"Are you sure this is the place?"
"It should be. He said it would be held in a small building... but I don't see anything."
"…"
Two young men in suits stood uncertainly in front of a modest building, scanning the surroundings for any sign that they were in the right location.
One of them held a white cane, tapping it gently against the pavement—his sightless eyes unable to perceive the world around him.
"Why don't you call Ayumi?"
"Right."
Otosaka Yuu pulled out his phone and dialed his sister, who was already inside the venue. She had been appointed as one of the bridesmaids for the day.
After a few rings, the call connected.
"Hello? What's up, Yuu-nii?"
"Oh, Yui. I'm at the place he mentioned, but... am I in the right spot? I don't see anything that looks like a wedding venue. Where are you?"
"Hmph. I told you we should've gone together. Why'd you have to oversleep?"
Ayumi scolded him, her voice full of irritation.
"Yeah, yeah. My bad. The wedding's supposed to be at Fortune Garden, right? I don't see any decorations—none of the usual stuff."
"Use your brain, Yuu-nii. Did you forget how many brides Hakuto-nii is marrying today? If people found out, it'd be all over the news."
Yuu froze. Right—he had forgotten that the scumbag was actually marrying multiple girls today.
Thankfully, his sister wasn't one of them.
Behind him, Otosaka Shunsuke quietly smiled at the siblings' banter.
This peace—fragile as it was—had been hard-won by their entire group. But without Hakuto, Yuu might not have made it back alive after the incident four years ago.
"Just head in and turn right at the entrance. Hakuto-nii should be there to greet you."
"Got it. See you inside."
Yuu ended the call, then turned and gently took Shunsuke's hand to guide him inside.
Following Ayumi's directions, the two brothers entered the building and spotted a tall, handsome man at the doorway. His hair was slicked back, and he wore a pristine white tuxedo.
The man looked up, spotting them, and his face lit up with a wide smile.
"Didn't think you'd actually show up."
Hakuto smirked and pulled both brothers into a strong bear hug.
It made sense. Before the "steal-all-abilities" plan came into play, their relationship was strained at best. Even after Hakuto brought Yuu back, the two had barely kept in touch—and rarely on good terms.
Part of that stemmed from the fact that both of them had lost their memories.
Even after those memories were restored two years ago, Yuu had never reached out.
"Sigh… sorry."
Yuu looked away, unable to meet Hakuto's eyes.
He felt both ashamed and grateful. Hakuto had saved him, but if he himself had been more stable during the incident four years ago, maybe Hakuto wouldn't have had to intervene.
Maybe Hakuto wouldn't have lost his sight and memories.
Yuu bit his lip in silence.
Hakuto, sensing the weight behind Yuu's expression, slapped his back with a loud smack.
"Ouch! What the hell was that for?"
"What are you apologizing for, dumbass? It's my wedding day. Don't kill the mood with your broody guilt trip. Shoo, shoo!"
"You—!"
Yuu glared, rubbing his back.
Ignoring him, Hakuto turned to Shunsuke.
"Thanks, Shunsuke. I couldn't have pulled off this crazy idea without your connections."
"Don't mention it," Shunsuke replied with a warm smile. "You deserve this."
"Alright, you guys go in first and grab a seat at the 'Repse' table. The whole team's already there."
"Repse? That's just 'Esper' spelled backwards. How chuuni can you get…"
Yuu muttered as he led Shunsuke toward the designated table.
Hakuto smirked. Others might not have caught that remark—but he did. His enhanced senses, honed through years of ability usage, made sure of it.
The past four years hadn't been easy for him—or for the people around him. The first two were especially rough.
Yuu had returned without his memories.
Worse, Hakuto had come back completely blind and amnesiac.
Thankfully, neither condition was permanent.
Both of their condition had been something similar like a defense mechanisms—trauma responses triggered by the loss of something vital within them.
It took a full year before Hakuto regained his sight, and another for both him and Yuu to start recovering their memories.
Honestly, Hakuto believed that their swift recovery had only been possible thanks to the tireless care and love from those around them.
.
.
.
Soft music drifted through the hall.
Guests rose to their feet as the brides entered, one after another, each walking down the aisle with quiet grace, until they stand together before the groom at the altar.
The officiant raises a hand for silence.
"Family and friends," he began, his voice solemn yet warm.
"Today we gather not to witness the union of nine lives alone, but the weaving of many hearts into one family."
"Before us stand Shiratori Hakuto and his brides: Nakano Ichika, Nakano Nino, Nakano Miku, Nakano Yotsuba, Nakano Itsuki, Sawamura Spencer Eriri, Tomori Nao, and Sora Ginko."
The officiant pauses for a moment to take a breath after listing all the brides' names.
Honestly, this is the first ceremony he has conducted with so many brides. Five of the eight are even identical quintuplets.
How tiring it is to list so many names in one breath…
The officiant continues.
"What we witness now is not ordinary— it is a promise of unity, devotion, and harmony, made stronger by the voices of many, spoken as one."
Turning first to the groom, the officiant asks,
"Do you, Shiratori Hakuto, take these women—each of them—to be your partners in life, to love and to honor them for all your days?"
"I do."
Hakuto answered with a firm and unshakeable tone. Not even fighting Otosaka Yuu makes him as serious as this.
Then came the question to the brides.
"And do you, Nakano Ichika, Nakano Nino, Nakano Miku, Nakano Yotsuba, Nakano Itsuki, Sawamura Spencer Eriri, Tomori Nao, and Sora Ginko, take Shiratori Hakuto as your husband, to walk beside him and love him for all your days?"
