The sky was painted in a beautiful orange hue by the sunset.
I like the bright blue sky when the sun is high, but I also enjoy the sunset as the day comes to an end.
Moreover, the sight of trees swaying in the cool breeze.
And if I were in the arms of the woman I love, it would be an utterly blissful moment.
“Aaaah—!!”
Not counting the moment of being kidnapped, of course.
“R, Raphne! Stop! Stop…! Ugh!”
Raphne pressed my face against her ample chest, seemingly ignoring my words.
“No! I can’t let Ken be taken away like this!”
With tearful eyes, Raphne looked down at me and kept running without stopping.
Of course, in my current state, I could escape by force, but that could lead to a fight.
For now, I waited to see where Raphne was taking me.
‘Those two… it might be tough.’
Emily and Mary were now nowhere to be seen.
With Neural Acceleration activated, Raphne had enhanced physical abilities, allowing her to move at incredible speed.
If she only used that to escape, no one in the Academy—no, in the Kingdom of Lilias—could catch her.
“I absolutely won’t allow it…! Huh, I can’t lose Ken…!”
While running, Raphne looked at me with teary eyes.
A pleading gaze asking me not to abandon her. A familiar look.
With that emotion conveyed, I shut my eyes and stayed quiet as she took me to wherever she was headed.
After a while of fleeing, we arrived at our destination.
It was the Academy, and we’d gone beyond the city where we had just been on a date, deep into the outskirts of the forest.
It took quite a while in the forest for Raphne to finally stop.
It seemed she could no longer run due to exhaustion.
“R, Raphne…!”
I caught her as she staggered, quickly lifting her into my arms.
I found a nearby tree and gently laid her head on my lap so she could rest.
“Ken… no, you can’t… absolutely not…”
Raphne, while gasping for breath, clutched my shirt and murmured.
‘It’s already dark….’
While Raphne was running, the sunset had already faded, and the sky was now illuminated by moonlight.
The forest at this hour was completely enveloped in darkness, making it hard to distinguish anything around us.
‘At this rate, we can’t go back.’
It seemed that camping in the forest was inevitable for today.
Unlike last time on the deserted island, I now had a Subspace Pocket.
I had enough materials inside for a tent and to start a fire in case of emergencies.
Before it got darker, I set up the tent and took out firewood, igniting it with a Spirit Stone.
The tent wasn’t large enough for two, but it could adequately shield us from the wind and dew.
I spread out bedding inside and laid Raphne down.
The Neural Acceleration skill offered fantastic performance but drained stamina considerably.
That was its only downside.
Using it during regular combat would be an issue, but Raphne, having run for a long time, seemed completely exhausted.
“I’m sorry, …Raphne.”
I held her hand and apologized as she laid there.
Maybe I had been too hasty in bringing things up.
If I had taken my time revealing the truth to her, perhaps she wouldn’t have run away.
I felt guilty.
“Ken….”
At that moment, Raphne, regaining her senses, slowly opened her eyes and grasped my hand.
She wasn’t trying to feel my warmth but to hold onto me.
“…No, don’t go….”
“I’m not going anywhere. You know I always say that.”
“But… but you’re going to marry another girl.”
Tears welled in Raphne’s eyes as she spoke.
Then, she rested her head on my lap and hugged my waist.
The familiar sensation of her embrace.
In the tower, when she desperately didn’t want to let me go, she had hugged me like this.
“You said you liked me… Huh, I like Ken too. Why does it have to be other girls…?”
“…I’m sorry.”
I could only apologize.
It was my fault for developing feelings for the other two while clearly liking Raphne.
“I won’t allow it…! Ken is mine! Stay by my side forever…!”
“I’m not going anywhere. I swear… I’ll be by your side forever, Raphne.”
As I stroked Raphne’s hair while she nestled into my arms, I felt guilty yet still had to say what needed to be said.
“So please permit the other two as well. They like me just like you do…”
“…….”
“I don’t want to see either of them sad like you.”
Of course, the biggest reason was that I liked both of them.
As a man, I didn’t want to give up on the idea of having both as my wives and living together.
