Evening.
Having finished all of his daily trading routines, software development, and reviewing his German lessons, Yuuji spent the rest of his night relaxing along with Aika and Erika in his room.
The three cuddled up under the blanket. Yuuji was topless with only a boxer brief covering his bottom. Erika had a thin, light-pink tank top on and light blue, comfortable hot pants, while Aika was only wearing one of Yuuji's t-shirts with nothing more underneath.
Although it was a very large and loose t-shirt which would normally reach the upper part of her thighs, Aika's… massive twin peaks and wide hips made it ride up her body. Now… it barely covered her crotch and butt.
It was the most comfortable nightwear for her, but it would feel chilly if she walked around in it. So, she only wears this kind of attire when she's going to sleep. But, if she needed to go out of Yuuji's room and she was too lazy to change, she'll snatch his boxer briefs and wear them before she goes.
The two girls laid their heads comfortably on Yuuji's shoulder, leaning back at the soft headboard of the bed, as they watched an anime. It was an anime about Lelouch's world called "Code Geass".
They enjoyed the show within the dimly lit room relaxedly as the two girls snack on some popcorn from a bowl they placed on Yuuji's lap. When suddenly Yuuji's phone rang.
"Hm? Aika, can you grab my phone for me?"
"'Kay~"
She rolled to the edge of the bed, grabbed Yuuji's phone that was right beside Aika and Erika's phones on the bed-side desk, and rolled back to his side.
"Here you go~"
"Thanks."
Yuuji kissed her softly on the head after she handed him the phone and returned to hugging his arm, resting her head on his shoulder and focusing back on the anime.
On the other hand, Yuuji looked at the screen on his phone and saw that it was a call from Tatsuya.
"Hm? Tatsuya?"
A brief moment of confusion crossed his mind before he picked the call up.
"Evening, Tatsuya. What's up?"
"Good evening, Yuuji. Is Aika and Erika there with you?"
"Hm? Yeah, they're here with me."
"Hello, Tatsuya~!"
"Hm? Oh, is it Tatsuya on the call?"
"I see."
"Is there something you need from us?
"No, I'm just informing you that my aunt just left."
Yuuji paused in a brief moment of thought before something clicked in his mind.
"Your aunt… Wait, does that mean…"
"Yes. She left with the relic."
"I see… I'll be in your house in a second."
Yuuji straightened up from his leaning position, earning him a confused look from the two girls by his side. But just as he was about to get off the bed to put on clothes, he was stopped by Tatsuya.
"There's no need for you to go. It's a simple matter. I know where the sniper would be. I can eliminate him before he fires."
"...Are you sure? Aika and I can go with you just in case. I can use Invisibility on the three of us."
"Thank you, but I will be fine. I will report to you once again afterwards."
"Wai-"
Before Yuuji could say anything, Tatsuya hung up, causing him to sigh deeply.
"That guy's really…"
"What's wrong, Yuuji?"
Having paused the anime, Aika and Erika turned towards their beloved, who seemed a bit upset after the phone call.
"...Tatsuya's being reckless again."
"Eh? What's wrong?"
Yuuji glanced at Erika, keeping his eyes on hers for a brief moment, before he began explaining the situation regarding Tatsuya, his aunt, the "relic" she brought, and the trouble she made.
--------------------------------X--------------------------------
The next day.
Yuuji met up once again with Tatsuya to help him on his research regarding the Magatama and other possible materials that could be used to store a magic sequence.
However, with everything that had happened last night, the conversation naturally veered in that direction.
When Yuuji asked how it went, Tatsuya explained it briefly.
"It went as you expected. My aunt is fine, except for a few minor injuries from the crash. And I managed to eliminate the sniper before he fired. I've made a plan to take the relic to the FLT lab as soon as possible as well."
Yuuji let out a deep sigh of relief when he heard Tatsuya's words.
"I see. That's good. Aika and I were worried, thinking at the possibility of you getting shot as well in reality."
Tatsuya's lips curled into an ever so slight smile and replied.
