Chapter 1983: Routine: Parallels: Divergence
After adequately suppressing the melancholy he had been feeling, Vahn teleported directly to the location of Fenrir and the rest. There, he found Misaka in her Pikachu form, a helpless expression on her face as Lotte, naked as the day she was born, happily scrubbed and washed her fur. At the same time, a short distance away, Fenrir and Yuri could be seen lounging in a large bath that could easily be described as a pool. It was more than three meters deep at some sections, not so people could swim around freely, but to accommodate guests that had larger than average physiques.
Noticing his presence almost immediately, Fenrir rose from the water to approach her Master"s side as Yuri, enjoying the warm water, simply raised her hand and said, "Yo. Took you long enough.". This alerted Lotte to his presence, but, having partic.i.p.ated in communal bathing for the better part of a month, she no longer had any real aversion to him. Rather, thanks to Yuri"s persistent teasing, Vahn knew she spent upwards of half the day thinking about ways in which he might push her down...
Though Lotte was among the "exceptions" he was intending to make, Vahn had decided to wait until they had gotten to know each other before progressing their relations.h.i.+p to the next level. Ureko"s words had resonated with him, and, though he had no intention of limiting himself, he had come to the conclusion that he should, at the very least, take his potential partner"s hopes and dreams into consideration before making a move. He didn"t want to place a burden on people he was supposed to love, so, understanding Lotte wasn"t sure about leaving the Tower, he didn"t want to pressure her.
Adopting his characteristic smile, Vahn allowed his clothes to melt away, answering, "I decided to make the Floor appear more hospitable..." before sitting down on a wooden bath stool produced from his Inventory. This allowed Fenrir to use her fur-covered paws to wash every nook and cranny of his body, generally while pressing her exposed b.r.e.a.s.t.s against his back. This was apparently her way of making up for all the times he washed her in the past, but, based on the heat radiating from her usually ice-cold body, Vahn knew she enjoyed it just as much as he did...
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Though they could have easily stayed in a lot longer, Vahn had everyone exit the bath after around two hours had pa.s.sed. This was just enough time for him to help each of the girls wash, dry, brush, and style each of their hairs. He would also lightly ma.s.sage them in order to remove any tension or muscle fatigue, but, thanks to his "persistent" efforts, it was actually pretty rare to find any sequelae related to stress anywhere in their body. Instead, the short sessions were effectively an opportunity for the girls to improve the circulation of energy within their body, an exceptional boon considering even Lotte had been learning how to cultivate ki...
Leaving Fenrir, Yuri, and Lotte to watch over their inordinately large and completely free suite, Vahn, accompanied by a reasonably mature-looking Mikoto, decided to head over to where the 2nd Army Corps had been gathering patients. There, more than seven thousand people had a.s.sembled, some missing limbs, others with illnesses that could only be cured with unreasonably expensive medicine. The one thing most of them had in common was that they were desperate, so much so that around thirty percent of the crowd consisted of people who had been matching Vahn"s pace as he moved between Floors.
Pa.s.sing over the crowd without any of them actually taking note of their presence, Vahn turned to Mikoto, asking, "Will you be okay on your own? You don"t have to do this if you don"t want to."
Rolling her eyes, Mikoto flew a little bit ahead of Vahn before turning around, flying backward as she said, "You worry too much. I seriously doubt anyone with an illness untreatable to Tier 5 Magic is going to appear. Besides, it"ll make things a lot easier if you leave all the female patients to me."
With Mikoto adopting an accusatory look near the end of her statement, a characteristically wry naturally made its way across Vahn"s face. Fortunately, he knew she was "mostly" just teasing him, as, back in the Actualized World of the Toaruverse, she had been the one to egg him into a number of relations.h.i.+ps. There was even a moment when he nearly ended up cooking an Oyakodon, but, out of consideration for the fact that Mikoto"s mother was somewhat happily married, he managed to restrain himself...
After failing to pet the evasive Mikoto"s head, Vahn touched down in the center of the make-s.h.i.+ft medical ward that had been set up by the 2nd Army Corps. There, several Rankers were standing by to prevent people from approaching, but, even though he was only a few meters away from them, none reacted until he and Mikoto "re-synced" with the world around them. The latter had managed to become a Magic G.o.d during her stay in the Toaruverse, so, while her power was severely limited in a world where she lacked authority, she was still a Tier 5. As a result, they could effectively isolate themselves from the Standard Axes of s.p.a.ce and Time, more or less becoming imperceptible to the beings bound to each.
Fortunately, most of the guards had been working with Vahn for the better of six weeks, so, rather than panicking, each of the Rankers promptly saluted as the most senior member stepped forward to report, "There are 5,947 patients, 1813 of which are returnees. What would you have us do?"
Patting Mikoto"s shoulder, Vahn adopted a friendly smile as he said, "This is the Misaka Mikoto, the Magic G.o.d of Lightning and Tribulations. She will be treating non-critical female patients from this day forward. Unless they are children, I don"t want you sending any male patients towards her. Do I make myself clear?"