But to persuade Raphne, I had to explain my circumstances differently.
“If Raphne was to… hypothetically speaking, if I had three of you…”
The reason I used this silly example was because it was the only comparison she could understand that matched her current feelings.
“Could you see one of the three of you being happy while the other two are sad?”
“I… I don’t know, ugh, but Ken is only one…”
“But I have three precious people.”
I embraced her tightly, hoping she would understand my feelings.
As Raphne lifted her body in response, she buried her face in my neck.
“I’m sorry. Really… it’s all my fault. I’m the bad guy here.”
“…….”
“I’ll live my whole life repaying this. …I can’t give up Raphne because I also can’t give up on the other two.”
“…Ugh, no, Ken is… ugh, Ken is mine…”
Raphne shook her head while snuggled in my arms. But her resistance felt weaker than before.
If it were the old Raphne, she would never have allowed this.
But now, her memories were coming back, and she also had fond memories with Emily and Mary.
And Raphne was kind too.
If we started off as garbage, we might as well keep being garbage. I would lean on her kindness.
“Then let’s change the way we think.”
I set her down gently and faced her as she whimpered.
Her damp eyes trembled as they anxiously gazed at me.
“I’m not Ken’s possession, but rather… you are my possession.”
“What kind of nonsense is that?”
Raphne pouted at my strange logic while sobbing.
“Be mine forever, Raphne. I will absolutely not let you go. Even if I have to kidnap you or hold you captive, I’ll marry you.”
It was a ridiculous claim.
A nonsensical and trashy remark.
Yet, I poured my sincerity into her plea.
I hadn’t split my 100% love for her into three; I still had 100% love reserved just for Raphne.
I merely found love for the other two as well.
“Instead, I will be by your side forever. I will never neglect you.”
“…Ugh.”
Did my heartfelt voice reach her?
Raphne burst into tears and fell into my embrace.
“It’s so unfair! You know I can’t give up on Ken! That’s why you’re pushing this!”
“Yep, that’s right. I’m a bad guy. And I know that Raphne likes the other two as well.”
I hadn’t forgotten how the three of us had gotten along at the Academy.
Raphne definitely acknowledged the other two.
She was just flustered by my desire to have all three of them.
If I had just taken my time, the situation could have been accepted more gently.
It was all my fault for being hasty.
“…Then… I can’t give up on one.”
Raphne held onto my collar, burying her face in my chest, and said with a trembling voice.
“Alright, tell me. If you give me your permission, I can give you anything, Raphne.”
I was sincere.
I was truly going insane.
Because if I weren’t crazy, I shouldn’t be telling the girl I loved that I wanted all three of them.
Having gone this far, I was ready to give Raphne whatever she demanded.
So I steeled my resolve.
From now on, whatever she asked for,
I would smile and accept it.
Even if she asked for my arms or legs, I would gladly chop them off with a smile.
“…I can’t.”
Upon hearing my answer, Raphne lifted her head.
When she raised her face from my chest, her familiar eyes were looking at me.
Eyes dark and hollow to the point of drawing me in.
The fearsome gaze she made when displaying her possessiveness.
I swallowed hard in response to that look.
“Ken’s first is something I’ll never give up.”
“…Huh?”
In my determination to accept anything she asked for, I was taken aback.
“Woom…?!”
Smooch.
Before I could even chuckle, Raphne pulled on my shirt collar, kissing me unexpectedly.
Caught off guard by her sudden kiss, her soft tongue invaded my mouth.
An aggressive kiss, yet her tongue intertwined with mine sweetly and softly.
“Woom…, smooch. Ha….”
After thoroughly indulging in my lips, Raphne pulled away for a moment and gazed at me.
Though her eyes still seemed hollow, she blushed with excitement, looking at me anxiously.
“Do you really like me?”
Her trembling hand traveled up my shirt collar to me.
It was anxiety.
With my confession of loving the other two, she wondered if my love for her was genuine.
Feeling that emotion,
I hid my bewilderment, blushed, and looked her in the eye sincerely.
“I love you, it’s for real. Raphne.”
Then, I pressed my lips against hers this time, gently laying her down on the ground.
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