Feeling disheartened by my "Gay Panic" moment, I decided not to stay in the bedroom any longer.
But then a problem arose.
This bedroom clearly belonged to Lycoris or Ine. When I opened the wardrobe, all I saw were women's clothes.
So my choices were: go out wearing a dress, or go out naked.
Is there any need to consider this?
A real man should be upright and honest! Besides, the entire mansion is full of my wives (or future wives). Why should I be afraid of them?
So, choosing the "upright and honest" path, I marched to the bedroom door and flung it open.
BANG!
The expression on my face froze instantly.
What caught my eye wasn't just one or two girls passing by. It was an entire battalion. They were lined up in the hallway, clearly having set up an ambush.
If they had run away out of shyness, there would have been no problem. But the problem was... they didn't run.
All eyes turned to me in unison.
Their intense, direct gazes—filled with shyness, interest, and surprise—swept over my naked form.
I felt an unprecedented sense of pressure.
SLAM!
With a loud bang, I slammed the bedroom door shut again.
"I have to say... you guys are awesome. I'm scared of you."
But then again, this was the advantage of numbers. If it had been just one girl, regardless of her reaction, I wouldn't have backed down. I would have attacked like I did with Lycoris last night.
But fifty pairs of eyes? That was a bit much for the morning.
Knock knock knock~
A sudden knock on the door startled me.
'Holy crap! Are they pressing their advantage?!'
"What is it?" I called out, trying to sound dignified.
"Good morning, my benefactor," a chorus of voices replied. "We have prepared a change of clothes for you. Please open the door."
"Just leave the clothes outside!"
"May we?"
"Yes! Put them there!"
"I see."
I heard the sound of retreating footsteps. I breathed a sigh of relief.
To be honest, this wasn't cowardice. I was an educated modern man; I couldn't ignore propriety and shame completely.
I wasn't scared that I would be drained dry. My body could handle it—especially after a good protein-rich breakfast. My retreat was merely due to... a lack of confidence in my morning grooming.
"That's right. I was just unprepared. Not scared."
After I ate my fill, we'd see who backed down! (Spoiler: It would be them).
I opened the door again.
The hallway was empty. A pile of neat men's clothes sat on the floor. I grabbed them and retreated back inside to dress.
Meanwhile, around the corner of the corridor, the girls peeked out.
"My benefactor is shy."
"I saw it! I saw it! He was definitely blushing."
"What's so strange about that?"
"But you have no right to talk! Look at your own faces; they're so red they're practically bleeding!"
The girls fell silent, looking at each other's flushed cheeks. Indeed, compared to me, they were the ones truly overwhelmed.
However, just as they quieted down, the door opened again.
I stepped out, fully dressed.
Instinctively, they ducked back. But what they didn't know was that I had already detected them. My enhanced hearing picked up every giggle and whisper.
I walked towards their hiding spot.
"Good morning, ladies."
"Eek!"
"Oh!"
The girls jumped, clearly startled. But they quickly realized they had been caught and tried to compose themselves.
"Sorry~ Sorry~ Did I scare you?" I asked with a smile, feeling much better now that I had the upper hand.
Judging from their shy demeanor—and the fact that none of them ran away—their decision regarding the "succession" seemed fairly certain.
"It's alright, you don't need to worry."
"Yes! We were just... surprised! Not scared!"
"That's right! Surprised!"
The girls chirped their excuses, faces glowing.
"That puts my mind at ease."
I scanned the group. My gaze landed on one girl in particular.
She had long golden hair, golden eyes, and a slender figure. But what was most striking was her demeanor. Unlike the others, she showed no shyness whatsoever. She had no expression at all.
She stood like a delicate, exquisite doll.
Noticing my gaze, the girl curtsied perfectly. Her knees bent slightly, her hands lifting the sides of her skirt with practiced grace. It reminded me of a high-ranking noble from an anime.
She looked up. Her clear eyes revealed nothing of her thoughts.
"Anata (Dear)... can we talk?"
Her voice was calm and devoid of emotion.
I was surprised. She had been invisible since yesterday—I hadn't noticed her at dinner or the bath. But the moment she spoke, the other girls fell silent, showing she held high status among them.
"Okay," I agreed.
"Please come with me."
She made an inviting gesture, clearly indicating she wanted a private audience.
....
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