He's about to face an interesting role reversal.

It was almost midnight, and Mason had only just collapsed into bed. But even then his eyes stubbornly refused to close. He might have actually been so tired that he couldn’t even sleep. His calculus work turned out to be a take-home test in everything but name. Plus he had two papers that needed to be finished, one for English and one for psychology. Even history class gave him trouble. It was a series of open-ended questions, more about analysis than memorization. He ended up redoing them three times. They were probably good enough after the first revision, but he wanted to show Ms. Bailey that their potential relationship wouldn’t affect his academic performance. Thank god Mr. Prescott was too checked out to assign involved homework.

Plus he needed to put away the pile of underwear Viv ever so helpfully dumped all over his bed. At least she did actually clean them.

But the blond teen did his best to not go back on his word. So he kept his phone handy. At first, he just checked the app. There was one message from Lilith and a few updates.

Lilith: Hey don’t blame me for that fact she’s a total MILF! That’s a Mamita I’d Like To Fuck!

You had a nice conversation with Rayen Villanueva! During which someone finally noticed that he has a hot mom! You even got a nice view down her shirt and a kiss on the cheek to drive the point home! You earned 250 silver for Rayen Villanueva!

Another day, another family dinner! You earned 10 silver for Viviana Villanueva, Rayen Villanueva, and Tegan Griffith!

Rayen Villanueva and Tegan Griffith told you they are giving you a van! I hope to see it a-rocking’ soon! You earned 10 silver for Rayen Villanueva and Tegan Griffith!

You gave each of your moms a hug! Tegan Griffith even kissed you on the cheek! It was a motherly one, but baby steps! You earned 5 silver for Rayen Villanueva and 10 silver for Tegan Griffith!

You offered to do the dishes tonight! That was nice of you! You earned 5 silver for Tegan Griffith and Rayen Villanueva!

Viviana Villanueva gave you an important reminder about the possibility of car sex! Bet she has some more tips for you! You earned 5 silver for Viviana Villanueva!

Honestly, it creeped him out. It was weird enough that the lust demon clearly wanted him to get his sister into bed. But the fact that she wanted the same for his moms, even Tegan, was downright unnerving. Mason could only hope that Lilith was telling the truth when she said she wasn’t going to **** him into anything.

But after that, his phone was a source of comfort. Well, Vina was a source of comfort and the phone connected them. Right after he got upstairs the first text came in. Then after that, they just kept coming. The bubbly, Muslim girl kept bouncing between topics. From ideas for future dates, to offers to try and help him with his homework, to terrible knock-knock jokes, to a scene-by-scene breakdown of an episode of She-Ra she was watching, to those overly kind, overly earnest compliments that Vina let slip without realizing it. It earned him another 20 silver but more importantly, it kept his spirits high as he slogged through the mire of schoolwork he was entangled in.

They continued to text back and forth until about 10:30 when Vina announced she was going to get ready to go to bed. But Mason couldn’t help but notice that she didn’t actually stop chatting with him then. Her messages just petered out until they suddenly stopped around eleven. The tall teen conjured the mental image of Vina lying in bed, falling asleep with her phone still in her hand and a content smile on her adorable face. The Muslim girl did still have her hijab on since Mason didn’t know what she looked like without it.

Hopefully one day soon.

But once he changed into his pajamas a thought occurred to him. One that troubled him. He never heard from Yumi. That was odd. Maybe his tiny girlfriend was spending time with her family, her dad was going on a business trip soon. But it was still strange that she didn’t send him a single text. He hoped nothing was wrong. And Mason really regretted not texting her instead.

But as he lay in the dark, fretting himself towards an early grave his phone chimed. If it was Lilith he was going to have to have a serious talk with her to establish office hours or something. If it was Viv he would have to… short her sheet. Or a less crappy form of vengeance. But when Mason finally found his glasses and checked his phone, he saw a message from Yumi.

Yumi: I’m at the back door. Can you please let me in?

Mason was on his feet before he could think. His instincts at least made sure he moved quietly, but the lumbering teen was out his door and down the stairs in a blur. Then he was in the kitchen. And there she was.

