Side: Yuki
I am suffering like never before.
Someone, switch with me.
For someone like me, who has never wooed a woman in his life, the difficulty level is beyond "Hard"... No, it's "Inferno".
Thinking these thoughts, I slip out of bed, pick up the three little ones, and head to the washroom to wash faces and brush teeth.
"Alright, time to wash up."
"Unyu... okay, Nii-sama~"
I hold Filia and help her wash her face.
After that, I hand her a cup and toothbrush so she can brush her teeth.
Next come Aslin and Labyris, and then finally, it's my turn.
"...No matter how I look at it, I'm just an average Joe."
The reflection in the mirror is, by all accounts, the face of an ordinary man.
I can say with certainty that I am not a "pretty boy."
And until now, I've never regretted that fact... But now? Now, the fact that I'm not handsome is becoming quite the headache!
"Yuki~"
Labrys asks to be picked up.
No, no—I can't let this negativity take over, or nothing will succeed.
Shaking off those thoughts, I pick up Labyris and turn back toward the washroom, but... Labyris leans in and gives me a kiss just like that.
"It's okay. To me, no matter how you look at it, you're the best man there is."
"It tastes like toothpaste..."
"Is it so bad once in a while?"
Saying that, Labyris kisses me again.
After that, Aslin and the others saw us and made a fuss, which resulted in both of them demanding morning kisses too.
* * *
After breakfast, during our usual relaxation time.
We usually used this time in the morning to go over today's schedule and get a general idea of everyone's plans.
Even though we could contact each other anytime through the Call function, it would be rude to call during an important meeting.
"Alright everyone, let's do our best again today."
"""Yes!"""
I was about to wrap things up when—
"Wait a moment. Yuki-san, I'd like to entrust one of the newcomers to you starting today."
"Yeah. You did say you wanted someone like Qual to serve as your attendant, didn't you?"
Eris's words made me stop, and from Seraria's comment, I could already guess what was coming.
"Wait—aren't we moving a bit too fast? Love and all that stuff takes time, y'know..."
"Yesterday, I confirmed four men approaching Ria at the inn's dining hall."
"......"
Are you for real?
No matter how beautiful she is, isn't that way too fast!?
Please keep that kind of development in manga and fiction only.
"Do you understand now? Even if those girls are still overwhelmed from just arriving yesterday, we can't afford to leave her alone anymore."
"Don't you know, Onii-san?"
"Know what?"
"After your incredibly loving wedding ceremony, the churches have been flooded with marriage applications."
What!?
A marriage boom!?
"You didn't know? Even at the training center, lots of couples have formed, and many are working hard to hold ceremonies."
"Yeah, yeah. Compared to before, more people are taking things seriously, and after seeing that wedding, both men and women have become more proactive."
Tori and Riel were looking at me with surprised expressions as well.
Eeeeek!?
I want to punch my past self!!
I feel like choking myself, this is practically a suicide attempt!?
"What are you panicking for? That wedding was meant to promote exactly this kind of situation, right?"
"Danna-sama certainly said so. He said if we made people want to be like us through that wedding, more people would work hard in various aspects. That love is great!"
Seraria looked at me as if wondering why I was so shocked, and Rurua's memory of the wedding seemed to have some weird exaggerations added to it.
I mean, yeah, I did expect some effect.
But I never expected it would lead to this situation!
"Anyway, that's how it is, so please come with us. We've decided that the other four—no, three of them—will be handled by me, Ratz, and Milly. Therefore, it won't look suspicious if Yuki-san takes Ria with him."
Darn it, your work is too perfect, Eris!
As your husband, I'm happy. Dammit.
* * *
Resigning myself, I head to the inn to pick up the four from yesterday.
They must've already been waiting at the front desk, because the moment we arrived, they gathered over.
"Good morning. Did you sleep well last night?"
"Yes, Eris-san."
"It was amazing. It was my first time using a futon; it was so fluffy, and I slept soundly."
"The food was delicious, just like Yuki-san said."
"...Yes."
One of them is clearly way less energetic than the others!
Like, dangerously low!
And she's clearly the Hero, right?
She's Ria-chan, right?!
Please, give me a choice! Give me a choice where I can clearly see the affection points go up, like in a game!
"Everyone looks energetic. In that case, would you like to come with us? If you're up for it, we can start teaching you your jobs today."
"Is that okay? Yes, please!"
"I'm fine with that too!"
"Please let me do it. I'll make sure to learn."
"...I'm okay."
"Then... [Girl A] with me, [Girl B] with Milly, and [Girl C] with Ratz, please. Yuki-san, you take Ria."
"Right, got it."
With that, as planned, the three of them left the inn with the other girls.
I have to somehow raise her affection.
...Wait, now that I think about it, this inn is for adventurers.
Since I told them to find whatever space was available, they must have picked this slightly more expensive inn because it had vacancies... In other words, there are wealthy adventurers here who saw Ria and approached her.
...Can't I use this?
A rogue adventurer approaches Ria while I'm not around and scares her. Then I swoop in gallantly to save her—The Hero!
