Chapter 298: Lesson
"I didn’t anticipate this place becoming so popular..." remarked Vahn, entering his workshop around noon to find more than a dozen people inside eating lunch together. He wasn’t too surprised to see Wendy, Carla, and Fran present, as they were Bonney’s Party members, but alongside them were Ghislaine, Riko, Nanachi, Mitty, Prushka, and, likely as a result of his girlfriend’s presence, Kakashi, Guy, Asuma, and Kurenai.
"Vahn! You came~!" chimed Riko, beaming from ear to ear while holding a half-eaten, seaweed-compacted rice ball nearly as large as her head with both hands.
"Papa Two~!" appended Prushka, bouncing to her feet and leaping across the room with her hands and arms fully extended and her body parallel to the ground. Vahn felt she was overreacting as it had only been two days since she last pounced on him, but he dutifully caught and guided her into his embrace, allowing her to squeeze him tightly as if she were attempting to fuse with his body.
With everyone else rising from their lunch spread to approach or observe him from afar, Vahn met Riko’s gaze, raised his left brow, and asked, "Did Faputa not come with you...?"
Shaking her head, Riko explained, "Faputa considers herself the Guardian of Utopia, so she only leaves when there are plenty of people to defend it. I did tell her I would remind you to visit, though."
"I’ll be sure to," affirmed Vahn, using his left hand to caress Riko’s head as she got into range. He used his right to pat Prushka’s back, but it seemed she had no intention of releasing him as she nuzzled his neck, causing her large, fluffy, and feathery ear to brush the right side of his face.
"Well, aren’t you popular..." noted Bonney, approaching with crossed arms and a pronounced, brow-twitching frown. She was aware that Vahn had a harem, but seeing one of her peers clinging to him like a barnacle irritated her considerably.
"More than most, less than some..." responded Vahn, grabbing Prushka’s sides and prying her off of him with a bit of effort. She and many of Riko’s group had managed to reach C-Rank, so her grip strength was very nearly 300kg—more if she entered her awakened state.
"Papa Two..." muttered Prushka, her ears drooping sadly as Vahn set her down. Fortunately, before she could become too forlorn, he grabbed the sides of her face, massaging her cheeks and scratching near the base of her ears with his fingers as he gently stated, "No need to be sad. I’ll help you brush your hair and fur later. For now, be a good girl."
"Mmn...Papa Two’s hands are big and warm..." purred Prushka, grabbing Vahn’s wrists and narrowing her eyes contentedly. Her large feathery ears flitted like a bird preparing to take off, but while it appeared like she might take flight at any moment, she remained terrestrial.
"Is there a reason everyone’s gathered here...?" asked Vahn, removing his hands from Prushka’s face and firmly tousling her very fluffy hair. His gaze briefly met Carla’s, but his question was directed at Bonney—the de facto leader of the group, even with the adult Ghislaine present.