Then, Ayn asked Aya curiously: (What about your family? Are your mom and dad still alive? Do you have any siblings?)
Those words sent waves of sweetness surging through Aya's heart. She understood his intention, this wasn't just casual chit-chat; he was seriously considering "which of Aya's relatives deserved a [Follower Slot]", it was clearly a sign of his love for her. Otherwise, why would he bother allocating these precious resources to her family?
Aya gave a slight smile and replied: (I don't have any siblings. My parents passed away when I was very young, but I do have a grandfather...)
Hearing that, Ayn jumped in right away: (He must be really good to you, right?)
Aya said with a beaming smile: (Of course! This motorcycle and that sword—they're birthday gifts from Grandpa!)
Ayn burst out laughing at that: (Then your grandpa must be loaded! TV dramas are always full of stories about pretty boys latching onto rich heiresses—never thought I'd get my turn! Hahaha... Fuck, this is awesome!)
His words made Aya so delighted that her lower body involuntarily secreted even more lewd fluid, the warm, sticky slickness seeping along the folds and soaking Ayn's hand, which was still caressing her pussy. Feeling the warm flow gushing from inside her, Ayn couldn't help teasing her: (You're such a slut.)
Aya's heart bloomed with joy, and she shot back: (Isn't this all because your big cock fucked me?)
Aya's words made Ayn's heart jolt sharply, a powerful throb surging up as his cock hardened a bit more. His mind flashed unbidden with images of her giving him a blowjob, wanting to thrust roughly into that hot, wet mouth of hers, feeling the tight squeeze of her throat and the wet slurping suction. But the impulse came fast and faded just as quickly—Ayn soon calmed himself down, forcing his thoughts away from those filthy ideas because he still had so many questions to ask her.
Of course, Aya could feel Ayn's cock getting harder; that thing had been pressing against her ass the whole time, and even through their clothes, the change in its rigidity was crystal clear, like a hot iron rod pulsing gently. So, after sensing it swell even more, she said with a laugh: (Just hold on for now—later I'll suck you off, make you feel real good.)
Ayn's heart lit up with delight, but he held back and said: (No rush on that... Actually, there's something I want to ask you...)
Aya responded with a hum: (Go ahead.)
Ayn asked directly: (Besides your grandpa, who else is there? Be honest—I don't buy that he's your only relative.)
Aya let out a helpless sigh: (There really isn't anyone else. My mom was never healthy after giving birth to me—she passed not long after. My dad loved her so much that when she went, he fell into depression... and not long after that... he took his own life... My mom's side has a few relatives, but we barely had any contact; I don't even remember their names... And Grandpa only had my dad as his son...)
Ayn could tell Aya wasn't lying, so he pressed on with his second question: (What does your grandpa do? Why is your family so well-off? Just plain rich folks? Or some kind of social elite?)
Aya replied: (He runs a dojo, teaching swordsmanship—but his clients aren't ordinary people; they're some special types. Like the head of a certain conglomerate, military officers, certain politicians... even... the Emperor himself.)
Hearing that, Ayn's inner reaction was exactly like this: Σ(っ°Д°;)っ
Perhaps sensing his shock, Aya quickly added: (Of course, that's all in the past—he's retired these last few years. But before retiring, Grandpa saved up quite a bit, around twenty billion yen or so... I don't know the exact amount...)
Aya's words did indeed make Ayn breathe a sigh of relief. Why the relief? Because he didn't really want Aya to be in the public eye—if she came from a wealthy family or was part of high society, that would definitely draw endless attention. But a retired old man? That probably wouldn't catch the journalists' notice, right?
That said, was Aya's grandpa really just teaching swordsmanship and nothing more? Ayn didn't think so; he asked: (Your grandpa's probably not just a simple sword instructor, is he?)
Aya hummed an "Mm," then replied: (Teaching swordsmanship is secondary at best. Mostly, people want to get to know others through him—like if some company boss wants to connect with a big corporate head, they might ask Grandpa to make the introduction. And Grandpa would give it a try, but he'd charge an extra fee for it. So, it's not the sword lessons that make much money; it's the connections.)
Most people would stop there, but Ayn was sharp-minded and had more questions; he pressed on: (How did your grandpa build up all those connections? How did he accumulate them?)
Faced with that question, Aya felt utterly helpless—if she could, she wouldn't tell Ayn about this right now, but since he'd asked, she had no choice but to be honest. She let out a sigh and replied: (Grandpa's mother wasn't an ordinary person; she was from the old imperial family—the royal members Japan abolished after World War II... Of course, the government abolishing the old imperial family didn't mean cutting off all their social ties. Grandpa's mother was great at networking, and Grandpa had the talent for it too, inheriting her connections...)
