Chapter 456

She said she would think about it. Though she didn't specify what, Miyuki was undoubtedly trying to bring up the five-person relationship I had mentioned before.

Today felt like the greatest turning point of my life.

Was this a crisis, or an opportunity?

That entirely depended on how I handled it.

"Yeah."

I played it as calmly as possible, stroking Miyuki's hair as I acknowledged her words. My mind was racing, but then Miyuki burst into a sudden fit of giggles.

I wondered what was so funny, then realized she was looking right at me.

She was laughing at my expression. Slightly flustered, I asked her why.

"What is it?"

"Nothing... It's just that you looked so expectant..."

"I did?"

"Yeah. You even had this dreamy look in your eyes."

Had it been an instinctive reaction?

I always thought I had a thick skin, but I guessed not.

Feeling a bit embarrassed, I pulled Miyuki into a tight hug before letting her go.

Whatever expression I had made, it seemed to have lightened the increasingly serious mood.

A soft smile tugged at Miyuki's lips. She smoothed her tousled hair with one hand and looked up at me.

"Are you nervous?"

She was throwing a tricky question at me.

She had become quite the tease compared to how she used to be.

I was about to reflexively say yes, but I changed my mind and decided to play it cool.

"No."

"Really?"

"Why would I be? I don't even know what you're going to say."

"You look like you do."

"I don't."

"Are you sure?"

"I trust you."

"See? Why would you suddenly say that?"

"Isn't that something I could say at any time?"

"That you trust me? I doubt you'd say it that often."

"Don't talk back. You're being cheeky..."

"Am I really being cheeky enough to warrant that?"

Smack!

Miyuki had been beaming as she bantered with me. I gave her rear a light smack, making her flinch.

"Why did you hit me...!"

Thanks to the material of her pajamas, the smack felt incredibly satisfying. I replied without missing a beat.

"I didn't hit you. That was a sign of affection."

"You could show it some other way..."

"Like what? Like this?"

I slipped a hand under Miyuki's pajama top and gently traced my fingertips up her soft skin.

She shivered, shrinking in on herself as if struck by a freezing chill, and scolded me.

"Ah, what are you doing...! I have something important to say..."

"Then say it."

"How am I supposed to talk when you keep doing this, Matsuda-kun... Mmph...!"

Miyuki's playful annoyance was cut short by a sharp gasp.

I had suddenly leaned in and kissed her softly on the lips.

It was fine that she wanted to have a serious talk, but I felt it was best to show her exactly how much she meant to me first.

With that in mind, every time Miyuki tried to speak, I kissed her again, brushed her lips with my thumb, or gently caressed her body, turning her mind to mush.

Pitter, patter!

How much time passed like that?

The drizzling rain grew heavier. Right as the sound began to echo clearly in our ears, Miyuki took advantage of a brief pause in my offensive to speak.

"Matsuda-kun, wait... Stop for a second."

It was raining outside.

Just as I'd always thought, rainy days brought good luck.

Certain that something good was about to happen, I adjusted my arm and looked directly at Miyuki as she rested her head against me again.

"What is it?"

"...You know that thing you mentioned before?"

I couldn't play dumb anymore.

Struck by that sudden realization, I answered her in a calm tone.

"Yeah."

"Could you... really do that?"

"Are you asking if I have the stamina for it?"

"Th-that wasn't what I meant..."

"Then what? Are you asking if it's practically possible?"

"Right."

I had to choose my next words carefully.

If I just told her it would be fine because I'd grown close to the others, she would likely ask if I'd been seeing them behind her back.

That would put me in a very tight spot.

Of course, Miyuki remembered our threesome with Chinami and knew that we were all generally close.

She also knew that Hiyori and I were merely good friends and that nothing more had happened between us.

But she had no idea just how intensely intimate Renka and I had become.

I was confident I could keep Renka quiet, but I wanted to prevent Miyuki from finding out about our relationship right now.

I planned to come clean about everything eventually, but my first priority was making sure Miyuki didn't feel hurt in the slightest.

"Well... it sounds complicated, but I can make it work."

"What's with that confident tone...?"

"Did it sound like that?"

"Maybe not...? I guess that's just how you always sound, Matsuda-kun...?"

"Are you confused?"

"Yeah. But anyway, Matsuda-kun."

"Go on."

"You know that other thing you said before..."

She was still being incredibly vague about what exactly she was bringing up.

It wasn't intentional. She was just so nervous that her thoughts were scattered.

Putting together the current conversation, the atmosphere, and Miyuki's personality, I had a pretty good idea of what she was trying to say.

That 'other thing' she mentioned was almost certainly my passing comment about marriage from a few days ago.

"When I asked if I could live here after we got married?"

"H-how did you know? I was going to ask you about it properly..."

Miyuki's eyes went wide.

I gently poked the soft skin just below her eye and let out a chuckle.

