Ch.187187. Adjustments Complete

“Everyone, you all like me? I really don’t understand what you see in me that makes you say you like me…”

“Hmm… First of all, I like you. That’s why I’m doing this, isn’t it?”

Blanc answered first, hugging me tightly.

Do these people have some kind of disease where they can’t answer without hugging tightly?

As she speaks, she brings her head closer to mine to answer.

The feeling of her breath is so ticklish, and it tickles so much that…

“Sssip…”

“Eek!?”

“Haha… I think I smell a sweet grape scent.”

“W-wait…! Why are you sniffing my head…?!”

I couldn’t stop Blanc from burying her face in the crown of my head.

Of course, in this position sitting on her lap, I naturally can’t resist.

And with my arms restrained, my freedom taken away.

Obviously, I’m powerless against such embarrassing treatment.

B-but…

Really, why is she putting her head, her nose on my crown…

Ugh…

“I couldn’t help myself. Sorry?”

“Is ‘sorry’ enough to… Haah… Fine. Blanc, what about the others besides you?”

“Hmmmm… I guess I’m next…?”

“Eh…? Yuri? Don’t you already have Ellie…?”

“W-wait! Vine…! Are you abandoning me…?”

“It’s not abandoning…”

“Nooo! I like you too, Vine…?”

“…You mean as family, right? As a friend.”

“…Not like that, wait! Yuri, why are you—! Ow! That hurts!”

“Hmmmm… I don’t really like it when you show interest in other women… You’re in my arms right now…”

“It’s Vine…!”

“Hmmmm… I’ll accept that it’s Vine, but still, you’re next to me…?”

“G-give me a break…! I-I can’t breathe! Stop, stooop…!”

“Hmmmm… But I’m jealous. You’re both mine…”

Yuri hugs Ellie even tighter, seemingly trying to show her possessiveness.

Blanc looks at Yuri and says:

“I haven’t said Vine belongs to anyone yet.”

“Excuse me… Blanc. I belong to myself…”

“Well, that’s what you think now. Yes… Big sis Yuri is greedy, so she says she likes both you and Ellie. Ellie says she likes you too. I like you as well.”

“…I see, and next is Hyewon?”

“Hmm…?”

“You… Citrus. You’re saying you like me, the one who made Citrus like that?”

“Hmm… That’s something my sister has already forgiven, isn’t it? I can’t say anything more about it. It’s already over. Back then, when I fought with you, I was burning with revenge and did magical girl activities because of those feelings… but not anymore.”

“Even so, it’s separate from revenge, isn’t it? I know that normally people don’t express affection after something like that…”

“What does that matter?”

“It’s not something that can be dismissed with ‘what does that matter’…”

“No… If I want to like you, what’s the problem with that?”

“No, there’s not really a problem, but… Are you really okay with it…?”

“I said I’m okay…? I really like you, that’s why. If I didn’t like you, I wouldn’t have gone to rescue you in the first place. No, that day. That day I wouldn’t have put my name on the schedule. Right?”

“Uh, umm…”

“So don’t judge other people’s feelings as you please. I like you.”

“…That ‘like’ you’re saying.”

“Well… I’ll say it properly later. You’ll make time for me, right?”

I was about to open my mouth to respond to that answer when:

“Hmm… That’s what we were going to decide now. So listen well, Yuri, Arin, Seohyun. Especially you, Vine, since it’s important.”

“W-why are we deciding this now…?”

“Because we can’t go on like this anymore. We need to make a decision. Don’t you think we’ve had too little time for that?”

“W-well, rather than an absolute lack of time itself… how long has it been since I was rescued from Eden and came out…?”

“Well… I think enough time has passed to consider such things. We’ve been together at the Association too.”

“No, that’s…!”

“And, except for Arin… don’t we all know everything about each other?”

Except for Arin, the other magical girls…

If we count the time spent in battle. We have spent a long time together.

Yuri…

We have lived together before.

“If you think about it that way, Yuri should rather have hostility towards me… Oh.”

“See…? Ellie is in my arms too. How could I possibly dislike you…?”

“…I’ll definitely hear about you two later.”

“It’s not a very pleasant story… Remember? How I used to be afraid of Ellie…?”

“You were strangely afraid of Ellie, yes. But when you recruited her… Ugh… Thinking about it now, that was torture.”

“It was torture… What did you think it was then?”

“I thought it was… education. I was obsessed with Eden.”

“Hooo… I never thought Vine would think like that… Then Vine… let’s talk separately later, like with Ellie…?”

“Yes… Well, I’m prepared.”

“Mm-hmm. It’s nothing strange.”

Then Blanc says:

“That’s what I was going to talk about now. We still have three weeks left, right?”

“Yes… well.”

“We’ll proceed with everything as planned. And during that time… resolve any built-up feelings between us, or… confess our feelings, or organize our thoughts.”

