As the class time at Epiris Academy went by, my anxiety only grew.
Shiver shiver shiver…
It’s a fear that wells up from instinct.
I didn’t feel this kind of fear even when battling the dragon at the Tower.
“…Ken, are you okay?”
Emily, who came to check on me during break, asked worriedly as she saw me trembling with anxiety.
I mustered a smile and replied.
“Of course. I’m fine.”
“Looks like you have a lot of problems on your plate.”
“I’m really okay…”
But in truth, I wasn’t okay at all.
After all, what I had to do after the academy was to boldly declare that I am going to juggle girls who like me.
Not just two, but three!
Of course, since I hadn’t replied to Mary’s confession, we were still in the friend zone.
‘No, the answer to the confession is already decided.’
The problem lies in how I would handle Mary’s reaction after telling her about the three-way scenario.
In the worst case.
‘…Then please act like the confession never happened.’
That would be her reaction.
“Ugh…!”
“Are you really okay…?”
My feelings were already tangled up with Mary. No, they were stronger than I thought.
If I consider that all the kindness she has shown me until now was because she likes me…
The thought of her was growing bigger in my heart.
But if Mary were to poke a needle into this inflated feeling with her disdainful gaze…
That balloon would pop.
“Well, in the worst case, I’ll be by Ken’s side.”
“Don’t say that…. I just want everyone to be happy.”
“I know, I just thought I’d say it because I’m feeling greedy.”
Emily blushed and turned her head in a huff.
Seeing her like that was so cute, I squeezed Emily’s hand that was standing next to me.
“W-wait…! What if someone sees us in the classroom…!”
Flustered, Emily turned red but didn’t pull her hand away.
She just hid her hand against her body and looked around.
‘Ah, this warmth is so soothing.’
Holding Emily’s soft hand and feeling her warmth calmed me down.
“Tch… idiot.”
Seeing my relaxed face, Emily glanced at me bashfully.
But she tightened her grip on our joined hands.
“But isn’t it a bit inappropriate to feel at ease holding another girl’s hand when you’re nervous about confessing to a girl?”
“Ugh…!”
And with Emily teasing me playfully, I had to grip my head in frustration.
I really might be a piece of work.
“…Ken.”
As class ended and everyone started heading home, I packed my books.
At that moment, Mary called out to me from the front door of the classroom.
“You’re here pretty quickly, huh?”
“Yeah, I was in a rush.”
Mary approached, blushing, and shyly replied to my surprised question.
Her expression made my heart race and my face turn red as well.
But then, recalling what I had to do with her, my head got cold again.
“Shall we go?”
After that, we walked together along the path leading from school.
We had made plans to meet after class, but since we didn’t have anything specific to do, we naturally headed toward the dormitory.
“…That was a big deal.”
“Yeah, but we all worked together, so it wasn’t too hard.”
Our slow steps towards the dorm felt leisurely.
We took our time, exchanging trivial chatter.
Before I knew it, I was even talking about the time I was stranded on a deserted island.
‘Bringing this up… is easier said than done.’
I was too nervous to broach the main topic.
We both laughed and enjoyed some light conversation, but in between, the awkward silence hung in the air as I looked away.
‘Mary must have really mustered her courage….’
I suddenly realized how difficult it must have been for Mary to confess to me after our last date.
I was only going to answer her confession, but it seemed just opening my mouth was proving hard.
“…….”
“…….”
As we slowly walked and talked, the distance between us decreased.
Before I knew it, our hands were almost touching, but we didn’t hold hands like before.
We just shyly avoided touching each other while blushing.
‘Don’t hesitate…!’
Mary had already mustered her courage and honestly shared her feelings with me.
Despite the anxiety of possibly being rejected.
But here I was, a guy hesitating, looking like a complete fool.
“……Ugh.”
I gently took Mary’s hand as it touched mine.
Mary looked startled and let out a tiny gasp.
“…….”
Blushing, Mary clasped my hand in return.
Before we knew it, we were intertwined, feeling each other’s warmth as we silently walked to the dormitory.
Thump, thump.
‘No, …my heart feels like it’s going to explode.’
This was not fear about confessing my true feelings to Mary.
But rather the thrilling anxiety of walking with my crush while holding hands.
“Mary.”
“Yes, …what is it?”
But since I couldn’t let it end like this without saying anything, I gathered my courage and opened my mouth once more.
This time, Mary looked surprised as if she were just as nervous, responding in kind.
Her trembling eyes looked at me with anticipation.
“Shall we sit for a moment?”
I gestured towards a bench along the path to the dormitory.
Mary nodded silently.
‘Since we’ve come this far, let’s not hesitate any further….’
I had already held her hand.
Surely Mary knew what my answer would be given the circumstances.
So I decided to boldly answer.
“I like you too, Mary.”
After sitting on the bench and exchanging a few casual words, I took a moment of pause before replying to her confession.
I felt Mary’s shoulder shake beside me as my words hung in the air.
“S-so then… does that mean….”
Mary looked at me with a tense expression.
“…Is it okay to not think of us as just friends anymore?”
Her softly trembling voice asked me, as if considering the importance of this.
