The chamber beyond was a haze of silk, candlelight, and low moans.
Eight young fox beastkin women lounged across the space; each one haughty-looking, stunning, and late teens in appearance, unlike Sakura's mature beauty.
They wore variations of revealing kimono, tails rustling as they lounged.
Around them were several men—young and mature, unclothed, some blindfolded, some lightly bound with silk cords, others chained to cushions or low posts.
All of them were very beautiful, but all of them were spent and panting, their bodies marked with lipstick, sweat, and faint scratches.
The moment Sakura entered, the foxes looked up.
"Ara! Onee-sama, welcome from the interracial summit. Ah, I see you've finally brought the main dish, as you promised!" the Golden-haired one exclaimed.
"Really? Are you sure he's the real one?" the white-furred sister asked, tilting her head.
"Of course! Do you think Onee-sama would fail to do as she guaranteed?!" the red one snapped.
"Well, it certainly must've been difficult. To steal him from that monkey queen, that is." the purple one drawled.
"Isn't she going to come here looking for him?" the black one with short hair casually asked, sitting on a bound man like a stool.
"I doubt it. Even if she suspects us, coming here straight up would be declaring a dangerous war. One she can't afford right now—not while those Horned Ones are moving," the silver fox said, stroking the hair of a sleeping boy on her lap.
"Ah, so Onee-sama foresaw all of this and played her cards accordingly? Banzai! Onee-sama is so smart!" the blue one, with short hair reaching her shoulders, hopped excitedly.
"Well, our wonderful pets," The golden one then raised a hand with regal calm, "could you all excuse us for now? Someone of unparalleled importance just appeared. Run off now."
The green one, with a kiseru pipe in her mouth, exhaled smoke lazily. "Ehhh? I wanted to fuck them too!" A person's head moved rhythmically beneath her kimono; clearly pleasuring her orally.
The men obeyed slowly, some stumbling, others crawling away, clearing the room.
Benjamin stared, then his head dropped in defeat. 'Argh. I want to go back to the village already. I just know these girls are going to be too much for me to handle.'
Sakura stepped forward, fan fluttering. "Sisters, meet Benjamin Mark, the god-touched earlier seized by the female monkeys. He's here… VISITING."
Benjamin squinted at her again for saying "visiting," instead of kidnapped.
Then Sakura named them one by one, her voice proud:
"Ayaka." Golden fur, with a mischievous grin.
"Yukari." White, with this cool intelligence.
"Akane." Red, with a sharp smirk.
"Sumire." Purple, lounging gracefully.
"Kuro." Black, elegant and composed.
"Gin." Silver, with a calculating gaze.
"Aoi." Blue, with a childish, bubbly energy.
"Midori." Green, the pipe-smoking pervert.
These were the eight arrogant, beautiful fox sisters, all from the same parents as Sakura.
And all looking at Benjamin like he was the next course on the menu.
The last of the bound men shuffled out of the chamber, heads bowed, and their bodies marked with the evidence of hours spent at the mercy of the eight fox sisters.
The sliding doors closed behind them with a soft thud, leaving only the nine women and Benjamin in the incense-scented room. The air felt heavier now, charged with anticipation and the lingering musk of femininity.
The sisters were arranged in a loose semicircle around Benjamin, their tails swaying lazily, their kimonos slipping off shoulders and thighs in calculated disarray.
Their eyes—matching the color of their fur—fixed on him with a mixture of amusement and greed.
Ayaka, golden-furred and radiant, spoke first, her voice dripping with self-satisfaction.
"So those tree-dwelling apes really think they're something special to hoard such a gem themselves? Living in branches like wild animals, and pretending its some sort of freedom."
"They smell of dirt and sweat, I heard. I think they're just lowborn creatures playing at nobility in cringe-worthy style." Yukari, white-furred with a strange, luminous eyes—a golden cross on red irises.
"Certainly. They strut around like they own all the forests in the world. Pathetic, if you think about it." Akane, red-furred and bristling, crossed her arms. "Benjamin-san must feel so lucky that Onee-sama noticed him at all, and saved him from their wild antics."
"They simply lack refinement." Sumire, purple-furred, adjusted her posture with queenly grace. "No culture at all, no elegance. Just brute force and crude mating. So unimpressive and unbecoming of ladies."
Kuro, black-furred, stared with droopy, expressionless eyes. "They're beneath my notice. Ordinary and quite forgettable."
"Their existence is irrelevant." Gin, silver-furred, spoke in a flat, measured tone. "We are superior to them in every way."
"They're like monkeys, no?" Aoi, blue-furred and full of life, giggled. "Funny as clowns, but not really worth our time."
"No, I think they're savage beasts that managed to look humanoid. No finesse at all." Midori, green-furred, reclined on a cushion with her kiseru pipe, exhaling a slow plume of smoke. "And not worth remembering. They should at least attach a dick on themselves, so they can be of some use to me."
Through every word, Benjamin's hands clenched tighter at his sides
His shoulders trembled, not from fear, but from rising rage.
These women being insulted were the people who had welcomed him, healed his lonely heart, and shared their entire lives with a stranger like himself.
Sara's gentle touch, Heka's tranquil strength, Martha's wild laughter, Lulu's shy smiles, Tamar's reluctant warmth, Lotus's ancient wisdom and kindness—they were all being clinically dismantled by these foxes' words, reduced to insults and mockery.
So… Benjamin was very angry with them.
Sakura only watched all of them like a spectator, silent and only observing.
The sisters examined Benjamin, their eyes sizing him up.
Ayaka then smiled sweetly. "Alright, god-touched. You're in a safe place now. Come and take our blessings before you become part of Shishi-no-su."
Benjamin folded his arms across his chest. "No."
"…Eh…?"
The room went still.
Eight pairs of matching eyes blinked in genuine surprise.
Sakura only smiled softly at the unraveling scene.
Midori sat up slightly, pipe dangling from her lips.
"You… do understand what we mean by 'blessings,' right?"
She began to make a slow, explicit gesture with both hands—fingers forming a circle, then thrusting through it, her hips rolling for emphasis.
"We mean FUCK. Fuck all of these rare goddesses before you, right here. Right now. It's all of men's dreams, yes?"
Benjamin's jaw tightened. "I understood perfectly. And my answer is still no."
Akane's tail lashed immediately. "You dare refuse us, you lowborn peasant?"
All eight released a portion of their aura; subtle waves of pressure, sharp and oppressive, pressing against Benjamin's skin like invisible claws.