Endless Path : Infinite Cosmos

Chapter 2100: Care

Sensing the arrival of Fenrir shortly after midnight, Vahn followed her with his perception before manifesting an additional copy of himself when she reached the children's room. She didn't want pups of her own but that hadn't stopped her from developing a fondness for cute things.

"How was it...?"

Wrapping his arms around his beloved Vanargandr without any resistance, Vahn nestled his face into the space between Fenrir's ears as she leaned into him and answered, "Everyone seems to be behaving."

"Mmm...that's good..."

Taking advantage of the fact she was always around 20cm shorter than he was, Vahn picked up Fenrir's body whilst simultaneously elevating himself a few centimeters above the floor. She liked being held, so, even after they had checked each of the cribs, he carried her over to a nearby sofa so they could cuddle. When she wasn't accompanying him, she generally spent the night inside the children's room so the sofa had been specially prepared for relaxation.

Enjoying being the little spoon, Fenrir nestled as close as possible to her Master as she asked, "Did you enjoy your evening with Seraphina? She didn't cause too much trouble, did she...?"

Issuing a soft chuckle, Vahn proceeded to gently caress Fenrir's exposed abdomen as he answered, "It was a pleasant experience..." before following it up with, "Nothing out of the ordinary..."

"Mmm..."

Placing her hand overtop her Master's, Fenrir guided his index finger to her belly button before closing her eyes with a contented look on her face. She enjoyed moments like this even more than when they made passionate love to each other. When she looked back on the past, she sometimes wondered why she even felt the need to cross the line. Relaxing like this felt far more personal and intimate than sex.

Though he wasn't reading her mind, Vahn was vaguely aware of Fenrir's thoughts thanks to the connection they shared. Thus, rather than rile her up, he allowed his consciousness to gradually slip away as his hand continued to gently caress the velvety smooth skin around her navel...

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After a marginally uneventful evening, Vahn awoke early in the morning to prepare breakfast and help look after the kids. They were pretty temperamental in the morning, and, due to her nightly activities, Usalia wasn't much of a morning person. She would just lay back on the sofa in her adult form, absentmindedly breastfeeding anything that was handed to her before subsequently taking a nap the moment everything had calmed down.

Vahn found the scene of Usalia fatigued and buried in their children to be one of the most adorable sights he had ever witnessed. Her small size and the inordinately fluffy nature of her kittens caused them to resemble a ball of fluff with Usalia's head poking out. It was also one of the only times she was together with all the children at the same time, so, while a part of him wanted to take her place, Vahn just saved the image as a memory fragment without disturbing them.

While that was going on, another version of Vahn helped Sarina and Nono prepare for the day by making sure they washed up before brushing their hair. Nono was surprisingly the more difficult of the two, as, despite being a relatively quiet, reserved, and notably shy young lady, she was the type that refused to get out of bed until Vahn had literally picked her up and carried her to the sink.

Though others might be troubled by such behavior, Vahn knew it was basically just Nono's way of having him spoil her without directly requesting it. She enjoyed being pampered and taken care of, and, at one point in time, even slipped up by sleepily calling him Papa. This event left Vahn feeling a little guilty, but, rather than allow it to bother him, he just affectionately caressed her head without drawing attention to it. Thus, as far as he knew, Nono wasn't even aware of the rather adorable slip.

"That wasn't sixty seconds. Start over..."

Groaning in the characteristic manner of a young and slightly disobedient young girl, Sarina rolled her eyes before picking up her toothbrush and starting over. She had once asked what the point of brushing her teeth before breakfast was. That ended up being a big mistake, as, later that day, Vahn spent the better part of three hours teaching them about the risks of improper dental hygiene. This included a number of detailed visuals, so, even though she found it annoying, Sarina still brushed and flossed at least three times a day.

In reality, the people of the Divine Realm didn't actually have to worry about such things. Vahn just didn't want the girls to neglect personal care and proper hygiene as they were some of the most important aspects of mental stability. The moment you began thinking that taking care of yourself was too troublesome, you were already on the path towards self-esteem issues and a whole host of other problems.

After counting to eighty instead of sixty, Sarina spit into the sink before rinsing her teeth and going, "Aaaaaaah~!" so that Vahn could check. He did this by wearing a pair of gloves and using the same wooden stick the girls used when conducting the check-ups of others. After all, consistency was one of the most important building blocks for rearing children into respectable adults.

"Good job. Now, go downstairs. Breakfast is already ready."

Ruffling the girl's hair, Vahn sent Sarina off with a smile before demanifesting the moment she left the bathroom. At the same time, another version of himself was still struggling with Nono's hair as she tossed and tumbled whenever she wasn't sleeping with someone else. He had tried to curb this behavior by getting her to sleep with a large plushie and a body pillow but she could be remarkably obstinate about certain things.

"You slept for ten hours. How are you still tired...?"

With half-lidded eyes and a toothbrush dangling from her mouth, Nonu just replied with a cursory "Nn..." before continuing to slowly brush her teeth. This left Vahn feeling a little helpless as he knew she hadn't been having nightmares. He made sure of that by tucking her in tightly every night and transplanting a bit of calming energy into her mind whenever he gave her a goodnight kiss on her forehead. This was primarily to prevent her from coming to his room, a behavior that had increased in frequency to the point where she would come knocking on his door between 2-3 times a week.