Ayn understood and couldn't help teasing: (Didn't expect you to be a noble descendant~)
Aya shot back playfully: (Yeah, the young miss from a fallen noble house, reduced to sucking your cock, no less.)
Those words hit Ayn straight in the heart, filling him with endless joy. His pulse pounded like a drum, and in his excitement, his hand tightened, squeezing Aya's full breast hard enough that milk seeped out, soaking the fabric in a sticky wetness. The milky scent in the air grew even thicker, stirring a raw urge in him: visions of ripping open her leather pants right then, slamming into that tight, wet-hot pussy, ravaging this shameless slut until she screamed for mercy, her juices splattering everywhere.
Aya's delicate frame shuddered at the pinch, letting out a moan sultry to the bone—that sound was lingering and wet, laced with breathless gasps, making Ayn's glans throb faintly through his pants. Then, in a tone of mock grievance, she whined coquettishly: (You're so mean, always bullying me~)
Ayn knew her game all too well, she loved flirting like this, teasing until it itched unbearably, so he grinned wickedly and replied: (But do you like it? You little slut~)
Aya's face flushed red, her voice turning soft and gooey, like it might drip right off: (I do... I like your big cock...)
Ayn was over the moon, unable to hold back a sigh: (You're amazing... If only we'd met sooner...)
Aya's heart softened too, and she replied gently: (I think that too... But it doesn't matter—we're together now. What counts is the present and the future; don't keep dwelling on the past.)
Hearing that, Ayn felt a warmth bloom in his chest; he smiled and said: (You're right—you're so smart~)
After the light flirting, Aya steered back to the main topic and said: (So, our next plan is: head to Osaka and meet Ari; then, find a way back to the hometown to see Mom; and if there are extra 'slots,' prioritize the relatives who need them? Starting with the elders—how about that? I'm worried about their health...)
Ayn thought Aya's plan made perfect sense. He nodded and replied: (Yeah, starting with the older ones and those in poor health... But that said, what about your grandpa, should he really leave Japan with us? It doesn't feel right. After all, he's built up those connections over so many years; we might need to tap into them someday. On the flip side, it might be better to bring my side's people to Japan. My relatives are just ordinary folks, their networks are ordinary people networks too...)
Hearing this, a wave of warmth flooded Aya's heart, her thoughts aligned perfectly with Ayn's. Those connections were invaluable and couldn't be discarded lightly. Still, she didn't agree right away; instead, she said softly: (I think it's better if we go back... Think about it, your relatives are quite a few in number, and I bet most of them don't speak Japanese, right? In a situation like that, having them all come to Japan, and right now, with zombies popping up everywhere around the world, doesn't that seem a bit suspicious?)
Ayn had to admit she was right. He let out a light sigh: (You're spot on, it would look too deliberate.) Then, after a pause, as if voicing his deepest real concern: (Truth is, I don't really want to go back...)
Those words naturally prompted Aya to ask why, and Ayn didn't hold back on the reason. He explained slowly: (Because of those hometown relatives, I'm worried Mom might soften up... Of course, she still remembers what happened back then and knows how opportunistic they are... But you have to understand, those people are family—blood family... So, I'm concerned that if we're back home and they find out we've made it big, they'll come crawling back with sweet talk. At that point, Mom might fall for it and want to make them my followers too. But I don't trust them—I won't agree to let them have the System. I've been betrayed by them once already; I know exactly what they're like.)
At that, Aya suddenly understood—she'd overlooked the most crucial point: "blood ties." And not just any blood ties, but Ayn's father's brothers and Ayn's mother's two blood brothers. That kind of relationship could easily make a mother waver if they came groveling with apologies.
But Ayn's worries didn't stop there. He continued: (Plus, my godfather's family and Ari's godmother's family come with their own issues. My godfather has his own relatives too—like parents, siblings, and so on... Do you think they'd just abandon their loved ones easily? I figure it'd be really tough... We can't give everyone a system, one per person—that just won't work... To put it bluntly, what we need isn't the label of 'family,' but loyalty—absolute loyalty! Because if the system's secret gets out, there won't be any place left for us on Earth... You get what I mean?)
Aya could absolutely understand. She said: (In that case, we won't go back—let's bring Mom, that aunt, and Grandpa to Japan instead. As for your godfather's family and Ari's godfather's family, once we have extra slots, we can talk it over with them?)
Ayn couldn't help but hum in agreement, then laid bare his true concerns: (What I'm worried about is something else... Just like you said, in this situation, we shouldn't have them come to Japan—we should go back instead... And I'm also afraid the government won't be able to keep things under control, like in the movies, where modern civilization just collapses completely... Though it feels unlikely overall—after all, not every city has zombies, and we haven't heard about any in Osaka...)