I cautiously nodded in response to her question.
Seeing that, Mary’s anxious expression broke into a genuine smile.
Mary grinned at me as if she was truly happy.
‘But now the real challenge begins….’
However, since I had more important matters to address, I couldn’t just sit there smiling at her.
“Mary, there’s one more thing… there’s something important I need to discuss.”
“Oh, is it something for me too? Because I have something I want to say to you as well.”
“Really?”
As I prepared to get to the point, Mary, looking cheerful, smiled at me.
Mary took my hand gently and began to fidget with my fingers while speaking shyly.
“But I can wait until after you’ve finished talking.”
Mary seemed refreshed, as if she had just shed a heavy burden.
But I couldn’t help but feel my heart ache at the thought that this moment would soon change.
“Mary, to be honest… this might come off as very rude.”
“……Huh?”
As I began nervously, I saw Mary’s previously smiling face tighten up.
We were just one step away.
If I could just muster the courage to take this last step…
This was a conversation that needed to happen. If I couldn’t get through this, there would be no happy future for the three of us.
I looked into Mary’s eyes, which were tightly gripping my hand anxiously.
With a serious face, I spoke up.
“…The truth is.”
I explained everything.
From the story of Raphne, the first one to confess to me, to Emily, who had confessed during the loop, which I had forgotten.
And I summarized how my feelings have evolved for each of them along the way.
As Mary listened, her face darkened with each passing second, tears welling up in her eyes.
Seeing that made my heart ache.
But I had to say it.
What I envisioned as a future for the three of us.
“So! It’s shameless, but will you marry me?!”
“……Huh?”
“……Wha…?”
Caught up in the urgency of my impulse, I sprinkled out my point too abruptly, leaving Mary’s face filled with confusion.
Then her face grew red as she started to spin in circles with her eyes, clearly flustered.
“Y-you’re saying… marriage…?”
I was just as surprised.
“No, what I meant was! In the Kingdom of Lilias, polygamy is allowed, so, um, it’s not quite a marriage…! No, that’s not it…!”
I originally intended to ask if the three of us could go forward together romantically. That’s what I meant by envisioning a happy future.
In this case, instead of just a casual relationship, I accidentally proposed.
“So what Ken means is… does that mean you want to marry all three of us, including me?”
“Summarized, yes… but it sounds really scummy like that.”
Despite my answer, Mary wasn’t looking at me with disdain.
Instead, tears filled her eyes as she looked at me with trembling anticipation.
And then…
“That’s a relief….”
She hugged me tightly, her voice trembling.
“What do you mean relief…?”
“I thought it meant that because there’s someone else you like, you wouldn’t want to be with me. So I’m relieved….”
I realized she might have misunderstood my explanation, thinking I was politely declining her confession.
‘So she wasn’t shocked by the thought of a three-way relationship?’
Hope began to spark within me.
“S-so, is that okay with you?”
“…You mean about the marriage?”
“…Well, from a certain angle, I guess so.”
In response to my answer, Mary’s face brightened with tears still in her eyes.
“Ken you’re not the terrible person I thought you’d be.”
“Ugh…!”
Although it was likely meant to be a light-hearted joke from Mary, it hit me hard.
Seeing me clutching my chest, Mary laughed in amusement, surprisingly entertained by my reaction.
“But you’ve thought about this a lot, right?”
“…I plan to do my best.”
That was the truth.
Despite my desire to have three girls at once, my wish was firmly rooted in wanting to make all three of them happy.
With that sincere reply, Mary nodded with a smile that hinted at her disappointment.
“Well, then there’s no helping it. Even such a scummy Ken is still the Ken I like.”
“……Mary.”
Underneath her tender gaze, all my earlier anxiety began to melt away.
A warm feeling filled my heart.
“Now that my confession has been accepted… can I make one request?”
“…A request?”
My bemused reaction made Mary tilt her head a little, as if gathering her thoughts.
Then, without warning, she threw herself into my arms.
“I love you. …Among the three of you, this feeling will never fade away.”
Pressing her face against my chest, Mary hugged my waist tightly, declaring as such.
I felt her warm body against mine.
“M-Mary….”
“During moments like this, please pat my head . …You promised to take responsibility.”
“Y-yeah….”
Feeling my heart race with nervous excitement, I shyly ran my hand through Mary’s hair as she looked up at me.
Mary smiled brightly, showing happiness.
Seeing her normally expressionless face light up like that filled me with joy too.
‘…I’m glad I gathered my courage.’
To my surprise, Mary accepted my true feelings without much anger.
She looked a little disappointed, but it didn’t feel like any opposition at all.
What a relief.
“But was what you wanted to say really just that you wanted a hug?”
Surely just a moment ago, she claimed to have something to say.
But that request seemed a bit trivial for what she mentioned.
When I asked, Mary jumped as if surprised and hastily separated from my chest.
“Actually, I was planning to say this after hearing your answer to my confession…”
Then with careful consideration, Mary continued.
What she wanted to say was…
“Will you accompany me back to my family’s home?”
It was an unexpected proposal for a family meeting.
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