Chapter 103: Caught in the Moment
After waiting a minute or two to give Amber a chance to cool her head, Paul entered into the changing room to find it jam-packed with beautiful women in various states of undress. A few were outright naked or had towels wrapped around their bodies, clearly waiting for him so they could enter into the bath.
Voicing his first impression aloud, Paul asked, "Is this Heaven...?" with a stupefied expression on his face. With very few exceptions, every girl he had summoned through the Intersection of Fate was present in the room. The only people missing were those currently away on assignments and those who preferred peace, quiet, and privacy.
As his eyes scanned every single person in the room, Paul briefly paused when he came across a woman with long, light-purple hair, magenta eyes, and an incredible figure. He recognized who she was immediately but still found himself asking, "Qiqi...?" in a disbelieving tone.
Having been watching Paul since his entrance into the changing room, Qiqi responded with a curt, "Nn." before folding her hands over her lap, bowing, and saying, "Welcome home, Master."
While Amber's words implied that most of the people summoned through the IOF would stop developing once they reached their 'original' forms, it was clear to Paul that girls like Qiqi and Diona were exceptions. It wasn't that obvious in Diona's case due to her small stature, but Qiqi had grown from a meager 140cm to an above-average 168cm. More notably, she had 'filled out' in all the right places.
Recovering from his momentary stupor, a wry smile developed across Paul's face as he ran his fingers through his hair and remarked, "You sure grew up, didn't you? Congrats, I know it was something you were worried about."
Raising her head, Qiqi returned a faint smile as she suddenly grabbed her breasts and said, "It's all thanks to Master. If I were still back in Liyue, I would have remained unchanged for hundreds of more years. Now, I can remember all kinds of things, and I'm surrounded by people who view me as a companion rather than a liability."
Resisting the urge to ask what Qiqi's words had to do with her bouncing and squeezing her large, pillowy breasts, Paul replied, "I'm happy for you. As far as I'm concerned, we're all-"
Walking up behind Paul, Beidou gave him a firm slap on the back, saying, "Yeah, yeah, we're all one big, happy family. Now hurry and take off your clothes. We've all got places to be."
Furrowing his brows, Paul was tempted to say something but ultimately just shook his head and began to disrobe. It was a little awkward having eighteen women watching him, but he still managed a brazen smile when his hands reached the clasp of his belt.
Instead of pulling his legs free and tossing his trousers to the side, Paul allowed his pants to fall to his ankles. The presence of Qiqi made him a little uncomfortable, even though she was well over a hundred years old, but that didn't prevent Paul from letting his not-so-little brother make his presence known.
With the eyes of every girl present immediately shifting to his erection, a fair amount of heat spread through Paul's face as his brain felt like it was buzzing in his head. He was actually quite proud of his figure and the size of his member, but that didn't make him impervious to feeling judged.
Fortunately for Paul, his wasn't a case of simply believing he looked good. His effort over the past eight years was apparent to everyone in the room, eliciting wide-eyed stares and a few nervous gulps from the girls present.
Giving voice to the thoughts of those who hadn't accompanied him to the North, a dainty-looking woman with long, pale-blue hair and icy-blue eyes remarked, "Very impressive..." in a hushed tone.
Recognizing the blue-haired beauty as Ayaka, Paul's smiled wide enough to display his teeth as he brazenly asserted, "It appears even bigger from up close."
"Oh my..."
Understanding the meaning behind Paul's words, Ayaka only hesitated for a moment before rising to her feet. Before then, she had been sitting in a seize-like position off to the side, a pure white towel wrapped around her body. Believing Paul was asking her to service him, she allowed the towel to drop to the floor, revealing a lithe, athletic, and ostensibly flawless form reminiscent of a dancer rather than a warrior.
Blinking in surprise, Paul had to suppress the urge to ask what the blue-haired 'ojou-sama' was thinking. Instead, he oriented himself toward her, faint anxiety swelling within his chest as she reacted by kneeling in front of him and admitted, "You weren't exaggerating. It does appear quite a bit bigger from up close...."
Just as Ayaka extended her thin, pianist-like fingers to tentatively caress Paul's member, Beidou interrupted the steamy moment, asking, "Didn't we come here to take a bath? How did this turn into an exhibition...?"
Though he didn't disagree with Beidou's statement, knowing full well that Diona was patiently waiting back at his room, Paul still turned to her with a deadpan expression on his face, retorting, "Seriously, Beidou? You need to learn to read the mood..."
Snorting through her nose, Beidou crossed her arms under her breasts and asserted, "Oh, I know how to read the mood. I just know better than to let things get out of control when there's work to be done, and people still have places to be. I mean, there's like twenty of us here. Even if you did have the stamina to compete with us all, it would take literal hours to cycle through everyone. And what would the people waiting their turn do in the meantime? Sit on our hands and form a queue...?"
"..."
While Paul was staring back at Beidou in silence, many of the other girls present had conflicted or disproving looks on their faces. A few were of a similar mentality as Beidou, but they disapproved of how she went about expressing it.
Noticing the looks she was receiving, Beidou's usually dauntless smile became visibly cramped as she affirmed, "What? I was just saying what needed to be said..."
Before someone like Barbara could give Beidou a piece of her mind, Paul brought everyone's attention back to him as he said, "Beidou's right. I did get caught up in the moment. That's my bad."
