Book 5: Chapter 25
“And so, his character descended into depravity, and only by testing his limits did he see… just how much he could handle?” Depravity, or should I call him Mr. Smith, put on a slight grin.
Many of the girls in class blushed as his eyes met them. A few of the guys even looked up at him with blind idealism. I wanted to say it was similar to what Principle Vienna and her Councilman Master had done, but Depravity’s work was far more subtle. He wasn’t brainwashing these people. He was doing something far more terrifying. He was fundamentally changing how they thought.
It was no surprise that Depravity would masquerade as an educator. He could raise an entire generation of degenerates to worship at the altar of his godliness. He was a cross between hedonism and shame, and he subtly mixed those lessons into everything he assigned us. The book’s assignments were read always depicting some person descending into a life of depravity. Interestingly enough, he always ended the story right before the fall.
He claimed he did this because he didn’t want to stifle our creativity by giving us an ending. He said he’s rather that we created our endings. To me, the reality couldn’t be clearer. He did it to hide the negativity associated with his preachings. He did it to manipulate everyone in the class.
After seducing mom, almost a week had passed. My relationship with mom had become quite healthy. We weren’t at the point where Maria was willing to join in, but we were getting there. I was thinking of a threesome with my mom and Sasori. I wanted to see the two older women interact with each other.
As for returning to school, both Kira and Derek had taken a week off. Even if Derek’s god had regrown his pecker, it looked like he wasn’t able to bounce back from the physical shame. As for Kira, it was a deliberate means of keeping Depravity from going after her again. It was fine, as Sasori was a teacher, so it wasn’t like Kira would fall behind. She just reported to the school that Kira caught mono, and we were good for a week. Kira and Sasori would truly get some time to spend together. With their memories returned, they still had a great deal of their shattered relationship to repair.
I eventually decided I had to go back to school to keep an eye on our enemy. I also wanted to protect Akiko, who didn’t have parents that knew about these kinds of things and wouldn’t take kindly to calling her off for a week. I tried to stay close to her, which started rumors to spread. Kira got mono, Derek and Kira both took off, and now I was hanging off my old girlfriend. It’d be more shocking if rumors didn’t appear. I didn’t care at this point. I was beyond caring about what high school kids said or thought about me.
I was really worried once I went back to school that there would be repercussions. The goddesses had assured me that it would be alright, and it looked like they were being honest. The late-night attack was swept under the rug. There was no news of it and not even a rumor of it floated down the hallways. No one knew why Derek took a week off. At least, as his supposed best friend, I was the most likely to know, and I was keeping my mouth shut.
As for Mr. Smith, he didn’t act aggressively toward me or try to keep me after class. I think he was worried about Mary and NTR. Just Mary was enough to cause him to back off, but now that NTR was back, he slunk even more into his hole. As they explained it, Mr. Smith was like a spider. He hid in his web, only catching the prey that got stuck. He wasn’t the type to put himself out there or take a risk. Four days of school had proved that to be true, as he had left me alone. He didn’t even passive-aggressively tank any of my grades. I did most of that on my own. My focus hadn’t been on homework lately. What was the point of grades anyway if you were going to be a god?
The other thing I did those four days was read the minds of all of the girls. NTR said it didn’t matter whether I used my skill or not regarding my so-called leak, so I made sure to use my skills to gain a grasp on everyone in the class. I couldn’t read Mr. Smith’s mind, but I could read the minds of people he was interacting with. Dirt Scribe and Inner Desires were used extensively in the hopes that I learned something I could use from the minds of other students. I also manipulated students into telling me whatever I wanted to know. Information collection was the name of the game.
I had also used True Feelings on a girl in class out of curiosity. Later that day, she had ended up confessing to Mr. Smith, who politely turned her down. It was the only time he had given me a stern look in those four days. It was also why I knew that the feelings these girls had for him were genuine. He was turning an entire class of students to degenerates. Thankfully, I wasn’t affected, and as for Akiko, she had long become her own type of depraved woman.
“Just think about your futures, and what will come next.” Mr. Smith ended his talk.
I got up and left the room with the rest of the class, making sure to stick close to Akiko as I did, even though it earned me looks from various other women. The rumors weren’t just that I had an affair with Akiko, but that I was playing both Akiko and Kira at the same time. Akiko even jokingly told me that on two occasions a girl took her aside to tell her that I’m a scumbag. Mr. Smith didn’t even look my way as I left the room. That would be the fourth day in a row that he allowed me to leave without incident. He was a spider, happily waiting until the perfect moment to strike.
