In the end, Ryoko decided to let Ayeka have her chance. It felt more fair to Ryoko, especially since she had been the one to set off the latest round of hostilities. The princess was assuredly going to find a way to be all over Tenchi at dinner, and Ryoko would just have to watch, not that watching Ayeka rock a body like that wasn’t fun. After dinner, Ryoko could chat with Washu and find some way to compete with or even beat the puffed up princess at her own game. Until then, she could study her new reading material. Perhaps there was something in another one of the comics that she could take advantage of to get Tenchi’s heart racing, or at least get some blood flowing somewhere besides the young man’s nose.
Washu and Yumi watched as Ryoko and Ayeka finished their chores without event, somewhat disappointed.
“Well, there goes our bet that Ryoko would come running,” Yumi mused. “It’ll still be another hour or so before Tenchi’s back from the fields, right?”
“More or less, unless Ryo-ohki gets out or something else happens,” Washu confirmed.
“Which means we finally have some time to talk about the, ah, difficult questions, I believe you called them.”
Washu sighed. There were things she could definitely do, things she could probably do given a week and someone to keep Mihoshi out of the lab, and there were things beyond even her much lauded scientific genius. It was time to deliver the bad news.
“When I sealed up the hole between our realities, that was basically it. Tearing a hole between realities is easy, opening one to a specific reality, less so. That said, I should be able to isolate the specific reality you’re from, but we’re talking about a whole separate universe which is infinite in size, and that’s not even considering the time aspect. At best I could get you within a light-year of your Earth, but you’re talking about a similar window in time as well, which probably works out to three or four of your lifetimes in either direction.”
“So you could get me back to the right universe, but there’d be no guarantee it’d be anywhere I could survive and the odds are equally good that you’d dump me off centuries before or after I lived. Well, shit, that doesn’t sound like something I’d want to gamble on.”
“The more concerning part is that if my hypotheses on integration are correct, you’ve already integrated to the point that you are more this reality than your original one. I wouldn’t be surprised if I can find governmental records of your existence here, even if they are nonsensical were I to try and put them all together.”
Yumi realized that she’d been so occupied watching Ryoko and Ayeka acting out the plot of one of her doujins that she hadn’t really paid attention to herself, or how comfortable she was getting with existence in the Tenchi universe. She looked down at herself and realized that outwardly, she didn’t look that different from Washu, if you didn’t consider the scientist’s unrealistic figure. The finer detail Yumi knew she should have been able to see in her own skin and clothing was gone. Except that wasn’t it, was it? Everything was still there, it was just that the way she perceived the universe didn’t include that level of visual fidelity? To prove her hypothesis she just felt the skin of her forearm, noting that the fine hair she expected to be there was still very much there, but imperceptible visually. “Okay, the ‘integrating into your reality’ thing always unnerves me, but I see what you mean. But if I understand what you’re saying, then even if you were able to get me back to where and when I came from much more accurately, which you aren’t sure is possible, then I could potentially have reality-altering effects on my home reality, because I’ve mostly integrated into this one, right? Or at least I’m like fifty-one percent this reality now, at a minimum.”
Washu nodded. “Got it in one. The critical threshold has been passed, and while the last thirty percent or so will probably take weeks or even a few months, your native reality would consider you an outside force at this point, with all the possible ramifications that your introduction of corrupting concepts and ideas is having over here.”
“Like you think it’s that bad.”
“Well, it’s not like I’d know how I felt about the matter before you went ahead and corrupted our reality, now would I? As far as I know, I’ve always been a statuesque beauty with a bust to match her IQ, and everything you’ve said about how I should be is made up.”
“Fair, though you’d think I would get some of that corruption while integrating in.”
“And what’s to say you haven’t? Can you remember exactly how you looked before coming here?”
Yumi was about to say that of course she could until she stopped to think about it and realized that, no, trying to recall her appearance in mirrors back home still had the same look and feel as everything else did in the Tenchi universe.