Standing on the other side of the glass door was Yumi. The petite girl was wearing three coats, but she was still shivering. Her breath turned to mist every time she exhaled. And her arms were desperately trying to rub some sensation into each other. She stared at him through her round glasses as they fogged up.

He moved fast. His left hand flicked the lock while his right pulled open the sliding glass door. That done, Mason just stared down at his little lover, totally dumbfounded.

“I-I’m s-s-sorry,” Yumi said through chattering teeth.

“It’s alright,” Mason whispered soothingly. He put an arm around her padded shoulders and guided her inside. He held the petite girl tight against him, hoping to share some body heat. But he also closed the door to block out the frigid air.

“What’s wrong?” Mason asked. It seemed like a waste of time to ask if something was wrong in the first place. He just held the bundled-up, shivering girl close.

“I’m s-sorry,” Yumi repeated, shaking her head. Her high voice was weak and wet. “I just n-needed to t-talk to y-you.”

He also didn’t need to ask if it was important. If the skinny teen was willing to sneak out in the middle of the night and scurry through the chilly air, it had to be. Yumi was a bundle of nerves that hated the cold. If it wasn’t important then she had gone crazy. Which was also important, just in a different way.

“Alright,” Mason said, pulling up her chin to look at him. “We can go to my room. We just need to be quiet.”

The Asian girl nodded, her multiple hoods bobbing. They moved as silently as they could given one of them was six-and-a-half feet tall and the other was wearing big chunky boots. But it would probably be enough. Rayen was no doubt sleeping soundly after a long week of putting out fires. Tegan had an effective sleeping pill that knocked her out like a pro boxer. And even if Viv was awake she wouldn’t want to get Yumi into any trouble. So when the two made it to his room, Mason shut the door, making sure to turn the handle before he pushed it closed to avoid the click.

When Mason turned around he saw his girlfriend standing in the middle of his room. Her knees were pressed together and her hands were frantically rubbing each other. The burly teen took her by the shoulders again and guided her over to the bed, flicking on the lamp on his bedside table. If she was going to panic she might as well be sitting down. But even then she didn’t seem to be doing any better. Normally, even in her worst moments, the anxious girl would eventually rally enough to look at him. But now she just stared at the floor, glasses slowly slipping down her nose.

It was time for drastic measures. Mason gently pushed her hoods down, revealing a beanie. But he left that in place. Instead, he brought his giant hands to cup her cheeks. To make her hazel eyes meet his blue ones.

“Yumi, I love you.” The blond wasn’t sure if it was the warmth in his words or the warmth in his hands, but Yumi miraculously relaxed. She closed her eyes. For what felt like minutes the tiny girl just rested there. Her breathing slowed until she could finally look at him under her own power. She swallowed dryly and pulled back before she talked.

“Mason… Th-That first-t n-night was… amazing,” Yumi took the words one at a time. It was one of the ways she learned to manage her stutter when she was still a kid. “An-And ev-very t-time since th-then w-was just as-s great.”

Mason had no idea where this was going. So he **** himself to listen patiently. But his mind was already spinning its wheels. Whatever was coming it was ready to spring into action.

“A-And I l-like the w-way y-your big-g,” Yumi stopped for a second. And she could only continue after she screwed her eyes shut. “B-But your-r p-p-p-penis is big-gger than it-t w-was… W-Way b-b-bigger.”

His mind rolled off the track. He froze, his eyes widened as far as they could. Then Mason’s mind went into panic mode. All over one question. How was this possible? But he instantly realized the answer. When he first got the Man Meat perk, the tall teen made sure the awarenesses were set to on. After all, he wanted the appropriate reaction to his new and improved dick. But that meant something else. It meant Yumi could be aware that it had gotten bigger, seemingly by magic.

“M-Mason p-please,” The petite girl begged. “At-t f-first I th-thought it was j-just m-my eyes playing t-tricks on me. B-But I c-could feel the d-d-difference. Eith-ther I’m l-losing my m-mind, or s-something cr-crazy is going-g on-n. I-I j-just n-need to know wh-wh-which one!”

