Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

When Vahn awoke the next morning, he looked over to the side and saw Chloe and Aki overlapped with each other from the previous night while Arnya was sprawled out over his body in a very unbecoming manner. Since he hadn't seen this habit from Milan and Tina, Vahn was relatively sure it wasn't a racial trait of Cat Persons, but every time he was with the girls they always slept in awkward positions unless they were snuggled up with him. It created an interesting and somewhat tantalizing view as he could once again see Chloe's pale white butt exposed to the air, so Vahn didn't really have any complaints and just reached out his hand to cop a feel after noticing her eyelids flutter awake. Chloe opened her green eyes that seemed to glow slightly in the low light before peeling Aki off of her and rolling over next to Vahn to say, "Nyahaha, you're so affectionate all of a sudden~."

Vahn couldn't stop himself from smiling at her words because he had gained 2 OP from sneaking in his earlier touch. He wanted to increase the rank of the skill quickly, as it was a very 'interesting' ability, so Vahn would be a little more 'proactive' for the foreseeable future. Leaning in, Vahn kissed Chloe on her lips while reaching down with his right hand and thumbing the tail of Arnya, who was pretending to be asleep while laying across his body. He could feel her tail twitch under his touch as she released a mewling sound intermixed with a yawn and said, "Am I still dreaming~nya? Vahnya doesn't even give me time to rest even when I'm asleep, nyaafuuuuu~."

Hearing Arnya's words, Vahn brought his kiss with Chloe to a momentary end and released a hearty laugh before saying in a somewhat cheeky manner, "It's still a little early, let me pamper the three of your for a bit before we head down to the bath~." As he spoke, Vahn activated his [Hands of Nirvana] to the full extent of its potential and traced his index finger up Arnya's spine as her mewls tickled his heart. The didn't have enough time to go another round, but Vahn could help their bodies wake up and re-energize them for the coming day. His actions incited them to take action as well and Vahn ended up in a strange situation where he had all three girls leaning against his body as he passed his hands over their chests, bellies, backsides, and tails. Chloe had already been in the 'optimal' position, so she ended up being the one to kiss his lips while Arnya and Aki licked the sides of his head in an extremely affectionate manner...

---

After enjoying a rose-colored morning, Vahn ended up back in his workshop with a huge grin on his face. He didn't remember when it happened, but there had come a point where he was much less proactive in petting the girls. In the past, Vahn could recall several memories where he always seemed to be petting someone but, after everyone moved into the Manor, he noticed he had cut back on it a great deal. Other than when he was praising the girls for doing well, Vahn had been trying to act with a bit of reservation so as not to incite anyone to inadvertently cause undue stress that could disrupt the synergy of the group.

Since he was quite fond of touching the girls, Vahn liked the new change after awakening his [Petting] because the way the girls acted when he was touching them made him feel happy. Even when they had been taking a bath, Vahn noticed he got a lot more OP when he was helping wash their bodies than when performing simple touches. This showed there was a lot about the ability he wasn't aware of yet and the thought excited him greatly. In fact, it was so distracting that Vahn intended to do something 'fun' during his lunch break today and was already looking forward to it with a child-like giddiness as he skillfully cut patterns of silk with the precision of a machine.

Vahn was going to be making 'accompanying garments' today and, since it was an important experiment to him, he would be creating several different designs to test a variety of interactions he was curious about. As for what he was currently working on, he was cutting pieces of silk into three different sections that, if they were to even take a momentary glance at them, anyone would be able to recognize them as the three sections of a pair of panties. All across his worktable, there were several different pairs that he had purchased from the shop as well, all so that he could do research, so Vahn was sitting with a large grin and an apparent giddiness in his body as he 'unabashedly' designed panties for the girls to wear.

It wasn't a whimsy he had in the past, something which might fade with time, no. Vahn genuinely wanted to be able to design an S-Ranked lingerie in the future and he was taking his first steps on that long road starting now. After doing a bit of research, Vahn learned that most panties were split into three different sections, front, back, and the connecting cloth that served as a bridge between the two pieces and also acted to 'catch' fluids that the girls might emit through 'exertion' or during their periods. There were some risque designs that took a great deal more cloth, and some relatively reserved ones that only took a single piece, but Vahn was starting with the basics for the time being.

