43. Chapter Forty-Three
Chapter Forty-Three
Cody
They spent some more time in the workshop.
Cody handed over his Droppies, and Gracie had enough to craft another gem.
It was the same shape and size as the red one, but bright blue, similar to the Droppies.
Giving her the special items also meant he reached his fifth and final Friendship Level with Gracie.
But soon enough, it was time to walk her home for lunch with her dad. Morgan slowed down as they reached the end of the Callahan cottage driveway.
“We have a deal, right?” Morgan said to Gracie. “From now on, if you need something you ask me or Mr. Pinecone Man instead of running off to find it yourself?”
“Deal!” Gracie said, just as Doug stepped out of the cottage and waved to them.
They shared one last hug before Gracie went running off to her dad.
Morgan seemed lost in thought as they made their way back to Cody’s cottage, hand in hand.
“Are you okay?” Cody asked.
“It’s a lot,” Morgan said. “And then even more gets piled onto the last bunch, and then more, and then more…And now this. If she's telling the truth, if Grandpa Sam left her with this task, I can’t help but wonder why. If she really is building a World Arch that can help Grandpa Sam return from…wherever, why did Grandpa Sam leave something this important in the hands of an eight-year-old child?”
Cody mulled it over, but then the answer came to him as clear as day. “I trust you more than anyone in the world, and I had trouble telling you the truth about Velasarin. It wasn’t until you saw a nekofae in the flesh that I felt ready to explain everything.”
“What does that have to do with Grandpa Sam and Gracie?”
“She said Grandpa Sam left in a hurry, right? And he needed someone to craft these gems and make the arch, and someone he could connect to the game system to get all of that done. Assuming, he’s the one who connected Gracie to the game in the first place.
But who would you choose if you had to leave such an important task with someone?
Someone like Doug, who would not believe a word you said, or someone like Gracie, who looked up to Grandpa Sam, who is a little kid with a huge imagination?
If an adult she trusts tells her something, she’ll believe them and get to work.
She’s old enough to make a solid attempt, but young enough to go along with everything, no questions asked. ”
Morgan stopped walking. “That really does make sense. She is the perfect choice. I just can’t help but feel angry at Grandpa Sam for giving her such a big responsibility. What if she can’t do it, even with our help? She’ll be crushed.”
“Do you really believe Grandpa Sam is still alive?” Cody asked as they started walking again.
“That he’s not dead, but he went somewhere?
Like when I got isekai’d to Velasarin? Except, it sounds like Grandpa Sam had some control over it, and that he knew he was leaving.
Plus, he’s actually gone. For me, not a second passed between leaving and returning, even though I was in Velasarin for an entire decade. ”
Morgan sighed. “And there was a body. We both went to the funeral, Cody. I don’t understand what’s happening.”
“We don’t have the full picture, that’s for sure. But I say we keep focused on finishing the Cottage Country game. We help Gracie as much as possible, and see what happens if we actually build this World Arch thing.”
“And we have harem sex,” Morgan said playfully. “It sounds so fun in the books.”
Cody laughed. “We really need to have a serious group talk about that.”
“Let’s go home, eat lunch with the girls, and then we can have a big, serious talk.”
“I agree with this plan.” He was feeling nervous about the group thing, but he did really want to discuss their current situation, with everyone present.
Once home, Morgan went to tell Nyrah and Yana it was safe to come out of their room, and Cody got started on lunch.
Using the oven, he whipped up some grilled cheese sandwiches and threw together a garden salad.
It wasn’t exactly difficult to make grilled cheese, but it was way faster to throw a bunch of cheese slices, bread, and butter into the oven, and have four perfectly crispy brown sandwiches ready in a matter of seconds.
Cody sat at the head of the table, Morgan across from him, Yana and Nyrah on each side in their natural forms. The four of them ate in silence, but it felt like a comfortable silence this time, so Cody decided to not attempt a forced conversation. That could wait until they finished their meal.
So, this could be my harem, Cody thought to himself.
All he had to do was say yes, and every single one of these ladies would be in a relationship with him.
When he dreamed about coming back to Earth, he was dreaming of Morgan, not Morgan plus an elven-orc woman and a nekofae.
He thought all the pretty beastkin girls of Velasarin would be things of the past.
As soon as they finished eating their lunch, Morgan stood and graciously cleared the table, depositing the dishes in the dishwasher. Nyrah watched her every move, as if trying to puzzle her out, while Yana sat perfectly still and looked anywhere but at Morgan or Cody.
