Ch 124

  With each attack that Matt blocked or dodged, his movements became sharper, as if his heart was growing colder. His instincts, once in disarray, slowly began to align, allowing him to turn the tables on Rose, who continued to assault him with a fierce look of determination etched across her face. It was a look that ignited a strange desire in Matt, a feeling of arousal that was foreign to him. Indeed, despite the oddity of it, Matt found himself drawn to this intense version of Rose, while his instincts responded more effectively to her relentless attacks.

  He began to counterattack not with aggression, but by simply blocking and placing a hand on any openings he discovered. Many of these gestures could be perceived as caresses, and the more he engaged in this manner, the more Rose's determination seemed to waver. On some level, Matt was aware that his actions were straying from his usual approach, but he lacked the presence of mind to stop. Instead, as she presented increasingly obvious openings, he took advantage of them, to the point where he wondered if she was intentionally creating opportunities for him to touch her.

  The situation escalated until finally, Apricity's voice cut through the tension like a knife, breaking the spell that seemed to have overtaken Matt's movements. "That’s enough! This isn’t a fight anymore; it’s a heavy petting display!"

  This seemed to prompt Rose to remember that they had an audience, as she began to blush while disengaging from the encounter. Meanwhile, Matt frowned, trying to sort through the jumble of thoughts that had occupied his mind during the fight. He was conflicted, torn between the notion that he had unintentionally turned it into some bizarre mating dance and the possibility that his actions were merely intended to demonstrate to Rose the futility of their conflict. Either way, he had touched her in ways he had never intended, and there was no way to undo those actions now. The only question that remained was how this would impact their relationship moving forward.

  "I think we all just discovered how to get Matt in the mood," Zara commented with an amused tone, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "Who knew he likes a bit of fire in his women?"

  "That isn't quite right," Matt replied, still trying to make sense of it all. "I think my instincts simply adapted to the contradiction of Rose being in a relationship with me while simultaneously fighting me. Had she pushed things further, I fear what might have happened, as I'm not sure I would have been able to stop at some point."

  "I'm not sure you're giving me a reason not to rush back in," Rose said, still blushing despite the playful smile that now graced her face. "Though, I think it's best that if things head that way, it's done with clearer heads."

  "No," Matt stated firmly, shaking his head. "I don't want to find myself being led by my instincts when it comes to having sex. That would be completely unfair to whoever my partner was, because I fear it would end with me feeling possessive of them and would have nothing to do with genuine affection. At that point, I would be on the darker path towards the kind of harem Greg warns us about."

  “Greg, would you care to elaborate?” Zara pressed firmly.

  “Alright, well, as you all know, I have this dream of having a harem. Essentially, I envision a group of women who are with me willingly and possess as much power and autonomy as I do. What Matt is referencing, however, is the alternate scenario where these women are more like possessions rather than partners. Even if they consent initially, over time, the situation typically deteriorates, and they start feeling trapped for various reasons. To clarify, I believe that all harems fall somewhere between these two extremes, and it requires careful observation to determine where any particular one stands on this spectrum—”

  “That’s enough,” Zara interjected sharply. “We understand. Any more, and it will seem like you're slipping back into the negative habits we've worked so hard to help you overcome.”

  “Sure, if you say so,” Greg muttered, clearly displeased. “Regardless, Matt isn't interested in having a harem, and even if the five of you are getting along well at the moment, I doubt any of you are inclined to share him. If you were inclined to share, you would have already persuaded him to accept that arrangement, especially since, whether he realizes it or not, he has feelings for all of you.”

  “You're not about to delve into the notion that men and women can’t just be friends, are you?” Emily questioned, raising an eyebrow. “Because I don't think that's accurate.”

  “It isn’t,” Apricity concurred thoughtfully. “But when one side has feelings for the other, it can become really complicated, which is why our current situation isn’t sustainable in the long term.”

  There was a prolonged silence after that, as those words lingered in the air. It was evident that none of them were going to refute it, and only when Eleanor urged them to get moving did they resume their journey through the dungeon. As they progressed, Matt realized that, at the very least, he could allow Rose to participate more in the fighting. The issue was, he continued to surprise both himself and Rose by taking advantage of moments when there was little to no danger to touch her. Although it was clear Rose didn’t mind, Matt did, as he began to fear that his instincts couldn’t be trusted when it came to women.

  The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

  When they stopped at the next safe room, after an unusually quiet stretch in the dungeon without encountering any other groups, Matt found Rose quickly clinging to him. It seemed that any awkwardness had dissipated at some point between the two safe rooms, and although all they did was sleep, it was evident that more possibilities lay ahead. Had it not been for the disconnect between what his instincts were urging and what his mind was advising, Matt feared he would have had no control. As it was, when he awoke, he discovered that his hands weren’t being shy, and Rose was giving him a look that was hard to resist, even for him.

