I took a deep breath. I had been standing at my front door for about five minutes now. After I finished hashing out my plans with War, it was finally time to come home. Once again, my anxiousness and concern surged up. I had run away a few months ago. I know they had tried to contact me a few times. At one point, my mother had even driven out to find me, I had hidden in my room and didn’t answer. It had taken Maria pinning me down to finally make me come out of hiding.

Now, I felt shame. I had punished all of them because of what one person did. No, I couldn’t even leave the blame on her. I chose to leave on my own, and I had to live with the consequences of that. Kira, Sasori, Akiko, Maria, and mother… I left them all for selfish reasons. Would they forgive me? I wouldn’t blame them if they didn’t.

I reached for the doorknob, and then the door suddenly swung open. Mother was standing there. She crossed her arms and looked me up and down.

“Mother…” I said, but my voice croaked a bit.

“Well, are you coming in, or are you not?” She demanded.

“Am I, allowed in?” I asked, feeling too awkward to just walk in without permission.

“Sweetie… you’ve always been welcome here, and you always will be.” She reached out and touched my cheek.

Her touch seemed to open the gates, and I reached out and grabbed her. I pulled her into my embrace, but how could I stop there. My mouth found hers, and my tongue invaded her mouth. We had lived in that neighborhood for years. Anyone who looked at our front door at that moment would see me openly Frenching my Mother. These were people who were familiar with us enough that they knew she was truly my mother and I was her son. There would be no question about it. They might have many questions, but I had no care what they thought.

Mom pushed my chest, pulling her lips away. “Hah… Hah… you naughty son, I was going to still be a little angry at you, but when you kiss a woman like that, how can she do anything but get wet.”

“Gross, mom, I don’t want to hear those words!” Maria’s voice came from inside.

She walked up to us, giving me a mischievous smile as if to say that she had told me so. She had said many times that none of them had given up on me. However, I just couldn’t allow myself to believe it, because I had given up on myself for a bit there.

“Oh? You don’t like hearing about how horny your mother is? Or is it because your boyfriend is the one making me wet?” Mom said, her eyes holding some teasing.

“Mom!” She blushed. “He’s my brother!”

“So what? Your brother is your boyfriend, no need to act so embarrassedly. Why Hakaru may want to play with us both at once.”

“I’m not like Kira! She and her mom have a weird relationship! I don’t want to see my mom naked!” She said accusingly and then shot me just an accusing look. “Brother, just because I’ll let you tap this old hag, doesn’t mean I’m going to participate. You shower between us, it’s only respectful!”

“Old hag! Hmph! Experienced!”

“I’m experienced too!” Maria responded defiantly.

“Young and experienced!” Mom smirked. “Doesn’t that just make you a slut?”

Maria let out a cry. “You… bitch! Hmph! Hakaru, since we’ve fucked like ten times since we got back together, I’ll let you give this old hag your sloppy seconds. I’ll be in my room if she can’t hold out and you realize you want a more youthful woman!”

She spun and walked away. Mom snorted and shot me an accusing look.

“Do you see how Maria talks to me now? It’s all your fault.”

I blinked. “How is it my fault?”

“Ever since we starting dating the same man, she’s gotten it in her head that we’re equals. Suddenly, she thinks she can talk to me like she talks to her friends. I’m going to have to remind her who her mother is.”

“Isn’t it just because she turned 18 and is graduating and leaving the house soon?”

“Hmph, you think she’ll leave as long as you’re here? Thirsty sluts always come back for a drink.”

“That’s your daughter you’re talking about…” I said helplessly, wondering when my sister and mother had established such a relationship.

Maria was never terribly respectful to mom, but she usually hid it by remaining in her room all the time. She never acted out, and definitely wouldn’t use her name. Now, it was like I didn’t even know the two women. It looked like once dad and I both left, the pair had come out of their shells. I kind of liked it.

“Well, come in then before you get a cold.” Mom walked inside, and I made sure to take off my shoes before following her as she walked into the kitchen.

“Hakaru.” Before I could say anything to mom, another person immediately caught my attention.

“Akiko? What are you doing here?”

She put on a pouting face. “After you left, what was I supposed to do?”

My face flashed with guilt. “What… happened since I’ve been gone?”

“Naturally, the second massive sex scandal in so many months? You’d expect it to be all over the news, right?”

“I haven’t heard anything.”

“And you won’t. The government suppressed all knowledge of it. We only know because we were there. Suddenly, nearly a hundred girls were transferred out of school. They said they won some kind of special education scholarship, but I bet every girl who won was one of the ones that Depravity had messed with and enslaved. They probably made them and their family sign an agreement to be silent, and then paid them.”

It was true that the government wouldn’t want to risk a second disaster. After the first sex scandal involving Sasori’s husband, the district chair was brought in to reconcile the situation. However, only a month into it, he was discovered to have been part of an even larger scandal. The man himself was gone without a trace though. They likely thought that he fled after doing his damage.

