Honey Window

"Try not to change position after your next shot," Naomi said.

Asher released another arrow, missing again, but as he stood without movement, Naomi approached him and began to fix his legs, hips, arms, and hands. In the end, she changed everything, and he was trying to remember how to position himself correctly.

"Now, draw the bow, but don't release it immediately, okay?" Naomi asked.

Asher did as she had asked, holding the arrow ready, which wasn't really that easy, as he needed to keep his arm and back tense all the time.

Naomi again fixed his posture, correcting where his bow was aimed. "Something like that," she said. "Try to remember this position and repeat it later. You will need to test it more yourself, but this position should be better than... what you were doing before. Shoot now."

Asher's arrow missed the target again.

"Try again," Naomi encouraged him.

Asher tried not to move a lot, adjusting only his arm to the side, according to how he missed, but he felt like the arrows were flying in random directions, and he wasn't aiming at all.

After a few more missed arrows, he looked at Naomi, hoping for any advice. She was watching him with a soft blush on her cheeks.

"What?" he asked.

"Hmm?" she hummed. "Oh, nothing, umm... You miss because you jerk before releasing the arrow. It's normal, I do it too, but you must learn how to minimize it. Try to keep your hand and bow steady before you release."

Asher drew his bow again, waiting a moment before releasing, trying to keep his hand as steady as possible. His arrow missed once more, but as Naomi encouraged him to try again and fix his stance, it seemed to have an effect - the next shot didn't fly completely off, and he finally managed to hit the target.

"Wow," Asher said sarcastically. "After twenty arrows, I hit one."

"It's a distance for those already proficient with bows, not for beginners," Naomi replied. "You'll get better. Just remember your stance. And you need practice."

Asher kept shooting while Naomi began practicing with her own bow to get a feel for it. After many more arrows, most of which missed, though a few hit the target, Naomi finally stopped him.

"Actually, I haven't thought about it before, but you can try to make the bow a bit longer," she said. "It should make aiming easier for you."

Asher looked at his black weapon and realized that, with his ring and its skill, he could alter his weapon however he wanted. At least, it should work that way. The bow he was holding wasn't something he had put much thought into, he had just imagined one appearing in his hand.

Following Naomi's advice, he imagined a longer version. As the bow began to stretch and grow, he glanced at Naomi, waiting for her reaction.

"Stop," she said. "That should be a better length. And maybe try to make it a bit stiffer, but not too much," she added. After a moment, she stopped him again when it reached the right thickness. "Try it now. And aim a bit lower."

After creating a new arrow, Asher tried to draw the bow. He quickly realized that he needed to put much more strength into it, and as he released the arrow, before it even reached its goal, he could tell that his hand jerked too much and he would miss.

"Too thick," Naomi commented. "Try to create something in between now and what you had before."

Asher focused on his ring again, correcting the shape of his bow, and when he tried to shoot again, it was easier and more stable in his hands.

"You'll need to try different options," Naomi said. "But you shouldn't focus on the smallest details and corrections in the bow either. Stick to this one for now, and try to get used to it."

As he continued his training, he could tell he had a better feel for the new version of the bow. He was hitting more and more arrows when Elara approached them, covered in sweat, and watched from the side as he hit the target. It was far from the middle, but if it was a monster, he would hit it. As long as it would stay in place and wait for his arrows.

He sighed, turning toward Elara.

"Don't stop because of me," she said. "I just need a small break and wanted to take a look at how you are doing."

"He's getting better," Naomi commented. "But he still needs a lot of practice. And I can't really help a lot with that."

"You helped me already a lot," Asher said. "Changing the bow was massive, and I would never have come up with that on my own."

After he returned to his training, Elara watched for a moment before going back to the dummy to continue her own practice. Asher and Naomi kept shooting side by side. They were too focused to talk, but Asher was glad they were at least spending time together.

"Okay, I've had enough," Asher said after many released arrows. "Do you want to stay and train or maybe..."

"Oh... we can go back together," Nami replied, blushing softly.

