Seiji couldn't fall asleep. He twisted and turned, thoughts of Yumi's touches and her skin glistening with his cum spinning in his brain like a tireless revolving door.
"Life is awesome!" he thought. "How could I have been so dumb before, thinking everything was bleak and pointless?"
When sleep finally claimed him—or was it a dream, or just sweet delirium?—he saw Grandpa again.
Grandpa was sitting cross-legged among some clouds—or maybe smoke. Hard to tell. Everything shimmered and pulsed, vague and exciting. The same mischievous grin was on Grandpa's face—the one Seiji had never truly understood.
But this time, Grandpa wasn't alone.
Two women stood beside him.
One was dressed in white, her expression calm and distant, like she belonged in some temple. The other was her complete opposite—barefoot, gorgeous hair tumbling over her shoulders, her lips curved in a smirk that made Seiji's heart skip. She looked like trouble. Yumi kind of trouble.
Grandpa raised his hands dramatically, as if introducing a show. "Seiji, my boy! I see you've found the amulet." His voice rolled through the air. "Good for you! Not only have you found it, but you've also began to test its powers."
Seiji shivered.
Was Grandpa able to see him from the other world? That sounded made up.
"And so," Grandpa continued. "Ahead of you in life lies a choice."
Seiji blinked. "A choice? What kind of choice?"
Grandpa laughed. "A choice between using the amulet—or becoming a wimp and letting its power evaporate. Let these two lovely ladies explain it to you better than I could. You have to pick which one is going to be your companion for life."
Shivers ran down Seiji's spine.
The woman in white stepped forward, bowing her head slightly. "Prudence," Grandpa said, motioning toward her. "She is reason, care, logic. The voice that keeps you from doing stupid things."
Her voice was soft but steady when she spoke. "Seiji," she said, her tone smooth and measured, "you crave freedom, but freedom without balance destroys itself. Be with me, and I'll show you how to rule your desires instead of being ruled by them." She looked him straight in the eye. "You'll have power, yes—but clean, good power. No regrets, no chaos. Don't you want that kind of strength?"
Grandpa giggled and turned to the other woman, who had been watching them with a sensual smirk that could melt steel. "And this," he said, "is Akari—or as I like to call her: Imprudence. She is fire, hunger, instinct—the voice that tells you to just chase what you want."
Akari laughed—a low, teasing sound that made Seiji's veins pulse. She moved toward Seiji, hips swaying with each step. "Would you seriously consider listening to her?" she chuckled, glancing derisively at Prudence for a moment. "You've been caged long enough, haven't you? Always knowing your place. Polite. Nice. BORING!" Her lips almost touched his ear. "Stay with me, and you'll taste everything the world's been hiding from you. Pleasure. Power. Danger. The kind of life that makes you feel ALIVE."
Seiji noticed that the amulet around his neck began to glow, pulsing with each heartbeat.
Grandpa leaned forward, elbows on his knees, grinning like he was about to tell a dirty secret. "So, Seiji. Haven't you already made up your mind?"
Seiji's pulse thundered. The amulet throbbed. He could almost taste both women standing before him, each shimmering in her own light.
Grandpa chuckled. "Come on, boy. You already know the answer. The amulet has given it away."
Seiji knew Grandpa was right. The answer burned in him like a fever. His chest tightened, and the word burst out before he could stop it—
"Imprudence!"
The air cracked like thunder. The world exploded in gold light. Prudence disappeared into mist, dissolving into the nothingness around them. Imprudence threw back her head and laughed, smiling at Seiji. "You are all mine now, aren't you?"
Grandpa clapped his hands once, satisfied. "That's my boy!" he exclaimed. "The amulet has chosen. Now your real journey begins."
Akari stepped even closer until she was right in front of Seiji. He could smell her—hot, sweet and forbidden. She traced a finger down his chest. "So, Seiji?" Akari's robe fell to the floor. She grabbed his hand and put it on her naked body. "Are you ready for your future?"
Before he could answer, the world tilted, and everything crashed away.
Seiji sat up on his bed, gasping, drenched in sweat. The only thing he could see in the dark room was the faintly pulsing amulet on his chest.
"I'm doomed!" Seiji's heart was ready to burst out of his chest. "What did I choose?"