「Please put us in the same position as Yumina and Lindsey too! 」
「... Ha? 」
Recovering my senses, I was preparing myself for the promise set if I should lose, and this kind of thing was said to me.
「So-degozaruna, that-, me-, us too... this-, Elsie-dono will say this! 」
「Uee!? Ya-, I am ...! U-... at-, at any rate, first of all, it is that... I-, I-, I like Touya too! 」
「I, too, feel the same, gozaru, e? 」
Both their faces were looking down and have become bright red... What is going on?
Just when I was thinking of the sudden duel, now it's a confession. Moreover, by two people at the same time. It is like my period of popularity has come, you know.
「When you say 'in the same position as Yumina and Lindsey'... In other words, you mean... 」
「We too, that is, we want to become Touya-dono's brides... degozaru... 」
「How-, how-, how should I put this, you have to do it! Yo-, yo-, you lost, that's why! 」
I pinch my cheek. Ouch. This is reality, isn't it. All of sudden, I have attained four brides. Ehm, no-no-no. Say what you like, but isn't this too much?
Although, Tokugawa had more than 40 concubines, and no less than 50 children. If I compare myself to him then... Wait, it's a strange comparison in the first place!
The main point is that person, for the sake of reinforcing his vigor, drank the powdered 'that' part of fur seal and were referred to as the [Fur seal shogun] or something. I don't want to be lumped together with him!
Inside my head, it doesn't just stop at one retort.
「Are you two... okay with that? 」
「I don't particularly mind. My liking Touya won't change, and when liking the same person, if everyone can become happy, such thing won't matter in any way. 」
Yesterday Lindsey said the same thing. As one would expect from twins, their way of thinking is similar.
「Myself also likes Touya-dono and similarly everyone else too -degozaru. If we all can become brides together, that is the reason for congratulation, you know」
What is with them I wonder, in this world the women's desire to monopolize is weak, or how should I put it... Well, does it become like this because of polygamy and such as customs? Or have they all changed? I have a feeling that fighting would be normal, but... I don't think they feel jealousy towards each other very much. Well, there might be a little jealousy. Thinking about jealousy, Lindsey comes to mind first.
「Wi-, wi-, with that, how about it...? 」
「Eh? 」
「As-, as I said! I mean what do you think about us? 」
Aah, now I get it. The events are happening too much in succession already and my senses are paralyzed, that won't do.
I should just tell them my honest feelings, after all.
「If I were to say whether I like or dislike you, I certainly like you. Both of you are cute and your personalities aren't bad either. But, if I were to say whether I love you or not, I don't understand that well. As I said earlier, it is the same with Yumina and Lindsey. I'm happy about the confession, but I'm wondering if it's okay to also accept both of you while having these feelings. 」
「However is it that you have already accepted those two-degozaru? 」
「My feelings of liking both of them was not a lie, and wanting to cherish them was also true. Nevertheless, they said it was alright with them 」
In the end, the act of marriage itself is unrealistic in some respects and there is also the thing about not being able to express your actual feelings. Generally despite not even honestly going out, things like marriage cannot be considered.
Indeed, my cousin's older brother skipped most of that, because he had a child it was decided that he got married, and became trapped like that.
「So, that means, that you also like us similarly to Yumina and Lindsey, don't you? In that case, there is no problem」
「Well, but what will Yumina and others say... 」
「That will be all right-degozaru. In the first place, it was Yumina-dono who came to invite us to become brides too-degozaru. 」
What did you say?
「When you got that mansion from the King, Yumina frankly asked us, you know. Whether we liked Touya, that is. If that was that case, she said we should all just become your bride. However, we did not think about that to that extent yet. But gradually, well. I came to thinking that it might be good. And then yesterday, with Lindsey's rampage, it became clear, you know. That I also want to be with Touya」
With straightforward eyes, Elsie looks at me. There was no hesitation in those eyes. However, her face was somewhat red.
