Friendship City Hikari, Mizuhara Kaori’s restaurant, Suiren. Before opening hours, Kaori served tea to Olivia, who had come by early, and then began to speak.

[So, how did it go?]

Kaori had guessed that today’s meeting was about Olivia’s date with Kaito, for which she had consulted with her before. Given that Olivia had mentioned writing to Kaito about it, Kaori suspected that she was here to share his response.

Her guess was mostly accurate…… save for one fatal surprise……

[Yes, I have safely received approval from Miyama Kaito-sama.]

[Congratulations! All that hard work in planning really paid off.]

[I must thank you once again as well…… Now, I’d like to discuss the schedule for this. Mizuhara Kaori, on your days off next month, when would be convenient for you? The extremely benevolent Miyama Kaito-sama has kindly offered to match his availability to yours.]

[…………………………]

Upon hearing Olivia’s words, Kaori froze, as though time itself had stopped. When something entirely unexpected happens, one’s mind can stop before confusion even sets in.

A few seconds passed, and Kaori’s mind finally rebooted, her expression turning pale.

[……A- Arehh? My stomach kinda churns from the danger I’m sensing here…… I- Isn’t this strange? I can’t think of any reason why my availability would matter in this situation…… I have a really bad feeling about this. A very bad feeling…… U- Umm, Olivia-sama? Why are you asking about my schedule……]

[You will also be going on our date, so I’d naturally ask that.]

[Oof…..]

Kaori had no idea how it had come to this, but the undeniable fact alone was enough to make her dizzy.

[Errr, umm…… L- Let me confirm something! We were planning for Olivia-sama and Kaito-kun’s date, right? It was supposed to be just the two of you, wasn’t it?]

[That was indeed the initial plan. However, I overheard Mizuhara Kaori repeatedly saying you’re envious, and I am grateful to you for all your various advice. So, I decided to ask Miyama Kaito-sama if you could accompany us, as a way of showing my appreciation, and he readily agreed. As expected of Miyama Kaito-sama, his generosity truly knows no bounds.]

[………………………….]

Unconsciously, Kaori pressed a hand to her stomach and looked up at the ceiling with a distant gaze. It was the posture she had perfected, honed to its finest form, for enduring stomachaches she had since meeting Kaito.

(……Sure, I did say I was feeling envious. However, that was just about the sweet youth I never had! It’s not like I wanted to intrude on Olivia-sama and Kaito-kun’s date or anything like that!)

She screamed internally, but voicing her thoughts was out of the question. Even though they were close, Olivia was clearly her superior, and there was no way Kaori could refuse a proposal that was undoubtedly made from 100% pure good intentions.

Since Olivia had made the decision, and Kaito had already agreed, refusal was no longer an option. More importantly, in front of Olivia, whose devotion to Kaito was boundless, rejecting any form of kindness from Kaito would be…… terrifying even to think about.

Thus, with no escape in sight, Kaori’s participation was practically confirmed.

[……Umm…… About that…… just to clarify, with me joining, it’ll be just Kaito-kun as the guy with the two of us girls, right? That’s kinda……]

[Unn? Isn’t that a perfectly normal date arrangement?]

[Oh, right! That’s pretty common in this woooooorld!]

Kaori attempted a small resistance, wondering if Olivia had any issue with her intruding on her date with Kaito. However, in this world, polygamy was the norm, and it wasn’t unusual for a man to go on a date with multiple women at the same time.

[……Alright then…… Let’s go with this date.]

[Understood. I’ll inform Miyama Kaito-sama.]

Resigned to her fate, Kaori, with a distant gaze, gave her preferred date. As she wondered whether she should go shopping for clothes or get her hair done, a dry smile appeared on her lips.

<Afterword>

Serious-senpai : [As expected of the Stomachache Supernova……]

Makina : [A date between my beloved child and another one of my children? This is an absolute win for me!!! I’m sure it’ll be a precious sight filled with healing energy I’d get to watch…… Even though there’s this Olivia hindrance…… Well, since she’s devotedly worshiping my beloved child, I’ll let it slide.]