"Thank you, but you don't need to worry. I have Regrowth and the automatic effect of my <
The hands that had been typing away and compiling as much relevant information to the subject as he could stopped as Yuuji slowly turned towards Tatsuya with a frown.
"...That's not the point, Tatsuya."
"Hm?"
Tatsuya turned his head towards Yuuji, and his eyes slightly widened in surprise when he saw Yuuji's upset expression.
"I know you have skills and magic that would keep you alive, but none of them could erase the pain of being shot straight through the chest. That's not something you can just brush off…"
"..."
"How could we, as your friend, not be worried if we knew our friend might be shot straight through the chest?"
Yuuji stared at Tatsuya for a moment as he fell into silence.
From the anime, Yuuji knew that Tatsuya didn't have any regards to how he feels or what danger may befall upon him. If it was related to the safety of his little sister, he would dive down, head first, into danger immediately without any regard for his own safety. Even if he were to experience pain to protect his little sister and make her wish come true, he won't even flinch when he suffers.
His safety and his life would become the last thing he'd care about. And this kind of mindset was something Tatsuya, Aika, and Miyuki wanted to change.
After all… although he was turned into a weapon by the Yotsuba, he was still a dear friend and a beloved brother to them. They didn't want to see him suffer, and simply wished for him to be able to lead a life full of happiness with her little sister.
In the anime, it took quite a while for him to "heal" and regain his emotions, his feelings towards others. But now, Yuuji and all the members of the Group Chat will be there with him. And all of them wanted to help him heal faster.
After all, they're comrades now. Although they've just met, it feels like they're very close friends since they've watched each others' anime. Or in Yuuji's case, his hentai animation…
But still! Now, they are aware and familiar with the true personality and character of each other, creating a deep bond of trust, camaraderie, and friendship that would normally only be born after years of spending time together.
Which is why, when Yuuji heard how indifferent Tatsuya was towards his own safety, he felt extremely sad and a bit upset.
"I see… Thank you for your… for all of your concerns."
"A "thank you" is not what I'm looking for. Whether or not we give you our concern is up to us. You don't need to thank us if we give it to you. But Tatsuya… You can't go on like this."
"..."
"Your disregard of your own pain, safety, and even your life is hurting those who care for you."
Tatsuya's eyes widened at Yuuji's words.
"You're making all of your friends and your little sister worried and sad… It pains us to know that you are suffering, even if you don't show it in your expression."
"Yuuji…"
A sigh escaped Yuuji's lips as he turned his eyes back to the screen, though his hands still hadn't resumed typing.
"I'm sure you've seen Miyuki shedding tears in your place for your suffering in the anime… That's not just something that happens there. It's happening in reality as well."
"..."
"So please… If you care about us… about her, then take better care of yourself."
Just then, Yuuji's phone rang with a call.
"...I'll be back soon."
"Ah…"
Yuuji stood up, took out his phone from the pocket in his blazer, and walked away to a more secluded place to take the call.
After walking a few distance away from Tatsuya, he stopped in an empty hallway inside the library and leaned against a wall.
"Hey, Aika."
"Ah, Yuuji~ Are you busy?"
"No, not really. What's up?"
"Great~! You're in the library right now, right? Hirakawa-senpai is asking if you could find and send her a copy of a research journal from there~ Seems like this particular research journal can only be accessed from the library, so she needs your help~"
"Oh? Of course. Just send me the title and I'll send it to her as soon as possible."
"Fufu~ Did you hear that, Hirakawa-senpai~?"
Then, he heard a slightly muffled voice through the call from beside Aika.
"U-Uhn… T-Thank you very much, Kiryuu-san, Tsubakihara-kun. Please get the copy under my name…! I-I will take responsibility for it!"
"Mm. Please don't mind it, Hirakawa-senpai. I'm happy to help."
"You're very welcome~ Anyway, thanks a bunch, Yuuji~ See you~"
"See you."
Aika hung up, and Yuuji quickly texted Tatsuya that he's requested by Koharu to do something, and headed to the private computer booths area.
If the research journal Koharu wanted could only be accessed in the library, then it must be quite an important and highly guarded research journal. So, it would be better for him to access it from inside a private room.