Extending a hand to Ayaka, Paul helped the somewhat disappointed-looking beauty to her feet, whispering, "I'm looking forward to the next time." before giving her butt a playful squeeze. She immediately stood to her full height, but instead of appearing embarrassed, she adopted a faint smile and said, "Me too." with upturned eyes.
After nodding his head in approval, Paul raised his gaze to everyone else present and asked, "What's everyone standing around here for? Let's get in the bath!"
Since he was already naked, Paul took the initiative to head towards the bath. In the process, he picked up a very startled Ayaka, carrying her in a bridal carry as he yelled, "Last one in has to behave like a puppy the rest of the bath...!"
Prompted by Paul's words and actions, the few girls that had yet to get undressed began doing so very quickly. The only exception was Ghislaine, as she didn't particularly mind being treated like a dog. Paul had made her 'beg' and 'shake hands' a few times when she was in her heated state, so she didn't mind taking the fall if it meant being able to act spoiled...
...
..
.
After a lengthy and entertaining bath, Paul, wearing little more than a pair of trousers, followed behind a fairly adorable cat girl with blonde hair and a long, curved tail. She was around the same size as Diona, but, much like other members of the Beast Race, she had sizeable breasts that pulled at the fabric of her traditional Maid outfit.
Upon reaching their destination, the petite cat girl turned to Paul, bowing respectfully as she said, "Here you are, Master Paul. This is the bedroom that Lady Ningguang had specially prepared for you. If there is anything else you need, please do not hesitate to inform me or another member of the Service Corps. It would be our life's greatest honor to be of service to the man who both saved and gave us a new lease on life..."
Though he could see the sincerity in the diminutive Maid's sapphire blue eyes, Paul already had his hands full with those summoned through the IOF. That number would be increasing as early as tomorrow, so he shook his head and said, "While I appreciate the sentiment, none of you should feel indebted to me. You girls shouldn't have been forced into such a dire situation in the first place. Mine and Ninggaung's decision to help you out was just our way of trying to correct one of society's many injustices..."
Interrupting whatever the girl was about to say, Paul surprised her with a pat on the head, smiling as he added, "Instead of thinking about how you can make me happy, you should start thinking about the path you want to walk in the future. Each of you deserves to be happy. Don't think you are obligated to continue serving us for the rest of your life..."
Finished with what he had to say, Paul retracted his hand from the petite cat girl's head before retreating into his bedroom. He could feel her gaze boring a hole into the back of his skull, but he pretended not to notice as he closed the door behind him and exhaled a sigh.
"Y-Y-You sure took your time...!"
"Hmm...?"
Raising his head, Paul found Diona wrapped in blankets atop a bed that could easily comfortably accommodate seven people. As a result, Diona appeared even smaller than usual as Paul adopted a smile and asserted, "Sorry, I got a little nervous as I was making my way over. It's not every day I get to claim the virginity of such a cute girl..."
Though she would have preferred to be called beautiful or sexy, Diona's ears twitched in response to Paul's compliment. Then, feeling a little emboldened, she released the hold she had on the blankets cocooning her body, revealing an outfit that left Paul at a genuine loss for words.
Expecting Diona to wear something more 'adult' to try and entice him, Paul was surprised to see her wearing her usual crop top. The only thing she had removed was her shorts, revealing a rather childish pair of black panties with a design resembling a cartoon cat. There was even a bit of additional fabric to form cat ears, framing the pale-blue crest carved into her lower abdomen...
"..."
Feeling a little unnerved by Paul's reaction, Diona pressed the tips of her fingers together as she said, "I...I know I lack the feminine charm of girls like Ningguang and Ganyu. I did my best to drink lots of milk and eat until my tummy was swollen, but I still ended up looking like this. Since I can't be sexy, I decided I might as well be cute, so...what do you think?"
Fearing that Paul would refuse her, Diona's body began to tremble as she appeared to shrink into herself. As a result, her brain failed to immediately process Paul's words as he shrugged his shoulders and said, "I've always liked the cute Diona. If everyone looked the same and had the same body type, I would probably get bored after a while. Now, how about giving me a spin? I'm curious to see if there's a pattern on your butt as well."
"Uh...okay?"
Rising to her feet, Diona managed to remain steady despite her confusion and the uneven surface of the mattress. Her balance and flexibility were among the best in Paul's increasingly large entourage, so she was even able to bend over and stick out her butt without falling as she asked, "L-Like this...?" in an uncertain tone.
Seeing the cat-like paw print on Diona's bottom, Paul had to suppress a soft chuckle as he nodded his head and teased, "Nice. It's a bit small, but your butt has an excellent shape. I can't wait to bury my face into it."
"Wha-!? You-You ca-"
Before Diona tried to tell him what he could or couldn't do, Paul yanked off his belt in a single motion, tearing a few of his pant loops as he firmly declared, "I can. You were worried about me viewing you as a child, right? Well, let me show you just how wrong you are."
Feeling weak in the knees, Diona promptly plopped to the surface of the bed. After revealing her custom-made panties, she had planned to prove to Paul that her appearance didn't matter, that she was still an adult. She never imagined that he would take the initiative, much less eye her like a hungry beast about to devour its prey. It was a little scary, but her heart was racing faster than the instances Paul had washed her body...
...
..
.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone