The Weight of Affection
A smile appeared on Han Seo-Jin’s lips as she heard Olivia’s response.
She said with a light smile, “Thank you for joining the Harem Plan, Miss Bonaparte.”
At that moment, Olivia’s face turned red.
“Eek! Your Highness! Now you’re one of us too?”
Eri rushed over and hugged Olivia.
Olivia’s lips fumbled.
“Hehe. Bonaparte, welcome to the world of the Harem Plan.”
Rin, who was beside her, laughed proudly.
“Now we get to share our Master with the princess!”
Eri giggled.
Seeing that, Olivia gently separated Eri from her.
Ahem.
She placed her hand on her chest.
“Of course, I don’t completely agree with this shameless Harem Plan! I just… I’m only joining because I feel sorry for you all! That’s it!”
Olivia shouted, her face still flushed.
“You’re still not being honest, are you? At times like this, you really seem similar to Junior,” Kazumi said with a smile at Olivia.
Hearing Kazumi’s words, Olivia’s face turned even redder.
“Wha-what do you mean by not being honest! Just to be clear, while I’ve accepted the harem, I’m the winner, and I’ll be the main wife! Don’t get the wrong idea! Do you understand? This is all thanks to my generous heart as the main wife! Hmph!”
Olivia pouted, crossing her arms.
Joining the Harem Plan was unavoidable.
But of course, the main position should be mine.
That was what Olivia thought.
“Bonaparte. Who says you’re the main wife? The Master’s main wife should undoubtedly be me, the perfect lady and prudent wife, the top bride candidate in Japan, Shinozaki Rin!”
Rin crossed her arms, her large chest bouncing.
“What nonsense is that? Shinozaki? Who else but me, Olivia Napoleon Bonaparte, the legitimate daughter of the noble Bonaparte royal bloodline, a French princess and his personal maid, could ever become the rightful main wife?”
Ahem.
Olivia placed her hand on her chest and said, “I don’t support legitimacy either. Bonaparte. No matter what anyone says, I’m the legitimate heiress of the top noble family in Japan, the Shinozaki family. And…”
Rin’s gaze locked onto Olivia.
“When it comes to loving him, I don’t support that either, Bonaparte. The main wife’s position isn’t determined by bloodline. Let me show you my womanly charm groomed through the Shinozaki style vision wife training class.”
“I won’t back down. Through the Shinazaki-style bridal class, I’ll showcase my girl power!”
Rin bit her lip.
A side room would be fine.
But she had no intention of giving up the position of the official mistress just like that.
Especially not when it came to Olivia.
After all, she had gotten pretty close to Kim Deok-Sung recently.
“I will definitely show myself to be Kim Rin!”
Rin swallowed her aspirations in her heart.
Seeing this, Olivia snickered.
“I’ll gladly accept that challenge. It’s bound to be a victory for me anyway.”
Pattsutsutsu!
Just then, Olivia’s platinum magic collided with Rin’s navy magic in the air.
“Wait a moment. Why are both of you leaving Eri out?”
An orange magic burst through, belonging to the town’s top beauty, Nishizawa Eri.
“I want to join the race for the official mistress too! My girl power is the highest! I won’t yield to the cow or the princess!”
Eri puffed up her cheeks.
She wasn’t greedy for nothing.
She wanted to become the official mistress.
She wanted to stand beside her master.
Eri fiddled with her collar.
A smile appeared on her lips.
Pattsutsutsu!
The magical energies of the three girls collided, creating sparks in the air.
Beatrice trembled slightly as she held Evangelin’s hand.
“Contractor, this is intimidating… what on earth is a harem…”
Beatrice trailed off, her mind drifting to the night on the deserted island.
In front of the crackling campfire, she remembered roasting marshmallows with Kim Deok-Sung.
She recalled the confession she made that day too.
Images of him performing CPR on her when she fell into the pool surfaced.
The sensation of his lips came back to her.
Thump.
Her heart raced.
Beatrice’s face turned red.
“I’m losing it…”
Beatrice shook her head vigorously.
“Howawawawawa…”
Evangelin covered Beatrice’s mouth while holding her hand.
Thump.
Evangelin’s heart thumped.
A harem plan, huh?
It was the first time hearing it, but it wasn’t an unfathomable idea.
“Kim Deok-Sung is a great person. A harem is only natural…”
Evangelin’s cheeks turned pink like her hair color.
To her, a fervent fan of Kim Deok-Sung, the notion of his harem wasn’t shocking at all.
“It would be nice if girls were included too…”
Evangelin murmured, biting her lip.
She, too, liked that man.
If she didn’t, she wouldn’t have risked her life to block enemy attacks on the deserted island.
“Compared to the affection those present have, my feelings are incredibly light…”
Evangelin clenched her fist.
“I need to step up my game!”
Evangelin muttered under her breath.
Though she was lagging behind, she had no intention of just sitting back as is.
She had to step up.
For the honor of the British royal family!
At the very least, she couldn’t afford to lose to that Corsican fool.
With a serious resolve, Evangelin’s pink eyes gleamed.
This appearance of hers caught Han Seo-Jin’s attention.
“Looks like the roster of potential members for the harem plan is increasing.”
Han Seo-Jin smiled softly.
Everything was for that person.
*
Shuo Hero Academy.
Student Council President’s Residence.
The Residence of the Student Council President.
In a ridiculously powerful light novel world, I knew that the Student Council President would have their own residence. It’s a place that typically appears fleetingly in anime.
But I never imagined I would actually go to that Student Council President’s residence.
Especially not after receiving a direct invitation from Aris.
Thud.
The door of the residence closes.
