Ch 31: By hook or by crook.

Suzu didn’t act immediately, as she wanted to take some time to think about the plan Noah had suggested to her. After experiencing just three minutes of wearing the slave collar, she felt rather confident that it would work. But she hesitated, dreading to see the pain and hurt in her sister’s eyes when she would act on it.

As they both got in bed, holding hands and facing each other, Kaede smiled.

“Suzu, you didn’t tell me. What did you and Noah talk about when you were alone? I tried to buy you some time, you know?”

“…”

“Suzu?”

Suzu scrunched her face in indecision, greatly surprising Kaede, before she sighed.

“Sis… I want to ask you something. But you must think about your answer properly.”

“That’s quite ominous. What is it?”

“If… I were to do something bad to you, for both of our sake… would you be willing to forgive me?”

“You’re up to something mischievous again... I’d rather you abstain from doing something you know to be bad. At least whatever you’re up to seems to be aimed at me, not Asuna. And you won’t do something too bad, because you care a lot about me. Just like I care a lot about you, Suzu... You know I can never stay angry with you for long."

"But be careful, my cute little sister. If you go too far, I might exact some payback later.”

“…I understand. Thank you, Sis. I know what I must do, now.”

“You’re not going to explain?”

Suzu shook her head, her expression almost back to usual. But Kaede was positive she saw a small smile on her sister’s lips despite the lack of illumination in the room.

“No. Good night, Sis.”

“…Good night, Suzu.”

…

On the following day, Noah was preparing breakfast when Suzu invited him to a chat.

“Hi Suzu. How are you doing?”

“Hi Noah. I’m good. But I changed my mind.”

“Oh?”

“I can’t do it. Instead, I want you to train Sis yourself, and train me together with her.”

“If that is how you wish for things to go, I am more than fine with it. Before we start, do you have any particular request? Maybe a fetish you would want to experiment?”

“…I just want you to do to me the same things you will do to Sis. That will be my punishment, for betraying her.”

“I’m not sure betraying is the correct term, considering that you are doing it for her, to a large extent, but I do not want to argue about it this morning. I understand your feelings, Suzu. I’ll train you both together. We’ll get started after today’s hunt. Make sure you don’t leave any personal belonging in your room at the inn.”

“Thank you, Noah.”

“You do not need to thank me for this matter, Suzu. It’s not like I’m acting selflessly. We will all be happily living together, very soon… Oh, I need to stop there, Argo is trying to contact me. See you later.”

“Later.”

Noah closed the conversation and opened another.

“Hi Argo. I missed you.”

“…We need to talk.”

“I agree. Do you want to do it by chat, or to meet?”

“Let’s meet. 12:30 at Homura’s restaurant, castle’s south-east district. Bring Asuna with you. I don’t know if I can trust you if you come alone.”

“Fine, we’ll be there. I’ll find some excuse to convince Suzu and Kaede not to follow us.”

“Good.”

Argo closed the conversation. It was obvious that she was still royally pissed at him.

Noah searched in vain for an excuse that would fly, then gave up on it. He contacted Suzu again.

“Suzu, change of plan. We’ll start late-morning. We’ll go to an isolated spot, and then we’ll spring the surprise on your sister.”

“Ok.”

As Noah was finishing breakfast, Asuna and Lisbeth came. Noah gave each a quick kiss and informed them about the conversations he had with Suzu and Argo.

“What do you want me to do, Master? Should I go with you and Asuna?” asked Lisbeth.

“If you wish to, I’ll ask Argo about it. But she may not be aware yet that I have already sunk my fangs into you, and she might react negatively. I’d prefer for her to learn about it after we come to an agreement. Besides, I might ask you to stay with Suzu and Kaede, to act as a moderator and stop Kaede from saying words that would really hurt Suzu.”

“I understand. It’s a good idea. Kaede will be angry, she’ll need some time to calm down.”

“Master, unless I miss my guess, Argo will likely want some concessions from you. And an apology as well. I think you should really consider it.” Said Asuna seriously.

“Yes. I’ll apologize as many times as she wants, and as for concessions, we will see, but I will remain open-minded.”

“Thank you, Master.” Asuna smiled, relieved.

“I’m curious, Master. Assuming that someone would resist the effect of the collar and your training for a long time… What would you do, then?”

