Full-Fledged Businessman
(Taiyang)
"Don't you think you're kinda overstaying your welcome here, dad?" His older daughter questioned, sitting on the chair next to his hospital bed. "I mean, you're good to go, aren't you?"
"Trust me, I don't wanna be here either. The food sucks," Tai sighed. "But the doctor said I have a few more days before I can be discharged."
"But you can walk, right? I mean, you're not hurt anymore," Yang tilted her head quizzically.
"Still have a few mental checkups ahead of me," He responded. "I keep telling them I feel fine, but I guess half-dead Tai said something he shouldn't, and now they're real worried about it."
His daughter hummed in acknowledgment, prompting him to speak up again.
"What about you? I appreciate the visit, honey, but don't you have things you need to do?" He raised a brow. "Schoolwork or something? I may be old now, but I remember how tough Beacon was. Qrow and I almost flopped in our first year."
Yang giggled. "Yeah, I can see that."
"Ow. Rude," He frowned. "You were supposed to comfort me and tell me how awesome I am."
"Hey, you brought it up," She pointed out. "But nah, I don't really have anything. I'm trying to arrange a meeting between Reid and my team, but he's been pretty busy recently."
"That so?" Tai hummed. "Speaking of your boyfriend, I hear there's a big announcement happening soon that's related to him. You know what it's about?"
"It's about the Titan Grimm he killed recently, yeah?," Yang nodded. "I got the gist of it, but wasn't told any details."
"Hmm…" Tai rubbed his chin in thought. "He visited me a few hours before you did, told me to come with him to be recognized for my efforts against that Titan."
Yang blinked then frowned. "Well, why didn't you go?"
"I'll admit, I was tempted. You know me, I like the spotlight," He shrugged, then a faint smile took over his face. "But it's not really fair. I didn't really do much myself, just kinda ran around trying to survive. If anything, you, Ruby, and Qrow should get the credit."
Yang looked like she wanted to argue, but no words left her mouth.
"Even if I somehow was able to contribute to the big battle, I'd still have refused his offer," Tai added. "Wouldn't be right."
"...Why not?" His daughter asked with a confused look.
Tai hesitated for a second, but with a resigned sigh, he answered.
"I'm retiring, Yang," He revealed, making her eyes widen. "I'm too old to be fighting on the frontlines. That mission really reopened my eyes to my own mortality. I have too much to lose."
"But dad…" Yang started, but she couldn't argue.
"I don't want to die. Not yet at least," He elaborated. "You and Ruby mean the world to me, Yang. Your mother already left you, and you've gone through so much pain at a young age. I don't want to make you fatherless too. Maybe it's selfish of me, or cowardly even, but I want to see you two grow and live your best lives with my own eyes."
"It's okay, dad, I get it. You're not a coward or selfish," Yang smiled, grabbing her father's hand before squeezing it. "I was just a little shocked, that's all. You've done well, I think you deserve to rest."
Taiyang knew that his daughters would understand, but he still felt very grateful hearing that. He and Summer raised them well it seems. He couldn't be more proud of them. He smiled and squeezed her hand back. His gaze turned to the stationary scroll hanging in the corner, and after a minute of silence, he spoke once more.
"You know something? When Reid visited, I did tell him about my retirement," He said, getting her attention. "The boy looked pretty hurt about it for some reason, and you know what he said to me?"
Yang leaned forward a bit, interested in what her boyfriend did.
"He said 'I'm sorry for not saving you earlier,'" Tai laughed. "He even offered me a job as a security guard for his mansion. For how tough and cool he acts, he's pretty soft on the inside, isn't he?"
Tai had to admit, he was pretty surprised to see the boy be very understanding. Sure, Ruby and Yang always say he's kind and nice to most people, but they've also said that he's extremely strict when it comes to training, berating more than praising them. The more Tai heard about him, the more he realized that Reid was the opposite of him.
When training his daughters, Taiyang could never act too tough with them, nor could Qrow. He knew that his training methods were perhaps a little too soft, possibly even detrimentally so, but when he saw how prodigious his daughters were, he thought that it was probably fine. They were extremely bright anyway.
