Akashic Records of the Bastard Child Engaged to a Goddess

Lumiere & Lucretia Arc

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(POV: Lumiere)

Ah yes, that feeling...

The way people around you act the moment you've just gotten out of a deep state of depression.

For girls, their girlfriends would be eager to please them— make them happy with girl-talk, nail polish and a hint of sexual discussion.

And for the boys, a group of men that would never really tell them sorry, but instead laugh it out until you've exhausted every drop of depression inside you. Then finally, you'd wash it down with a frothy mug of beer.

It was the same for me too.

Now, that was a lie, a few girls came to cheer me up— that was also a lie.

"I... Is this really, necessary..." I sighed.

I was in my room, feeling like I had just crawled out of an emotional black hole, when suddenly, a swarm of women descended upon me. It was like a scene from a bad rom-com, except I was the reluctant leading man. They were determined to make sure I stayed happy and free from the clutches of depression.

I mean, seriously, who needs that many women fussing over you? It was overwhelming, to say the least.

One or two, fine. Four or five, manageable. But come one, ten women? I wasn't built for this; I'm not "that" guy.

Lucilia, Anastasia, Ruri, Stellaria, Simone, Lucretia, Luna, Lumila, Elise and even Lilith.

They all surrounded me in my room.

Still, I guess it's nice to have people who care, even if they do it in the most suffocating way possible. So there I sat, awkwardly perched on my bed, surrounded by a sea of estrogen, trying my best to appreciate the gesture while secretly wishing for some breathing room.

A harem of bewitching women.

The air was thick with their attractive, sweet and flowery scent, a harmonious blend that made my nose sniff for more.

As if sensing my thoughts, Lucilia, the alluring blonde beauty with big blue eyes sitting by my side, inched closer to me.

"Congratulations, on coming back to us," Lucilia said, her gaze fully locked on mine. "We were all so worried about you."

Lumila, who sat in the corner, adjusted her glasses and chimed in. "Which still makes no sense, since you know... We didn't even know what had you so down in the first place."

I didn't think there was any use telling them.

And besides, if I did, it was likely I'd get a little depressed again, so I wasn't planning to remind myself too much about it for now. Until I'd gotten used to it at least.

Stellaria obviously didn't tell them anything. She was the most trustworthy person to keep a secret with because she'd be too lazy to tell another person or she'd just tell them 5% of the actual information.

Just then, Elise whispered something into Lumilaʼs ear.

"Hm?" I uttered the moment I notice it.

Lumila's eyes darted to the side before she finally spoke, the nonchalance in her voice from earlier was a little diluted now.

"But, I suppose it doesn't matter. What matters is that you're feeling better now."

Sure, that sounds so sincere...

"Uh, thank you, Lumila..."

"Sure." A plain response.

You'd think Lumila didn't have those sort of words in her vocabulary. But maybe she really did mean it, after all, one of her traits was being brutally honest with people.

Then, Lumila looked back at Elise. "Is that good enough?" she asked.

Curiosity piqued, I glanced at Elise, who had remained relatively quiet throughout the exchange. Her face partially obscured by her neck scarf, she gently nodded, a silent affirmation of Lumila's words.

Nevertheless, their efforts to make me feel better was well appreciated.

It made me feel special.

I never told anyone this, but when someone celebrated a party for me, it was likely the most important thing to me.

I didn't have much of parties growing up as a child, so even the smallest ones meant the world to me.

But I was definitely not going to cry... Not in front of them at least.

With gratitude swelling in my chest, I reassured them, "Thank you, all of you. But there's no need to throw me a party or make a fuss. It wasn't that big of a deal."

Anastasia, her arms folded and a mischievous smile playing on her lips, dismissed my protests. "Oh, but it is a big deal, Professor Lumiere. You missed out on so much fun during the snowworks festival. It's only fair that you enjoy this celebration."

She closed her eyes, shrugging lightly, as if her argument was a mere formality. "Besides, we all missed you."

