Chapter 95
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 95
Chapter Title: Clearing Up the Misunderstanding Smoothly!
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After getting cleaned up by Rize, Yume headed back home.
During the bath, Rize had given her a rough rundown of my romantic situation.
"Did you tell her about Anna too?"
"Yes. She was surprised, but I told her I'd explain more later."
"Wouldn't it have been better to just get it all out right away?"
"If Yume had been in better shape, that's what I would have done. But right now, she needed rest more than anything."
"... "
I couldn't argue with that.
After all, the one who'd worn Yume out so completely was none other than me.
Apologizing to her in my heart, a sense of fulfillment and pride welled up in my chest at the realization that Yume and I were truly together now.
And above all, I was thrilled to have some breathing room at a time like this.
With Steel Mountain defeated, that was Chapter 2 done.
It would be over a month before the next Stranger showed up.
In other words, this was the stretch filled with everyday events.
Which meant I now had time to flirt and hang out with the heroines I'd already conquered—my girls.
Chisaki was still at the 'just once' stage, and there were other heroines to pursue, plus some whose flags I needed to collect.
Blaze Blood was packed with heroines and captivating characters, so even if I couldn't get them all in a month, I'd have plenty of time to enjoy myself.
I looked forward to tomorrow, when that leisure time would begin.
And then, the next day.
"Rubelt, what the hell are you thinking? Two-timing...? Two-timing...? Explain yourself!"
I found myself getting grilled by Isihoon in a way I never expected.
'I wonder if Yume's overcome it okay?'
Monday.
As he finished getting ready to head to the academy, Isihoon was thinking about Yume.
On Saturday, his heart had been in knots.
He'd been worried whether Yume had managed to part on good terms with Rubelt.
Sunday rolled around, and he figured things must have wrapped up somehow by then, so he considered sending her a message.
But he shook his head and dropped the idea.
'She's gotta be hurting after Rubelt turned her down. I shouldn't bother her. She needs time alone. Ugh... Yume...!'
And then Monday arrived. Isihoon stepped out of the house.
"Ah..."
Just then, Yume emerged from the house next door at the same time.
"Y-Yume. Hey."
"Hey. What's up? You got up early, Isihoon?"
"Hey, I usually get up early, except for a few times."
Yume and Isihoon exchanged their usual banter.
But Isihoon scrutinized her face more than usual.
'She's putting on a brave face, but I can tell... She looks more tired than normal. She must've spent the weekend drowning in sorrow... Ugh! No point in me getting sad too! Yume's the one who's really hurting...!'
Pushing down the wave of sadness, Isihoon walked to the academy with Yume.
Along the way, Yume spoke up as if she'd just remembered something.
"Oh, right, Isihoon."
"Yeah? What?"
"That time on the phone... Thanks for cheering me on."
"It wasn't anything..."
'Saying thanks to me at a time like this. Even if I cheered her on, Yume, you...!'
"Heehee. Thanks to your support, things worked out with Rubelt."
"Yume..."
'Yeah, she must've had a good talk with Rubelt and got dumped.'
Isihoon imagined Yume's feelings and wallowed in his own sadness.
But Yume, who'd brought it up, simply thought Isihoon had cheered her on right up to the end with Rubelt.
So, without a shred of suspicion, she smiled brightly and continued.
"Thanks so much for the support, Isihoon. Heehee. Your encouragement gave me the courage to confess, and that's how I ended up with Rubelt."
"...Huh?"
Isihoon tilted his head at her words, staring at her.
'Confessed... and ended up together? Huh?'
Isihoon stopped in his tracks.
"Isihoon?"
"Yume, wh-what do you mean? Ended up together? You mean things worked out with Rubelt—like, together?"
"Yeah, of course. I never imagined it'd go this well... Heehee."
Yume blushed, looking bashful.
Her face wasn't filled with the sorrow Isihoon had expected—it was genuinely happy.
'What the hell? Rubelt's got Eli, right? And he ended up with Yume? N-No way...!'
Seeing Yume's joyful expression, Isihoon latched onto one possibility.
'Two-timing...!'
Two-timing.
In other words, Rubelt couldn't bring himself to reject Yume's feelings and had ended up stringing both her and Eli along.
Rubelt had accepted because Yume's confession was so desperate.
And Yume, with her strong feelings for Rubelt, was thrilled just to be with him, even if it meant sharing—that was Isihoon's theory.
'But that's... no good! No one will end up happy that way!'
A guilty two-timing setup.
Isihoon figured it had to be a secret from Eli.
And then.
'I... I have to talk some sense into Rubelt! As his friend...!'
A sense of duty ignited in Isihoon.
Even if it made Yume sad now, he decided he'd advise Rubelt as a friend to make a proper choice—excessive pity would only hurt Rubelt in the end.