Noah looked at Lisbeth and closed his eyes for a moment, trying to imagine this scenario unfolding.

“That would depend on who that person is, I think. If we’re speaking about a good-natured, normal person, I would give up and release her, and try to find some way to compensate her. If we’re speaking about a villainous woman, however, someone who would do evil on a significant scale if left to her own devices… Releasing her would be out of the question. I would have to tame her.”

The emphasis Noah put on his last sentence made clear to the girls that what they wouldn’t like being subjected to this “taming”.

“Do you intend to add villains to our family? I’m not sure it would be a good idea.” Said Asuna as she looked at Noah dubiously. He simply shrugged.

“I do not have anyone in mind right now, nor do I want to go find one just for the sake of it. It might never happen. But you never know, with Lilith’s tests. She did warn me that if I chose to recruit villains, I would have to keep them on a tight leash, so the possibility exists.”

“Master, how many more slaves do you intend to get, after Argo and the twins?”

Noah smiled as he looked at them. “Two more. After that, I think I will have enough slaves on my plate, at least until we return to the real world.”

“Who is it? Someone we already met?”

Noah nodded, and waited with a grin to build up some anticipation. Then he said the name, and Lisbeth spat the food in her mouth in astonishment, while Asuna’s jaw went slack.

…

After joining Kaede and Suzu, they started heading for one of the less popular parts of the floor. Kaede noticed.

“Hey, Noah, why are why heading into that forest? There are no valuable resources other than monsters in it, according to Argo’s guide.”

“It’s precisely because of this that we’re heading there for now. I’m going to do something that I don’t want other players to see, or they’ll grow jealous.”

“Oh? Did you perhaps find some secret? A field boss or something?”

“It’s a secret, yes. But not a dangerous one.”

“Tell us now!”

“Good things come to those who wait.” chuckled Asuna.

Kaede bottled her curiosity and let Noah lead them further in the forest, as they killed the monsters in their way. Until Noah stopped, looking around them carefully.

Kaede also tried to see what was special about this location.

“It’s not something you can see, Kaede.” grinned Asuna. “You’ve been wondering where Noah and I go every evening, right?”

“Well, I’ve wondered. I saw you head toward the towns exits several times, but I thought you had a habit of going to do some sightseeing alone as a couple.”

“Speaking of sightseeing, there’s a place I want you to see, Kaede, Suzu. I once completed a unique quest, and I got a bunch of special rewards. One was a number of unique patterns for several crafting proficiencies. The other was a special reusable teleportation crystal that sent me into a home in another floor. A really nice home, with a splendid view. That home will be mine, once I’m done paying for it. Still about 31 million Cor to go. Do you want to take a look?”

Noah took the teleportation crystal in his hand.

Kaede looked at Suzu, who nodded.

“Of course, if that’s okay with you.”

“Yes, please.” Added Lisbeth.

“Then come closer and put your hand on my arm. We need physical contact to teleport together.”

The girls did so, and in a flash of light, they were gone.

They reappeared in the middle of the living room.

“Wow! It looks like a very large house.” Said Kaede with admiration.

“It is. There are twelve rooms over two stories, and there’s a large basement as well.”

“Are you the one who made the furniture?”

“Yes.”

“Beautiful.” whispered Suzu, as she looked through one of the windows.

Kaede heard her and walked closer. She, too, admired the view outside.

“Its… whoa… Where is this place?”

“It’s the twenty-fourth floor. Apparently, this one is devoted to relaxation, and there’s no monsters outside. It’s a great place, right?”

“You can say that again. I hope Suzu and I can get to live in a home like this.”

Noah nodded to Asuna and Lisbeth, and they acted on the plan they agreed on.

“You do not need to worry about this, Kaede.” Said Asuna as she took Kaede’s right hand in hers, and held it firmly.

“Yes. This home is more than large enough. You and Suzu can live there with us!”, said Lisbeth with a grin, as she took Kaede’s left hand.

“Eh?” Kaede was surprised, and froze as Noah walked to her, holding some piece of leather in his left hand. It was only when he fastened that something around her neck that she realized what it was. A collar.

“What are you doing?” Said Kaede as she started struggling.

“You will live with us, Kaede. As my devoted love slave, that is.” Said Noah, as he opened his interface, tapped on the new tab, and deactivated Kaede’s adult content protection. He then unequipped the spear on her back, putting it in storage.

