Desire

With Diluc, someone he had yet to summon, appearing within the catalog, Paul realized he could get a sneak preview of his future summons. Zhongli had informed him there were more than a hundred, so while he had yet to summon anyone he wasn't familiar with, Paul knew it was only a matter of time before a character released after his death appeared.

Flipping to the next page, Paul was immediately rewarded with the image of a woman with extraordinarily long and silvery hair sitting listlessly at a circular table. Her expression was borderline emotionless, but she had an incredible body, poorly concealed underneath a black cocktail dress with two remarkably inviting slits near the hips.

"Nice..."

As he was distracted by the silver-haired beauty on the left, Paul didn't notice the person precariously displayed on the right. When he did look over, he abruptly snapped the catalog shut, his smile visibly straining as he handed the book back to Katheryne and said, "I'll look at this some other time..."

Though she was tempted to ask what Paul had seen, Katheryne knew he wasn't in the best state of mind. She didn't want to set him off after he had calmed down, so she just received the catalog with a smile and said, "We look forward to your continued patronage."

"Right..."

In an effort to distract himself from the image that appeared to have burned itself into his retinas, Paul shifted his attention to the summoning circle at the center of the platform. He was planning to do a gacha spree the following evening, but Diona's words had left him wanting to confirm a few things.

While he had done his best to ignore it, Paul wasn't oblivious to the fact that everyone he had summoned through the IOF seemed to conform to his views of them. He initially believed this to be the result of his general familiarity with the characters, but recent events had made it increasingly apparent that something more was going on. It was like his desires were shaping the behaviors of people around him...

Shaking such negative sentiments from his mind, Paul made his way over to the summoning circle and commenced feeding gold into it. Katheryne's words were still fresh in his mind, so Paul concluded it really didn't matter what the truth was. If he lacked the power to change it, the only thing he could do was continue living and accumulating strength. Besides, he was in much too deep to back out now...

With ten Intertwined Fates manifesting around the summoning circle, Paul took a moment to consider who he would like to summon. The silver-haired woman from the catalog had an incredible physique, but her eyes exuded aloofness. It wasn't difficult to imagine her being a cold, uncaring woman who viewed everything else as being beneath her. Hell, there was a chance she was the Tsaritsa herself...

Thinking about characters he was familiar with but had yet to summon, a wry smile developed across Paul's face as he muttered, "Well, as long as it isn't someone like Klee or Sayu, everything should work out. Venti could actually be pretty interesting..."

Imagining a version of the infamously androgynous Archon with massive tits, Paul squinted his eyes and activated the summoning circle, shouting, "Confirm...!" before raising his gaze to the sky.

Seeing the comet gain a purple hue before splitting into two purple and blue lights, expectation began to build within Paul until the beams struck the summoning circle and revealed themselves to be a remarkably similar bow and catalyst.

Though he would be lying if he said he wasn't a little disappointed, Paul knew the power of 4-Star Weapons wasn't something he could just write off. Catalysts were also pretty rare, so Ningguang was bound to be happy he had obtained a new one.

After removing the weapons from the center and placing them off to the side, Paul turned back to the summoning circle and said, "In for a penny, in for a pound..."

Steeling himself for the inevitable, Paul repeated the process of inserting gold and activating the summoning circle a total of nine times. Four of the rolls were complete misses, giving him nothing but 3-Star Weapon fodder, but the rest provided some pretty decent rewards.

First and foremost among Paul's 'hits' were Constellations for Lisa and a buxom dog girl he believed to be the genderbent Gorou. She was one of the few people who hadn't shown up at the bath, and Paul could kind of see why. Compared to her rather tomboyish appearance from when they were children, Gorou had matured to an extent exceeding even Kay...

Following the double Constellation hit, Paul received a miss, followed by a Constellation for Xinyan. With Barbara securing the first, that made Xinyan the second person to have attained their fourth Constellation.

Though he was looking forward to Xinyan's reaction once she realized she had received a power increase, Paul was momentarily more excited by the 4-Star Claymore he acquired immediately after her Constellation. It was a duplicate of a weapon he already possessed, but that was actually a good thing as it could be used to strengthen the one he already had.

Shelving that matter for the future, Paul proceeded to his ninth series of rolls with bated breath. He had yet to obtain anything 'new' thus far, so he was curious to see which 5-Star Character or Weapon would pop out now that he had reached the Pity cap.

As the meteor shifted from cerulean blue to a bright, luminous shade of gold, Paul could feel his adrenaline and dopamine levels overflowing as it impacted the platform and coalesced into a physical form. This was a tell-tale sign that he had obtained someone new, so Paul couldn't help smiling as he wondered who would emerge from the nearly blinding light.

To Paul's considerable relief, the person who appeared was neither Klee nor Sayu. Rather, it was a character that had been leaked but had yet to be released at the time of his death.