My eyes flickered a bit.

Her affectionate stare intensified and she then added. "I missed you..."

Luna, her deep red waves cascading over her shoulder, adjusted her bangs and spoke with sincerity.

"Yes, we were deeply worried about you. Ruri, Anastasia, Lucretia, and Stellaria even argued over who would come and take care of you last night, to ensure you didn't sink back into depression."

Then, Luna covered her mouth a bit. "They were ready to play with... those parts..." she paused. "I have to admit, that's a little... scandalous."

"Eh?" I said.

My gaze shifted to them.

Ruri and Anastasia, their cheeks faintly tinged pink, averted their gaze slightly, their guilt apparent. But it was Lucretia, calmly indulging in a slice of cake, and Stellaria just gently hummed as she rested her elbow on the thigh of her crossed legs.

The reactions of the groups of two very well depicted their maturity.

While Anastasia was certainly mature in "that" area, she wasn't fully comfortable acting in such a manner around others. As for Ruri, she just wasn't the type to have gone that far in "explicit" relationships.

Then as for Lucretia and Stellaria, they were both mature women in their prime— well, Stellaria's always been in her prime but nonetheless. They didn't need to blush or act in any embarrassed manner because they were both confident about what they wanted...

Me.

After dressing her flowing white hair, Lilith approached me with a soft smile.

"I'm glad you're doing far better than before, from what I heard you refused to come for classes..."

"Eh, I'll make up for lost time, sorry." I sheepishly scratched my chin.

"Of course," Lilith told me. "You wouldn't want to make me angry now would we?"

With the abilities she possessed, no, not really.

"Still though..." I paused.

Lilith looked at me. "Is anything the matter?"

"I'm a little surprised you're here to see me is all."

To which she folded her arms and cast her gaze downward. With a self-assured look in her eyes, she admitted, "A certain black cat would've been furious had I not come check up on you."

Arching an eyebrow, I inquired, "Black... Cat...?"

Lilith winked knowingly.

Then it made me realize she was referring to Senesica. Oh yeah. If I remember correctly, after we had sex the second time that day we both slept off in the hotsprings and the next morning she was gone.

She cooked some food for me.

But I wasn't ready to eat her "well-prepared" meal.

In a low voice, she insisted, "I would also like to have a talk with you later about what had you so depressed all of a sudden." With a playful smirk, she added, "And remember, you have no right to decline my offer."

Unsure of how to respond, I scratched the back of my head and reluctantly agreed. "It won't be a problem, hah~"

Just as our conversation continued, Ruri appeared at Lilith's side, holding a small plate adorned with a generous slice of cake and a fork.

"Here, Vice Principal Lilith..."

"Oooh," Lilith uttered. "For me?"

Ruri simply smiled.

Lilith held the plate steady as she delicately wielded the utensil, expertly cutting a piece and raising it to her lips in a strangely sexy manner. A small moan escaped her lips as a dollop of icing stained them, prompting her to extend her plump, sticky tongue and sensuously lick away the tantalizing sweetness.

"It tastes so good," Lilith purred. "And it's white creaminess feels so good inside me.."

"Ah, sure." I forced a normal laugh that came out as awkward.

Intervening between Lilith and me, Anastasia seated herself on my left and leaned in.

"Uh, Professor Lumiere..."

"Yeah, what's up...?"

"I was wondering if we could... if we... we... we could well, go out on a..."

It was obvious, she was about to request a date.

When it came to public display, Anastasia wasn't the best at it. That much had become obvious over the while I've known her.

Just then, Lucretia set aside her half-eaten cake, causing the clinking of the fork against the plate to break the silence. Peering at me intently, she declared.

"Pick up something nice, Lumiere. You'll be accompanying me to the snowworks festival's closing ceremony."

"Eh?"

And then Stellaria smiled a little deviously. "I think I'd like to go with my beloved as well," she spoke in her porsh tone.

This made a good number of the women shout.

"WHHAAAATTT?!!"