“You can let her go, girls.”

“Sorry, Kaede. It’s for the best. Master will make you happy, once you give yourself to him.” Smiled Asuna as she released her.

Kaede was trying and failing to remove the collar around her neck when an invisible power forced her hands on her back, and black leather cuffs appeared around her wrists.

“What’s this?! Suzu, help me!”

As Kaede looked at her twin sister, her shock increased as she saw Suzu shake her head.

“Sorry, Sis. Noah will help you forget Hayato. Let’s fall together into being his slaves. He will take good care of us.”

Suzu didn’t resist as Noah put another slave collar around her neck. Seconds later, her dagger was gone, and she, too, was restrained in the same way.

“Suzu, you… You knew about this?” Kaede muttered in disbelief.

“Yes. You know, deep inside, that Hayato will not remain loyal to you. Noah told me, that he could teach me. How to make you my slave, so that we would always stay together. Only, I couldn’t do that to you. So, Noah is going to make me his slave, too. It is only fair that I suffer like you. We will remain together, and we will be happy.”

“I can confirm.” Said Lisbeth. “When Noah brought me here, I was very unwilling to become his slave, just like you are right now. But there’s no way anyone can resist his training. I didn’t even last two weeks. But now, I am glad he did. I am truly happy, Kaede, more than I was before. You will be, too.”

“You’re all nuts! Release me at once!”

“I think Kaede needs a bit of time to get over her shock, and we’ll be late in our meeting with Argo if we don’t leave soon. Kaede, Suzu, I’ll leave you both in Lisbeth’s company. She’ll give you a tour of your new home, and you can ask her anything. Do not try to escape, the door and the windows can’t be opened until I’m done paying for the house. Lisbeth, if Kaede or Suzu misbehave too much, you will gag and blindfold both of them. You can also add to their restraints, but do not untie them, and do not remove their clothes.”

“Yes, Master.”

Asuna squeezed Kaede’s shoulder.

“I know you’re angry, Kaede. But do not blame Suzu, please. Noah would have gotten his hands on both of you eventually, with or without her cooperation.”

Asuna walked back to Noah, and they teleported away. Kaede glared at Lisbeth.

“Release Suzu and me, Lizbeth, or I will kick your butt.”

“Nuh-uh. If you threaten violence again, I will tie up your ankles together. Now follow me, I’ll show you around the house.”

Suzu obediently followed, and after a few seconds of hesitation and struggle, Kaede did, too. She had nothing to lose in knowing what this house was like, and maybe, just maybe, she would find something that would let her and Suzu escape. And then, she would have words with her sister. There was a limit to the degree of mischievousness she was willing to tolerate.

Most of the rooms were actually empty. But when Kaede showed her the one that was full of clothes, and started displaying each and every leather or latex outfit, often commenting that the twins would look great wearing those, Kaede started imagining herself and Suzu wearing them.

And she was shocked when she noticed her body heating up in response.

Unbeknownst to her, her training had begun.

…

Argo spied on Noah and Asuna from behind the corner of a building, as she saw them enter the restaurant. She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. Part of her really didn’t want to see him. But she couldn’t withstand wearing the belt indefinitely. She would go mad. She wanted to convince him to remove it now, as doing it a few days later would only make her more desperate, and being desperate was a bad starting position for trying to negotiate any kind of agreement.

Steeling herself, she walked toward the restaurant, entered, and saw the table Noah and Asuna occupied, in a corner. They both saw her and nodded to her, and Argo sat opposite to them.

“Hi, Argo. You look tired.”

“Hi, Asuna. Yes, I look tired because I am, thanks to a certain someone.”

Noah had the grace to nod as acknowledgement.

“Yes. I am sorry, Argo. I know I violated your trust. And I regret the pain I’m causing you. If beating me up would let you vent some of your anger, feel free to ask.”

Argo didn’t answer as an NPC waiter came to take their orders. All three just ordered coffees.

They waited in silence until the NPC came back and served them, and Noah paid for all three.

Argo decided it was time to start the negotiations.

“I want you to remove the belt and the choker, Noah. After you do it, I’ll still be angry and disappointed in you. But after a while, forgiving you, might not be impossible. Maybe we can return to being friends, one day.”

