Fingertips traced over snow-white, delicate skin, sliding to the softer side of Shinobu's neck. As Nolan softly kneaded, his fingers occasionally brushed over her collarbone in light caresses.
The green-haired girl wasn't particularly sensitive to his touch, showing no reaction, as if unaware of the suggestive intimacy in his movement.
Time slipped by. Under Nolan's massage and energy enhancement, Shinobu's whole body relaxed, tension melting away.
Not knowing how long Nolan would take to finish his session, Shinobu closed her eyes, just slightly.
She soon felt his hands slide lower, moving onto her back and working into her shoulder blades. He kept up his gentle massage, making no improper moves, so Shinobu said nothing.
Maybe her body had gotten too relaxed – drowsiness crept in, spreading quietly through her limbs. Before she knew it, her arms, which had been modestly crossed against her chest, slackened a little.
A few more minutes passed. Shinobu had let go completely, arms drifting down into the water, as if she'd dozed off.
Nolan noticed Shinobu had fallen asleep, and thought resting up against the hard edge of the pool couldn't be very comfortable.
So he slipped into the hot spring beside her, gently cradling Shinobu in his arms, letting the back of her head rest on his chest for a much cozier sleep.
All the while, Nolan kept kneading out the knots in her muscles.
But now he didn't restrict himself to her shoulders and neck. Previously, she'd curled up with her lower legs beneath her, maybe interrupting circulation and making her calves numb.
Nolan decided he ought to take care of that with a little massage.
Same for the pale chest she'd covered with her arms the whole time—since she'd squashed it under her arms, her circulation there needed remedying as well.
Over ten minutes later, after a brief nap, Shinobu blearily blinked awake. She instinctively raised her hands and stretched with a languid yawn.
Suddenly, as if realizing something, she flushed pink all the way to her ears and hurriedly let her arms drop back down.
"Hmm?"
It felt like Shinobu's arm was resting on something. After a slight pause, she glanced down, only to realize it was Nolan's hands.
Only now did she also sense the enveloping heat at her back—the fact that, at some point, Nolan had bundled her in his arms.
And his massage had gone noticeably overboard!
All at once, a wave of heat flooded Shinobu's cheeks; her mind spun. Instinctively, her lips parted, as if about to cry out—
—but Nolan's mouth sealed hers immediately!
"Mmph!"
Pinned sideways against his chest, her hands clutching his arms in shock, amethyst eyes fixed on him, blinking with disbelief.
Of course this guy, bringing her to such an ambiguous place, wouldn't have pure intentions.
Seems she was right!
She'd sensed Nolan's wicked plans the moment he asked her to undress, but she'd deliberately ignored them.
Had she... secretly wanted this to happen, too? Impossible, surely—but the sensation of his lips on hers sent her thoughts scattering in wild confusion.
Nolan's hands roamed over Shinobu's silken back, holding her close, delighting in the softness of her petite body.
She didn't struggle. All Nolan wanted was to press her as close as possible, greedily savoring the softness of a girl in his arms.
Minutes passed. Shinobu began to feel stifled, so she pushed at his chest, turning away and pulling her lips apart from his, muttering in flushed and angry embarrassment:
"That's as far as it goes—let me up now, time to get back!"
She had no idea when it happened, but her body had turned fully to face him. She lay half-sprawled atop Nolan, her bare stomach against his, her legs intertwined.
Feeling his heat so intimately made her worry that if they continued kissing, it'd spiral wildly out of control.
She just wasn't ready for that—yet!
"No rush," Nolan murmured, "I know an even faster way to boost your strength. We've already kissed, why not try a more… intimate method?"
His hands squeezed her snowy cheeks, leaning close to plant a kiss at her ear.
"Mmnn… n-no… you can't," Shinobu stammered, face burning a deeper crimson. A shock ran through her body, making her whole form weak and sluggish. She shook her head helplessly and tried to reply—but her lips could only form the faintest noises, barely audible.
But Nolan seemed to catch only the last syllables, and grinned:
"Since you've agreed, let's practice hard today, all the way until your body can't absorb any more."
His hands slid down to the backs of her velvety thighs, gently lifting her hips.
...
By noon, as lunchtime neared, the two of them at last wound down. By now, Shinobu's power level had already risen to seventy.
That was mostly because Nolan's level was much higher, while hers started relatively low, so the training effect was dramatic.
While they were entwined, Nolan also told her all about the Wonderland Space's situation, and invited her to move in.
That way, they could train together any time in the future.
With such an embarrassing reason, Shinobu's pride as a girl made it hard to accept, but just as she was about to refuse, her lips were captured again.
He gave off a vibe that "unless you agree, I'm not letting go." Helpless, Shinobu could only nod faintly and give in to this incorrigible man.
Anyway, thanks to her "Interstellar Travel" teleportation ability, living here wouldn't stop her from commuting to her job in Inazuma City.
Seeing her agree, Nolan cheerfully helped her dry off and dress, then brought her out of the bathhouse, touring the Wonderland Space so she could get familiar with the place and the other girls.
After lunch, the two of them cleaned a new room together. By the time they'd finished arranging everything, dusk was falling.
No sooner had they relaxed than Nolan tackled Shinobu onto the giant bed in her room.
Although the harmonizing energy within her had reached its limit and needed time to settle, this time he mainly wanted to test the durability of the new bed.
Time slipped by; night passed into morning before they knew it.
Even after adjusting his pace to be as gentle as possible, after a full day spent together, Shinobu was still exhausted and had no desire at all to get up.
Nolan, who'd wanted to enjoy a little more intimacy, gave up on that idea, thinking he'd give her time to adjust to such intense training before going further.
