Once she recovered from the blinding flash, Yae reached for her hip, took out her shortsword, and placed it in her free hand. What...? Yae lowered her posture and charged toward me. Right when I was about to fire a feint or two so I could make her back away, she actually threw the shortsword at me.
Whoa?! Who the hell throws their weapon like that?! Doesn’t the sword represent a samurai’s soul?! Do shortswords not count or something?! I barely dodged it by slightly moving my pelvis to the side. Ugh! It grazed me! Before she could fix her posture, I fired all twelve of my loaded bullets at her. There’s no way she can dodge at this distance!
“Gah!!!” The strong rubber rounds made Yae fall to the ground. Despite that, she was still able to launch a horizontal slash at me. It was something I could easily evade, though.
But Elze was waiting for me, right at the spot I had jumped to. Crap, she’s too close! Her fists are way faster than my aim. Elze went all out and attacked me with a right hook. I don’t have any other choice! I bent my body and somehow dodged her fist, let go of my guns, and grabbed her right hand. I used my momentum to spin her around with her back facing toward me. Then, I put my right elbow into her armpit and raised her up.
“Wha—?!” I threw her to the ground, and she made a noise that sounded like a scream. I hadn’t done a shoulder throw since school, but my body seemed to remember the motions.
“Gah...!” Apparently, my technique wasn’t good enough to properly damage her. Elze quickly rose to her feet.
But by the time she was standing upright again, I had Brunhild trained on her. We were so close that she couldn’t redirect the bullets even if she wanted to.
It has a classic hold-up.
“Reload. I win.”
“...Why aren’t you shooting?”
“Because if you accept defeat, I won’t need to.” Firing at someone dear to me didn’t make me feel good. I made a mental note to apologize to Yae after the battle.
“You’re stupidly kind. Do you really think you can protect Linze and Yumina with that mentality?”
“...That’s just who I am.”
“Heh, it sure is. Guess it’s part of the reason why me and Yae fell in love with you.”
“......What?” What did she just... say? I, uh... What? My brain functions froze up.
Just as I snapped out of my trance, I realized that Elze’s right hand — the one clad in the red gauntlet — was emitting a light. That gauntlet’s ability was... increasing destructive power, wasn’t it?! Alright, if she really doesn’t want to fold, then I guess I can’t go easy on her either. I aimed at Elze and pulled on Brunhild’s trigger. The battle was finished. Or so I thought.
“Wh—?!” I pulled the trigger a second time. It didn’t fire. As it turned out, it wasn’t even loaded. What? Why? I’m pretty sure I reloaded... Oh...
Yae’s actions from earlier finally made sense to me. The shortsword she threw at me. She hadn’t thrown it in order to harm me. When I dodged and it grazed me, the fastener on my waist pouch had been sliced open.
My bullets had scattered out of it as I moved, and they had all ran out. My reload was meaningless if there weren’t any bullets within a radius of one meter... I’ve been had.
With lightning-fast speed, Elze stepped to the side and launched her fist into my chest.
“Gghuh?!” I tumbled to the ground, my consciousness fading.
◇ ◇ ◇
“W-We want you to treat us the same as Yumina and Linze!”
“...Huh?” I came back to my senses and, since I had lost, readied myself for whatever their request was, but no amount of preparation could’ve been enough for what they hit me with.
“W-Well, surely you understand th-that we... We do... Ohh... Y-You should be the one to say it, Elze-dono!”
“H-Huh?! B-But I...! Ohh... W-Well, f-first up, uh... I-I-I also love you, Touya!”
“I-It is the same for me, i-it is!” They looked down, their faces flushed red.
...What the hell? Weren’t we just fighting a moment ago? Now I’m being confessed to? By two girls at once, even. What exactly is this?
“Treat you like Yumina and Linze...? What do you mean?”
“W-We also want to become your... w-wives... we do.”
“Y-Y-You have to agree to this, you know?! Y-You lost the fight, fair and square!” I pinched my cheek.