Whatever else could be said about Mason, at that moment he didn’t have to wonder what to do. The tears decided that. They cut wet paths down his girlfriend’s cheek. No. Not girlfriend. That was too small a word to really describe how he felt about Yumi. He had to tell her the truth. It would be opening so many cans of worms all at once. Would this drive away the girl who had been a central figure in his life for longer than he could really remember? Would he need to tell the other women as well? How could it be fair otherwise? Did anyone else realize something was wrong? Was he even allowed to do this? What would Lilith do if he wasn’t? What would she do if he was?

But none of that mattered. Right now all that mattered was that he needed to do right by Yumi. So Mason took one last deep breath, wiped the tears from his lover’s eyes, and tried to explain.

“You’re not crazy. But I might be. And what’s going on definitely is,” Mason said heavily. “Just give me a second. It’s, um… a long story. ”

But he told it. How he got the app. How it worked. Who Lilith was, and what she wanted. Then he went beat by beat. Mason explained what he did, who he did it to, and what happened afterward. He even pulled out his phone to show Luxuria to her. Once he started he knew he couldn’t stop, not until he was done.

He just wished she would react. Even if his little girlfriend just stormed out and screamed that she never wanted to see him again. That would be better. Well, no that would be the worst possible scenario. But the way Yumi was just staring up at him with those big, doe eyes was unnerving. The only time she moved was to take off her hat, so she had something to fiddle with. And even something as small as that was comforting. An old habit that let him know she was still in there.

But even if she didn’t he would have kept going. About his experimentation on Ms. Bailey and why he felt so confident asking her to join them. About the accident with Ms. Rosso. About Vina’s kinks, both the one she already had and the one that awoke. About Charlotte Underwood’s weird behavior and his **** on Principal Skinner. Mason told her about all the gold he had spent, and what he chose not to do. He even told Yumi about all the silver she had and what he had spent it on so far. The kink he upgraded, the Extra Stretchy and Sweet Like Honey perks, even the fact that he knew she loved him before he ever asked her out.

The blue-eyed teen still couldn’t bring himself to tell her two things though. Mason didn’t tell her he knew about her mom’s infidelity. It was a mistake, but he felt too guilty to admit it. But if she told him, when she told, he would have to come clean. He just hoped this wonderful girl could somehow forgive him. Again.

And he also couldn’t bring himself to confess about Viv. He told Yumi his suspicions about what Lilith probably wanted him to do. But Mason wouldn’t let slip that he had made moves in that direction. This was a roll of the dice. And if it all blew up in his face so be it. The teen almost felt that he deserved it. But he would keep his sister out of the blast radius. At least until he knew it was safe.

But other than that, Mason bared it all. Not just what he did or didn’t do, but what he thought and felt. By the time he stopped Yumi knew every doubt and desire that had crossed his mind since Monday afternoon. And he did stop because eventually, afterward led here. To the two of them sitting on his bed. To him waiting to see how she would react.

“Okay.” The petite girl more exhaled the word than said it. But Yumi apparently either didn’t want to elaborate or couldn’t. And her complete stillness (save fidgeting with her hat) made it clear she wasn’t saying anymore anytime soon.

“Is… Is that an: okay I believe you?” Mason asked, suddenly feeling very queasy. “Or an: okay I never want to see you again?”

“The first one!” Yumi said, dropping her hat and grabbing Mason’s arm. Her high-pitched voice definitely came out louder than it should have, but she was quieter as she went. “I would never say the second thing! Or, well, phrase it that way…”

There was a strange chill running through him. It almost felt like hope.

“Wait, so… Um… I’m sorry,” His words wouldn’t form in his head. Let alone his mouth. But eventually, the tall teen figured out something to say. “I guess I’m just surprised. I thought you’d be angry. That you’d hate me or something.”

“Mason I love you,” The tiny girl said, taking his giant hand in both of hers. “I know you wouldn’t lie t-to me. And y-you're too smart to come up with a lie like this. And I c-can g-get why you wouldn’t tell me right away.”

“It’s insane right?” Mason asked, a wobbly smile forming on his face. A tension he didn’t even realize was in his chest melted away. Maybe he should have shared this with her earlier. “I mean Lilith is a demon. Forging pacts with demons is a pretty villainous thing, right?”

