"You always underestimate others, Caspian. This ridiculous theory of yours wouldn't affect me," said Tatsumaki.
Yuta nodded, her high pony tail swaying when she moved. "She is correct. I do not believe your will has manipulated us into loving you."
Much to Caspian's exasperation, Suiko, Mosquito Girl, Fubuki, Wavygyaza, and Psykos all denied his will affected them.
Wavygyaza went an extra step and insisted she definitely didn't 'love him,' while Psykos implied she very much did. It made him wonder what she'd seen with her 'Third Eye...'
"If I can't convince you with words..." Caspian patted his lap. "...then I'll show you. Time to get on."
"Is this really necessary?"
"Yes."
Fubuki stood, fingers combing through dark-green hair as her eyes darted nervously at the other women. She approached and straddled him, pressing her soft curves against him as he pushed back his arousal.
"Ready everyone?" His voice came out slightly rougher than intended.
No more words were needed. They sat in their circle, hands clasped. Wavygyaza's bright-pink aura flared first, followed by Tatsumaki's emerald-green, then Psykos' turquoise glow. Caspian locked eyes with Fubuki, pressed his forehead to hers, and—
Darkness swallowed them, spitting them out into a cramped bedroom that smelled faintly of cheap air freshener, dust, and isolation.
"Where are we?" asked Suiko.
Caspian knew this place intimately. The bedroom that had been his prison during the miserable last decade of his previous life. Every detail was painfully familiar: the twin bed shoved into one corner with its plain navy comforter, the computer desk in the opposite corner cluttered with an overpriced PC setup — a curved monitor that had cost two paychecks, a mechanical keyboard with worn WASD keys, a gaming mouse with one cracked button. Below the desk sat the tower he'd spent months saving for.
Beside them, one small window showed nothing but gray sky. A closet door stood slightly ajar, revealing a handful of identical black t-shirts on hangers. The walls and ceiling were painted a dull, institutional gray. No posters, no artwork, no personal touches whatsoever. Why bother decorating? It wouldn't have changed his life for the better in any meaningful way.
"We're in my old self's bedroom," he said as faded memories re-surged.
Mosquito Girl broke the tension by diving onto the bed face-first, then immediately springing back up. "Liar! This isn't your scent!"
"It's too cramped!" Tatsumaki snapped.
Wavygyaza crossed her arms. "I don't even know you. Why bring me here? And... I agree with her. Just this once."
They weren't wrong. With eight people suddenly occupying the small space, everyone was bumping elbows and stepping on toes.
"You're right." Caspian willed the room to expand. Walls stretched outward as a large couch materialized behind them. The PC setup vanished, replaced by a television stand with a seventy-five-inch TV resting atop it.
"H-How can you manipulate 'Mind Space' like this?" Fubuki asked.
Seeing Fubuki's wondrous mint-green gaze, he answered, "I imagined it?"
"No more delays." With a thought, a sleek black remote appeared in his hand. He made his way to the center of the couch, sinking into the soft cushions with a sigh.
Mosquito Girl blurred past the rest and snuggled up to him on his right side. "Hehe, I got the best seat." She looped her arm under his and squished her chest against his.
Psykos moved more deliberately but no less purposefully, taking the position to his left and mirroring Mosquito Girl's actions.
"Smart girl." Mosquito Girl praised.
Even in this mental construct, the sensations were no less real. From the perky softness pressing against his left arm, to the incredible weight and warmth of Psykos' huge breasts against his right. Caspian had to hone his focus as the others found their seats around them: Suiko choosing the far end of the couch, Wavygyaza perching stiffly on the armrest, Tatsumaki floating cross-legged in midair, and Fubuki and Yuta taking the remaining spots.
"Are you going to show it to us~?" Psykos whispered seductively into his ear.
Of course, he would show them. He must! Just look at how Psykos is being affected by his will.
"No more secrets." Caspian pressed the remote's 'power button.'
The screen flickered to life.
"And who do we have here?"
"Just a guy who's a hero for fun."
¤ ¤ ¤
The barren wasteland below sped away from Black Sperm as he rode atop a female monster named 'Grizzly Nyah.'
"Did you forget your armor?" His curiosity stirred.
"No." Lord Boros shook his head, but kept facing forward, looming at the nape of Grizzly Nyah's neck. "I no longer have a need for it.
My original purpose for coming to this plant was to face an opponent who could match my strength and provide the thrilling battle I've sought for centuries.
Foretold to me by a seer."
A being like him could naturally only be an alien to this world.
Black Sperm then asked, "And I figure this 'prophecy' didn't come to pass today?"
"No, but I can attest it is the most excitement I have experienced since my arrival. You should I am not finished with the Monster Association yet."
What?! Does he plan to end me here?
"The one known as 'Orochi,' lives on."
"He actually survived?"
"Yes. What remains of him is consuming all matters of life as we speak. Perhaps, given the chance to grow to a higher level, he can provide me with more entertainment.
I no longer wish to endure the duet of solitude and boredom."
He's willing to travel the ends of the universe just to fight off boredom…
Black Sperm gripped Grizzly Nyah's fur as the flat wasteland transitioned into a mountainous region. "Do you still believe in this 'prophecy?'"
"Indeed. Truth to be spoken, I may have stumbled across my fated opponent in the near past."
"What makes you believe so?"
"Instinct." Lord Boros turned to face him, clasped his hands behind his back and grinned. "This planet, 'Earth,' has a way of awakening something dormant within us all. Something better."