Two days later…

Sparks jumped as metal clashed on metal, as the two Pandoras went at it fiercely in the gymnasium…well, combat training area would be a more apt word for the place in which the two fought one another.  Given how spacious the area was, it was one of the few places where Pandoras could really cut loose and go all out when it came to utilizing their Volt Weapons, Acceleration techniques, and whatever High End Skills they had at their disposal.

In this instance, the two Pandoras who were going at it were Kassandra Agiad and Eivor Varinsdottir.  The match between them had been going on now for more than twenty minutes.  Granted, while it was a training session all the same, matches between Pandoras usually tended to be over within ten minutes - fifteen tops - since the objective was to end the match as quickly as possible.  After all, Pandoras were expected to fight with swift ferocity to better themselves for whenever the next Nova Clash was to occur, given that the Nova showed their opponents no mercy.

Eivor bellowed a distinct roar as she charged forward with her battle axes in hand, arms crossed as she prepared to initiate an X-shaped strike against her opponent.  Kassandra in turn simply stood her ground, her stance widened slightly as she held her spear straight forward, the speartip leveled towards Eivor’s chest.  The Greek Pandora simply stared down her opponent as she breathed deeply, her brown eyes staring with hawk-like focus into Eivor’s own blue eyes as the Scandinavian Pandora neared closer and closer.

Just as Eivor swung her axes, Kassandra dashed back rapidly, using a basic Accel-turn to dart back a good fifteen feet from where she stood, with Eivor’s axes cutting through nothing but air and briefly changing the air currents.  A second later, Kassandra lunged forward and aimed her spear directly towards Eivor’s torso, gripping the shaft tightly in both hands as she charged.

Eivor in turn pivoted, with her right shoulder towards Kassandra and thus making her torso a comparatively skinnier target for Kassandra.  The move half-worked, given that the speartip ended up slashing across Eivor’s stomach instead of piercing her directly through the abdomen.  Eivor grit her teeth as she prepared her left arm for a swinging maneuver, delivering a haymaker directly to Kassandra’s neck.  While not as effective as a throat punch, the move had the intended effect of making Kassandra stagger as she was knocked back a few feet from the impact of Eivor’s forearm colliding with her windpipe.

Eivor planned for another swing of her axes, but once again Kassandra leapt back a few feet, utilizing distance where and when possible.  Given that her spear was better used as a mid-range style weapon (at least when fighting Pandora), Kassandra preferred to keep her distance and wait for a countermove to present itself.  She usually was the type to let her opponent strike first, then either parry or dodge the initial attack and follow up with one of her own.

Of course, Eivor was familiar enough with Kassandra’s chosen fighting style, and did what she could to counter it by keeping up an unrelenting barrage of short and fast attacks to prevent such an opening.  Given how rapidly she could swing her axes in a back-and-forth style, having her swings compliment each other in her movements, it wasn’t too difficult for the Viking-esque Pandora to maintain a steady onslaught onto her opponents.

While this back-and-forth between the two Pandoras was going on, another one-on-one brawl was happening between another two Pandoras.

A veritable sword dance was going on between one Evie Frye armed with a kukri and one Elise de la Serre holding a rapier.  The two stared each other down as they slowly walked in a circular pattern, shifting ever so slightly in a counterclockwise direction as they held their weapons aloft, each one pondering if the other would be the one to strike first.  They stayed a distance of roughly ten feet apart, all the while keeping their distance perfectly maintained.  Given that Elise was holding a rapier, her weapon had the longer reach, but only by a foot at the most (by Pandora standards) compared to Evie’s kukri.

Eventually, deciding that waiting things out was becoming rather dull, Elise charged forward with a quick grunt as she thrust her Volt Weapon.  Evie managed to read her opponent’s movement well enough and proceeded to parry, her kukri clashing with Elise’s rapier resoundingly.  The French Pandora proceeded to initiated a flurry of quick stabbing motions right afterwards, with Evie responding with a mix of dodges and parries all the while.  Apparently, the two decided to have a more traditional form of combat, using very little Acceleration-themed combat moves as they engaged.

Of course, that wasn’t to say that they didn’t use ANY of their abilities as Pandora while they fought.

During their match, Elise utilized Tempest Turn, creating four copies of herself (making the match five-on-one against Evie) and striking from multiple directions.  Some of the copies used thrusting motions, while others opted to slash instead, all of them keeping Evie on her toes.  To her credit, Evie managed to keep her vitals from being struck, blocking using her arms or shoulders whenever she couldn’t dodge or parry with her kukri.  After a minute of holding her own against Elise’s onslaught, Evie raised her weapon as she steadied her breathing.  Elise’s copies dissipated, being only able to maintain them for no more than sixty seconds at a time before needing to recharge her stigmata.

“Not bad, Miss Frye,” said Elise with a grin.  “You’ve done better than I anticipated.”

“You flatter me, Mademoiselle de la Serre,” replied Eive.  “Now, allow me to reply.”

With that, Evie charged forward, using a Double Accel-Turn, with eruptive airbursts emanating from underneath her feet as she lunged, holding her kukri in a cross-armed position as she prepared to slash at Elise.  Her blade clashed resoundingly against Elise’s rapier, with more raw strength than Elise gave her credit, since she ended up being knocked off balance somewhat and her grip on her weapon weakened a bit as well.  Evie followed through with another slashing move, this time from the opposite end, which Elise ducked under just in the knick of time as the blade cut through a few locks of her ruby red hair.

Once more, both Evie and Elise went back to their mostly close-quarters style combat, which amounted to a hybridization of a fencing contest mixed with your typical swashbuckling-style of swordplay here and there, relying on traditional fighting techniques more so than their Pandora abilities.  While the British and French Pandoras fought in the more “gentlemanly” style of combat, Eivor and Kassandra were locked in a more heavyweight style form of combat, something akin to that of battle-hardened vikings or heroes of old Greek legends like Ajax, Theseus, Perseus, or Achilles.

