Ch.221Episode 41. Things That Need to Be Made Clear (End)

“I didn’t intend for it to happen, but we ended up having a date in the middle of the night.”

“Though it was a bit rough for a date.”

Yu Ari said while leaning against the railing. Instead of answering, I let out a small chuckle.

Beads of sweat that hadn’t yet cooled still dotted her forehead. I gently wiped her sweat away with the back of my hand.

Yu Ari flinched at my touch but accepted it with a smile.

“Still, it felt good. Running without thinking about anything… isn’t so bad.”

I used the same hand that wiped her sweat to fix her stray hairs.

While I was still tidying her hair, Yu Ari called to me with a serious tone.

“Oppa.”

“Hmm?”

“This might be a bit burdensome for you to hear.”

“What is it?”

“I don’t have a family, right?”

Yu Ari spoke matter-of-factly, but I wasn’t sure whether I should affirm or deny it.

It felt like I would be picking at her complex and reopening wounds.

So my answer was neither a yes nor a no.

“…But you have me, don’t you?”

“!”

Yu Ari pulled away from the railing she was leaning on and looked up at me with a surprised expression.

“…Really. You…”

Her reaction made me wonder if I’d gone too far, but when she leaned into my arms, I realized my concern was unfounded.

“This is why… I can’t help but love you…”

As she whined with a hint of reproach, I patted her back and said:

“This is what I’ve thought since I first held you. That I would take responsibility for your life.”

Even if I hadn’t embraced them, or if our relationship hadn’t deepened, the happiness of all the heroines who would otherwise become villains in the novel was essential to the ending I desired.

I would have certainly tried to help them until the end, one way or another.

“So after graduation, will we live together?”

“Yes. I want to be the person who welcomes you home after you finish work.”

“That… just thinking about it makes me happy.”

Yu Ari nuzzles her face against my chest affectionately. I kissed the top of her head in response to her display of affection.

“Ah! D-do I smell of sweat?”

Her face was quite flushed as she hurriedly pulled away to ask.

“No, you don’t. Actually… you smell just like me, which makes me feel good, like we’ve really become family.”

“…We could become a real family.”

“Huh?”

“If we… get married.”

I was taken aback by the sudden talk of marriage but responded with a smile.

“…Ah, that’s true.”

But polygamy is illegal in South Korea…

That part was truly regrettable. If South Korea allowed polygamy, perhaps even Yu Ari would have been more accepting.

“Are the other girls also considering marriage?”

“Huh? Ah… well… yes.”

I answered honestly, as denying it wouldn’t have improved the situation.

After all, I’m in the position of having to persuade her.

While I might have the initiative in our romance, the power to define our relationship lies with them.

That’s why I had no intention of holding them back if they chose to leave.

“I… after graduation, I want everyone to live together… happily in one house.”

“In one house? Won’t we all fight and be unhappy?”

“I’ll try my best.”

“Is that something that can be fixed with effort?”

I know.

No amount of effort on my part will improve how they feel about the situation.

I couldn’t begin to imagine how heartbreaking it must be to see the person you love in the arms of someone else.

“It’s because of that effort that the other girls are so deeply in love with you that they can’t get out… Me too.”

“Is that so?”

She snorted dismissively and then lightly bumped her head against my chest.

“I think we need to be clear about this. That’s the proper respect for those who love you.”

“I know.”

“I’m prepared to live only for you. You’re everything to me. Don’t you want to live just for me?”

“…I’m too greedy to choose anyone. No, I don’t have the right to choose in the first place.”

Yu Ari lifted her head from my chest and looked up at me. The streetlight seeped into her black eyes, giving them life.

“It’s not me who maintains this relationship, but all of you.”

The idea that the man holds the power in a harem is a misconception.

After all, it’s the members of the harem who allow this relationship to continue.

This relationship could fall apart at any time, depending on their choices.

“So I can accept it if any of you decide to leave.”

“…I think that’s shifting responsibility. Since you created this relationship, I think it’s right for you to take responsibility until the end, to make sure no one leaves.”

“Yes. Of course I’ll try.”

“Especially with me. You’ve made it so I can’t leave you.”

“Yes. I know.”

I nodded.

Every girl in the special class had wounds related to their families.

I’ve been helping them heal those wounds until now, and I planned to continue doing so.

But with Yu Ari alone, I couldn’t heal that wound.

Since she refused to meet her family, forcing a meeting would only be digging into her wounds.

So the only thing I could do was to take that place myself. I thought things would get better if I became Yu Ari’s precious person.

“…You know I won’t leave, right?”

“Yes.”

“If you know that… don’t ever neglect me. Understand?”

“I understand.”

Neglect her?

If that had been my intention, I wouldn’t have embraced Yu Ari in the first place.

“But if I don’t neglect you, can you get along with the other girls?”

“I don’t think that’s possible.”

Yu Ari said firmly.

Even if she likes me, she’s clear about what’s not acceptable…

I can’t help but smile wryly.

“Why? Wouldn’t it be nice if we all got along?”

“I don’t see why we should.”

Because that’s the only way I can achieve the happy ending I’ve been hoping for in this novel.

“How can people who like the same person get along?”

“You’ll get along as time passes.”

“It would be annoying. Now I’ll have to see at home the same faces I see at school.”

For the first time, Yu Ari avoided my eyes as she spoke.

We still have a long way to go. But from this conversation, it seems my persuasion is working.

I’ll need to treat Yu Ari well from now on.

“It’s late, shall we head back?”

Since patrol was over, we decided to walk back leisurely, like taking a stroll. As I turned to leave, Yu Ari grabbed my clothes and wouldn’t let go.

“Ari?”

“You haven’t told me you love me yet.”

I stared blankly at Yu Ari. Her words were so unexpected that my brain didn’t process them immediately.

“Ah, that’s true… But isn’t it awkward to say ‘I love you’ at this timing?”

“So you won’t say it?”

“I didn’t say I wouldn’t. Besides, you haven’t told me you love me either.”

As I teased her with a grin, Yu Ari grabbed my collar and suddenly planted a kiss on my lips.

Smooch!

There was a sound like she was sucking on my entire lips.

“I’m ready to say it anytime.”

Is she embarrassed?

Her grip on my clothes tightened. I took her hand and removed it from my clothes. Then I interlaced our fingers and wrapped my other arm around her waist, pulling her close.

“I love you.”

“Do you mean it?”

“I do.”

“Prove it.”

Prove it…

No matter how I thought about it, there was nothing I could do to prove it here.

“How can I prove it?”

“Hold me. Tight.”

I embraced Yu Ari tightly, pressing her completely against me.

Perhaps intoxicated by the warmth and comfort of my embrace, her lips curled up into a smile again.

“I’m your number one. I won’t compromise on that. Understand?”

“Yes. I understand.”

At my answer, she beamed as if she’d been recharged with energy and stepped back. Then she untied her hair, tidied it, and tied it back into a ponytail.

“All ready. Let’s go back now.”

“Alright.”

“Oh, and… I’ll make sure you don’t think about the other girls tonight.”

“What…?”

“You can look forward to it.”

It seems I’m destined to be drained by Yu Ari again tonight.

Considering I’ll have to cover for the other girls too in the future, I should really work out more…

* * *

The time in the second semester flew by quickly.

The second-year students attended lectures and received physical training from me in the afternoon, while the third-year students returned to the academy after their field training to receive physical training from me.

And so, repeating the same daily routine and occasionally going on dates to maintain our harem relationship, the graduation day for the third-year students approached before we knew it.