They hadn't had an opportunity to gain experience that day yet, and as they headed toward the house, both of them were thinking about that.

"Thanks for all the help," Asher said as they were leaving the training square.

"No problem at all," Nami replied. "You still need a lot of practice, but you also don't need to be a master at archery. You're going to use it from time to time, right?"

"Yeah, I prefer to fight up close. But with the ring, I might be in a position where the bow would be useful," he replied.

When they were back at their house, Asher opened the entrance door for Naomi, and then she opened the door to her room for him, exchanging small smiles.

Asher sat down on her bed as she put her bow away and joined him. As their eyes met, they just looked at each other in silence, before Asher leaned forward and met her in a kiss halfway as she moved too.

One kiss turned into a second, and then they were sitting next to each other, kissing for a long moment, just focused on their lips teasing each other. It wasn't long before a message showed in front of Asher's eyes, but he closed it immediately, occupied with much more exciting things.

---

Level up with harem partner: Naomi Tanaka -- Spirit Archer (Ranger)

Relationship level +1

Relationship level with Naomi Tanaka: 5

---

Kissing was the slowest method to gather experience, and it took them some time to reach the limit, but they didn't really care about that, and they didn't stop making out.

When Naomi finally pulled back, she was breathing faster, with her cheeks flushed. "I'm sorry," she murmured.

"What for?" Asher asked, confused.

Nami gestured shyly at his crotch, where his cock was bulging in his pants. "I... Leaving you like that every time. It's... I know other girls do more, much more, and..."

"There's no pressure," Asher said, brushing her black hair away from her face. "You don't need to do anything you don't want to."

"I think that's the problem. I don't know what I want anymore... I mean, sometimes I think I want to do more, but then I wonder if it's because others do more, or do I just want to do more. And... Agh! I just imagined it all so much differently."

"Without other women involved?" Asher asked, wondering if that was a problem.

"Yes, but also slower. I thought that I would be with a guy for like a few months before we would... you know..."

Asher nodded, pondering over it. Waiting a few months to have sex sounded like a lot of time, but he had waited with Elara much longer before they did anything. But it seemed harder when he already had a taste of it - he couldn't imagine not sleeping with his girlfriend even for a week. But he believed he could wait that long with Naomi, even if it complicated things with his class.

"We can wait," Asher offered.

"That's the thing. I don't want to wait a few months anymore," Naomi replied. "I-I was even thinking about doing it while kissing today," she murmured.

Asher hesitated before he decided to ask what came to his mind. "Don't take it as me trying to pressure you, but if you want to do it, then why not?" he asked.

Naomi glanced at him before she averted her gaze, thinking before she replied. "I don't know. It just... doesn't feel right to do it right now."

"You would prefer to do it between flowers on a meadow?" Asher asked.

She gasped, hiding her face in her hands. "I-I was drunk when I wrote it," she mumbled between her fingers.

Asher sighed, lying on Naomi's bed and staring at the ceiling. He wondered if he had been pushing her to have sex with him, even if he hadn't said it out loud. The whole situation - adding her to his harem, the other women moving at a much faster pace, the pressure to gain experience every day - all of it pushed her toward sleeping with him.

Or maybe Lucy was right, and Naomi simply had her own desires. It would be similar to Ava, who had only truly awakened after getting a taste of sex - though she hadn't been shy about diving straight into it.

"What are you thinking about?" Naomi asked, looking at him from above, sitting next to him.

"All of that," Asher sighed. "How strange my life became and what to do next."

Naomi nodded slowly before lying down next to him. For a few minutes, they stayed silent. Asher felt surprisingly comfortable just being like that without talking at all. Turning his head to look at her, he watched her for a moment before shifting a bit closer and placing his hand on her arm.

"What are you doing?" Naomi asked, tensing up.

"Trust me?"

When she nodded, he gently pulled her onto her side, her back facing him, and wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her closer. She was tense at first but quickly relaxed, wiggling slightly before settling comfortably in his arms.

Not talking, not worrying, not even thinking, Asher just relaxed with Naomi in his arms, her slim body pressed into him.