While all this was going on, Michael was seated in the lap of his other Pandora (Dani), enraptured in her arms while she gently nested her jaw atop his head while snuggly holding him against her frame.  It was rare enough for the Cuban Pandora to get in her one-on-one time with the Limiter given how overprotective the rest of his group had been ever since the close call with that psycho Pandora and her cohorts not so long ago.  Kassandra personally had been keeping a VERY close eye on him like a hawk, with Elise following up a close second given how guilty she felt for not being able to prevent her partner from being severely injured in the first place.

While Michael and Dani watched the two duels occurring from a safe distance in the spectator stands, Dani chose to strike up a little conversation.

“You okay, hermanito?” she asked.  “You seem extra quiet today.  Everything alright?”

“Hmm?” Michael responded, tilting his head upwards as he did.  “Oh, sorry about that.  Yeah, I’m fine, just lost in thought, that’s all.”

“About what?” inquired Dani.

“Thinking back to a visit I paid a while back to a freshman Limiter, that’s all.  You know, that night I went there with Kassandra?”

“Your little ‘guys night out’ that you and the other Limiters had?” asked Dani with a teasing tone in her voice.

“Something like that,” chuckled Michael.  “It was really just a little heart-to-heart between us guys and that newly arrived Limiter, Kazuya Aoi.  He was having some confidence issues regarding his partnerships, so he ended up scheduling a little sitdown between himself and the rest of us, basically just to let him know that there were no hard feelings between us over him getting his partners, that’s all.”

“But why were YOU called over to his place?” asked Dani curiously.  “None of your partners ended up switching over to his group, far as I know anyway.”

“You’re correct on that, Dani,” Michael replied with a grin.  “The other Limiters just wanted me to tag along, saying that I don’t get out enough and spend time with the guys, that’s all.  They were pretty insistent about it, so I basically caved.  Figured that a free meal was worth it.”  Michael ended with a chuckle on that last part.

“So then what exactly was it about that night that’s got you so deep in thought then?” Dani continued.  “From what I understand, everything went off without a hitch, correct?”

“There was no animosity between us guys and Kazuya seemed to be at peace with things, more or less,” replied Michael.  “It’s just that something rather peculiar happened that I can’t quite wrap my mind around, that’s all.”

“And that would be?” asked Dani.

“He’s probably thinking about the Freezing field that Kazuya unleashed that night, right agapitos?” responded Kassandra as she neared closer to Dani and Michael, alongside the other three Pandoras in his group.  Apparently, the four dueling Pandoras decided to end their matches and join their Limiter, perhaps out of mild jealousy that Dani was having too much quality time with Michael by that point.

“Always quick with the deductions, aren’t you Kassandra?” replied Michael with a grin at the Greek Pandora.  “You are indeed correct on that analysis.”

“So, the guy unleashed a Freezing field right there and then on the spot?” asked Dani.  “Was it done subconsciously?”

“From what I could tell, yes,” answered Michael.

“So was he already Baptized?” inquired Evie.

“That’s just it,” continued Michael.  “I don’t believe he has been yet.”

There was a momentary awkward silence, given what the Pandoras in Michael’s group had just heard.

“But how is that possible?” asked Eivor.  “If he doesn’t have stigmata embedded into his body, then he wouldn’t be able to unleash a Freezing area, so he MUST have been Baptized at some point prior to that event.”

“I believe he DOES have Stigmata in his body, but he hasn’t had a Baptism yet,” Michael responded.

“But how is that even possible?” asked Elise.  “Where or how would he get stigmata if not via Baptism?”

“He was born with them,” whispered Kassandra, which made the other four Pandoras turn to her in mild shock.  Michael simply nodded his head in agreement with her conclusion.

“Is that even possible?” asked Dani in wonder.  “A child actually BORN with stigmata in their body?”

“It’s just a working theory of sorts,” said Michael, “but it’s the only way that any of it makes sense.”

“Makes me wonder who his parents were if that ends up being the case,” said Evie.  “Logically speaking, at least one of them must have stigmata in their body already in order for them to pass them down to Kazuya.  Did you happen to find out anything about his family history?”

“We didn’t talk about that sort of thing,” answered Michael.  “I have a feeling that he wouldn’t want to talk about that sort of thing as it’s probably a sensitive issue for him.  There’s also the possibility that he doesn’t know anything about his parents or most of his family outside of his older sister and grandfather, so he himself may very well be in the dark on a lot of that stuff.”

“The mind boggles,” muttered Elise in conclusion, basically speaking up for everyone else in the group.

“In any case, it’s a good thing you were there to keep Kassandra from falling under his Freezing field and becoming one of his love slaves in the process,” teased Eivor as she playfully nudged her elbow into Kassandra’s side.  For her part, Kassandra simply blushed a smidgen in embarrassment, recalling that thanks to Michael’s quick thinking in deploying his own Freezing field at that moment that she didn’t succumb to Kazuya’s own Freezing field and fall to the floor in a moaning heap like the other Pandoras in the room that night.

“Well, speculation and all that aside,” said Evie, “what say we call it a night then?  Maybe hit the showers before heading back to the dorms.”

“Wish they could afford the same kind of setup for ALL Pandoras and their Limiters,” replied Dani.  “It must be nice for that freshman Limiter to have his own mansion to settle in alongside all of his partners.”  The jealousy in Dani’s voice was only too apparent, especially given her general state of distrust towards people of wealth and status.

“Hey, come on now,” said Elise.  “Don’t go holding a grudge against that Kazuya fellow, just because he’s related to Chevalier’s chairman.  Aside from Michael and Kassandra, none of us have gotten to know him, so we shouldn’t rush to judgment on what kind of person he is.”

“Still, what other Limiter has his own personal residence on a Genetics campus?” countered Dani.  “Far as I can tell, all other Pandoras and Limiters have to reside in their own campus dormitories as would be expected from all other students.  Other than a Limiter spending the night at a Pandora’s place for a ‘room invite’ or otherwise, nobody else has a living arrangement anywhere close to what that Kazuya guy and his partners have.  How can that not be seen as anything other than nepotism, am I right?”

“She’s not wrong in her logic there,” added Eivor in muted agreement.