Her hand was suddenly on his face. It cradled his cheek. Still a little cold from her time outside, it was a gentle, cooling presence on his hot face. His blue eyes stung, but Yumi made sure that was all.

“You’re not a villain, Mason. You’re a good person,” The Japanese girl whispered fervently. She guided him down until she could press her forehead to his.

“Thanks, Yumi,” The tall teen whispered. He didn’t know if that was true, but he was willing to believe her. Mason let himself be held for a moment. But he couldn’t stop his free hand from rising. It brushed aside her long hair and found its way to her cheek as well.

But it turned out his girlfriend wasn’t done yet. She pulled back a little, just enough to look him in the eye again.

“And really you haven’t done anything wrong,” Yumi said. Mason opened his mouth, but she explained quickly. “I just mean… You haven’t used Luxuria to hurt anyone. You didn’t use the secrets to **** anyone. Or… I don’t know… Mind control someone. You didn’t even try to do anything bad. Well, you messed with Principal Skinner, but that’s just… Karma. And even then you just annoyed her. She's done way worse to us.”

It was all the same justifications he had told himself. But somehow they seemed so much stronger coming from her.

“And will you tell me if I ever do?” Mason asked. It was a bigger question than that. But she didn’t hesitate.

“I promise,” Yumi said firmly.

The massive, young man pulled her to him. He leaned down and buried his face in her soft, black hair. The smell of apricots filled him, fortified him. And just under it was the smell of Yumi. Mason wondered if she was experiencing the same thing. If she smelled those same apricots as she nuzzled into his chest. He hoped so.

Then they pulled apart. But Mason smiled as she didn’t go far. Her slender body remained pressed against him. Yumi was just at his side now. And hopefully forever.

“So now you know the truth. At least as much as I do,” He was surprised to find some levity in his voice. “Do you mind if I ask what you’re thinking?”

“I don’t,” The Japanese teen said. But then she stopped talking. Her boyfriend was tempted to say something. Fortunately, he knew Yumi’s thinking face. “Well… It will definitely be helpful. I don’t know if this… g-group thing would be possible without it. I mean, Vina was already super in love with you, and it turns out she likes the idea of sharing you too. B-But the rest… And if the app didn’t tell you that I love you… Well, I know I never would have worked up the courage to ask you out… S-So I know this is weird but… I’m kind of glad you have it. I don’t think there’s anyone I would trust with it more.”

“I don’t think you’re giving yourself enough credit. And I promise I’ll let you know whenever I use the app,” Mason said, offering an affectionate pat to the top of Yumi’s head.

“I-I don’t think you n-need to,” The tiny girl said in an equally small voice. The blond’s eyebrows rocketed upwards. But the qualifications came quickly. “I-I j-just meant s-some of it m-might n-not be my b-business. Like s-secrets and stuff. I w-want to know if-f you use it on m-me. U-Unless it’s a s-s-surprise… Um…”

“That all sounds fair,” Mason said, his voice at the junction between affectionate and amused. “And I’ll try to let you know if a surprise is coming.”

“Then it wouldn’t be a surprise,” Yumi said, an honest-to-goodness giggle actually escaping her. It was almost bizarre, but the outsized teen pulled her closer. He couldn’t help chuckling along with her.

Somehow it worked. This incredible girl next to him had, against all odds, accepted this madness. Not just that, Yumi managed to double-check his logic and even agreed to be his moral anchor. But what really made his heart quicken was a single realization. If she was with him after all of this, then they were in it for the long run.

“C-Can I ask a question too?” The short girl asked hesitantly. She pushed up her glasses, but couldn’t quite look him in the face. At least until Mason leaned down into her line of sight.

“Yumi right now I’ll give you a kidney if you want,” Mason said. He honestly meant it.

“Y-You, um, have silver and gold, right? C-Can I see how it works?” Yumi said, looking down at Mason’s phone. He had set it next to him on the bed after his explanation was done.

“Did you have something in mind?” Mason asked, picking it up. But when he unlocked he noticed something odd. There was a new message, but even after the long conversation they just had it wasn’t telling him that he earned silver for Yumi. Normally that would at least earn a few coins.

