I woke up to the distinct sensation of sothing nibbling my chin.
Not a squirrel, thank the gods.
Just Aya.
More specifically—Aya’s hair, which had sohow unbraided itself during the night and now lay tangled across my face like a silky trap. Her arm was slung over my chest, her leg still firmly entwined with mine, and her face was buried so deep into my neck it looked like she was trying to phase through .
I could barely move.
"Morning," I croaked.
She groaned, curling in tighter. "No it isn’t. I declare rebellion against sunlight."
"You sll like sleepy vengeance."
"You sll like man-flavored comfort. Don’t move."
"Wasn’t planning to."
I lay there for a while, listening to the steady rhythm of her breath, the occasional twitch of her foot as dreams tried to reclaim her.
Then she stirred.
Cracked one eye open.
Squinted at .
"...Did we kiss last night or did I dream that?"
"We kissed."
She blinked. "Did I look cool?"
"You looked like you were about to combust."
Aya groaned and flopped onto her back, eyes wide and horrified. "Ugh, that was a real kiss, wasn’t it? Like lips and emotions and stuff?"
"Yup."
"Regret. Panic. Mild arson."
I laughed. "You said you wanted to know."
"I also said ninja squirrels were real. I was sleep-deprived."
"You were very awake."
She rolled back toward , cheeks pink, fingers absentmindedly playing with the hem of my shirt—which she was still wearing, by the way.
"...Was it bad?" she asked softly.
I t her gaze. "Aya. It was perfect."
She blinked again, this ti slower, like she was filing the words away in a place she didn’t let many things live. Then—of course—she ruined it.
"So... you wanna make out again or do I need to trip down the stairs first to build dramatic tension?"
"...Breakfast."
"Fine," she sighed. "But I’m stealing more of your clothes after."
She rolled off the pillow pile with a flourish, dragging the blanket behind her like a cape. As she padded toward the door, she turned back and added with a grin, "By the way... that braid? Totally ruined."
I reached up to check—my hair was a disaster.
"Sabotage?"
She winked. "Foreshadowing."
And then she was gone, off to cause chaos sowhere else in the manor.
I stared at the ceiling for a beat longer.
Smiled.
Then groaned when I heard a familiar royal voice echo down the hallway:
"Ren~! We need to talk before nightfall."
Oh no.
Elira was awake.
And she’d just rembered it was her turn.
---
The sunlight had finally taken full command of the estate, pouring in through the massive glass windows that overlooked the garden. The dining room glead—polished wood, crisp linen, and the not-so-subtle tension of multiple beautiful won pretending not to hate each other before 9 a.m.
Aya and I entered the dining room fashionably late, which was only fair since she spent an extra ten minutes styling her "morning ssy look" to perfection. I wasn’t allowed to comnt.
"Morning," I greeted, cautiously.
Sora, seated nearest the head of the table, didn’t even glance at us. She sipped her tea in silence, pinky raised like a passive-aggressive queen.
Elira shot a smile—tight, diplomatic. "Sleep well?"
Before I could answer, Aya leaned in and whispered, "Say ’like a baby’ and I’ll shiv you with a butter knife."
"...Like a soldier between wars," I anded.
i cleared her throat from across the table, eyes focused on the perfect flower arrangent she was crafting on her plate out of fruit slices. Akane was already eating, sleeves rolled up, and definitely not watching .
Definitely.
I sat beside Aya. A plate of tamagoyaki and grilled fish appeared in front of —i’s doing, no doubt. A bowl of steaming miso soup followed. Soone had definitely gone all out.
"This looks amazing," I said genuinely.
"It should," i muttered without looking up. "I woke up two hours before dawn to prepare everything."
Aya whistled. "Damn. Overachiever much?"
"It’s called respect," i replied, finally eting her eyes. "Sothing I wouldn’t expect a pillow thief to understand."
"You literally stole my man’s ti slot three nights from now with a card ga," Aya shot back.
"I won that card ga."
"Elira cheated!"
Elira smiled sweetly. "I rely redefined the rules mid-hand. It’s called strategy."
"Oh my god," I muttered, shoving a bite of rice in my mouth before it turned into an actual food fight.
Tension simred just beneath the surface like a pot on the edge of boiling. They were all dressed differently—cute casuals, oversized sleeves, so still in loungewear—but their moods were unified:
Possessive. Competitive. Dangerously pretty.
Aya kept nudging under the table.
"Eat the pickled daikon."
"Why?"
"It’s good for stamina."
"...That a threat?"
"Not yet."
Suddenly, Rin’s voice cut through the low chaos.
"Ren. Kitchen. Now."
All eyes snapped to her as she stood near the doorway, arms crossed.
She wasn’t smiling.
"Uh... sure?"
I stood, glanced nervously at Aya, who was busy biting her toast just a bit too hard.
"May God be with you," Elira said, totally deadpan.
---
The Kitchen
Rin was standing near the island counter. Her expression unreadable. There was no breakfast tray, no food surprise—nothing elaborate.
"Hey," I said cautiously, stepping inside.
"Hey," she echoed, glancing at .
A beat passed. The silence stretched like taffy.
