Chapter 128 - My Very Own Father
"...I can mostly guess without asking, but why is Philia fussing?"
I'd meant to indirectly accuse them, suggesting it was because you two scared her, but both Angelica and Ayako-chan reacted like "Why indeed?"
"Hmm? When I noticed, she was just crying by herself. ...Maybe she had an accident?"
As she spoke, Angelica raised herself from the bed.What on earth was she doing, I wondered, as she crept on all fours like a cat, smoothly approaching Philia, and casually flipped up her skirt.Rather than the alluring underwear befitting Philia's looks... adult diapers were revealed.
"She doesn't smell. It doesn't seem like she needs a diaper change."
Despite a man's eyes being present, they do as they please.Angelica's own panties are in full view too. Since she's lying prone with her rear facing this way, I can perfectly observe everything from the wedgie onward.
A flimsy scrap of cloth enveloping the buttocks of an Eastern European beauty.For an average man, this would likely be a sight that blows away reason in an instant.
However, just a few hours ago, I had committed the atrocity of "slapping the ass of a pantless high school girl," so I've developed a strong resistance to teenage girls' posteriors.And a person who has developed such resistance is already finished as a human being.
"The High Priest might have gotten sad watching a program where Father was getting all touchy-feely with another woman too."
"As if that's the case. She doesn't have the intelligence left to feel jealousy, right?"
Though carnal desire exists, I doubt a sophisticated emotion like jealousy remains.The current Philia only has primal sexual urges; I can't believe she's fixated on me as an individual.
"Ehh! Even at a six-year-old equivalent, I think she'd get jealous, you know?""Is that how it is...?"
I don't really get it.When I was around that age, I feel like I only had food and playing heroes on my mind.Or do girls, as a rule, have proper romantic feelings from a young age?
"Still, Philia just won't stop crying."
"When Father gets along with other women, this is what happens. So you might want to drop every program where you co-star with a woman, one after another.""Don't use other people as a pretext to leak your own desires."
Angelica is troublesome because she tries to monopolize me at every opportunity.In short, she's a girl with intense Possessiveness.She's considerate of me and doesn't say it directly, but surely she actually dislikes living together with Ayako and Philia too.I feel terribly sorry about that, but they also have nowhere else to go.
...I wonder if regions with polygyny feel like this every day.It's like you have to be excessively considerate.Unless you pour out affection in a balanced way, there's a sense that someone might explode, making you feel like you're not living safely.And yet, at the root of it all, there's this feeling of being strangely fulfilled as a male...Is this, a harem...?
Whoa, that's dangerous.
I am, to the very end, the guardian of these girls, not their husband.I'm just listening to the selfish demands of these noisy daughters; falling into a mood as if I'm being reproached by a wife for cheating is a mistake.It's an illusion.
Even if none of them are blood-related and they look anywhere from their mid-teens to late twenties, even if their average bust measurement is an estimated 86-88cm, I must not look at them as women.
Yes, I am a father. The breadwinner of this household.So, with a resolute attitude, I must say it.
"Anyway, I'll take responsibility and soothe Philia, so you two just wait here without worry."
A line from the ultimate ikumen, proactively taking on childcare.Truly the ideal papa sought after in the Heisei era.
However, Angelica and the others' reactions are not favorable.Huh?
"What's with you two? Aren't you happy?""..."
"..."
Angelica and Ayako-chan exchange silent glances.The fact that this combination is in mutual agreement means I've messed something up.In short, I'm dead.
"...The method Father uses to soothe the High Priest...""I heard from Philia-san. About how Nakamoto-san comforted her at the hotel."
Wha, what? What about it? There's nothing shameful about it at all, you know? I attempt to argue back in a suspiciously polite tone.I'm already flustered at this point. I have no escape route, and Checkmate was drawing near.
"You took a bath with the High Priest, didn't you?"
"It couldn't be helped, right? She can't wash her body by herself. I-it was just bathing assistance. It's like elderly care.""But the High Priest isn't elderly. Her body is that of a woman in her prime, isn't it...?""Y-yeah. So what about it?""She's at that age where she can't handle those feelings, right?"
I gulp down my saliva.Desperately letting my eyes dart around, I think about what excuse to concoct, but nothing comes to mind at all.
"If a man she's had feelings for for years washes her body, well, she'd end up feeling strange, wouldn't she?""...You say that, but Philia is still a priestess, even if she's rotten, you know? Even if she's lost her mind, abstinence might be ingrained in her, right?""Hah... Father, you really don't understand anything. No matter how much religious training you accumulate, carnal desire is something you absolutely cannot control, you know? In fact, it gets worse, you know?"
Probably because it's based on personal experience, it's incredibly persuasive.Whether in the other world or this one, there are plenty of scandals involving the lower halves of monks, after all.
"Hey, High Priest. When you got in a lewd mood while with Father, how did he help you find relief again?"
Angelica throws the question while casting a sidelong glance at Philia.Philia, who has become a completely honest soul without any guile whatsoever, was about to start babbling the details with "Father..." so I promptly prostrated myself on the floor.
"...A collapse of paternal authority."
Muttering complaints under my breath, I continue washing the dishes.Having officially received a red card, I was ordered by Ayako-chan to help with the housework, and by Angelica to make a baby.Apparently, that's meant to let me off the hook.
That was a surprisingly light penalty, I think, feeling a bit let down as I soak the sponge with detergent.Also, since it's impossible to accept Angelica's demand, I prostrated myself and begged her to forgive me, saying I'd take her on a date and give her plenty of service once this was over.