Whenever Ruby came to visit, she'd do nothing but sing his praises when the subject changed to the Titan Slayer. However, when she talked about training, she'd complain instead. Admittedly, the first time Tai heard what he did to both her and Yang, he got a little too angry with it, but he understood what brought this reaction.
Seeing them almost lose their lives because of him likely triggered something in him, his instincts and need to protect the girls kicked in. If he can't always protect them, then he'll make sure they don't need protection, and to do that, his training must be back-breakingly harsh.
Regardless, he expected the boy to try to convince him to forget about retiring, but he instead, only bowed his head a bit, uttered his apology, and offered a much safer job that could still use his skills as a huntsman.
It was pretty obvious that he still felt guilty about what he did. Taiyang already forgave him, but Reid hasn't forgiven himself yet. For all his power, influence, and charisma, he's still human. Tai was glad that he was the Titan Slayer and not someone else because he never let the power never get to his head.
"Oh, you have no idea. He loves to spoil Ruby," Yang rolled her eyes. "Did you take the job?"
"Of course, I still need to put food on the table, and being a security guard sounds a lot more relaxing than going on life and death missions every week," Tai nodded. "I don't think there's anybody stupid enough to infiltrate the Titan Slayer's home… Oh who am I kidding, of course there is."
"It'd be a death sentence," Yang scoffed. "I've seen him fight more than once, dad. Reid is a monster. I've seen Grimm run away from him a couple of times. I don't think there's anyone who can even hold a candle to the guy."
"Yes, yes, you said that before," Tai smiled fondly, patting her head.
As Yang was about to respond, the stationary scroll interrupted their conversation as headmaster Ozpin's voice came from it. A bitter frown immediately took over the father's face as he turned his head towards it, seeing his former headmaster on a stage in the middle of Vale City with Reid.
"People of Remnant," Ozpin started. "We interrupt this program to bring you important news."
"Ooh, it's starting," Yang leaned forward, looking a bit excited.
"I expected they're gonna use the Beacon stage like last time," Tai mentioned, glancing at his daughter.
"Hm? Ah, there's some large-scale maintenance work going on," She explained with a wave of her hand. "That's why I was able to visit at this time."
Tai nodded in acknowledgment and the two dragged their attention back to the announcement.
"Over the last few weeks, there's been rumors circulating around Hanged Forest, and how it was burned to the ground. Anxiety and uncertainty spread as people theorized what could've happened, and what it could mean," Ozpin said. "However, whatever you must've heard from these sources and their theories, I've come to say that they're all false."
"So it is about the Titan…" Yang muttered.
"A few weeks ago, on May 3rd, at approximately 5:20 PM, a team of hunters discovered a new Titan-Class Grimm that made the forest its home," The headmaster said grimly, likely shocking the entire world. "This new Grimm has been the cause of the many suicides and other, unexplainable passings of our brave hunters. This Titan would use its power of illusions to drain the spirit of hunters by showing them horrific imagery, trapping them inside the forest until they've lost their will to live, and forcing them to end their own lives out of despair."
Tai quickly tried to push the memories of that place to the back of his mind, his fist shaking a little bit as the scene of his wife getting murdered played over and over inside his head. As his daughter gently squeezed his hand, he relaxed a little bit, smiling and nodding at Yang, who smiled and nodded back.
"However, leading this team of hunters was none other than Reid Astera, the Titan Slayer himself," Ozpin continued, smiling slightly. "With bravery unseen in centuries, unbreakable determination, and masterful leadership, the Titan Slayer managed to destroy this new Titan mere hours after its discovery, making him the first huntsman in history to have beaten two Titan-Class Grimm."
There was nothing but silence for a few moments as Ozpin shocked Remnant once again in the second minute of this announcement. Reid looked proud of himself as he smirked arrogantly.
"Now, as I'm sure you're all quite surprised by this, I'll let the Titan Slayer explain what happened in his own words," The headmaster bowed. "Please, a round of applause for the most powerful huntsman in existence."
Ozpin backed away, and nobody, not one person in the crowd surrounding the stage even clapped. Most were probably processing what they just heard, and others were in disbelief. It was pretty funny, Tai thought. He's never seen a crowd so quiet before.
Reid stepped forward, grabbed the microphone, cleared his throat, then spoke.
"H-"
Only for the crowd to start cheering now.
