Chapter 469. Courting Death
It wasn't just First Princess Flare who was acting like a lovestruck fan.
Beyond the countless women dreaming of clinging to his leg or becoming a queen, and aside from Setsuna, the "main wife" who had long since fallen for him, even Sword Saint Kureha—who had previously been filled with regret, thinking, "My future self has ruined me"—felt an uncontrollable ripple in her heart.
Ayanokouji Kiyotaka possessed an infinite aura at this moment; he was both domineering and handsome... How could Kureha not sink into the depths of admiration for such a man radiating absolute authority?
Unless a girl was steadfast in her pursuit of "genuine" emotional love, how many could resist this version of Ayanokouji? Such women were exceptionally rare, and Kureha was undoubtedly not among them.
Her heart throbbed... a thought began to sprout in the mind of Sword Saint Kureha: Should I still stubbornly go and seek refuge with the Second Princess now?
"...Earth Emperor, Lord Kiyotaka..."
Kureha's throat moved. The moment that thought surfaced, she already knew her choice. At this instant, her feelings had completely shifted from blaming her future self to a sense of profound relief.
The First Princess and the Sword Saint were both drawn in, yearning for Ayanokouji Kiyotaka. However, two other women who were the objects of their affection stood firmly in the Anti-Ayanokouji Alliance.
Namely, the Second Princess Norn and the Blade Hero Blade.
The former was a total "sister-con"—her obsession with her sister was not inferior to any other, easily rivaling the level of Rem's devotion to Ram. Therefore, regardless of how handsome Ayanokouji might be, since he had brutally murdered her sister in the video, Norn could never reconcile with him. One of them had to die.
The latter was a fickle lesbian. Originally deeply infatuated with the First Princess, she had abandoned Flare after seeing the "Hot Rod" segment and the Princess's subsequent disgrace. She had since set her sights on the beautiful Kureha.
To Blade, the world's number one female predator, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka's possession of beautiful girls was an unforgivable sin. He had to die.
In stark contrast to Blade's attitude was the muscular gay man, Bullet Hero Bullet. He would never allow anyone to kill Ayanokouji Kiyotaka.
In all his years, he had never seen a man as perfect as Ayanokouji. He was simply magnificent, making Bullet so thirsty his "flag" stood tall; he wanted to go in hard and "raw."
Although he had already "had his way" with Ayanokouji in the future timeline, that was Ayanokouji pretending not to resist—the "bottom" (uke). The current Earth Emperor Ayanokouji, however, was undeniably a "top" (seme).
Bullet really wanted to see: when he, a top, met another top, who would be more dominant? The mere thought of it was pure bliss!
"I'm sorry, I love you; I'm sorry, I love you; I'm sorry, I love you... hee-heeheehee!"
...Logic suggests this might have brought joy to Ebina, but while Ebina was a fujoshi, she was nowhere near as perverted as Bullet.
Although she often talked about "Hayama x Hachiman" or "Julius x Hachiman" in terms of seme and uke, she wasn't actually looking for real gay men.
These were just her "mimicry."
What she wanted to see was friendship sublimated to its peak—that subtle, hazy feeling sandwiched between brotherhood and romance, the kind of thrill that made the heart go pit-a-pat.
As for actual gay men... that was a bit beyond her curriculum. She wasn't actually that interested.
Moreover, Bullet just purely wanted to "mess around"; there was no emotion involved. This was a "heretical path"! It was rebellion! It was the thing Ebina loathed most!
Conversely, "Hikigaya Hachiman x Ayanokouji Kiyotaka" was just right.
A distorted obsession, a bizarre friendship, a one-sided "shura-ba" (love triangle/conflict), a physical relationship stopping at struggle and gamesmanship, and an emotional "love-hate" dynamic.
"Damn it, how can there be two men so sweet in this world?"
Nearly drowning in the Hachiman x Kiyotaka "ship," Ebina felt this pair was perfect. She stood on her tiptoes on the spot, laughing wickedly, then—splat—she couldn't actually fly, so she fell flat on her face.
Ebina ignored the pain of the fall; she twisted and turned on the floor like a maggot.
Miura Yumiko knew exactly what she was thinking with one look. Pouting, she grumbled softly while taking out a tissue to wipe the nosebleed off Ebina's face, then helped her up: "Honestly, you."
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「...The subordinates understood their place, but the villagers from the village did not. When Ayanokouji Kiyotaka rescued them, they were extremely weak and muddled; thus, they hadn't seen the scene of him displaying his divine might.」
「When the subordinates went to apologize to Ayanokouji, they naturally didn't take the villagers with them.」
「Having never personally witnessed Ayanokouji Kiyotaka's power, the villagers felt a restless urge. In their eyes, the reason they suffered such a fate was all because they were dragged down by him.」
「Even if they heard from the subordinates about how amazing Ayanokouji was, the villagers were unwilling to believe it. They didn't think that ordinary 'Keyaru' could transform into someone so beyond their comprehension in just a few months.」
「Looking down on Ayanokouji and relying on their status as his fellow villagers, men, women, young and old alike felt as though they were 'retired emperors.' They barked orders at the subordinates, behaving like arrogant parvenus.」
「And the subordinates actually dared to disobey their commands? How could they endure this? Soon, the village chief took the lead, heading a large, aggressive crowd that burst into Ayanokouji Kiyotaka's 'palace' to demand an explanation, seeking special privileges and high status.」
「Ayanokouji Kiyotaka raised an eyebrow. Sitting upright on his throne, he slowly revealed an unfathomable smile and spoke unhurriedly: 'Oh? You are making demands of me?'」
「'Y-yes.' The village chief originally wanted to say 'Of course,' but for some reason, he suddenly felt weak, overcome by an indescribable panic.」
「He looked at Ayanokouji Kiyotaka and finally understood where the panic came from... Keyaru truly was different. Cold sweat ran down his forehead as he squeezed out a flattering expression, choosing his words carefully with a humble tone: 'H-however, this is your territory after all, so... just give what you see fit? If you're unwilling, then we also...'」
「Before the village chief could finish, a man stepped forward with a wave of his arm: 'Why bother talking nonsense with him? Keyaru, you brat, don't waste time! Just announce to those subordinates that they need to serve us properly!'」
「The village chief was old and cunning, but there were plenty of blind fools who couldn't read the room. The speaker was a former village bully, relying on his tall and sturdy frame; he had also extorted the original Keyaru in the past.」
「Fearful of angering Ayanokouji Kiyotaka, the village chief wanted to salvage the situation. However, before he could speak, Ayanokouji had already smiled and nodded: 'Hmm~ very well. Then follow me.'」
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