive. Although I wouldn't advertise that flying ability if I were the pilot." nodded Noah. "All the nations of that world will want a piece of our Object if its technology stands out too much. They might band together."

"Right?" nodded Ernesta. "We'll make a note on it in the user manual. We're even going to oversize the lift capacity a little to account for battle damage, and under emergency power, it will be able to right itself even if it falls on the side."

"We're going for a two hundred forty thousand tons design." nodded Erin. "If our Object is meant to face several enemy Objects at the same time, it will need the extra armor and weapons."

"You already decided on those?" asked Noah.

"Yes." nodded Tabane. "Thirty meters thick angled armor on the main chassis, made of ten centimeters layered armor, and covered with radar-absorbing, smart paint. We alternate layers of composite materials for shock absorption and heat diffusion, and the same alloy we had Da Vinci use on the Hakens. The damaged armor and composite plates will be easy to remove and replace."

"What about the weapons?"

Erin created an image made of hardened light. Instead of the sphere on pads Noah had expected, the shape looked a lot more like an arrow's head laying on its side and joined to four rectangular pads by thick pillars at a 45° angle. It was clearly intended to minimize its front profile while allowing for all of its heavier weapons to have a line of fire. The Object also had four stout mechanical arms in a X-shape near its back, each sporting a huge weapon within an armored shroud, and four dorsal turrets in a superfiring disposition. The first three held three cannons each, and the last one, much bigger, had two massive cannons whose barrels were covered by armored shrouds.

"Tertiary weapons, spread all over the hull, eighteen CIWS 20mm miniguns, eighteen 25mm railguns, twenty-two dual cannons 180mm railguns, thirty-five 65mm pulse laser cannons." smiled Erin.

"Secondary weapons, twelve 750mm particle beam cannons in the four turrets on the pads, two hundred fifty-six vertical launch cells for cruise missiles, eight torpedo launchers under the hull for submarine warfare, nine 900mm particle beam canons on the three turrets along its spine."

"Primary weapons on the arms, two forty-meters long, 400mm caliber pulse laser miniguns, although there's nothing 'mini' about those monsters. Two fifty-meters long, 450mm hypervelocity railguns. Those babies will propel superdense, smart projectiles at almost thirty kilometers per second, and could also serve as super-heavy artillery for indirect fire with a range of over 300 kilometers. Heck, it could fire at satellites in orbit."

"Now, each of those four weapons should be pretty good at coring an enemy Object in short order." smiled Erin. "But the cherry on the cake is the main dorsal turret. We couldn't decide if we wanted laser cannons, or plasma ones. Both have their advantages and disadvantages."

"A laser is great to melt its way through armor, but the beam lacks the explosive force of a physical impact to spread the damage around or blast open a large section of the enemy armor." explained Camilla. "A plasma cannon does create a blast effect, but a lot of its power will be redirected outward by the armor before it penetrates it deep. It would be good for destroying a few surface layers of armor and knock out of lot of its secondary weapons and sensors, but would likely require several hits on the same spot to destroy an Object outright."

"So in the end, we decided, why not both? It's like that analogy with a firework." smiled Erin. "If you set it off on your open palm, you'll get burns. But if you squeeze it firmly when it detonates, your hand will be mangled."

Noah squinted as he examined more closely the model Erin had created and noticed that the armor-covered cannons of the dorsal turret actually had two barrels each.

"I see it. You'll fire a laser beam first to dig a hole into the enemy's armor, then fire a plasma discharge right inside it, causing an explosion deep inside the armor, not on its surface."

"Exactly." smiled Erin. "Of course, the Object will have several AIs to control everything, and will only require one pilot."

"It will require a lot of precision, though, and Objects can move pretty fast for their size." remarqued Noah.

"The travel time of the plasma mass is really short. As long as it is within five kilometers, it should work even while the enemy is trying to evade." nodded Erin. "Even if the plasma projectile misses the hole, both the laser cannons and the plasma ones can be considered anti-Object weapons on their own, and the lasers should be able to penetrate twenty meters of armor. Our armor. And Athena mentioned they only use steel for armor."

"Better overkill than not enough kill, Master-kun!" grinned Ernesta. "The Object will have three high-output Yggdrasil Drives to power it, with a fourth inactive one for redundancy, and large amount of Sakuradite as fuel. We managed to artificially create some using Da Vinci's data. Very potent stuff. And we're considering adding a second propulsion method for quicker combat maneuvering."

"Give us two weeks on the outside, and access to a thousand Sisters, and we should have it more or less ready. One more week for the logistic train." nodded Tabane.

"You put a lot of vertical launch cells on your design." said Noah. "But the enemy Objects will have a lot of defensive firepower. How do you expect this to work? Or are you thinking about using them to deal with smaller targets?"