Well, that hurt. Not dreaming, then. Guess I’ve got four incoming brides, huh? Wait! No no no no! Isn’t that a bit too many?! But wait, Tokugawa Ienari had more than forty concubines and over fifty children... Compared to that, I guess that I... Wait! Comparing myself to him is insane! Seriously, that guy used to harvest the... you-know-whats... of fur seals, turn them into powder, and drink them for sexual vitality! He was even nicknamed the “Fur Seal General” because of that. I don’t want to be grouped with a guy like him! Damn it, Touya, stop. You’re going off on a stupid tangent.
“Are you two... really okay with that?”
“I don’t mind. Nothing’s gonna change my feelings for you, and if I can be happy and others can be happy while loving the same person, then it’s all good, isn’t it?” I remembered that Linze had said something similar the day before. Those girls really were twins. Their thought patterns certainly matched up sometimes.
“I love them all about as much as I love you, Touya-dono. If we can all become your wives, then all is well, it is.”
Man, the girls of this world sure have a low desire to monopolize their man. Hmm... did they grow up to be like this because polygamy is the norm? Or wait, maybe these girls are just odd? Normally, this would be the perfect setting for a catfight... They don’t really seem to be displaying much jealousy though, so it’s kinda weird. Well, not that it didn’t exist. There was some slight envy, as evidenced yesterday. Come to think of it, Linze might be the most jealous person among them.
“S-So? What about you...?”
“Huh?”
“I-I’m asking about what you think of us!”
Oh, that. The recent barrage of romantic events made me feel a bit numb, and that wasn’t a good thing.
I had to tell them exactly how I felt.
“If I was forced to say whether I like or dislike you, then sure, I do like you. You’re both cute and have good personalities. But even so, I’m not sure if I can say that I love either of you. Just as I said before, the same goes for Yumina and Linze. I’m happy that you confessed your love to me, but I’m not sure if I can accept you on good conscience with my feelings being so vague.”
“But you accepted Yumina-dono and Linze-dono, did you not?”
“I wasn’t lying when I said that I liked them, and there’s no doubt that they’re important to me. They said they were fine with that, too.”
Honestly, the concept of marriage is still pretty unreal to me. Hell, we aren’t even dating, so marriage shouldn’t even be on our minds. My cousin skipped through the whole dating process and got married because he knocked up the girl, too. Now I have a closer glimpse into that poor bastard’s situation.
“So, that means that Yumina and Linze are fine with us too, right? Then it’s all fine.”
“But I have no idea what they’ll say about this...”
“There is no need to worry about that, Touya-dono. The one who invited us to become your wives was Yumina-dono, it was.”
...Pardon me?
“Right when the king gave you the mansion, Yumina secretly approached us. She asked us all how we felt about you, confirmed our feelings, and then suggested we all become your wives. We weren’t so certain about it at the time, though. But, uhm... little by little... we began to think it’d be nice. Then when Linze lost her composure yesterday, I finally decided! I want to be by your side, Touya.” Elze looked straight at me. There was no hesitation in her eyes. Her face was still a bit red, though.
“I began to think that it would be great if we could all live as a family, with you at the center, I did. In all honesty, I am still unused to Yumina-don
o’s leniency, but I have no doubt that I want to live by your side, I truly do.”
Yumina was the one who said she wouldn’t mind if I had ten or twenty mistresses... Was that “leniency” just a display of her confidence as the first wife?
“S-So?”
“...Alright, I understand how you both feel. I like you both, too. Elze, you’re lively and cheerful, albeit a bit obstinate, but I find that pretty cute, too. Yae, you’re diligent, dignified, and very considerate of your family. I’m also aware that you’re gentle and good with children. You two would be excellent wives, I’m sure.”
“Th-Then—” Before Elze could speak, I raised my hand to stop her.
“However, I need some time to think. I’ll give you my answer in the evening. I’ve got some stuff to mull over first.”