The private computer booths section was an area in the library where dozens of small, 3 by 2 meters large rooms with a computer inside were arranged in a line and close proximity to each other. Each line of computer booths were separated by a long corridor, and there were several of such corridors in the section.
Since there were only a few people currently in the library, it didn't take long for Yuuji to find an empty booth for himself. But just as he was about to enter, a familiar voice called out to him.
"O-Oh~? Yuuji-kun~ What a coincidence~"
Yuuji turned to the familiar, melodic, charming voice that tickled his heart every time he heard it, and saw the beautiful onee-sama figure, Mayumi, smiling at him ever so softly.
A smile immediately surfaced on his face, which just as quickly charmed the Saegusa heiress as she began to stare at him in a daze.
"Mayumi-senpai. Good morning. What a coincidence indeed."
"U-Uhn… W-What are you doing here~?"
She approached closer and leaned in towards him in her usual playful manner. But truthfully, this was only her feeble attempt to hide her nervousness. She was acting playful exactly to mask how nervous and excited she was for meeting him.
"I'm helping Hirakawa-senpai get some materials to be used for the Thesis Competition for her."
"Oh, I see. Fufu~ Even though you are supposed to be her guard, it seems like Hirakawa-san believes in you enough to entrust you with helping her~"
"I am just doing a little errand for her, Mayumi-senpai. Oh, and if you are free, would you like to accompany me?"
"E-Eh?"
Mayumi yelped in a fluster at Yuuji's invitation. She didn't expect him to invite her himself!
She was super excited, but at the same time, extremely nervous! Her heart was thumping out of her chest. She could hear her heartbeat thumping loudly and rapidly in her ears!
Yuuji was also super nervous, and he was quite surprised at himself for inviting her too. But he didn't want to waste this chance God had given him to spend some time with her!
"Are you… busy?"
"Oh, no! I-I'm not busy."
"I see. Then, would you like to accompany me?"
"Y-Yes."
Mayumi nodded shyly, and inside his mind, Yuuji couldn't help but do the guts pose in celebration.
Of course, he simply let out a dazzling smile and acted calmly in appearance.
"Then, let's enter together. I only need to access and send a research journal to Hirakawa-senpai, so I don't think it will take long."
"Yes."
Mayumi nodded meekly and followed after Yuuji.
After deciding on a room, Yuuji tapped his student id to the scanning machine right beside the door to register himself as the user.
But the moment he opened the door and saw how cramped and small it was… he froze.
Mayumi fidgeted nervously right by his side, her face blushing redly. She knew how small it was beforehand, and knew that if they were to enter together, they would be in an extremely close proximity to each other, alone in a room. That's why she was so nervous!
Yuuji slowled turned towards Mayumi and smiled awkwardly.
"Uhm… I didn't expect the room to be this… single-sized. Should we return and use the computers outside…?"
"N-No! W-We should use this! After all, you will be gathering materials for the Thesis Competition! It will be safer if you use this one instead of the public ones!"
Mayumi argued. She had steeled herself for this! And there's no way she'll be letting this chance go!!! E-Even though she was still super nervous and embarrassed, she can't let this chance just fly away!
"...I understand."
The two entered the cramped room together and sat side by side before the computer monitor. They tried their best not to touch each other, but it was simply impossible for their shoulders and arms to not touch.
An awkward silence filled the small room, dimly lit solely by the computer screen before them.
Yuuji tried his best to distract himself, but it was simply impossible…
This was the first time he had ever been this close to Mayumi. He could even feel her warmth and softness from her arm and smell the fragrant scent of her shampoo. It was filling the entire room and his mind!
How could he concentrate on doing his task for Koharu when his crush was sitting this close to him?!
Wait… Isn't this a chance…?
Yuuji froze for a moment as a myriad of thoughts flashed across his mind.
To be able to be with mayumi alone in a room like this… a chance like this might not come again. A chance… to confess his feelings.
Ever since the end of NSC, his relationship with Mayumi had grown much closer. He had also confirmed, or at least, obtained a quite definitive proof of her feelings towards him when he was calibrating the CAD Mayumi would use for her Crowd Ball event.
