The Red Hand

Chapter 226 – Is It A Princess Thing?

*MUNCH* *CRUNCH*

Akagi sat on Naomi's lap in the living room as they watched some Anime together. The Catkagi was being fed popcorn that she'd share from time to time, and they were enjoying a bit of hangout time while the rest of the girls were in Tokyo for a manga convention.

"I never actually sat down and watched this one before." Naomi commented as she put some popcorn up to Akagi's mouth, which was swiftly devoured by the hungry kitty.

"It's a classic." Akagi commented as she chewed. "Think it came out in 2015, and it was a sleeper hit back then. It ended up going dormant for a few years, until it adapted the rest of the material later, and its always been one of my favorites!" She smiled.

"Well I can definitely see why you like this one." Naomi laughed. They were currently watching a skeleton man dominate a group of knights with his overwhelming magic. They were in total shock as he obliterated what was apparently the highest tiered Angel summon they could bring to bear against him with a single spell, which Naomi thought reminded her of a certain kitty's antics. "I wonder if you copied a bit from him? I can definitely see a bit of his swagger in how you act." She poked Akagi in the cheek.

"If anything, his Demon buddy is who I copied." Akagi snickered. “That crazy bastard is probably my favorite character in the entire show.”

"Is he worse than the Skeleton guy?" Naomi asked. They were only a few episodes in, so she didn't know the truth yet.

"He is where I got the term Happy Farm from." Akagi smiled as she was pet. "That bastard is what every evil villain should aspire to be, and his level of sadism is off the charts!"

"Well, I look forward to seeing your idol in action." Naomi chuckled. “I just hope its not too extreme.”

{Note to self, maybe don't clarify what the term Bipedal Sheep means...} (Akagi)

"Just think, if you'd gone with the girls, you'd be in a hot sweaty room filled with crazy people. But instead, your here with me watching such wholesome things as a litch exploding a man's heart with his bare hands." Akagi wrapped her tail around Naomi's arm. "Not to mention, you get to fluff me to your heart's content!" She thought it was the superior choice.

"I think that last part is a you benefit primarily." Naomi rolled her eyes as she continued to fluff Akagi's ears. "But yes. I can't handle that crazy place. The last time Mika took me to that massive convention center, I nearly fainted. Sensory overload sucks..." Mika was both a consumer of Doujin and a writer herself. At present, she was attending a large convention in Tokyo that meets every summer. Last year she dragged Kana and Naomi with her, and that almost resulted in Naomi going to the hospital. She had no idea just how chaotic it would be, and she'd never experienced such sights and sounds before, and that plus the heat made her sick. This time, instead of going with them, Yumi, Hishya, Yuzu, and Suzu accompanied her and Kana, something they were more than happy to do.

"How much do you wanna bet that Hishya and Kana come back with bags of smutty books?" Akagi laughed as she knew her sister's and Hishya's tastes.

{I found your books, Kana! You can't hide those things from me!} (Akagi)

"There is no need to bet on this one. Knowing those two, it will be two bags EACH." Naomi sighed. She already knew just how bad the two girls were, even if they tried to hide it. "That Kana... Honestly, I can't say who's worse, her or Hishya, and hell Mika might actually have gotten even worse with her tastes."

{I remember that one book she sent me, and that thing was incredibly... Mika really got into that kind of stuff after she got two girlfriends...} (Naomi)

"The girl has owned her tiny harem, so it's to be expected." Akagi laughed.

{And its only a matter of time before the harem moves beyond just touching and cuddling.} (Akagi)

"Yeah, the loli has a harem..." Naomi shook her head. "I still can't believe you let her have that kind of power."

"I just wanted to make her happy is all, and besides, I know she won't do anything bad with it." Akagi said as Naomi scratched her chin. "She's already doing lots of good with it, and she just got it last week."

"I will say, its kind of funny that you're so powerful that you can just gift away superpowers to teenagers." Naomi let out a small laugh. It reminded her of a few stories that she'd read. Though said all powerful being tended to actually be some kind of villain in the end.

"I am a benevolent god. I simply require pets and affection. Give me that, and all your dreams may come true!" Akagi smiled proudly.

"And snacks." Naomi added. "Don't forget those." She said as she fed Akagi more popcorn.

"Ah yes, how could I forget." Akagi nodded. “Snacks are very important.”

The two sat and watched through the entire first season of the Anime, and towards the end, Naomi understood what Akagi was talking about, and commented that she better not start emulating the show for kicks.

"Too late." Akagi smiled at her innocently. “I'm already the villain of this story.”

"Bad kitty." Naomi bopped her on the head, lightly. "No being evil!"

"But it's fuuuuunnnnnn." Akagi cried in protest. "Come onnnn. I'll give you your own personal army of slaves. They'll treat you like a Queen and do whatever you want. I can even include hot guys for you!" She smiled, and a second bop on the head was provided.

"I don't need any of that!" Naomi sighed.

"Ok, hot girls then." Akagi rubbed her head. "I guess the lilies have converted you to our wicked ways."

"I don't need that either!" Naomi gave her a noogie. "Why must you lot try and convert me to the dark side?"

"Because this side of the fence is superior!" Ayame poked her head into the living room and commented.

"Oh, look they're back." Akagi hopped off Naomi's lap and moved onto the couch next to her. "Did you have fun on your little excursion?"

"Hell yeah!" Eris yelled as she walked into the room. "And the new girl is fucking crazy! She took down Bonko quickly, and made short work of the next floor's boss!" They'd been coming to the dungeon for regular training, and were getting stronger day by day.