"No, Master-kun. We intend for the Object to launch them all in a single salvo at an enemy Object before they get into range for direct fire. Our missiles will be armored to withstand small caliber defensive fire, and some will carry ECM and ECCM systems instead of warheads. The target's defenses will be severely degraded with electronic jamming, low power lasers aiming at anything looking like a camera, and some missiles will generate false signatures to appear like a dozen missiles and draw fire to them."

"We still expect most of the missiles to be shot down, we're speaking about an Object after all." said Tabane. "Those who reach the target won't be able to inflict any critical damage, but they should be good enough to knock out a bunch of sensors and secondary weapons, and maybe damage some of its main armaments or propulsion with a bit of luck."

"I see." nodded Noah. "As expected, you already have thought about any issue I could think of. I will leave you to it, then. Make sure you take breaks and rest properly. Oh, and give the pilot has a way to evacuate, just in case."

"Aye aye, Sir!" grinned Ernesta with a playful salute.

…

Shuuko sighed as she looked at her two sisters. They had resumed their habit to gather for dinner and movie twice a week. But this time, the atmosphere was… awkward.

Finally, she couldn't stand it anymore and set her fork down.

"Alright, let's address the elephant in the room. Their offer."

"…Fine." sighed Emi. "But you start. Do you think their offer is honest?"

"…I do, at least about the supernatural part and the benefits." nodded Shuuko, before blushing a little. "And I am inclined to accept. The only reason I haven't already said yes is that I do not want to leave you both behind. And… there's something they haven't told you."

"Ah! I was right to find it fishy! What is it?" asked Emi.

"Being an Agent under Noah. It doesn't mean just doing humanitarian work. It also means a… more personal kind of service."

"…I see. So that's a No for me." replied Emi.

"How do you know that? Did Sakura tell you about it while you were stuck in the VR game? I noticed you have a tendency to get flustered when you look at her." asked Kanna.

Shuuko nodded, too embarrassed to admit that Sakura had done a lot more than just tell her about it.

"But despite that, you are willing to follow them?" frowned Emi.

"…Yes. I do not know Asuka and Medusa all that well, but I can say that Sakura isn't a bad person. She has her quirks, but once you get used to it, she's not unpleasant to be around. And while she hasn't met Noah in person, she has talked to him a few times on the phone, and she vouches for him. I trust her judgment."

"What about you, Kanna?" asked Emi.

"…I don't know." sighed Kanna. "What Shuuko just said about serving Noah in his bed is not something I want, obviously, but immortality is a hard thing to give up on, and… working at the office now seem so… so futile and trivial, compared to the possibility of curing people from cancer and stuff."

Emi nodded, as she had the same kind of thoughts at work earlier that day. Her boss had noticed her unusual lack of focus and scolded her.

"If it can help, Sakura told me that Noah has a lot of Agents." carefully said Shuuko. "And I mean a lot. Sakura didn't give me a hard number, but she mentioned that he has at least ten huge palaces on his personal island. So that kind of 'service' probably wouldn't happen often, unless he took a liking to one of us."

Again, Shuuko didn't mention what Sakura had said about the training and daily discipline that might be expected of them, as it was just too embarrassing. And… she didn't want to scare them away. Maybe it was selfish of her, but she wanted her sisters to follow her and gain immortality, while relieving her conscience by giving them at least some warning about what would happen to them.

"…It does help." nodded Kanna.

The three sisters resumed their meals for a few minutes in silence, thinking. In the end, Kanna sighed.

"We may argue about it, but in the end, we are going to accept, right? If we decline, we will spend the rest of our lives thinking about what we could have become, the things we could have accomplished. And in a few decades, when we grow old and we start having health issues, we will experience regret… Plus, our mundane careers are already toast, because we'll never be able to be as motivated and hardworking as we were before they dangled this in front of us."

"You have a point." sighed Emi. "…You have a point."

…

Ririko was sitting on a bench, watching the setting sun. The park near her house was peaceful, now that most people from the neighborhood had returned home to prepare their dinner, and Ririko liked the feeling of the wind on her skin. Wind was something that had been absent from the Ecstas Online world, and she only realized she missed it after she was released from it.

"Ah, there you are, Ririko."

Ririko tensed as she turned, having recognized the voice. Sakura was standing three meters from her, a gentle smile on her face.

"Don't come any closer, Sakura." said Ririko with a tight voice.

"…Are you afraid of me?" blinked Sakura, looking hurt.

"No… Yes... I do not believe you want to harm me, but… I still do not want to be your slave, Sakura. So stay away."

"Ririko." sighed Sakura. "You are too stubborn from your own good, you know that? Why do you even want me to stay away?"

"Because… because my body reacts when you're near!" admitted Ririko, blushing. "I can't remain clear-headed if you're close, so…"

"So dramatic. You'd think I emit love pheromones or something. This isn't something I can do, Magus or not." said Sakura as she closed the distance anyway, stopping right in front of her.