Howdy there, cowboy! You’ve done a heck of a job ropin’ in them fillies! Yada, yada, yada. Westernism, westernism. Anyway, I was working on a surprise for you, but little did I know you had a surprise for me. For now, you and Yumikins can just relax! We’ll chat soon. Now have a fun night! Oh, and enjoy my surprise lovebugs!

-Had an idea to give you a little more tactical flexibility! But in, like, a fun and sexy way. More strip poker than Settlers of Catan. Hopefully, it’ll help get you some more pussy! (And ass, and mouth, and tits!) So now if you have a trait you really like on one of your targets, you can copy it for another one. Just be ready, it’ll cost you double.

“Yumikins?” The short girl said as she read along with her boyfriend.

“Yeah. Get used to pet names,” Mason advised as he stared down at the message. Something was wrong. Lilith had specifically added the ability to chat through the app. Did this mean she wanted to chat face-to-face? If so, why? The demoness had only done that when he first received Luxuria. That had been a watershed moment. Was another coming?

“Are you alright?” Yumi asked softly. She had looked up at his face, and it was surely showing his worry.

“I just-”

His phone chimed again. Another message from the arch demoness. But this one was in the actual chat window.

Lilith: Dude seriously chillax! I’m just trying to not interrupt you two. Plus it’s just easier to answer your bazillion questions in person. Well in a dream, but you get it! Besides, don’t you want to see me again? I’m pretty damn sexy if I do say so myself!

“So, um, do you believe her?” Yumi asked, swallowing heavily. She looked up to him, the tall teen was her guide in this new world. But he didn’t know if he was ready for that. All he could do was be honest.

“Well, I don’t think she’s telling us everything. But she’s basically saying that” Mason said, talking his way through his own thought process. “I know it sounds crazy, but I trust her. For a demon, she’s surprisingly honest and straightforward.”

“I guess… When you’re that powerful you don’t really need to lie to get what you want,” She said. Her face had slackened, apparently, she was a little awed by that realization. “Glad she’s on our side.”

“Me too.” The blond actually thought of Lilith as mostly being on her own side. Still, she had been useful so far. Actually a lot more than useful. The pink woman had made the impossible possible. And she had even taken his personality and preferences into account as she built and updated Luxuria. Mason figured she had earned a little mystery.

“Hmm… Oh! Yeah!” Yumi had been sitting with her head bowed, and her brow knit. Until suddenly she spun to face him, black hair fanning out behind her like a can-can dancer’s skirt. The tiny girl got to her knees to get to his eye level. (Or at least closer to it.) She grasped his arm with both hands and explained the reason for the big, excited smile on her face. “This update is perfect!”

“It is?” Mason asked, with a quirked eyebrow. Sure it was probably going to be useful, but perfect seemed a little ****.

“Because of the, um,” As she spoke her words started coming out slower and slower. Her face flushed, and her hands covered the lower half of her face. Then her last three words came out as quickly as possible. “Extra Stretchy perk…”

“You’re right. Yumi you’re a genius.” Mason pulled his girlfriend’s small hands away so he could kiss her. Really he should have thought of that immediately. He was a big enough man (well, teenager) to admit that he went overboard on upgrading his penis. But without the ability to select which ranks of a perk were active, he was now stuck with either the super cock or the one he thought needed improvement in the first place.

But his enthusiasm was curbed when he looked at his target list.

“Right now I can only afford to give it to Vina,” He sighed. Well, he could also afford to give it to his moms. But he really didn’t want to. And it would be a while before Extra Stretchy would actually be helpful for his pious girlfriend.

“Wait, didn't you say I had like 14,000 silver?” Yumi said, tilting her head to the side.

Then the two nerds looked at each other, their bespectacled eyes meeting. Mason wasn’t sure what his face looked like, but he imagined it mirrored Yumi’s. It certainly matched his own thought process. It started with bunched eyebrows and pursed lips. But then her eyes widened and her mouth opened slightly. He had assumed that the silver would come from the target that received the trait. She thought it would be the person whose trait was being copied. Only one of them could be right.

