Chapter 4: Captain's Meeting

The night settled over the inn like a comforting blanket over a person. Soujin and Muffet found themselves in their shared room preparing for a well-deserved rest.

Muffet casually began to strip out of her uniform with ease. She shed layer after layer until she stood before Soujin in nothing but her undergarments. Soujin's eyes widened in surprise at the sudden display. His cheeks burned red as he attempted to cover his face

"W-What are you doing?" he stammered.

Muffet simply chuckled at Soujin's flustered response."I have to sleep with minimal clothes on, or I'll die from heat exhaustion. It's one of the drawbacks of my ice affinity. Come now. I bet you’ve seen countless women in your time strip down like this. You are the Captain of Squad 3 after all..."

Soujin couldn't help but take a quick glance at Muffet's revealing figure letting his eyes linger on her ample bosom before quickly covering his face.

"She has some huge boobs...damn it!” he thought to himself, his cheeks burning with a blush that he couldn't shake off.

Muffet settled herself on the bed with a mischievous look in her eyes. "Oh, Soujin," she practically sung. “You won't get any rest if you keep standing there like a statue. Come, join me and let's rest our weary bodies together."

Soujin took a moment to take a deep breath. After doing so, he relented and made his way to the bed, his heart pounding in his chest as he settled in beside Muffet.

As Soujin lay in bed beside Muffet, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath, trying to calm what was going through his head. He knew he needed to focus on getting some rest despite the alluring presence of Muffet beside him.

"Alright, Soujin," he whispered to himself. "You need to clear your mind and get some sleep. No more distractions, no more wandering thoughts. Just focus on resting and regaining your strength."

With each exhale, Soujin felt himself sinking deeper into the soft embrace of the bed, the warmth of the blankets enveloping him like a comforting hug.

While Soujin attempted to calm his mind and drift off to sleep, he was caught off guard when Muffet suddenly reached out and pulled him closer in her sleep. Her grip was surprisingly strong, yanking him closer until his head was squished between her big bosoms. With his face turning redder than a ripe tomato, Soujin struggled to keep his cool in this unexpected cuddle session.

"Seriously, how am I supposed to zen out in this madness?!" he muttered to himself. Despite his best efforts to relax and refocus on getting some much-needed rest this situation with Muffet made it nearly impossible for Soujin to quiet his thoughts.

The first light of dawn began to filter through the curtains of their shared room. Muffet stirred from her slumber with a sigh. She rose from the bed and stretched her limbs.

"Slept like a baby," she remarked with a smile. She spoke lightly and airy as she glanced over at Soujin who was still nestled in the warmth of the bed.

Soujin was slow to awaken although it took him a good while to get to sleep after the events of the night. With a groan he rubbed his eyes and yawned.

Muffet chuckled. 'Rise and shine, Mr. 'Super Soujin'.

With a reluctant sigh, Soujin finally rose up slowly but then fell right back down into the bed.

"Super Soujin? Whose dat...." Soujin spoke while swaying his arms left to right. "I'm justtt aa wearry olld soull".

Muffet laughed. "Oh, come on .You can't fool me. I've seen you in action and trust me, you're anything but a weary old soul." she teased as she got dressed.

Soujin let out a tired chuckle."Yeah, yeah, keep talking like that and I might start to believe you," he replied with a wry grin as he finally dragged himself out of bed.

"Yo, Mr. Sleepyhead," she teased with a tone light and airy. "We've got a day as packed day today. The Head Captain doesn’t like to be kept waiting either."

Soujin groaned in response but then he shook off his exhaustion quickly after going over what Muffet just said. "Wait, Head Captain?"

Muffet nodded becoming serious as she finished adjusting her uniform. "Yes, the messenger is waiting outside the inn to summon us. We need to report our success and findings from yesterday's mission; furthermore, we will be having a Captains Meeting.”

Soujin's eyes widened in realization, the last traces of sleepiness dissipating as he quickly scrambled to get dressed. "Right, I'm on it.”

Soujin hastily threw on his uniform but Muffet was watching him with a knowing smirk.

"Try to look a little less disheveled, Soujin. We don't want to give him a bad first impression of you, ‘Reincarnated boy’" she said while giving him a wink.

Soujin shot her a glare before straightening his uniform.

"Alright, ready to go," he declared.

Soujin and Muffet made their way following the messenger to the meeting room back in the Divine Blade Society. Their footsteps echoed against the polished marble floors of the Divine Blade Society headquarters. While entering the grand chamber, Soujin’s eyes widened in awe at the sight before them.

The meeting room was a sprawling expanse of grandeur with towering pillars reaching towards the vaulted ceiling above. The walls were adorned with designs depicting warrior-like scenes of heroism while the floor itself was a mosaic of vibrant colors, each number marked with a different hue.

When Soujin and Muffet navigated their way through the room, Soujin noticed the distinct colors beneath their feet. Soujin's Division 3 was represented by a deep shade of blue, while Muffet's Division 6 was marked by a bold crimson red.

The numbers themselves were arranged in a circular formation, each one corresponding to a specific division within the Divine Blade Society. From 1 to 10, each number represented a different rank of captaincy, with the Head Captain presiding over them all from the center of the room.

Once the pair entered the room, they were greeted by the imposing figure of Will Blackhart, the Head Captain of the Divine Blade Society. His presence commanded respect and he fixed upon them a powerful glare with high intensity.