Tai snorted at the exasperated and amused expression on Reid's face as he gave the crowd a few seconds to cheer. Reid cleared his throat once again as the crowd quieted down, and began his speech.
(Reid)
"Hey, so, this looks kinda familiar, doesn't it?" I say. "Hasn't even been that long since I killed Fenrir. I'll admit though, this was a lot more terrifying than the first one I killed. Randomly encountering and fighting an oversized puppy is all well and good, but when you randomly encounter a second Titan, you start to think if some higher power actually has a grudge."
I'm like any other person out there, I like attention, and anyone who says they don't is probably lying. When the entire world is actually listening to what you say in a positive way, the feeling is pretty fucking empowering. I'll admit, I'm a tiny bit nervous, but I still really love it.
I mean, it's obvious that I do. If I didn't, I would've told Ozpin I'd rather remain anonymous when I killed Fenrir, but I didn't, because I do love being looked up to by people. Makes me feel important. Yes, it's pretty childish and 'unherolike', but I know what I want.
Being the first person to kill two Titans in Remnant's history has never fully dawned on me. I may be settling down in this world nicely, but all things considered, I'm still technically a foreigner. Even this body of mine isn't from Remnant, not like I took over some guy's body who lived here his entire life.
I didn't fully comprehend the significance of what I had done, and I still don't. Not as much as other people at least. To make this a little simple, one Titan is defeated every few centuries, and I killed two in less than three fucking months.
So yeah, I'm beginning to actually understand why people look up to me so much.
And like I said before, I love this feeling.
Half of the crowd chuckles at my admittedly bland joke, likely from how high their spirits are right now. People are truly starting to believe my promise of eradicating all Grimm, seeing what I did with little to no losses.
"Jokes aside, the battle was a lot tougher than I expected. I was sent there on a rescue mission, and I never thought I'd stumble on another Titan so soon." I continue. "The bastard had us trapped, right where he wanted us, and kept sending hordes and hordes of Grimm at us."
"So at first, I thought that since it was sending Grimm to us directly, then it should be able to see us from somewhere. So after we split up - terrible decision by the way, never split up - I discovered that this Titan was actually controlling the forest itself. Every root and branch of every tree."
I can hear gasps from the crowd, prompting me to continue.
"So to blind it-" I raise my hand and close it into a fist, blue flames bursting from it. "I used my Semblance to burn the whole forest down. This led me to the main body of the Grimm as it was too busy trying to put down the flames, and after a long and epic battle, I put it down for good."
I only just realize how easy it is to impress these people as soon as they start cheering again. I gave them the shortest version I could without it sounding boring and edited a few bits, partly because Ozpin argued that I should take full credit to make my promise seem feasible.
I'm gonna spoil the fuck out of Ruby and Yang after this. As much as I love attention, I don't like taking credit that belongs to other people, even if my girls assured me it was fine. I'll take them to the best and most expensive places in this city, and I don't care how much it'll cost me.
I mean, I'm rich as all fuck. What's the worst that could happen?
…I suddenly feel nothing but dread, my stomach turning in worry as my smile becomes a poorly disguised grimace.
Why did you think that?
I don't know.
"So to shorten this short version even further: The conspiracy theories about the Hanged Forest being haunted are actually true, and we, the 'sane folk', were wrong the whole time. Sorry." I bow jokingly. "But I can still hear you asking: If this happened more than a few weeks ago, why announce it now and not immediately after it happened? Because I was working on something in the background and thought we should wait until I'm done."
That's not true of course, as it was Oz's idea. Personally, I don't know why, Ozpin said he's gonna delay the announcement and I didn't care all that much about it. But I now have a good excuse. Kinda. Maybe. I like to think that it's a good excuse.
"In the first announcement, I've also talked about a project I was working on." I say, switching my tone to be slightly more professional. "Yes, it's about the potions. As of now, there are more than seventy stores all across Vale City, with more being constructed outside it in every village and town. Today marks the birth of my company, Magical Sea Corporation, where all your magical needs are met."
Yes, I had to rename and even rebrand the company because Astera Potion Company is pretty bland and specific when I thought about it, and giving it more thought, I want to do more than sell potions. I can sell enchanted items and even Golems as security at some point. Magical Sea might not seem like that much of a good name to some people either, but I had to. This doubled-layered inside joke was right there damn it.
