Taming SSR And UR RANK Superwomen-Chapter 47 — The Platinum License

"F-Freja?" Thomas murmured when he saw her appear.

Freja held her own elbow, looking away with visible discomfort.

"What? Does it bother you that I’m here? I can leave."

"No, that’s not it... I just thought you wouldn’t come. I didn’t see you reply to the messages."

Freja glanced sideways at Selene. Under that gaze, Selene lowered her eyes slightly, as if avoiding eye contact.

"They just... gave me more confidence to come," Freja added.

"I see..."

Thomas walked over to her, knelt on one knee, and looked up at her as he said,

"I truly appreciate your participation, Freja. And I’m sorry for what I put you through yesterday. I’ll find a way to make things right with you."

Freja looked at him in silence, a tense mixture of surprise and displeasure written across her face. She didn’t answer. Instead, Seraphine spoke from beside him while pointing at herself.

"Master, and what will you give me to make up for what I did?"

"Huh?" Thomas muttered.

"If you’re giving something to her, then you owe me something too," Evelyne interrupted.

"You should give me something as well! I’ve been dragged everywhere since the very beginning. You’re even making me lose money!" Selene declared.

Thomas stood up, raising his palms toward them.

"Wait, wait," he said, trying to calm the chaos. "We’re not even at that stage as a team yet. We’re barely getting started; I don’t even have enough money to support myself."

"I don’t care about your money, I support myself," Selene said as she approached him and pressed a finger against his chest. "What I want is more free time. I’ve already had to reject three invitations to events, and I haven’t even had time to do a stream because every time I get home I’m exhausted."

"I’ll do something about it. Just let me think..."

Selene sighed, placing her hands on her hips.

"So? Now what?"

Thomas cleared his throat and answered,

"Now that you’re all here, I’ll take you with me and you’ll stay somewhere to rest. You’ll see the Abyss when I bring you back."

From the black backpack hanging diagonally across his body, he took out the cooking utensils that belonged to each of them.

"Since Freja is new, I’ll let her see everyone first."

"Cooking utensils?" Freja asked, leaning forward with curiosity.

"Yes," Thomas confirmed.

With his mind, he called Evelyne. Her body became covered in a pale blue light sprinkled with golden sparks that began to swirl around her like floating embers.

The light intensified for a moment and, in the blink of an eye, her figure compressed until it vanished inside the blender. Thomas explained that they functioned as a form of transportation.

Then he placed Selene into her spatula and Seraphine into her ladle. Seeing this, Freja made a skeptical expression and looked at him.

"Seriously? That’s hilarious. You store women inside kitchen utensils." Her sarcasm and indignation were impossible to miss.

Thomas smiled awkwardly.

"I-I didn’t make the rules of my power..."

She crossed her arms and straightened her back. She was taller than Thomas, standing at six feet tall. A pink tentacle extended along her back and grabbed the last item remaining in his hand.

"A spoon? You’re seriously going to use this as my storage?"

"What’s wrong with it?"

"I don’t want it." She tossed it away as if it disgusted her.

The spoon rolled across the floor with a metallic clatter. Thomas watched it cautiously; he knew how valuable those tools were.

"If I’m going to be inside one of those things, I want it to be a knife," she said confidently, looking down at him. "A butcher knife, specifically."

"W-what? I-I don’t even know if I have one of those..."

Freja extended another tentacle that wrapped around Thomas’s torso, immobilizing him and dragging him toward her like a doll. Thomas looked at her nervously.

"A butcher knife, or I walk."

"W-why do you want that?"

Freja smiled playfully and touched her own cheek as she said,

"Because they’re dangerous and sharp. Perfect for dismembering any limb."

She slowly moved her index and middle fingers, mimicking a little walk across Thomas’s shoulder until they stopped right at his neck. He swallowed.

Then he checked whether the system had one. When he bought it, it appeared in his hand and he asked,

"Better?"

"Yes," she replied in a much more relaxed tone, placing her hands behind her back.

Then, when he called her, Freja stored herself as well. Thomas sighed in exhaustion afterward. He picked up the spoon she had thrown and put it away, saying,

"I guess it’ll be for the next one."

◇◆◇

"So you’re my son’s friend."

Ashley lowered her head respectfully, keeping her hands in front of her pelvis.

