Chapter 171

"Why can't you all just get married?"

"Lua likes everyone! So I want to live happily ever after with all my moms!"

Lua's cheerful declaration burst forth.

For a moment, everyone around us could only stare blankly.

"No, that's..."

"There'd be six of us..."

A few of them blushed in embarrassment.

Their reactions grew unnaturally stiff.

Lua tilted her head at the others as if asking what was wrong.

In the strange silence, Rin, who had been expressionless from the start, spoke up.

"Then... would you accept me as a mom too?"

Had she not expected to be included?

Rin asked in a dazed voice.

Lua was still squirming in her arms.

When Lua looked up at Rin, she smiled as sweetly as an angel.

"Yes! But Dad has to approve! Dad's opinion matters most to Lua."

"......I see."

Rin looked as though she had fallen into thought.

Without changing her expression, she merely blinked her vacant eyes.

"......Then I'll have to make Viktor like me."

"That's right!"

"......Okay. I understand. Probably."

"Mom?"

Slowly.

Rin carefully set Lua down.

Perhaps Lua had completely charmed her, because she handled the girl as cautiously as though she were made of glass.

Rin then turned around.

She walked quietly toward Javert.

As question marks seemed to appear over Javert's head, Rin addressed the woman.

"Professor... excuse me, but may I bother you for a moment?"

"What is it?"

"There's something I want to confirm."

"Something you want to confirm?"

"Excuse me. It's simple. You just have to stand still."

"I'd prefer it if you told me what it was first."

"It's not scary. I won't hurt you."

"......Go ahead, then."

Rin had her usual oddly detached way of speaking.

Javert seemed to have given up on understanding her and could only nod for now.

The problem came after that.

Squeeze.

Rin's hand grabbed Javert's chest.

Her pale hand seemed to bury itself in that enormous mound.

"......?!"

"Hm."

Question marks and exclamation marks seemed to flash over Javert's head.

Rin paid them no mind. She simply kneaded what she held in her hand, gauging it.

Her expression was remarkably profound.

"Big."

"W-What do you..."

"Really big."

"......Student Rin, I'd appreciate an explanation first."

Had she barely managed to retain her composure?

Javert asked without wavering.

"Student Rin."

"Hm... Does Viktor prefer this sort of thing after all? The professor, too, and all the women he spends time with are on the larger side."

"W-Wait..."

"I'm not small either, but compared to the professor, there's quite a difference..."

Rin touched herself with one hand and Javert with the other.

Javert tried to stop her, only to freeze in place.

Perhaps it was Rin's response, like that of a meticulous analyst.

Rin then looked at me and asked,

"Um, which do you like better? I'd like you to tell me your preferred size."

"Excuse me...?"

"If you're not sure, you can touch them yourself. Your judgment would be more accurate. I'm not as big as the professor, but I think I'm big too."

"No, my lady..."

What kind of development was this?

My brow throbbed.

I desperately avoided looking at them.

The others who had been watching were the ones who stopped it.

"W-Wait a moment...!"

"That is far enough!"

Rin tried to come toward me, only to be dragged away by the others instead.

Caitlin was especially at the forefront, scolding her.

Was it because she truly disliked Rin?

Her brow was furrowed more fiercely than usual.

"You crazy psycho monster bitch. I told you not to cause trouble."

"Yeah. Nice to see you too, Class B's top student."

"Don't greet me. Just being in the same room as you pisses me off, you know?"

"Why...?"

"You're such a fucking problem because you don't even know why."

"It's okay. I'm not interested in Class B's top student either."

"You fucking bitch... You haven't changed at all since we were kids."

"Yeah. Class B's top student is still just as weak as she was when we were kids."

"You fucking..."

Caitlin looked as though she were trying to corner Rin, but she was the one being devoured instead.

No, perhaps devoured was not the right expression.

Rin was dealing with Caitlin without a shred of malice.

She probably did not even realize her words were getting under Caitlin's skin.

Seemingly familiar with Rin, Caitlin barely swallowed the anger threatening to spill out.

"I fucking hate you."

"I don't hate Class B's top student."

"Just shut up."

"That doesn't mean I like you either."

Their noisy exchange went back and forth.

Either way, it brought the confusing situation under control.

"......"

Javert said nothing.

She merely stood there quietly, covering her chest.

Through the contract, I could hear her inner thoughts.