Mason held up his phone. Yumi stretched to get her adorable face as close to his as she could manage without their glasses hitting each other. He tapped on his petite girlfriend’s name. Then opened the body menu. And finally tapped the new copy button next to the Extra Stretchy trait. A menu came up. On the left side, it said Yumi Kamiya, and on the right Vina Wibowo in a drop-down box, with an arrow connecting the two names. Under each of them was a silver coin and the number 1,000. And at the bottom was a slider bar with its chevron pointer square in the center.

“That’s…” Mason said as he moved the slider back and forth. The silver cost would go down on one side as it went up on the other. All the way to the extremes of 0 and 2,000.

“Perfect,” Yumi offered frankly. “I mean we were both wrong, but this is better.”

It was. Normally Luxuria seemed designed to make him work for his perversions. It tantalized him with just enough power to make him hungry for more. But not enough so that he could just do whatever he wanted. Honestly, he preferred it that way. There was such a thing as being spoiled for choice. But this new function, and Yumi’s mountain of silver, opened up a lot of possibilities. He would need to be careful. For every ounce of power Luxuria gave him, he would need a pound of self-control to keep himself from doing anything reckless or dangerous.

Even the mental image of red, demonic eyes rolling right out of their sockets wouldn’t change that. But he didn’t see the harm in this. So he confirmed the copy, taking the two grand out of Yumi’s account.

“That’s it?” The waifish girl asked.

“Almost,” He went to activate Vina’s new trait. “I just have to set the awarenesses.”

Mason set them to off. If he didn’t want a repeat of tonight, he would need to start being more careful. Not that he was against telling his girlfriends about Luxuria. But he would want it to be on his terms, rather than another ambush. And he would need to be extra careful with Vina. He doubted the devout Muslim would be as accepting of his infernal patron as Yumi was.

“Could you upgrade it?” His girlfriend asked. Her hazel eyes were locked on the screen. Mason recognized her stony expression. Yumi was in study mode, trying to learn everything she could about the app.

“I could,” Mason explained. He was certainly willing to teach her what he knew. Even if that mostly amounted to walking her through his thought process. “But I probably wouldn’t get much use out of it for a while, and that would be most of her silver.”

“That’s true,” Yumi agreed, her tone like she was proofreading a paper for him. “Then a new trait?”

“Sure,” He said. Vina only had 2052 silver. Far from zero, but Mason knew from experience that it was easy to burn through coinage quickly. Then again this was a bit of a special occasion. He considered his options. Somehow the most innocent woman on his list had ended up with three kinks. One she started with, one he unlocked, and one she naturally developed. But that was it. So Mason figured he might as well address that imbalance.

He found himself facing a similar dilemma as with Yumi. How much could he do before he changed Vina before she drifted away from being the girl he… Well, not quite loved, but something close. Now though the calculus had shifted. Even if the trait he bought was something he didn’t want for Vina, he could potentially copy it to someone else. Mason’s options ultimately boiled down to either a Body or Behavior perk. So he mentally flipped a coin and decided on a large Body perk. So far the large boxes had been worth the cost.

Sexercise: Rank 1! There’s no better way to get your heart rate up than a good, old-fashioned game of hide the sausage! Vina Wibowo will now burn extra calories during sex!

“Oh, Vina will like that,” Yumi commented as Mason enabled the perk, leaving the awareness toggles off.

“Probably. Do you want me to copy it for you?” He asked. It seemed like a really useful perk. The outsized nerd wouldn’t mind having it for himself.

“No. I have a hard enough time keeping on weight without burning extra calories.” Mason put a thick arm around her skinny body. Yumi’s stomach simply wasn’t big enough for her sometimes. Fortunately, she had gotten better about managing her diet. Save for when she got too absorbed by a new game and forgot to eat the occasional snack.

“Alright,” Mason said, giving her one more squeeze. But the two looked at his phone again trying to decide what to do. At least until a small, peaky voice asked a question.

“C-Could I m-make a r-request?” Yumi asked, her voice was careful and unsteady.

“Anytime you feel like it,” He assured her.

“W-Well you c-can always say no, b-but I think you should upgrade…” The petite teen paused. She pushed up her glasses to try and hide her furiously blushing face. Then she whispered. “Th-the underw-wear one?”