Responding with a salute, the soldier exclaimed, "Sir, yes sir!" before pointing towards a few of the nearby Rankers and shouting, "Henderson! Schmitt! Prepare a second ward immediately! Make sure only female personnel and patients are allowed to enter!"
Answering with salutes and exclamations of their own, the duo immediately set out to complete their a.s.signed duty without a moment of hesitation. The Rankers of the 2nd Army Corps were the Elite among Elites, and, thanks to a concerted effort by Senna, there was virtually no corruption in their ranks. This allowed them to act as intermediaries between the other Corps, and, now that the Empire was treating Vahn as a "VVIP", they were in the unique position of coordinating with Vahn to ensure he didn"t go around causing chaos at every turn.
With Mikoto more than capable of fending for herself, Vahn allowed her to go and treat non-critical patients within the crowd as a long queue began forming outside his temporary ward. Then, for the better part of twenty-hours, he treated more than two-hundred patients. This might seem like a lot, but, if he really wanted to, Vahn could treat the entire crowd without a single second pa.s.sing. Doing so would require him to slow or even stop time, however, so, while he was committed to helping as many people as possible, he wasn"t going to bend the Laws of s.p.a.ce and Time in order to do so.
Fortunately, thanks to Mikoto, an additional 93 patients ended up being treated by the time Vahn had decided to take a break. She was quite a bit slower than him due to her inexperience and the genuine concern she showed for each patient, but, as it wasn"t a compet.i.tion, Vahn was extremely grateful for her a.s.sistance. Yes, she used Magic to broadly treat injuries and ailments she couldn"t actually identify, but, in the grand scheme of things, the only thing that really mattered was that the patients were happy and healthy...
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After apologizing to the crowd and telling the members of the 2nd Army Corps they were doing a good job, Vahn carried Mikoto on his back as they walked silently and undisturbed through the city streets. She might have functionally unlimited energy reserves, but, having never dealt with sick and desperate patients, her nervousness led to her exhausting her mental and spiritual reserves.
Though a part of her wanted to ask why Vahn didn"t simply teleport to their temporary residence, a contented smile had developed across Mikoto"s face as she nestled into the nook between his neck and shoulder, enjoying the peaceful piggyback ride. She frequently felt guilty about "borrowing" him for the better part of three years, but, at times like this, she was grateful to have been created. Vahn was far from perfect, sure, but, when it came to empathizing with and understanding others, he had a charm that simply couldn"t be matched...
Sensing the subtle increase in Mikoto"s body temperature, a slight smile spread across Vahn"s face as he turned a corner that led away from their temporary residence. At the same time, a secondary version of himself split off, appearing much like a phantom as it continued towards their previous destination. This was another method he could use to drastically increase the number of people he treated, but, as a matter of principle, he generally only used such techniques to spend time with the people he cared about.
Having noticed Vahn"s actions, a healthy shade of red began to spread through Mikoto"s cheeks as she hugged him a little tighter, asking, "Where are we going?" in a subdued tone. In response, Vahn took a series of steps that caused their surroundings to change drastically, casually s.h.i.+fting through both s.p.a.ce and time. He had learned that, so long as he created another version of himself to serve as an anchor of sorts, he could exist in two points in s.p.a.ce and Time simultaneously. This had been a pretty major discovery during his time in the Toaruverse, but, due to the rather ridiculous strain it placed on his mind, body, and spirit, he very rarely made use of it.
In the end, Vahn ended up a few days ahead of his secondary self, but, due to the peculiar nature of his existence, he had essentially stepped into a version of the Tower where he was more of a rumor than an actuality. It was a peculiar world where his Templates and the residents of the Little Garden still existed, but, despite acting in accordance with his will, he only existed in their memory.
Fortunately, even if he transitioned through Time and s.p.a.ce, Vahn"s contract with Gluttony was still active. The latter was a Tier 5 being fully capable of existing outside the Standard Axes of s.p.a.ce and Time, so, while it had caused him a fair amount of confusion the first time Vahn had performed the maneuver, he didn"t bother to complain. Rather, after observing Vahn"s increasingly absurd abilities, the voracious rabbit had become fully convinced of his status as a G.o.d who just so happened to be "pa.s.sing through"...
While simultaneously piloting his past self to greet the trio of Fenrir, Yuri, and Lotte, Vahn began rapidly phasing between Floors as he answered, "There is a beautiful and serene place I think you would enjoy in the Lower Floors. It might be a little cliche, but I"m hoping to take each of you there before departing the Tower. Is that okay with you...?"
Rolling her eyes, Mikoto resisted the urge to point out that they were already moving even before he had asked for her consent. Instead, she just nestled a little closer to him, forcing her b.r.e.a.s.t.s to press into his back as she purred, "I"m looking forward to it..." in the closest thing she could manage to a seductive voice. Unfortunately, she had learned from observing her mother"s teasings, so, while it certainly sounded seductive, it also inspired memories of the buxom brunette that had very nearly become one of Vahn"s "victims"...
(A/N: Alternate t.i.tles: "Fenrir is always doing her best (O w O)...","Mikoto over here using reality-bending magic to treat colds and broken bones...","Vahn, G.o.d of Madlads...")