“Now now,” replied Evie, “while I get where Dani is coming from, let’s not hold a grudge over that sort of thing.  Being embittered over it does no good.  All you’ll get from it is increased blood pressure and wrinkles over dwelling on it for too long.  So what say we hit the showers and call it a night then?”

“With Michael I presume?” inquired Kassandra.

“That goes without saying,” answered Evie with a grin, with all the others turning their gazes towards their collective partner with particularly dreamy looks in their eyes.  Anybody with a working brain could tell as to what they had in mind during their group bathing session.

“What do you say, Michael?” inquired Dani as she playfully increased her hold over the Limiter still seated in her lap.  “Up for a little group bathing session?”

“Always up for it,” answered Michael with a grin.  “A part of me tends to feel like I’m not worthy to partake in such a thing, but I’m always willing to join in, if you’ll all have me, of course.”

“Oh you,” sighed Kassandra with a grin as she leaned in and scooped up Michael in her arms, holding him firmly against her own torso as she pulled him in for a smooch.  “There you go again being sweet like that.  Whatever are we going to do with you?”

“I could think of a thing or two,” said Eivor with her own grin.

“What say we dispense with the chit-chat here and get down to business in the showering facilities then?” added Elise, eager to have some quality time with her partner before it got much later.  After all, when sharing a partner with four other Pandoras, there was the concern of making sure that every woman got her fair share of time getting intimate with her “one,” especially with classes coming up the next day.

“Sounds good to me,” said Dani.

And with that, the Pandoras made their way out of the training area and towards the on-campus bathing facilities, eager to have some one-on-one time with their Limiter while they washed themselves…with all of them intending for their Limiter to do ALL of the washing when it came to every nook and cranny over their 11-foot-plus bodies (and inwardly salivating at the prospect of such skinship between Pandora and Limiter all the while).

While that was going on, Kazuya was making his way through a certain building to meet a certain someone…

With Chiffon, Su-Na, and Sister Margaret in tow, Kazuya had entered the campus head administrative building, which also housed the office of Chevalier Chairman Gengo Aoi.  Sure enough to Margaret’s credit, upon notifying the chairman that Kazuya wanted a private audience with him, Gengo Aoi set up a meeting for no later than 48 hours upon being called.

So it was that Kazuya and his small entourage made their way into the building and through the many halls and corridors within the grand structure.  Normally, he would be seated within one of the many waiting rooms within the building, but given that (a) Kazuya was related to Gengo and (b) his entourage consisted of West Genetics’s student council president, the headmistress of West Genetics, and the official “Strongest Pandora in Chevalier,” he wasn’t made to wait for long given the company he was surrounded by.

After ten minutes or so of waiting in the hallway just outside Gengo’s office at the top level of the building, Kazuya was notified by a Chevalier staff member.

“Chairman Aoi will see you now,” said the Pandora with a bow towards Kazuya and company.

“Thank you, Miss,” Kazuya replied as he entered through the large double doors into Gengo’s office, with his three Pandoras following right behind him.

Sure enough, the office had the kind of grandeur which Kazuya expected of Gengo.  It was modernistic and yet chic at the same time, emanating a tone of raw, unquestioned might while not coming off as too gaudy or pompous (sort of like how some high-end rich people like to have all-gold furniture throughout their office as if to flaunt their wealth and status).  Much of the furniture appeared to be made of fine mahogany while the floor looked to be a mix of alternating tiles of polished marble and onyx.  A chandelier hung in the center of the room, no doubt costing more than most middle-class working people would make in a decade or more, given the fine intricate craftsmanship in the crystal that decorated it.  The sight of it all seemed “a bit much” in Kazuya’s view, as if Gengo was trying to let all his guests know he was the proverbial, de facto “king of the world” in effect if not in name.

As Kazuya surveyed the room and took in all the scenery, he heard a door off to the side open up and was indeed greeted by the man whom he had come all this way to see.  Wearing a simple white button-up dress shirt, black slacks, and brown loafers, Gengo Aoi casually walked in as he made his way directly towards Kazuya with open arms and a calm grin on his face.

“Good to see you, Kazuya,” said the chairman, his body language indicating that he was offering a hug to his grandson as he walked towards him.  There was a momentary pause before Kazuya decided - mainly out of good manners and decorum - to return the hug as he walked towards his grandfather, wrapping his arms around Gengo to complete the gesture.  For his part, Gengo couldn’t help but notice that Kazuya felt rather stiff during the hug, which indicated clearly enough that while they were family, Kazuya couldn’t help but feel distant and reserved towards the Aoi patriarch.

“Hello, Gengo,” said Kazuya at little more than a whisper in turn.

“Oh, come now, Kazuya,” sighed Gengo.  “Is ‘Grandfather’ too much to ask for?  I’d even settle with ‘Grampa’ or ‘Gramps’ as an alternative if the first option comes off as too formal.”  Kazuya simply sighed in turn, finding the small-talk to be rather pointless, given that this wasn’t so much of a social call in his view as it was to Gengo in comparison.  After finishing the hug, Gengo turned to face the three Pandoras who had joined as Kazuya’s chaperones.

“Miss Fairchild, Miss Lee, Sister Margaret,” said Gengo to each one of them, “it’s good to see you all again.  I trust you and the others are all well?”

“As well as can be, Mr. Chairman,” answered Chiffon with a grin, while Su-Na simply nodded and humbly bowed her head in agreement.

“Indeed, sir,” added Margaret, who in this instance was dressed in her formal business attire like she was when she entered Kazuya's mansion a few days earlier alongside the other six newly-arrived Pandoras.  Though she preferred to wear her holy robes compared to administrative attire, she made an effort to strike a balance in alternating between the two (in part at Gengo’s insistence).

“You may think yourself too old to dress as anything other than a nun, but you do yourself and your figure a disservice by covering yourself in nothing but that nun’s habit and those robes day after day.”  Those were Gengo’s words a few days prior regarding Margaret’s choice of wardrobe.  Apparently, he was being particularly insistent on her dressing more like her fellow staff members, even going so far as to suggest that she wear more ‘liberating’ types of clothes that accentuate her curves and bosom like many of her ‘sisters,’ as Gengo referred to the other Pandoras in Kazuya’s growing harem during the phone call.