And Ririko felt butterflies in her womb as Sakura was looking down at her.

"We're leaving for Tibet tomorrow morning, Ririko, and all the others already gave us their answer. Shuuko is coming with us. So are her sisters, although they are a bit reluctant about it. Fear of missing out is a powerful thing."

"Nonnon was the first to tell us she was coming. She's smart and decisive as usual. Naru, Uiko, Alice, Ageha and Megu are coming as well. Ageha and Megu are clearly motivated by the allure of wealth more than we would like, but we can deal with it. You're the only one left, Ririko."

"Please, Sakura. Please leave me alone." said Ririko with a small voice.

"I can't do that, Ririko." replied Sakura with compassion. "There is an ironclad rule among Noah's followers. Once we start training someone, we must see it through. Abandoning a person mid-way is being very irresponsible. A good way to leave girls with traumas behind. Tell me honestly, Ririko. Can you be satisfied with normal sex anymore?"

"I…" hesitated Ririko. She wanted to deny it at first, but remembered that Sakura would be able to see through any lie. "Even if… Even if I have those needs now, it doesn't have to be with you, or with Noah… Maybe I can find someone later. Someone who would… bind me… without trying to make me their slave."

"Maybe you could." nodded Sakura. "But that would be like discarding a luxurious car for the cheap kind you give to new drivers because you expect them to bump into things. And it's dangerous, too. You never know when your partner might be an actual sadist deep inside, or if he might hurt or even kill you out of sheer ignorance or carelessness."

"Even so, sex isn't the only thing that matters in a relationship. Even if I have to be unsatisfied, I can… what are you doing?" asked Ririko as she watched blue motes of light gather between Sakura's palms and coalesce into…

Her heart skipped a beat as she recognized the circular shape of the glowing mass. Sakura was creating a collar. A collar clearly meant for her. When she was finished a few seconds later, a black leather collar with gold trimmings was in her hands.

Ririko shook her head, scared.

"This collar, Ririko, is the symbol of your submission to me." softly said Sakura. "It is a magic one, and if you put it on, you won't be able to remove it without my permission."

"Please, Sakura. Please, don't ask me to…"

"Put the collar on, Ririko." said Sakura with the same gentle tone.

Ririko looked up at Sakura for long seconds, her heart beating faster and faster. The butterflies in her womb growing more insistent. Then she looked around, making certain they were alone in the park.

With trembling hands, she reached for the collar. It was heavier than it seemed, and at this moment, Ririko felt like it weighted as much as a mountain.

She slowly opened the buckle, looked up pleadingly at Sakura again, but she only smiled in encouragement.

Ririko lifted the collar to her neck and put it around her nape, feeling the cool leather against her skin.

She paused, thinking for an instant about the enormity of what she was about to do, and how her body was reacting to it. About this irrational, overpowering desire to do as Sakura asked, to put herself into her hands, and to experience again the pleasure Sakura had shown her.

With a mournful, seemingly grieving sob, Ririko fastened the buckle close. She felt the collar shift slightly, adjusting itself to a snug fit without interfering with her breathing.

"I am so proud of you, Ririko." nodded Sakura with a lot of warmth in her voice, and Ririko nodded.

"Stand, Ririko."

Ririko did as the girl she now acknowledged as her Mistress asked, and didn't move while Sakura touched the collar, seemingly drawing some kind of pattern on the leather.

Then a small mirror appeared on Sakura's left hand, and she handed it to Ririko.

"Look at your collar, Ririko." said Sakura with a satisfied expression.

Ririko took the mirror and stared at her reflection with growing confusion. She touched the collar with her free hand to confirm the presence of the object she couldn't see.

"I made it invisible. Your parents do not need to know about this. After we leave this world, I won't hide it anymore, but you won't be the only girl wearing a collar, far from it, so people won't think it's strange." explained Sakura, and Ririko nodded in understanding, relieved. "I need you to be ready for tomorrow morning at 7:30. That doesn't leave you too much time to say your goodbyes to your family and pack your belongings, but it can't be helped."

"…I understand." sighed Ririko.

Sakura hugged her tightly.

"I know this was a hard decision. And I may have been a bit pushy with you."

" 'A bit'?" repeated Ririko with a little snort.

"Fine, a lot pushy." smiled Sakura. "But you will not regret it, Ririko. You will be happy, I promise you that."

"…Should I call you Mistress now?" hesitated Ririko.

"I think we can leave that for the bedroom, at least until you are used to your new situation. We do not have time to do something fun right now, but at the very least, my cute slave has earned a kiss."

Ririko nodded slightly, and let Sakura kiss her. Seconds later, she started returning it, thinking that it felt better than within the game.