New Steps
"Huh?"
Mika froze at Hypno's sudden words, her face twisting in pure confusion.
"Mika, you were thinking something like this, weren't you? That Kitty and I are dating, and that we're into some weird play."
"U-uhh?"
"W-well, th-that's…"
"You have to answer me honestly, right?"
"Y-yes. I… I did think that…"
"That is a truly rude misunderstanding. Because Kitty really is my pet. Right, Navi?"
"Yes, Master!"
"Navi?"
"That's the real name I use when I call her. Anyway—thinking of my relationship with Navi as a romantic one… that kind of assumption is completely outrageous and extremely disrespectful."
"Uh… uhhh…!"
With every emphatic word from Hypno, Mika's face drained of color. She looked exactly like a low-level office worker who had just accidentally torpedoed the company's most critical project.
"I-I'm so sorry! I-I-I didn't mean to—on purpose—!"
"If it wasn't on purpose, does that make everything okay?"
"W-w-what should I… d-do…?"
"Then… I'll have to receive a proper apology. Of course, in the way I want. That's only natural, right?"
In an instant, Mika's pale expression flipped into desperate hope, as if she had spotted a single ray of light.
"Y-yes! A-anything! Just t-tell me!"
"Heh heh heh… Then…"
Just as Hypno was about to describe a delightfully enjoyable method of apology, something Navi had mentioned earlier tugged at his mind.
I can take the apology anytime. First, let's hear about that 'good idea' of hers.
He turned and looked at Navi.
"Navi, by the way—what was that good idea you mentioned?"
"Hm? Oh, that. Hey, Mika."
Navi fluttered the request form in her hand.
"My Master just registered as an adventurer, right? But you know how insane the line is over there. So how about you process this herb-gathering request for us?"
"What!? Again? K-Kitty… requests are handled by the intake staff, not me— I go through other people— eep!?"
Mika started to refuse, then caught sight of Hypno's face. Color fled her cheeks once more. She immediately nodded and snatched the request form from Navi's hand as if seizing a lifeline.
"I-I'll process it right away! W-with this, m-maybe the apology will…"
She kept stealing nervous glances at Hypno. He let a sly smile curl the corner of his mouth.
"I'll still take the apology, but… well, my mood's improved."
"H-haaah…"
Knowing that the person she needed to apologize to was in a better mood—and that it would make the apology land more easily—Mika let out a tiny sigh of relief.
"As for the apology…"
Hypno thought for a moment. It was a little past noon. Herb gathering would take who-knew-how-long, but by the time they collected the herbs and returned it would already be evening. And once evening came, after dinner he had a master's duty to exercise Navi. In other words, there was no time today to receive Mika's apology.
Tomorrow, then. Right after I part with Navi? No—doing it inside the Adventurer's Guild would be bland; I already did that with Tris. So…
He cast his mind back to the hypnosis games he used to play. The situations that always got him hard.
A receptionist. Basically the same as an office lady working at a company. And when you fucked an office lady, it wasn't only hot if you did it at the office. Sometimes the real thrill was taking her in a private space where she could completely let her guard down—her own home.
That flash of inspiration, courtesy of his Intelligence 20 brain, made him ask:
"Mika, when do you get off work?"
"I… around seven…"
"And where do you go after work?"
"Well… home…"
"Then I'll receive the apology tomorrow at your house."
"M-my house!?"
"Yes. The place where I receive the apology is entirely up to me. That's a perfectly natural right. Agreed?"
"Ugh… Yes, that's right. Th-then… what kind of apology should I…?"
"I'll tell you when I step into your house."
Having said everything he needed to say, Hypno turned away.
"Alright, Navi. Help me with the herb gathering."
"Yes, Master!"
"We'll help too, of course!"
"Let's wrap this up quick!"
Hypno left the Adventurer's Guild with the three of them in tow and immediately asked Navi,
"Where do we go to gather herbs, Navi?"
"Herbs are… ah, but Master, before we gather herbs we should secure a room first. At night there might not be any left."
"Yeah, good idea."
Hypno had assumed they would just grab a room and head straight out. What awaited him instead was a full beginner-adventurer orientation course courtesy of Navi, Tomy, and Divi.
After booking a room at the same inn as Navi, Hypno was ready to head out for herbs when she stopped him.
"Master, did you pack basic gear?"
"Basic gear?"
"Yeah—the dagger you need for herb gathering, emergency medicine, potions, and…"
Navi listed off every essential item even a novice adventurer was expected to carry. Of course Hypno owned none of them.
"I don't have a single one."
"Then let's go buy them!"
"We'll pick out the good stuff for you!"
Tomy and Divi flashed toothy grins and shot him thumbs-up. The original plan to gather herbs was instantly rewritten into a shopping trip for Hypno's starter kit.
Since they already knew exactly what was needed, the shopping spree wrapped up in under an hour. Hypno's outfit—previously just Glenn's old clothes stitched back together—had been completely replaced by a proper mage's ensemble.
A belt pouch filled with herbs, emergency medicine, potions, a dagger, and other essentials. New outerwear and top made of tough leather that could turn aside light attacks. And because the three of them assumed he specialized in magic, they even gifted him a brown robe of the sort mages commonly wore.
