Chapter 132: Standing Upon the Precipice of Change

Though he had effectively exhausted himself during the second, markedly more tender session of lovemaking, Nobu gave Nohime a few minutes to recover before rolling onto his back, exhaling a sigh, and asking, "How was it? You okay...?"

With a somewhat dull yet impassioned look on her face, Nohime rolled towards Nobu, her hand coming to rest on his chest as she replied, "It was...better than expected..." before following it up with a soft, "I'll be fine after a bit of rest..."

Meeting the raven-haired woman's gaze, Nobu nodded his head in affirmation before surprising her as he said, "For this next part, you should pay close attention. I do what I can to make sure my women get off but you'll need to learn how to give as good as you get. I can't do everything on my own..."

Hearing Nobu's words, Nohime was momentarily confused. It was only when she noticed Yui out of the corner of her eye that she both remembered the woman's presence and understood what Nobu was trying to say.

"Pardon me..."

After positioning herself so that she was straddling Nobu's left leg, Yui made her sure hair wasn't in the way before bending down to take his half-erect penis into her mouth. She didn't even bother to clean it, so, along with a growing sense of hostility, Nohime couldn't help feeling disgusted as she witnessed Yui taking Nobu's penis to the base without hesitation.

Ignoring Nohime's gaze, Yui skillfully kneaded Nobu's glans with the back of her tongue before slowly pulling her head back as his penis swelled within her mouth. When he was fully erect, she lowered her head a second time, this time allowing his penis to enter her throat as she closed her mouth around his shaft to create a tremendous amount of suction using her mouth and tongue...

Clenching his teeth, Nobu's lower back and hips trembled as a jolt of pleasure ran up his back. He hadn't expected Yui to go all out from the very beginning. The tip of his dick was also sensitive after two rounds of sex so his lower voice quivered as he muttered, "Holy shit..."

Seeing the look of ecstasy on Nobu's face, Nohime's hostility quickly turned to resentment as she shifted her gaze to Yui. The tenderness Nobu had shown during their second round of lovemaking had given her the impression that Nobu had been captivated by her body. Now, she realized he was just being considerate. Compared to Yui, her skills weren't simply lacking, they were nonexistent...

Just as a pouty expression marred Nohime's face, a startled yelp emanated from her throat when Nobu spontaneously gave her nipple a pinch. She had been laying next to him with his arm partly pinned beneath her body. As a result, Nobu was able to pull her even closer to him, his hand and arm embracing her before grasping her right breast.

With his other hand tapping Yui's head like a fighter on the ropes, Nobu was given clemency long enough to say, "I'm not going to tell you to stop being jealous but you need to cut it out with the whole envy thing. This isn't a competition. If it was, what makes you think you could compete with someone who has spent half their life training? Instead of resenting someone else for an ability you never even tried to master, focus on learning..."

Though he felt like an irredeemable asshole for saying such a thing in the present situation, Nobu knew the only way to get Nohime to change was to call her out whenever she exhibited her hatred and resentment for others. She might come to resent him in the long run, but, if he just ignored her behavior outright, it wouldn't be long before she was either trying to boss Yui around or bar people like Onihime from sharing his bed...

Demonstrating her bias to the fullest, Nohime briefly directed a look of resentment towards Yui rather than Nobu. It faded away almost instantly, but, for that very brief moment, even Nobu could feel the woman's bloodlust. It was the kind of feeling he got when handling a venomous snake back in his previous world, so, while the odds of Nohime actually poisoning someone were slim, he made a mental note to check the statuses of his entourage at least four times a day...

"I understand...if that is Danna-sama's request, I will abide..."

Hearing the frigid chill in Nohime's tone, an exasperated sigh escaped Nobu's throat. He was half-tempted to tell her off, but, understanding it was impossible to change people over the course of a few hours, he decided to just drop it. Instead, he gently caressed the top of Yui's head, his fingers combing through her silky-black strands of hair as a sign to continue where she left off...

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Without something like Dragon's Vigor to magically enhance his libido, Nobu could only shoot an average of 2-3 times before he was completely spent. With Yui at the helm, however, he managed to pump out a fourth shot before firing a blank when she was demonstrating how to ride him side-saddle. After that, he shared his chest with the two raven-haired women, forcing them to face one another at the cost of feeling in both arms...

Fortunately, while it was pretty obvious Yui wasn't fond of Nohime, the enmity between them was completely one-sided. It would take Nohime trying to kill Nobu for Yui to truly resent her. Thus, for the most part, she wasn't all that bothered by Nohime's behavior. If anything, she empathized with what the woman was going through as it was perfectly natural for someone in her position to be at least a little upset.