{Though I really didn't appreciate the puzzle that dumped glitter on you when you guess the wrong answer...} (Eris)

"I still question why the next thing we fought after the clown bear was a magic-casting goat man who got extremely buff once he ran out of magic." Halifax commented as she entered behind Eris. "You made one hell of a dungeon, Akagi. It would definitely be an S class one on Enoris, and it might as well be a death trap to most people." She gave a small smile.

{But seriously. Why did the goatman start talking about doing things 'back in his day' as he clubbed us with his staff?} (Halifax)

"Oh? So it wasn't to your liking?" Akagi smirked.

"I might have had a bit of fun." Halifax winked. "It's definitely been a while since one of those places actually made me take a fight seriously."

{Not to mention, these 'returnees' are easily Mythril-rank adventurers or higher. It's crazy how strong Eris and Ayame are, and I suspect actually killing either of them would be next to impossible for most people back home. If they're this powerful, then just how outlandishly strong is that Hishya girl if they said they couldn't win against her?} (Halifax)

"I guess I'll need to up the danger level a bit." Akagi gave a toothy smile. "Gotta keep you on your toes."

"Please do!" Ayame said excitedly. "I haven't gotten this kinda workout in so long, and it's nice seeing my body get so toned." She flexed slightly.

"She says that." Eris walked up next to her wife and pinched a part of her exposed thigh. "But you've still got some of that squish to you." She laughed.

"Are you saying you don't like it?" Ayame swiped at her hand.

"I never said that now, did I?" Eris smiled as she blatantly flirted.

"Do I need to set aside a room for the two of you to relieve yourselves?" Akagi laughed.

"Tempting, but not today." Eris chuckled. "By the way, where's Ema? We didn't see her in the garden."

"I think she's making cookies." Naomi answered. "She was watching some Anime with us earlier, and then part way through, she told us that she wanted to make a treat for when you returned."

"Cookies!" Ayame exclaimed. "I could go for some chocolate chip after that workout."

"You'll have to wait a bit longer!" Ema called out from the kitchen. "They're almost done, so just give them a bit more time!"

"Aint our daughter nice?" Eris smiled.

"Yeah." Ayame agreed.

"Now, you just need to convert Naomi and Halifax to the dark side." Akagi snickered.

"Not me. I already play for that team." Halifax laughed as she moved to take a seat across from Akagi. "I've enjoyed myself to the fullest over the last three centuries, so I know well just how nice female company is." She'd tried out both sexes, but ended up having a preference for women, since their bodies were just far nicer to touch.

"A woman of culture!" Akagi laughed.

"So just Naomi it is." Eris looked at the dark-haired girl. “Looks like we've got to show you the light!”

"I'm good, thanks." Naomi sighed.

"Did you have someone back home?" Ayame asked Halifax. They were aware that she was from Enoris, though hadn't been fully clued into what was going on.

"No, the last person I was in a 'relationship' with has been dead for around a century." Halifax said as she sat down. "That stupid Princess just wouldn't leave me alone until I relented. We weren't married or anything, but we were essentially lovers."

{Hell, she was actually married and even had kids. I was basically having an affair with a married woman, though her husband never really seemed to mind it. I guess since I wasn't another man, he didn't really see the problem. Though I suspect he might have, if he was aware that Sherry would've preferred to marry me instead of him...} (Halifax)

"Damn, you scored a Princess!" Eris laughed as she and Ayame took a seat across from her.

"I wonder if she was all prim and proper?" Ayame chuckled.

"On the outside, yes." Halifax nodded. "But on the inside..." She sighed. "Sherry was anything but a Princess."

{That girl was thirsty... Not that I minded. I suppose she picked up some of her other habits and quirks from her time as an adventurer, and I know plenty of Imperial Nobles had their gripes with the 'Gruff Princess.'} (Halifax)

"That sounds suspiciously like someone I know." Akagi thought out loud.

"I wonder if it's a Princess thing?" Naomi asked with a laugh.

"Did you have any children?" Eris asked. "If you've been around that long, it would be surprising if you didn't." She figured a child or two was likely after living that long.

"Um..." Halifax thought about how to answer since they didn't know she was actually a sword. "I actually cannot have children. Let's just say it has something to do with my body."

{I might have a magical body to walk around with, but that doesn't mean that feature works. It would be kinda strange to make a half sword half human. Though I suspect that Sherry would've had my children in a heartbeat if it was possible...} (Halifax)

"Ah, I'm sorry." Eris apologized for her question.

"Don't be." Halifax shrugged. "It's not like I care anyway." She never really had any interest in having children of her own anyway, so the inability to do so never bothered her much.

"We never thought we'd have one either, but then we got Ema!" Ayame smiled. "Though that girl is a big pain, so I'm not sure if it was worth it- OWCHI!" She cried out in pain as Ema whacked her on the head with a spatula.

"Cookies are done!" Ema smiled.

"COOKIES!" Akagi cheered.

"And I made one special for you, my little kitty!" Ema smiled as she unwrapped a cookie that was wrapped in a bit of paper towel. It was a sugar cookie with a kitty pattern drawn on it, and it looked adorable. "Here you go. Eat up!"

"That's cute." Naomi laughed as Akagi quickly acquired and devoured said cookie.

{COOKIE!} (Akagi)

"Can I borrow her?" Akagi asked as she polished off the cookie. "I need a dedicated baker, and she's much better than most of my staff."

"Nope." Eris squeezed her daughter tightly. "No one may take her! She's our cook!"

"Yeah!" Ayame nodded. "And without her, who's gonna clean the house and do our laundry?!?"

{Shouldn't that be you two?} (Naomi x Halifax x Akagi)

"Why must my parents be such irresponsible adults..." Ema sighed.

"And yet you love us!" (Eris x Ayame)