To fulfill a promise.

Feeling far more refreshed than he should have, considering how little sleep he actually got, William took a shower early that morning and got dressed in clothes that were easy to move in plus a heavy black jacket.

“You’re really going back there?” Reina asked him from the bed.

Will nodded.

“Why? I mean, I know you guys made a promise, but…” Ruth grimaced.

“I’m going back there for several reasons, none of them being any personal sympathy for the… incubi, was it? The promise that binds me to go is one I made to Ishtar. I promised her I’d help her when she found something she wanted other than sex, and it’s the first time she’s ever asked me for something like this. She wants to help them, so I’m going. That said, I have personal reasons to go, too. Nanami’s aunt went there, and she’s one of Jack’s pawns.”

“Jack?” Ruth asked.

“The asshole husband of… one of my lovers,” Will said, having some issues getting that out. “Nanami confirmed that, like me, he’s possessed by a spirit, one governing over sloth. The guy that broke my ribs the other day was also one of his pawns. I have reasons to believe he’s doing something to Cynthia as well, but I can’t approach carelessly. I don’t know what the Spirit of Sloth can do, but there’s a big chance that Nanami’s aunt does. By going back there, I’ll be able to find out if she’s still there since the incubi should be watching over the portal. If she is still in there, I can fulfill my promise to Nanami while also getting to ask her some questions AND helping Ishtar too. Pretty efficient if you ask me.”

“And way too dangerous if you ask me,” Reina said. “Will, the incubi were weak and they still managed to kill these… huge lizard like things. Who knows what else is there?”

“Oni and succubus at the very least,” Will answered, remembering his objective. “Believe me, I’m not going in overconfident. I’ve been caught off guard before. I’m going in on high alert, and after what we did last night, Ishtar and I are feeling in top shape. My partner is strong, you know?”

“…” Reina and Ruth shared a worried glance. Then, Reina got off the bed, fully naked, and stood in front of Will with narrowed eyes. “Can you switch with her for a second or is that a problem?”

“Eh? Um… N-No, it shouldn’t be.”

“Then please let us talk to her.”

‘You’re up, girl.’

‘Urgh. Do I have to?’

‘Please? It might make them feel better.’

‘Fine. Just for a moment.’

They swapped, and Will had to sit back and watch while Reina and Ruth faced a very uncomfortable Ishtar. She stood with her arms crossed and raised her chin slightly.

“Okay, I’m here. What is it?” she asked.

“I think I’m starting to notice the differences,” Ruth said, examining Will’s face closer. “Will doesn’t make this grumpy face.

“Her body language is different, too,” Reina noted. “I thought it might be difficult to tell, but maybe not so much.”

“You didn’t call me just for this, did you?”

“Of course not,” Reina shook her head. “I just needed to say this to your face. Or… as close as I can get to that. You warned us not to go behind his back, or we’d have issues. Now you have to hear us out. Bring him back safe, you hear?”

“I’d rather you didn’t go back,” Ruth said. “I think I get why you’d want to help those guys, but…” She shuddered, and not in the way Will enjoyed. “I can’t really care about what happens to them now. I know it’s not our place to stop you, but at the very least bring Will back in one piece.”

“What will you do if I don’t?” Ishtar asked, shrugging.

“…” Their frowns deepened. There was nothing they could threaten Ishtar with, nothing that wouldn’t also affect Will.

Ishtar sighed and her shoulders relaxed. “Alright, fine, that was an unfair retort. Yes, I’ll bring him back safe. I don’t need anyone to tell me that.”

Ruth crossed her arms and pouted. “You’re just a delight, aren’t you?”

“I don’t like it when people tell me to do things I already planned on doing.”

Reina sighed. “So long as we’re of the same mind.”

Will and Ishtar swapped again. Will blinked to shake off the dizziness that always hit him and then gave the girls a wry smile. “Sorry about her. She can be… really awkward at first. It took us a while to start getting along. She actually really likes you both.”

‘Shut the fuck up.’

Will ignored her attempts at hiding her embarrassment.

“She actually cares about you, and that’s really all the matters,” Reina said.

“Be careful, okay?” Ruth said.

“You too. You can both stay here today if you want. What happened yesterday wasn’t an attack against you specifically, so I don’t think you’re in any danger. Regardless, I’ll talk to Nanami and I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

Will kissed them both and left the apartment. His own phone was busted from going into the Aether Realm, so he headed directly to Reina’s apartment complex by bus. At the stop, Nanami was already waiting for him.

“Oh, thank god I decided to come early,” she said, sighing in relief. “We had already parted when I realized I had no way to contact you now. I was about to take the bus to your place.”

“I’m glad to see you’re here too. Nanami, about Reina and Ruth…”

“Yes, I figured you might be worried.” She looked towards the building as she explained. “I told you I know people who can handle stuff like this, right? Well, might come as a surprise, or maybe not, but there’s a small branch of the police who are aware of the supernatural. Our organization used to work with them, until… you know. They got the people to hospitals and passed the incident as a gas leak. Someone should be watching your apartment now to watch over your girlfriends, too.”

“So the police now know about me?”

Nanami nodded. “Some of them, at least.”

“That’s just great…” Will groaned.

“D-Don’t worry! They can be trusted, I swear! Or rather… They don’t have the power or influence to do anything about you.”

Will raised an eyebrow, but then gave it some thought. If Nanami had told them about him, then she probably had told them about Jack Evans as well. Why hadn’t they done anything? Probably because they had no way to prove any crimes were committed, especially if the people who handled these cases were no longer here.

“So they don’t have anyone with supernatural powers?” he asked.

“Exactly. Our organization handled all that with the help of the police. Now all they can do is watch.”

“Okay, I’ll worry about all that later. Now I need to go back in.”

“I’ll go with you. With the victims of yesterday in the hospital and your girlfriends being watched over by the police, there’s nothing more I can do here.”

“I’d love to say I can protect you, but I won’t make empty promises. I’ll try, but…”

Nanami shook her head. “I… I know. I’ll do my best not to get in your way, but I know more about aether than you do, and I’ve heard stories from others about that place. I might be of use.”

Will nodded.

The two made their way to the building and down to the basement. It was time to get things done.

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