It's also a good way of slowly easing people into believing in magic. If I go all 'by the way magic is real lmao' people might think I'm sick in the head - for some reason when Aura is right fucking there - but when I say that after showing stuff like potions, enchanting, Golems, perhaps Homunculi when I get to that point, and things that aren't the same as Aura, the masses would be a lot more willing to believe in magic's existence.
Yes, I don't want to hide magic, and I hate the act of doing so. Magic shouldn't be a special thing that only a few people can use. The entire world should have the right to wield it, advancing their magical skill and expanding their knowledge, making this world a better place.
To think the Brother Gods would even dare to take away magic as if it was nothing sickens me to the core. A violation of the highest degree.
Just another unforgivable sin they'll pay for a hundredfold.
"Now that they are open,, you can visit any day you want, even right now. Every store will be open for you, so here are the locations. These golden dots are where you'll find my potions." I point above me as a huge holographic map appears over the stage. "Don't worry about them running out, by the way. There's enough supply to satisfy the entirety of Remnant. So you can wait a day, a week, even a month if you want to. We'll always have enough for everybody."
Some of the crowd begin to disperse, likely excited to get their hands on potions as not everybody managed to get them from my tiny-ass store before. Security managed to make sure people don't push each other and hurt themselves.
"So," I scan the crowd for a second. "Any questions?"
"Sir, sir! If I may," Some journalist in the crowd yells for my attention. "Will these potions be available in other Kingdoms?"
"Yes, eventually," I confirm. "Once we get the paperwork worked out, stores will open in every Kingdom. Atlas, Vacuo, Mistral, and Menagerie. Potions will be available everywhere on Remnant."
This means Salem will have a far easier time getting her hands on them. She'll likely eventually find a way to counter my potions somehow, but hopefully it should take her years due to the differences between the nature of our respective magics. By the time this happens, though, I'll have crushed the Grimm entirely.
20 Reputation with Sienna Khan [-20/100]
20 Reputation with Kali Belladonna [35/100]
20 Reputation with Blake Belladonna [50/100]
I suppress a blink of surprise and confusion, then understand why. Cuz I'm willing to trade with Menagerie and I dared to recognize it as a legitimate kingdom. Not a lot of political figures do the same as it's a pretty touchy subject.
This mere throwaway comment will likely cause a ripple across the political scene and the Faunus community. Some people now want me dead, others now like me.
Heh, nice.
Something's off, though. Why didn't I get an increase in reputation with Ghira? And why does Sienna dislike me?
"Will you be willing to form contracts with other companies?" Another one asks.
"Of course," I nod as I refocus on the journalists and reporters.
"Do you have any other projects you're working on?"
"Yes, but they'll remain a secret for now," I wink at the female reporter, who blushes profusely and stammers in response.
More and more people begin to scatter as I answer more questions. There are speakers throughout the whole city, so everything is being heard by everyone. Of course, I don't say anything more than I should, but I do leave a few hints here and there to have the masses interested in my future products. I've already automated potion-making, so what's to say I can't do the same for Golems and enchanting? I have the artificer skill to help with that.
Now my income is gonna be huge and consistent, and I can use the money to assist me in buying lands I can use for my experiments and factories. I'm already rich, yes, but a few billions are obviously not enough. Seeing that Lien shares the same value as a Japanese yen, a billion is worth over 8,500,000 dollars.
Sounds a lot, could probably live in luxury for several lifetimes, but not that good for a business that'll eventually go international. Economic Value here is pretty similar to Earth's too, albeit slightly better.
I know a bit about how economics work, not enough to be good at business in all honesty, but not dumb enough to fuck it up the moment I start. Besides, I have Oz to rely on in case things go south. He benefits from these potions being sold worldwide as much as I do really, and he wouldn't want the sales to plummet.
Though, seeing how only I know how to make them and what kind of figure I am to the public, I doubt my company would go under any time soon. I should read up more on economics, though. It's better to be safe than sorry.
"Alright, I think that's enough questions for today," I say, hearing groans of frustration from some people, which does nothing but amuse me. "Remember, there's no rush to buy the potions. My stores are available everywhere in the city, open from 10 AM to 11 PM."