“Three weeks, you say.”

“Yes. While spending time with the kids and big sis… talk about those things. Various things… Let’s do that. What do you think?”

“I’m… fine with it. But I’ve already confessed, you know?”

“…Arin.”

“But I haven’t received an answer yet. I’m determined to get an answer.”

Arin looked at me with a smile, strengthening her resolve.

“Hmm… Big sis. Can we do anything?”

“Mmm… Remember our previous agreement?”

“Yes…”

“As long as you keep that… you can do whatever you want.”

“This time… I’ll definitely protect Vine.”

“That time, a strange person suddenly appeared, so I think it couldn’t be helped.”

“Yes… Still.”

Seohyun answered, gathering her determination.

“Hmm… I’ll have to keep it a secret from big sis.”

“Hyein?”

“Yes. These three weeks… seem important. We have plenty of time anyway.”

“If we can’t change Vine’s heart during that time, it’s all for nothing.”

“Even if I say I’m okay, Vine just keeps pushing me away.”

Hyewon answered with concern.

“I-I’m here too…! Yuri, you’ll let me go then, right…?”

“Hmmmm… Should I let you go…?”

“R-really…”

“Yes, I’ll let you go. That day you can do whatever you want with Vine… Oh, but you can’t do things like rebuilding Eden, okay?”

“I-I know that!”

“Yes, and of course you can’t bully big sis either.”

“I know!”

Ellie answered angrily.

“Then, what about you, Yuri? Three weeks is okay, right?”

“Mmm. It seems like the time to talk came sooner than expected, Vine.”

“Yes… well.”

“Oh, I’ll let Ellie go during my time too?”

“W-wait…! Were you planning not to let me go except during your time or my time…?”

“Who knows…? I’ll do as I feel like it…?”

“My human rights… please respect the human rights of a monster…”

“Hmmmm…”

“…At least guarantee minimum human rights… Sorry.”

“Yes. That’s fine.”

Although the conversation went a bit off track, Yuri also agreed to the plan.

After confirming everyone’s agreement, Blanc said:

“The schedule… as it is on that timetable?”

“Hmm… Want to change it? Arin and I have school terms to consider.”

“I’ll just take some days off work.”

“I’m a freelancer, so…”

“Great. Then we’ll keep that schedule… just change the dates. There are about three days left until then. What should we do in the meantime?”

“Is there anything special…? Just live as we have been. Go out when called. As for Vine…”

“Me? I don’t think I’ll be going to those battlefields anymore… though the training ground is another matter.”

“Oh, right. Weren’t you going to help train Arin?”

“I’ll sincerely help after I properly get my tail back. They say I can fly with magic power, but there’s a method my body is used to.”

“Was that flying with your tail?”

“No… um. The movement of magic power in that direction… I don’t know well myself. It’s just more comfortable for flying that way.”

“Is that so?”

After answering Hyewon:

“The remaining three weeks are the last. After that, only those who succeed.”

“…”

“For reference, I just need to be first. I’ll say it here in advance.”

“What…? F-first is me!”

“What are you saying, Arin? I met Vine first.”

“If we’re going by that, I met her first… Eeek?! Hey! I’m talking here!”

“Ellie is beep beep- foul!”

“What do you mean foul…!”

“Being from Eden is a foul.”

“W-what’s that supposed to mean…!”

Hey, but…

Sigh.

Even if I were to accept,

If they don’t resolve my question of “why,” it would be a bit difficult.

Not just answers like “it’s fine” or “I just like you”…

I’m really curious about why it’s me.

There are plenty of good men out there, and with a magical girl’s income, they could meet someone with really good conditions…

I have 5.5 billion in debt, and my body is like this.

What is there to like about me?

“Excuse me… What about my opinion?”

“Hmm? Of course that’s the most important…”

Then Seohyun interrupts:

“Wait… That would create differences in the order…? If we follow that schedule…”

“Hyewon, then Yuri, then Seohyun? Then Ellie, then Yunseul, and I’m last…? That’s so unfair…!”

“Eh…? Arin…?”

“The order of confession is super important…! Ah… Of course I’ve already done mine, but it’s too late for me to make a sincere confession! I don’t want to be the last one after you’ve all connected with her! I want to be first! Number one!”

“I seem to have already been half-confessed to by everyone simultaneously… No, romance is usually one-on-one…”

“We’re all fine with it! It’s just the order, the order…!”

“Excuse me… My opinion is…”

“I’ll explain that to you gradually! Let’s rearrange the order first! Tomorrow is Saturday, right? Let’s start from that day!”

“Hey, Arin…”

Arin glares at us with unexpected anger, her teeth gritting.

No, really…

Haah…

I can’t refuse this.

But it’s also strange for me to decide.

What should I do?

I guess the priority is to resolve this chaos.

And the biggest part of that is probably calming Arin’s anger…