It feels a bit cheap, but it's easy to understand and simple to execute.
"Um... what should I do?"
"Ah, sorry. I'm juggling a bunch of jobs, so I was thinking about where to start."
"I see."
This is awkward.
After replying, she just stares at me and falls silent.
"Come to think of it, I haven't asked about the state of the adventurers here yet. I'm going to go talk to the front desk for a bit, so wait here. This is a bit different from your job, after all."
"...Understood."
Alright, I've naturally distanced myself from Ria. Now I just need to chat with the front desk and hope an adventurer picks a fight with her.
Well, it wasn't a lie that I wanted to check on the inn's condition, though.
"Ah, Advisor Yuki."
"No, just 'Yuki' is fine."
"No can do, I'm on duty and the owner would scold me. So, what can I do for you?"
"I just wanted to hear some feedback lately. How have the adventurers been reacting to using the inn?"
"Ah, I see. Shall I call the owner?"
"No, no need to go that far. Or rather, I've already told the owner to put together a report. What I want is the raw, unfiltered opinions."
"You're as diligent as ever. But you shouldn't wander around town too much. You'll make your wives worry, you know?"
"I know, I know. So, how is it?"
"Well, as expected, the toilets seem to be the biggest topic. A lot of people stuff them with paper or play around with them..."
"Makes sense. It's their first time seeing them, after all."
"Also—"
While we were talking, a group of adventurers came from the hallway where the guest rooms are and passed right by me.
And then, I heard these voices:
"Hey, check out that white-haired girl over there. She looks good, right?"
"Hell yeah, she's got nice tits too—looks like she'll be fun."
Alright, you idiots—thanks for being here.
For now, I'll be grateful.
"You'd better not."
But my hopes were shattered.
"Why not?"
"A woman that good doesn't come around often, you know?"
"If you act like that here, you'll never be allowed back into Weed again."
"Yeah, I get that, but we're just gonna talk to her, right?"
"Look over there."
For some reason, I felt their gazes turn toward me.
"Geh, isn't that Advisor Yuki!?"
"Your voice is too loud. Yeah, that's him."
"For real? I heard his wife Representative Milly took down that Rank 6 Vicks in an instant..."
"Nah, apparently he made it look that way to protect his wife."
Hey, hey, hey—since when did that become the story!?
"Regardless of the truth, it wouldn't be surprising if Advisor Yuki was just as strong as Representative Milly. And that girl—she seems to be waiting for someone... Speaking of which, I heard that Representative Eris herself brought some newcomers here yesterday."
"Hold on, you're saying that..."
"No doubt. She's probably one of them, and she's likely waiting for Advisor Yuki."
"Seriously!? That was close. I owe you one."
Nooooo, the flag got broken!?
My actions during the festival broke the flag!?
You guys are men, right!? If you want a woman, then try harder!!
"Man, I'm jealous though. Did you see that wedding?"
"Yeah, they were all insanely beautiful."
"And there were more than ten of them. As a man, I admire it, but I wonder how the women feel about it?"
"I wouldn't know since I'm not a woman, but I doubt they feel good about it. Their man is touching other women, after all."
Gyaaah!?
The wedding is now the biggest obstacle at the worst timing.
I get it. I totally get the "Death to the Harem" sentiment!
But do you really have to talk about that right now!?
This is bad—if Ria hears this, she'll definitely think I'm an unfaithful man.
"Ah, look at the time. I have to get to my workplace soon. Thanks for the talk."
"No problem. Give my regards to Narjia-san. Tell her that Haagen-Dazs Vanilla is the supreme choice."
Anyway, I need to get out of here. At this rate, Ria's affection is going to plummet.
"Sorry to keep you waiting."
"No."
"Shall we head to the workplace, then?"
"Yes."
And just like that, I successfully escaped the inn.
If we get to the school, I can at least catch my breath.
As I guide her along the way—
"Um..."
"Yeah?"
"Do you have... many wives?"
She heard it?
But this is where I should be honest and not lie.
Let's see—Seraria, Sheila, Rurua, Derieu, Eris, Ratz, Milly, Tori, Riel, Kaya, Labyris, Aslin, Filia, Killue... that's 14 people.
...Should I really say it?
"Yeah, there are 14."
"...That's amazing."
Then silence fell.
How am I supposed to react?
1. "Amazing, right? I'm super popular!!" (Just a plain idiot)
2. "No, it's not amazing. They were the ones who said it was okay." (A wimp)
3. "..." (Stay silent. Basically admitting guilt)
4. "Just kidding." (Will get scolded by wives later)
Which one is it?! No, there isn't a correct answer!
The choices don't even make sense.
Every single one of them is a minus option!
Damn it, I have to say something.
Even if it's a minus, I need to pick the one that's the least minus!!
"I don't know how you feel about it, Ria. But I love all of them, and they love me back. And we all support each other. So, to me, they are wives I am proud of."
"...Is see."
Gyaah!! On top of saying something so embarrassing, didn't that just sound like I'm saying "I don't need you, Ria, there's no room left"?!
Help me—somebody, save me here!!
