Chapter 340: Morning
The steam of the shower still clung to their skin as the girls settled around the common room table, with hair that was damp and fragrant.
Kaiden sat at the head. His posture was straighter than usual, his expression carrying a weight they all picked up on instantly.
The air was quiet, too quiet, until the sound of milk being poured into a bowl cut through it. Luna, perched sideways on her chair with her legs swinging lazily, filled her cereal and glanced around with exaggerated suspicion.
"So, what's with the mood? Is the baby anxious again? Should Luna Mommy whisper nice things into his ear like yesterday?" she asked while parting her arms, inviting Kaiden, even sending him kisses through the air.
Seeing the little reaction her actions received, the Storm Valkyrie lifted the spoon to her delicate lips. But before she could take a bite, her eyes flashed with mischief as she began scrutinizing Kaiden.
Then, as if she'd found something, the girl gasped. "Don't tell me, you finally gathered the conviction to come out?"
Aria, across the table, narrowed her eyes, wholly unimpressed by the purple-haired gremlin's newest joke. "You're mistaken."
Nyx leaned back in her chair with a chuckle. "Please. What gay man do you know who can spend entire hours satisfying a group of horny women like us? It's one thing to pretend to be straight and even have a romantic relationship with a woman, but what he did last night went above and beyond that…"
"[Telekinesis]." Nyx followed her statement up by peeling a banana using her spatial powers, bringing it to her lips, and happily chomping down on it afterward.
Unbothered, Luna scooped up a second spoonful of cereal and shrugged. "You never know. With today's medicine and awakened elixirs, impotency isn't even a problem anymore. Unless…" She swallowed, tapping her spoon against the rim of her bowl before adding wryly, "Unless it comes from a nasty curse."
"Thank you, Luna, for your thoughtful observation, but I suffer from no curses, nor do I harbor any plans of coming out."
"You're welcome," Luna responded without missing a beat, then turned her attention toward Nyx, "Stop sucking on that banana so loudly, you're ruining my appetite."
"I'm eating completely normally!" Nyx protested, slamming her fists against the table. Then, she followed it up by going for a second bite of the fruit, hovering comfortably close to her mouth.
"Yeah, right. Then why do I hear your throat working even from here? Slut."
"… Bestie, it seems the severe pummeling you received from Kai last night made you even ruder than before."
Then the Space Valkyrie's attention turned to the sole man in the house. A giant grin materialized on her face, smug as all hell. "I suggest we have the gremlin undergo a serious detox, or she'll become a real goblin at this rate."
As Luna and Nyx bickered, the fourth female voice entered the fray. Smooth, rich, and threaded with amusement.
Bastet.
She was dressed in her usual desert-born attire, loose yet artfully cut Arabian-style silks that contrasted masterfully against her sun-kissed skin, every fold designed to highlight rather than hide. The top clung snugly around her generous bust, while the slit of her skirt parted high enough to frame the supple curve of her thighs. Even sitting, she was a picture of lazy majesty, one leg elegantly crossed over the other as if she were perched on a throne.
In her hand was a simple glass of milk. She tilted it delicately, not drinking like a human would, but dipping her tongue into the creamy liquid with playful flicks, lapping at it like the most decadent of felines. Each motion was languid, teasing, her golden eyes amused as though she knew exactly the kind of sight she was giving off. The faint purr that escaped her throat as she licked the last drop from her lips only completed the image.
Finally, she spoke, setting the glass down with a soft clink.
"Truly, based on my extensive research, I expected felines to be the troublesome ones. But the two of you…" Her gaze slid lazily to Nyx and Luna, "You take catfighting to an entirely new level."
"Bitch, don't call watching anime 'extensive research.'" The Storm Valkyrie scoffed without missing a beat. She then shook her head, grumbling, "The audacity of some women… Jeez."
"Yeah, catgirls like those don't exist, Bastet," Nyx chimed in, nodding sagely. "They were created by men, for men, mere fantasies made to pander to guys who can't resist a pair of ears and a tail on a pretty girl."
Bastet didn't bother replying. Instead, she lifted her glass again, her golden eyes glinting in amusement while her tail swayed lazily behind her, and her dark ears gave a little flick. Her silence, paired with those wordless motions, was loud enough to say: Bitch, are you blind?
Nyx blinked, then smacked her own forehead. "Oh. Right. You're so regal and queenlike, I forget you're actually a catwoman too. Anime catgirls are always ditzy and useless, the opposite of you."
"Ra-Blessed Felinid," Bastet corrected smoothly, her voice purring as she uncrossed her legs only to cross them the other way, letting one thick, juicy thigh slide over the other, creating a sensual image that demanded Kaiden's attention as if her thighs were magnetically snapping his head in their direction.
"This bimbo's brain really went straight into her giant tits. What a dumb cow," Luna snorted before bursting into laughter, nearly spilling her cereal.
Nyx's head whipped toward her, murder already in her eyes, lips parting to deliver a retort that would've sent the gremlin flying straight into outrage…
But Kaiden's voice cut in first, firm and steady.
"Enough, girls. Before the real catfight breaks out, I want us to talk about something important."
The room quieted immediately.
"I know that deep down we're all worried about dungeons and monsters, and for a very good reason. The Hollow of Endless Hunger was a truly traumatic experience. But life must go on. We either have to become full-time content creators and give up on becoming mighty awakened, or we face our troubles head-on, as a family that supports each other. I am asking to hear your thoughts."
The girls exchanged a look between one another, and a collective, knowing smile emerged on their delicate faces.
They didn't need to think long and hard.
"Let's kill some monsters, Kai."
Little did the group know that dungeons, as they knew them, would undergo a drastic change.