[Warning, this chapter contains light sexual content – 18+]

It only takes a little thought and the sight of Shi’s open arms for me to decide.

I slide under the covers and into her grasp, to which I hear her satisfied hum.

Normally, I’d like to be the big spoon, but she seems to have been hoping for this. So, I’ll wait for another day to take that mantle.

It’s also kind of nice to just let relax in someone else’s arms sometimes.

Leaning back, we snuggle together a bit, with a pleasant air rising between us. When I look up from this, I can see Lin looking enviously down at us. With a glance back at Shi, she instinctively catches on and scoots back a bit.

Now it’s my turn to open my arms to let her in.

To which she gleefully hops into mine. Springing a few feet over to do so, requiring me to catch her to not reduce the impact. Right after, I can feel some hands strain to touch my chest from behind Shi.

“Uuu. Guuuh. Oooo”.

There are also muffled sounds of effort coming from that direction, as the owner of the hands, Ai, strains to hold me from around Shi’s sizable chest.

“Heh… do you need some help?”

And here comes the teasing from Shi toward her.

“Noooo, I gooot it.”

Hmm… she’s acting a lot more subdued and playful right now. Shi doesn’t seem surprised about it. And neither does Lin. This has to mean that while I was gone, that maybe they’ve been doing these kind of things for a while.

Still following some tips from my scan while going through this, I let this continue a bit before leaning further back into Shi’s chest and holding Ai’s hands in mine. Instantly, she falls silent, her cheeks turning a deep shade of red.

For the next few minutes, we lay there. Ai’s hands wrapped around Shi and me, with Lin laying on my stomach. Soon enough, loud snores come resonate throughout the room, the source being the lady in front of me.

Wow, Lin’s really something to fall asleep that quickly.

As a result, Shi, Ai, and I burst out laughing, causing her to be jolted awake. After a few moments of stifled laughter and explaining, a sense of ease washes over us as we all bask in the moment. But in it, I can tell this a moment that one of should say something.

I decide to do so.

“Hey… so, how do we want all of this to work? Do you guys want to stay like this for a bit? Or should we take this to the next step?”

Silence.

…

…

“I can only speak for me, but I’m interested in us going further, as you already know.”

That comes from Shi. She looks to her back.

“I also want to.”

Stolen novel; please report.

Ai speaks up, surprisingly steadfast about it. Her voice changing from the playful side, back to her serious one.

After which, Lin rubs her butt on my crotch, looking up at me. Pretty sure that’s her answer. She vocalizes it anyway.

“Me too. I was worried for a bit, but I… I know I can trust you.”

…

“I think I’m ready as well.”

I say the words.

There’s only a moment before I can feel the air shift in the room. A slight hint of the passions from when we were in the cultivation room reappears. And the strangest feeling appears in my heart.

Relief.

…

I’m glad. It wasn’t just the pheromones. I don’t know when it happened, but I’ve been worried that they only wanted me in that moment for that.

It seems that taking them out of that room wasn’t fully for them… but for me.

I should have known I didn’t have to worry about that.

The instant I think this, I feel rosy, soft lips touch mine. Ai’s. She’s come around to wrap her fingers under my jaw, cupping it and looking me in the eye as she releases the kiss.

And that’s she moves downward, her tangled silvery hair brushing my neck, looking back up at me with her grey eyes and pale, freckled face. She lowers them to take another kiss, this time on my chest, still clothed in the flowing robes they suggest I wear around here. Her hand nudges it open, exposing it to the air. She gives a lick.

Lin then moves her prodigious butt off my crotch and stands to the side of Ai, her eyes sparkling with mischief. Clearly, she wants in on the fun.

After licking my chest, she moves down to my navel… then to my waist. Finally, she reaches the target zone. My crotch.

Shi, who I’m still leaning on, wraps her arms even tighter around me. Not exactly holding me there, but as if she’s trying to envelop me with her. Except for one increasingly prominent area on my body. Rising and rising.

I feel my body heating up and my eyes are locked on those soft, beautiful lips of hers that are getting ever closer.

Her breath grew heavier with each passing moment, drawing nearer and nearer. However, she comes to an abrupt halt.

Her breath catching, moving from being hot and heavy to stuffed and faulting. Like she’s losing breath.

… something is wrong. She must be having a panic attack.

Lin realizes this instantly.

I give a few taps to Shi while giving her a quick look. To fill her in so that I can help her, which she now notices and moves her arms away.

As it’s just in the start of the panic attack, before Ai even consciously realizes what’s happening, I move up, to her surprise. She freezes in place, which I take advantage of and lock eyes with Lin.

With an obvious and cautious move, I keep my arms open and moving toward her. She stiffens even further, closing her eyes.

And I hug her.

No sexual aspects. Just a comforting hug.

Lin follows soon after, causing Ai to finally seem relaxed. Having realized what was happening and what we were doing to help. After a bit longer, Shi joins, as well. Giving us time to handle this between all of us.

As we all hold each other, I suppress the intrusive thought of regret.

I wanted to go further.

But my thought vanishes as soon as I hear a sniffle from Ai, with her muffled, pained words choking out.

“…I ruin everything.”

…

Nope, I’m going to nip this one in the bud.

I’ll have to make a statement to do this, though. As best I can.

“Ai…you haven’t ruined anything. Without you and the others, I would be lost and alone in this world. There’s so much I’m thankful to you for that you don’t even realize.

“…it’s not only that. I love you all more than anything in this world. I promise, we’ll figure these things out together.”

My voice lowers with my words of love, even with my scan saying it’s alright.

There is a deep sense of vulnerability that washes over me when I open up and share my emotions like this. Something I’m sure they are feeling, too.

I’m scared. Scared that they may not feel the same, even though my brain tells me they do.

… but I mean every word. In this world, it is these three and Gong that I have this special relationship with. Of course, with Mei Lin, I love her in a wholly different way, as my sister.

However, these girls are the ones I can imagine spending the rest of my life with.

As I’ve realized, there are other people I’m interested in… but that’s a thought for another day.

I want to truly cherish and convey my love to these women in front of me.

Lin and Shi exchange glances of surprise, but Ai’s legs give out, and we catch her before she hits the ground.

… right before she openly cries. Lin nods at me and I pour some subtle healing into each of us. All in the same way I did for the trauma victims. So that she and they can heal from their individual traumas, but still grow from them.

As we reassure and comfort each other, there’s one last thing comes to mind.

So, what happens after this?