The gifts came from their own free will, not because of hypnosis.
"Uh… I do have money, so you really didn't have to go this far."
"This is nothing! We're doing pretty well ourselves, so don't sweat it, Master!"
"Exactly! And compared to the duties Hypno-ssi assigned us…"
"This is nothing at all! Is there anything else you need?"
"Navi… Tomy… Divi…"
A warm, genuine emotion welled up in Hypno's chest at their kindness. At the same time he vowed to repay them properly someday.
Once the shopping was done and preparations complete, the three guided him out of the city and into a nearby forest. Along the way they drilled him on every caution an adventurer needed to know.
The most basic rule: unless you were absurdly confident in your own strength, never travel without a party. They also shared practical tips—how to spot an inn with clean rooms, simple recipes for emergency medicine made from common herbs, and countless other hard-won pieces of know-how from their own adventuring lives.
Hypno listened carefully, nodding the whole way. By the time the conversation wound down they had reached the herb forest. They set up and began gathering together.
Twenty minutes in, Hypno muttered under his breath,
"This is boring as hell."
"Ah, right?"
Divi was the first to agree.
"We thought the same thing when we were beginners."
"But back then we still hustled like crazy because we needed the money."
"Tomy! Divi! We're finishing this fast so Master doesn't get bored! Ah—found another one."
Navi sliced another herb free with a crisp swish.
"Navi, we only needed thirty herbs, right?"
They had already finished the quota ten minutes earlier. Hypno had simply gone along when the three insisted on gathering more.
"Yeah, but Master, you're going to keep adventuring, right? We bought emergency medicine, but it's still better to keep a stock of these herbs on hand."
"She's right."
"You can't make proper medicine right away, but if you crush them and smear them on a wound they still work."
"I see."
So this is for my sake too, huh. Well, if it comes down to it I can just learn Heal, but…
Hearing their reasoning, Hypno decided that preparing ahead wasn't a bad idea. Even if he never used the herbs, he had his own method—skill acquisition. Still, touched by their concern and treating it as part of the adventurer experience, he went back to gathering.
Five minutes later they were done.
"This should be enough."
"Finished?"
"Yep! Let's head back and report!"
"Ah, by the way…"
Hypno stood and scanned the surroundings.
"Herb gathering is a beginner request, right?"
"Yeah."
"But besides us, I don't see any other adventurers in this forest."
"Ahh~ At this hour it's just us. Everyone else comes in the morning."
"So this whole forest is really empty except for us? What about monsters?"
"This area is a herb habitat, so C-Rank and higher adventurers clean it out regularly."
"After enough cycles the monsters just avoid the place on their own."
In short, the monsters had been taught that this patch of forest was off-limits.
Is that so…
Hypno glanced up at the sky. There was still time before evening. They had finished far earlier than expected; if they returned now it would be an awkward hour for dinner. Better to finish the report right after eating, he decided.
In that case… might as well kill some time and play.
A wicked smile spread across his lips.
"Navi."
"Yeah?"
"We've got time left, so let's do mating exercise!"
"Huh?! H-here?!"
"Here?!"
"Yeah. Exercise is better outdoors anyway, right?"
"Uh… well… yeah, I guess?"
"Besides."
Hypno stepped up to her and waved a hand up and down.
"Squat."
"Huh? Okay. Like thi— eep!"
The moment Navi squatted, Hypno grabbed her head and yanked it straight toward his cock.
"Navi, you don't want to do mating exercise right this second?"
Pressed against his cock through the robe, Navi's breathing instantly turned ragged.
"W-well… of course I do. Haaah♥ Haaah♥"
The lust she had been holding back for her Master's sake began to spill free the instant his cock was this close.
"Good girl~ Then hurry up and drop your pants and put that pussy against me. Today's outdoor exercise."
"Yes♥"
Navi rose with her tail swishing happily, shoved her pants down, and planted both hands against a tree.
"'Exercise' me, Master♥"
Ten minutes into the outdoor mating exercise.
Thrust! Thrust! Thrust! Thrust!
"Hoooh♥ Oooh♥ Nngh♥ Cock♥♥ Master's cock♥ is still the best♥ Oooooh♥♥♥"
Pshhhhhhh!
"Hiiigggghhhnnn♥♥♥♥"
Navi felt pure bliss as her beloved Master's semen once again flooded her womb to the brim.
"Big Sis…!"
Tomy and Divi watched her getting exercised, their cocks standing stiff and throbbing. Since this was only exercise and not feeding time, they simply stood there staring.
Having emptied himself thoroughly into Navi, Hypno kept grinding the head of his cock against her cervix in a slow, rhythmic press while he thought.
Squeeze! Squeeze! Squueeeze!
"Oooh♥ Nngh♥ Nnnn♥♥"
Outdoor play has a nice open feeling you don't get inside a carriage… but something's still missing for stimulation… Hmm.
Then Tomy and Divi's wildly excited gazes locked onto him and Navi. Feeling their eyes, a few keywords floated up in Hypno's mind.
Multiple people.
Hypnosis.
Outdoors.
And pets.
A grin stretched across his face as the perfect idea to fill that missing stimulation bloomed in his head.