“Shit. Shit, shit, shit. Why didn’t I think of this before deciding to watch Ayeka and Ryoko go at each other like it was daytime television? Well, of course, my own views on sex have been warped by my own actions since everyone here is affected by those damn comics. For example, I’m about 80% sure I wasn’t bi until an hour or so ago. I know I was pissed off about not having a guy to use to blow off some steam before falling into this reality, but I also clearly remember now that I was dating my coworker at the bookstore who is most definitely a lady. Dammit, Washu, why do you have to be right about everything? And no, don’t answer that.” The sudden realization that she couldn’t even trust her own mind was causing Yumi to panic, and she was starting to hyperventilate.
“Deep breaths, Yumi,” Washu said. “Panicking now is not going to help us, and is, in fact, more likely to result in things getting erotic sooner rather than later, based on my observations and what we’ve discussed previously.”
Yumi did as asked, taking deep breaths for several long seconds while Washu just watched her. It was enough to pull her out of the spiral she had been in, but Yumi was still not exactly in a great place. At least Washu was trying to be a source of stability. If nothing else, this beautiful mad scientist seemed sympathetic to Yumi’s situation. Yumi also couldn’t discount the possibility that much of the feelings, both on Yumi’s and Washu’s parts, were reality adjusting to make space for Yumi in the Masaki household. More importantly, Yumi had to admit that Washu checked most of the boxes in Yumi’s mind for what made a desirable female partner: taller than her, stacked, and witty and willing to put up with her shit.
“So where do we stand now, then? Home isn’t an option, right?” Washu nodded, confirming that Yumi was stranded here. “So that makes this home for me now, I guess. What the hell is a bookstore clerk from another version of Earth supposed to do when this Earth is a backwater in an entire universe of spacefaring races way more advanced than us? I don’t know anyone here, and it’s not like a version of my original life is just going to pop into existence for me to step into.” Yumi paused. “That was your cue to confirm my fears, Washu.”
“Oh, eh, I don’t really watch things around Japan. Too much trouble to disguise my probes. I keep a close eye on the immediate surroundings and the spacelanes through the system.”
“All I really know about this Earth is you and Tenchi and the rest of the girls at the Masaki house.” Yumi realized that at least in the short term, she really only had one option, and what it meant as a single woman with a sufficiently strange backstory. “Fuck, that means I’m going to end up living here, at least for a while. Fuck, that means I’m in the harem. All I wanted to do was avoid being part of the harem!”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa, Yumi. Harem?”
“Shit, right. Wrong continuity, but it will happen here one way or another now, almost guaranteed. In the main continuity, Tenchi ends up marrying, like, everyone.”
“And you don’t want to shack up with Tenchi?”
“I mean, he’s a good person and all that, but he’s not that interesting to me. The poor guy has no hobbies aside from being chased around by the universe’s most powerful women, and I don’t think he picked that one. Plus, I have zero desire to be in Ryoko and Ayeka’s sights. As we’ve seen, the only reason they aren’t working together is they’re convinced that Tenchi hasn’t even considered an option where he gets both of them. Bring in a new rival, especially an Earth girl, and I’m going to be toast.”
Washu pondered Yumi’s suggestions on what would happen in the short-term. “So you need something that lets you stay here, but without being inserted into the fight for Tenchi. Would being strongly associated with one of the other key players do it?”
“I dunno, you’re the universe’s greatest scientific genius, not me.”
“Well, I have been overdue to take on a student for centuries, even if you discount the time I was locked up in a rock here. You’re quick enough on the uptake to keep up with the big ideas at least, so I bet that I, Washu, the universe’s greatest scientific genius, can forge you into a scientific genius of the highest caliber!”
“So I’m going to be responsible for throwing Mihoshi out of the lab when she turns up?” Yumi deadpanned.
“And be in an inappropriate sexual relationship with your mentor! I was running out of machines to use to take care of those naughty physical urges, anyway.”