In reality, he had been killed by Harem, but no one would ever know that. As to this all being covered up by the government nicely, was that the act of the gods? It seemed almost too convenient that there was no fallout after dozens and dozens of girls were seemingly raped to a catatonic state. The fact that my father was at fault for it could have caused our family a great deal of trouble too. Harem and NTR must have done something to smooth things over, or maybe things were just smoothed over because that was ultimately what they wanted.

It seemed like the gods and reality had a strange relationship. The personality and behavior of the gods reflected the way mortals acted, or it could just as easily be said that the way mortals acted influenced the god’s behaviors. If I became a god, would that mean I’d end up changing my personality to fit the trend of society? Would it be the equivalent of giving up my free will?

These were questions I had never allowed myself to ask before. I had also known deep down that I would have to abandon my family if I became a god, but I ignored that as well. I’d figure it out as I went along. That’s what I told myself. Now that I had the time, I truly could ask these questions. I was thinking that I really should ask them, particularly with my family here. I didn’t need to do this alone. This was ultimately something that would affect all of us now, so I couldn’t be secretive anymore. It was time to get everything in the open.

“Akiko, can you go get Kira and Sasori. I need to talk to everyone.”

“Ah! Y-yeah! I can do that.”

Mom seemed to realize I meant serious business, and she started cooking. By the time Akiko returned with the two women, she had made a full meal. As a result, we ended up having supper. I felt like what I needed to say would be better on a full stomach, so after fetching Maria from her room, we all ate like a family. Kira and Sasori hugged me, of course, and we made amends. When I looked at Akiko, who had remained distant, I realized she was waiting for me to allow her to hug me. She was my slave, after all. If she were to hug me without permission, I could punish her. She was so relieved when I finally let her touch me, that I felt a little bad for forgetting our arrangement.

Finally, after we had finished kissing, hugging, making up, and eating, I sat everyone down in our living room. The room seemed to hold just enough space for all of them. It was like this house was always meant to hold my harem here. That was just silly. There was still Gina, all the girls from the Academy and even the one War was inhabiting. I’d need a much bigger place if I was going to accept everyone.

All of the girls were watching me with different expressions. From Maria’s impatient get-on-with-it look, mom’s encouraging glance, or Sasori’s active listening like the school teacher she was, every woman offered something. I was foolish not to talk to them earlier and be open. Perhaps, I could have saved two months of self-exploration had I just been willing to talk.

“So… it all started like this…”

I told them everything. I started from the beginning because not every girl necessarily new everything. They had more or less filled each other in on the details, but I had never explained things from beginning to end so fluidly. It was true, they knew a good deal of it, but it was still something that I needed to get out. I didn’t just explain what had happened, I revealed all of my wounds. Whether it was what powers I used and how I used them, or what tactics I used to seduce the women in front of me, or even my fears and regrets. I laid it all bare, even when it seemed uncomfortable.

“You all already knew I was immortal, although some of you may have questioned if it was true. It’s one thing to have someone say it, and quite another to see it for yourself.”

I pulled a kitchen knife that I had grabbed earlier during dinner, and then I stabbed it into my hand. All of the girls let out cries, and my mother was first to grab a rag. I pulled the knife back out and handed her my hand. She immediately wrapped it up, wiping up the blood. However, a few moments later, she could no longer find a wound. It had already sealed completely.

I supposed, as far as immortality went, I got the good kind. Although it had hurt, I would heal from any damage. I was Wolverine, although without the claws and the six-pack. Once the girls calmed down, I finished explaining things, by talking about War and her ultimate proposal.

“As an immortal, I can only watch you all grow old and die. As a god, I might be able to bring you into the heavenly realm. Mortals can go there; they say they live much longer than a normal human. Plus, I might have the power to make you all immortal like I am now. I don’t know. I know where staying on Earth will get me, but becoming a god is something else entirely.”

After I finished speaking, there was a silence for some time. Every woman present seemed lost in her thoughts. I was almost about to speak again, thinking I should say more, but mom perked up first.

“What do you need from us?”

“Then, you’re with me?” I asked.

“We were always with you.” Sasori chuckled.

“You’re our man, if we couldn’t support you, how could we call ourselves women!” Akiko added.

“If Brother wants to become a god, then brother will be a god!” Maria nodded like it was decided.

I felt a warmth in my heart that I hadn’t felt for some time. I was finally starting to move in the right direction.

“In that case, I need to do a summoning ceremony. I need these so-called ingredients, as well as Netori’s former vessel. She wants me to do it tonight at midnight!”

“Tonight! That’s only four hours away!” Mom let out in alarm. “That doesn’t give us much time. Who will be Netori’s vessel?”

“Come on, mom, don’t you know the answer to that already?” I raised an eyebrow. “You are!”