Changelings - 2
I trained two units of spearmen, conquered the nearest city with one legion, and immediately disbanded two legions. Even after several turns passed, no enemy forces approached the city. I had a hunch, and it seemed like it: the AI was recognizing the soldiers I produced and deploying counters to attack them. Or maybe the soldiers I'd moved to advantageous defensive positions had entered the AI's special field of vision. That might have exposed my city when I shifted troops. Still, I couldn't tell if this was a gain or a loss. If the AI just sat there producing forces and waiting, it was to my advantage—but if neither of us produced more troops, it was just another variable.
"May I come in?"
"Yeah. Come on in."
As always, Yukiko entered carrying snacks and coffee. I took a big bite of the hefty croissant, feeling the crisp outer layer give way to moist, chewy insides.
"Do you enjoy playing games alone, Master?"
"Huh?"
Come to think of it, I'd never really considered that. Or rather, it had been ages since the thought crossed my mind.
"I just play... it's a game."
"How about enjoying it with Mikoto or Karin?"
"Nah, no need..."
I couldn't picture those two diving into a hardcore strategy game. Co-op mode would've been too time-intensive per match, and explaining why it was fun would've taken forever.
I let out a hollow chuckle and took Yukiko's hand.
"It's embarrassing to admit, but I know nothing about this game. I boasted confidently about studying it when I was sold as a slave... but it's humiliating now."
Yukiko bowed her head politely.
"No, I never expected you to know something like this. But what games did you study?"
Surprisingly, Yukiko knew the pretty niche online game I played—even the skills and specs of every character.
"Wait—how did you even know I played this?"
"Your ID is already quite famous among male gamers."
"What?"
"You've been a ranker since before the war."
Ranker or not, it wasn't anything grand. With so few people around, a bit of dedication had barely gotten me into the top 100. This game skewed male-heavy, and even after the player base shifted, few rankers remained. Since I'd posted in communities under that ID now and then, it wasn't strange for people to suspect it belonged to a guy.
With no clues pointing to single-player games like this one, she'd focused on online ones instead. Did she really need to share my hobbies that badly? Well, Mikoto had kinda gotten into voice acting because of my interests, so it wasn't entirely pointless. If Yukiko's looks weren't quite my type, it might've been a handy way to appeal.
"Ah... no, that's still weird! How'd you figure out it was me?"
"Naturally, by cross-referencing the ID you mainly used. With public info exposed like that, it wasn't hard."
"Huh?"
I slowly mulled over her words. The more I chewed on them, the more my imagination branched into terrifying directions.
"Did you... read all my community posts too?"
"Not everything, but I tried to see as much as possible."
Like a repentant sinner, I began reviewing my past misdeeds. In the foggy mists of memory, shameful deeds slumbered.
"Did you have to?"
"Truthfully, there wasn't much payoff. I wanted to know your desires in advance and tailor myself to them... but nothing stood out."
"That's invading my privacy! Privacy invasion!"
If I'd carelessly commented on some overflowing lust post, Yukiko might've shown up in cosplay of that character. It sounded kinda hot in hindsight, but the idea of her scouring my posts and replies was pure horror no matter how I spun it.
"I cannot invade your privacy, Master."
Yukiko stepped closer and knelt right in front of me.
"That bed and this computer have witnessed your cherished moments of self-pleasure. But can that be called a privacy invasion?"
"Those are just furniture."
"So am I. Your personal onahole for handling lust. With me here, you need fear nothing."
Yukiko bowed deeply and pressed her lips to my foot.
"Even if you committed a crime, I'd join you. Whatever desires you unleash, I'd follow completely. Because I'm a tool."
I scooped Yukiko up effortlessly and tossed her onto my lap. She startled, unaccustomed to the sudden height, a tiny crack forming in her icy facade—always a delight to see. The pose was precarious, but cradling her massive hips made it stable enough. In an instant, she was gazing down at me, held high in my arms.
"I'd still freak out if a teddy bear watched me."
"A teddy bear exists to be hugged. Those black buttons on its head aren't eyes."
Carrying Yukiko around was fun. I paced the room a few steps with her in my arms, then gently laid her on the bed.
"Shall I serve you now?"
"Nah, tonight. Hmm... Wait, don't we need to schedule this or something? Anyone feeling neglected lately because sex has dropped off?"
Come to think of it, I'd been having way less sex with Yukiko. Back when it was just us, I'd taken her every day—but lately, I wasn't even hitting three times a week. Mikoto needed reassuring fucks whenever her insecurities flared, and Karin often stumbled into my room tipsy, flowing naturally into sex. Yukiko never nagged or forced seduction. Yet whenever I wanted her, she was perfectly ready, offering her body without refusal.
"No one like that. And scheduling itself would only bind you—it's a wicked notion."
"Still, with more women around, I should love them all equally..."
"You are the king of a harem. There's no need, and it's impossible. With two or three women, fairness is feasible. But with ten, a hundred? Loving them all equally defies reality."
Gazing at Yukiko lying on the bed, I wanted to join her. I relaxed completely and lay beside her. The familiar white ceiling came into view. I groped sideways with my right hand, grasping her slender white forearm.
"Will I end up using that many women as slaves?"
"Slaves or not, it'll be the same—concubines, lovers, slaves, all vessels for your desires."
This pristine white ceiling wallpaper—I'd seen it hundreds of times before bed, upon waking. Since Yukiko started living here, even the ceiling gleamed cleaner, more beautiful.
"Sometimes I wonder if you're really seeing the same thing as me."
"I'm always looking at you, Master. Even now."
"Then you'll never see what I see, your whole life."
Yukiko was the one I loved most. It had been true before, was true now, and probably always would be.
"There must be slaves skilled at that game. Shall I look?"
"No. It's fine. No plans to add more slaves right now."
"You'll increase the women in the end."
Yukiko stated it firmly.
"You won't stand by and watch the suffering of a woman you could save."
I couldn't argue. I'd bought Yukiko herself that way.
"Can I really love all the people I gather like that?"
"Buying them is love enough. Besides, slaves don't need their master's love."
Yukiko naturally guided my hand to her ass. Touching her hips without looking always sparked the same thought: Is all this hip?
"I heard an interesting story recently. Do you remember that blonde student we met before?"
"Blonde?"
"The girl around when we first met—the one who got your number because of my inexperience."
"Oh... yeah, I remember."
Students could dye their hair these days, but few shelled out for it just for fun. When pleasing men was government policy, not thrilling rebellion, dyeing lost its appeal.
"Anyway, what about her?"
"One of the girls with her had a family crisis—financial ruin. Her mother fell ill with something rare and hard to treat... Truly pitiful, isn't it?"
Most surviving families were single-mother households, fathers lost. If the mother collapsed too, it was a candle in the wind.
"Hold on. Why'd she call you first?"
"Of course, because I restricted her access."
"You little..."
"Kyaa!"
I flicked her forehead hard with my middle finger. If I'd gone full force, it could've been fatal—I'd moderated it, but it must've stung.
"I thought it necessary. She wasn't a match for you, and you seem to dislike casual flings..."
Her forehead reddened. But instead of rubbing it, she left the swelling and rapid-fired excuses.
"Fine, I believe you. Just smacked you 'cause it pissed me off."
Her reaction was adorable, so I stroked her forehead instead. Had I hit too hard?
"...I'll trust you. It was for my sake, right?"
And I could guess why Yukiko brought it up now. Even knowing she was acting in my interest, I felt sorry for her.
"Give me her number. Guess I should at least talk to her."