  The tension accompanying them on their next trek through the dungeon reached an entirely new level. It was evident from the attitudes of Emily, Apricity, and Zara that they were far from pleased with how quickly Rose appeared to be gaining Matt's affection. Yumiko, however, seemed unfazed as they once again navigated the dungeon without encountering anymore groups of people. This unusual quiet only heightened Matt's suspicion; he doubted they had simply stumbled upon another unused area of the dungeon. Instead, he began to suspect that Godfrey Enterprises had deemed their losses too significant and were merely reorganizing their forces.

  Despite the eerie calm, they didn't take the respite for granted, adhering strictly to their schedule of short rests as one day blurred into the next. Each day saw them delving deeper into the dungeon until they discovered that fighting in the level 28 area while they were at level 22 was the most they could manage without Matt dominating every battle. None of them were willing to let that happen, as they all needed to keep their skills honed. Consequently, Matt began to step back during every alternate fight, allowing the rest of the group to handle the two monsters, only intervening when Emily alerted him that they were sustaining too much damage for her healing abilities to manage.

  During this period, Matt found himself increasingly struggling to align his thoughts and instincts. It had reached such a critical point that, by the end of four days of being together, Matt decided to disrupt the schedule for his calls, as he desperately needed advice. He felt there was only one person he could trust for this guidance—his brother, Peter, who was the only man he knew well enough to confide in. After a grueling fight, the others agreed to give him some privacy by heading to the safe room ahead of him. Taking advantage of this moment alone, Matt used his organization leader’s ability and called his brother.

  It took a full ten minutes before he answered, which wasn’t unusual since the system only connected them if both were outside of combat. Peter had clearly been in the middle of a fight, evidenced by the blood smeared across his face and the makeshift bandage wrapped around his arm. It was evident that he had stopped merely supervising the kids as they battled weaker monsters and had ventured out to seek tougher challenges himself.

  “Tell me Tyler is alright,” were the first words out of Peter’s mouth, his expression fraught with worry.

  “His status still shows him as an active member, and as far as I can tell, his group is doing great. They all reached level 10 last I knew, but that’s not why I called you today,” came the reassuring reply.

  “Good, though I wasn’t expecting a call this soon, so what’s going on?”

  “How did you know Stacy was the one for you?”

  “Wait, you’re calling me for advice about women? Who are you and what have you done with my brother?” Peter teased, a hint of amusement creeping into his voice.

  “I wish I had a good answer for you,” Matt admitted, frowning slightly. “I really didn’t see things unfolding like this, and my mind and body are sending me conflicting signals.”

  “Then you don’t know if she is or isn’t the right one. When you do, both your body and mind will agree, and that feeling won’t change, no matter how much time passes. I won’t pry too much since you’re probably not ready to open up about it, but what made you start considering whoever she is?”

  Matt paused for a moment before responding thoughtfully. "Five people in my group have feelings for me, and recently, things reached a point where it was causing issues. So, they agreed to 16-day trial relationships to see if I developed feelings for any of them."

  "Well, you're in quite a predicament," retorted Peter, shaking his head in disbelief. "That sounds like a real mess waiting to happen. I wish you had called me before, so I could talk you out of it. So, which lady are you on, and how many days did it take for you to start feeling something towards them?"

  "The first one, and right from the start," replied Matt, not holding back. "I thought it would be a good way to turn them all down and move on with life, but somehow it turned out like this."

  "I'm not sure what this is, but you need to find a way to look at things from an outside perspective," Peter advised, concern in his voice. "Ask yourself if it's the life-threatening situation that has you seeking love or the woman herself. I wish we were back on Earth to deal with this, as you could spend a few days away to figure things out. But you're kind of stuck with them the way things are right now."

  "So, what would you say I should do?" Matt inquired, seeking guidance.

  "Adhere strictly to the 16-day rule and end each relationship at that point, regardless of circumstances. Ensure you offer each one the same level of affection, and definitely avoid any activities involving removing or going under clothing. Once you’ve completed this with all five, if one of them clearly stands out in both your heart and mind, pursue her, but otherwise, end things there. At least temporarily, as you can claim that the situation prevented you from feeling that the attraction was completely genuine. Don’t leave the door ajar, but don’t slam it shut unless you’re absolutely certain none of them are right for you."

  "That sounds a lot like my original plan," Matt retorted, "just with the added step that if I really do have stronger feelings for one of them at the end, I should pursue her."

  "You're forgetting what I mentioned earlier: if both your body and mind agree, then go with it."

  "Is that really the best advice you can offer?"

  "No, there's more..."

  Peter and Matt continued the call, discussing everything Peter had learned about what mattered in a relationship from his experience being married. This included several caveats, acknowledging that not everything is the same for every couple and that identifying what matters to him and his partner and aligning those priorities is crucial. By the time the conversation concluded, Matt felt a bit less lost as he returned to the others, his mind a little clearer and his heart a little lighter.