Yumi considered her options. Even if it wasn’t the level of mad genius that Washu was, being at the top of the space magic science field would keep her from accidentally getting killed by any of the other potential walking disaster areas in the Masaki household. Washu also seemed to be at least somewhat into Yumi, which meant that the issue was the student-teacher relationship, not any sort of consent or desire issues. Plus, it wasn’t like Washu was going to be offended if Yumi shacked up with anyone else on the side. Yumi certainly wasn’t going to expect exclusivity from Washu. Still, Yumi didn’t want to be fully beholden to Washu for everything.
“Throw in a scholarship or some sort of recommendation for the Galactic Academy so I can have an actual degree and you have a deal. It doesn’t have to be right away, I don’t mind studying here for a couple of years to get ready, but having a prestigious institution’s backing is worth a lot for giving me options later.”
“You drive a hard bargain, Yumi,” Washu said. “I knew I was going to like you from the outset. For your first official job as my assistant, continue observing our subjects at ‘ground zero’ for reality changes. I’m going to need to renovate if you’re moving in with me down here.”
“I’m going to need something to write with, then, boss,” Yumi said. Well, that was probably one less immediate threat to her well-being. At least the work was something she was going to have no trouble with…
Later, at the entrance to the Masaki house, Tenchi returned from a long day out in the fields. The sun was setting, so it was time to get back for dinner with everyone. He hoped the strange girl they’d found earlier in the day was okay. If nothing else, he was a bit worried because of how much of an interest Washu had taken in her. He’d have to ask Washu for an update if the girl wasn’t there for dinner.
I’m back!” Tenchi called out to the house as he took off his shoes and started to head towards the toilet past the entryway to wash up before eating, at least until he was interrupted by someone coming straight out from the main room and practically pinning him against the staircase next to the entrance to Washu’s lab. Tenchi wasn’t sure who it was because something huge, round, and surprisingly pliant was pressed into his face. Tenchi struggled briefly before his captor realized her error and stepped back, giving him a chance to see who it was, and Tenchi was not prepared for that answer. It was Ayeka’s cleavage that he had been briefly ensconced in. The princess never wore anything that revealing, and, at least until this evening, hadn’t had such a height advantage on him, or a mind-bogglingly large pair of breasts that gently bobbed in the lower half of his vision as he looked up at the princess.
“Ayeka,” he managed weakly, “What a surprise! Um, you look good. I think the new look suits you.” It was enough to save him for the moment.
First Ryoko early in the day, and now Ayeka. What was going on with those two? The fighting over him wasn’t new, but how aggressive they were about trying to get his attention was. Maybe he could have a talk with Washu about that. After all, it seemed to have started up after that strange girl fell from the sky. Maybe it was all connected, how was he supposed to know? These sorts of things had become almost normal to Tenchi.
“I’m glad you like it,” Ayeka answered. She had stepped back enough that her enormous bust wasn’t pressing up against Tenchi, but she was still close enough that he felt like he couldn’t go anywhere without her letting him go. “I’m still getting used to my, shall we say, momentum. My apologies for running into you.” That was a lie and both parties knew it, but Tenchi and Ayeka both knew that Tenchi wasn’t going to push back on it, either.
“It certainly makes you, ah, stand out more. Not that you needed to, princess, of course.”
“Well, since a certain someone seems to be having a hard time making a decision, I decided I would need to stand out more to make it easier for him to go ahead and make a choice.”
“And what sort of choice is that, Ayeka?” Tenchi was not emotionally prepared for this. All of the work out in the fields was his way of avoiding the issue. He was surrounded by women who were incredibly attractive, and all of whom seemed to want to be with him to some degree or another. Ryoko and Ayeka were practically throwing themselves at him, a guy who had never even had a girlfriend. He didn’t know what to do with it, and the nearest male advice he could get was from his father and grandfather, who both were more concerned with enjoying whatever happened to Tenchi than his own happiness for the future.
“Ryoko and I are getting tired of playing games. You need to make a choice. Me, the pirate, or both of us. We talked it over earlier today, we wouldn’t mind both being your wives. After all, once you get past her…rough exterior, Ryoko is quite a lovely lady.”
