NOVEL SIMPLE Chapter 42. Seize the Reins
"Yara, it seems Rina has calmed down, so please let her go...", Lucy said, with a bit of irritation in her voice. Since Yara hadn't yet entered into a relationship with them, Lucy felt somewhat uncomfortable seeing the position the two were in.
Maybe watching two extremely sexy girls satisfying each other was one of her favorite activities, a clear proof being the browsing history on her computer (which she hoped no one would bother to check after her disappearance), but this was not the case when one of them was her official girlfriend, as Lucy did not find it exciting at all to wear a green hat.
"Huh, but things were just getting interesting... Why don't you join us..."
"I said that's enough, Yara!", Lucy interrupted, not believing that Yara's idea was the best solution for their situation. Maybe if all three of them gave in to their carnal desires at that moment, their relationship could be established much quicker, but Lucy didn't want Rina to feel forced to accept Yara joining them.
"Besides, don't you think what you're doing is a bit over the top? The fact that you're extremely attractive doesn't give you the right to act like a hooligan...", Lucy then began to scold Yara, but seeing that both Yara and Rina were looking at her with an expression that said, "Are you one to say that?" Lucy added, "At least, don't be so aggressive...", wanting Yara's extremely explicit actions and her teasing not to be put in the same category.
Lucy could see that Yara had a natural talent for being a dominatrix, as both she and Rina easily fell under her charms. However, she believed Yara wasn't proceeding correctly by relying solely on this to get closer to them. A solid relationship couldn't be based solely on sexual desire but also required understanding.
Rina's reaction also didn't sit well with Lucy. Driven by jealousy, she threw herself into a fight she couldn't possibly win, and then panicked as soon as Yara began teasing her, without any attempt to engage in a mental battle.
Lucy could accept in private that Rina had yandere tendencies, but she didn't think it was good for her to be led by emotions in public, especially when she wasn't ready to face the consequences of her actions. Only a qualified yandere, invincible both physically and mentally, could afford to do whatever she wants.
'But I must admit that this contrast between her aggressiveness and helplessness is rather cute. It reminds me of a short video of a lion cub trying to bite through the skin of a bison hunted by its family members...', Lucy thought to herself, unable to see Rina in a completely bad light.
Anyway, taking all these things into account, Lucy concluded that it would be best to be a little tougher with the two and not let them do whatever they wanted, otherwise, she risked not finding a solution to the problem generated by Yara's proposal until evening. She couldn't be like an emperor who has to resolve conflicts between wives and concubines all day while the people starve.
"Yes, for a ninja, love should not come first... Well, I don't know what should come first for me, but I guess it should be something greater. After all, I've entered a magical world full of conflicts, not a teenage sitcom...", Lucy continued to think while Yara released Rina, both of them behaving very obediently after seeing that Lucy was starting to lose her patience.
Once freed, Rina immediately clung to Lucy and began to seek comfort from her, similar to a small child who feels they have suffered a great injustice without any fault of their own, so Lucy had to swallow the words of reproach she had prepared for her, unable to maintain her resolve to be tough with Rina, who seemed very vulnerable at that moment.
"There, there... It's no problem that you lost...", Lucy began to soothe Rina, patting her on the head, trying to lift her spirits. Since Rina was much taller than her, the position they were in was a bit comical; it was as if a child was trying to comfort her mother.
But unlike Lucy, who could no longer think clearly after enduring multiple direct attacks from Rina's cuteness, Yara was not so easily impressed, suspecting that Rina was exaggerating to win Lucy's sympathy.
'She really is shameless...', Yara thought to herself, not expecting that Rina, being so proud and straightforward, could pose in such a vulnerable state. 'But if I think about it, lions are just bigger cats, so it's no wonder a liongirl has the talent to win affection by pretending to be harmless and obedient...', Yara tried to explain the naturalness with which Rina had transitioned from a hostile attitude to an extremely submissive one, attributing it to the feline ability to bend and stretch both literally and figuratively.
Under Lucy's strokes and reassurances, Rina recovered somewhat in about three minutes, but she continued to cling to Lucy, occasionally looking around vigilantly as if she feared that if she moved even a meter away, she would fall back into Yara's hands.
"Don't be so agitated, Rina... It's not like being teased by a sexy young woman is something extremely terrifying...", Lucy said with a bit of exasperation in her voice, not believing that the interactions between Yara and Rina were so extreme that Rina would be left traumatized. Having gone through Yara's hands herself, she thought she knew what she was talking about.