“That’s good to hear,” said Gengo, getting back to the conversation at present.  “I must confess that I expected more of you to arrive here.”

“Oh trust me, sir,” replied Chiffon, “The younger Miss L. Bridget and Miss Linchen were rather insistent on coming along, as well as Miss Elipton to boot.  It took a lot of persuasion to convince them to stay at home with the others, as we felt that they might potentially end up getting…too emotional during this visit.”  Margaret and Su-Na simply nodded in agreement with Chiffon’s assessment.

“I see,” said Gengo in quiet reflection.  “In any case, it’s good to see all of you, especially you Kazuya.  Would any of you care for a drink?”  Gengo gestured to his liquor cabinet off to the side.

“Nothing for me, sir,” said Margaret.

“Just some ice water would be fine,” replied Su-Na.

“Iced tea if you have any available,” said Chiffon.  “Raspberry flavored tea would be preferable, but any flavor will do.”

Kazuya simply stood there in silence.

“Well, Kazuya?” asked Gengo.

“Green tea if you have any to offer,” Kazuya quietly stated.

“But of course,” replied Gengo with a grin as he made his way towards the cabinet and started going through what he had to select from.

Once everyone got their selected drinks, Gengo gestured for all of them to take a seat.  Chiffon, Margaret, and Su-Na all sat together on one of the long couches in the office while Kazuya took a seat on one of the single chairs made for someone of his size.  Gengo in turn took a seat in a rather expensive-looking well-crafted recliner (no doubt custom-made to his specifications), leaned back and took a sip from whatever liquor he was sampling tonight before turning his view towards Kazuya.

“So then,” began Gengo, “to what do I owe the pleasure of this visit?”

Kazuya took a few deep breaths, wanting to get his thoughts together before speaking.  The silence was rather awkward, to the point that you could hear a pin hit the floor if such a thing were to happen.  The tension that resulted from said silence was distinct enough to say the least, with the three Pandoras turning their gaze towards Kazuya, waiting for him to speak.

“Kazuya?” asked Chiffon and Margaret simultaneously, curious if he would speak or not.

“Sorry,” began the young man.  “Just trying to clear my head.”  He took a deep swig from his own drink before placing it on a table near his chair, before turning his gaze towards Gengo, with his eyes focused intently on his grandfather.

“Yes, Kazuya?” asked the older Aoi gentleman.

“I’m sure you already know why I’m here, Grandfather,” said Kazuya.  “I don’t know how much Sister Margaret told you over the phone or if Kazuha said anything to you prior to this meeting, but I know that you’re a smart enough man to piece together things with little effort.  I’m not going to insult your intelligence, so I hope that you’ll be honest and upfront with me about the things I want to discuss with you.”

“My my, straight to business, aren’t you, Kazuya?” asked Gengo with an amused look on his face.  “I was honestly hoping that we could have a more cordial conversation before getting into such serious matters, what with us being family and all that.”

“With respect, Grandfather,” countered Kazuya, “this isn’t a typical social call.  There are some things that I’ve wanted to bring up with you for some time now, and again, I’m sure you already know what those things entail.”

“Please, enlighten me,” said Gengo.  Kazuya closed his eyes, inhaled deeply, breathed out, and then faced Gengo once more before speaking.

“Alright then.  First question:  Why have you paired me up with so many Pandoras?”

“So many?” asked Gengo.  “That kind of term is a bit subjective, wouldn’t you agree, Kazuya?”

“Don’t play games with me, old man,” Kazuya countered.  “I’ve been here long enough to know that no other Limiter has ended up with as many Pandoras as I have, and especially in such a short amount of time.  I haven’t even been here for a month and I already have nearly two dozen women partnered up with me - several of them being faculty members no less, including the headmistress of West Genetics!  How in the world does a thing like that happen, other than you pulling the strings to make it so?”

“Kazuya,” sighed Chiffon, trying to calm the young man down, but Gengo slowly raised his open palm towards her, indicating that everything was alright and that she (nor the other two) needed to intervene in the conversation.

“It’s a fair point you make, Kazuya,” began Gengo.  “It is true that the amount of Pandoras you are currently paired up with is far beyond what any other Limiter has accumulated.  Most Limiters usually end up with around ten Pandoras at the high end in terms of partnerships, and you are most certainly an outlier in that regard.  As to the other part of that question, regarding those like Sister Margaret and Miss Lee here…you are correct in that I made the recommendation that they be partnered up with you as well.”

“But WHY?” Kazuya pressed.  “Why force them to be paired up with me?  You had no right in doing so.  Aren’t their feelings something to consider in that arrangement?  For all I know, they already had partners or lovers whom they had deep connections with, just like the other Pandoras you’ve had paired up with me.  I mean…the very fact that the highest-ranking third-year Pandoras from across the world all happened to just arrive here simultaneously and pair up with me…that’s beyond coincidental, I’d say.”

“You wouldn’t be wrong in that analysis, my dear boy,” replied Gengo calmly.  “As you’ve no doubt speculated, your conclusion is basically as you’ve assumed it to be.  Yes, I made an effort to have ALL of them paired up with you…the highest ranking 1st-year Pandora, 2nd-year Pandora, and the top 9 3rd-year Pandoras all here at West Genetics, along with the seven highest ranking 3rd-year Pandoras on the global stage.  And yes, the faculty members whom you’ve come to be acquainted with…I strongly recommended that all of them be paired up with you.”

“Recommended or forced?” asked Kazuya.  Gengo simply snorted in response before replying.

“Oh please,” groaned the old man.  “I didn’t put a gun to anybody’s head and say ‘Pair up with my grandson or else,’ if that’s what you’re really thinking, Kazuya.  While I may have been insistent at times with this current arrangement, I haven’t strong-armed these women into being your partners.  Even Su-Na here, as reluctant as she initially was in becoming one of your partners, deferred to my judgment because she trusts me.  The same can be said for Sister Margaret and all the other teachers with whom you are partnered with.  They took me at my word when I told them all that it would be in their best interests to become paired up with you.  It’s THAT simple, Kazuya.”