But after that… they hadn't had the chance to talk face to face alone often.
It was inevitable. After all, both of them were busy with their own businesses. The most they could do was message each other occasionally.
Aika had been pestering him ever since the end of NSC to progress his relationship with Mayumi, and Erika had also been asking him why he wasn't making a move. But that's because he hadn't got the right moment yet!
And now might be it.
"U-Uhm… Mayumi-senpai."
"W-What's wrong? A-Are you feeling uncomfortable?"
"N-No, that's not it… Uhm…"
Yuuji braced himself for the moment. His heart was beating rapidly, but he was determined to do this now…! If he missed this chance, then the next might be after the incident that will happen in Yokohama finished. By then, he might very well get teleported back immediately for having completed his missions.
So it has to be now.
"...There's something I wish to tell you."
"Eh? W-What is it…?"
Mayumi shyly turned her gaze towards Yuuji. Her face blushing redly, but thankfully, the room was dark with only the light from the computer screen before them lighting it up, making it quite difficult for others to truly see how red she was. Little did she know, even if it was an absolutely lightless room, Yuuji would've had no difficulty seeing her because of his enhanced senses.
But this time, Yuuji didn't notice. Not because he didn't see it, but because his mind was busy rapidly turning and churning, trying to find the words to convey his feelings and thoughts to Mayumi.
"Mayumi-senpai… Are you aware of my relationship with Aika and Erika…?"
Her eyes widened in shock for a brief moment. And after recalling Yuuji's interactions with the two… she nodded with a saddened smile as she felt her heartbeat start slowing down.
"Uhn… I have an… idea."
Hearing the disheartened tone in her voice, a helpless smile appeared on his face.
"Aika… She is… an extremely important person to me. At first, I thought she was just a fellow comrade and a close friend. But after all the time I spent with her… She became much… Much more important than I realize. And when I found out that she felt the same… We started dating."
"Uhn…"
The sting in her heart deepened when she heard his words and saw such an affectionate and loving expression from him.
This was the first time she had ever seen Yuuji make such an expression. It was beautiful, but at the same time, it stung just as much.
"She's a pervert. A super pervert. Although she might look proper and graceful in public, she is sloppy, clumsy, messy, and a serious pervert in private."
"Eh? Really?"
"Uhn… I'm serious."
Mayumi looked at Yuuji in shock. She didn't… expect the ever so graceful and bright young lady like Aika to be described as… those adjectives. She wouldn't have believed it, but because it came from Yuuji, then perhaps… There's some truth to it.
"But maybe… Maybe because she's like that, that she's perfect for me…"
"Eh? W-What do you mean… Yuuji-kun…?"
"..."
A brief moment of silence passed. Mayumi kept her gaze locked on Yuuji's face. And this time, even within the dimly lit room, she noticed a deep blush surfacing on his face.
"I… I'm also… a pervert…"
"E-Eh?! W-What?!"
"B-But not in that sense! I-I mean, i-it might be, but it's definitely not what you're thinking of!!!"
Yuuji waved his hands frantically in a panic, his face blushing super red, as Mayumi looked at him in pure shock and began moving away from him instinctively.
"W-What i meant is… I-I-I have a fetish for harem!!!"
"..."
If the brief moment of silence before was quiet, then it would be a vacuum now.
Mayumi's eyes widened into saucers as she looked at the redly blushing Yuuji, who was looking down in pure embarrassment after revealing the fetish he, the freshman ace of the First High School, had.
Mayumi couldn't believe her ears for a moment. But seeing his reaction, a blush began to resurface on her cheeks once more.
"I-I-I-Is that true…? I-I-Is it really… W-What I think it is…?"
He nodded shyly.
"I… just found out about it too… After Aika pointed it out to me."
Yuuji said in a quiet, shy voice, a tone Mayumi never heard of before from him. Before her was no longer the confident, handsome, kind, and perfect gentleman he always appeared to be. But a shy, nervous, and embarrassed young man who's trying his best to show his true self to her.