While it might be true that Rina hadn't made much effort to calm down, since showing she was scared was a good way to get Lucy's full attention, that didn't mean her emotions weren't sincere. First of all, there was a big difference between the way Yara teased a cat, as she did with Lucy, and the way she teased a girl. Secondly, apart from her kisses with Lucy, Rina had no sexual experience, so it was no wonder she was much more affected by Yara's teasing than Lucy was.
"But Lucy, don't you see her eyes are glued to my tail? I'm sure she has dangerous intentions for it...", Rina complained, placing her tail in Lucy's hands for protection.
"....", Lucy was left speechless. It's true that Yara was looking at them, but she didn't seem to be paying special attention to Rina's tail, so either Rina was exaggerating, or she was imagining things.
But what could Lucy do in that situation? She believed that a good girlfriend should be there for her partner when they have emotional problems, so she didn't start contradicting Rina but continued to assure her that she wouldn't let Yara do whatever she wanted. It's true that the contact of her hands with Rina's tail helped her be more patient, as stroking a lion's tail seemed to have a therapeutic effect on her.
'Her tail really is firm...', Lucy had to agree with Yara, involuntarily stroking Rina's tail more intensely, not noticing that Rina's face, which had just regained its usual color, was starting to turn red again.
..............................
Although Lucy eventually managed to calm Rina down, the atmosphere remained tense between her and Yara, so, to ease the tension, Lucy decided to organize a small picnic, hoping that the delicious food from the Ninja Shop would bring the two closer together. She didn't expect Rina to accept Yara entering a relationship with them by the end of the picnic, but she hoped they could at least communicate normally because she didn't want any arguments between them while capturing the subordinates of the marquis who had ordered the attack on the lionkins' village, as this could lead to unpleasant incidents. Rina's leg injury from an hour ago had already caused her enough stress for the whole day.
Since they were going to run to where Yara's former comrades were, Lucy thought it wasn't a good idea to bring out very hearty food so they wouldn't have stomach problems. So, she bought three bags of salted crackers and three cans of cola from the Ninja Shop, which could be consumed in about 10 minutes.
Setting aside a bag of salted crackers and a can of cola for herself, Lucy handed Rina an identical portion. Then, under Rina's sharp glare, she approached Yara to hand her a portion as well.
"Huh, what are these items?", Yara asked, never having seen food packaged this way before.
"It's food... I thought it would be a good idea to have a small snack together to get to know each other better. But please, don't tease Rina anymore. As you can see, she's a bit shy and doesn't have much experience... well, I think you understand what I mean. Anyway, the best solution would be to have a rational discussion where everyone expresses their ideas in a, how should I say... yes, politically correct manner...", Lucy said, wanting to make her intentions known to both Yara and Rina in the hope that they would behave civilly.
"Alright. It's a good idea... Thank you for the food...", Yara said, taking the items handed by Lucy. Then, wanting to be helpful, she took out three stools from her storage ring for them to sit on since there was no convenient stump or rock nearby.
"Thank you, Yara...", Lucy was happy to see that Yara was willing to contribute to creating a harmonious environment.
Unfortunately, this couldn't be said about Rina, who didn't seem at all pleased to share a meal with Yara, and even less so to see her eating specialties made by Lucy. She stood on the side with her arms crossed, not helping at all.
'At least she didn't start doing a rain dance...', Lucy consoled herself, considering that Rina had made some progress, since she didn't lose her temper and didn't take any measures to prevent the picnic from taking place.
"Come on, Rina! Don't be rude... Come and sit on the stool..." Lucy signaled to Rina to approach. She regretted a bit giving Rina the crackers and cola first, thinking it would have been an effective strategy to lure her with food; given Rina's extraordinary sense of smell, she would probably have found it hard to resist salivating once Lucy opened a bag of salted crackers.
However, Lucy didn't need any strategy to convince Rina to join the picnic, as she headed towards the empty stool next to Lucy before she could insist. Lucy was pleasantly surprised that Rina was finally willing to approach Yara.
Looking at the two beauties in front of her who were watching her seriously, Lucy found the situation they were in very similar to a courtroom, where both litigants sat in complete silence, waiting for the judge to start the trial.
'And I'm Judge Harper...', Lucy assigned herself the role with the most authority, deciding to use as inspiration for maintaining order during the picnic a fairly popular show from her previous world, which took place in a courtroom and was known for featuring paternity cases in every episode.