“Sure. Do you mind if I ask why?” Mason asked her. He had an idea, but he was curious. About that and what Playing Dress Up would upgrade into.

“It’s j-just she’s b-beautiful… and you’re b-being so p-patient with her, which is v-very nice,” Yumi fumbled a bit as she tried to put her feelings into words. Her little hands fiddled with each other, as she shifted her gaze between looking at him and looking anywhere else. But he didn’t rush her. Sometimes Yumi just needed a little extra time. “So it-t would b-be like a r-reward or something… And I know she’ll b-be… alluring.”

It was then Mason thought of a question he should have asked himself a long time ago. Did Yumi like women? He knew full well it was possible, and it would certainly explain a few things. It just seemed odd that she never told him. Then again Rayen had once told Mason and Viv that admitting she was bisexual to Tegan had been pretty tough. She was worried about how her future wife would take it. And by her own admission, his childhood friend had her eye on him from a very young age. That might be a conversation for later.

For now, he just accepted her logic. Vina’s divine curves in some sexy lingerie were an incredible prospect. Even if Mason wasn’t totally comfortable with the idea of it being some kind of reward for him not being an asshole.

Besides, it would only cost 375 silver.

Playing Dress Up: Rank 2! Vina would like to wear sexy lingerie for her partner. Hard to blame her with that body she's got! Rank 2 Bonus: Looks like Vina might be getting some naughty ideas! She now likes the idea of themed lingerie sets. Wonder who she’s trying to impress?

“What does "themed sets" mean exactly?” Yumi asked as she read the new trait.

“I’m not sure,” Mason admitted with a sigh. “But knowing Lilith. I’m sure we’ll find out.”

Even if it took a while to see it in person, he was confident the demoness would happily tease him about it. But as he looked down at Vina's remaining 677 silver he came to a quick realization.

“That might be all for Vina at the moment,” He told her. “I like to try and save up silver.”

“That’s smart. Should we get the, uh, stretchy trait for Ms. B-Bailey too?” Yumi’s Hazel eyes were wide, and her mouth was straining to hold back a smile. It seemed that someone was enjoying this. Mason wondered if Lilith should have given the app to her. Not that he was going to give up Luxuria without a fight. “W-We are seeing her tomorrow…”

“That’s true,” Mason said as he copied Extra Stretchy over to his teacher. Not that he was actually expecting anything to happen tomorrow. Ms. Bailey made it pretty clear this was more a chance to talk than an actual date. And even if it somehow turned into one, he doubted she would sleep with him on the first date. Still better safe than sorry.

But as he spent another 2000 silver to copy Yumi’s trait a neuron fired deep within his brain. It did its best to point out the obvious without calling all of its brethren complete, fucking idiots. They still felt like it though. And so did Mason.

“God I’m stupid,” Mason muttered. His hand came up to his face, pushing his glasses up so he could rub his eyes while he sighed heavily.

“What? No, you’re not,” Yumi said quickly. She almost sounded angry at him. And when he lowered his hand there was indeed a grumpy frown on her adorable, round face.

“I just meant that I should have been copying the, um, Little Bit… Cucky trait,” He started speaking quickly, trying to assuage her (unintentionally cute) anger. But then he slowed down. It may have been the name of the trait, but it could definitely come off as a little insulting. And Yumi’s face did flush an even brighter hue, and her petite body did squirm a little beneath her multiple layers of warm clothing.

“Well, you could. But I don’t think you should,” Yumi said in a surprisingly stable voice. Even when he quirked an eyebrow at her. A little uncomfortable, sure, but she seemed downright confident. At least by her standards. “I guess I should say not yet. I just don’t think you need to. Vina seems totally on board and already has a trait to make sure she enjoys… dirty stuff. And Ms. Bailey seems willing to try it. You can always copy the trait to another girl if you need to. And you can use your silver for other stuff in the meantime.”

“That’s true,” Mason agreed. It’s not like he was hurting for silver, but he might as well save it for a trait he needed or wanted. So long as he had his phone and 2,000 silver for Yumi (which it seemed he always would) he could copy the trait as soon as it became clear he needed to. Still, he knew his oldest, closest friend too well to not spot the subtext.