“We need to have that big talk now,” Morgan said. “All of us. Together.”
She sat back down at the table and motioned to Cody, as if she expected him to have a prepared speech. He did not have a prepared speech.
“I um…so…” he mumbled.
“Cody said yes to the harem,” Morgan said helpfully.
Nyrah inhaled sharply and looked over at him, wide-eyed. “Really truly?”
“Really…truly…” Cody said slowly.
A notification popped up:
[Congratulations! You have completed your fifth and final Friendship Level with Resident Nyrah Rose! You have now unlocked Romance! Only ten Romance Events until Marriage is unlocked!]
“And you just finished leveling up and unlocked Romance,” Cody told her, feeling equally uneasy and excited about taking that next step with Nyrah.
“I…I…” Nyrah burst into tears. “Can I hug you, Cody Hampshire?”
“Sure.”
Cody let the full name thing slide. They both stood and Nyrah rushed over and hugged him.
He slowly wrapped his arms around her, mindful of her wings.
She felt so small and fragile in his arms, it was hard to believe she had viciously attacked Morgan.
Her chest heaved as she continued to sob, pressing her face into him, as well as the softness of her generous boobs.
In no time she had thoroughly soaked his T-shirt with her tears of happiness.
He heard a chair slide out. Morgan was making her way over and then she joined in, hugging both Cody and Nyrah from the side. A moment later, Yana was carefully joining their first ever harem group hug.
“What happens now?” Nyrah mumbled into Cody’s chest. “Do we have sex now?”
Cody gently pulled away, untangling himself from the trio of women. “First we talk.”
He headed over to the living room and sat in his grandfather’s recliner, facing the girls as they assembled on the couch.
Morgan was on one side, Nyrah on the other, with a crimson-cheeked Yana squished in between them.
Cody met Yana’s eye and gave her an encouraging smile, since she was clearly the most nervous out of the bunch.
She smiled back but immediately broke eye contact.
“So, we’re all in agreement that we want to go in this…direction,” Cody began. All three women nodded. “And, if I want to one-hundred percent this game, which will hopefully get rid of Temica, I need to finish all of your Romance Levels. Morgan is already done—”
Nyrah turned to Morgan. “You’re done all of your Romance Levels?”
“Yep,” Morgan said, sounding a little smug and she winked at Cody. “We’re also engaged.”
“You’re engaged?” Nyrah cried. “To be married?”
“Yes, in this instance, that’s what I mean by engaged,” Morgan said to Nyrah. “Let’s get one thing straight: I was here first. If you actually want this to happen, I’m Cody’s Best Girl Forever and you fall the fuck in line? Do you understand?”
Nyrah’s fingernails began to elongate into claws, but she took a deep breath and they retracted. “But we’re sharing Cody, right?”
“We’re sharing, yes,” Morgan said. “But only because I am giving permission.”
Cody cleared his throat, feeling like it was time to interrupt. “And me. I have a say in this, too.”
Morgan turned to him. “Of course you do, babe. And you said you wanted this.”
“What I want is for everyone to get along,” Cody said.
“And make love?” Yana asked quietly.
As soon as Cody looked at her, her cheeks got even more red. “Yes. And eventually, we'll uh…we’ll make love.”
Nyrah squirmed on the couch, rubbing her thighs together. “Yes, please!”
“And this is a relationship,” Cody said. “We all want that, right?”
“Oh, yes!” Nyrah said.
Yana slowly raised her hand.
“Yes, Yana?” Cody asked.
“If Morgan is already fully Romanced, does that mean you know how to level us up? Do you think it’ll be the same for all three of us?”
“Yes, I know what leveled up Morgan,” Cody said. “I think it’s safe to assume it’ll work the same for the two of you.”
“Oh, um…your Knife says he urgently needs to talk to you.” Nyrah popped Knife out of her Inventory and into her hand.
“Now?” Cody got up and took Knife from Nyrah and then sat back in the armchair. What? he asked Knife.
I’m blocking Nyrah, so this is just us, Knife said quickly.
First of all: congrats. You’re about to get so much premium pussy.
But second of all, I had made a very specific arrangement with this Nyrah chick, which she even told you about!
You know I was going to coach her to win you over, and in return she was going to take me out to see my puffball princess.
Everything working out for you has completely mush-blocked me.
I am equal parts proud of you and super pissed off.
I’m sorry? Cody said.
Sorry? That’s it? You know exactly how to fix this.