Self-questioning.

Will, Amelia, Cynthia and Aoi arrived at his apartment after a long, very stressful night. The first thing Will did after walking into his place was undo the first three buttons of his shirt, feeling like they were **** him, and go to the bathroom to splash cold water on his face.

He felt dizzy, unsteady, distracted from any one thought, mind racing from thing to thing. That was how the party had been, after all.

First two random guys tried to flirt with Cynthia and Amelia, but he managed to turn that around and get good info out of them. Now he had a better idea of how the underworld worked. Then, of course, there was Helga’s appearance. Will’s stomach still turned at the memory of seeing her again, at a party of that nature no less. Theories aside, it was a sure thing that Helga had magical abilities. Did that mean they’d run into her more often? God, please, no. Just… let her make her life however she wanted, just as far away from him as possible. Then Ishtar had a chance encounter of her own, if a more pleasant one. She and this Johana girl had a bit of history, and Ishtar wanted her on their side.

…

Will didn’t quite understand it himself. The moment the topic of a fight with the warrior woman came up, he felt the urge to step in. Suppressed thoughts rising from the back of his head for a moment, pushing him to agree to getting his ass beat. Hopefully that was the worst that could happen.

After that it was mostly up to Amelia and Cynthia. They introduced themselves to new people, potential business partners, potential customers, members of the… um… Well, better call it what it is. They introduced themselves to members of the underworld mafias, the groups organizing these kinds of events.

Throughout it all, the message everyone parted with was clear. They were being given a chance to prove themselves, to show that they had something to contribute to this underground society.

So now they needed to take on a job as hunters to prove their abilities and reliability. He would have to work with Nanami to continue improving the production process of their potion. They would have to manage their new connections, too. And of course, Will needed to keep training.

As strong as Ishtar was, they were still nowhere near to being top dogs. Martially speaking, Aoi was still stronger and just being in Johana’s presence told him she was a head or two above them, as well.

Then there was school. Shit, he had a paper due next week, and a portfolio check, too. He hadn’t taken many new pictures recently. Too much work kept him busy.

Why, out of all that pile of things to do, was training the least overwhelming of them all?

Will felt the world spin around him for a second. He splashed more cold water on his face, rubbing as he let out a muffled groan. No time to get overwhelmed at all, William. Take it one thing at a time. Remember what this is all for.

…

…

What… What is this all for?

Huh?

There was… Right. Right. There was their search for a physical body for Ishtar. Belphegor promised to help them find a mirrorkin to help them make one that coil shapeshift, like Ishtar wanted.

Amelia and Cynthia also wanted to get into this underworld business. They saw potential there and weren’t willing to ignore it if they could further increase their capital. Aoi, though, was using this hunting business to further altruistic goals along with Nanami.

Reina was pursuing her dream of being a model and succeeding. Her awakening to sexual energy enhanced her natural allure and made her catch everyone’s eyes. She was now a rising star.

So was Ruth, really. She was standing out among her dance group and for all the right reasons. Their newest performance actually even revolved around her. If it went well, they’d be getting offers to perform in high-class theaters.

Anna kept focusing on her career and her studies. She was mostly satisfied but wanted to keep working. Will didn’t doubt that, should their hunting business grow, Cynthia would ask Anna to help them with it, too. After all, she was a top-notch secretary.

And Will was…

“What about me?”

Why was he doing all this? For Ishtar. For the girls. But… he wanted this too, right? He agreed to Aoi’s proposition of his own accord. He wasn’t **** to continue training with her. He needed to get stronger to protect himself and the girls. This was the best way to do it.

“But what am I getting out of it? What am I working towards? Do I… have a goal?”

His head really was a mess. He wasn’t sure if he was asking himself these questions for the first time or not. Yes, he was doing this for the girls, for Ishtar.

‘Will…’

His thoughts were so jumbled even Ishtar was at a loss for words. She couldn’t even make sense of what he was asking himself.

Will took a deep breath and looked at himself in the mirror. He saw himself wearing a small grin. “This all started because I wanted a harem, didn’t it?”

Now he had one. Seven women, all beautiful, sexy and special in their own way. He cared for them, loved them. And yet…

“Yeah. It’s me I’m not content with.”

Will was busy. He was doing so much lately and still had more to do. And yet there was a lingering feeling of… emptiness in the back of his mind.

‘And that’s why you want to fight Johana, isn’t it?’

“Yeah. There’s something about myself I need to figure out.”

‘I want to say you’re overthinking things. Be more like me, go with the flow. But I can see why you’d question everything after tonight. Just remember that no one’s rushing you, okay?’

“Yes. Thanks.”

He would find it. His path, his motivation, his goal. After all, he had time.