*Note: Today I have nothing to say so... enjoy the chapter.
One thing, if you want a picture with your favourite waifus (max 2), put in the comments,
Have a good day :)
...
After Sufurtia quickly left, only Mikado and I remained in the room.
"So? Why did you say you wanted to get engaged to me if you didn't even need to leave the planet to cure him?" I asked curiously.
All that talk about needing immunity and wanting to get engaged to me just so she could leave the planet sounded like a blatant lie once I found out she had the cure in her hands the whole time and didn't need to leave the planet at all.
"For two reasons. The first is that I needed to test that noble. Nobles disgust me more than anything, and after he tried to kidnap me and steal my work... I swore to myself I'd never help a noble again," Mikado explained.
"And the second?" I asked curiously.
"Because I'm very interested in you. It wasn't a lie when I said I wanted to get engaged to you," Mikado said.
"But I don't get it. Okay, you've been making sure none of my battles were seen by humans, and honestly, I'm deeply grateful for that, but... why do you want to be engaged to me? Social status? Money?" I asked.
I still couldn't understand that sudden interest in getting engaged to me.
"Sometimes the simplest and hardest-to-believe answer turns out to be the truth," Mikado said.
"What?" I asked, confused.
"I mean that I really am interested in you. It's true that this is the first time you've seen me, but I've been following you these past few weeks, and you've caught my interest. To be honest, I never thought I'd fall in love again, but... it seems I might be wrong," Mikado said.
"Seriously?" I asked again.
"Since you don't want any girl in your harem who isn't in love with you... let's go on a few dates before getting engaged. Let's give real love time to grow between us. What do you think? Does that convince you?" Mikado said.
"It does," I nodded.
At least that was much more believable than thinking she had fallen madly in love with me just for observing me these past few weeks without ever talking to me. It was far easier to believe she was simply interested.
"Very well. Then let's set our first date for next Saturday at 10:00 a.m. Does that sound good?" Mikado asked.
"Didn't you say you wanted to go on a date this Saturday?" I asked.
"That was just to test that noble. In reality, I'm busy this weekend with something and won't be able to go out until Monday," Mikado said.
I see… I wonder what she'll be busy with...
"Alright. Then it'll be next Saturday at 10:00 a.m.," I nodded.
Anyway, I didn't have anything planned until then.
After agreeing on the date and time for our first date, I left the infirmary and went home.
…
Meanwhile, in another place—specifically, a school in Tokyo…
"What do you mean you're transferring?" Souta asked.
"What part of those words don't you understand?" Haruka replied.
That's right—it was our womanizer duo, Souta and Haruka, who were at school, specifically in their clubroom.
"But I don't get it… why are you transferring? Is it because of that girl you met that day?" Souta asked.
He was, of course, referring to Lala.
"Yes. I ended up liking her so much that I made her my girlfriend, so I'm moving there with her. Not to her house, but I'll be attending the same school," Haruka explained.
"What? And what about your harem?" Souta asked, bewildered.
"…I broke up with all of them," Haruka said.
That shocking declaration left Souta speechless. He never thought he'd hear such words from Haruka.
"Why would you do that? Just for that girl?" Souta asked in disbelief.
"Yes. Lala's special, and I only want her," Haruka nodded.
"What's so special about her? You've been with so many beautiful women—you even had a harem. Why abandon them all for a single woman you've only known for a day?" Souta asked.
Since they no longer needed to stay in Sainan, both returned to Tokyo the next day and went back to school, claiming they had recovered from their colds.
"Haa... you don't get it because you've never been in love. To you, all your women are just toys to play with whenever you feel like it," Haruka sighed.
Souta couldn't believe his ears. Was this the same Haruka who, just a week ago, had added another woman to her harem? The same Haruka who used to walk around Tokyo flaunting her harem just to show off? Where was that Haruka, and what had this girl done to the real one?
In truth, it was all just an excuse. Give up her harem? Never! But after meeting Lala and being rejected, she decided to move to Sainan to win her over. Haruka had never let prey escape, and this time would be no different. As for her harem, she'd warned them that she'd see them again eventually. The only reason she told Souta this story was to keep him from coming along—after all, if he found out she'd been rejected and was just bluffing, he'd probably transfer too to try to win Lala for himself. And that, Haruka could not allow. Lala would be hers and hers alone; she couldn't let Souta stand between them. As for Lala's boyfriend, Haruka was confident—she believed that if she showed Lala how much better and more comfortable it was to be with a woman, she'd leave him immediately. She only needed time, and Lala would be hers. But first, she had to remove Souta from the equation—one rival was enough, she didn't need two.