「With Touya-dono in the center, I have thought whether we could all get along as a family -degozaru. Frankly, I myself have not yet grown accustomed to Yumina-dono's generosity-degozaru, but I want to be married to Touya-dono for life」
Because Yumina talked about things like having even ten or twenty concubines... Is that open-mindedness (?) thanks to the legal wife's (self-proclaimed) composure, I wonder.
「So, what-, what do you think? 」
「... First of all, I understood both of your feelings. I like you too. Elsie, with your energetic cheerfulness, somewhat obstinate but I think it's cute. Yae, with your earnest chivalry, a girl who is considerate of her family. A gentle girl fond of children. I think that both of you would become good wives. 」
「In-, In that case. 」
To stop Elsie from rushing ahead, I hold out my palm before me.
「However I hope you give me some time. Since I want to give you my answer by evening. I want think this over a little. 」
「... I understand. 」
「... I understand-degozaru」
I went to my room when we came back home, and Elsie and Yae went to talk with Yumina and the others.
Sitting down on the bed, I take a long breath and fall down on my back.
What to do. No, it is what should I do and how should I reply. Since I have accepted Lindsey, it is impossible to not accept those two people.
I think I like all four girls equally, and all of them are important. I don't want to make them sad, I can't do that. Therefore, am I really fine with this? All thoughts came to mind. In the end, I am afraid that I would just make them unhappy.
No, I might just be feeling nervous about this and that. About marriage and the like. It isn't just my problem, I would also burden the life of my partner. Well, I need to be careful. Moreover it will be four times the usual people. Will I be able to shoulder it?
「Hmmm... Should I try to consult with somebody? 」
Lime-san.... is Yumina's ally, I think. Lapis-san and Cecil-san.... Clare-san too, and it will be somewhat hard to consult with a woman. Rene is out of question. Julio-san... is rather unreliable, isn't he...
...As I thought, it will have to be that person.
Before I decided on this, I've always wanted to try this once. This would be a good opportunity to try it out. Nevertheless when talking, it is always better to do it face to face.
Being the guest, I go down into the kitchen and prepare some baked sweets as presents. Preparing various assortments, I carry them under my arms.
「Gate」
Passing through the light of the gate I produced, what jumped into view was a small four-and-a-half tatami mat room with an old-looking low dining table, and because there were no walls the light spreads into a sea of clouds. How I missed this.
Sitting at that table there was an old person, hardening and holding in his mouth a rice cracker.
「Oh, ooh. It is you. Please inform me if you were planning on coming. Or perhaps I should say that I didn't think that you would be coming 」
「It has been a while, Kami-sama 」
If it is a place I been to once, I thought that I might perhaps be able to come here too, but indeed I did not think that I would really be able to come here.
「It is because in this place magic is plentiful. That might be the reason it was possible. Your former world's magic was thin, so you wouldn't be able to transfer there 」
「Ah, these are presents. It's something like cookies. 」
「Ya, Excuse me. Then, I will bring out the tea. 」
I am being poured boiling hot tea into the teacup from the small teapot. And then the tea stalk stood up. Is it God's power I wonder.
I quietly drink the piping hot tea. Delicious. It's been a while since I had green tea.
「So, what's wrong? 」
「Aah, I somewhat need a little advice... 」
「Fumu? Well, please speak」
I spoke to God about this time. What should I do, or in the first place how should I deal with the girls from now on. From then, we exchange words in detail.
「Fu~mu, it's not good if you think about that too deeply. Because I think that it is fine for you to be honestly delighted since they told you that they liked you 」
「Well, I am indeed delighted but there are a lot of things to consider」
Having God listen to my troubles, I somehow arrived at having a feeling of repentance. However it is not like I have committed a crime in particular.
「Well then. Shall we try asking the specialist on this kind of topic. 」
「Eh? 」
God extended his hand to black telephone placed nearby and after turning the dial, called somewhere.
Sometime later from the sea of clouds a woman rises to the surface. Her age is about in the first half of 20-ties, with light pink hair and wearing fluffy silk on top of white garments, she came to us while drifting in the air. On her limbs and head, golden circlets were jingling. Ah, she is barefoot.