In nearly every other situation, Yui and Inami would have been sentenced to death the moment it was discovered they were pregnant with Nobu's children. On the off chance they were spared, they would have been forced to shave their head and become monks. As for their children? They would be adopted into one of the branch families or sent away to serve one of the vassal houses without ever learning of their identity.

Though she would have disagreed with this sentiment half a year ago, Yui was well aware of how fortunate she was to be chosen as the leader of Nobu's entourage. His absence had made her life a living hell, but, now that they were together, everything Nobu did ended up improving her situation and strengthening his position as a central figure in both the Yoshitsune and Oda Clans.

If she were being completely honest, Yui was unable to wrap her head around Nobu's ability to win the hearts and minds of others despite his brash and confrontational nature. His Heavenly Treasure was unbelievably powerful but that didn't really explain why people trusted him.

The conclusion Yui had come to, time and again, was that her Grandmother and Lord Senken were conspiring together in preparation for war. It was the only conclusion that fully explained why they were so willing to support Nobu in spite of his explicit contempt for the cultures and traditions they were supposed to protect...

Having reached this conclusion shortly after Nobu's first confrontation with the Elder Council, Yui wasn't even remotely surprised when he revealed, "I've decided to respect my father's wishes and become the next Daimyo." during breakfast. Instead, an expectant smile developed across her face as she looked forward to being able to prove herself on a real battlefield.

Unfortunately, what Nobu said next made Yui's expression sour as he immediately segued into the subject of Nohime's cultivation. This was immediately noticed by Nohime, who, for a brief moment, adopted a victorious grin until Nobu went on to explain, "By the time we're preparing to head down to Owari-Asai, I expect both of you to be around Mithril 1-2. My family has prepared enough Mithril for two people to break through, but, as my cultivation technique doesn't require it, I've decided to invest it in the people I trust...don't let me down..."

Though she was a little annoyed to learn that Yui would also be breaking through to the Realm of Mithril Lord, Nohime comforted herself with the assurance that her Mithril was the portion that had initially belonged to Nobu. As for Yui, she just adopted a faint smile, as, even if she and Nohime had the exact same cultivation base, the difference in their skills ensured she would always come out on top...

"As far as the populace is concerned, I died more than a decade ago. We'll need to earn their trust if I'm going to secure my position as Daimyo without too many complaints. To that end, I'll be relying on the two of you to perform to the best of your ability once we arrive. That isn't an exaggeration. I won't know for sure how things will turn out until we actually get there but I'm planning to have the two of you participate in the negotiations with Granus. You'll need to get used to things like that if you're going to be my Strategist and General in the future..."

Hearing Nobu's words, looks of disbelief flashed across the faces of Nohime and Yui. Not even the latter had anticipated that he might promote her to the position of General in the future. With the exception of Uesugi Kenshin, women weren't allowed to hold such important positions. There was a longstanding belief that women were too emotional and narrow-minded for positions of power and authority, so, even if their strength far surpassed their male contemporaries, the most distinguished title they could hold was Personal Attendant or Concubine to a Provincial Lord/Daimyo...

Amused by the duo's remarkably similar reaction, a smile developed across Nobu's face as he said, "Would you look at that...the two of you are already on the same wavelength. Give it another eight months and you may even be as close as sisters..."

Furrowing her brows, Nohime resisted the urge to declare she would never regard a Kunoichi as her sister. Instead, she decided to focus on the more important matter, stating, "While I can appreciate the gesture, installing women to positions of power isn't the best way to win the people's trust. The cultures and traditions of Nian have persisted for thousands of years. Attempting to change the way people think takes time..."

Shaking his head, Nobu surprised Nohime a second time by stating, "I don't really care. You see, the problem with your way of thinking is that you only take into consideration the status quo. The trust I'm talking about has nothing to do with that. In fact, I'm planning to flip the status quo on its head. I mean, seriously, the way things are right now is so fucking back-asswards that I feel like smashing my head against the wall every time I learn something new about our society..."

Reinforcing his statement, Nobu reached up to massage his temples, an exasperated look on his face as he exhaled a tired sigh. Then, with a serious expression on his face, he said, "The trust I'm talking about is something more fundamental. All people, regardless of age, gender, or ethnicity desire the freedom to make their own decisions. That's the only reason people even care about things like power and wealth, as, without them, they're pretty much forced to listen to someone else. As females in a feudal society, I doubt I need to tell you how much that fucking sucks..."

Though neither of them vocalized a response, Nohime and Yui would be lying if they said they didn't empathize with the things he was saying. Their lives had been decided for them before they were even born, and, while this wasn't anything particularly abnormal within Nianese society, there was no denying they wouldn't have preferred making their own decisions. Thus, while they couldn't shake the feeling Nobu was saying something sacrilegious, they also felt a giddiness that seemed to radiate from deep within their subconscious minds...

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(A/N: Nobu is playing with fire...)