Fortunately, the [Emberwisp Silk] and [Tesarian Blue Silk] were both moderately stretchable fabrics that expanded in all four necessary directions to make them form fitting to the body. The material became somewhat transparent when stretched to the limits, but Vahn thought this would just 'enhance' the image and didn't mind it too much. He did, however, make sure that the inner lining was properly installed to cover all the important areas. Though the silk was very comfortable to the touch, this wouldn't necessarily be true after they had undergone wear and tear through use. Most panties had a cloth inner lining that would serve to soak up sweat and make the garment more comfortable against the particularly delicate areas.

To hold everything together, Vahn had to purchase a thin elastic band that would hold everything together after he sewed a pattern into surface. With his dexterous fingers, that would make seamstress cry tears of jealousy, Vahn was able to complete the first fiery red pair of panties after just an hour and forty minutes of effort. This was more time than he anticipated, but Vahn had gotten somewhat distracted trying to ensure everything went well. It felt a little awkward to be handling women's underwear for such a long period of time and he hadn't quite adapted the proper mentality yet.

His end product was a relatively simple pair of panties that created a strange incongruity because of the valuable materials that went into their construction. Since he hadn't tried anything 'experimental' just yet, it was expected that his prototype wouldn't look that amazing. Vahn was simply curious about how high a grade he could make a simple piece of cloth after putting in a marginal amount of effort into its construction. Satisfied that he had met his own requirements, Vahn picked up the blazing red pair of panties by the stretchy band and tested its stretchiness with his hands before saying, "You shall be known as the first of the [Blazing Passion] series of lingerie...protect my girls properly, okay?" Though it felt strange to be 'talking' to a pair of panties, Vahn did so confidently and a small magical light flashed and he earned 308OP.

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[Blazing Passion Panties]

Rank: D

Slots: 0

P.Def: 13

M.Def: 40

Abilities: Fire Resistance(D), Weatherproof(E), Insulated(E)

A pair of panties forged with an inordinate amount of care that belies the simplicity of their design. Created with the intent that the creator would have the same fervent passion viewing them on the body of a woman as he had during their production.

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Vahn felt an urge to puke up blood after reading the description of the ability since it made him sound like a bit of a pervert. However, he was able to bury the dark thoughts and still show a smile on his face because of the triple abilities and the defensive stats that were present on a relatively thin and flimsy looking piece of clothing. As for why the stats were relatively low, Vahn knew it was simply a result of the fact he hadn't used a lot of rare materials in its construction. He hadn't sewn any formation into them, nor did he infuse any magic cores or rare metals. They were just a simple pair of panties that also had much higher defensive parameters than you'd expect from first appearances.

Now that he had his 'weapon' in hands, Vahn had a cheeky smile on his face as he set them to the side and started production on the second pair. He was very tempted to put his plan into action immediately but knew it was too early to do so as it would interfere with his work. For now, he wanted to familiarize himself with the process of developing the garments and put all of his focus into a pseudo-mass production mode. He had purchased several different types of silk from the shop and also had a fair amount of matching lace that he could use to embellish his future products. He wanted to test and see if simple embellishments could enhance the rank of the final product in order to efficiently increase the rank of future garments as far as possible. Unlike weapons and armor, clothing was the type of thing you change very often and Vahn knew it would be impossible, at least for now, to make several A and S ranked garments for each girl.

When the second block of his schedule finally arrived, Vahn had finished an additional two pairs of panties, one blue and the second black. Since he couldn't think of a better name on the spot, Vahn decided to go with his earlier naming convention and called the first pair [Cool Passion] and the second pair [Midnight Passion]. He had originally been tempted to call the black pair as [Dark Passion], but the name sounded a bit dangerous and he changed to something more 'reserved'. The [Cool Passion] had a fair amount of lace sewn into it and Vahn had even adorned it with a small, vibrant blue, ribbon on the front. As for the [Midnight Passion], Vahn made them relatively plain but had affixed two small, pale gold, gemstones on the front and back. It took a fair amount of effort, but he also painstakingly inscribed a small formation using a needle to trace liquid golden ink across the band...