“Not to be disrespectful, Grandfather, but I’m not sure I believe you.”

“Okay then,” replied Gengo.  “Let’s entertain whatever wacky preconceived notion you have about me.  Say I had these women paired up with you by force, that I’ve blackmailed or intimidated them in some way so as to have them become your partners against their will.  What exactly would I gain in doing so?  What benefit would that serve ANYONE in such an arrangement?  Do you happen to have an answer to that, Kazuya?”

“Sick satisfaction maybe?” replied Kazuya, which in turn made Su-Na grumble in mild irritation at the young man thinking so lowly of the older gentleman who she greatly admired.  Gengo sensed this and gestured with an open palm towards her in a way of saying ‘It’s okay, calm yourself,’ before turning back towards Kazuya.

“Really?” asked the old man with a cocked eyebrow and skepticism in his tone of voice.  “You think THAT little of me, my dear boy?  Think that I’m so depraved as to…what, get some kind of sick sexual gratification out of taking young women and forcing them into being my grandson’s love slaves or something to that effect?  You believe that I’m trying to live vicariously through you and fantasize about having so many women becoming my wenches and sex trophies?  Is that it, Kazuya?”

Given the more serious tone in Gengo’s voice, Kazuya felt that maybe - just maybe - the old man was being sincere in his counterargument.  In a way, he WAS making some valid points:   What exactly was there to be gained by having so many women partnered up with Kazuya if most or all of them were wholly against the idea, especially if they weren’t interested in Kazuya personally?  It would be a relationship that was doomed from the start, with the best-case scenario being one of strict professionalism between the Limiter and his Pandoras.  Given that these women had come to know Kazuya’s personality well enough - meaning that he wanted to enter into a partnership out of love and affection, not just mere obligation and duty - and that none of them had shown outright disgust or disinterest at being in such a multi-party relationship, the possibility of them all having at least SOME interest in the young man suddenly seemed more plausible than before.

As to the other point in Gengo’s reasoning, from what Kazuya had come to know of the old man, he didn’t really come off as the type to indulge in sick perverted fantasies.  A man of Gengo’s character could undoubtedly have his share of women the world over if he so desired, given his celebrity status and the wealth he had accumulated over his lifetime (even before the arrival of the Nova).  So if Gengo honestly needed to partake and indulge in acts of sexual gratification, he could most definitely take care of that on his own rather than fantasize about it through some kind of vicarious daydreaming about Kazuya and the many women whom the young man was surrounded by at present.

“Well then,” continued Kazuya, “why exactly did you feel the need to have me partnered up with so many women?  I mean, five or ten Pandoras is plenty enough in my opinion, so then why have me paired up with more than twenty by this point?  Doesn’t that seem unfair to them?”

“Unfair?” inquired Gengo.

“Can one man REALLY serve as a worthy partner to nearly two dozen women simultaneously, beyond acts of sexual intimacy?” Kazuya elaborated.  “It’s one thing to spend a moment in the bedsheets and all that, but a relationship that’s meaningful and real is more than just that sort of stuff.  How exactly would I be able to serve as a worthy partner to so many women beyond just sexual gratification?  Because I don’t want my partnerships to just be a case of ‘getting my rocks off’ or ‘scratching the itch’ before I turn to the next partner.  I don’t want to be some kind of playboy gigolo.  I want a relationship that’s REAL, understand?”

Gengo took a sip from his drink before responding.

“Well then, Kazuya, you raise some interesting points there, so allow me to retort.  As to your question about why you have been paired up with as many women as you currently have, the simple answer to that is that you are special, plain and simple.”

“Special?” asked a skeptical Kazuya.

“You are of a caliber beyond that of any other Limiter in terms of partnering up.  You may find this odd to hear, or even think that I’m pulling your leg when I say this, but it’s the honest truth:  You are a Limiter in a league all your own, with abilities far beyond those of any other Limiter in existence.  As such, you are capable of maintaining and cultivating a harem of such profound quality and quantity, given your unique character.”  Hearing Gengo use the word “harem” made Kazuya feel rather awkward, given that the old man was effectively admitting to his grandson that he was basically setting the young man up into an arranged marriage at this point.

“What exactly do you mean by that?” asked Kazuya.  “What makes me so special as to have so many Pandora paired up with me?”

“It might take a while to give you the whole story on that, Kazuya, so for now, just know that you’re basically that ‘one-in-a-million’ in terms of your abilities as a Limiter, even if you aren’t yet fully aware of them.  But it’s more than just that, my boy.”

“What do you mean?” asked a confused Kazuya.

“You’ll undoubtedly think I’m bullshitting you when I say this, but it IS the truth, whether you wish to acknowledge it or not, Kazuya.”  Gengo took a larger sip from his glass, making a distinct gulp as he downed the last of his drink.  He then got up from his seat to get a refill, walked back, placed his drink on the nearby table, and turned to face Kazuya directly.

“Kazuya, the plain truth is…that you’re somewhat of a ladies man by your very nature, whether you realize it or not.”

“Huh?” asked an extremely skeptical Kazuya.

“I know, I know, it sounds far-fetched, like I’m pulling your leg, but it’s the truth all the same.  You see, we men of the Aoi Family have had a history of being casanovas by our very nature.  My father was something of a philanderer in his time, and his father before him, and so on and so forth going back many generations of the Aoi Clan’s family tree.  I wouldn’t be surprised if I had several distant cousins here and there, given the sexual procilivites of our ancestors.  And I must confess, in my younger years I was QUITE the charmer back in the day.  Not to toot my own horn too much, but I had a rather extensive platter of ravishingly beautiful women to pick from in my time:  Supermodels, actresses, athletes, world-renowned writers or scientists, top-ranking executives…you name it, I had my share of them, relying mainly on my instinctive charm to woo them into bed with me.  It wasn’t until I was older that I ended up having to settle down and be tied down to one woman…mainly out of a sense of duty and familial obligation, but that’s a story for another time.”