"Why wouldn't I? Of course I know."

"You do...?"

The corners of her mouth, which had drooped slightly, perked right back up.

My answer seemed to have put her in a good mood.

"Why ask about that so suddenly?"

"Well... um..."

Her voice shrank down to a timid mumble.

Marriage wasn't a topic to be brought up lightly. She was clearly embarrassed, her heart pounding in her chest.

Fully grasping her intentions once again, I spoke up.

"I'd like to, if you're open to the idea."

"Really...?"

"Yeah. I'm not just saying this on a whim. It's been my goal ever since I started studying with you."

"Huh...? Since we started studying...? Wait, do you mean last summer...?"

Strictly speaking, it had been much earlier than that. But if I told her I'd loved her from the very beginning, she would probably just think I was sweet-talking her.

Our circumstances had been quite different back then.

"Right. Ever since I asked you to tutor me."

"Really?"

"If it wasn't for you, I'd probably still be hanging out with that weird clique of mine, living my life exactly the same way I used to."

It was an indirect way of saying she was the reason I'd decided to change. A deep flush spread across Miyuki's cheeks and the tips of her ears.

She clearly loved hearing that.

The timing was a bit awkward, though.

Delivering a heartfelt, pure-love confession right on the verge of discussing a harem.

It took a spoonful of sweetness out of the moment, dampening the mood slightly. I would have to tell her properly again when we actually sat down to plan our real future together.

"But why bring all this up so suddenly?"

Pressed flush against my chest, Miyuki dipped her head shyly at the question.

"Just because..."

It wasn't 'just because.' She was definitely trying to confirm my intentions and my feelings for her, but I decided to let it slide.

"All right."

"Getting back on topic... Um... As long as you haven't changed your mind, Matsuda-kun..."

"I'm completely serious."

"Ah, don't interrupt and just listen to me...! As long as you haven't changed your mind, I've been giving some positive thought to that idea you brought up..."

A sudden resolve hardened Miyuki's voice.

My marriage confession had clearly done the trick.

I forcefully pushed down the joy blooming inside my chest and replied.

"But what?"

"How you actually bring everyone together is your problem to figure out... But if... and this is a big if, such a situation ever happens, I have a condition. Or a promise, I guess? Either way, I have one."

"What is it?"

"Whenever you... do it... I want to be there. No matter what. Is that... okay?"

She was telling me not to even think about having a threesome or anything larger without her.

I had fully expected a condition like this from her.

In fact, I'd assumed it would be the very first thing she demanded if she agreed to the harem, so I had absolutely no problem with it.

The others would accept it, too.

Hiyori's possessive streak was a bit of a concern, but I was confident I could soothe her.

However, the part about me having to figure out how to bring everyone together... that was a bit ambiguous.

It was clearly an instruction to handle it myself, but I wondered if that permission extended to having private physical relationships with the other girls in the meantime.

Given Miyuki's personality, probably not...

But then again, she had said it while practically overflowing with love for me, so maybe she was giving her blessing.

It was confusing, but... it didn't really matter.

The important thing was that Miyuki had given me a green light.

For now, I would handle things myself.

And later on... if she hadn't meant it that way and tried to interrogate me about sleeping with the others individually, I'd have plenty of excuses ready.

It would require digging into my reserves of sheer shamelessness, but that was just the cost of taking four wives.

Besides, seeing how open-minded Miyuki was being now, there was every chance she would open up even more later...

And if I got her to stamp our marriage registration and change her surname to mine before that happened... well, I could probably smooth things over.

Either way, that was a problem for the distant future. For now, I just needed to take the plunge.

"I don't mind... but are you sure you'll be okay with it?"

"Okay with what? Do you mean if I can handle the atmosphere?"

"No. I mean, are you sure your heart can handle it?"

"It feels fine right now while we're just talking about it... but who knows how I'll feel when it actually happens?"

"So you won't know until we try."

"T-That's enough about this... I'm going to sleep."

Just the thought of it seemed to embarrass her. She let out a soft sigh and deflected.

It couldn't have been an easy decision. She was an absolute saint.

I really, truly needed to treat her well from now on.

Making that silent vow, I felt Miyuki's hot breath seep right through my T-shirt as I gently stroked her hair into place.

Then, I spoke.

"You're taking my surname, right?"

"I-I told you to stop teasing me...!"

She buried her face in my chest, too shy to look at me. It was the most adorable thing I had ever seen her do.

Matsuda Miyuki. It did have a slightly odd ring to it.

Pitter-patter! Whoosh—!

The rain was coming down in sheets now, but the sound was incredibly refreshing.

I looked up, admiring a morning sky that was as dark as evening. A grin spread across my face as I softly stroked the nape and back of the girl wriggling against my chest.

The path had been cleared. So, who should I meet tomorrow?

The answer was already decided.