The graduation ceremony had finally co to an end. As the applause faded and the crowd slowly dispersed, Envi returned control of my body back to . His only remark?
"That’s how you properly express your feelings."
I sighed, exhausted. That’s how you properly embarrass soone, more like it.
"If you ever pull another stunt like that, I swear I’ll beat the hell out of you," I warned him in my mind, trying to keep my frustration in check.
Instead of backing down, Envi just laughed mockingly. "Bweeeh, go ahead and try! Good luck punching a system! HAHAHA!"
I clenched my fists, feeling my irritation grow. If Envi ever beca human or sohow got his own body, I would be the first to punch him. No, I would dedicate my entire existence to making sure he suffered for all the tis he embarrassed .
But as my anger subsided, a strange warmth settled in my chest—an unfamiliar feeling that made uneasy. I hesitated before asking,
"Hey, Envi... When you confessed to Alia, Lyra, and Freya, I felt sothing warm inside my heart. I think... I’m starting to understand your feelings. So tell —do you really love them?"
There was a brief silence before Envi answered, his usual playful tone replaced with sothing more sincere.
"Yeah... I do. I don’t know how or why, but I feel like I love them." He paused for a mont, then chuckled lightly. "But that doesn’t make sense, does it? I’m just a system. I shouldn’t have feelings as complex as love. Maybe... Maybe this is your feeling too, Nao. Maybe you just won’t admit it."
I frowned at his words. "My feelings? You’re saying our emotions are rging because we share the sa body? That’s ridiculous."
A sudden thought crossed my mind, and I shuddered. "Wait... If our emotions are blending... does that an I’m going to turn into a pervert like you?"
"Hah! Who knows? Maybe you’ll stay the sa. Maybe you’ll beco even worse than ! Imagine that, Nao—’The Lustful Hero!’ Hahaha!"
I groaned in frustration. "You’re an idiot, Envi."
"Yeah, yeah. But let ask you sothing, Nao." His voice turned serious again. "Who do you love?"
I hesitated, but then I answered without doubt.
"Serena. I... I’m interested in her. Only her."
"Really? So what about Lyra? Alia? Freya? The girls who love you right now?" Envi questioned.
His words hit harder than I expected. I opened my mouth to respond, but nothing ca out.
"I..." I struggled to find the right words. "I don’t hate them. I... I just don’t know what to do. I don’t want to break my principle of only loving one woman. But damn it... Because of you, I’ve started to feel sothing romantic for them too!"
"See? You’re already halfway there! Just accept it, Nao. These feelings are yours too." Envi said, amused. "And to be honest, I think I love Serena too. I don’t know why, but your emotions have influenced as well. So let’s just embrace it together and build a harem kingdom! HAHAHA!"
I groaned in frustration. "Absolutely not!"
I firmly told Envi that I would suppress my feelings for now. If he ever got a human body, he would have to take responsibility for his words to Alia, Lyra, and Freya.
For the first ti, Envi fell quiet. Then, in a softer tone, he spoke.
"What can I even do...? Haha... I’m just your guide, after all."
His voice carried a hint of sadness.
I didn’t know why, but sothing about it made my heart ache. So, instead of pressing the matter, I decided to joke to lighten the mood.
"Well, if I ever die in this world, you’ll have to take my place, Envi. Maybe that’s the best way for you to beco fully human. Hahaa."
I expected him to laugh it off, but instead, he snapped at .
"Ugh, you idiot! That joke wasn’t funny! If you die, I’ll probably disappear too, you moron!"
Hearing him get flustered only made laugh even harder.
....
As the graduation ceremony ended, my friends and I stepped out of the grand hall. Outside, our families were already waiting, their faces filled with pride and joy.
I glanced around and saw Lyra with her family—the esteed Waterfall household—who had gathered around her, showering her with praise and congratulations. They looked incredibly proud of her achievents. Lyra was especially close to her family, though her father maintained a bit of emotional distance, his deanor slightly reserved.
Nearby, Freya stood with her birth family, the Flastones. Though she had been adopted into the Flamore family, she still made ti to visit her biological parents frequently. Today, she seed overjoyed to be with them. Her parents bead at her, while her siblings surrounded her, doting on her endlessly.
Alia, however, was nowhere in sight. I knew she was still inside the hall, speaking with her older brother Arsene and King Aslan. Being part of the Braveheart royal family ant she had certain obligations. She had promised to catch up with us later.