「I have kept you waiting. 」
Lightly exchanging greetings, she gently sits down in front of the low table.
「Errr, this person is? 」
「She is the Love God, you know. She will be the most suitable person to consult you, won't she? 」
Love God!? This person!?
「It is nice to meet you. I have been interested in you for a long time, and sometimes I peeked in on you, you know. 」
Now that you say it, I heard something like that with the telephone from Kami-sama during the time with Yumina. That the Love God was deeply interested in me. So it's this person. By no means has it been decided that I will consult with this person. Certainly, god only knows...
「Love God is the God of love, you know? 」
「It is so. But I don't do things such as manipulating the feeling of a person in particular, you know? I do things like stirring up the atmosphere a bit, making efforts on conventional arrangement for the sake of passion」
「Arrangements? 」
Ah, affectionate arrangements, that is. It is cliché but, with saying something like [I'm late, I'm late~!] when the girl runs while holding a bread in her mouth, on the street corner she collides with the dreamy guy, those kind of things.
「It is like that, you know. Things like the guy saying [When this battle is over, I will marry you...] not becoming able to marry, you know」
「Probably because of you! 」
That, it is not just that he is unable to marry, he dies, doesn't' he!? I think however that it is not a Love Flag but a Death Flag!
「So, what's the matter? 」
It can't be helped that it is most quite uneasy consulting with that person. First of all (and excuse me for my impoliteness), considering the she is Love God, I might be able receive some advice.
「Hmmm, it has become most interesting, don't you think so」
Love God, who listened to my story, kept floating a smiling face and chewed at the cookies spread on the table. That's bad manners, Love God.
「Still, I don't understand what the problem is. If it's mutual love isn't it okay? 」
「But, four at the same time... 」
「First of all, you are making a mistake. You should throw away the common knowledge of your previous world, you know. Liking only one person out of four, and pitying the three, would be a cruel story with such insincerity. But liking all four people and seriously wanting to make them all happy, in that case it really is love. 」
Love. Do I really feel that?
「I wonder why everyone grew to love someone like me... 」
「That I do not know. If there are people who immediately fall in love at first sight, then there are those who don't recognize the feelings of those around them. Different strokes for different people, infinitely varying, various lives. 」
I understand yet I don't. Well, it's not like love has a decided form.
「Perhaps, it is just that you don't have self-confidence. That sensation in you which wants to live up to those girls feelings, that is anxiety. However it isn't for you to decide that, isn't it up to those girls? 」
Stupid. .... It may be as she certainly said. Forcing my selfish ideal image, falling short on my own, it's just me and my inferiority complex.
「It would be fine to follow your own feelings more honestly. You are free to give out your own answer, but it's also important to consider your partner's feelings. Otherwise wouldn't it be rude to the girls who confessed? 」
「Is that so... I guess I am selfish... 」
「It's only natural. It's not love if it is only about the happiness of one party. There is no meaning if you don't become happy too. 」
... Yes, It is like that. It is something that can't be handed over to me too. From here we should reconcile and discuss this together. We will most likely be together for life, this much we must confide.
「Did you come up with the answer? 」
Love God asks me as if reading my mind.
「I'm not sure. But I think I can see the point. 」
「Is that so. Then that is best. 」
「It is good that my arrangement did not become wasted, too. 」
... N? Those words were somehow bothersome. She said arrangements, isn't this the Love Flag mentioned before?
「What do you mean by saying 'my arrangements'? 」
「Previously, I produced that [accidental peeping in the bath while changing clothes!] event, you know. You may thank me. 」
「That, that was your fault!? 」
It seems that Love God chose that cliched development.
After evening comes, I had all four gather in the living room. I had Lyme-san and Lapis-san leave the room. It was just me and the four people who confessed.
The four were lined up sitting still on the sofa, waiting for my words.
Each one of them is a beautiful girl too good for me. That's why I don't want to lie to them and tell them how I really feel.
「Well, first of all... I won't marry. 」
「「「「Eeh─────────────!?!? 」」」
Before my eyes four people simultaneously stood up, and their surprised voice resounded in the living room.