Ding-dong!
The sudden chime of the doorbell jolted Karen from a light doze. Rubbing her groggy eyes, she reached for the intercom.
"Who could it be at this hour...? Yes, hello?"
"Hey, Kohi! It's the police! Open up!"
"...Excuse me?"
Startled by the familiar voice, Karen rushed to the door and flung it open. There stood Miyu, grinning from ear to ear. Karen stood frozen, her jaw dropping.
"M-Miyu? What are you doing here? I thought you weren't coming until tomorrow."
"Well, you know. I just felt the vibe?"
"Good grief... you could have at least called."
"Surprise is my middle name!"
"...I guess I can't stay mad at you. Come on in."
"I shall grace your humble abode with my presence!"
"Sigh..."
As Karen turned her back to lead the way, Miyu suddenly pounced.
"Freeze! Police! The suspect is now in custody!"
"Wait—eep!"
Before Karen could react, Miyu had her arms wrapped around her from behind, her hands firmly grasping Karen's chest.
"Stop it! Let go!"
"So, is it these? Are these the breasts that Hachiman-sama got to grope? No cutting in line allowed!"
"He did no such thing! There's nothing going on between us, so just stop fondling me!"
"Hmm... well, they feel the same as they used to, so I'll let you off for now. I'll ignore the fact that they feel a little bigger out of pure spite!"
Miyu finally released her, leaving Karen breathless and flustered.
"That's it. I'm not introducing you to Hachiman-kun—"
"I am so deeply sorry!"
The moment the threat left Karen's lips, Miyu executed a high-speed dogeza, her forehead nearly hitting the floor.
"That was fast!"
"Karen-sama! Thank you from the bottom of my heart for setting up this meeting! If you want me to lick your boots, I will do so with a smile!"
"I didn't 'set it up,' you just barged in. And get up off the floor."
"Yes, ma'am! I'm in your care!"
"Honestly... just try to calm down, okay?"
Karen managed a wry smile and led her friend into the living room, where they finally settled down to catch their breath.
"Phew..."
"Haah..."
Miyu's expression shifted, becoming uncharacteristically serious. "Hey, Kohi. You know Leader has a girlfriend, right?"
"I figured as much."
Seeing Karen's relatively calm reaction, Miyu leaned in. "So even knowing that, you're still a rival for the position of Sixth Wife?!"
The sheer absurdity of the title sent Karen into a tailspin. "S-Sixth Wife?!"
"Okay, that was a joke, but it just goes to show how popular Leader is. But for some reason, the girls don't fight over him. Honestly, I think he'll end up marrying all of them."
"All of them? Is that even possible?"
"You'll have to judge that for yourself. But if it's Leader... I feel like he could actually make it happen if he wanted to. He and his girlfriend, Asuna-san, are an absolute power couple—totally ironclad. But you can guess how great he is by the fact that none of the other girls, myself included, have even thought about giving up."
"I see..."
Miyu's gaze softened, her voice turning genuinely earnest.
"I don't know every detail, but from what I've heard, Leader is a very special person. Don't lump him in with those random guys who just hit on girls for fun. He's the kind of person who, if I asked to be with him, would just give me a wry smile and stay by my side for the rest of my life. And even if I couldn't handle it and left him, he'd never stop worrying about me. That's why, Kohi... I want you to cherish your own feelings."
"Yeah. Thanks for the advice. I appreciate it."
"But seriously, you're incredibly lucky. There are tons of people out there who want to get close to him but can't even get their foot in the door."
With that, the heavy atmosphere lifted. Karen didn't quite feel the weight of it yet, but her feelings for Hachiman hadn't wavered an inch. She had a premonition that, eventually, she might truly become one of those women Miyu mentioned. Feeling a bit embarrassed by the thought, she quickly changed the subject.
"Anyway, Miyu, I'm impressed you made it here all by yourself."
"Once I've walked a path, I never forget it! I came straight here without a single wrong turn."
"That's amazing. Though it makes me wonder how you managed to get so lost on the 'path of love' back in the day."
-------------------------
If you enjoy this story, you can read 70+ advanced chapters on Patreon!
Webnovel will keep getting 1 new chapter every day but Patreon readers can stay far ahead.
Maybe it's not a big deal now… maybe it will be later.
[email protected]/Greyhounds
"And If you're enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!"