“Sorry, I’ve lost the plot somewhat in the midst of that whole rant,” replied Kazuya.  “What exactly was the point of everything you just said?”

“The point, my dear boy,” Gengo resumed, “is that by your very nature, you have an intrinsic ability to draw women to you, like moths to a flame or hummingbirds to the most in-bloom flowers in the garden.  You have a gift that very few men get to share in, in that you’re a genuine, bonafide “ladies man” to your core, simply by the very essence and strength of your kindness.”

“So then, I’m just a sort of ‘super peacock’ that hypnotizes other women to flock to me, using pheromones or some kind of genetic parlor trick to rope them into becoming my mating partners, is that it?”  Kazuya was rather deflated by this point, hearing what he just heard.

“Oh, for God’s sake,” groaned Gengo.  “Would you PLEASE stop trying to see the negative in everything, Kazuya?  If you happened to be a stuck-up, egotistical, chauvinistic little narcissist, then we’d be having a VERY different conversation at the moment.  If you were so full of yourself to the point that you believed you were God’s gift to the world and that everyone should bow before you, I’d effectively bar you from having your own harem.  At a bare minimum, I’d certainly keep you from having the type of harem you have right now.  It’s because you AREN’T those things that you have as many women as you do.  You’re effectively “Prince Charming” with a pure heart who fears his own power, when you get down to the proverbial “meat and potatoes” of the whole matter.”

Kazuya just sat there for a moment to let what he heard sink in.  Was it true?  Did Gengo make a valid point, odd as it all may have sounded?  Kazuya simply turned to the three Pandoras seated across from him for a second opinion.

“Is what he said true?” asked Kazuya to the trio.

“Yes,” said Chiffon with a plain, simple smile.  “We - all of us Pandoras, or at the very least the student Pandoras who have gotten to know you during this time - we ALL genuinely enjoy your company, Kazuya.  We ENJOY spending time with you.  If there were a single one of us who honestly loathed or detested being partnered up with you, I like to think that she would have said something by now, don’t you think?  This may sound ridiculous to hear, but we all WANT to be your partners, all sixteen of us.  And even though sharing you might be an inconvenience at times, it’s something which we are all willing to deal with in order to BE with you, Kazuya.  It really is THAT simple.  And while I don’t want to be overly assumptive, I like to think that the older Pandoras in our family will come to feel the same way about you as well once they spend some more quality time with you.”  Chiffon turned towards Margaret and Su-Na at this point to effectively give them the floor to speak their piece on things.

“Well,” said Margaret as she cleared her throat, “while it’s a little early for me to be so adamant in agreeing with Miss Fairchild on her analysis…I…I must confess that I…”

“Yes?  Please go on, dear Sister,” said Gengo with a grin.  Clearly he was amused by seeing the older women being put on the spot when it came to matters of romance and long-term relationships.  Margaret simply blushed and lightly snorted before continuing.

“I…[sigh]...I have come to enjoy your company, Mr. Aoi,” said Margaret as she gazed at Kazuya.  “While so far we have only come to know each other effectively in our roles as student and principal, I like to think that…in time…that maybe, that relationship could potentially evolve into something…more, so to speak.  Truth be told, I figured that you wouldn’t really want to be paired up with an older woman like me, given the age gap between us and everything.  I felt like having you saddled up with someone like me would dishearten you greatly and believed it would be a disservice to you as a result.”  Margaret saw Kazuya’s eyes widen slightly upon hearing this, which made her feel embarrassed in turn and struggling to maintain eye contact with the young man.

“I…see…” said Kazuya quietly.

“I’m sorry, Kazuya,” said Margaret at little more than a whisper.  “I didn’t mean to make things weird or awkward.  If you don’t want to be paired up with me, I fully understand and will gladly pull out of this arrangement so that you needn’t be burdened with-”

“N-no!” blurted out Kazuya instinctively.  “It’s not that I’m against you being partnered with me, nothing like that at all.  I just felt that you wouldn’t be okay with being forced to pair up with someone as young as me, that’s all.  I thought that kind of partnership would make you uncomfortable in the long run…well, that and being pulled away from your duties as headmistress of this academy to boot.  I mean, from my perspective, I’d be quite humbled at the idea that you’d be interested in being paired up with me, but I most certainly wouldn’t want it if such an arrangement made you feel uncomfortable, like I was some kind of ball-and-chain which you ended up being stuck with, that’s all.”

For a moment, both Kazuya and Margaret simply stared at one another in a state of awkward silence, a distinct blush on each of their cheeks, given the confessions each one heard from the other.  All the while, Gengo simply cracked a grin.

‘There it is,’ he thought, ‘the Aoi charm at work.  Keep this up, Kazuya, and she’ll be Margaret Lindman Aoi before the end of your freshman year.’

During the momentary silence, Margaret couldn’t help but realize that her face felt slightly warmer and her heartbeat felt just a tiny bit more pronounced as she looked upon the young man seated before her, staring into those endearing eyes of his.

‘Oh no,’ thought Margaret to herself as she assessed her own emotional state in the midst of everything.  ‘Am I…am I feeling…do I perhaps feel…something…distinct, for this young man?  I mean…if I were in my younger years then perhaps…oh goodness…I mustn't fall into temptation.  Best to stop entertaining such thoughts.  You’re far too old for him, Margaret.  Stop entertaining such devilish notions and turn away from such lustful thoughts.  You have a higher calling now.  You can’t give in to such base desires anymore.  Those years have long passed now, so stop this nonsense at once.’

Gengo Aoi was reading the internal struggle playing out on Margaret’s face all the while and fought the urge to chuckle as the older woman was slowly but surely falling for the natural charm passed down among the men of the Aoi family line.  He then turned his gaze to Su-Na, wondering what she would say since her turn to respond was coming up.

“Well, Miss Lee,” said Kazuya as he turned to face the Korean Pandora, “I know that being a recent arrival to this arrangement, you honestly can’t feel the same level of affection towards me as the others do…and I can’t blame you for that.  Quite the contrary, I’d be more than understanding if you felt like you were being outright FORCED into this partnership, so if you wish to be free of it, then all you need to do is-”

“Kazuya,” said Su-Na in a clear tone of voice as she cut him off.