“Just don’t think you can pull the wool over my eyes that easily,” He said with a playful smirk. “Do you want me to buy a box or copy a trait?”

“I-I wasn’t t-trying to trick you, I p-promise! And you c-can say no! It’s y-your app! You’re in charge! I j-just-” Yumi stumbled over the words that rapidly spilled out of her mouth. At least until Mason pulled her into a one-armed hug.

“Whoa, I’m sorry. I was just making a joke,” Mason assured her as calmly as he could. “If you have an idea you can just tell me. Even if I think it’s a bad idea or something we can still talk about it.”

“I’m sorry too, I’m just nervous. And a little overwhelmed. And… kind of excited,” She said with a small grin. “C-Could you copy a trait for me?”

“Of course.” Mason had the feeling he knew where this was going. “Apples to Oranges?”

“No, um…” Yumi said quietly. Then the tiny girl swallowed heavily and fixed him with an intense stare. “Mason please be honest with me.”

“I promise.” There wasn’t really another option right then. Mason had guessed totally wrong. And probably poked an old wound in the process.

“Y-You told me that you liked them. A-And if you were j-just being nice that’s fine. That’s one of the reasons I love you,” Yumi said looking down at her bundled-up body. Her pale hands came up, slowly crossing over where her minuscule breasts were hidden. “I never r-really liked how I l-looked. So short and skinny, I s-still look like I’m in middle school. So if y-you want to change th-them, I’ll be grateful. But if you r-really like them… Then I want to keep them. At least for a while.”

Yumi’s head was ducked. Mason always suspected one of the reasons his shy lover kept her hair long was so she could hide behind it. But he needed her to see his sincerity, not just hear it. So he parted her long locks and tucked them behind her ears. Then he pushed her large glasses back up her button nose so he could look into her misty eyes.

“Yumi, the reason you had so much silver is because I love you. Because I love you just the way you are. And there’s no part of you I would change.”

He leaned down to kiss her. It was going to be a gentle and warmhearted moment so she could feel firsthand how much he adored her. She had different plans. Her slender arms circled the back of his neck as she yanked him down to her mouth. Yumi mashed her lips into his so much **** it stung a bit. Then just as quickly she pulled back

“I love you too,” She said through a wide smile. Her hazel shimmered, tears clinging to her lashes. The petite girl slid back down, sitting next to him and nuzzling into his chest. He gave her a moment there and gave himself a moment to just hold the girl he loved.

“I’m sorry I jumped to conclusions like that,” Mason said awkwardly.

“Don’t be,” Yumi assured him brightly. “Until a few days ago I would have done almost anything to get an offer like that.”

“That’s a bit dangerous telling me something like that,” He said half-jokingly, half-tauntingly. That earned was a nondescript noise that was somewhere between a grumble and a whine. It was too cute not to chuckle at. “Well, I guess I should ask what trait you do want.”

“Well it’s a bit weird,” Yumi muttered looking away from him. “But I’d like Man Of Her Dreams.”

“Really?” He asked as he picked his phone back up. That wouldn’t have been his first guess. Well, that was obvious given that he had already guessed wrong once. But it wouldn’t have been his second guess either.

“I-I’m just curious,” She defensively, awkwardly squirming by his side.

“It’s alright. Like I said if there’s something you want just ask,” He said. Mason opened the app, seeing that their kiss actually did earn silver.

You had a very romantic moment with Yumi Kamiya! You even helped her feel more comfortable with her body! Way to go Romeo! Plus a heck of a kiss! You earned 15 silver for Yumi Kamiya!

Well, it was good to see that Luxuria was still working properly. Granted 15 silver wasn’t really going to matter after he spent another 2,000 silver.

“I’m not one-hundred percent sure how the awareness toggles work on this one. So I’ll set yours to on and everyone else’s to off,” Mason explained as he tapped away on his screen.

“Yeah, that is an odd one,” Yumi agreed, brows crinkling in speculation.

“Okay,” Mason said as he finished activating the trait for his girlfriend. He didn’t know exactly what was going to happen, but he imagined her dreams were about to get a lot crazier. “Is there anything else you want?”

“K-Kind of…”