"Master~ you haven't trained with me in forever! Let's train!"
As Lucian found himself surrounded in a sweet encirclement, embraced by his wives from every side, Kiana, who clung to his right arm like a koala, spoke in a sweet and energetic voice.
"Lucian, a few new flowers have bloomed in the courtyard. Do you want to go and take a look later?"
Ana, holding onto Lucian's left arm, asked softly and gently.
"My darling, how long are you staying this time?"
Kyuusyou grinned as she wrapped her arms around Lucian's neck from behind and chimed in eagerly.
"Are you staying home tonight?"
Acheron leaned against Lucian's chest and asked softly.
Just like that, the others also spoke one after another, their voices like fragrant breezes drifting through the air, as sweet as birdsong as they asked Lucian all kinds of questions. Even though it was not his first time, handling so many of their requests at once was quite a test of his stamina—or rather, his energy.
"Alright, alright, I'll stay until you're all satisfied, okay?"
A helpless yet indulgent smile appeared on Lucian's face as he responded to one while soothing another.
To some, it was undoubtedly a scene of a 'harmonious and happy' harem, but to others, it was an 'overwhelming and chaotic' harem.
Off to the side, the Astral Express crew, who had witnessed the entire scene, displayed a variety of reactions.
Himeko maintained her elegant smile, but inwardly, she was already too exhausted to even complain.
Back at Herta Space Station, when she saw Lucian reject so many female researchers whose appearances were well above average, she had genuinely thought he was an innocent young man, but it turned out he was simply a devoted husband.
March merely glanced over before taking the initiative to help Stelle organize her gifts, no longer paying attention to the lovey-dovey scene between Lucian and his wives.
Only Welt, looking at the spectacular scene before him—especially when he saw Kiana rubbing against Lucian while calling him Master, Theresa circling around Lucian while calling him husband, and Acheron gazing at him with deep affection—felt the corner of his eye begin twitching uncontrollably while his temples throbbed violently, before an intense, indescribable sense of discomfort and mental shock surged over him once again like a tsunami.
For someone like him, who already had deeply ingrained impressions of Kiana, Mei, and Theresa, this scene was simply far too overwhelming. Even knowing they were not the same people, seeing those familiar faces doing such outrageous things was genuinely difficult to process.
It was like teaching several model students, watching them grow up and get accepted into top universities, only to turn around and see them all riding on the back of some delinquent biker's motorcycle.
What good teacher could possibly handle that?
*Cough!* *Cough!* *Cough!*
Welt abruptly coughed a few times, trying to draw attention—or rather, trying to interrupt this scene that made him feel extremely uncomfortable and itchy.
"Lucian, I'll go explore this planet first... I'll come back later."
He turned slightly, doing his best not to look at the overwhelming scene before him, and spoke in a voice that carried a faint hint of pleading.
He felt that if he kept watching, he might end up meeting Otto ahead of schedule.
"Ah, Welt is right. We'll explore and get familiar with things here first."
Hearing Welt's words, Himeko quickly voiced her agreement, intending to avoid the awkward situation as well.
Seeing Himiko—the woman who looked exactly like herself—clinging all over Lucian made her feel deeply uncomfortable. It gave her the strange illusion that she herself was throwing herself into his arms.
"C'mon, Stelle! Let's go check out this planet, too! We can sort out the gifts later!"
March pulled Stelle along, thoughtfully giving Lucian some private time.
Judging by how clingy they were, it was clearly not suitable for younger audiences like the two of them to stick around any longer.
Lucian looked at Welt, who seemed like he might pass out at any moment, feeling both amused and sympathetic.
In the end, under Lucian's arrangement, Theresa, Kyuusyou, Bianka, Sirin, Sakura, and the others formed a luxurious tour guide group, leading Himeko, Welt, March, and Stelle on an in-depth tour of Izumo.
*Snap!*
Sirin snapped her fingers, and a circular spatial portal instantly unfolded at the entrance of the house, revealing a lively street scene on the other side. Countless people moved through the bustling streets, their figures constantly coming and going amid the city's vibrant atmosphere.
"Alright, let's go."
Sirin spoke calmly, her expression remaining as composed as ever as she stepped through the portal first.
"Let's go! I'll take you to eat something good!"
Behind her, Theresa's eyes lit up with excitement as she eagerly called out to the Astral Express crew, unable to hide her enthusiasm, before quickly following Sirin through the portal.
"Let's go!"
"Oh!"