“Y-yes, Ma’am?” asked the startled Limiter.

“Let me be clear about something.  As you’ve heard earlier, I greatly respect Chairman Aoi and defer to his word and his judgment.  I trust in his vision whole-heartedly, and there were times where I felt the urge to demand that you show him the respect I believe he is owed.  That being said, he asked me to partner up with you because he genuinely believed it would be best for both you and I.  So out of respect for him, I will honor that request of his and stay on as your partner, Baptism and everything, understand?  If such an arrangement truly ends up feeling like a match made in hell, then I will most certainly speak up sooner rather than later and insist on its annulment, make no mistake on that.  Until then - if the situation ever devolves to that point - know that I am your Pandora and you are my Limiter.  Chairman Aoi believes that in time I may change my opinion of you and find you endearing and alluring to the point that I yearn for you as a partner out of my own volition rather than a sense of duty.  Therefore, I WILL stand by your side as one of your partners until things change, whether because I am no longer able to stomach such a relationship or because the chairman has decided to annul our partnership.  To act otherwise prematurely would be to dishonor and disrespect Chairman Aoi’s judgment, which is something I cannot bring myself to do.”  The Korean beauty gazed long and hard at Kazuya all the while as she ranted, peering down at him with a somewhat stern look on her face as she spoke.

“Now now, Su-Na,” said Gengo as he gently intervened, “I certainly appreciate the devotion you hold towards me, but like I told you earlier, it is my wish that in time that level of devotion will be eclipsed by the love you’ll hold towards Kazuya.  It’ll take time, but it is my hope that you’ll feel emotions for my grandson which you thought yourself incapable of feeling.  Just please be patient and give it time, that’s all.”

“I will try, Chairman,” said Su-Na with a bow towards the older man.

“So it’s really THAT simple then?” asked Kazuya.  “I’m a natural-born ladies man who can make women gravitate towards me with little or no effort?  That’s what it all amounts to?”

“I can sense the cynicism in your voice with that question, Kazuya,” replied Gengo.  “To be frank, while you DO have a naturally-inborn hereditary affinity towards making women WANT to be with you, your own personality plays just as much of a role in all of it as well as your gift.”

“He’s right, Kazuya,” added Chiffon.  “Like Chairman Aoi said earlier, if you were some kind of stuck-up, super-macho kind of sex-crazed pig, I seriously doubt that you’d have as many women wanting to be with you as you have.  I’m 100% certain that Satellizer or Rana would avoid you like the plague if you were of such a lowly character.  The thing is that most Pandoras prefer men with a more…how to put it…a more sensitive side, guys who aren’t preening, pompous or vain in their demeanor.  The ideal “Little Brother” whom most of the “Big Sisters” yearn for is somebody who is sensitive and soft in their character, not thick-headed or overly masculine in how they present themselves.  I mean, don’t get me wrong, a girl certainly doesn’t mind it if her man wants to get a little aggressive or assertive at times in the bedroom or other circumstances, but on the whole, most Pandoras tend to prefer the “nice guys,” as corny as that may sound.  So please, try to understand, dear Kazuya, we all love you for who you are, plain and simple.  And I have faith that Margaret, Su-Na, and the other recent add-ons to our family will feel the same love for you as us younger Pandoras feel for you.  They just need a little more time for the chemistry to take effect, so to speak.”

“When…when you say ‘family,’ Chiffon,” replied Kazuya, “by chance…are you referring to…”

“You’re really going to make me say it, aren’t you Kazuya?” replied Chiffon with a bashful grin and a growing blush on her cheeks.  “While this is going to come off as rather presumptive on my part, I like to think that I have a good read on the situation when I say this:  We - by which I mean all sixteen of us Pandoras whom you’ve gotten to know up to this point - we’re all interested in you, not just as your fellow classmates and comrades in training, but as something more…well…you know…intimate, so to speak.”  The tone in Chiffon’s voice was particularly cutesy by this point, and as much as Kazuya didn’t want to make assumptions on his part, he was tempted to make a guess that what the student council president was implying was effectively entering into the realm of outright courtship…if not downright engagement.

“So therefore, having said all that, it’s my hope and assumption that you and all of us, and hopefully the seven latest additions to our group to boot, that we can become a TRUE family, so to speak, understand?”  If not for her overall calming demeanor, Chiffon would probably be a gushing schoolgirl at this point, given the rather distinct blush on her cheeks as she spoke.

For his part, Kazuya was in a ‘deer in the headlights’ state of mind upon hearing all of this.  Chiffon was effectively declaring that she and the other student Pandoras were basically proposing engagement with Kazuya, with the intended assumption that he effectively marry ALL of them and take them as his wives, with the added presumption that the seven latest arrivals join in not long afterwards and ALSO become his wives in the not-too-distant future.  Such a revelation of sorts made Kazuya almost faint once more, but fortunately he had developed something of a tolerance to avoid doing so after the last time he got shocked by such information.

“Y-you’re serious, Chiffon?” asked Kazuya.  “This isn’t some kind of joke you’re pulling?”

“I wouldn’t dare tease you or make light of such a heartfelt and meaningful topic…Darling,” said Chiffon with an extra cutesy tone in her voice as her blush maintained its strength.

‘Darling?’ thought Kazuya.  ‘That’s new…Chiffon has NEVER referred to me as such in the past.  I could certainly see someone like Satellizer, Rana, Elizabeth, or Roxanne referring to me as such…maybe even a few of the others now that I think about it, but Chiffon?  She’s acting rather…what’s the word?  Forward?  Direct?  Blunt?  Something along those lines, that’s for sure.”

