Chapter 81: Deceit and Self-Deception

Though it felt weird calming someone else down right now, Nobu did his best to prevent Onihime from freaking out. In the middle of this, Yui made an appearance near the entrance of the bath.

"Nobu..."

Exhaling a sigh, Nobu released his hold on Onihime, saying, "Go and get changed. We'll talk more in my room."

Nodding her head, Onihime quickly scampered from the room with a sad expression on her face. She had felt her Master's body tense up the moment Yui arrived, and, despite his apparent calm, she could tell he was anything but. She just didn't know what to say. All she knew was she didn't want to make things even worse.

Emerging from the bath shortly after Onihime's departure, Nobu made his way over to Yui before surprising her with a hug. This caused a painful aching in her heart, and, for a brief moment, she couldn't bring herself to return his embrace. It was only when Nobu's grasp began to ease that she wrapped her arms around him, a choking sensation in her throat as she said, "You were in the bath for too long...your skin is as red as a lobster..."

While laughing dryly in response to Yui's remark, Nobu hugged her with as much strength as he could manage. This resulted in the raven-haired beauty being lifted from the ground, but, instead of offering any resistance, Yui just nestled her face into the nook between his neck and shoulder...

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Though he wanted to tell them the truth, Yui specifically, Nobu waited until everyone had gathered in his room before explaining the cover story he and Inami had come up with.

Inami was, unsurprisingly, one of the big shots in the Yoshitsune Clan. As a result, she was one of the few people that could trespass the underground waterway without consequence. Thus, as part of their cover story, Nobu mentioned how he had encountered her when he used the passageway in his room to venture into the subterranean tunnels for some peace, quiet, and reflection.

Simply put, Nobu used the excuse that he was pissed off, something everyone in the estate knew, to be alone. During that time, he encountered Inami, who, seeing how frustrated he was, decided to lend him an ear. One thing led to another, and, after a considerable amount of preparation, the two of them ended up doing it like rabbits until the sun had set beyond the horizon.

When they learned Nobu had not only encountered but had sex with their Clan's Guardian, the girls were at a complete loss for words. Inami was famous for being as capricious as she was reclusive so it was difficult to imagine her willfully approaching someone, much less providing them council. If it was anyone other than Nobu telling them such a thing, they wouldn't have believed it.

Surprisingly, the part where Nobu mentioned he and Inami had sex was the easiest aspect for the girls to accept. Not because he was particularly handsome or charismatic, but because they were in the middle of Spring. Inami may have better control over her urges but she was still a kitsune. Until the end of Spring, they were effectively pitfalls for any man unfortunate enough to encounter them.

The thing the girls found most suspicious was the fact that Inami was anywhere near the estate. She knew the characteristics of her race better than anyone in the entire Clan. Fortunately, Nobu had an answer for this, explaining, "When I asked why she was here, she told me she and the Matriarch had a disagreement so she wanted to test the security measures we had in place. If she wasn't lying, she has been investigating the estate without anyone noticing for the last five days."

"..."

Hearing Nobu's explanation, an awkward silence descended upon the room. With what they knew of Inami, it wasn't difficult to imagine her butting heads with the Matriarch. There had even been a few instances in the past where Inami deposed Matriarchs who refused to step down or attempted to implement changes she believed were detrimental to the Clan. With that in mind, it wasn't much of a stretch to imagine her wanting to test their security measures out of spite...

Affirming the fears that had manifested in nearly everyone's minds, Nobu went on to say, "After we finished fucking, she asked me if I wanted her help. I wasn't really thinking at the time so I ended up agreeing. In hindsight, I realize it was pretty stupid to agree without discussing the matter with each of you. I just didn't know what to say after learning who she was..."

"You didn't ask when you met in the tunnels...?"

Shifting his attention to Yui, Nobu noticed the serious and analytical look in her eyes. She was one of the few that didn't believe a thing he had said. Rather, after their argument in the afternoon, she refused to believe it. After all, if he was telling the truth, this entire incident could be blamed on her.

Shaking his head, Nobu exhaled an exasperated sigh as he closed his eyes and answered, "I wasn't thinking clearly at the time. All I knew for certain was that she was a hell of a lot stronger than me. If she was an enemy, I would have been killed in an instant. After we got to talking...well...I don't really know what came over me. I guess she reminded me of Kaia? I don't fucking know..."

Hearing Nobu's words, Yui couldn't help feeling pain in her chest. After spending so much time with him, she was confident in her ability to ascertain whether or not he was lying. Despite this, she knew there had to be at least a grain of truth to what he was saying. He was clearly still hurting after their previous argument.

"Everyone. Leave us. We will discuss this matter in detail later. Right now, there is something Nobu and I need to talk about..."

"Yui...!"

Clearly upset by Yui's words, Yuriko glared at her with a frustrated glower on her face. Before she could say anything further, however, Nobu raised his hand, saying, "Stop. Yui is right. Besides, it's already late and I'm super fucking tired. We'll pick this up tomorrow. Sorry for worrying everyone."