“...Alright.”
“...I understand, I do.” We headed back home. I went up to my room, while Elze and Yae went to have a talk with Yumina.
I sat on my bed, exhaled a long sigh, and assumed my thinking pose, flat on my back.
What now? Well, the answer to that question is already obvious. I already accepted Linze, so refusing those two is out of the question. I like them all about the same. They’re all important to me. I don’t want to, nor do I think myself capable of doing anything to hurt them. But that’s exactly what makes me question if I’m really the right person for them. I’m scared that this situation might just make them sad in the end. Or maybe I’m just scared for myself... Marriage is a big deal, after all. It isn’t just my own problem. I have to shoulder the lives of other people. Being cautious is natural, isn’t it? Not only that, but the burden on me is four times heavier. Can I really carry that weight?
“Hmmm... Maybe I should consult someone.”
Leim... would surely just side with Yumina. Lapis, Cecile, Crea... I’m somewhat reluctant to discuss this with women. Renne isn’t even an option. Julio... is a bit unreliable... Guess there’s only one person I can count on.
What I did next was something I’d wanted to try for a while. I just hadn’t gotten the opportunity. I don’t want to just talk to Him, I should go see Him in person.
I went to the kitchen and took some baked sweets to bring to Him as a kind gesture. After I was done gathering bits and pieces, I held the stuff under my armpit.
“[Gate].” I walked through my shining portal and was instantly greeted by an ever-expanding, shining sea of clouds. Among the clouds was an old tea table, neatly placed on a small patch of tatami mats. Ah, now this is nostalgic.
There was an old man sitting next to the table. He turned to me, seemingly frozen in surprise as he bit into a rice cracker.
“...O-Oh. Oh my. It seems I have a visitor. Hoho, if you were going to drop by, you should have informed me ahead of time. I’ll actually be quite honest with you, though. I had no idea that you even could come back here of your own free will.”
“It’s been quite a while, God.” I’d been there before, so I had the idea that maybe I could use [Gate] to return. I didn’t actually expect it to work, though.
“This realm is dense with magic, after all. That is probably why you could come back. It is also the reason why you could not return to your previous world. The magic in the atmosphere on your Earth is very thin, I’ll have you know.”
“Oh, this is for you. I brought cookies and stuff.”
“Oho, thank you very much. I believe that warrants a nice cup of tea.” He began filling a teacup with hot water. And, of course, it turned into tea the moment it poured from the spout. But what else was I expecting? He was God.
I silently drank the warm tea.
Ah, delicious. It’s been a while since I last had green tea...
“Well now, what brings you to my humble abode?”
“Ah, there’s something I wanted to consult you about...”
“Hmm? Well, do tell.” I began explaining my situation to him. I wanted to know what I had to do about my circumstances and how I should interact with the girls moving forward... I made sure to cover all the necessary details.
“Hmm... Are you not simply overthinking things? They said they love you, so why not just be happy?”
“Well, I am, but I can’t help but consider all the things that come with it.”
Sharing my worries with God makes me feel like I’m at a confessional. Not like I sinned or anything, though...
“Very well, then. Let me call in the specialist.”
“Huh?” God reached for the black phone at his side and dialed a number.
A few moments later, a woman rose up from the sea of clouds. It looked like she was in her early twenties. Her hair was as pink and as fluffy as the thin, white silk she was wearing. She floated through the air toward me. Her wrists and ankles were adorned with golden rings, and her neck had a solid gold collar-piece around it. I also noticed that she wore no shoes.
“Kept you waiting, huh?” She sat at the tea table after giving a playful greeting.
“Er... and this is?”
“This lovely lady is the God of Love. I thought she would be the perfect person for your troubles.”
The God of Love?! Her?!