With that, the surrounding area finally clears, with security dragging the persistent reporters away. As the cameras cut off, I leave the stage, spotting Ozpin who is waiting for me there the whole time. He puts a hand on my shoulder and nods approvingly.
"You handled that well."
"Yeah, I like the spotlight."
"From a business perspective I mean," He smiles in amusement. "While a colder businessman would've reprimanded you for that last part, I believe it was a good decision."
"What do you mean?" I raise a brow.
"Telling the citizens that there's no hurry is the opposite of how one usually drums up business, however, it shows that you don't just care about money," Ozpin explains. "Some might find this foolish as monetary gain is the main goal of opening a new business, but most will find you compassionate. It is good PR."
"I mean, money is nice and all, but I'm not worried," I shrug. "If I was, I might've not mentioned Menagerie."
"So you were aware of what you said? You are confident and fearless," Ozpin nods in approval again. "Those are good traits to have as a political figure. As small as your statement was, it will most definitely have consequences."
"Should I expect anything, by the way?" I ask. "Assassins, blackmail, anything of that sort?"
"Nothing that drastic. In fact, I predict the opposite will happen," Ozpin shakes his head. "You still underestimate your popularity, Mr. Astera. Nobody will dare to go against you. Now that you've vocally recognized Menagerie as a Kingdom, many politicians and even councilmen will follow suit in hopes of gaining your favor. Not all will like it, but not many would risk being on the receiving end of your ire."
"These politicians and businessmen make no sense, man," I sigh. "From what I've heard, Menagerie is a treasure of a kingdom because of their desert. Why do people refuse to trade with them? Racism?"
"Unfortunately," He confirms.
"Morons," I scoff.
"Don't fret. With that act, it could lead to a chain reaction. Other businesses might extend their services to Menagerie now that you, a living legend, have," Ozpin pats my shoulder, trying to assure me. "It was a bold move, but I believe it's the correct one."
"I'm not really worried either way, to be honest," I say bluntly. "I'm not just doing this to be rich or to please those limp dick politicians sitting on fancy chairs all day. I'm trying to fix this shithole of a world. Couldn't give less of a fuck about how they feel."
Yes, I don't like them. Perhaps it's due to the faint memories of my past life, but I can't bring myself to trust any politician or councilman. I mean, Oz is different - assuming he counts as one due to his position - and while I don't fully trust him either, I can tell he really does want the best for everyone. Considering what he went through, it's pretty damn impressive that his moral compass is mostly still intact.
"I suppose that's one way to say it," He responds quietly. "Come, there is something I want to show you."
"Hm?" I blink and follow him. "Where are we going?"
"You'll see."
With that vague answer, I frown a little. I can barely pick up on Ozpin's emotions most of the time, as he somehow can mask them so well that even my Observation isn't able to fully discern what he's feeling. Sure, I can clearly sense the shock whenever I say something absurd, but he Always regains his composure pretty quickly.
It's kinda annoying sometimes. Though, from what little I can sense, he's pleased.
I play along, for now, following him in silence. Eh, whatever. I can be patient.
As the elevator doors open up for the two of us, we walk out into a very fancy-looking hallway with three doors. Two on each side and one at the end of it. When I say fancy, I mean that. Everything looks expensive as fuck, from the blue carpeted floor to the lamps, chandeliers, and even the doors themselves.
The walls are pristine, marble white, the doors are made of the expensive, Remnant-exclusive material Frostwood, and the lights from these high-quality crystals emanate a gentle blue glow. This hallway alone could cost hundreds of millions.
I follow the headmaster who continues walking as soon as the doors open, heading towards the door at the end of the hallway. When he opens the door, I finally understand what this place is.
It's an office, probably the best-looking I've ever seen. It's even better than Ozpin's. It's not as spacious, but hell if it isn't decorated to hell and back. The room shared the same tone and colors as the hallway - that being blue and white - with a window giving a view of the city below behind the desk. A couch and a coffee table next to a few bookcases at the side, vases, and plants of all colors decorating the place, a mini-fridge, and so much more.
