Some time later, both Griseo and Jun An were lying on Aponia's thighs.
The hypnosis had been lifted, and Jun An finally understood his earlier confusion—why the massage had felt increasingly exhausting despite being pleasurable.
But it was too late to say anything now...
"Is the Captain unhappy?"
Aponia stroked Jun An's hair, saying with some remorse: "I'm sorry for using such methods. After all, I'm not petite like Mobius, nor as likable as Elysia."
"Let me clarify once more, I'm just generous with my love, not a lolicon."
It wasn't about that. Jun An had forgotten that Aponia's reputation in Fire Moth wasn't much better than Mobius's, especially when it came to forcing others. In that regard, Mobius might even be slightly more restrained.
After all, Mobius would at least notify people before performing surgery, and occasionally would even ask for their opinion.
Whereas Aponia, in the name of saving people, could do things comparable to Mobius, such as imprisonment, hypnosis...
Jun An had thought she'd changed, but evidently she hadn't.
"I'm not angry, at least."
Jun An didn't care about one more person forcing themselves on him at this point, considering everything he'd been through.
He recalled something terrifying Himeko once said—that the cute Captain was born to be thoroughly ravished.
"Rather than dwelling on this, could you give me your ability? That's what I came here for."
Although Jun An possessed enormous mental power, he lacked effective output methods.
For major techniques like the Sword of Taixu, not only was the power difficult to control, but the consumption was also substantial for Jun An. He could use it at most three times in a battle, or five times if pushing himself.
But he couldn't rely on this mental attack as his only psychic offensive method—that would undoubtedly become a weakness.
Therefore, he needed to acquire some mental perception abilities from Aponia as a contingency.
Aponia naturally agreed, allowing Jun An to copy her mental perception abilities and giving him the Discipline stigmata to better control his stigmata.
After doing all this, Aponia asked, "So, Griseo and I are now on the same level as Mobius, right?"
Aponia knew she had essentially forced herself on him, so she was uncertain whether she could have the same status as Mobius, especially since he had agreed to help arrange Mobius's wedding—clearly an unusual relationship.
If the Captain considered her just a one-night stand, there wasn't much she could do, since the same method obviously wouldn't work twice on Jun An. She'd need to think of other approaches.
She couldn't exactly put a discipline restriction on the Captain, requiring him to owe her one session each time he used her ability, could she?
"Yes."
Jun An nodded. The number of rings he needed to forge had increased by two.
"I'll rest for a bit, then I'll find Eden to design several wedding dresses and rings."
Although Jun An wasn't bound by formalities, joyous occasions like weddings and ceremonies were naturally worth celebrating. Moreover, he wanted to see what Aponia and Griseo would look like in wedding dresses.
Incidentally, he planned to copy Eden's gravity powers too. Though not strong on its own, when combined with mass-produced Eden Stars, it could deliver explosive power comparable to Heavenly Fire.
But before that, Jun An intended to settle accounts with Aponia.
"The hypnosis incident isn't over so easily. You still didn't listen to me—don't use hypnosis to force people!"
Jun An stood up, swinging his waist and striking Aponia's face with a whip. "A disobedient nun like you must be properly punished."
Seeing Jun An's rising passion, Aponia began to feel parched.
"I know my sins are irredeemable,"
The pure nun gazed devoutly at the rod that would punish her. "Please, Captain, punish me severely~"
"Hmm?"
Griseo seemed to be awakened by the sound of Jun An spanking Aponia. She rubbed her eyes. "Punishment?"
Jun An quickly responded, "Oh, it just means continuing the massage."
Griseo seemed to half-understand, but having been colored by the Captain's influence, she said: "I want to join too."
Meanwhile, in a corner, Pardo was on the verge of tears.
Just how powerful was Brother Jun An's recovery ability? It had only been half an hour, right?
The poor cat could only continue hiding behind the pillar, waiting for her opportunity.
———
"Wedding rings and wedding dresses?"