Tenchi blinked. Was Ayeka admitting that she had a thing for Ryoko? The way the two fought, he’d always thought there was something a bit more than just jealousy over him, but it all made sense now. For the two of them, a man having multiple wives could be as natural as monogamy was to Tenchi. It was going to be that much harder to explain what it was that was his problem with making a commitment now.
“Ayeka, I know you and Ryoko want an answer, but it’s not that easy for me. Look, tomorrow is a holiday, so maybe the three of us can sit down and we can talk about it all and we can start working on a solution that’s satisfactory to all of us?” Hopefully that would buy him time to spend the rest of the evening putting together his thoughts in a way he could explain to the two. “Right now, it’s almost dinner time, and I don’t want to have to explain everything twice. We can talk with Ryoko at dinner and decide on a time to talk about things tomorrow.” Ayeka clearly was not happy with Tenchi’s answer, but unlike Ryoko, Tenchi could trust that Ayeka would be polite to a fault in her response.
“That’s a promise, Tenchi,” Ayeka leaned in again, putting Tenchi’s face distressingly close to an inordinate amount of cleavage once more. “Any movement forward would be much better for us. Both of us have stopped playing, so the longer you take, the more we’ll have to escalate to get you to make a decision.” It was unclear whether that was a threat on the princess’s part or a promise of more extreme proportions to come from the pair of alien women. Just the thought of Ayeka and Ryoko even larger than the cartoonish figure Ayeka had now was enough to make Tenchi’s nose bleed. Thankfully, that prompted Ayeka to let him escape into the toilet to wash up, leaving Tenchi alone to wonder what he had done to deserve this sort of torture. If Ryoko and Ayeka were going to be curvy giants, he was going to fall to their charms sooner or later. So much for any hope of something resembling a regular relationship…
While Tenchi contemplated his impending doom and washed up, Ayeka walked back into the main room of the house, eager to assist in setting up the dining area for dinner so she could claim the seat next to where Tenchi would sit. Ryoko was clearly staying out of Ayeka’s way until she had an answer to the princess’s new curves, and Ayeka was going to take advantage of that fact for as long as possible. As Ayeka passed in and out of the kitchen, fetching dishes and helping with getting food onto serving dishes, it was only natural that Sasami would comment on her sister’s new look.
“Wow, Ayeka, that’s a really daring look for you. Trying to get someone’s attention?”
“Not just trying, Sasami, succeeding. Not that that someone would admit it out loud.” Her smile spoke volumes.
“I’m glad for you, then. I know you’ve been trying so hard since we got back to the Earth. Good luck!”
Ayeka mentally shrugged as she continued to help her sister finish readying things for dinner. With Mihoshi and Kiyone working their Earth jobs today, it was just the normal seven for dinner.
“Oh, actually, Ayeka, we have a guest tonight.”
“Is our guest from the sky dining with us, then?”
“That’s what Washu said when I asked her. Did you see her at all? Washu’s been more secretive than usual about this.”
“I think I may have somehow ended up passing through where she came from this morning. It was quite strange. I hope Washu can help her out. The whole situation seemed rather complex when Washu tried to explain it to me.”
“No fair, how come Washu let you in?”
“It sounded like I just came at a good time, Sasami. That’s all.”
With that exchange finished, Ayeka went back to work, making an additional place for their guest to sit at. When Nobuyuki and Katsuhito arrived, Ayeka took the brief stares in stride. Tenchi’s father and grandfather seemed to accept Ayeka’s changes with the same ease that her sister had. It was not long after that Tenchi, then Ryoko, and finally Washu and Yumi arrived. Ayeka made a note that Yumi seemed to have changed into a fresh set of clothes. There was a familiar look to them, but it took the princess a few moments to realize where she had seen them before. They weren’t exactly correct, but they were definitely based on garments worn by students in their early studies at the Galactic Academy. What did that mean? She would have to ask Washu.
After everyone had had a chance to sit and eat, Washu tapped on a glass to get everyone’s attention.
