Chapter Ninety-Nine - A Complicated Chat

I reached over and grabbed a towel from a small rack of them, then dragged it across my face. I was stalling for time a little, which I supposed was ironic in a way. "Urgh... so, I met this woman."

"Ah, so you are," Natalie said with a nod.

"I am what?" I asked.

"Gay."

I blinked. "Only for hot women."

"I... I think that's how it usually works."

Fair enough. "Right. Anyway, let's say, hypothetically, that you were able to loop backwards through time as many times as you want in order to relive the same day over and over again until you get everything right."

Natalie stared at me. "That isn't the romantic hypothetical I was expecting you to go with."

"Just play along?" I tried.

"Alright," she said, but she sounded hesitant about it. She crossed her arms. "Go on."

I licked my lips, then continued. "So, uh, I met this nice woman called Fran. Francisca, actually, but I've been calling her Fran. Saved her, actually, but that's a long story. She's hot, rich, smart. We have a few conversations and... yeah, she's sharp as a tack, or whatever that expression is."

"You pointed out her physical appearance, her money, then her intelligence," Natalie said.

"I've got priorities," I muttered. "Anyway. I, uh, slept with her, but for that to work out, I used my hypothetical time looping ability to get it all right. To know what to say, to read her, I guess. And I guess to make myself look cooler."

"So you lied to her," Natalie said.

I rocked back a little. "What? No. I just used the ability to figure out what works. How to make her laugh, what makes her talk more, what she likes, how to get her to invite me into her bed."

Natalie stared at me for a long while. "That's kind of messed up."

"Is it?"

"Romance isn't some game," she said. "It's not a sport either. When you're drilling something over and over to get it just right then using it in the ring. It's... there's a point where you learn that fighting in the ring is different than fighting for real. In here it's practice, and yes, there's some level of competition, but you're working to improve yourself. If you were doing this 'time loop' stuff to make yourself better, then meeting this woman, I don't think that'd be bad. But instead you're using it to find the best way to corner her."

"I don't know if I'd say it like that," I said.

"No? I once knew this man, a great fighter, black belt. Probably one of the top Jiu Jitsu practitioners in ENE. He was stabbed to death just steps out of his dojo. It was some blue-belt asshole that had been reprimanded who took him out. Not because he was a better fighter, or had a knife. He just waited until my friend was tired from a long day's work and ambushed him. I think what you're doing is similar."

"What? No. I think that's too far," I said.

Natalie shrugged. "You think? Training is one thing, even for social stuff. People practice small talk and rehearse conversations all the time, and I suppose that's not awful or bad. But it sounds to me like this is less training and more like an ambush where you're the only one who knows its an ambush at all."

I pursed my lips and glanced away from her. Okay, so maybe it was gnawing at me a little. "It wasn't bad for her," I said. "We have good sex."

"I don't think that's making your case any better," Natalie said.

"I mean, a little? Once I figured out how she likes it, I got her to reach ten orgasms!"

"Ten..." Natalie blinked, flushed a little, then shook her head. "Okay, somewhat impressive, but still wrong."

I leaned back against the wall and stared up into the ceiling. "Now I'm feeling guilty," I said.

"Good? I mean, probably. Do you like this woman?"

"Eh," I said.

Natalie stared. "Eh?" she repeated.

"I mean, she's hot, like I said. I don't think I'd want to marry her or anything. It was a fling. You know, a hook-up."

"Does she know that?"

"I... think it was implied at some point? I mean, I left before she woke up. I didn't leave anything but my panties behind."

"Wow."

I glared at her, but there was no heat in it. "Okay, so maybe I fucked up a little bit? I have hooked up with someone else with the time stuff, but Jane seemed okay with it when I told her about the looping. Uh, not that she knows in the current timeline?"

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"Are you serious about that? It's not some cooked up metaphor?"

"Sure," I said. "I'm looping with you right now to learn how to fight better."

"That... is also messed up," Natalie said.

I shrugged. "I'm paying you, and the 'real' you will only spend a real hour or two training me. Like, it's not costing you much, and I am working to save the city from being destroyed, so like, it's for a decent cause."

"You're trying to save the city and yet your primary concern is sex?"

It was my turn to stare at her.

She sighed. "Nevermind. Look, if you don't do anything about this, then... fine. I suppose this isn't the worst thing that could happen to someone. God knows I've had a few relationships with manipulative dirtbags before. People are assholes, and you might be one of them. Maybe you'll grow out of it. Hell, I've had exes reach out to me to apologize three or four years after we broke up. Actually, that only happened once, but it was kind of them."

"I don't want to be a manipulative dirtbag," I said.

"A bit too late for that," Natalie replied. "Unless things are more complicated than what you've said?"

"Urgh, yeah, but... fuck. Okay, maybe a little? Fine. I'll see if I can't make it up to Ojou."

"Ojou... wait, Fransisca Ojou, the Redline woman?" Natalie asked.

"Yeah," I said. "Guess that you know her?"

"Only from the news. You had sex with the corporate princess of Redline?"

I grinned, a bit smug. "Mindblowing sex. For her."

Natalie shook her head. "You're insane. If she decides that she doesn't like you, she can definitely afford to disappear you, pretty time powers or no."

That was concerning. "I'll make it up to her," I said.

"By admitting everything to her and asking for forgiveness?" she asked.

"What? No." That would be super embarrassing. "I'll figure something else out. Urgh... do you think we can get back to training or did I ruin it all by opening up to you?"

"I think you kind of ruined it," Natalie admitted.

"Yeah, figures," I muttered.

So I Reloaded.

Fortunately, that brought me right back home, where I turned around, walked over to my bed, and flopped down onto it with a groan.

Mister Couchtop came over and sat next to me. "Meow?" he asked.

"You'd never be angry at me for manipulating you, right?" I asked the cat.

He blinked languidly at me, then tilted his head and bumped my side for attention. I half-rolled so that I could better scratch him on the head, the silly cat.

I wasn't sure if I felt bad about 'manipulating' Ojou or if I felt more bad for not feeling bad. It was complicated, and... yeah.

Groaning, I decided not to linger on it for too long. Going back to the gym wasn't gonna happen. Besides, I'd gotten a good bit of practice in.

Might as well make myself useful, then. There was one thing I wanted to check.

Reaching over, I grabbed my notebook where I'd written down a list of future events. It was currently Sunday morning, part of an interminable weekend. The week didn't have too much going on, except for something tomorrow...

Monday 30th

- Prison custodian union goes on strike.

- Security sweep along one of the channels discovered a colony of selkie in the water. Minor D-rank breach, but a surprisingly benign one?

- Get driving permit

The driver's permit thing would be in the evening. The breach, however, would happen while I was at work.

From the news reports I'd seen, it had been rather minor, and taken out quickly. The portal was barely D-rank. Still...

I had a good idea of where it was, and no reason not to go check it out. Might as well, right? And maybe it would be a good way to make it up to Ojou. She wanted to hit C-rank as quickly as possible, and tackling a D-rank portal would help with that.

But first, I'd need to scout the place out.

Easy enough. I... wait, where had it been, exactly? The last time I'd watched the news about it had been weeks ago. Dammit. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ NoveI(F)ire.net

I needed to take better notes on these kinds of things.

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