Inside the residence, it looked no different from the anime.
Much larger than an ordinary dorm or the special room I’m staying in.
It resembled a standalone house with a pretty garden.
“Hoo.”
Only after coming to the living room overlooking the garden did Aris let out a sigh of relief, brushing her chest.
“Saionji-senpai.”
I call her.
She flinches.
Aris tenses up, her earlobes turning red.
“I… I don’t like being called Saionji-senpai.”
Aris mutters with a small voice.
Could it be this pattern?
“Please call me Aris.”
Aris says, her voice trembling.
I can see her face completely flushed to the neck.
I knew it.
She was hinting at wanting to be on a first-name basis.
“If you call me Saionji-senpai, I won’t answer.”
Aris puffs her cheeks slightly as she says this.
What’s so great about being called by name?
“Understood. Aris-senpai.”
“Ugh…”
Aris bites her lip again and flinches at being called Aris-senpai.
Her body trembles slightly.
“Hoo…”
I can hear her taking a deep breath.
Swish.
Aris turns to look at me again.
Her face, still red, is sharp and distinct against her usual expressionless demeanor, her blush unable to be hidden.
She is pretty.
“So, why did you call me here?”
Aris asks.
“Oh, it’s nothing much. I was just curious why you invited me all the way to your residence.”
If we were to talk, the Student Council Office would suffice.
I was genuinely curious about why she invited me here.
Aris’s face turns beet red at my question.
“That’s…”
She hesitates, her lips moving but no clear words coming out.
She finally says, “I-I definitely didn’t bring you here with any lewd thoughts! I just wanted to talk to you somewhere without any distractions…”
Aris stammers, looking down, her face fully red.
Thud.
She grabs my shoulders.
“Anyway! Kim Deok-Sung! We’re going to stop this conversation here. Please, sit down. I’ll bring some drinks.”
Despite fumbling her words, Aris ushers me to the living room.
I sit on the sofa.
The garden is visible through the large floor-to-ceiling windows.
[Hoho. Partner. It looks like you’re quite favored by Saionji. Aren’t you lucky?]
I hear the Black Prince’s voice in my head.
Lucky? What a load of nonsense.
No need to respond to such meaningless chatter.
I ignore the Black Prince’s words.
I hear clinking sounds coming from the kitchen.
Before long, Aris brings over two steaming cups of coffee.
Thud.
Aris places the coffee on the table.
She sits across from me, her lips moving nervously.
“I brought a popular coffee mix from Korea especially for you, Kim Deok-Sung. I hope you like it.”
She says softly.
Coffee mix, huh.
It’s not my favorite, but I don’t dislike it either.
Not that I dislike it, but it’s not exactly my favorite either.
The familiar scent of coffee tickles my nose.
Slurp.
I take a sip of the coffee that Aris made for me.
Her gaze turns toward me.
“How is it, Kim Deok-Sung…?”
She asks me with a trembling voice.
The coffee mix tastes like coffee mix, but the instant coffee mixed with cream feels quite refreshing since it’s been a while since I had it.
“It’s good.”
“Thank goodness.”
Aris lets out a sigh of relief and takes a sip from the coffee in front of her.
“So, Aris-senpai, what did you want to talk about?”
I throw a question at Aris.
Since we promised to have a meal together, it’s something we need to keep.
The problem is when, where, and what we’re going to eat.
I need to ask for Aris’s opinion.
“Well…”
Aris hesitates.
She starts fidgeting with her fingers.
“Kim Deok-Sung, are you free this weekend?”
“Yeah, sure.”
I nod at Aris’s question.
If we’re going to go out, the weekend is definitely better than a weekday. Upon hearing my words, Aris’s expression turns slightly serious.
What’s up with that?
Is there a problem?
After a brief silence, Aris speaks to me in a slow and cautious tone.
“Then… how about we have dinner at my hometown house this weekend?”
Hometown house?
Is she talking about her family’s tangerine farm in Wakayama Prefecture?
The place that was mentioned in the bonus drama CD of volume 7 of the anime, right?
Images from the drama CD flash in my mind.
It’s a typical slice-of-life episode where the protagonist Yuji and the heroines are invited to Aris’s countryside home after the culture festival to have a meal and meet her parents.
The CD cover featuring an illustrated Aris in a straw hat and white dress is quite memorable.
“Uh… is that okay? If it’s burdensome…”
Aris speaks cautiously, keeping an eye on my reaction.
“No, I’ll go.”
It’s not like I can’t go.
Wakayama is a bit far, but it’s doable.
We made a promise, so I need to stick to it.
It’s not the first time I’ve visited a heroine’s house.
I’ve been to Shinozaki Mansion before, so it should be fine.
“Really?”
Aris’s face lights up at my words.
She asks me again.
I nod my head.
Suddenly.
Aris grabs my hand and says, “Thank you, Kim Deok-Sung. I’m relieved. I was worried you might refuse…”
Aris, with a flushed face, smiles and then suddenly looks startled.
“Oh, I’m sorry! I got so happy that I grabbed your hand without thinking…”
She quickly retracts her hand, surprised.
A strange atmosphere flows between Aris and me.
There’s really no need to make such a fuss over this.
Just as I was thinking that,
“Uwaaaah! A-chan, are you there?”
Clunk.
The front door swings open, and a familiar voice calls out.
Aris’s expression freezes.
Our gazes shift towards the entrance.
There stands a beautiful girl dressed in gothic-lolita, with striking white hair and red eyes.
The President of the Shuo Hero Academy, Yoshizaki Seira, is here.
“A-chan!”
Seriously, of all times it had to be the President?
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