"Yes, we’re very good friends. My name is Ashley Reinhart. It’s a pleasure to finally meet his mother."

Angel stepped closer to her, invading her personal space and holding her chin as a a way to intimidate her.

"My, you really are beautiful. Even your eye adorns your face like a shining pearl."

Ashley smiled, slightly parting her lips. She didn’t miss the opportunity to say,

"I’m glad to hear those words from my future mother-in-law."

"Mother-in-law?" She looked toward Thomas and said, "I want her in the family. When are you accepting her hand?"

Ashley looked at Thomas mischievously. He, on the other hand, responded calmly,

"She thinks she’s an amazing girlfriend, but it’s the complete opposite."

"I’ve changed," Ashley declared. "Two years ago I was immature, a little intense, I admit it... but my feelings for you are just as intense as before."

"Don’t forget to add aggressive, jealous, possessive, you never gave me space, a liar—"

"Alright, alright, you don’t have to remind me of all that; but that was two years ago. I’ve matured a lot." She turned to Angel and spoke to her again in a calm tone. "I promise I’ll win your son over again. He’ll fall head over heels for me."

Angel smiled calmly, closing her eyes and nodding.

"You have my vote of confidence. I like a determined woman."

’Why are you deciding that when you’ve barely come back into the family?’ Thomas thought ironically.

Then he sighed, approached Ashley, and placed a hand on her head as he explained,

"Anyway, Ashley is extremely important to me and I care about her a lot. Don’t do anything that hurts her or makes her feel bad."

"Of course. I’ll take care of her too," Angel replied. 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

Once they said their goodbyes, leaving Iris with a babysitter, the three of them took Ark’s metro and left the walls. They arrived at the port, where only a few people could be seen among crates, cranes, and workers.

There were three ships with the same design and size. They walked toward the one in the middle while Angel answered Thomas’s question before he could ask it.

"They use them to transport women to their expeditions. There are also trips by plane and helicopter, but I prefer traveling by ship. It’s a more classic and romantic experience."

"How much did you pay to take us with you?" Thomas asked.

"The government gives us the trips for free," Ashley said. "Since women are the ones who stop the spread of the Abyss, and there’s no guarantee they’ll come back alive, it’s practically an open invitation for any woman to go."

"Yes, just like your friend said. Though not just anyone can go; you need a special permit for that. A Platinum License."

She showed hers over her shoulder, holding it elegantly between her index and middle fingers. She held it with the natural ease of someone accustomed to carrying an object that very few people could even dream of possessing. The card was polished enough to reflect sunlight like a small mirror.

Ashley looked at the license with shining eyes and commented,

"And getting one is extremely difficult... and expensive. And even if you pay everything and meet all the requirements, there’s still a chance they reject you." She sighed, her shoulders slumping. "And you can only apply once every two years."

Then she straightened up and looked at Angel with a smile.

"The fact that your mother has one only shows how impressive she is. It’s an incredibly high-status symbol. It’s no surprise when we’re talking about the famous Angel Lilizeth."

Angel smiled with composure and flirtatious grace. She enjoyed being praised.

"I see you know about me."

"Who doesn’t know you? You’re the number fourteen heroine in the top hundred, and there are rumours that the only reason you don’t aim higher is because you simply don’t want to."

Angel covered her mouth with a knuckle and smiled, closing her eyes while her cheeks flushed.

"People are so eloquent. I hope that’s not the reason you’re interested in my son," she said, covering her eyes under a shadow without losing her smile.

"Of course not, I just met you. It was a surprise to me. Thomas and I have been best friends since before I knew anything about his family. In fact, I met his little sister six months after we met, and by that point we had already slept together."

"Oh my~... you already had sex?"

Ashley lifted her chin and looked her straight in the eyes.

"Yes. More than ten times."

Angel’s gaze sharpened slightly without losing her smile, as if she had just found something interesting. Then she said what she felt out loud.

"I’m fascinated by you. You don’t hesitate for even a second to say things."

"I’m just very competitive and slightly possessive. If I want something, I’ll do whatever it takes to claim it as mine."

Thomas watched both of them in silence before pulling his chin back slightly.

’That’s terrifying,’ he thought.

Then he smiled while looking toward the large ship and finished thinking,

’Although, ironically... when it comes to that, we’re exactly the same.’