Eden's hand paused as she was posting a streaming hiatus announcement. "Someone's getting married? That's wonderful news."
"Yes," Himeko sat cross-legged on Eden's leather sofa, drinking milk tea, her enormous chest serving as a cushion. "Three rings, one men's formal suit, and two wedding dresses... actually, let's tentatively plan for one wedding dress for now, since we don't know if Theresa would prefer a wedding dress or a shiromuku."
"Hmm, but if we consider preferences, he might like a traditional Chinese wedding ceremony too."
Looking at Himeko's self-mumbling, Eden knew she definitely hadn't thought things through before coming.
"So whose wedding is it? Just starting to prepare?"
Eden asked curiously. If it wasn't a hastily proposed plan, Himeko's request wouldn't be so vague.
"Yes, I'm just taking advantage of having time now to quickly arrange the wedding."
Himeko was already in her thirties. For someone who hadn't yet experienced the extended lifespan of a MANTIS, now was one of the best times to get married.
"So I want you to help me design the wedding dresses and rings."
Eden was the most excellent designer she knew, so she naturally thought of asking her to help design the attire. After all, Eden's professional skills and taste were very reliable.
Moreover, regarding price, Himeko didn't have many concerns. They weren't short on money.
"But are weddings in your Previous Era the same as in the Current Era? They should be similar, right?"
Himeko remembered that much knowledge in the Current Era was learned through the Previous Era's legacy, and some might even have been directly taught like by Fu Hua. For instance, the customs of the Divine States were more or less influenced by Fu Hua.
"At least the mainstream wedding attire hasn't changed much,"
Eden replied. "If you're looking for more obscure wedding attire, I can take some time to study it."
Accepting new art forms wasn't difficult for Eden.
"That's great! I'll give you the wedding plan later. For now, let's start with the rings—a matching set, one for the man and three for the women. Only one of the women's rings needs to fit my ring finger; the others should be about the size of my little finger!"
Himeko pulled out her phone. "I'll pay a deposit first. Here are some photos—he's about this big now."
A wedding wasn't a small matter, but wedding rings could be ordered in advance. After all, Jun An had no artistic sense except for observing beautiful women and mechs, so he probably wouldn't complain.
Eden looked at the photo of the young boy and became flustered. "This is... Himeko?"
Wait, who is this? Why does he look so much like the Captain?
And does the Current Era's law allow such a young child to marry? Himeko, are you abusing your authority?
"This is the Captain," Himeko pouted. Why did everyone react this way?
"Don't you know the Captain has returned, just smaller now?"
"Ah, I see."
Eden breathed a sigh of relief, almost thinking her drinking buddy had become a deviant.
Wait a minute.
"Your marriage partner is the Captain?"
"Yes, we even have a marriage certificate!" Himeko proudly displayed her marriage certificate, finally having a chance to assert her ownership.
Eden opened her mouth, hesitated, then said, "I won't take this job. Please leave, my friend. I wish you happiness."
"Why?!"
Himeko was shocked. Surely people couldn't be this petty! Could they? Eden didn't seem like that kind of person!
Eden slowly walked away so Himeko couldn't see her face. She didn't even turn around when she bumped into a stool, completely abandoning her usual elegance.
"Because the Captain is supposed to be with Elysia! They're the ones who should be together!"
"Huh?"
Since when did Eden become such a shipper?
Himeko now roughly understood Eden's thinking. It was like a faction game—Eden had invested in the promising Elysia faction, which made sense since the Captain genuinely liked Elysia.
Yet at the grand finale, it was she, an unlikely side character, who picked the fruit. That must have been hard to swallow.
But how could this pose a challenge to Himeko?
After all, when Theresa became the Captain's official main wife, Himeko had already abandoned the so-called pure love route. By then, she had even planned how to cuckold Theresa.
A mere shipper was nothing—Himeko had even shipped herself before!
Back in the day, Himeko had even imagined a bad ending where she died from low Honkai adaptability, with the Captain grief-stricken and dying alone. Someone like her could easily handle this situation!