Chapter 44: Improv

Chapter 44: Improv

Without considering his response, Thomas replied, "Even," while Caenis, Astolfo, and Atalanta all replied, "Odd," at nearly the same time.

Adopting a slightly apologetic expression, Benienma removed her hand from the cup, muttering, "Forgive me, Master..." as she revealed the sum of the die to be odd.

As it didn't really make a difference, Thomas shrugged his shoulders, responding, "It's no big deal," before sitting back to observe the rest of the round. He was technically the only man participating in the game, so he benefitted more from losing than winning.

Shaking up the die a second time, Benienma questioned, "Odd or even?" prompting everyone to respond, "Odds," simultaneously. This repeated six more times, causing Thomas to suspect foul play until Atalanta made the first mistake, choosing odd when the total was even. In the subsequent match, Caenis didn't even wait for Benienma to ask, slamming the table in front of them as she shouted, "Odds...!" with a victorious grin.

Though she had been planning to let Caenis give her response first, Astolfo's expression morphed into a frown when she heard the bronze-skinned woman's choice. She was certain the result was even, so Caenis had either gotten lucky or intentionally thrown the match to ensure she would be among the candidates to be chosen for a command...

Demonstrating that Astolfo's intuition was correct, Benienma revealed the result to be even. Instead of appearing excited, however, Caenis adopted a grimace, muttering, "Bullshit..." before slumping back onto the sofa and crossing her arms. The latter hated losing, and the thought of being able to tell everyone else what to do excited her. In other words, she had just gotten 'lucky' to guess incorrectly.

Despite realizing that Caenis hadn't done anything wrong, Astolfo didn't want to reward her, stating, "Well, since I won, that makes me the Master. As for my command...how about we start things off tame? Atalanta, you must let MaI mean, you must allow Tom to use your lap as a pillow. He is always giving you headpats, so this is your chance to return the favor."

Without moving from her spot on the floor, Atalanta patted her thighs as she said, "I don't mind," in a curt tone. A thigh pillow was a lot tamer than what she was expecting, so she didn't even bat an eye as Thomas rose from the sofa and spread his body across the ground, culminating in his head coming to rest on her lap. Instead, she began combing her fingers through his hair, warning, "Don't get too comfortable. If you fall asleep, it will make things awkward for everyone."

Instead of responding to Atalanta's words with his own, Thomas just smiled before closing his eyes and enjoying the rare opportunity. Atalanta was one of the girls he had all but given up on as, without some kind of gift from Heaven or, far more likely, one from Hell(Zelretch), he couldn't imagine beating her in a footrace. She was his fastest Servant in terms of raw Agility, and she would only get faster as she Ascended...

Just as Thomas was beginning to feel like he might actually doze off, Astolfo said, "That should be enough for a first-round penalty command. As we progress into the later rounds, we can extend the time up to seven minutes."

Furrowing her brows, Atalanta looked like she wanted to say something but ultimately kept silent as Thomas rose to a seated position, remaining on the floor instead of returning to the sofa. He was feeling a little tipsy after several drinks, so he didn't feel like moving back and forward between the couch and floor if it turned out his next penalty also involved Atalanta.

Misinterpreting Thomas's thoughts, a faint smile adorned Atalanta's face as she moved to sit next to him. She didn't lean against him or anything, but her action was overt enough that even Thomas noticed it, prompting him to raise his brows slightly.

Realizing that her Master wasn't returning to the couch, Benienma began the second round. This time, Thomas managed to endure until the fourth set of rolls, but that was only because he waited for the others to respond before giving his answer. Caenis eventually called him out for it, however, so he was forced to play 'fairly' for fear of being labeled indecisive and a coward...

After a startling twenty-three rolls, Caenis emerged as the round's victor, jumping to her feet and pumping her fist as she shouted, "Fuck yeah! You little shits are in for it now...!"

Pointing to Atalanta, Caenis's expression revealed a hint of the 'tyrant' she was known to be in her previous life as she declared, "Your haughtiness pisses me off. Even with cat ears and a tail, you act like you're better than everyone else. For the next seven minutes, I want to see you acting like a cat in heat."

Shrugging her shoulders, Caenis responded with a lazy, "Suit yourself..." before shifting her attention to Benienma. However, when the latter was finished mixing up the dice, she remained silent, allowing Thomas to call out, "Odds." This could be seen as 'letting' Thomas win, but, as it was the only way he stood a chance at victory, Caenis regarded it as leveling the playing field.

Hearing her Master's reply, the tensions in Benienma's body waned, her head and shoulders slumping as she reluctantly revealed the sum to be even. She allowed herself to think, albeit for a brief moment, that Thomas might be able to secure a victory.

Contrasting Benienma's reaction, Caenis adopted a mischievous grin as she remarked, "Looks like your luck held out. As for your command..."

Since she could tell Atalanta 'wanted' to continue, Caenis dismissed that idea, shifting her attention to Astolfo as she mused, "Why don't you and Astolfo here have a dick measuring contest? You've both changed a lot in the past year. This is a good opportunity to compare your growth..."

Though Thomas furrowed his brows slightly, Astolfo's expression became wide-eyed and full of excitement. She was starting to believe that Caenis had forgotten their little 'deal,' so a mixture of relief and unbridled nerves washed over her as she bounced to her feet and exclaimed, "Let's do it...!"

Exhaling a faint sight through his nose, Thomas suppressed his inhibitions and pushed himself to his feet. It wasn't like this was the first time he was seeing someone else's dick, so, after a moment of hesitation, he removed his belt and dropped his trousers.

Since she was wearing a skirt, Astolfo only had to remove a pair of black lace panties, tossing them to the side before staring Thomas directly in the eye and asking, "Are you ready...?" with a nervous quiver in her voice. In response, Thomas looked to Benienma, prompting the petite sparrow to exhale a slightly exasperated sigh before turning around.

With Benienma facing away, Thomas removed his boxers, revealing his fully erect cock. It hadn't been that long since Atalanta's little 'play,' so he was rock hard despite his efforts to calm down using a discreet breathing technique.

Seeing how much Thomas had 'grown' over the past year, Astolfo's eyes widened as she swallowed audibly. He had to be around 24-25cm, so her voice squeaked slightly as she remarked, "It looks like you've got me beat by around twenty-five centimeters..."

Before Thomas's brain could process the meaning of her words, Astolfo raised the hem of her skirt to reveal a perfectly smooth, visibly glistening slit. She had followed through on her plan of having Asclepius change her gender and had spent nearly a year as a bonafide female.

Taking advantage of Thomas's stupor, Astolfo raised her arms over her head and let her clothes dematerialize, revealing a lithe, athletic frame not all that dissimilar to Atalanta's. Her breasts couldn't even pass the marker for a B-Cup, but they were clearly the mammaries of a female as she struck a pose, provided a playful wink, and squeaked, "S-Surprise~!"

...

..

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(A/N: And then they fuhad a very long and meaningful chat.)