Looking around, I spotted Marius, who was now reunited with his family from the countryside. Unlike the noble families present, his parents and siblings had a simple, humble air about them—but their joy was perhaps the purest of all. They were proud beyond words, and I could see the tears in their eyes when I introduced myself to them.
I took a step forward and spoke. "Marius will be joining my family’s knight division—the Blackmore Knights."
The mont I said that, his parents broke into tears. Their son, who had grown up in a small village, was now about to serve under one of the greatest hero families. They could hardly believe it. Marius himself chuckled, rubbing the back of his head as he tried to calm them down.
Watching their heartfelt reaction brought a smile to my face.
I really miss my family back on Earth... I thought to myself. If only I could see them again, even just for a mont...
With a bittersweet feeling in my heart, I stepped away, leaving Marius to cherish this mont with his family.
As I continued observing, I saw that my other friends were just as overjoyed. Julius and Termina were greeted by their respective families. Julius, ever the stoic one, appeared indifferent, but I knew he was inwardly pleased to have proven his strength to his Starlight hero family. Termina, on the other hand, was practically bouncing with excitent, sharing laughs with her relatives from the Stormheim lineage.
Even Luna, usually distant and indifferent, was caught in a rare mont of warmth. Her family, the Solarblades, had gathered around her, beaming with pride as they celebrated the fact that she would be serving as a knight under the Starlight family. And then... I saw sothing unexpected—Luna smiling.
Erin, Hendrik, and the others were also busy with their families, enjoying the rare occasion of a grand reunion.
As I took in the sight of all these families sharing their happiness, I felt a pang of loneliness. My mories drifted back to my life on Earth.
Back then, my family had never been able to attend my graduation ceremonies. My mother had been too busy working multiple jobs to support us. Nana and Naki had been too afraid to leave the house due to their trauma.
My middle school graduation had felt like any other ordinary day. No celebration. Nothing special.
For high school, I hadn’t even attended the graduation ceremony.
But during my university graduation, sothing changed. For the first ti, my family had celebrated with , even if it was just a small dinner at ho. It was one of the happiest monts of my life... and now, in this world, I missed them more than ever.
As I stood in the middle of the crowd, lost in my thoughts, a familiar voice suddenly called out to .
"Hey, big bro Naoki! Get over here already! We’re tired of waiting for you!"
I blinked in surprise. That voice—
Turning around, I saw a small group standing together, smiling at .
Milly, my younger stepsister, stood with her arms crossed, pouting in her usual tsundere fashion. Beside her was Mark, my younger stepbrother, grinning at . Alongside them were Nyssa, Milly’s personal maid, and my own personal maids—Vivin, Elan, and Mia.
They were all here.
"W-What are you guys doing here?" I asked, taken aback by their presence. I hadn’t expected them to co all this way.
Mark stepped forward, smiling. "What do you an, big bro Naoki? Of course, we ca to celebrate! Today is the graduation of the future Patriarch and Hero of the Blackmore family. So, congratulations, Brother Naoki."
Milly huffed, turning her face away. "Hmph! Don’t get the wrong idea! I only ca because I wanted to enjoy the festivities, that’s all. But... fine, congratulations, you perverted brother."
The maids also bowed slightly and chid in. "Congratulations, Master Naoki!"
They also told that the Patriarch, my father Tetsu von Blackmore, could not attend because he was still fighting on the front lines. They only gave an envelope from him and told to open it later.
I was curious about the contents of the letter, but I held back to read it later.
Hearing their heartfelt words, I suddenly felt my vision blur.
I hadn’t realized it, but tears had started forming in my eyes.
For the first ti in a long while, the crushing loneliness I had felt—the longing for my family on Earth—eased, just a little. They weren’t my original family, but they had beco just as precious to .
Without hesitation, I walked toward Mark and Milly and pulled them both into a tight hug.
"Thank you, all of you..." I whispered.
Milly stiffened in my embrace, her face turning red. "Wha—?! Idiot! Let go of !"
Mark, equally flustered, stamred, "B-Brother, don’t do this in public...!"
Their embarrassnt only made chuckle.
And then, in the back of my mind, I heard Envi’s voice.
"These guys... they really know how to make us happy, huh, Nao?"
I smiled, replying silently.
"Yeah, they do. And no matter what happens, we’ll protect them."
At that mont, I realized sothing important.
My family on Earth would always have a special place in my heart.
But the family I had in this world... they were just as irreplaceable.
...
.
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