Chapter 365: Side Story — Reunion (4)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 365: Side Story — Reunion (4)
I took a moment to assess the situation.
Everyone at the reunion was staring at me in sheer shock. It was only natural, considering Alice Carroll had suddenly appeared and started showering me with kisses.
Ian Fairytale was still unconscious, leaving him unable to keep his lover in check.
Ciel Carnedas’s eyes sparkled with intense curiosity. The girl, who usually looked as if she were carrying the weight of the world on her perpetually exhausted face, now looked like she was about to pull out popcorn and 3D glasses.
As I suppressed the chaos of my emotions, a wave of shame came flooding in like a rising tide.
It was an inevitable reaction. Even though there was no one in this world whose opinion I truly needed to fear, I still found myself reacting like an ordinary person in situations like this. After all, I had spent so long living cautiously, guarding against the collapse of my own humanity.
Meanwhile, Alice was wearing a sly smirk.
Despite being unable to read her mind due to the [Red Queen’s Paradox], her expression laid her thoughts bare.
She was enjoying this—the sight of my flustered face and the palpable tension radiating from my prospective brides.
Chararang.
A cluster of faint stars drifted upward as an invisible force nudged me back. Recognizing the source of the power, I didn't resist and simply stepped away.
Dorothy instantly stepped between Alice and me.
She pointed an accusing finger at Alice, scolding her.
“What do you think you’re doing?! Kissing him…! H-how could you do that in front of everyone? You’re making the President uncomfortable!”
“Oh my, I just couldn’t help myself.”
Dorothy’s voice rose in a flustered shriek, but Alice merely covered her mouth and chuckled softly, remaining completely nonchalant. There wasn’t even a hint of embarrassment on her face.
Indeed, the embarrassment was entirely ours to bear.
“What else could I do? I was so lonely while I was away in the kingdom.”
“Nihihi…! So this girl threw away all sense of decency just because she was lonely!?”
Perhaps it was the shock of witnessing that intense kiss, but Dorothy let out an awkward, strained laugh, her face flushed with embarrassment.
Beside us, Luce’s chilling, murderous aura flowed quietly. Even as an Ice Wizard myself, the sheer coldness of it was enough to send a shiver down my spine.
“Did my baby miss me too?”
Alice leaned toward Dorothy and gave me a light wave, her face adorned with a gentle smile. Today of all days, that smile looked annoyingly playful. Yet, her charm remained as undeniable as ever.
“I did miss you, but right now…”
At that moment, another surge of mana flared.
My eyes widened in surprise. I immediately turned toward the source.
Kaya…?
For some reason, Kaya was approaching at breakneck speed.
Caught in the middle of Dorothy, Alice, and Luce’s colliding mana, my ability to think clearly faltered for a second.
It’s good that you’re coming, but why now of all times…!
This is bad.
I needed to get out of here, and fast. If I ran, they would surely follow.
Whooooosh!
A gust of freezing wind erupted outward. I dissolved into a pale blue frost.
“President!?”
“Isaac?”
“Oh my, Baby. Are you running away?”
Ignoring the calls of the women behind me, I fled like a winter gale, riding the wind in my icy form.
Dorothy summoned a dazzling cluster of stars and raced after me, with Luce trailing close behind. Alice followed at a more relaxed pace, a serene smile still fixed on her face.
Swishhh!
Enveloped in the cold, I traveled swiftly until I reached the gates of Märchen Academy, deep within the Josena Forest.
The hideout I had used in the past was still intact. As soon as I arrived, I solidified my physical form, the cold energy condensing back into my original shape.
“Phew.”
With “Isaac’s First Love” currently the hottest topic of gossip, there was no way the reunion could proceed smoothly now that the most powerful women in the world—my women—had gathered in one place.
Unless they had fully reconciled with each other, which they most certainly had not. Just a moment ago, a disaster had been seconds away from unfolding.
This place should work. I’ll mediate things here.
Suddenly, someone wrapped their arms around me from behind, whispering intimately into my ear.
“Welcome, Isaac. I knew you would come this way.”
“Kaya?”
When did she—!?
“Hehe. Yes, it’s me. Your very own Kaya.”
I had been too slow to sense her mana. I never expected her to have arrived already.
“Would you like to come inside for a moment?”
“Huh? Oh.”
Kaya pulled me into the hideout, relying solely on her delicate physical strength without using a drop of magic. She gave the door a light push with her back, and it swung open easily. It must have been left unlocked.
Since I was planning to talk with everyone here anyway, it didn't really matter.
Dorothy, Alice, and Luce were closing in. They were moving at a reasonable pace now; they had likely slowed down to avoid causing collateral damage within the academy grounds.
Have they realized Kaya is here too?
“The others are coming, aren’t they? They’ll be here in about five seconds.”
“Ha-ha… The girls suddenly showed up in the middle of the reunion, so I thought I’d have a chat with everyone here…”
I instinctively put on my signature kind smile and laughed awkwardly.
“That’s fortunate. It means I get to have you all to myself for a little while.”
“What?”
Kaya turned toward me.
Faint moonlight seeped into the room, illuminating a pair of dimly glowing red eyes in the darkness. It was the manifestation of Kaya the Ravenous. Her cheeks were flushed as red as her eyes, and a sly smile spread across her face.