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[Cool Passion Panties]

Rank: D

Slots: 0

P.Def: 20

M.Def: 51

Abilities: Ice Resistance(D), Weatherproof(D), Insulated(E)

A pair of panties forged with an inordinate amount of detail by a passionate Master Smith that grew enamored with the production process. The lace was designed to draw the eye to the concealed garden in the center and inspires thoughts of slowly peeling away the fabric to reveal the secrets contained within.

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[Midnight Passion Panties]

Rank: C

Slots: 0

P.Def: 19

M.Def: 72

Abilities: Tantalizing Fragrance(C), Size-Correction(C), Weatherproof(D), Insulated(E)

A pair of panties forged with an inordinate amount of detail by a crazed Master Smith that became obsessed with drawing power from a pair of panties. These panties can increase the potency of pheromones emitted by the wearer, but they only affect their intended target instead of influencing innocent bystanders.

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Every time Vahn read the descriptions of the panties, he felt an urge to hammer his head against the wall after retorting to whatever function within The Path that created the descriptions. Each one made him seem progressively more like a deviant, but at least the parameters were increasing as well. Since only he could see the descriptions, he wouldn't have to worry about being embarrassed so he put the matter to the back of his mind for the time being and just appreciated his handiwork. He hadn't been able to verify what the 'Size-Correction' ability did, but Vahn had hopes that it actually changed the size of the panties to match the wearer. Though he had the 'measurements' of the girls in his mind, Vahn didn't have much experience designing lingerie and there was a very real chance it would be uncomfortable for some of the girls because of their size.

With his weapons prepared, Vahn had a smile on his face as he stored the garments into his inventory and made his into the connecting corridor leading towards the area where Tsubaki's personal forge was located. Vahn trusted Tsubaki to keep his secret for him, at least until he could give the dresses to Hephaestus and Eina tomorrow. He also wanted to spend more time with her with just the two of them so he could hear more details about her past so they could build a stronger bond. Vahn was planning to use the [Hearts Desire: Tsubaki Collbrande] after the fact, so he had been looking forward to the moment ever since the thought first crossed his mind.

He could also use the opportunity to tease Tsubaki a bit and get her to try on the panties he had created. She had the most sizeable h.i.p.s amongst the girls he associated with so he would have to give her the [Midnight Passion Panties] to 'compensate'. Just imagining her wearing the simple, yet tantalizingly black, garment made Vahn's heart itch a fair amount. Tsubaki had beautiful brown skin and the colors red and black suited her body very well and would accent her shapely figure even further.

As their proximity was very close to each other, Vahn arrived at Tsubaki's forge after just a few seconds and entered the open doorway where he could hear the sounds of metalworking being done. He saw Tsubaki's skin glistening with a layer of sweat as she removed the facemask that she had been wearing and looked back at him with a smile. There was a small amount of soot masking her face, so Vahn also smiled widely before standing off to the side so she could finish her work. Since they would also be eating lunch, Vahn set out a table with a small single-person sofa chair that he intended to exploit later. Vahn used his domain to clear a bubble around him before setting some aromatic dishes on the table and waiting patiently for Tsubaki to wrap up whatever she was working on.

After a few minutes, Tsubaki finished organizing her tools before releasing a satisfied sigh and asking, "Got a towel" Vahn tossed over a towel that had been stored within his inventory and Tsubaki wiped off her face and several parts of her exposed skin before tossing it back to Vahn with a cheeky grin on her face as she asked, "Well, what brings you to my forge so suddenly? I can think of a few reasons, but I'm curious what excuse you'll come up with to get in my pants~?" Vahn had just been reaching out to grab the towel before dropping it after hearing Tsubaki's words. He knew she was just teasing him but her words had already taken the momentum away from him and made it 'slightly' more difficult to progress forward.