With her expression morphing into a look of fretful concern, it was pretty obvious that Yuriko had something she wanted to say. In response to this, Nobu adopted an awkwardly apologetic smile as he said, "Come here..." while gesturing to that effect.

Though she was a little confused by Nobu's words and actions, Yuriko still drew nearer to him. This allowed him to wrap his arms around her lithe and muscular body, his tone gentle and soothing as he repeated the same words he had said to Onihime, "It's going to be okay..."

In spite of Nobu's words, Yuriko got the distinct impression everything was not going to be okay. It was clear to all of them that he was behaving strangely. At the very least, he was never this intimate. Not without a reason.

Unfortunately, Yuriko wasn't given the chance to voice her concerns. Nobu's actions had effectively silenced her. As a result, she fell into a momentary daze that allowed Kiku and Kumiko to guide her away from the room. In the end, the only people left inside were Nobu, Yui, and, despite a deadpan stare from the latter, Onihime. Only Nobu could tell her what to do, so, unless he sent her away, she had no intention of going anywhere.

"It's fine..."

Believing he understood the thoughts of both girls, Nobu gave Onihime permission to stay before urging Yui to continue with his eyes. He knew the half-oni wasn't going to blab on him. Rather, due to the Slave Crest on her body, even Inami wouldn't be able to force information from her.

Exhaling a sigh, Yui ended up shaking her head before staring directly into Nobu's eyes and saying, "I won't ask what really happened. From my perspective, truth and lies don't matter. If they are your words, I will abide them all the same. It is my duty to support you..."

Furrowing his brows, Nobu was about to say he didn't need people to go so far for him. Before the words could reach his lips, however, Yui left him in a state of stupefaction as she added, "After all...I am your fiancee..."

Though she was seized by the distinct impression her response was far too late, Yui wouldn't have been able to rest peacefully if she didn't get this off her chest. Her Grandmother had basically told her that she should follow her heart and that it was a blessing, not a curse, that her desires just so happened to coincide with Nobu's. Suppressing her emotions and hiding from the truth would only make both of them unhappy, so, for the sake of Nobu's future aspirations, Yui was willing to allow herself to love him.

"..."

Unable to find the words to express himself, Nobu surprised both Yui and Onihime by slumping backward and sprawling out on the ground. He felt happy, sad, angry, melancholic, and a whole host of other emotions all at the same time. Part of him even wanted to tell Yui to fuck off, but, at the same time, another part of him just wanted to hold her and tell her everything was going to be okay...

In the end, Nobu just placed his forearm over his eyes and remained silent. This left Yui feeling a remarkably painful sensation in her chest. It was like someone had gripped her heart, and, though she did her best to maintain a calm expression on her face, she couldn't help sniffling as a layer of moisture rapidly spread across the surface of her obsidian-blue eyes.

Hearing the unexpected sound, a part of Nobu wanted to shout, "Why the fuck are you the one crying!?". Instead, he just remained silent for several seconds before lazily asking, "How long are you going to keep me waiting...?"

Blinking in surprise, Yui wiped away the tears building at the corners of her eyes as she intoned a confused, "Huh...?"

Without opening his eyes, Nobu exhaled a fatigued sigh as he said, "I wasn't lying when I said I was tired. If you're my fiancee, shouldn't you be sleeping next to me...?"

For a brief moment, Yui couldn't quite believe what she was hearing. It was only when Nobu rolled onto his side and muttered, "Whatever..." that she came back to her senses and exclaimed, "O-One moment! I just need to remove my armor...!"

Though he heard Yui's words, Nobu didn't respond to them. He really was tired right now, and, due to his conflicting emotions, he didn't feel like saying or doing anything. He just wanted to sleep and forget that today ever happened...

"Master...?"

Hearing Onihime's concerned voice from behind, Nobu remained silent for several seconds before asking, "What is it...?"

Handing her head, Onihime's expression turned even more melancholic as she asked, "What do you want me to do...?"

"..."

Resisting the urge to tell her to fuck off, Nobu briefly recalled how worried Onihime had been when she charged into the bath. He didn't understand why, but, ever since she had become his slave, she had always regarded him very highly. It apparently had something to do with the fact he didn't care she was a half-oni, but, as someone with Earth's sensibilities, he didn't think it was anything to write home about...

"Just do whatever you want..."

Though she knew he was basically dismissing her, Onihime's eyes widened slightly when she heard Nobu's words. Yui was still removing her armor and neatly arranging it at the side, so, with a look of conviction on her face, Onihime moved around to the front of Nobu and said, "Pardon me..." before lying down with her back against his chest.

"..."

Had she tried this at any other point in time, Nobu might have asked if Onihime was touched in the head. After having sex with Inami, however, it was difficult for him to really care about anything. She was also remarkably warm, so, after an oppressive silence, Nobu just muttered, "Whatever..." before closing his eyes and immediately passing out...

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(A/N: This novel needs a drama tag...*heavy sweating*...)