Together, the brides answered, soft but unwavering: "We do."
The groom stepped forward. His gaze swept across his soon to be brides.
"..."
Hakuto took a breath as he then spoke his vow to them with eyes full of love.
"This marriage is indeed unfair to you and it is selfish of me to marry more than one bride.
But you know, all of you are irreplaceable to me.
Wait… this really does sound like a scumbag line, doesn't it?"
Hakuto's self-deprecating remark draws laughter from the guests.
"But so be it.
If becoming a scumbag, cursed, slandered, or gossiped about allows me to be together with you girls, then I will gladly accept it.
So, I will make sure we always keep this warmth and comfort in our family, every single day."
The brides' eyes glisten with tears as they listen to Hakuto's vow.
They all open their mouths to say the words they had practiced, but no sound comes out.
It feels like a lump is stuck in their throats, holding them back.
The hall remains silent for a few seconds until one bride speaks.
"No."
Her voice breaks the silence, and Hakuto turns his head toward her, waiting for her to continue.
Did he got rejected?
Of course not, he knows that for sure.
So he waits, curious.
What will this light blue-haired beauty with sharp blue eyes, dressed in white, say to him?
"This is not your responsibility alone—to take care of the fa-family—but all of ours together."
Ginko speaks fluently until her cheeks flush and she stumbles slightly over the word "family."
"What she said!" Yotsuba suddenly shouts, surprising everyone.
Soon, smiles spread across the altar.
"Yeah, what she said."
"Agreed, what she said."
"Indeed, what she said."
"Hm.."
All of the brides follow suit.
Looking at the not-so-sacred vow but the warm and laughter-filled moment, the guests tear up and smile, touched yet amused.
But one guest stares at the groom with murderous intent in his eyes.
'My daughters!' he roars in his heart.
"Cough cough."
The officiant regains control.
"By these vows and these promises, you are bound together—as husband and wives, in love everlasting."
"Now may the groom kiss his wives."
Hakuto then start with Ichika on his far left.
True to her teasing nature, she tilted her head with a sly smile. "Hehe I got kissed first~," she whispered before their lips met—soft, playful, yet brimming with affection.
Next came Nino, who met him with her fierce love.
Her kiss was bold and she even use her tongue, despite her increasingly crimson cheeks.
After their lips separated, Nino stared at him or a few moments before avoiding his gaze.
"Hu-hurry up to the next one." Nino stutters after remembering where is this.
With Miku, the mood shifted.
She closed her eyes long before he reached her, trembling slightly. Her kiss was tender, hesitant, silent, but long enough.
Quite a contrast after Nino's kiss.
"Thank you d-dear.." Miku whispered, trying to get used to his new name.
Then Yotsuba bounced forward, unable to contain her energy. "My turn!" she declared cheerfully.
Her kiss was quick, warm, and innocent, a burst of sunshine that made Hakuto laugh against her lips.
She pulled back grinning, her eyes sparkling with happiness.
Itsuki straightened her posture before him, composed and elegant.
Her kiss was strangely more mature even though she's the youngest.
When she stepped back, her cheeks were flushed, but her gaze was steady.
Eriri shuffled forward, her face already bright red. She fidgeted with her dress, unable to meet his eyes.
"Hakuto..." she muttered.
Judging by her expression, Hakuto could guess her thoughts.
She's probably thinking something like 'I don't deserve this wedding' or what not.
During his memory loss and blindness, she's the one who took care of him the longest, even foregoing her college studies.
Hakuto even heard that she has to repeat several classes.
Why is she still feeling guilty after redeeming herself?
Hakuto can't understand it, but he knows how to answer her now.
He held her waist and her face as he leaned in to kiss her.
The kiss was soft and clumsy, her happiness making her lips tremble.
But as soon as it ended, she ducked her head, a small smile tugging at her lips.
Then came Nao.
"Took you long enough to get to me," she said, bold and unashamed despite the crowd's chuckles.
Yet when Hakuto kissed her, the mask cracked—her indifferences turned to a mixed of embarassment and happiness, her lips lingering longer than she intended.
She pulled back quickly, cheeks hot. "Th-That's enough.."
At last, Ginko.
She stared at him with sharp, unflinching eyes, her tsundere pride on full display.
"Don't think you can just charm your way through everything," she warned.
But when Hakuto kissed her, she melted almost instantly, clutching at his sleeve as though she didn't want to let go.
Pulling back, she snapped her gaze away, cheeks blazing. "I-It's not like I wanted that or anything…"
Then came the exchange of rings.
"May these rings be the symbol of your vows—circles without end, as your love shall be."
The groom places a ring on each bride's finger. While the brides placed part of a ring on the ring base that Hakuto already wore.
Since he obviously can't wear eight rings on one finger, Hakuto had to order a custom ring for this wedding.
His ring consist of two main parts. One part is the base ring shaped like a rail for the second part.
The second part is his real ring, its separated into 8 equal pieces and can slide into the base ring.
Applause erupted around them, flower petals raining from above as the music rose once more.
Rikka, Utaha, Ayumi, and all the unmarried girls in the hall watched with shining eyes—envy and anticipation flickering within them as they wondered when their turn would come to stand at the altar.
Unknowingly, however, envy clouded Utaha's gaze as she looked at Hakuto.
She had let such a good man slip away.
A scumbag, perhaps—but a good man nonetheless.
When will I meet my match? she wondered bleakly.
Meanwhile, on the altar, amidst the guests' congratulations, Hakuto stood surrounded by eight brides, each with a different personality and charm.
And in that moment, he felt joy coursed through every corner of his being.
Truly, what more could a man ask for in this life?