Tsubaki waved her hand dismissively as she laughed in a boisterous manner before saying, "Don't worry about it, I've actually been expecting you to stop by any day now. I imagine you probably want to ask a bit about my past, probably tease me a bit to ease the awkwardness, and then we'll have a long bout of passionate love-making, right?" Before Vahn answered her question, Tsubaki's grin grew much wider and she said, "I didn't even have to use my backup guesses at all...seems I hit the bullseye on the first attempt? Hahahahaha!" As she laughed, Tsubaki walked over and picked up a chicken leg before unceremoniously sitting in Vahn's lap and placing her free arm around his shoulders and leaning into him. After taking a bite of the chicken leg, she leaned forward and pressed her lips to his slightly open mouth and inserted her tongue, along with the small piece of chicken, into his mouth.

When she pulled away, Tsubaki had a slight blush on her face as she smiled and said, "I imagine things will be harder if you just sit there with a blank expression on your face, Vahn. Come, let's eat and I'll tell you a few things about myself to make you feel better." After she finished speaking, Tsubaki bit off another piece of chicken and held it in her teeth as she smiled widely and leaned forward. Instead of inserting it directly into his mouth, Tsubaki maintained a short distance away from Vahn until he leaned forward and took the piece of meat from her mouth of his own volition.

Vahn wasn't sure how he had forgotten this simple fact, but Tsubaki wasn't the type that liked to lose the momentum in a situation. His hopes of teasing her and controlling the situation were flawed from the start and the best he could do was pick up some minor advantages along the way. He knew he would be the inevitable 'victor', but it was still a complicated feeling to be teased so easily by an older woman, even though she looked very youthful. Vahn reached his right arm around her waist before taking the piece of chicken from her hand so she could grab some food for herself as they talked.

Tsubaki c.o.c.ked her head to the side in a thoughtful expression for a few seconds before saying in a casual manner, "Well, I've already thought of what I wanted to say beforehand, so I'll keep it pretty short for now and then build on it if it ever becomes important in the future. Let's see now...ah, though it might look like I'm from the Far East, it was actually my mother that immigrated to Orario long before I was born. She was an accomplished blacksmith in the Hephaestus Familia, so she built a small residence that emulated the style from the Far East and taught me the traditions as I grew up. Her name was Sakuya Mitsubaki and she was both an accomplished warrior and blacksmith...she was my role model, mentor, and my beloved mother..." Though she had started off casually and confidently, Tsubaki became somewhat solemn as she spoke about her mother.

Seeing Vahn's expression, Tsubaki poked his face with her somewhat greasy finger and said, "Anyways, as for my father, his named was Gawain Collbrande, a dwarf that came to Orario from the Iron Hills in the search of new techniques to further his blacksmithing skills. He and my mother hit it off, since he appreciated the unique technique she possessed even though she was both a woman and a human. However, after he knocked up my mother, the bum ran away back to the Iron Hills without looking back. He left my mother to raise me on her own and, even though I didn't understand her reason for doing so, she had given me his family name and told me not to resent him. I don't have any respect for that coward, but I also don't hold any real grudges against him except for the fact that he didn't even show up when mother died...I sent several letters through the dwarven caravans, but I never got a single response in return..."

Even though she claimed not to have any grudges against the man, Vahn could tell that Tsubaki would probably string him up if she got the opportunity. There was a deep resentment in her red eyes that glimmered with a borderline murderous light. After she composed herself a bit, she showed a wry smile and continued, "To return the care my mother had put into raising me, I pursue the dual path of a warrior and blacksmith and honed my skills to the best of my ability. When I was around sixteen, I met a guy that I thought I would be able to spend the rest of my life with and we worked hard together to build our dream of having a family of our own. Unfortunately, when we were on an expedition, he ended up taking a bad hit from a monster and died from his wounds soon after. That was around ten years ago, so I had been abstinent ever since then and given up on having children of my own...until some idiot came along and overstepped his boundaries until he eventually broken down my resistances..." As if she were trying to cover up her earlier melancholy, Tsubaki leaned in and kissed Vahn in a relatively passionate manner for a few long seconds. He could take a bit of the honey that was used to season the meat intermixed with her saliva and did his best to reciprocate her affection since he knew she was hurting a bit.

