As the leaders of ChronosX were rushing back to the safety of their headquarters, the stream continued. Seconds bled into minutes, and before they even knew it, hours had passed.
At last, Kaiden straightened in the bath with his arm draped along the edge of the pool. His voice, when it came, was steady but soft. "Alright, everyone. I think that’s where we’ll wrap it up tonight. Thank you, truly, to those of you who stayed with us, who believed in us. We won’t forget it. Together, we’ll keep moving forward."
Aria spoke up next with a chirpy voice. The camera panned to show wet hair sticking to her cheek, making her radiant smile even more adorable. "Yes! Thank you for watching, and for standing with us. It means more than you can imagine!"
One by one, the Valkyries echoed their gratitude until the broadcast cut to black.
The silence that followed was heavy, but not uncomfortable. "Ahhh..." All at once, they sagged back into the steaming water, exhaling in perfect unison, their tension melting away as if it had been drawn out with the rising mist.
Nyx, perched snugly on Kaiden’s left thigh, lifted her chin and gave a triumphant grin. "That went way better than I expected!"
Across from her, Luna lazily floated on her back on top of the surface of the spring as her hair spread out beneath the girl like rippling silk. She raised her right hand to her face and inspected her wrinkled fingertips with a smirk.
"Are you sure about that, though, bimbo? The like-to-dislike ratio is still sitting at eighty percent against us."
Bastet, seated proudly on Kaiden’s right thigh as if it were her rightful, glorious throne, tilted her head to the side curiously. Her golden eyes shimmered with a kitten-like innocence as her tail flicked against Kaiden’s crotch playfully.
"Mmm... I think I finally understand these numbers you’re all fussing about." She purred while leaning in to lap at Kaiden’s cheek, leaving a faint trail of her saliva on his skin before adding, "But up until a while ago, that ratio was even worse. If it improved, doesn’t that mean we’re doing well?"
She blinked at Kaiden cutely, waiting for confirmation. The gorgeous felinid with delicious tanned skin was clearly pleased with her own deduction skills and wanted to be praised for understanding ’human stuff’ so well.
Aria’s eyes traveled to the shimmering trail Bastet had left across his cheek. A dangerous glint sparked in her gaze, raw jealousy simmering beneath the surface of her heavenly visage. She wanted nothing more than to rip the smug cat from his thigh and mark Kaiden herself, but she bit it back with visible restraint.
The girl knew full well that she was a member of a harem and that if she were too jealous all the time, she would just be giving Kai headaches. Luna and Nyx were already doing that enough. As a good girl, she didn’t want to trouble her lover.
Instead, she forced her voice to be steady as she responded. "Lady Yunohana’s interference shifted the tides; that much is obvious. And it’s only natural that the like-to-dislike ratio would improve as the stream dragged on because the casual haters don’t have much patience. They got bored and left after a bit, probably seething at the mouth, seeing how little we cared about their opinion, hehe!"
The Moon Valkyrie couldn’t help but giggle at the thought. Then, she added, "What remained were either the truly passionate haters or those who enjoyed the cozy atmosphere enough to press like."
"Yeah, we ought to write her a thank-you letter or something! That woman came in clutch!" Nyx nodded sagely.
Luna, half-submerged, let her head tilt lazily toward the others. A sly grin was tugging at her lips.
"But is it really just a coincidence? The anal slut over here," she pointed her finger toward Nyx dismissively, without looking, "asked Kai for a Japanese girlfriend, and not even a second later, Yunohana shows up with a fat donation and a sweet message."
Her grin widened, sly as a fox. "Should we take it as a sign? Maybe she wants to join the gang."
Aria’s eyes darkened at once. She could still see Yunohana’s perfect, regal smile in her mind’s eye. The effortless grace, the aura that radiated dominance. A woman like that... utterly mesmerizing, dangerously strong, and already adored worldwide.
She was basically everything Aria hoped to become one day. She did not doubt that such a woman could charm Kaiden’s heart if he were to open up to her.
The Moon Valkyrie felt a pang run deep through her chest. If Yunohana truly set her sights on Kaiden, she would be a threat unlike any of the love rivals Aria currently faced.
"No!"
She declared while moving forward in the bath until she was inches away from Kaiden. She rose and stared deep into his eyes as she said, "I forbid it."
Nyx instantly burst into laughter at Aria’s grimace, covering her mouth but failing to hide her mischievous giggles.
Kaiden chuckled under his breath as well, amused by his silver-haired Valkyrie’s brain. She could truly think up some interesting thoughts. It was obvious to him that she’d cooked up some drama in her head, so he reached forward until his hand closed firmly around Aria’s slim waist. She jolted at the sudden touch, her toned body tensing before melting into an adorable squirm.
"Kai?" she asked, cheeks flushing crimson as Kaiden’s eyes deliberately roamed the curves she worked so hard to perfect.
"Relax," he muttered lightly, tugging her closer until she stood between his legs. His voice dropped to that warm, grounding tone only he could wield. "You don’t have to worry about anything."
Before Aria could argue, his lips dipped lower and brushed against the dark ink etched just above her womb. The Sinsworm Valkyrie tattoo, the mark of their bond, caught a glimmer of steam. Kaiden kissed it reverently.
A shiver raced through Aria, her breath catching. That simple kiss carried more weight than any promise, more depth than words could hold. Their bond wasn’t just physical; it was magical, undeniable, eternal.
She bit her lip, and her eyes began trembling as every last shard of doubt in her heart crumbled to dust.
"You truly know how to placate a yandere’s jealousy, Kai! I’m amazed," Nyx cooed.
While floating lazily on the water, Luna let out an exaggerated scoff before her extremely comfortable voice began dripping with mock disbelief. "Unbelievable. You mean to tell me you’d say no to a stacked Japanese milf?" She sent Kaiden a disapproving gaze. "What are you, gay?"
Then, the Storm Valkyrie tilted her head back and kicked her legs through the water, smirking mischievously. "As your girlfriend, I’m actually getting concerned over here..."
Her tone was playful, teasing, the classic gamer-girl banter. No real malice, just memeing.
But...
Aria whipped her head around, about to retort, just as Luna had expected, and hoped. She was in the mood to have some fun at the expense of the girl who wore her heart on her sleeve.
However, before she could, Kaiden’s phone lit up with a sudden ring.
The sound sliced through the serene steam of the hot spring.
Kaiden blinked while still having his lips pressed to Aria’s womb tattoo, before slowly lifting his head.