“I get why you thought that was the time, but actually putting that in action?” Pete said.
He and Chela were waiting in the living room while Katie’s treatment was underway. Pete sounded like he’d heard every word the trio had spoken, and Chela frowned at him. Then she saw the cicada-sized golem resting on his fingertip.
“…Will you stop that?” she said with a sigh. “Listening in on your friends’ conversations with golems! You knew I’d relay the contents to you afterward.”
“I could’ve waited but was a little worried—and I was right to be.”
He turned a page in the book he was reading. Chela pulled her wand and put a sound dampening spell on the door just in case, then moved over near him, arms folded.
“And what was wrong with it? My core stance is exactly like yours, Pete. Increase the bonds among the Sword Roses any way we can, make them as strong as possible, until our group cannot be broken. This moment was ripe to do just that, so I acted on it.” She put a hand to her chest, smiling. “Oliver and Nanao’s bond, Guy and Katie’s—each glad tidings. But two pairs in isolation is hardly enough. That alone still carries the threat of Oliver and Nanao fighting to the death, or Guy and Katie getting consumed by the spell together. That is why we need further chains connecting them laterally. Having multiple partners presents no issues here.”
Chela was quite firm on that. The idealization of monogamy was for ordinaries. Mages did not see things that way, and the Sword Roses need not be bound to it. Pete had long been in agreement there and nodded.
“I’m acting on that idea myself. Just be ready for the consequences,” he cautioned.
“…Namely?”
“You don’t know, huh? I thought as much. When you’ve got tunnel vision, you lose track of where the line is. Way worse than I do. Given your background, I imagined you would.”
He sighed and closed the book, putting it down. Then he stood up and faced Chela, looking right into her eyes, like he was persuading a child.
“Listen close. You talked Oliver into this not as a friend, but as a mage. You spun a web of logic and bent his will. That process is a bigger problem than the outcome. I did the same thing myself, so I’m not one to talk.”
Pete made a face, remembering his blunder. Chela shifted her gaze, at least somewhat aware.
“…If I didn’t, Oliver and Katie would never get any closer,” she countered. “They’ve been drawn to each other all this time, but neither one will let themselves act on the attraction. If we don’t push them across that line…”
“I know. Free hugs alone didn’t do the trick. Sounds like poly relationships are pretty common in mage circles, and boosting our physical intimacy sets the stage—or so you thought, but that proved optimistic, right?”
Her past actions revealed her motives.
“But it was partially effective!” Chela insisted. “Routine hugs normalized healing one another, and that lowered the hurdle to what they’re doing now. Without that foundation, the argument I just made would never have worked. I could push them here because we were already at the stage where this was normal—I only acted because I decided they were ready. I’m not rushing things!”
“I get where you’re coming from. But Oliver’s a tough customer. He’s got his own hang-ups.”
Pete shrugged, perfectly aware he’d not picked up on those until it was too late—so why would she? All he could do was prepare her for it. And when things did not go the way she expected, he would help her through it.
“You’ve blown past those this time. That’s why there’ll be consequences. You’ll soon see if I’m worried about nothing.”
With that, he sat back down and resumed his reading. It still didn’t make sense to Chela, but she took a seat herself, sipping her now-cold tea.
✦ ✦ ✦
“…Hyaaaaa…!”
Katie let out a yelp. Nothing had even happened yet; Oliver’s fingers had just barely touched her sides.
That alone provoked a marked change in her current state. Like a balloon inflated to the bursting point, Oliver thought. This treatment would require delicacy. Even with his technical expertise, it would be no small task to let the air out without having her burst.
“…Mm…! Ah… Haah… Wahhh…!”
He began by lightly brushing her skin through her shirt. Getting her used to the sensation, then letting trace amounts of mana flow—intentionally in less effective locations. His hands went around her narrow waist, from her sides to her back, gradually expanding the range of his caresses. Nothing on the front yet. He was taking great care not to burden her weary body, just gently, easily stacking on the layers of pleasure.
“…How sweet, Katie. To hear you moan like this…”
“…Don’t…whisper in my ear, Nanao…! You’re driving me nuts…”
Nanao was backing Oliver from a different vector. They were in sync, even now, and Oliver had no idea how he was meant to feel about that. He chose not to think about it, focusing on the movement of his hands. He could drown in self-recriminations later—right now, he had to heal his friend. If this ended without achieving that goal, then he’d be useless. Calling him a filthy animal would far too mild.
“…Are you…crying, Oliver…?” Katie asked.
The last words he’d expected. It took a moment for him to even absorb what she’d said, then he felt a drop land on his arm—and realized tears were falling. His self-loathing threatened to overwhelm him.
What gives you the right to such tears? Or are these drops composed of the same stuff that goes in a golem? Axle grease or antifreeze? Perhaps you’ve truly broken down, a hole yawning open in your exoskeleton.
“Don’t mind me. I’m going a bit…nuts myself.”
He moved to the next stage of treatment. Trusting he need no longer keep her clothing in the way, he undid the buttons on her shirt and slid his hands inside.
This is nothing new. When was I last sane? That ended the night I harbored my mother’s soul. The path I’ve followed since is as twisted as my heart’s become—maybe this outcome was inevitable. Like with my mother, this moment is a turning point. The last night that I can be purely a good friend to Katie or Guy.
“…Ah… AH…… Aughhh…!”
Having built a stimulus foundation on her sides and back, he now moved his hands to the untouched frontiers in front. A finger slid beneath her skirt, down her lower abdomen, and tracing the top of her shorts. He need not invade those. However, from here on out, it was all erogenous zones. His right fingers pressed against her womb, injecting mana hard, while his left fingertip spun within her navel.
“……~~~~~~~~!!!!!!!!”
The dams burst, and a wave of pleasure coursed through Katie like an electric current. A single orgasm was not the end—leaving gaps timed to the second, he repeatedly stimulated both womb and navel. A chain of crests built upon a careful foundation.
As her body bucked, Nanao gently cradled her. Katie was tensed up for the better part of a minute before it all drained away. Feeling certain he’d brought her to a flawless finish, Oliver moved his gaze up her limp body to Nanao, who was smiling down at Katie.
“That was a big one,” she said. “How did you like it, Katie?”
“……”
No answer came. Katie basked in the afterglow, her mind lost in that light. A sign the treatment had worked, overcoming any resistances. Her nervous condition had been neatly resolved; by the time her mind returned, she’d feel far better, as if born anew. That may not arrive until after a good night’s sleep.
Oliver pulled his hands back out of her clothing and stood up. A wave of fatigue hit him, like his shoulders were made of lead. It almost crushed him, and he could barely speak.
“…My part here is done. Sorry, Nanao…can you…?”
“I can. I’ll join you when it is finished. Clear your mind as best as you can and wait for me, Oliver.”
In response to her kindness, he turned his back and walked away, almost crawling out of the room. When he stepped through the door, Chela and Pete both rose to greet him.
“…All done? Good,” said Pete.
“How is Katie faring?” Chela asked.
The obvious question. Not looking up, Oliver managed an answer.
“She’s recovered. Just like you wanted.”
Without meeting Chela’s eye, Oliver turned and headed for the other bedroom. He did not want to exchange another word. His stiffened shoulders made that clear, and yet she tried to follow.
✦ ✦ ✦
