Chapter 65: The Harem Plan Begins to Sprout.
....
That night, none of the three sisters got a decent amount of sleep.
The following morning, Anna Yanami came over as usual to scavenge for breakfast. At the dining table, a radiant, glowing Lala formed a stark contrast against her younger sisters, who were both sporting heavy panda eyes.
Anna was a bit curious whether the two of them had stayed up late playing video games again, as there had been a few similar instances in the past.
That kind of behavior wasn't entirely incomprehensible. If it were her—spending every day doing nothing but eating and playing without having to go to school—she would definitely stay up late reading manga or binge-watching shows from time to time.
However, the truth was nothing like what she imagined. Because Nana cared intensely about Kihara and Lala being alone together late at night, she hadn't felt the slightest bit sleepy even while lying in bed hugging her plushie, tempted several times to sneak down to the second floor to eavesdrop on what the two were doing.
Nana managed to press that impulse deep down into her heart, leaving her mind consumed by the matter and agonizing for the entire night.
'Big sister is so innocent, she definitely wouldn't take the initiative. On the other hand, he... Hmph! He woke up this morning wearing that sly smirk on his face—he definitely defiled big sister!'
'Guys really are shameless creatures after all. He... he's only a tiny bit better than other guys.'
Unlike Nana, who was merely suffering from sleep deprivation, a closer look at Momo revealed that her purple eyes were dull and lifeless, the depths of her pupils filled with exhaustion. Rather than physical fatigue, the endless weariness radiating from deep within her brain was the primary culprit behind her haggard state.
Last night, Momo and Nana had completely swapped their usual behavioral styles.
Momo had chosen to leave a "Eavesdropping Morning-Glory" inside Kihara's bedroom. Borrowing the unique plant's ability to broadcast video and sound, she had witnessed every detail of the room's midnight battle with complete clarity.
Having her big sister end up together with the person she liked had been her original purpose in coming to Earth.
Yet now that the goal had been achieved, watching the two figures intertwined in the screen brought zero joy to Momo's heart. Instead, a peculiar, alien sensation welled up inside her.
The feeling reminded her of her childhood, when their mother had given her big sister a remarkably cute plush doll. It wasn't just her sister who loved it—both she and Nana adored it just as much.
Yet it was her sister's gift after all, so before going to sleep, Momo could only watch with quiet regret as Lala hugged that cute doll and returned to her own bedroom.
Back then, Momo felt too embarrassed to ask her mother for an identical doll, nor did she dare mention it to her sister.
Because if Lala found out, she would undoubtedly say something like, "I'm the big sister, so I'll yield it to you," handing over the doll she herself was reluctant to part with.
Momo felt that acting like that would be taking shameless advantage of her status as the younger sister—it was despicable and completely dishonorable.
Therefore, she could only force down her affection for the doll, constantly brainwashing herself that she didn't like it at all. It was only when seeing the doll no longer stirred any waves in her heart, and she stopped joining them to play with it, that the matter finally passed.
Now, feelings she thought she would never recall again came surging back to the surface, plunging Momo into complete confusion, utterly at a loss for how to cope.
'Brother-in-law is a living, breathing human being, and he's family who's going to live with me from now on. How could I possibly force myself to forget him like I did back then...'
Pondering back and forth, she could only stare blankly at Kihara within the broadcast screen of the "Eavesdropping Morning-Glory," biting her lower lip while using her fingertips to temporarily vent the bitter frustration in her heart.
She hadn't expected that single glance to last a whole night. The bedsheets were soaked through with sweat into a semi-translucent state, revealing the light pink mattress underneath.
...
At the breakfast table, seeing Lala happily humming a tune while eating her breakfast—her long tail even curling into heart shapes behind her from time to time—Anna Yanami couldn't hold back her curiosity: "Lala, why are you so happy? Did something great happen yesterday?"
"Heehee... Yesterday... Kihara and I officially became a couple! Although we were already betrothed before, it didn't feel very real.
Falling in love really feels incredible!"
Clatter!
The chopsticks in Anna's hand dropped messily onto the floor. She sat there like a wooden statue, her brain entirely incapable of processing the overwhelmingly impactful statement.
Her reaction was so blatantly obvious that even a thoroughly drained Momo could instantly tell she harbored feelings for Kihara, sighing helplessly in her mind.
'Miss Yanami, staying in the childhood friend position for so many years without managing to win over brother-in-law... Are you really not a complete romantic fool?'
Although she wanted to comfort her, Momo hadn't even sorted out her own emotional troubles yet, making it impossible for her to proactively approach Anna for a chat.
Hearing the news, Nana merely twitched her shoulders without showing any other reaction, quietly picking up her food and eating in silence.
Snapping back to reality, Anna bent down to pick up her chopsticks, barely maintaining the smile on her face as she asked in a voice on the verge of tears: "K-Kihara-kun, Lala... Lala is just joking, right?"
"It's not a joke."
The chopsticks she had barely managed to grip dropped from her hand once again. This time, she didn't pick them back up. Instead, she set down her rice bowl and stood up, ducking her head to hide her face behind her hair: "I... My stomach feels uncomfortable. Help me request a leave of absence from the teacher today."
With that, she fled without turning back once, a trail of shimmering teardrops drifting faintly through the air behind her.
Witnessing the scene, Momo's eyes turned deep. She asked herself: If she were in Anna Yanami's shoes, would she be more composed, or would she confess directly to Kihara for one final attempt?
Facing a formidable romantic rival like Lala, she honestly didn't hold much of a chance. However, the Deviluke royal family didn't strictly enforce monogamy.
The current Deviluke King—their father, Gid—merely chose not to build a harem out of sheer devotion.
Yet during a rare moment of drunkenness once, he had complained to his daughters: "Back then, I could have easily embraced a harem of three thousand beauties, yet I still chose Sephi! Wasn't it simply because I couldn't handle her, and her temper is terrifying enough to scare a man to death?"
Afterward, the sisters filed a report to backstab him, and Gid had his ears violently twisted by his wife in punishment.
Based on the condition that building a harem was entirely permissible, Momo's train of thought instantly cleared up considerably—much like walking down a dead-end alley only to turn around and discover a wide, open avenue.
Since fighting a solo battle meant she couldn't win, why not recruit allies for herself?
The blueprint of a plan materialized inside her mind, and Momo felt the lingering exhaustion blown away completely by the sudden stroke of inspiration. Hastily shoveling down two mouthfuls of rice, she blurted out, "I'm full!" before rushing off toward Anna Yanami's house.
Right now, there was a teammate standing right in front of her—one who was basically useless for anything other than eating, but could at least increase the success rate of asking her sister for the "doll" she loved as well. She naturally couldn't let the opportunity slip by.
'Thinking about it this way... Could Nana be included as a candidate for this plan as well?'
Momo continuously refined the plan in her head as she walked. By the time she arrived in front of Anna Yanami's house, she had already settled on the title for the operation—The Harem Plan.
Throughout the entire walk, she completely failed to notice two elegant figures holding parasols brushing right past her, heading straight toward Kihara's house.
....
Thank you for reading.