Aya thought it over for a moment, then replied: (In that case, we'll head back first and figure out how to get to Japan once things stabilize. As for a reason to come to Japan, Grandpa's sure to have a way—he's got such wide connections, after all. And about Grandpa... I think we need to give him a system first, or it'll be hard to convince him to let me go with you in this chaotic world. He won't trust you easily; we'll need to give him a little shock to show what it's about.)
Ayn nodded: (Yeah, if that's how it is, we'll need a system quest for this.)
No sooner had the words left his mouth than the system window popped up, issuing a new quest.
Mission Name: Family
Description: Meet your relatives and convince them to follow you.
Objectives: Ayn's mother, mother's sister, Ayn's grandfather, Aya's grandfather.
Rewards: Follower Slots ×4.
Time Limit: None.
Aya looked at the quest rewards and couldn't help frowning: (Why only four slots? Has your aunt, Mom's sister, ever gotten married? No kids?)
Ayn hummed in response, explaining: (No, she hasn't. She's called an aunt, but she's actually just two years older than me, my grandma had her at 41... God knows what Grandma was thinking, having a kid in her forties! Maybe that's why, not long after she was born, Grandma passed away. After Grandma died, she basically lived with us; Mom raised her single-handedly. So, she's more like a sister than an aunt.)
Aya wasn't focused on the "high-risk late pregnancy" part; she zeroed in on something else: (Does your aunt have a boyfriend?)
Ayn didn't think much of it and replied: (Probably? I'm not sure—I don't chat with her much. Ari would know.)
Aya fell silent for a moment after hearing that, then probed tentatively: (Suppose... I mean, hypothetically, what if she wanted to become your woman?)
Those words made Ayn's eyelids twitch wildly, he'd never even considered that possibility before! Now, not only was he aware of it, but he vaguely felt like this aunt's fate had been scripted by the system. But whatever the truth, he had no mood to dig deeper right then; he shot back immediately: (I don't have those thoughts, never have!)
Aya said softly: (I know you don't have those kinds of thoughts, and I know you love me, so you wouldn't either, but that doesn't mean your mom doesn't have that idea, or that your aunt doesn't too. And honestly, I don't think it's a bad thing; marrying you would save us the worry over her marriage prospects.)
Hearing that, Ayn felt a tightness in his chest and said discontentedly: (By that logic, Ari would have to marry me too? Come on, stop messing around, this joke isn't funny. I don't have those kinds of thoughts about her.)
Aya replied with a beaming smile: (You don't have those kinds of thoughts right now, so does that mean you never will? You have to realize, if everything goes smoothly, our lifespans could stretch to hundreds, thousands, even tens of thousands of years... Over that kind of time, you'll accept it one day. Why? Because we're no longer ordinary people, not all of ordinary folks' morals and values apply to us.)
Ayn wasn't pleased; he pinched Aya's breast hard—who asked for her wild talk?
Aya didn't find it painful at all; instead, she kept going: (Besides, surely you want them around forever, don't you? Anyway, I can't bear the thought of marrying them off, letting other guys take advantage of our family. Especially your sister, you're twins! If you're really set on marrying her off, let her marry me instead! Girls can love each other too!)
Ayn wasn't happy, but he couldn't bring himself to scold her harshly. He let out a light sigh: (Don't talk nonsense, that kind of joke isn't funny...)
Aya cooed placatingly with a grin: (Okay, okay, I won't say it, wait till it happens naturally~ But you need to mentally prepare yourself for this, got it?)
Ayn felt helpless inside and sighed softly: (Let's just let it happen naturally... We won't force anything like that...)
Aya smiled at his words and didn't press further... Truth be told, if she had her way, she'd never accept those two women, she wanted Ayn all to herself. Unfortunately, her intuition told her this was all but inevitable; it was just a matter of when Ayn would accept it, and when they would.
Of course, Aya's intuition also faintly warned her that even Mom might not escape this fate, but she kept it to herself, she knew that topic would truly anger Ayn. She didn't want to upset him, so she swallowed it back. Still, Aya trusted that Ayn would sense it himself, since he'd just said out loud: "By that logic, Ari would have to marry me too? "
And Ayn had indeed realized the issue, but deep down, he didn't want to face it. Even if it was destined, he hoped to push that day off indefinitely—until Mom could accept it, until he could. Right now, he absolutely didn't want his familial love for her to twist into something else, and he refused to imagine sleeping with her; that thought made him nauseous... Not just Mom, Ari was the same. For now, his feelings for her were purely brotherly, without a trace of romantic or sexual desire...
Yet, the realization that that day would come someday anyway drew a long sigh from Ayn's heart, tinged with a helpless bitterness.