“Alright, everyone, I’ll try and make this snappy, but I’m sure you’re all going to have a bunch of questions.” Washu gestured over to Yumi. “This is Yumi. She fell in here from the Earth of another dimension, and long story short, she’s going to be staying here. Yumi’s offered to work as my assistant in the lab, so she’ll mostly be out of your hair during the day, since I’ll be teaching her everything she needs to know to get into the Academy. And yes, that means she’s exempt from the chore board, Ryoko.”
As expected, there were a lot of questions. Unsurprisingly, Washu was providing answers, leaving Yumi with little to do but watch everyone around the table and try to imagine what everyone else was thinking about her. After all, she was a disruption to what had been, up until now, a relatively stable situation. This was also a chance to take stock of her new look. Washu had insisted on shoving Yumi through some device before providing her with the change of clothing, ostensibly because “every actual Philosopher already had a distinctive look before setting foot in the Academy.” As a result, Yumi now had strikingly (to her at least) attractive silver hair with something of a wave to it. The outfit Washu had provided seemed to be a cross between a high school uniform from Earth and what Yumi recalled being at least one Academy uniform she’d seen before. The black button-up blouse was a little tight for Yumi’s taste, but she also expected it. A gray jacket, trimmed in a silver that nearly matched her hair’s new color, fit over the blouse and made Yumi feel a little less like everyone could see everything. The brown plaid skirt was modest enough, coming down past Yumi’s knees. When she’d had a chance to check herself in a mirror prior to dressing in the lab, she felt fairly confident that she “fit in” with the general figures of the rest of the Masaki household’s guests, barring Ayeka’s enhanced physique.
In the here and now, Yumi realized this all added up to Tenchi paying her significantly more attention than anyone else while Washu answered the more inane questions. It even made sense when Yumi thought about it. She was a perfectly normal Earthling, albeit from another reality. Compared to the rest of the women Tenchi dealt with on a daily basis, Yumi was something that made sense. Better to nip that in the bud now. Yumi coughed to get Washu’s attention and sent a hand signal the two had agreed on back in the lab.
“Alright, enough questions, we’ll skip straight to the important things. First off, no, Yumi herself isn’t a danger to our universe or anything. I kept her quarantined while there was any risk out in subspace, which should have kept the effects over here to a minimum. That’s why I was locked in the lab all day. Second, there’s no danger of any other transfers between our dimension and hers. I went ahead and sealed up the hole right away when I first found it. If I’d known Yumi had come through already, I would have left a way to open it up temporarily to get her back home, but alas, even the greatest geniuses make the occasional mistake when it comes to being too safe. Lastly, if anyone’s thinking about romance or hanky-panky with my new student, you have to get approval from me. Yumi has agreed to dedicate herself to learning, and you all need to respect that decision. As her mentor, I’ll judge whether she’s able to handle any extra-curricular activities on top of her studies and work in the lab.”
That was enough to shut up Ayeka and Ryoko, who had been beginning to get concerned about the attention Tenchi was giving Yumi. Tenchi looked a little disappointed, until he remembered that two of the galaxy’s most dangerous forces were paying attention to him and not Yumi.
“Oh, one more thing,” Washu mentioned, “Yumi’s missing some of her possessions that came over with her. I’d like to do some checking on everything she had to make sure none of it is a risk to us. Certain kinds of items are more risky than others when it comes to interdimensional exchanges, so better safe than sorry. Anyway, carry on with dinner!”
After the last announcement, Ryoko managed to catch Washu’s eye and mouth that she might have some information on where the rest of Yumi’s stuff went, but that she wanted to talk in private later. Washu answered with a quick nod and returned to her own meal and the entertainment of Ayeka trying to help everyone so she had an excuse to keep bumping into Tenchi. Poor Tenchi was very clearly losing his sanity, but he also didn’t seem to want to say anything. Yumi wondered if it was because he was enjoying the “attention” or because any comment on Ayeka’s figure would almost certainly result in feigned anger from the princess for calling her fat. Whatever it was, Yumi was content in the knowledge that, at least in the short-term, she didn’t have to worry about being pulled into the rivalry for the young man.
Later…
Wed Aug 02 22:29:04 2023