“Well, well. Lovely to meet you! I must say, I’ve been watching you every now and then! You’re a very interesting young man.” Now that she mentions it, God did mention something like this once before... Something about a God of Love that had taken an interest in me, if I recall. So this is the woman herself? I never expected to be consulting a deity about this. God only knows, I guess.
“So, the title ‘God of Love’ means exactly what it says on the tin, right?”
“Yes, it does. But it’s not like I control people’s feelings, get it? I just do a little of this, and a little of that... things that set the mood and create those standard, love-related cliches. I guess you could say I’m the producer of situations like those!”
“Cliches...?” Oh, I think I get what she means. She’s probably referring to those cases where girls are late to school, hurry there with toast in their mouths, and run into a great guy who just happened to walk around the corner.
“Yeah! Cliches! All the lovey-dovey ones. If you need a specific example, I’m the one who seeks out guys who go ‘Darling, I swear to you... when I return from the battlefield, we will finally be married.’ And then I make sure they never ever reach the altar!”
“That kind of thing is your fault?!” By “never ever reach the altar,” she clearly means that she makes them die, right?! Wait, that’s a death flag, not a love flag!
“So, what’s up?” I had my reservations about consulting her, but I really had no other choice. She happened to be the goddess of love, so I figured maybe she would have some good advice. At any rate, I hastily explained my current situation.
“Hmm... sounds like things are getting super interesting.” The God of Love smiled, reached for the cookie on the table, and stuffed it into her mouth. She’s not one for manners, clearly.
“But I still don’t see your problem. It’s fine if you like each other, isn’t it?”
“But... four girls at the same time?”
“There’s your first mistake! You have to discard the common sense of the world you used to live in! If you only love one of them and consider the others to be extras, you’re not only making them pitiful, but you’re also being cruel as well! But if you love them all and are truly intent on making them happy, then that’s just another form of true love, get it?”
Love... Do I even feel it for them, though?
“Why did they even fall in love with me...?”
“I don’t know! Sometimes you get the ones who fall in love at first sight, and other times there are those who don’t realize their feelings because the target of their affections is too close to them. Each person has their own life, and there’s a lot of room for variation there! Love doesn’t fly like straight like an arrow! There’s many paths to it, get it?” Part of me understood her explanation, but another part of me didn’t. St
ill, I at least understood the point that there was no true form to love.
“Interested in what I think? Seems to me that you lack confidence. You’re worried about whether or not you’re worthy of responding to their feelings. But here’s the thing, young man! You aren’t the one who decides if you’re worthy. They are!”
Damn... Kind of feels like she hit the nail on the head. I was just feeling weird because I felt like the girls were idealizing me. I didn’t believe that I fit the image of me that was in their heads.
“You should be more honest with yourself and see where these feelings lead. Sure, it’s important to be considerate of how others feel, but you can’t just go and act against your own interests in the process. Doing so wouldn’t just be rude to yourself, but also to the girls who confessed, get it?”
“I see... So I’m allowed to be a bit selfish, then?”
“That’s more like it! Love isn’t about one-sided happiness! It’s meaningless if you don’t become happy, too.”
...That’s true. I have things I can never let go of. I have to talk things out and reconcile with the girls. Those reservations might be with me for the rest of my life, but at the very least, I have to get them to agree to that.
“Did you find your answer?” God spoke up as if he just read my mind.
“I’m not sure, but I think it’s in sight at least.”
“Very well, then. That is quite good to know.”
“Eheh, glad to see the cliche I granted you didn’t go to waste!”
...Hm? She said something strange just now... Cliche? One of the things she manufactures, right?
“What exactly do you mean by that? The cliche you granted me, I mean.”
“Oh, just a little while ago, I produced a situation in which you walked in on them changing and then got really surprised. You should be thanking me, get it?”
“That was you?!” This God of Love seems to be a fan of generic scenarios.
In the evening, I had the girls gather in the living room. Laim, Lapis, and the others weren’t with us. It was only myself and the four girls who had confessed.
In Another World With My Smartphone: Volume 3 Page 10