And just then, he heard the doorknob rattle with a soft "click."
Mona padded in barefoot, silent as a ghost.
It looked like she'd just woken up. Her hair was still loose, and she hadn't bothered to button her crisp white shirt, so the snowy skin of her chest and stomach was plainly visible.
Her hips were wrapped in a pair of pink briefs, her pale thighs swaying lightly as she moved.
Yawning, Mona climbed onto the bed, lifted the blanket covering Nolan, then slid the waistband of her pink panties slightly to the side before gently straddling him.
Glancing at the sleeping girl beside him, Mona didn't even bat an eye — she was long used to this. This man had a habit of bringing beautiful girls home every so often.
Leaning down, she gave Nolan a soft kiss on the lips before murmuring,
"My astrology research has hit a bit of a wall lately. Take me beyond the world later, to see the stars firsthand. Maybe watching them up close will inspire something."
Recently, Mona had been studying astrological records in Sumeru's Akademiya while also mentoring Layla.
Since Nolan's visit to the Herta Space Station, he had accessed the Interastral Peace Network and transmitted back vast amounts of astronomical knowledge — much of it priceless for astrology.
Thanks to that, both Mona's and Layla's astrological studies had advanced rapidly.
Especially Mona — she had already analyzed nearly forty-five percent of the Wonderland Space's star-map, almost halfway through!
But knowledge from beyond this world had been built upon countless years of research, full of profound and complex theories.
Even for a genius astrologer like Mona, comprehending everything in a short time was difficult.
She had understood what she could, but many concepts still eluded her.
Pure theoretical study, she realized, could only go so far. To truly grasp the truth, she needed to see the stars and celestial seas herself — to observe how the heavenly bodies truly moved and verify her understanding through practice.
Perhaps then, the obscure theories would become clear, and she could merge them into her own astrology.
For ordinary astrologers, leaving their world to survey the cosmos would be impossible.
But for Mona, it was simple — after all, she had Nolan, a lover capable of taking her anywhere.
Nolan, now awake, slid his hands over her waist and hips, understanding what she wanted. He nodded slightly.
"That's easy. After breakfast, I'll go with you."
He truly cared about Mona's astrological research — after all, if he ever wanted to locate Earth again, her astrology might be the key.
During his time at the Herta Space Station, Nolan had learned about interstellar navigation:
Among the many star-faring ships of the galaxy — from massive fleets to tiny exploratory teams — every vessel had a specialist known as the Navigator.
Even though most ships were equipped with intelligent navigation systems, those systems merely assisted; the Navigator's judgment remained the final authority.
The "galaxy" in the interstellar age wasn't just a spiral arm a hundred thousand light-years wide like the one he once knew — here, the term referred to the entire universe itself.
He'd once read a report on the Interastral Peace Network: the farthest two ships of the Xianzhou Alliance were separated by more than ninety million light-years!
That alone showed how vast the explored regions of the universe were — far greater than he had imagined.
Even the mighty Interastral Peace Corporation couldn't cover every corner of known space with its network.
And without network access, most ships' AI navigation became useless — leaving everything to the skill and intuition of their Navigators.
The cosmos was filled with known and unknown dangers; only Navigators with deep, reliable expertise could lead their crews safely through them.
And Mona, with her gift for astrology, was exactly such a figure.
Though she had never studied interstellar navigation formally, her divinations could reveal anything she wished to know — she was, in essence, a born Navigator.
A navigator of the mystical arts.
For Nolan to surf the galaxies freely, Mona's presence was indispensable.
"Before we leave, let's stop by the Akademiya to bring Layla along," Mona added with a smile, kissing his cheek. "Seeing real celestial bodies will help her studies too."
"Layla? Of course," Nolan replied with a grin.
It suited him perfectly — spending time with Layla also meant a chance to raise her affection level, which was already close to nine. A few more interactions, and she'd reach the maximum. This stargazing trip was the perfect opportunity.
Mona clearly knew him well; she must have guessed his thoughts. That's probably why she suggested inviting Layla — giving him a chance to pursue her openly.
In response, Nolan gave Mona a long, deep kiss.
Around eight-thirty, the two finally got out of bed. Shinobu had woken up too but chose to stay under the blankets a bit longer.
So Nolan and Mona had breakfast with the others before teleporting to Sumeru City — straight to the Akademiya.
They appeared in the Sanctuary of Surasthana, where Nahida was resting.
"Huh? Nahida's still asleep this late? That's rare," Nolan remarked.
The small Archon sat up in bed, rubbing her eyes and yawning, still half-asleep.
He knew Nahida to be one of the most disciplined beings among the gods — unlike the ever-drinking slacker Venti, the retired old man Zhongli, or even his wife, Ei, who often vanished for days.
Nahida, the youngest of the Archons, behaved more like a true ruler devoted to her people — tirelessly working for Sumeru's well-being every day.
"Maybe she's just overworked," Mona guessed.
Nahida nodded slightly, still yawning.
"The 'Akasha' network now covers a huge area, and more people are connecting every day. But as the user base grows, so do their arguments and disputes.
"There's been a lot of fighting and verbal abuse online lately. To keep the network atmosphere from getting so hostile, I've been staying up late building a better automatic keyword-filtering system.
"I just finished it last night, so I decided to sleep in a little today."
"I see," Nolan said, completely understanding. Back on Earth, he'd spent plenty of time on social platforms himself and knew that filters alone never solved such problems — clever users always found ways around them.
After a moment's thought, he offered a suggestion:
"Nahida, maybe you could assign a few 'Disciplinary Monitors' on the network — people responsible for keeping things civil online. It might help maintain order better."
(End of Chapter)
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