Chapter 23: Conflict
"Catgirls!" Hiro shouted in his mind as he whipped out his tentacle towards Luna the moment she entered the room. To his surprise, Luna dodged him with lightning reflexes, managing to evade his attempt even though Hiro had the advantage.
"Ewww! This one is more disgusting than the last one! Why is it pink?" Luna screamed. Hiro took a massive blow from her words. His girls had been so accepting of him that he’d almost forgotten his true form—a writhing Cthulhu-like tentacle.
Feeling dejected, Hiro dropped his pursuit and retreated to a corner.
"Luna! How could you say that to Hiro? Is this why you were rejected by other symbiotes? They are sentient beings! They can understand what you’re saying!" Marissa scolded. Today was supposed to be the day Hiro managed to bond with Luna. He didn’t have any ulterior motive towards her hydrodynamic body, but he definitely wanted to pet and caress her ears and tail.
"I can’t help feeling disgusted. How are you so calm, Sis? You used to be scared of spiders!" Luna protested. Another emotional damage was delivered to Hiro. If there was a hole, he would like to hide in it. He was so embarrassed. Why did he think it was okay for a tentacle to come toward a girl so nonchalantly.
Marissa paused, holding Hiro in her hand. "Well, Luna, you need to judge beyond appearances. Hiro helped me walk again. Without him, I wouldn’t have even dared to go to the capital."
"Are the other girls the same?" Luna asked, her curiosity piqued.
"Yes. They were fugitives in their homeland. Thanks to Hiro, they managed to reach here safely, even without any supplies," Marissa explained.
"I see. But is that all? Papa survived a war with over ten thousand goblin champions thanks to Malus," Luna said, comparing Hiro to her father’s symbiote.
"Hiro is different. He’s not a combat-focused symbiote, and he’s also still at a lower level. Please don’t compare them like that. All you need to know is that he is a symbiote, and he can become your friend," Marissa replied.
"Ah, Papa said Hiro could turn scales into iron. He wanted me to ask if Hiro could work with other metals," Luna said. "Father is sending some dragon scales and wants to know if Hiro could do something with them. It’s said that rare minerals like mithril or orichalcum reside in dragon scales."