[She pointed it out. She said it was too big.]

[What if Student Viktor... thinks it's g-gross?]

[I even wrapped compression bandages around them, but they're too big to hide the shape...]

Javert tried to hide the heat in her face.

I decided to pretend I had not seen those thoughts.

It felt as though I had caught a glimpse of something personally sensitive.

I merely held Lua and looked elsewhere.

'My head is spinning.'

That chaotic, disastrous day came to an end.

* * *

Once the uproar had settled, everyone fell asleep in the bedroom of my dorm.

None of them even considered returning to their own rooms.

'No... is this really okay?'

I wondered whether it was acceptable for all of them to sleep in the male dormitory like this.

No matter how close we were, they were girls and I was a boy.

Was this sort of thing even permitted at the Academy?

I asked Javert, but she only answered that it was fine as long as their supervising professor was present.

'Is that so...?'

I was dumbfounded, but I had no choice but to accept it.

She was the second-highest authority at the Academy. Who would dare oppose her?

'......She really has changed a lot.'

She was allowing such a minor act of rebellion.

It was hard to believe she was the same Javert who had always lived obsessed with rules.

Still, I decided it was probably a positive change and let it go.

'The room is big enough anyway...'

I felt it every time, but this was absurdly large for a student dormitory.

That was just like an Academy that threw money around like crazy.

I dealt with the lack of beds by pulling out the spares I carried in my inventory.

"Luckily, there were exactly enough."

I muttered from the living room sofa.

The world outside had sunk into the dark of night.

It was already three in the morning.

Our group, along with most of the students, would have long since gone to dreamland.

"......"

Only soft breathing echoed through the dorm.

Perhaps the exhaustion of the day had piled up, because everyone had fallen asleep quickly.

I remained awake, lost in idle thoughts.

Across from the sofa was a window framing the night view.

After sitting there blankly for a while, I sensed a faint presence at the edge of the living room.

"......Miss Ranne?"

"Lord Viktor."

The golden-haired girl was peeking out from the bedroom.

When our eyes met, she gave me a gentle smile.

Perhaps because of the night light, her violet eyes seemed even softer.

"I came out because I couldn't sleep for some reason... but you were awake."

"I was."

"May I sit beside you for a while?"

"Of course."

Ranne sat beside me.

Her golden hair, filled with starlight, flowed beautifully over her pajamas.

Her usual steady presence seemed to wrap around my heart.

I opened my mouth as though to get the conversation started.

"It was quite a noisy day."

"Hm! It was enjoyable. Perhaps because the final exams just ended, the atmosphere felt lighter than usual."

"The first semester of our first year is already over. Summer break starts in a few days. Though the vacation is only about fifteen days long..."

"Still, I'm happy that we finished the semester well. I'm also looking forward to the fifteen days of vacation ahead."

"That's true. Even if it's a short break, there are plenty of things to do."

"That reminds me, my father said he is eagerly awaiting the chance to meet you, Lord Viktor."

"Haha... I'm grateful he thinks so highly of me."

Our small talk flowed naturally.

I felt particularly comfortable around Ranne.

Or perhaps it would be better to say I felt at ease.

She was the sort of person who became a pillar for others.

Someone who approached without making a fuss, then gave others somewhere to lean their hearts.

She had been the same in the original story. I supposed I had always liked that protagonist-like side of her.

"Ahem."

The atmosphere grew pleasantly relaxed and drowsy.

Ranne seemed to hesitate for a moment before turning toward me.

"Um, Lord Viktor."

"Hm?"

"Has something difficult happened recently? Or is there something troubling you...?"

"Me? All of a sudden?"

"You seem strangely downcast. You've also been spending more time lost in thought."

"......"

Throb.

Out of habit, I touched my neck.

With no mask on my face, I could not hide the tension at the corners of my mouth.

"......It's nothing. There isn't anything particularly difficult going on. Isn't it just your imagination?"

"Is that so?"

Ranne's eyes grew strangely downcast.

They looked sad somehow, yet also frustrated.

A brief silence settled between us.

"......"

"......"

Only faint breaths remained.

Yet Ranne shattered the silence as though she had no intention of backing down.

"Kim Muro."

"......"

Her pale pink lips spoke the name from my previous life.

The name that had echoed with snowflakes in a cold courtroom.

-Defendant Kim Muro.

