Chapter 997 - Singing Love to My Precious Ones
────For how long did silence fill the room?
"………………………………──S-so… that means… um…………"
It was Sora who spoke first.
As for me, I wasn't trying to be defiant; my mental state was just so far gone that there was nothing I could do. I turned my eyes toward her voice, which was colored more by bewilderment than anything else.
"…! …………"
The youngest girl in the room was undoubtedly filled with confusion, but having received a clear 'confession,' her face turned bright red and she looked down.
"………………────U-um… so, that is to say… um…………"
Next to speak was Nia. As I shifted my gaze to her, her sapphire eyes met mine, her face just as red as Sora's. But perhaps her confusion was even stronger than Sora's, as it overrode her other emotions.
"A-an… …………an invitation to polygamy…?"
She put what my 'confession' meant into clear words and questioned me.
Of course she would.
For anyone living with a normal sensibility, being bewildered is only natural.
"Depending on your answers, Nia, that's what will happen."
However.
"Whether it's Yes or No, I've come prepared to accept it and bear the weight."
For me, there's no wavering anymore.
"……, ……………………"
A single sigh. Stunned—there's no other way to describe it. For a modern person, this was something incredibly far-removed from daily life, undoubtedly a kind of fantasy in itself.
Whether consciously or not, Nia tried to lift the mug she had been holding to her lips… but noticed her own hand was trembling and slowly lowered her arm.
"…I know I'm repeating myself, but…"
I say again, what is only natural. Having decided to stick to a choice that can't be praised, I can only sear that sight into my heart and try to keep my voice calm.
"I'm aware that I've chosen an unconventional path. I understand that this is my own version of sincerity, and from an outsider's perspective, it's nothing more than sincerity for my own sake."
There is fear. Of course there is, even for me.
But that's precisely why.
"I won't make you regret falling for me. Whichever way it goes."
""…………""
Nia and Sora, who had lifted her face, looked at me.
"In the future, even if you say okay. Even if you dump me along the way… I'll show you how I feel with every fiber of my being, so much that you'll think, 'I'm glad I fell for him.'"
I'll tell them everything. There are no more restraints.
"Not 'all three of you.'──── To each of you three, one by one."
I'm no longer afraid of love.
"That you are… my number one in the world."
Nonsense? Pretty words? I don't care what any outsiders say.
I'm only looking at them.
"I will absolutely make you understand."
If anyone has a problem with it, they can try finding three soulmates at the same time before they talk.
"…………,……"
I look at Sora.
Her face is bright red, but her confusion won't disappear right away. I don't see any negative feelings towards me, but for now, I should leave it at 'for now.'
"………………Ugh……"
I look at Nia.
Her face has deepened in color slightly, and this time she averts her gaze from mine. Her feelings seem to be much the same as Sora's, which, as I've said repeatedly, is only natural.
And then,
""──────……""
I look at Ashe.
The 'Princess,' who had been silently observing, certainly had an emotional stir reflected on her face… more so than shock, but she was undoubtedly the calmest of them all────
"Haru."
"Yeah."
"I want to confirm just one thing. …Let me."
It was a tone of voice I had never heard before.
Without hiding the waver in her heart, with a voice that even felt somewhat helpless,
"────This isn't some kind of punishment for yourself, is it? …Right?"
Her words were thinking of me, and only me.
Her eyes looked like they were about to cry.
"………………Ashe."
Now it was my turn to feel like crying.
"You're wrong. This isn't a punishment for myself."
Really, though.
"This is the choice I made, for me, and for me alone."
How could I ever think of letting even one of them go?
────And then, a second passed.
"…!"
Ashe's face twisted slightly, as if in a smile, and she took a step.
Yes. A rather large step────
"Eh?"
"Ah."
Whose voice was that?
I couldn't tell, as I was grabbed by the collar and pulled close without a word of protest.
""──────""
Without hesitation, the 'Princess' who hadn't stopped, closed in on me like a forceful prince…────and my first kiss was stolen away all too easily.
"────……"
A moment, or perhaps several seconds.
As a fleeting moment that felt, as cliche as it sounds, like an eternity passed, before my stunned self,
"────I don't need any time."
The translucent, blazing garnets of her eyes reflected only my dumbfounded face.
"…You know, don't you? That I'm perfectly happy with everyone being together."
As if nothing else mattered right now.
"My answer is 'Yes.' My prince."
I wouldn't dare call her expressionless.
With a full-blown smile that was like a blooming flower────the princess took the lead, and her answer was decided.
…And so,
"""…………………………………………………………"""
The air froze. An indescribable pressure, like scorching heat and freezing cold had melted together, filled the space.
It was, truly, a foul play.
"……………………………………Wha…"
"……………………………………W-what the…?!"
A one-hit-kill reset button, or rather, yanking the plug straight from the wall without a second thought.
It wasn't that the moment disappeared.
It wasn't that it became ambiguous.
But it was just so, there was no other way… by the tyranny of the princess who had temporarily overwritten the serious bewilderment with fiery chaos────
"────WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!!"
"────WHAT IN THE WORLD ARE YOU DOING?!!"
"………………Ashe…"
"Hee hee…──── First come, first served, after all."
Inevitably, a precious liveliness returned to us all.
Now then, who gets the one in the real world?
A peck on the cheek doesn't count, Nia-chan.
※Super-duper extra note※
I wrote a little bit about the series in an activity report.
I'd be happy if my fellow Arcadians would give it a look.