Exhaling a sigh, Vahn said, "Turn around..." before grabbing the toothbrush from Nono's hands. In response, her half-lidded eyes closed fully as she promptly opened her mouth wide. She had been brushing the same side for the last three minutes, so, in an effort to speed things up, Vahn gently cradled Nono's jaw with his left hand while dutifully cleaning each of her teeth. There were some who would consider this an intimate act, but, thanks to his god-like dexterity and his propensity to practice as a Dentist for the No Names, Vahn was able to complete the process without incident.

"Good girl. Now, spit into the sink."

Since she had previously spit on him, Vahn made sure to remind Nono where to aim whenever she was in her muddleheaded state. Then, taking advantage of the fact time flowing much faster in her bathroom than outside, he spent the better part of an hour fixing her hair before finally sending her away with a wry yet affectionate smile.

Though it could be troublesome at times, Vahn had always enjoyed caring for others. He wasn't just a lover to his women. He was also their personal trainer, hairdresser, masseur, therapist, and pretty much anything else they needed him to be. When he became a father, this aspect of his character became even more prominent. So much so that he would actually feel 'off' if he wasn't taking care of at least three different people.

Fortunately, Vahn had quite a number of high-maintenance girls in his life. Seraphina, in particular, would be a nightmare for anyone without an ungodly level of tolerance. She wasn't afraid to make use of every aspect of his character, so, at times, he would spend upwards of eleven hours styling her hair, doing her makeup, and providing various spa treatments. She behaved like an excessively spoiled princess, but, in the end, she was 'his' spoiled princess...

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Though it was possible to end an evening on the highest of notes, whether or not it was a success depended exclusively on how a person felt the following morning. There were countless examples of people having the night of their life only to wake up the next day regretting their very existence. Thus, to smoothly transition the previous evening into a wondrous day, Vahn awoke Seraphina with a surprise back massage.

"Mmm~?"

Opening her eyes, Seraphina was tempted to complain about having to wake up less than six hours after she had fallen asleep, but, before the words could reach her lips, a pleasant sensation spread through her entire body. Her wings, tail, and horns were still present from the previous evening so Vahn was, very carefully, cleaning them with a microfiber cloth and specialized oils that would bring out the luster and shine of each.

"Good morning to you too, sweetheart."

Perking up the moment she heard Vahn call her sweetheart, Seraphina began to playfully kick her legs while crossing her arms beneath her chin. At the same time, she snaked her tail into the back of his shirt before bringing it around to the front of his body and tracing it along each of his well-defined muscles.

Shaking his head, Vahn spread a thread of energy into Seraphina's leathery yet satiny smooth wing in order to prompt it to open. She had already grown accustomed to letting him do whatever he wanted at such times, so, while most people might offer some form of resistance, Seraphina began to hum a cheerful tune as her tail continued to wander and caress his body. This continued for the better part of three hours, but, thanks to time shenanigans, they were still able to head down and join everyone else for breakfast...

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"Our contract with the No Names may have come to an end but you can still visit them whenever you want. I'm not going to keep you away from your friends. That would be pretty hypocritical of me considering Black Rabbit basically lives here..."

Though she had already expected such a response, Sarina exhaled a sigh of relief the moment Vahn answered her question. She didn't get along with everyone but she had come to enjoy the attention she received from the younger members of the No Names. They looked up to her quite a bit so she would have been sad if she weren't allowed to visit.

"What a relief. I mean, what would those brats do without us? Isn't that right, Nono-chan~?"

Despite having awoken fully the moment she tasted Vahn's home-cooked strawberry pancakes, Nono simply offered a polite smile in response to Sarina's statement. She had grown accustomed to the latter's braggadocious nature, so, unless they were talking about something important, she typically didn't contribute much to conversations.

With the corner of her smile twitching, Sarina decided to just pretend Nono agreed with her as she added, "Besides, that dumb boy is completely useless without someone to look after him. I honestly don't know how he can be the Leader of a Community. You would think he would grow a backbone after becoming strong enough to level a hill with his magic."

Recalling how powerful Jin had become, Sarina was honestly a little jealous. Fortunately, he was still a pushover so she was still able to tease him as much as she wanted. As for why this was important, even she didn't know. It just felt right.

Though he chuckled in response to Sarina's remark, Vahn still gently chided her, saying, "Now, now. That's no way to talk about someone who has helped you with your studies. Jin might be lacking in a number of categories but he's still a kind, earnest, and hardworking young man. Try not to tease him too much, okay?"

Nodding her in understanding, Sarina offered a cutesy, "Hai, Hai~!" before picking up a piece of sausage and biting into it. There was no greater meaning behind this action, but, for some reason, Vahn couldn't help feeling sorry for his young protege...

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(A/N: Alternate Titles: 'I need a longcat Fenrir plushie in my life...','Vahn might be an irredeemable harem protagonist but he is still a considerate person xD...','Oof...')

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