And at lunchtime.
Isihoon had pulled Rubelt aside.
It looked like Yume had told Isihoon we'd gotten together without realizing I was building a harem.
That explained why he was grilling me now.
Time to calmly explain things to him.
"Isihoon, here's the thing."
"Rubelt...!"
Before I could say more, Isihoon slapped a hand on my shoulder, gripping it hard.
"No matter how pitiful Yume is... two-timing is wrong! You'd be betraying your fiancée Eli too! That kind of decision... no one can be happy with it!"
"Uh..."
I could guess what wild imaginings he'd come up with.
At least he wasn't assuming I was some scumbag toying with Yume's heart—that was the power of the friendship we'd built up.
"Isihoon, calm down and hear me out first."
"...Okay."
Isihoon let go of my shoulder.
And I launched into my explanation.
"First off, I'm not two-timing anyone!"
"Wh-what...? Th-then, don't tell me you're breaking up with Eli for Yume...!"
"No, that's not it!"
"Then what the hell are you saying!?"
"Isihoon, I've officially! With everyone's consent...!"
I clenched my fist, eyes blazing with resolve as I declared to him.
"Built a harem!"
"A... harem!?"
"Isihoon! Who am I? The world's top chaebol! Heir to the Eldra family! I've got money, status, and talent—all three! So... isn't it natural for a man like me to dream of a harem!?"
"...!"
When dropping a bold statement, the key is to go all-in with shameless confidence.
That way, it carries real persuasive power.
"And this isn't just my whim! Eli knows about the harem too! She's even actively helping me build it!"
"Eli... knows!?"
"Of course! I'm not some cowardly sneak who decides to build a harem but doesn't even tell his fiancée! And my parents know too, naturally!"
"Y-your parents too!"
"If your fiancée knows, your parents have to as well! That way, there's no drama later! Right!?"
"Th-that makes sense, but... you were so popular in high school, yet you never dated anyone..."
"My popularity and who I want to date are two different things! I have standards! Isihoon, would you date every girl who says she likes you?"
"Urk...!"
Isihoon couldn't refute that.
Good. Time to press harder!
"Isihoon, I'm... an Eldra! The man who'll inherit the Eldra name! I have the confidence to take responsibility for many women! That's why... as a man, I'll achieve my dream! A harem!"
"Ru-Rubelt...!"
"Plus, polygamy isn't illegal, and you know plenty of capable Hunters who've married multiple women, right?"
"Yeah."
"So I'll do it too—a harem...! If I have the chance and don't take it, I'm no man!"
"Ahh...!"
Thud! Isihoon dropped to his knees.
"I get it... Rubelt, you're going to build a harem."
"Yeah."
"So Yume's not some side thing..."
"She's officially dating me. Eli will accept it too."
"I see. No guilty secrets. That's a relief."
Even after my shocking declaration, the first thing Isihoon felt relieved about was that Yume and I weren't in some shady fling.
With a heart that pure, of course he was protagonist material.
"Yeah, so relax, Isihoon. I'll take responsibility and make Yume happy."
I extended a hand to him on his knees.
"If some other guy said that, I'd call bullshit... but you're Rubelt, so I can trust it."
Isihoon took my hand, stood up, and his face cleared with all worries lifted.
"Rubelt, if you make Yume sad, I won't let it slide, got it?"
"Coming from the guy who always gets his ass handed to him by me in games, it's so scary my legs are shaking. Guess I'll have to be extra careful~."
"Hey! Clear your schedule after school! I'm gonna crush you this time!"
"Bring it."
We bantered and set up a match before heading home.
"...By the way, you said you're building a harem, Rubelt. Right now it's just Yume and Eli?"
"Come on, Rize and Kagura are my girls too."
I skipped Chisaki since she wasn't fully mine yet, and held off on Ayame—too much shock for Isihoon right now.
"Rize makes sense, but Ka-Kagura too...!?"
Isihoon stared in shock, then spoke cautiously.
"Rubelt, you can't touch Yesul! Got it!?"
"Hey, do I look like the trash who'd go after my friend's girl just because I'm building a harem? I'm the one helping you and Yesul get together."
"R-right! Ahaha! Sorry! Uh, and Yesul isn't my girlfriend y-yet... but I'm not against it or anything..."
With his usual obliviousness and zero dating experience, Isihoon reacted all green and shy.
Teasing him like this had its own charm.
Clap! Now I put a hand on his shoulder.
"Isihoon, if things heat up with Yesul and you're about to seal the deal, tell me first. ...I'll give you something really good."
"S-something really good? What?"
"...Something really good. Spoilers ruin the fun. Got it?"
"...Yeah."
Isihoon nodded with a deadly serious look.