-Death penalty.

A moment from one winter.

Thoughts that had spilled out without warning took over one corner of my mind.

After speaking first, Ranne seemed to quietly watch my reaction.

"I'm sorry. You said it was a name you kept hidden because you disliked it..."

"No, I don't dislike it."

How could I?

It was a name filled with memories and love from that time.

"......If anything, it's a name I cherish. I cherish it so much, and it's so precious to me, that I don't want to show it to anyone else."

"Does it make you uncomfortable that I know it? If it does, I won't mention it again."

"It's not that bad. It's just that my heart feels a little tight whenever I hear it..."

It had simply been far too long since anyone had called me by that name.

Memories I had never forgotten still echoed in my ears.

-Muro!

The people who had called me that were no longer by my side.

Sometimes I hated that, so I lived as though I had forgotten the name.

A life like mist, a play on the sound of Muro's name.

I added a bitter smile.

"It's all right. I think it'd be all right if it's you, Miss Ranne. Maybe I was waiting for someone to call me by that name."

"Then... when we're alone, would it be all right if I called you by that name...?"

"Please call me whatever makes you comfortable."

"Then, Viktor... no, Lord Kim Muro."

"Haha, it's been so long since anyone called me that. It feels incredibly strange."

A secret flower bloomed.

Between Ranne and me, its thin leaves intertwined our fingers.

Perhaps she was happy about that.

A little brightness spread over Ranne's sad smile.

She moved closer, pressing herself against my side.

"Lord Kim Muro."

"You can call me Lord Muro. The first part is my family name."

"The first part is your family name? That's unusual. Normally, it's the other way around."

"That's how it was where I grew up."

"I understand. Then, Lord Muro."

"Yes, Miss Ranne."

Her gaze was tender.

A little heat rose to her pale cheeks.

"Lord Muro, you always give me strength."

"You do the same for me, Miss Ranne."

"If it weren't for you, I might never have found the courage to act."

"You would have done well even without me. I'm sure you would have, Miss Ranne. Even if your fate had been driven onward by the stars, you were born to shine. You're someone who can sparkle even without blessings."

"You say that with an incredible amount of certainty."

"I've watched you closely all this time, Miss Ranne."

"......You always believe in me like that."

Her violet eyes looked up at me.

Ranne reached out and gently placed her hand against my cheek.

Our warmth softly mingled.

It was my right cheek, covered in ugly burns.

Quietly, I offered my scar to her.

"I want you to trust me too, Lord Muro."

"Miss Ranne..."

"I want to protect you. Whatever it is that frightens you, I hope my spear will burn away that dawn."

"......"

Words like a prayer.

That prayer was a small spark, unable to reach the vast, deep night.

Still, it was enough to become a vow.

The girl burned the wind like a single match.

Faint embers, light turned to smoke, trailed through the night sky.

"Even if I can't do it yet... someday, I want to become someone who can support you too, Lord Muro."

My right cheek was warm.

It was a different heat from the fire that had once seared my flesh.

Still, there I was, finding a person's warmth even hotter.

"You said so yourself, Lord Muro. You wish to trust people, yet you don't trust people at all..."

People.

In the end, it was people who trusted people.

"I don't know what that means. No, I know nothing about you, Lord Muro. What kind of past you lived through, what ties you shared with others, who you truly are... There isn't a single thing I properly know about you."

"......"

"Even so, I want to give you strength. I want to become someone who can."

"......"

She was dazzling.

She sparkled so brightly that I had to close my eyes for a long moment.

Ranne's voice was calm as she made her declaration.

And I found it to be the loudest thing in the world.

"Even if I cannot yet, please wait for me just a little longer."

Ranne Kihano.

The girl chosen as the protagonist of this hellish world.

"I will certainly become someone worthy of you."

Her palm completely covered the scar on my right cheek.

Amid her tousled hair, she moved a little closer into my arms.

Slowly.

Ranne's face and mine drew nearer.

Under the moonlight, her lips seemed to have deepened in color.

"Lord Muro."

She called to me, but I didn't answer.

My heated cheeks could only grow shy.

"......"

A sight etched into my mind as beautiful.

Ranne's breath brushed against me.

As her eyelids gently closed, that brief moment drew closer.

At last, the space between us vanished, and her lips pressed against mine.

Smack.

We remained like that.

Footnotes: