If we reach 100 power stones, there will be extra chapters.
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"I'm willing to share him. Because... I love him enough to put his needs and happiness before my jealousy."
That kind of love is rare.
The kind of love that doesn't demand anything. That only gives. That sacrifices itself without expecting a reward.
It's the kind of love people write about in romance novels. But that rarely exists in reality.
And yet, that kind of love existed in a two-hundred-year-old vampire trapped in the body of a little girl.
Jin-ah clasped her hands together, and stars practically formed in her eyes as she spoke in admiration.
"Yue-unnie... you're amazing."
Unnie. She was already treating her like an older sister.
"Nn. I know."
Yue lifted her chin slightly, radiating an air of confidence that contrasted adorably with her small stature.
That made the tension in the room fade, and some of the girls giggled softly. It was impossible not to find her charming at that moment.
Saeko looked at the little vampire in silence.
She hadn't expected to find someone who thought exactly like she did.
After all, any woman would want her man to be hers alone. It was natural possessiveness. Honestly, it was the same for Saeko, and even for Yue. If it were possible, they'd want to monopolize him completely.
But such a thing was impossible with him.
He was someone who needed all the help he could get. Since they were his followers and destined to be by his side forever, it was basically an eternal marriage anyway.
It's hard to set aside jealousy and think only about your man's happiness.
But Saeko was that kind of woman. She'd put her man first without hesitation.
Even if she was deeply in love with Yuu, even if her feelings bordered on obsession, she couldn't be possessive. In this case, that would only hurt him.
And hurting the person you love is the very antithesis of love itself.
Her lips curved into a sincere smile as she narrowed her eyes at the little vampire.
She was satisfied with Yue, who had made her stance clear from the moment she met them.
Then she leaned toward Yue, her long, silky purple hair sliding over her face and shoulder.
"Thank you, Yue. For thinking of Yuu-sama. For loving him so deeply. I feel the same way."
She paused, and when she lifted her gaze, her blue eyes met Yue's crimson ones.
"And I promise I'll never try to take your place as the first wife."
"Hah?! First wife?!" Saya adjusted her glasses indignantly. "Then I was his first girlfriend! That should count for something!"
Jin-ah laughed at Saya's expression.
"There shouldn't be any kind of ranking between us. After all, that could just lead to unnecessary fights."
The girls nodded in agreement with Jin-ah, though all of them could accept Yue keeping her special position as first wife. It was fair, all things considered.
"Nn~"
Yue made a satisfied sound.
She was quite pleased with these girls.
She, like the other Pathstriders, could feel through the connection they shared. And these girls didn't have a single ill thought toward Yuu. On the contrary they genuinely cared about his well-being.
Saya crossed her arms, though her expression had softened a lot since the start of the conversation.
"I still think it's weird... but I guess I get it."
Rei nodded silently.
After all, they were modern-day girls. Things like harems seemed strange, outdated, even ridiculous in a way.
Still, for his sake, they could accept it.
Then Shizuka spoke with a wide smile that lit up her lazy face.
"Then we'll all be one big happy family!"
Taking advantage of the warm moment, she lunged toward Yuu, clearly intending to sleep on his chest.
But Saya grabbed her by the neck before she could reach him.
"Shizuka-sensei! You should let him sleep!"
"But I wanna cuddle with Kami-sama~"
"He's sleeping!"
"Exactly why it's the perfect time to cuddle~"
Yue, who was still sitting beside Yuu, opened one eye and looked at Shizuka with a territorial expression.
"Nn. Yuu's mine right now. Go find your own spot."
"But you just said you'd share him!" Saya released Shizuka and protested.
"Mm. I'll share. Eventually. But not now."
"That's cheating!"
"Nn. It's not cheating. It's strategy."
The girls burst out laughing when they saw the little vampire expressionlessly teasing the pink-haired tsundere.
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Since when Yue and Yuu arrived the sun had already been sinking below the horizon, now, after the girls' long conversation, it had completely set, and darkness fell.
He slowly opened his eyes.
The first thing he saw was a sea of golden hair spread across his chest. A cute, serene face slept peacefully, and every now and then Yue rubbed her cheeks against his chest while mumbling.
"Yuu... warm..."
'Cute.'
The other girls were already asleep in their rooms. He could sense their presences through the connection. All of them rested peacefully.
He gently picked Yue up, careful not to wake her, and softly laid her down on the couch before standing up.
He looked over his body with mild curiosity, moving his arms and checking his torso.
"It's a shame they didn't stab me out of jealousy while I was sleeping."
That would've been interesting to experience.
Feeling restless, he walked toward the mirror hanging on the dining room wall.
He looked at himself.
The reflection stared back. Golden eyes like crystal, but if one looked closely, they'd notice there was no life in them. A perfect face, and like his eyes, it looked empty. Like a beautiful doll without a soul.
With a blank expression, he shaped his face with his fingers, pressing his cheeks, moving his lips.
"The girls are pretty perceptive."
For realizing that he really didn't have emotions, and that almost everything he did was just an act.
He made a slightly odd expression then.
Actually... did he feel a bit happy?
'Is this happiness?' He touched his chest where his heart should be. 'This small warmth and this soft feeling.'
That they could understand him so well, that they didn't judge him for it, and instead accepted his emptiness, and still chose to love him.
"I'm pretty lucky."
That they'd do all that for his sake.
'For my sake, huh.'
How strange.
When was the last time someone did something genuinely for his sake?
When was the last time he'd been the center of someone's genuine concern?
He couldn't remember.
Ah, maybe Olddy.
"Olddy."
She was the one who'd given him a new life. If nothing had gone wrong, he would've been Olddy's life companion. They would've lived eternally...
He didn't finish the thought.
'What did I do to deserve this? To deserve these girls' love? To deserve this second chance?'
He didn't know.
But maybe he didn't need to deserve it. Maybe he just needed to accept it.
He touched the blue crystal pendant resting against his chest. It was warm to the touch, pulsing softly.
It was Olddy's last gift. Her will for him to continue.
"I should do my job as the Pillar of the Multiverse."
At first, he'd thought that after experiencing life in other worlds a bit, experimenting with people, turning some into eternal beings, he'd eventually stop caring about the multiverse, because he wouldn't find anything capable of awakening his emotions.
He'd simply give up and let himself be erased completely, along with his existence.
That was his original goal. But...
Since within them, within Yue, Saeko, and all of them, there were people who loved him so intensely...
His face softened, and consciously, carefully, he imitated a perfectly happy smile.
This time, though, there was an echo of something real within it.
"Then... I should try..."
He paused, correcting himself.
"No. I must protect existence. Even if, in the end, I end up like Olddy."
Disappearing and turning to dust.
'If that's the price of protecting the people who love me...'
Then it's a price he'll pay without hesitation.
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