“In any case, whatever your thoughts are on the matter at present, please know that we all understand that you feel under a lot of pressure to try and make such a relationship work, given that there’s only one of you and a whole bunch of us girls in comparison,” Chiffon continued calmly, “and I want you to know that it’s okay.  We don’t want you to feel pressured at having to maintain such a relationship with so many Pandoras simultaneously, especially now that our family has grown to two dozen by this point, including you of course.  Just know that we know how to share and to be patient when it comes to matters of love and romance.  After all, many of us were already in harems prior to being paired up with you, so we know how to act like adults and be fair about this sort of thing, okay?  So please don’t burden yourself with so much worry over this sort of thing, okay Sweetie?”

‘Sweetie?’ thought Kazuya once more.  While Chiffon had always conveyed this sense of being a warm and endearing “Big Sister” type whom Kazuya could confide in, she was also acting surprisingly bewitching in a way, as a sort of mix between a sisterly type one could lean on for support while at the same time conveying herself as a true-blue, dyed in the wool lover or soulmate as well.  Given her choice of words, she was effectively saying, “Yeah, you’re in a REALLY big harem that’s getting bigger and bigger…and that’s perfectly okay, understand?”

“I…” said Kazuya, at a loss for words.  “I…honestly don’t know how to respond to all that.  This feels like some kind of pervy horndog’s dream I’m in right now.  This just…it can’t be real life.”

“I’m afraid it is, Kazuya,” chuckled Chiffon endearingly.  “All I’m saying is that you don’t need to feel pressured or suffocated by all of this.  I know it’s certainly sudden, and it’s most definitely an outlier in the world of Pandora-Limiter relations, but I want you to know that we - all of us - we can and will make it work in the end.  Like the chairman told you already, you’re special, Kazuya.  You have it within you to fulfill your role in this arrangement, so don’t be afraid to embrace it, that’s all.”

“Exactly,” added Gengo in a direct tone of voice as he took another sip from his drink.  Deciding that the matter was more-or-less settled regarding Kazuya’s concerns, he decided to change the subject.  “Anything else you wish to discuss with me while you’re here, Kazuya?”

“There are other things,” the young man responded.  “On a broader note, why is it that there aren’t more Limiters in the world than there are presently.  It just doesn’t seem right that Pandoras have to share a Limiter in the kind of numbers that things are set at.  While I get that some Limiters might be ecstatic at the idea of having so many women fighting over them, it just…it doesn’t seem fair to the Pandoras to be stuck in such an arrangement.”

“Now that, Kazuya, is something that we can only change or alter to an extent,” answered Gengo.  “As things presently stand, the rate of stigmatic compatibility among human males is simply something that we aren’t able to fully overcome.  Perhaps in another generation or two, mankind might be able to increase the rate of that compatibility to the point where one in five men can become Limiters, maybe even one in four.  Who knows?  There may come a time where in a century or so - assuming life as we know it is still rolling along and civilization is not a thing of the past - where as many as a third of men can become Limiters, though I’ll be long gone by then and unable to witness it for myself, even with the advances in medical technology we’ve come up with over the years to extend the longevity of the human lifespan.”  Gengo took another drink before resuming.

“In any case, Kazuya, I’m afraid that is simply one of the inborn limitations of stigmatic compatibility between the sexes.  Women can become Pandoras at a far greater rate than men can become Limiters.  Personally speaking, I don’t have a problem with such an arrangement, as I feel that there are plenty of males out there who could use a little humbling at times.  For thousands of years, men have become so used to the notion of running everything and putting women ‘in their place’ as some would call it.  Now that more and more women have a clear size advantage over men and physical abilities which they cannot hope to counter outside of deploying Freezing fields, there will be more respect for the female specimen from this point on.  At least, that’s my hope for the future anyway.”

“You don’t believe there are Pandoras out there who would let that kind of power go to their heads?  Become drunk on that kind of power?” countered Kazuya.

“I didn’t say the system was perfect, Kazuya,” replied Gengo.  “Of course there will be bad actors among Pandoras from time to time, like that bullying trio you happened to meet no long after your arrival at West Genetics.  There HAVE been evil or vile women throughout the course of human history, even before the arrival of the Nova.  But in my opinion, whatever sadistic cruelty women throughout the world have conveyed or demonstrated, it doesn’t hold a candle to the brutality of men in comparison.  I’ve read enough of history to know about the inherent cruelty and butchery ingrained within the hearts of men.  No matter the race, creed, faith, age, social status, era, or any other comparative factor, women are like minnows to the sharks that are men when it comes to sheer inhumanity and depravity.  Therefore, I’ll take my chances when it comes to living in a woman’s world compared to living in a man’s world, my dear boy.”

Kazuya paused for a moment before formulating another question.

“One last thing I want to ask of you while I’m here, and I want you to answer me honestly and directly, okay?”

“That’s a rather odd way of wording the question, Kazuya,” snorted Gengo.

“I word it that way because I can’t help but feel that you’ll either lie to me or give me some kind of indirect or runaround form of an answer.  So having said all that, do you give me your word that you’ll tell me nothing but the blunt, honest truth and nothing but the truth?”  Kazuya stared directly at Gengo as he spoke, focusing his eyes on the older Aoi’s own eyes as if he were trying to peer directly into Gengo’s soul.

‘What are you about to ask me, Kazuya?’ thought the Aoi patriarch.  ‘I must confess that my mind is boggled somewhat about what it’ll be, given how serious you are about it all.  I partly have a sort of nagging premonition as to what it’ll entail specifically, but I suppose I should just play along in order to know for certain.’

“Alright then, Kazuya,” said Gengo.  “Ask whatever question you have for me and I will answer it to the best of my ability.  Just to be clear, I don’t claim to be omniscient, so I may not have the answer that you seek.  Having said that, ask away so that I may know what it is.”

Kazuya took a deep breath, followed through with a deep chug from his own drink, then stared down Gengo Aoi once more before speaking.

“What I want to know is simply this:  Are my parents really dead or are they still alive?”

Gengo’s eyes instinctively widened upon hearing this, with his breath seizing up in his throat.

‘Oh, Kazuya,’ the older Aoi inwardly groaned.  ‘I should have known that you would bring this up with me sooner or later.  I partly hoped that you never would ask this of me.  Oh well…no more putting it off, I suppose.’