March and Stelle cheered in unison, excitedly pulling Himeko along as they stepped into the portal one after another.
"Even the spatial ability is the same... Isn't she way too identical...?"
Welt muttered with a faint frown as he followed behind them, his gaze lingering on the portal for a brief moment before disappearing into it as well.
As the portal slowly closed and the last traces of spatial energy faded away, the front of the house became much quieter.
Now, only Lucian and Acheron remained, standing there in silence.
Now that the chattering had faded away, the atmosphere suddenly became peaceful. Only birdsong and the rustling of leaves in the wind lingered in the air, accompanied by the faint, cool, tranquil aura that emanated from Acheron.
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Lucian smiled faintly and naturally took two steps closer to Acheron, instantly shortening the distance between them—close enough to clearly feel each other's breath.
"Sooo... did you miss me?"
He asked in a gentle voice that carried a subtle hint of something special, unlike his usual casual tone, while raising a hand and naturally brushing aside a strand of violet hair that had fallen across her forehead, covering her left eye.
"Before seeing you, I did..." Acheron replied with a gentle smile, her violet eyes soft and calm. "But after seeing you, I don't need to anymore. How about you? Did you miss me?"
"Of course I did," Lucian replied, nodding without hesitation. "I thought about you all the time—one hundred percent."
"I don't believe you..." Acheron narrowed her eyes slightly, though the smile lingering at the corners of her lips made it clear she wasn't truly upset. "You clearly found someone new out there. How could you be thinking about me?"
"Where did this 'found someone new' thing even come from?" Lucian asked solemnly, putting on an unusually serious expression. "Don't wrong me, okay? I can get mad too, y'know."
Even as he said that, a trace of guilt flashed through his mind.
What if Acheron was right?
He had to admit that her intuition was sometimes frighteningly accurate—it was almost as if she could see straight through him with a single glance.
"Your next target is that navigator called Himeko, right? I have a feeling."
Hearing Acheron's accusation, Lucian immediately raised his right hand and gently pinched her nose, looking at her with righteous indignation.
"You're slandering me. I haven't even had that thought."
"I've already looked into her," Acheron said calmly, her gaze growing increasingly meaningful. "Her appearance, her figure, her character—she's very beautiful in every aspect, exactly your type. You joined the Astral Express for her, didn't you? Or was it for that girl named March 7th?"
"I won't deny the first half, but who said I joined the Astral Express for them?" Lucian said, rolling his eyes. "I did it for the Trailblaze. Trailblazing's my dream."
Hearing that blatant nonsense, Acheron merely smiled, which, in Lucian's eyes, seemed to say, 'Do you think I'd believe that?'
"Well, whatever. Since I'm taking the blame anyway, should I just find a chance to actually make them your sisters?"
Lucian's words sounded like a joke, yet beneath the lighthearted tone lingered a trace of genuine seriousness.
"No matter who you fall in love with, just remember that someone in this home will always be waiting for you to come back."
Instead of anger or jealousy, Acheron responded with calm acceptance.
Her expression remained soft and gentle, her violet eyes carrying the same quiet warmth as she looked at him.
Seeing her like this, Lucian felt his chest tighten slightly and, without hesitation, pulled the understanding woman into his arms.
Seeing that Acheron was always so considerate, always so willing to think of others before herself, made his heart ache. At the same time, a faint sense of guilt quietly surfaced within him.
"I know it's hard, but I promise I'll treat everyone as fairly as I can..."
Lucian spoke in a serious voice, his fingers gently brushing beneath Acheron's chin as they traced the delicate curve of her jaw, savoring the smoothness of her skin while his gaze lingered on her beautiful face for a moment before slowly drifting downward to settle upon her slightly pursed, alluring red lips.
Acheron, in response, did not pull away. Instead, she quietly met his gaze, allowing him to see the trust and affection hidden deep within her eyes.
In the end, after a brief moment of silence, Lucian lowered his head and slowly brought his lips closer to hers.
Just then, sunlight filtered through the gaps between the leaves overhead, causing countless golden rays to scatter across the ground and fall upon the two of them. It cast long, overlapping shadows that gently swayed with the breeze, as if the entire world had quietly paused to witness this tender moment.
At this moment, the surrounding world seemed to grow quiet, while time itself appeared to stand still, as though everything else had gradually faded into the background.
Only the sound of their heartbeats remained, echoing softly between them before gradually falling into perfect harmony.
===
[A bonus chapter for every 300 Power Stones.]
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