The pair of us headed outside, but I had only taken a few steps when my eyes landed on Derek. He was standing by his car, seemingly waiting for me. When I appeared, his eyes instantly darkened and narrowed on me. Where once, he had been able to hide his disdain, he now wore it openly on the face. I had wondered why the god of war went for him. I always saw Derek as a backstabber and a betrayer, not as a man of war. The gods and goddesses tended to find avatars that aligned with their beliefs or sometimes complemented them. What about Derek’s behavior had been warlike?
Then again, every war had a strategy. In a war, a footsoldier didn’t possess the same function as his king. In that respect, Derek was probably filling out his role perfectly to suit War’s taste.
“I’m here to pass on a message,” Derek said as I approached him.
“You’re a messenger boy now?”
He gave a grin that looked nearly as threatening as a snarl. “Depravity is done playing games. We settle this Saturday. All of you, against all of us. One battle to finish this.”
“That sounds like war… but that doesn’t sound like depravity.”
“Depravity doesn’t care about the game, he never did.” Derek snorted. “And now that NTR and Mary are on his ass, he’s starting to sweat.”
“Aren’t you his ally? Why are you telling me this?”
“Allies? Hmph… the enemy of my enemy, that is all. He’s made an offer. Both of us have an offer. I suggest you take it.” With those words, he thrust a letter in my hands.
“What is this?”
“Ask your goddess whores. They’ll know what that document is.”
He didn’t give me time to ask anymore. He didn’t even give Akiko a look as he spun around and got into his car. The pair of us made our way home immediately after. Rather, we met at my house. I called everyone over to hold an official meeting, but before I did, I entered my room. Mary and NTR did not interact with mortals. I was a champion, so I was an exception. One might even claim I had achieved the level of a demigod, although I didn’t think I’d live longer than a normal human.
I had left the letter in my pocket, but I wanted to know the contents before I spoke to the girls. I was worried it was a trap, so I handed it to NTR directly instead. She seemed surprised, but when she opened up the letter, her mouth opened slightly.
“What does it say?” Mary demanded, looking slightly annoyed I had given it to NTR.
“He’s… surrendering.” She said, sounding like she didn’t believe it.
“Nonsense!” She ripped the letter from NTR’s hands and started reading. “This…”
“Surrendering?” I asked.
“Not exactly. He’s proposing a resolution to the game. He realizes it’s only a manner of time before we win, and since he was never here to fight us in the first place, he’s offering an alternative.” NTR explained.
Mary finished the small note and shook her head. “This… it’s written on a heavenly ledger, and inked with a holy script. This is the same thing as making a vow. He cannot break his word, and if he did, the heaven’s would punish him.”
“What are the conditions?” I demanded.
“This Saturday, we meet at the school auditorium for a showdown. It would be you against Derek. To the winner go the spoils.” Mary explained.
“What are the spoils?”
“Everything…” NTR sighed.
“Wh-what?”
“Here, just read… don’t worry, it is safe.” Mary handed me the letter, and I quickly read through it.
Dear Hakaru and You Goddesses,
I have never had a desire to defeat or destroy you. Perhaps, I had a passing interest in possessing the NTR sisters, but now that you are undivided, I can only see you as my equal. I made a vow to give War a chance to win the game, but I do not wish to threaten my position or my future any longer. It is… unbecoming of us gods to squabble in such a childish manner among the mortals.
Therefore, I have come to my proposal. You and War finish your battle. You will each have a chance to defeat the other, and I will hold back my time and power. If Derek wins, then he gets what he wants. Hakaru loses all power, all of his women and NTR follows the council and marries him. If Hakaru wins, then War will leave. As for me, I will pay the price to have you become a god.
I have nearly fifty women currently in relationships willing to do whatever I say. I will give them to you. You will be able to jump to the next level and be able to ascend to godhood. Everyone gets what they want. I will be allowed to return to my tasks on Earth. I even promise I won’t touch the mortals you indicate. I hope there are no hard feelings. You are the future Harem God, after all, and I look forward to a future of cooperation.
I promise with all of my power as a god that I will abide by the words written by me above.
Sincerely,
Depravity
“Seriously,” I said when I finished. “Just like that.”
“It’s not like he doesn’t get something out of it. He hopes to become closer to us. He wants you to accept more depravity into harems, marriage, and NTR. He realizes we’re too strong to defeat, so now he wants to help you so that in the future, we owe him.” Mary responded bitterly.
“Can this be trusted?” I asked.
NTR thought for a moment and then nodded. “I believe we can. This letter is a promise. If you come on Saturday, if you defeat Derek, then we win. NTR Crush will come to a close.”