Translator: Reflet

  Editor: ryunakama

  “So that’s your reasoning. Because Tengai Ruri showed you the way.”


  “And I do have a lot to say about that part.”


  “Such as?”


  “Like what is destiny?”


  “So first we have a play on words, and now it’s philosophy?”


  “Yes, I’m very sorry about this, but please bear with me for a moment.”


  “That is fine by me. I don’t mind a good discussion on philosophy.”


  “Great.”


  She would make a great conversational partner for Kohaku, thought Taiyou as he continued.

  “As a major premise, I want to believe Ruri. Of course because I like her, but also because I want to believe that what I experienced was real.”


  “Right.”


  “So on that premise, even if Ruri hadn’t conveyed that to me, I would have either come for you at some point or some sort of event would have transpired, bringing us together. This is destiny after all.”


  “Sure, if that’s true then it would indeed be destiny.”


  “So in other words, I’m here right now because of what Ruri said, but I’d eventually come here regardless.”


  “Have you considered that someone might have told you that as well?”


  “Still, destiny will occur as long as you don’t fight it.”


  “And do you intend to fight it?”


  “Not at all. Me coming here today was essentially fate after all.”


  “So…”


  Sakura’s expression changed.

  She lifted up the corner of her mouth into a callous smile. He hadn’t seen that in a while.

  “So even if fate decides that you may part with the seven, you wouldn’t fight it?”


  “…”


  Taiyou gaped.

  He hadn’t thought of that at all.

  Lose the seven?

  Lose his brides?

  He had not once thought about that. Not because he forced himself to not think about it. He legitimately hadn’t considered such a thing.

  One reason for this was his personality.

  Beginning with levelling up in games, Taiyou had been accustomed to steady accumulation rather than losing anything.

  This was why he had eventually stopped playing online games. Unlike offline games at the time, online games would occasionally have features where experience points decreased whenever the player’s character died.

  Taiyou could not handle this. Just as much as he hated not being rewarded for effort, he hated losing what he had gained.

  As a result, he would never think of such things as long as no one reminded him.

  The other reason was that he could feel their love.

  Because they loved him, he couldn’t lose.

  Plus he had gained power now. He would become even more powerful, gaining physical power and social power.

  With these things, he could protect them from any enemy. So he hadn’t actually thought about the concept of losing.

  But now it had been pointed out to him in the worst way possible. What if he was, in fact, fated to lose everything? Taiyou froze, his thought process halted.

  “Taiyou-chan Taiyou-chan!”


  “…”


  “Hyah!”


  “Guhah!”


  Taiyou crumpled and groaned in agony at the pain coursing through his groin area.

  “T-The hell was that for…”


  “Are you an idiot, Taiyou-chan?”


  Hera had rammed herself into his groin, hands on her hips in anger.

  “Idiot, you say?”


  “Yes, you are an idiot. That has nothing to do with this.”


  “Nothing…to do with what?”


  “Accept the fate that works for you, and reject the fate where things go wrong. Isn’t that all there is to it?”


  “…”


  Taiyou’s eyes opened wide.

  “Sakura-chan is cute, so you have sex with her morning, afternoon, evening. You want to have sex with your brides in the house, outside, on the ground, in the air, so prevent that bad fate from occurring with all your might.”


  Taiyou was astonished.

  “You know…”


  “What? Gonna complain and fret?”


  “You’re actually kinda smart.”


  Taiyou removed his hands from his crotch, standing up straight.

  “You’re right. Keep the fate that appeals to me, and discard the fate that I don’t need. Mhm, that’s right.”


  “Right?”


  “Yeah, you’re absolutely right. Gosh, why did I get so surprised by such sound advice?”


  “Because you are an idiot, Taiyou-chan. Your brain is a bunch of pink slime.”


  “You could’ve just said muscle for brains.”


  Taiyou flicked Hera on the forehead, then caressed her gently as he would one of his brides.

  Hera was also smiling.

  The atmosphere felt soft, as if this were a moment between two lovers flirting with each other.

  Taiyou turned back to Sakura and spoke.

  “So there you have it. Even if I’m fated to lose everything, I will fight with all my might.”


  “You want to have your cake and eat it too, in other words.”


  “Yeees, Taiyou-chan loves to eat his cake. He especially loves it in bed. Here, let me tell you about last time–”


  “Okay, stop right there.”


  He swatted Hera’s face. It was a bit on the hard side in order to interrupt her.

  “No need to say anything further. Wait, how did you even find that out? You peek?”


  “I have done no such thing. I, Hera-chan, would never do such an uncouth thing as spy on people making love.”


  “Then why do you know, huh?”


  “They told me themselves at the slumber party.”


  “Who the hell told you that!?”


  “Umm, everyone?”


  “Everyone? Seriously!?”


  Taiyou objected loudly.