Kaya placed both hands on my cheeks.
“I’ll apologize in advance, okay?”
Smooch.
Before I could utter a word, Kaya rose onto her tiptoes and pressed her lips against mine.
Whooosh!
I felt the arrival of Dorothy, Luce, and Alice at the entrance of the hideout.
Smooch, mmm…
Kaya wrapped her arms around my neck and kissed me with such passion—as if she were trying to devour my very soul—that I couldn't easily pull away.
“W-what is it this time…!?”
“Isaac…?”
“Oh my.”
A storm of trouble was about to break.
Kaya finally pulled away, her warm breath lingering against my lips. Her enchanting smile remained as her crimson eyes gazed deeply into mine. It was utterly mesmerizing—so much so that I found it hard to look away.
Before I knew it, heat had rushed to my face. I had unwittingly become aroused.
Without realizing it, I read Kaya’s thoughts. I saw her excitement and the sheer effort she had put into preparing for this moment.
Have you been practicing this in your head this whole time?
It seemed Kaya had been relentlessly training herself in her mind just to share this deep kiss with me.
Surely that wasn’t the reason she went back to her family… was it?
“So, what brings you all here when the wedding hasn't even happened yet? Oh, except for Princess Snow White, of course. But really, I wonder what you’re all up to~?”
Kaya clung to me tightly, as if marking her territory, and rested her chin on my shoulder. She looked at the women standing behind me and spoke in a tone that was both playful and provocative.
“Well…”
Just as I was about to respond, a sharp sound cut through the air.
Crack.
Luce tilted her head from side to side, stretching her neck, and glared with an intensity that could kill.
What was that chilling bone-cracking sound just now?
“So, today’s the day we all shed some blood, huh?”
Wait, how did you even reach that conclusion!?
“Hold on, Luce. We need to talk things through first, right…? Ah!”
As I hurriedly tried to intervene, Kaya’s fingers slipped between mine, intertwining our hands. I glanced at her, and she gave me a soft, slightly shy smile. I could almost hear her true personality screaming internally from embarrassment.
“What conversation? Are we talking about the pests that latched onto Isaac while we weren’t around?”
“Still, calling them pests is a bit harsh, isn’t it? They’re our peers.”
“And?”
“Cheshire and Ella must have said something strange, right? Don’t misunderstand. Amy is not my first love. I swear it, sincerely, with my head held high and without a shred of shame,” I said, maintaining my best "kind protagonist" smile.
Dorothy lifted the brim of her witch’s hat and stared at me, bewildered. Alice crossed her arms and smiled leisurely, clearly enjoying my reaction. Luce simply continued to glare, her aura growing more ominous by the second.
“Amy must’ve had her reasons for saying that…”
“I’m curious. What reason could a pest possibly have to claim she’s my husband’s first love?”
Luce began to walk toward me.
Thud!
“…!”
A mystical green vine shot up from the floor, blocking Luce’s path. Luce flinched in surprise, then snapped her gaze toward Kaya.
“Yes, yes~ I think I’ve got the gist of the situation now~”
“Kaya…?”
“Whatever misunderstandings you have, you all came here to interrogate Isaac, right? Something about his first love being Amy Holloway?”
Kaya let out a mocking snort and turned to Dorothy, Luce, and Alice with a cynical smile.
“Who exactly are you suspecting? You, the so-called women of Isaac?”
Her tone was pure confrontation. Kaya didn't let go of my hand as she stepped forward to stand beside me.
Luce narrowed her eyes. “You… are you looking for a fight?”
“Well, it’s because I can see how troubled Isaac is. He came to the reunion to have a good time with his friends, didn’t he? You didn’t come here to ruin that, did you? Luce Eltania, Dorothy Heartnova, and Alice Carroll. You three.”
Kaya lifted her chin defiantly.
“You’re all sooo much stronger than I am~ But if you can’t even show a little consideration for the man who’ll be your husband… the marriage might get a little rocky, don’t you think? As someone who’s also going to be Isaac’s wife, I can’t just overlook this. Wouldn’t you agree, ladies?”
I silently agreed.
“Ah, well… maybe I did make things a bit awkward?” Dorothy muttered, taking a step back. She wiped a bead of sweat from her forehead and scratched her cheek with an awkward, cute smile.
However, Luce and Alice’s expressions didn't budge. The air in the room grew heavy.
“Hey, girls, how about we move past this for now? Since you’re already here, I can’t ignore you, and honestly, I missed you all anyway. Let’s keep things peaceful, okay…?”
“Isaac, I’m not finished yet.”
Luce, seriously…?
“Baby, no need to explain. It seems she has something else on her mind that’s more important.”
Alice sided with Luce.
A cold sweat trickled down my neck as I unintentionally read Luce’s thoughts. Before long, a blunt question burst from her lips.
“Then, who is Isaac’s first love?”
“Huh?”
Kaya’s gaze snapped sharply toward me.
“Ahem. Well, that is something I’m a bit curious about…!” Dorothy cleared her throat, her theatrical tone failing to hide her genuine interest.
In perfect unison, every single one of my women turned their gaze toward me.