Of course, what really got my attention was Velvet, who stood right in front of the desk wearing a white shirt with a black jacket, black tailored skirt, tights that hugged her thighs and legs, and heels, giving her a very professional appearance.
One that had me frozen for a few seconds. Is it me, or does this suit her way more than it should? I mean, yeah, Velvet has always been pretty cute, but this brought her to another level entirely.
I knew secretary outfits are great, but I didn't expect them to be this hot when I saw them in person.
Damn…
Someone just discovered a fetish~
It's not-
"Good afternoon, sir," Velvet smiles and bows slightly. "Good work on the announcement."
Yeah, okay, it's a fetish. Damn it.
At least it's a good one?
It's a respectable one, yes.
"Thanks," I respond. "What's with the getup?"
"Well, I thought that looking professional might make new employees take me more seriously," She answers. "It's been a little tough teaching and training them."
"Anyone give you trouble?" I frown.
"No, nothing of that sort. Most have been super kind and respectful," She clarifies. "I was just a little anxious at first."
"Nothing to be anxious about, Vel," I smirk. "You look amazing in that."
She blushes and smiles shyly. "Thank you, sir."
Ozpin reminds us of his presence as he clears his throat, looking pretty amused.
"I'm certain this is already clear to you, but this here will be your new office," He says. "Ms. Scarlatina here, while still a director, will act as your secretary for the time being until we find a suitable candidate."
"That's fair. Could take a while to find someone who's good at organizing." I nod. "Hope this new workload doesn't affect your score in Beacon, though. You sure you're okay with this?"
"I am," Velvet nods. "I've already informed my team and taken a few months off to focus on my work here."
"Indeed. Ms. Scarlatina will not have to worry about Beacon for the time being," Ozpin confirms. "She can work full-time at your company comfortably."
That's good. I was kinda worried she'd still push herself too much even after I promised to pay off her family debts.
"And sir? I wanted to congratulate you on formally rebranding the company, so I thought I could bring something to celebrate," Velvet said, stepping aside to reveal a decorated cake with blue and white frosting, spelling out 'congratulations!' "I-it's not much, but I hope you like it."
At first, I was a little surprised that she'd go out of her way to do this, but then I couldn't help but smile gratefully at this kind gesture. These sorts of small, nice things are my weakness, and I don't know why. Sometimes, I wonder if it's really fine to accept them, but I know it'd be an insult if I didn't.
"That's really sweet of you, Velvet," I say, gently caressing her cheek. "Thank you."
"O-of course."
"Well, seeing that I'm not needed here, I suppose I'll get back to work," Ozpin suddenly says wryly, leaving little doubt that he can read the subtext, and making Velvet blush again. "Mr. Astera, if you need help regarding the business, please do not hesitate to give me a call."
"Sure, thanks," I nod, then point at the cake. "You don't want any?"
"Thank you for the offer, but I ate earlier," He declines, stepping out of the office. "I hope I hear from you soon."
He says that a lot, I've noticed.
With that, he leaves and closes the door behind him.
"Would you like for me to cut it for you?" Velvet then asks, referring to the cake. "Or do you want to do the honors?"
"Well…" I think for a moment. "I don't mind either way."
"Then please let me," She offers, taking the knife.
"It's pretty quiet in here, isn't it?" I note. "There isn't anyone even in the other rooms. Thought Ozpin would've hired some other directors or something."
"I think the Headmaster wants you to hire people you personally trust in these positions," She says, getting a plate from a cabinet. "But you're right. It doesn't feel like a celebration with only the two of us, does it?"
I frown in thought at that, and as soon as she's about to cut the cake, I get an idea, prompting me to stop her by holding her arm gently.
"Sir?"
"You're right. It doesn't feel like a celebration," I agree. "So let's make it a real one, yeah?"
She tilts her head adorably, bunny ears twitching in curiosity.
"How about I invite people over to my mansion for a celebration? Ruby, Yang, maybe your family even," I suggest with a smile. "Wouldn't that be fun?"
Velvet's brown eyes shine in wonder, and she nods happily. "That's a great idea! It'll be a proper celebration."
"Exactly," I pat her head, a tiny bit rougher than usual, but she seems to enjoy it as she leans closer. "Could you put the cake in the fridge? Let's save it for later."
"Of course."