Standing at 161cm tall and possessing long, salmon-pink hair styled in a high ponytail that resembled a bow split into two tails, the woman Paul had summoned was none other than Sangonomiya Kokomi, the brilliant strategist and Divine Priestess of Watatsumi Island. She was currently wearing a Maid uniform in place of her fish-themed priestess garb, but Paul immediately recognized her as there were countless memes associated with the fact she had -100% CRIT Chance built into her kit.

Rising to her feet, Kokomi paused for a moment as she stared at Paul. For several seconds, neither said nor did anything until Kokomi adopted a faint smile and said, "You must be my Master, Paul Notos Greyrat. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Though Kokomi's smile didn't appear to reach her pale, purple, seemingly pupilless eyes, Paul didn't get the impression she was particularly sad or disappointed. Rather, the watery surface of her eyes gave off a feeling of distance, like they reflected the world from someplace far away...

With Paul not saying anything, just staring at her with a faraway look in his eyes, Kokomi tilted her head to the side and softly inquired, "Is something the matter?"

Coming to his senses, Paul shook his head and replied, "Nah, I just got a little distracted."

Surprised by Paul's rather casual response, Kokomi blinked a few times before responding, "Oh, I see..." in a thoughtful tone. It wasn't difficult to imagine 'why' Paul had gotten distracted, so her usually placid heart was beginning to beat ever so slightly faster.

Unaware of Kokomi's thoughts, Paul decided to ask the question lingering at the back of his mind, specifically, "How do you feel about me? There is something I'm trying to confirm, so I want to know your exact feelings at this very moment..."

Blinking several more times, Kokomi didn't immediately respond to Paul's words. She had expected them to at least introduce one another, but here he was asking her about something as abstract as feelings. It was a very peculiar development, one that caused her mind to churn with possible explanations for his behavior...

Not wanting to keep Paul waiting for too long, Kokomi eventually replied, "I feel fuzzy?"

Raising his right brow, Paul parroted, "Fuzzy...?" in a confused, questioning tone.

Nodding her head in affirmation, Kokomi placed her hands on her chest as she lowered her head, closed her eyes, and clarified, "I don't really know how to describe it. It's a little similar to the feeling I will get after drinking a bit of alcohol. My thoughts don't appear to be impeded, but it's like they have a certain...weight to them..."

Swaying her head from side to side, Kokomi had the impression she could 'feel' her brain. It was a little disorienting, but only when she tried to focus on it.

Though he could vaguely understand what Kokomi was trying to say, Paul was equally confused. His first thought was that she was in a hypnotic, trance-like, or suggestive state. It made a scary amount of sense given his apparent ability to order the girls around, but the question Paul really wanted an answer to was whether or not Kokomi could somehow sense his thoughts and desires.

While forcing himself to appear calm and collected on the surface, Paul envisioned himself and Kokomi doing some 'very' lewd things. Nothing happened at first, but after several seconds of silence, a faint shade of red began to bleed into Kokomi's cheeks as she opened her eyes, stared at him, and revealed, "I feel hot..." in an audibly nervous tone.

Inhaling a deep breath, Paul left Kokomi feeling even more confused as he began massaging his face and temples. Her reaction was pretty much all the proof he needed to confirm his suspicions. While he may not be in a simulation, it was apparent that the girls were sensitive to his thoughts and emotions. It was no wonder even girls like Eula had imprinted on him, as, even when they were younger, Paul would often fantasize about what he would do to her once they had matured...

Resisting the sudden and paradoxical urge to both laugh and cry at the same time, Paul performed a breathing exercise in an effort to rein in his chaotic emotions. He felt like a complete and utter bastard, but he also knew there was nothing he could do. It wasn't like he could just up and become a monastic monk; his circumstances simply didn't allow it.

Regaining control of his emotions, Paul raised his head and stared at the concerned-looking woman standing across from him. They had just met a few minutes prior, but Kokomi's forlorn expression gave off the impression she was deeply concerned for his well-being.

Suppressing his negative sentiments, Paul forced a smile as he, nearly inaudibly, inquired, "Have you prepared yourself...?"

Though she was momentarily confused by Paul's question, Kokomi quickly put two and two together as butterflies filled her chest and abdomen. She could feel her heart begin to quicken, and, though she only possessed a bit of theoretical knowledge on the subject, Kokomi ultimately nodded her head and confirmed, "I was prepared from the moment I first signed the contract..."

Despite feeling as though an invisible arrow had pierced his chest, Paul nodded his head and said, "That's good..." before extending his hand to the beautiful, salmon-haired beauty. Kokomi didn't immediately grasp his hand, but when she did, she adopted a faint smile as she petitioned, "My only request is that you be gentle...at least at the start..."

Nodding his head a second time, Paul's expression softened as he replied, "No problem..." before slowly guiding Kokomi toward the exit. He had the distinct impression he was about to spoil something pure and sacred, but he had come much too far to turn back now. All he could do was continue moving forward, determined to ensure his and the girls' story had a happy ending...

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