"I realize that… I fall in love easily… Of course, I won't just fall in love with any random girl I see. But… with girls that I've become close with… and became interested in… I would fall in love with them before I knew it…"
Mayumi never shifted her eyes away from his as she listened to his words. And when he mentioned the later half, a realization came to her.
"I-Is that what happened… with Chiba-san?"
He nodded.
"Mm… Erika was in the same class as Tatsuya. And because I am also close with Tatsuya, we eventually met and became closer after hanging out together often. And before I knew it… I was attracted to her…"
"I see… B-But… What about… Aika-san?"
Mayumi asked with a trace of confusion present in her face.
She had a guess. After recalling everything Yuuji had said about Aika, she had already came to a possible answer to answer that question. But she had to confirm it with him. She had to be sure…
This time, Yuuji's expression changed from shy to wry and helpless once again.
"She supports me… Maybe because she's familiar with "harems" from the media she consumes or because she's perverted, she accepted me having a harem and even welcomed Erika as her "sister" with open arms…"
Her eyes widened once again. Her heart began to thump faster, excited, as hopefulness filled her chest. It was as if she could finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.
"T-Then, what about Chiba-san…?"
"She was quite surprised when we suggested it. But… I was blessed with such understanding partners that even I couldn't believe it at first…"
"S-So you're now in a romantic relationship with the both of them?"
"Yes."
Yuuji nodded firmly with his eyes locked into hers.
And as a brief moment of silence fell upon the two once again, Yuuji could see a whirling mix of various different emotions from her expression and her silence.
He knew it was unfair to her… As unfair as it was for Aika and Erika, who had given their whole heart to love him utterly and completely. But even so… it was too late for him. He had already fallen in love with Mayumi as well, and he didn't want to let any of them go, including his mother, aunt, and sisters.
So all he could do now… was to make sure they would not regret the love they've given to him and give them all the happiness in the world.
"Mayumi-senpai… I have also fallen in love with you."
"Eh…?"
His words snapped Mayumi out of her daze. Her heart clenched, and the whirling storm of mixed emotions in her heart suddenly disappeared and cleared, as if they were never present.
In an instant, everything became clear, and a realization came to her.
Ah… I still do… love him.
Even after everything he said… she still loves him. It was surprising.
Although it wasn't common in normal families, a man with more than one wife was not uncommon in higher society. She had seen, and even knew personally, some men having more than one or even two wives.
And although it was quite surprising that Yuuji, a first year student in the school she was attending, had a relationship with both Aika and Erika, the most surprising realization that came to her was the fact that she realized that she still loves him this quick…
With all the emotions swirling around her just a few moments ago, she thought she'd need a bit of time to process everything and make a decision. But… she didn't expect the answer would come to her this quickly.
As she was stunned by her own revelation, Yuuji continued.
"I understand if you were to have… doubts about me after this. But I won't give up, Mayumi-senpai. I might fall in love easily, but will never give up until I receive your love back. I know it would be unfair to you, but I promise I will love you with all my heart and make you happy. So… please think about it…"
A warm, comforting sensation washed over all the doubts and shock within her and began filling her heart.
She could see his unease, his nervousness, and his embarrassment. They were obvious, even within this dimly lit room. But they were not born out of deceit.
He was uneasy, nervous, and embarrassed precisely because his words were genuine and sincere… And in his eyes, she could see that he was determined to chase after her if she was to reject him now.
A smile… The softest, gentlest, and most beautiful smile she had ever made appeared on her face. It was a smile she had never made before; a smile of a maiden in love.
"I love you as well… Yuuji-kun. And although I might need some time to get used to… a harem, p-please take care of me…"
His eyes widened for a brief moment, before a smile of pure happiness appeared on his face. Yuuji took her hand slowly and gasped them ever so gently in his hands, as if it was the most precious thing in the world.
He then lowered his head and pressed her hand against his forehead, before looking up to the redly blushing visage of Saegusa Mayumi.
"Thank you… for loving me, Mayumi-senpai. Please take care of me as well…"
"U-Uhn…"