After they separated, Tsubaki showed a gentle smile and placed her slightly greasy hand against Vahn's cheeks and affectionately stroked it. Seeing the traces her fingers left behind, she began to laugh before saying, "That about sums up my past, without going into any finer details. I guess some important stuff would be Hephaestus making me her protege after my mother died and things like my promotion to Captain and obtaining [Master Smith], but those aren't really that important at the moment. The only thing that really matters, the thing you need to keep in mind from now on, is that I love you, Vahn. You have given me more in the last few months than I ever expected to receive from another person for the rest of my life..." Tsubaki took Vahn's greasy left hand and placed it against her own abdomen where the almost imperceptible pink imprint still remained.

With a coy smile on her face, Tsubaki slowly closed the distance between them as she asked in a sensual tone, "The question now is...how do you plan to take responsibility? You should be able to see it, right, from my aura? Even when we're apart, it's like my body remembers your touch...you've turned me into a bit of a strange woman now, haven't you?" Vahn could see a passionate red in Tsubaki's aura that had been showing subtle signs of emerging ever since he first stepped into her forge. He knew that he had been a little 'irresponsible' in how he treated her in the past and she had even confessed to comforting herself during the nights they were apart.

Because of her 'refreshed nerves', Tsubaki's body was especially sensitive ever since he used 'Nirvana' on her and she even claimed there was an increased effect from his [Hands of Nirvana] on her body after the fact, something which Vahn had already verified as the truth. It wasn't mentioned in the manual, so it was a bit of a surprise to him as it seemed like her body could constantly be nourished just by using the normal version of [Hands of Nirvana] on her. It was almost similar to how he infused energy into Fafnir and Fenrir, so Vahn suspected it was something akin to a mutation that had resulted from his source energy being the catalyst used to perform the technique.

During the momentary lapse in his thoughts, Tsubaki had started kissing him deeply while pressing her ample bosom against his chest. Though she had wiped her body down earlier, there was still a sheen to her healthy brown skin and Vahn's body was quickly stirred to action by her advances. He could prevent himself from 'responding' but, after hearing about the matter from Syr, he decided to let himself act more natural to 'encourage' the girls. Syr had told him that, if a girl was trying to tease him and he didn't have the 'proper' reaction, it might hurt their pride a little. Judging by how Tsubaki's aura flared up when she felt the bulge in his pants, Vahn knew that Syr's words weren't incorrect...

Before things got out of control, Vahn decided to try and gain a bit of momentum for himself so he lifted Tsubaki's body and stood from the sofa before setting her back down. She was going to embrace him again, but Vahn reached out with both of his hands and grabbed her b.r.e.a.s.ts and kept her at bay. Tsubaki had a questioning look on her face as she looked down at his hands and said, "Did you want to do a bit of foreplay first? Trust me, Vahn, my body is already more than ready after all that build up earlier..." Vahn shook his head with a smile and said, "There is plenty of time for things like that, after all, we have more than three hours left of the second block of the day..." Hearing his words, Tsubaki swallowed slightly before swiping his hands away and creating a bit of distance as she asked, "So, what are you scheming then?"

With a cheeky grin on his face, Vahn pulled out the [Midnight Passion Panties] and tossed them over to the confused Tsubaki as he said, "I forged these, take a look at let me know what you think. Ah, please keep it a secret for the time being, at least until tomorrow evening." Tsubaki had a trained eye and could easily see through some of the secrets contained within the silky black lingerie Vahn had casually tossed to her. It wasn't the first time she had seen 'cloth' armor, but it was definitely the first time she had seen someone create a pair of panties as a piece of equipment...just imagining the 'serious' expression on Vahn's face as he 'forged' them made her want to smack him upside his handsome little head.