Noah sighed.

“From my point of view, Argo, that would be the worst thing I could do. I have betrayed your trust, yes. And, after some more self-reflection and a few discussions with Asuna, I realize that I should not have been this forceful with you. I have been too impatient. At the very least, it should have been a last-resort option. But it is done now. If I do not convince you to become mine, I will have hurt you for nothing. And that kind of hurt isn’t going to just go away with the belt. It will fester in your heart for years, maybe decades, and likely make you less able to trust other people.”

Argo stared at him angrily, and he met her gaze without flinching. She had not really thought about the long-term consequences of his betrayal, as she had been too preoccupied by the belt and her short-term future, but now that he had pointed them out, she agreed with him.

This was going to leave scars.

Still, she had not expected him to agree to her demand anyway.

“Give me one reason not to inform everyone about what you have done to me, Noah.” She said flatly.

“Argo, don’t do this, please.” Said Asuna. “It would have negative consequences for everyone involved, not just Noah. And you would be stuck in those for a long, long time.”

“…If you were to inform people about this, it would be… a major inconvenience for me. But only an inconvenience, even in the real world. My backer wouldn’t let me rot in a prison, and I am guaranteed a social position where people cannot just ignore me. They would frown at me and look at me with disgust behind my back, yes, but they would still have to deal with me.”

Argo narrowed her eyes.

“Asuna mentioned something along those lines. But I do not believe it. Are you going to claim that you’re the son of an ambassador or something?”

Noah snorted. “That’s actually pretty close, as you could say that I represent a foreign power that has a lot of clout, yes. But I’ll tell you this. That foreign power and I share similar convictions, about the state of politics in most countries, the omni-present corruption, the increasingly extreme concentration of wealth, and so on. She intends for me to do assist her in doing something about it.”

“There will be plenty of billionaires who will hate my guts, billionaires who control newspapers, and even if I don’t give them some ammunition, they will just come up with something anyway. I expect more than a few assassinations attempts as well. But you girls don’t have to worry too much about that. I’ll have countermeasures in place by the time this shit starts.”

“She?” Asked Argo, still not convinced.

Noah sighed, regretting his slip of the tongue.

“Sorry, Argo, I’m not telling you more about her until we’re out of the game.”

Argo guessed that she wouldn’t be able to get Noah to explain more, and decided to return to more immediate matters.

“What would it take for me to convince you to remove the choker and the belt?”

“My end goal is the same as before, Argo. I love you, and I want you by my side, both personally and professionally. I want you to be happy to be mine, and look back at my mistake with fondness and tolerance, rather than disgust and pain. To make things more tolerable for you, I am open to suggestions, as long as they do not compromise the end goal.”

Argo pondered for a while as she stared at her coffee, before she focused back on Noah.

“What if I promised to have sex with you regularly? You put the belt on me because you wanted to make sure I wouldn’t stop seeing you, right?”

“…I’d agree to remove the belt and the choker, on the condition that said sessions would occur at least once every three days, last a few hours, and that I would have control over what you wear, and if and what restraints would be used.”

“…Once every five days. And I don’t want to be tied up every time.”

“I’m willing to compromise at four days. And I would tie you up maybe about two times out of three.”

Argo closed her eyes, thinking for a moment. She knew before inviting Noah to this place that she would have to accept having bondage sex with him again.

And she forcefully repressed the part of her that wanted just that.

The concessions she had gained were already beyond her expectations, as she didn’t come to this negotiation with a position of strength, and she knew it. “…I accept. That doesn’t mean I’m forgiving you just yet.”

Noah nodded, and took something from his item storage, before extending it to her. A small key.

Argo quickly seized it, putting it into safety.

Noah then removed her choker. Argo sighed in relief.

“I’ll call you soon.” She said as she left, leaving her coffee untouched.

Asuna and Noah looked at each other.

“It could have gone worse.” mused Asuna.

“Yeah. It will take me a while to crawl back into her good graces, but I have time, and I will crawl. Let’s go home. The twins are waiting.”

“Noah, I wish to stay back. I want to speak to Argo in a little while, after she’s done removing the belt and cool down a little. And spend some time with Mito, too.”

“Of course. Tell me when you’re done, and I’ll come fetch you.”

Asuna pecked his cheek, and they parted.