"Captain Soujin, Captain Muffet," he greeted them with a nod. His voice was deep and authoritative as he addressed them. "I trust your mission was successful?"

Soujin stood tall and proud, his demeanor confident as he met Captain Blackhart's gaze. "Yes, sir," he replied with a crisp salute. "We managed to defeat the Senodokidatsu threat and protect the village from further harm."

Soujin glanced at Mutted and suddenly noticed that there was a subtle tremble in her hands. There was some nervousness that seemed out of character for the usually composed Captain of Division 6.

"Muffet, are you alright?" Soujin asked.

Muffet's cheeks flushed with embarrassment. "I-I'm fine," she stammered.

Soujin lowered his eyes. “Oh really? Then why does that look on your face say otherwise?”

Captain Blackhart approached Muffet before they could continue. His presence loomed over her like a dark cloud. Soujin felt a twinge of apprehension. He watched as Captain Blackhart fixed his gaze upon Muffet. This was no ordinary gaze.

"Muffet," he began with a low and stern tone. "I need to ask you something important."

Muffet met Captain Blackhart's gaze with her hands clenched into fists at her sides. "Yes, sir?"

Captain Blackhart's eyes narrowed in scrutiny as he studied Muffet's face, searching for any sign of deception or evasion.

"Did you use it?"

Muffet hesitated for a moment, her gaze flickering between Captain Blackhart and Soujin before finally settling on the floor. "No, sir...”

But Captain Blackhart leaned in close. The image of his face right now was drilled into Muffet like she was a suspect for crime.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes sir...”

Suddenly, to Soujin's surprise, Captain Blackhart's stern face softened and a smile tugged at the corners of his lips. He reached out and patted Muffet on the head, his touch surprisingly gentle with a laugh.

"Good girl. I knew I could count on you."

Muffet's eyes widened in surprise at Captain Blackhart's unexpected praise. "Th-thank you, sir, but..."

Suddenly, without warning, Muffet lunged forward and grabbed onto Captain Blackhart. "More headpats, please?"

Captain Blackhart chuckled from Muffet’s sudden display of affection. "Of course, Muffet. You did exceptionally well on your mission without using it, and you deserve all the praise you can get."

Captain Blackhart began to gently pat Muffet's head and she couldn't contain her excitement. She became a somewhat smaller version of herself, wiggling around in pure bliss as if she had just won the lottery. The sheer joy on her face was enough to melt even the sternest of hearts.

Soujin scratched the back of his head looking with confusion at the complete 180 in Muffet. He had never seen this side of Muffet before. She was wagging herself around like a little fangirl towards Captain Blackhart.

She had always been confident and composed but now she seemed almost...childlike in her eagerness for praise.

"Uh, Muffet, are you feeling alright?" Soujin ventured cautiously.

Before Muffet could respond to Soujin she felt a sudden stinging sensation on her butt which was followed a shot of pain. With a squeak of surprise, she turned to see who had hit her in the butt only to find herself face to face with a towering figure that seemed to loom over her like a giant.

Her heart skipped a beat and panic surged through Muffet's veins. Her eyes widened in disbelief as she beheld the looming figure before her, her face morphing briefly into a stone face of sheer terror. In her frantic state the figure seemed to stretch taller and taller until Muffet felt like she was staring up at an absolute unit of a woman, at least eight feet tall.

"Oh no… Not her!"

The figure before her suddenly shrunk down to a more manageable size, revealing the true proportions of the woman standing before her. "Miko, Captain of Squad 2..."

Miko stood before Muffet, her gaze as stern as the glare of a disappointed cat. Her chestnut hair was a mess, tied back in a practical ponytail that seemed to defy gravity, and her piercing green eyes shone with an intensity that could rival the stare of a laser pointer. In her hand, she wielded a ruler like it was the ultimate weapon of mass destruction, glaring down at Muffet with an undisguised disdain that screamed, ‘you’re about to get measured for trouble.’

"You," Miko growled low and menacingly. "You think you can waltz around here, causing trouble and disobeying orders without consequences?! What have I told you about wearing your uniform like that...?"

This wasn't just any captain to Muffet; this was Captain Miko, known throughout the Divine Blade Society for her strict adherence to rules and discipline, which Muffet often liked to push.

"Lighten up, Captain Miko," Muffet retorted. "It's not against the rules to wear my uniform like this."

With a swift motion, Muffet adjusted her captain's cloak to be even more revealing with her full chest almost slipping out of her uniform. She met Captain Miko's gaze with a challenging stare.

"It's almost as if you want me to push it, Captain."

But Captain Miko was having none of it. With a sharp glare, she pointed her ruler at Muffet.

"Stop this instant, you troll!”

Before the tension could escalate any further, Will intervened.

"That's enough, Captain Miko, Muffet" he said, "It's not against the rules for Captain Muffet to wear her uniform like that."

Captain Miko bristled at Captain Will's words, her grip tightening on the ruler in her hand.

"But it's still wrong, damn it! We need a dress code for--“.

Captain Will turned his head slowly to face Captain Miko as he met her gaze with a neutral face interrupting her and stopping her cold.

"We have more important things to worry about which is why I summoned you all here."

Will reached into his cloak and produced a series of money bags, each one filled to the brim with coins.

“First of all, here is some money for a job well done," he declared with pride."You both deserve it."

Soujin and Muffet accepted the money bags with grateful nods, then Will continued.

"Now," he said, his tone shifting to one of authority. "It's time to begin the Captain's Meeting."