She goes on to do what I said, bending over to give me a full view of her rear as she the tights were strained. It's getting increasingly harder to pull my eyes away as I savor the sight. I don't know if she realizes it, but Velvet usually wears clothes that are a bit bigger than her size, which hides her curviness.
She doesn't have Yang's tits or Ruby's ass, but her slender figure and long legs make up for it. This girl is a lot hotter than she thinks she is, and all she needs is the confidence to realize it.
Maybe I can help with that.
As Velvet closes the mini-fridge, I wrap my arm around her waist and pull her close to me, her back hitting my chest. She doesn't even flinch at all, almost as if she expected this, because she turns her head around to meet my lips.
She does flinch when I stroke her bunny ears though, my other hand groping her breast over her shirt. Velvet pulls her soft lips away, looking at me with a mixture of anticipation and exasperation.
"I-is this part of my secretary duties?" She asks in a slightly amused tone.
"Yes," I answer simply. "Hope you don't mind."
"Not at all," She giggles. "I'm happy to oblige, sir."
See? A little bit of that and she's already more confident than a few minutes ago. Well, the full affection probably helped. It's a mutually beneficial exchange, like the perk.
[Companion Guardian: Velvet Scarlatina]
Once every 12 hours, whenever your HP reaches 25%, an energy-constructed copy of this companion will be summoned to aid you. The Guardian will be more powerful than even the original, but will slowly lose power over time
In turn, your companion will be able to borrow some of your powers as their HP reaches 50% then become invincible for 5 seconds when their HP reaches 25%
This is such a great perk. I didn't know they could aid other people this much.
I was worried about what being a CEO could entail. Paperwork sounds like a huge pain in the ass that I doubt I'll ever have the patience for, but if it also means getting to fuck a hot secretary every day? Then maybe I can tolerate the other annoying bullshit.
A split second of my senses coming back makes me frown a bit. Doing a really good job at restraining your urges, Reid. I'm proud of you. Don't be fucking surprised when you suddenly have a few kids running around the mansion in a few months.
Whatever, I'm too horny to think about the possible consequences of constantly creampie-ing my girls.
Eh, I'm sure it'll be fine.
I'm good with kids anyway.
(Ruby)
She thought she'd gotten used to her boyfriend's absurdity a while ago, but apparently not. She should stop thinking she's used to it and instead brace herself for new surprises. Ruby can handle his unfair physical prowess, his plethora of abilities, fricking magic.
With a deep breath, Ruby put the last volume of the leviathan history book on the table, taking a moment to process what she just read and why her boyfriend's name was in it as he's referred to as the new prince.
Discovering Reid is actually part sea monster, however, was on a whole other level.
At first, she didn't know what to think. She thought the book was just a fictional story - Elves, Leviathans, Fairies, Dragons, and Beastfolk don't exist after all. There are only Faunus, Humans, and Grimm. That is it.
She appreciated how detailed and 'lore heavy' these books were, and acknowledged that they're a little too detailed at times, but she ignored it. She'd read plenty of books, sometimes the author could get a little excited with the world-building. Fair enough.
So when she reached the final volume and saw her boyfriend's name in it, she was shocked. She tried to brush it off as 'oh, maybe Reid was named after this prince' or something along these lines, but slowly, she connected the dots.
White hair and blue eyes were traits shared by every Leviathan. Eyes turning reptile-like when excited or angered is something she noticed Reid show as well. Aggressiveness in battle, excessive pride, water magic, and the biggest clue of them all, his magic granting/empowering semen.
This was no fictional story. It was legit, these Leviathans existed at some point, but at the same time, they somehow didn't. There was not a single record in any library or on the web about them, a. As if they never existed at all. She assumed that these were extremely old, forgotten to time.
Hell, the world wasn't called Remnant in the books, it was called Teralos.
How did Reid find these books? Why didn't he tell her about this? Wait, was he okay with giving her these books because he wanted her to discover all of this on her own? Well, he does like being dramatic sometimes.
Ruby assumes he's gonna be fine if she asks him about it, then. If he didn't want her to know about it, he'd have hidden the books instead of just giving them to her.
She can't believe it.
As the shock wore off, Ruby grinned widely, squealing in delight.
Her boyfriend is secretly a prince!