Thinking her incredulous look was due to confusion, Vahn explained, "Even though its thin silk, it has the capabilities of some leather armors and also possesses four abilities, including two unique ones, one of which I'm sure you'll find interesting when you try them on." Hearing Vahn's words, Tsubaki's brows raised slightly and she began to laugh before asking, "So this is your game, eh? I've never played dress-up for a boy before, so this should be an interesting experience." As she spoke, Tsubaki 'casually' held the panties with her teeth as she began to strip out of her clothing. She had only been wearing her red hakama, sarashi, and maroon bottoms, so it didn't take long for her to remove them all and reveal that she was actually already wearing a pair of black panties.

Vahn had been drawn to the sight, especially when Tsubaki was peeling them off her captivatingly long legs. When she had finished, Tsubaki showed a cheeky smile of her own as she threw the still warm pair of panties toward Vahn's face like an arrow. Vahn was, fortunately, able to snatch the fast moving projectile in his hand and, thinking he could tease her a little, leaned forward slightly to give it a sniff. Tsubaki just laughed in response and asked, "So, anything other than sweat mixed in there~?" As she implied, there was a very 'womanly' fragrance coming from the panties and Vahn had long noticed they were moist to the touch so he nodded his head in affirmation of her question.

As she was wearing the [Midnight Passion Panties], Tsubaki commented, "They're a bit small...are you trying to tease me and say my butts big? I figured that would...be..." Tsubaki's words trailed off because she noticed that the size of the panties had increased to match her proportions and she was easily able to get them around her h.i.p.s. They were a little 'small' by design, but they didn't cut into her at all and she knew that the small golden gemstones likely had something to do with it. To answer her confusion, Vahn explained with a smile, "They have an auto-sizing function ability...I'm planning to make an 'under armor' for all the girls in the manor, so I wanted to come up with a method to make the fabric fit everyone without having to make adjustments."

Tsubaki gave Vahn a slightly incredulous look before a teasing smile appeared on her face and she asked, "Just how much effort did you put into one pair of panties, Vahn? Don't get me wrong, I appreciate the efforts greatly, but I can't help but feel you're walking down a strange path." Vahn had been tempted to tell Tsubaki about his 'dream' of creating S-Ranked lingerie, but he decided to put that off for the time being until it was considered 'normal' for him to do such things. For now, he just smiled and said in a teasing tone, "I made a few simple pairs, but I was afraid I wouldn't be able to make any that would fit your flawlessly shaped, plump, sof-" Tsubaki turned into a blur and appeared next to Vahn before knocking the top of his head with a slight flush on her face. Though it was a surprisingly painful strike, Vahn was distracted by Tsubaki's freely hanging and shapely b.r.e.a.s.ts that had moved about a great deal from her movement...

Seeing Vahn's gaze, Tsubaki's blush became even deeper and she reached forward and grabbed the collar of his tunic and ripped it off his body. Vahn's eyes widened as Tsubaki pulled him close and said in a sensual tone, "I'll teach you to tease me...someone needs to educate you properly or you might hurt the feelings of other girls in the future..." As she spoke, Tsubaki had reached around Vahn's back and playfully grabbed his butt in the same manner he often did to her. Before their 'conflict' began, Tsubaki gave Vahn a few more 'guiding' words, "Don't expect all the girls to simply wait to be teased...unless you're willing to be on the receiving end as well...?"

Vahn didn't mind such things, but it was still somewhat 'frustrating' to be teased, especially when he knew she was acting out a bit. However, since he often did the exact same thing, Vahn let the matter slide and simply resolved himself to 'overcoming' the situation and getting an advantage. One of the reasons he had come to Tsubaki today was to put his [Petting] ability to the test. She had a very high tolerance but was also incredibly susceptible to his [Hands of Nirvana]. Vahn wanted to see how much OP he could get by 'tending' to Tsubaki's body while they were making love. He had originally intended to simply give her a massage, but he wasn't going to deny the advances of one of the women closest to his heart...

(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'Lingerie Designer, Vahn Mason','Tsubaki's Maturity','Vahn's scheme...?')

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