TN: Thank Nepper for the chapter. He’s actually insane.

To be honest, it would be a lie to say I didn’t dream of a harem when I was transported to a fantasy world and possessed someone.

It made sense, as it was a world where polygamy was legally possible. At the same time, as a transmigrator, I thought anything was possible.

It’s nonsensical for an ordinary man not to dream of a harem.

But it wasn’t realistically possible. Even for nobles, polygamy wasn’t an easy thing.

There were high barriers in reality, and things didn’t flow like in novels.

Of course, the idea of a harem was just a silly joke, and I thought it would be fine if there was just one person who understood me.

It wouldn’t be bad as a man if a harem happened, but there was no reason to be disappointed if it didn’t.

“… Can you move away a bit?”

“What…?! I-I’m not clinging to you!”

“From what I see, it looks like you are.”

“What do you know to talk…!!”

I took a deep breath and watched the three women arguing beside me.

Sylvia, Helena, Pamela–watching these three women who were close yet oddly growling at each other, I couldn’t help but shudder as I took a step back.

I felt an inexplicable chill.

“No, you just seemed too close, that’s all…”

“I-I was just the same as usual! It’s just your imagination!”

Pamela flared up at Sylvia’s pointed remark, and Helena blinked her eyes and shared her thoughts at Pamela’s flaring up.

Even though that was all, it felt chilly. They say when three women gather, dishes break, but why did I feel like winter had come?

As I involuntarily shuddered, the three women arguing in front of me suddenly turned their heads and glared at me.

“…Why?”

“You…! W-what do you think…?”

“About what?”

Surprised by the arrow suddenly turning to me, I took another step back, and the three women stared at me intently and took a step closer.

Sylvia and Pamela looked at me with sunken eyes, while Helena just smiled slightly as if she found this situation amusing.

“Do you th-think I’m clinging to you too much?”

“Huh…?”

Finally understanding what they were talking about, I blinked slowly and answered carefully.

“Huh? No? I don’t think you are?”

I had noticed that Pamela had become noticeably closer than before. Still, I didn’t feel like she was approaching in a burdensome way.

I felt like we had just become a bit friendlier, so it wasn’t bad, you could say.

When I honestly shared that thought, Sylvia’s expression darkened for some reason, while Pamela’s expression seemed to brighten.

“See! I told you!”

“W-well… if Felix says so…”

“Puhah…!! So this is how it feels to watch from the side?”

Sylvia became gloomy, and Pamela became triumphant. And Helena, who had been watching everything from the side, burst into laughter while clutching her stomach.

As I blinked slowly, not understanding the whole situation, Helena burst into even louder laughter seeing my expression.

“What…? Am I the only one who doesn’t understand?”

“You, you don’t need to know… Puhahah!!”

Somehow, it felt like I was being left out.

Setting aside the harem, just walking around with women was tiring. I was curious how the male protagonists who form them endure it.

“Phew, I’m exhausted.”

At my unconsciously muttered words, the women who had been arguing each in their own way turned to look at me all at once.

“Are you uncomfortable being with us?”

“Fe… Felix, have I become annoying…?”

“What, what…? Suddenly?”

Faced with their suddenly chilly gazes, I took a couple of steps back, swallowed hard, and had no choice but to flee from that spot.

“Wh-where are you going?!”

Leaving behind Sylvia’s bewildered voice, I ran away from that place and kept running for a while.

Having run for so long, I was breathing heavily.

“Phew, why is this so hard?”

I don’t think I ever felt this exhausted when facing other nobles, meeting Leonhardt, or dealing with Siegfried.

As I was wiping away my sweat while thinking that, I sensed someone approaching me and lifted my head.

“…Oh?”

“It’s been a while.”

There stood Ashillya, smiling at me as usual.

***

“When did you arrive?”

Sitting with Ashillya on the academy bench, she grinned in her usual way at my question.

“I arrived but a moment ago.”

“You must be tired.”

“Hmm…”

If she had just arrived, she must be very tired. I was worried that I might be holding her up unnecessarily.

But knowing better than anyone how hard Ashillya had worked, I couldn’t help but say those words to her first.

Ashillya seemed strangely pleased to hear my words, but it appeared that wasn’t what she had wanted to hear.

I couldn’t help but tilt my head at Ashillya’s strange expression.

“I came to see thee as soon as I arrived, yet it seems thou art not glad to see me.”

“I’m talking to you like this because I’m very glad to see you…?”

“I see. Then all is well.”

Seeing Ashillya smile brightly at my words that I was glad to see her, I couldn’t help but feel even happier to see her after so long.

But as I stared at Ashillya’s face momentarily, I noticed something different and couldn’t help but frown.

And when I felt her turn her face away to avoid my gaze, I grabbed her shoulder and turned her face back towards me.

“Why… why dost thou do this?”

“Your face looks much thinner. Are you really alright?”

“… It’s not… not that bad.”

Even though the imperial affairs were busy, I couldn’t help but click my tongue and take a deep breath at Ashillya’s noticeably haggard appearance.

“Shouldn’t you rest a bit?”

“I plan to rest after finishing my meeting with thee.”

“… You’re not going now?”

“Hmm… I feel a bit hurt.”

I had said it out of concern for Ashillya, but she expressed disappointment at my words.

As she looked at me with sad eyes, puffing her cheeks slightly, unlike her usual self, I could only look back at her with bewildered eyes.

“Why are you suddenly acting like this?”

“I clearly said I came to see thee as soon as I arrived at the academy.”

“…Yes, you did?”

“Why dost thou think I came to see thee?”

I was puzzled by Ashillya suddenly posing a quiz, but I obediently gave an answer to that question.

“Um, do you have something to tell me?”

“That’s not wrong.”

“…”

“However, ’tis not the correct answer.”

Not the correct answer?

As I blinked, she met my gaze, smiled slightly as if my dazed appearance was amusing, and stared intently into my eyes.

Her red eyes traced a long arc. I felt my face heating up for some reason at her smiling eyes.

Ashillya’s red lips slowly began to open.

“I wanted to see thee.”

“…Pardon?”

“I know not how to speak in roundabout ways. More precisely, I do not wish to do so before thee.”

Ashillya’s words felt like a strong blow to my head.

No, more accurately, it felt like someone had punched me hard in the vicinity of my heart, precisely in my heart.

Even though I couldn’t see my face right now, I felt I knew what it looked like. My face was surely bright red right now.

“So I shall say it just once more.”

“Ah, um… Yes.”

The bench we were sitting on wasn’t very wide, and the distance between Ashillya and me wasn’t very far either.

But Ashillya leaned her face even closer to me as if even that was too far.

Thanks to that, Ashillya’s beautiful white face came closer to my eyes. At the same time, the very strong fragrance emanating from her penetrated my nose.

“I rushed here in such haste because I wanted to see thee.”

Smiling.

Ashillya said that with a smile.

Unlike people’s assessment that Ashillya’s smiles were very rare, I had seen her smile many times.

She tended to smile often, at least when she was with me. However, even I, who had frequently seen her smiles, could only stare at this smile blankly, as if enchanted.

I instinctively had to distance myself from her.

Ashillya’s voice, fragrance, and appearance had come in suddenly.

They were intensely imprinted in my mind, and I couldn’t easily shake them off.

Seeing me distance myself, Ashillya smiled again. That smile was somehow full of satisfaction.

My face feels hot.

As I turned my gaze away to hide my flushed face, she laughed softly.

“Indeed, seeing thee makes me feel good.”

To this continuous attack, I couldn’t regain my composure.