Reflection

With Diona using his lap as a pillow, Paul relaxed against the headboard of his bed with a peaceful smile on his face. There was a bit of drool leaking from the lovable cat girl's mouth, but he didn't really mind it as he silently observed her sleeping face.

Though he was a little unsatisfied after only cumming a single time, Paul had enjoyed his time with Diona. Her reactions were cute and incredibly honest, so he ended up making her climax more than ten times with just his mouth and fingers. By the time they moved on to having sex, she was utterly exhausted, so Paul just supported her from behind and distracted her with a kiss as he slowly moved her hips in a figure-eight.

Recalling the sonorous sigh of relief that escaped Diona's throat when he came inside of her, Paul was invariably reminded of the situation with Kay. If his suspicions regarding the Elemental Crest were accurate, there were going to be a lot of people counting on him to provide them with his 'void essence'...

Taking advantage of his ability to see in the dark, Paul squinted his eyes to see the face of an ornate cuckoo clock. When he noticed the time was only 7:13 PM, a wry smile developed across his face as he was still wide awake and full of energy.

Looking down at Diona, Paul tentatively poked her cheek a few times to see if she would wake up. Instead, an annoyed expression appeared on her face as she promptly rolled away from him and curled up into a ball.

"..."

After taking a moment to cover the naked cat girl with several layers of warm blankets, Paul carefully slid out of bed before dropping into a low, squatting position with both his arms held out. As tempted as he was to go and find someone else to fuck, he would feel guilty if Diona awoke to find him missing or with another girl. Thus, rather than submitting to his more primal urges, Paul began exercising to deplete his excess stamina.

Unsurprisingly, despite Paul's attempts to stay quiet, it didn't take long for Diona to wake up. Her hearing had always been extraordinarily sensitive, so her ears would twitch every time Paul exhaled a labored breath.

Raising her head to get a peek at what Paul was doing, a pang of guilt and a fluttery feeling filled Diona's chest. She had never been particularly fond of muscular men, but seeing Paul's well-defined back muscles caused her heart to skip a beat.

Realizing why Paul was exercising, Diona sat up and said, "It's okay, you know? You don't have to force yourself on my behalf. Rather, I would feel worse knowing you held back on my account..."

Without rising from his squatting position, Paul shook his head and said, "I already informed the others it would be just the two of us. Though I doubt they would mind, I would feel guilty banging on their doors this late in the evening..."

While 7:28 wasn't particularly late, most people in the world of Mushoku Tensei went to sleep around sunset and woke up just before sunrise. The people in Paul's group were an exception to this rule, but Paul didn't want to intrude if someone was having a heart-to-heart conversation or trying to relax.

"Mmm..."

Understanding what Paul was trying to say, Diona didn't insist that he go and disturb the others. Instead, she crossed her arms and deliberated for several minutes before surprising Paul by suggesting, "Why not summon someone from the Intersection of Fate?"

Furrowing his brows, Paul rose to his full height as he gazed back at Diona and said, "I'm not that much of a reprobate..."

Adopting a slightly annoyed expression of her own, Diona asked, "What's that supposed to mean? The people from the IOF all agreed to serve you the moment they signed the contract. I don't think summoning and asking them to have sex makes you a pervert."

Before Paul could make a counterargument, Diona promptly freed herself from the blankets and started fixing her hair as she added, "It was really, really hard, you know? Being away from you for so long made my stomach feel empty no matter how much food I ate. But that isn't the worst part..."

Staring into Paul's eyes with a pitiful look on her face, Diona admitted, "I don't really know how to describe it...but I wanted to be with you from the moment you first summoned me. I couldn't help thinking about ways to get you to praise me, pet my head, and rub my belly. On the worst days, I would even bite my tail and try to comfort myself with my fingers..."

Leaving no room for misunderstandings, Diona curled her tail between her legs and bit near the end of it. At the same time, poorly concealed behind her tail, she sank two fingers into her nearly hairless crotch and began to move them in and out with an almost pained look on her face.

After several seconds of the extremely libidinous display, Diona retracted her fingers to reveal a glistening thread as she revealed, "No matter what I tried, the feeling that something was 'missing' never went away. That's how I know...even if some are against it, most of the people you summon through the Intersection of Fate will feel the same way. We 'need' you to feel complete..."

Though Zhongli had asked them not to reveal too much, Diona cared more about Paul than following the decree of someone she didn't even like. She probably wouldn't have mentioned this earlier in the day, but now that she felt 'complete' for the first time in years, Diona didn't want to keep secrets from the person she loved. She wanted him to know everything about her, even if it meant exposing herself as a pervert...

With Diona's uncannily convenient words all but confirming his suspicions, Paul's expression became severe. Ever since the incident with Kay, he had been secretly hoping that someone would open up and reveal the truth to him. Now, seemingly out of nowhere, Diona was revealing exactly what he wanted to know.