"Who are you, and what have you done with the real Haruka?" Souta asked, shocked.
"I'm still me. I just want to settle down and be with Lala," Haruka said.
She spoke with a dreamy look, and when she mentioned Lala, her cheeks flushed and her eyes sparkled with emotion. It truly looked like Haruka had fallen head over heels for Lala—but it was all an act. Do you really think Haruka could've seduced so many girls without some serious acting talent? She had a natural gift for deceit, performance, and manipulation.
"You… fine, do whatever you want. Just don't forget to call me sometimes. We've been together so long that it'll feel weird without you," Souta said.
"Ara~. Have you fallen for me? I told you the first time you confessed—what we have is impossible. I only like women," Haruka said with a mischievous smile.
"In your dreams! I'm just saying I'll miss you as a friend. Besides, that confession was years ago—I was young and dumb," Souta said.
"I know. Don't worry, we'll still be friends no matter what. I'll come visit with Lala sometime. Once you really get to know her, you'll understand why I love her so much," Haruka said.
Of course, she fully intended to return—with Lala—once she'd conquered her and added her to her harem. For now, she had no intention of going back to Tokyo.
"Don't hate me for this, Souta. Her boyfriend's already a tough enough rival—I don't need you getting in the way of my plans," Haruka thought.
"Alright. See you then," Souta nodded.
And with that, both packed up their things and returned home—their houses right next to each other.
…
Days later—specifically, Monday.
The weekend had been peaceful and relaxing. No assassins, no sudden adventures—just two calm, quiet days with my girls. Among them, of course, were Mikan and someone I'd recently met and was surprised to learn existed—Mikan's friend, Kari Yagami.
That's right, Kari had come to my house. In fact, it was Mikan herself who invited her. She told me she'd noticed the other day that I seemed very interested in Kari and wanted to bring her over so I could get to know her better. Well done, Mikan! There's nothing better than having one of your own women help you meet new ones—especially when you know that woman will grow into a stunning beauty in the future.
Kari spent Saturday and Sunday afternoons with us, which allowed her to meet all the girls. They quickly became friends. Apparently, they loved Kari's personality, and after Mikan blabbed that I was interested in her... they were quite happy about it. It seemed Kari was very popular among the girls—even Nana, who usually got jealous, didn't complain when she heard I wanted Kari in my harem. It's surprising that they liked her so much that not only did they not mind, but they were actually happy about it. I guess that's part of Kari's charm.
Anyway, over the weekend I had plenty of time to get to know her better, and in the end, we agreed to go on a date on Sunday. How did that happen so quickly? Well, I wasn't the one who proposed the date—it was Mikan. How did she manage that? I have no idea how or where she got them, but she somehow got tickets to an amusement park right here in Sainan.
Can you believe it? An amusement park? Here? I couldn't believe it either when I heard it, but after checking online and hearing Mikan's explanation, I confirmed that there really was one.
Maybe because anime and manga always show the same areas, most people (myself included) thought Sainan was a small city—but in reality, it's quite large. Not as big as a major metropolis, of course, but still big enough to have an amusement park.
The park, called Sainaland, was located on the outskirts of Sainan City. It wasn't very large, more of a medium-sized amusement park with plenty of fun rides—the kind I used to love in my previous life.
As for Mikan's strategy, she simply said:
"I got two tickets to Sainaland, but unfortunately they expire next Sunday and I can't go. It'd be a waste to throw them away, so… why don't you two go together?" Mikan said.
Yeah, the simplest excuse in the world—but whether it was because Kari wanted to be alone with me or just because she liked amusement parks, she immediately agreed. And since my goal was to add her to my harem, I couldn't waste such a golden opportunity.
And that's how it was decided: Kari and I would have our date on Sunday, while Saturday would be my date with Mikado. I was swamped with work! The heroines were piling up! I just hope Saki takes a little longer to show up.
Speaking of Saki, I found it odd that she hadn't appeared yet. After all, by this point in the anime and manga, she'd already returned to school. So I asked Haruna and the others, and apparently, Saki and her entourage were currently studying abroad in Tokyo as exchange students. They told me they'd be back in a few more weeks—specifically, in three weeks.