We were planning to go out together from the start anyway.I was finally able to give Angelica her identity in this world, so I came home overjoyed.What awaited me was a bit of a bloodbath.Man, I really have bad timing, I sigh as I wipe the dishes.
The large plate, now free of grease, made a squeaking sound as I rubbed it with the cloth.Somehow, doing this kind of work reminds me of my ramen shop days, I'm thinking, when I hear the pitter-patter of footsteps right beside me.
Since my gaze is fixed on my hands, I don't know who has approached at this stage.It could be Angelica, it could be Ayako-chan, it could be Philia.
Hmm, who could it be?
Do they have some business with me, or do they need the toilet behind me?Surely they don't still have complaints, I think, slightly on guard, when the someone suddenly hugs me from behind.
Two soft, elastic masses press against my back, and white hands wrap around my stomach.This size and this sensation specialized in firmness—
"Angelica, huh."
Apparently, I was right, as I hear a delighted voice say, "Ah, you figured it out?"For Angelica, this seems to be a point of joy.
"Even without seeing me, Father can sense his beloved daughter, can't he?""Well, yeah. I am your guardian, after all."
I couldn't possibly say I identified her by the softness of her breasts, even if my mouth were torn apart.
Not that it matters, but in order of firmness, it's Angelica > Ayako-chan > Philia, and in order of size, it's exactly the reverse.If I'm ever pressed on why I know such information, I have no choice but to insist that when you live together in a cramped apartment, various body parts end up touching, so it can't be helped.
I swear to God, I've never groped them on my own initiative. These girls are the ones who press against me.I am innocent.
If I were to try giving such a statement in an interrogation room, what would happen?...I have a feeling most police officers would declare, "Yeah, got it. Death penalty."
"What do you need? Gonna help with the dishes?""Aren't you almost done already?"
Angelica peers at my hands while keeping her chest pressed against me.I feel the vicious lumps of fat being pressed even more firmly against my back.
"...Fatheer.""What is it?"
Did she suddenly feel like being spoiled?They say a woman's heart is as fickle as the autumn sky, but I can't read her actions at all.
"...Father, do you... like the High Priest...?""Huh?"
What's this about? My hands stop.From that exchange just now, why would she think that?
"It's true I admired her in the past, but now I only feel pity and annoyance.""...But Father, you... um... you were helping the High Priest with her, s-sexual release... weren't you? Even though you absolutely refuse to lay a hand on me.""That's..."
What should I say?Maybe I should honestly speak my true feelings here.
"Philia is already an adult. It's different from dealing with a minor.""...As I thought, Father likes mature women...""No, that's not it, okay? It's, well, look."
Why is it that teenage girls try to interpret everything in terms of romance?
"Philia becomes the most docile with that method, so I was just reluctantly doing it. I didn't do it out of affection, and I haven't crossed the line. It's true.""..."
Angelica hugs me with even more strength.
"I-I hated it too. If it were her in her right mind, that'd be one thing, but the current Philia is just an empty shell. She's just shaped like a woman, a big-bodied baby. Even if someone like that comes onto me, I just feel sorry for her. I just had no choice but to make her behave with the most efficient method. Even if I tried to put her to sleep with magic, her magic defense is too high and she wakes up right away..."
It's my honest, unvarnished feelings, but did it get through to her?I was seriously messing with her with the feeling of elderly care, and it was pretty tough for me too...Well, but from an outsider's perspective, I'm just a brute who gave in to ulterior motives and played pranks on a woman needing care.
Fine, go ahead and despise me.As I'm becoming somewhat defiant like that, Angelica murmurs in a quiet voice, "I understand."
"The High Priest is strong, after all... When we couldn't rely on Ayako's debuffs, choosing that kind of method might have been unavoidable.""...You understand?""Emotionally, I'm not convinced, though."
I hear a sulking voice.She's probably puffing out her cheeks, but I can't see her face from this angle.
"...Why is the High Priest okay, but I'm not?""Eh?""I want you to do it for me too."
The grooves of my abdominal muscles are traced over my clothes.This is what you call an invitation.
"...Father, did you notice? I did it by myself last night, you know? Right next to you while you were sleeping."
The Holy Maiden, doing something alone at night.—Prayer, surely.She must have been offering prayers to God, I, the weak me, escape into a safe interpretation.
"H-huh. That's... devoted of you.""It had been a while since I slept cuddled up with Father. I ended up feeling kind of strange. Twice, while clinging to Father.""Even though Ayako-chan and Philia were sleeping in the same bed, you managed that well?""...I was absolutely sure you noticed, Father. Or do you know and are just playing dumb?""I seriously had no idea until you told me just now.""...Hmm."
Angelica's slender fingers scratch lightly at my stomach.
"Father.""W-what is it?"
A sultry heat fills Angelica's voice.
"Why won't you hold me...?""You're going there?""...I love Father this much, you know? My body has also properly developed its female functions already.""That's why you're my daughter, so—""When I think about Father getting along with women other than me, I feel like I'm going crazy. Please reassure me that Father belongs to me.""...I don't approve of using your body to keep a man tied down, you know?""You know it's not like that, right, Father? ...I can't see you as a parent anymore. I can only see you as a member of the opposite sex."
I want you, Father, she tells me in a moist voice.
"I realized it while watching TV. All the feelings I have towards Father are romantic feelings."
It seems I've seriously stimulated Angelica's Possessiveness.I have no idea how to calm her down anymore.
"Ange, listen..."