Seeing Diona staring at him with a concerned look on her face, Paul fixed his expression and softly replied, "I see. Thanks for sharing this, Diona...I always knew I could count on you..."

Regaining her smile, Diona cupped her cheeks as a tingly sensation filled her body. Paul's praise had always made her happy, but hearing him say he could always count on her caused her to feel inordinately fluffy inside. It was like a swarm of butterflies had risen from her stomach and erupted from her chest.

Increasing Diona's feelings of glee and contentment, Paul approached to hold and kiss her. She was still naked, so his hands naturally cupped and massaged her butt as the two made out for the better part of six minutes. When they finally separated, Diona had an enamored look in her eyes as she purred, "My tummy is starting to feel empty again..." in a heated tone.

Returning a smoldering smile, Paul, once again, brought his face closer to Diona's as he replied, "Let's fix that..." as he spread her legs and lifted her slender frame with very little effort...

...

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After another brief yet passionate romping with Diona, Paul placed the tuckered-out cat girl into bed before planting a kiss on her forehead and proceeding to enter the Intersection of Fate. He hadn't decided whether or not he was going to summon anyone, but that didn't prevent him from speaking to the stoic beauty perpetually awaiting his next visit.

Folding her hands over her abdomen, Katheryne offered a polite bow as she offered her usual, "Ad Astra Abyssosque. Welcome back, Master Paul."

Returning a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes, Paul raised his hand as a counter-greeting before revealing, "There is something I wanted to ask you. What can you tell me about the contract administered by the God of the Boundaries?"

Adopting her characteristically professional smile, Katheryne replied, "Not much, I'm afraid. One of the principal clauses within the contract prevents signators from discussing it with others. I can try to answer any concerns you may have, but the specific details are strictly confidential."

"..."

Though he wasn't surprised by Katheryne's response, Paul couldn't help feeling frustrated. However, instead of lashing out, he took a deep breath before staring at her with a deadpan and asking, "Is this real...?"

Tilting her head ever-so-slightly to the side, Katheryne replied, "Is what real...?" in a genuinely confused tone.

Gesturing around him, Paul answered, "This, all of this. I want to know if this is actually happening or if my mind is trapped in some kind of virtual simulation."

Adopting a rare, confused expression, Katheryne shrank away from Paul as she replied, "I'm not sure how to answer that question as I am unable to perceive realities outside of my own..."

Furrowing his brows, Paul was about to challenge Katheryne's response when she interrupted him, asking, "Can I ask you a question...?"

"..."

Forcing himself to calm down, Paul exhaled a lengthy and profound sigh before nodding his head and answering, "Go for it..."

Leaving Paul feeling a little speechless, Katheryne asked, "Does it really matter...?"

Seeing Paul's confusion, Katheryne went on to explain, "If this is the only reality we're capable of perceiving, does it matter if it's a simulation? I feel real, and all of our interactions appear genuine. I'll admit that our situation is abnormal, but it is a chance provided by beings capable of creating and destroying what we perceive as reality. From that perspective, I believe it would be stranger if we understood everything that was occurring behind the scenes..."

"..."

Unable to refute Katheryne's calm reasoning, Paul entered into a long and contemplative silence. The more he thought about it, the more deeply her words resonated with him. Setting aside the fact he had the fates of two worlds hanging over his head like the Sword of Damocles, he had lived a very blessed existence. More importantly, his interactions and exchanges with the girls sure as hell 'felt' real...

Shaking away his previous negativity, Paul regained his usual smile as he looked up at Katheryne and said, "Sorry about that. I have a bad habit of getting carried away when I think I've uncovered something..."

Returning a smile of her own, Katheryne replied, "There is no need for you to apologize. It's perfectly reasonable for someone in your situation to have doubts. If there is anything I can do to help, please, do not hesitate to ask."

Though he was briefly tempted to tell Katheryne to turn around and point her ass toward him, Paul resisted the urge and asked, "What other kinds of clothes do you sell?"

Taken aback by the sudden and drastic change in topic, Katheryne didn't immediately respond to Paul's question. When she finally recovered, she reached for a thick catalog under her counter, answering, "At the present moment, there are 319 different outfits available for purchase. As you are already aware, that includes the personalized outfits everyone wore prior to their induction into the Intersection of Fate."

Opening the grimoire-like catalog to a random page, Paul's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets as the left page displayed a photorealistic picture of Ganyu wearing a white crop top and form-fitting gym shorts, the kind typically only seen in anime. As for the right page, it showed a red-haired woman that Paul didn't recognize. What really stood out was the size of her bust and, more importantly, the sexualized cat costume she was wearing with a very pissed-off expression on her face...

Out of curiosity, Paul turned the catalog to Katheryne and asked, "Who is this girl? The only redhead I'm aware of is..."

Realizing who the woman was even before Katheryne's response, Paul felt genuinely sorry for her. Why? Because she, formerly he, was none other than the Young Master of the Dawn Winery, Diluc Ragnvindr...

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