Then, without another word, she took two quick steps forward, grabbed my shirt—and kissed .
Firm. Certain.
Her lips were soft but urgent, the kind of kiss that carried aning she couldn’t say out loud. Her hand clenched lightly in my shirt. Her eyes fluttered closed. And mine widened.
For a mont, the world stopped.
Then she broke away, gaze cast down as if embarrassed by her own boldness.
"I just... wanted to do that before soone else did," she whispered.
---
> ⚠️ SYSTEM ALERT
💬 Sudden affection detected. Witnessed by multiple parties.
📉 Jealousy trics rising rapidly.
🔁 Action required to prevent miscommunication fallout.
✅ RECOMNDED RESPONSE: Kiss her back. Passionately.
🎁 Reward: Affection Boost (Rin), Public Trust Stabilization
❌ Failure Penalty: Jealousy Fracture Event | Affection Drain - i, Sora
🔒 Hidden Bonus Possible...
---
I took a breath.
Stepped forward.
Slid my hand behind her neck—and kissed her back.
No hesitation.
This one wasn’t soft. It wasn’t cautious. It was declaration.
My lips t hers with purpose, and she lted into like it was all she’d wanted since the start. Her fingers gripped my sleeves. I felt her smile into the kiss—then shudder just slightly as I deepened it.
When we pulled apart, she was breathless, cheeks flushed, lips parted slightly in surprise and... sothing softer.
"W-Wow," she breathed.
And then—
"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!"
We both jumped.
I turned.
Sora was standing in the hallway, teacup in hand, eyes wide.
i was behind her, mouth open, hands on her hips like a disappointed teacher.
Aya was halfway into the kitchen already.
Elira strolled in last, dragging a chair with a smug smile. "Don’t mind us. Just here to witness the downfall."
"...This isn’t what it looks like," I started.
"Oh no, it’s exactly what it looks like," i snapped. "You kissed her!"
"She kissed first!" I protested.
"Which would’ve been forgivable," Aya said coldly, "if you didn’t kiss her back like you were writing a damn love letter with your mouth!"
Rin stepped forward, for once not blushing. "I don’t regret it."
i gasped. "You brat—"
"Enough." Sora’s voice cut like frost. "If we’re doing this, let’s do it the smart way. He kissed her. Big deal. We all know how this ends."
"Do we?" Elira asked sweetly. "Because right now, it looks like Rin just leapfrogged the emotional rankings."
"Rankings?" I echoed weakly, brain buffering.
"Oh, absolutely," she said, crossing her legs like she was holding court. "Sora had early advantage. i has the dostic point lead. Aya just claid the bed event, but now Rin’s gunning for emotional intimacy. That was a power move."
"Power move?" Rin echoed, arms crossed but cheeks still a little pink. "I was just honest. Maybe the rest of you should try it."
Sora scoffed, her voice sharp as a knife’s edge. "Honesty? Or opportunism?"
"I didn’t see you making a move," Rin shot back.
"That’s because I’m not trying to win a race. I’m trying to build sothing that lasts," Sora replied coolly.
"Cute," Elira purred, "but this isn’t just a romance, darling. This is a war of presence."
"Then I vote we take turns," i snapped, stepping between them. "Equal affection rotation. If Rin gets to kiss him, I get to bathe him."
"Bathe—?!" I choked.
"Fair is fair," i said primly, already rolling up her sleeves.
"I second that," Akane muttered from the doorway. "He slls like Aya and kitchen smoke. Unacceptable."
"Why is bathing suddenly on the table?!" I demanded, backing away.
"Because it’s intimate without being indecent," i replied. "And I want to test his reaction to temperature contrast—emotionally, of course."
"You just want to pour cold water on ," I accused.
"No comnt."
"I still vote kisses," Rin said, stepping up again. "And since I went first, I should get one more before it resets."
"Oh, hell no," Aya growled. "If anyone’s kissing him again today, it’s . In fact—no, I’m calling it. I’m invoking First Claim Clause."
"There’s no such thing," Elira said with a grin.
"There is now."
"Can I opt out?" I muttered, looking at the ceiling.
"No," four girls said at once.
"Elira," Sora added coldly, "if you suggest a ’kissing rotation,’ I will throw your fan in the fire."
"Fine," Elira sighed. "But can I at least nominate myself for post-breakfast lap rights?"
"LAP RIGHTS?!" I was rapidly losing control of my life.
"Ugh, forget this," Aya snapped.
She grabbed my arm with the force of a woman done with democracy and pointed toward the nearest hallway.
"You, , kitchen exit. Now."
"I’m already in the kitchen—"
"I said now, Ren."
Rin smirked. "That’s fine. He knows where my lips are when he wants another taste."
Aya growled.
i looked ready to throw the nearest bowl.
Elira clapped once. "And the harem war intensifies."
---
> 🎉 SYSTEM LOG:
✅ Mission Success: Clarify Affection | Rin
❤️ Rin Affection 40
🔓 Hidden Bonus Unlocked: Kitchen Heat
🔥 Side Effect: Rival Tension Intensified
⚠️ Emotional sync with Sora, i, and Aya slightly destabilized
Recomnd: Strategic one-on-one bonding. Soon.
---
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