World of Elicia.
Regulus Empire.
In a village - Village Square.
[***]
Mukuro approached Aiden, who had Kurumi sitting on his lap and Nia to his right.
Without saying anything, Mukuro settled on his left and showed him a dish she had with her.
"Nushi-sama, Muku helped the villagers cook, and I brought you some," said Mukuro, feeding Aiden naturally.
"Delicious..." Aiden commented, enjoying the bite.
The dish contained a meat that tasted like roasted chicken, accompanied by some vegetables.
"Muku-chin, didn't you bring anything for me?" Nia asked with a smile, expecting an affirmative answer.
"No..., this dish Muku made especially for Nushi-sama," Mukuro replied softly, shaking her head. "If you want, you can go get some. I prepared plenty with the villagers."
Nia pouted. "Aren't older sisters supposed to take care of their younger sisters? Give me some!"
Mukuro, as the first to wake up, had naturally become the older sister.
However, she shook her head and remained firm. "No! This is specially for Nushi-sama. And you always use the 'older sister' excuse when it suits you, so no."
"Tsk," Nia clicked her tongue, a little frustrated.
"Alright, alright, no fighting," Aiden intervened, amused and speechless at the scene.
"What were you talking about?" Mukuro asked, changing the topic while continuing to feed Aiden.
"We were talking with Danna-sama about why we're so sure that our sisters, who still haven't woken up, are all girls," summarized Kurumi.
"Oh..., yes, for some reason Muku feels that too. Maybe it's instinct?" Mukuro tilted her head, thoughtful.
"And we were also talking about marrying Danna-sama when everyone wakes up," added Kurumi, causing Mukuro's eyes to widen.
"That's an excellent idea! Marrying... jejejejeje..." Mukuro lost herself in her own imagination.
They continued chatting and laughing about their future wedding, while Aiden listened in silence, smiling.
'Who would have thought I'd ever have a harem, and I love them so much…' Aiden thought, looking at each of the girls around him.
He never imagined having a harem, but now that he had spent so much time with them, he couldn't imagine life without their laughter and company.
At that moment, Miku, after finishing singing a song, approached Aiden.
Kurumi, guessing the reason for Miku's arrival, got off Aiden's lap, a little disappointed, but decided to give her the chance.
"Darling, sing some songs with me. We can also dance," Miku said, taking Aiden's hand and making him stand up.
"Wait, wait, not so fast. I'm not going anywhere," he sighed, following her as she dragged him excitedly.
Nia, Mukuro, and Kurumi watched them leave to sing, with ironic smiles on their faces.
Tohka, who had just finished eating, approached them and, seeing Miku preparing to dance, exclaimed:
"I want to dance with Aiden too!"
Nia looked at her, amused.
"But you don't even know how to dance. The only thing you know is eating and eating with that bottomless pit you have in your stomach," Nia said, causing Tohka to look at her offended, but before she could respond, another voice joined in the joke.
"That's right, Tohka-san, a girl should be a little more refined," commented Kurumi, laughing.
Veins appeared on Tohka's forehead. Noticing the teasing, she decided to strike back at those girls.
"Shut up! Idiots, idiots! There's nothing wrong with eating a lot. Aiden likes to see me eat; he says my happiness is his happiness. Besides, I prefer eating a lot than being a huge pervert like you," she said, throwing her outburst even at Mukuro.
Meanwhile, a little girl listening to the conversation from afar asked her mother:
"Mom, what's a pervert?"
The poor mother had black lines appear on her head from embarrassment.
"Honey, you're still too young to know about those things, okay?" she replied, petting her head before quickly walking away from those "perverted women."
At the same time, a group of villagers murmured in the distance.
"Hero-sama has a harem... kuuu... how envious!!" one groaned, almost crying silently.
"Well, if I looked like that, I would go after many women too," added another, until he noticed how all his friends were backing away from him with looks of panic.
The man understood immediately and knew he was doomed.
"She's behind me, isn't she?" he asked, trembling.
His friends nodded, and he felt a hand on his shoulder.
Slowly, he turned his head and looked at his wife, who said, with a deadly smile:
"Oh... can you repeat what you said about looking for women, but this time in front of me?"
A man died that night.
[*]
"Who's the pervert!?" Mukuro responded, surprised that Tohka had attacked her too, especially since she hadn't participated in the teasing.
"Hmph! So, who is it that steals Aiden's clothes, sneaks to his room, starts smelling them, and then you hear moans and your voice repeating his name over and over?" Tohka retorted, without stopping.
'How does she know that!?' Mukuro wished the earth would open up and swallow her in embarrassment.
"That's true," murmured Nia and Kurumi, both with amused smiles.
"At least... deny it," Mukuro could only cover her face with her long golden hair, trying to hide.
"But it's the truth. At least you could put up a barrier so the sounds of your private activities don't leave the room," Kurumi commented, taking the chance to tease her little sister.
"Hehe~, it's as if you want Aiden-kun to hear you and come to your room to 'punish' you. Muku-chin is very lewd," Nia laughed.
Mukuro, blushing with embarrassment, stopped hiding behind her hair and shot a contemptuous look at Kurumi and Nia.
"Hmph! If an innocent girl like Tohka says something like that, I can accept it and stay quiet, but you two!? You're worse than Muku!" Mukuro exploded, pointing at both of them accusingly.
Nia and Kurumi fell silent, unable to respond.
"Hmmm, what a lovely song," murmured Nia, trying to ignore Mukuro and change the subject.
Aiden and Miku's singing voice could be heard in the background.
"Yes, Danna-sama and Miku-san sing very well," added Kurumi, playing along.
"Don't try to change the subject!" Mukuro continued arguing, not letting them off the hook.
Tohka watched them, realizing she had gotten them to fight among themselves, and knew she had won.
"Anyway, I'm going to ask Aiden to teach me how to dance," Tohka decided.
She walked toward Aiden and Miku, who were finishing their song, as the villagers clapped and cheered.
—Applause! Applause! Applause!
"They're amazing!"
"I've never heard such a beautiful song or voice, I wish more people could hear them," the villagers exclaimed in awe and admiration.
Miku, radiant, smiled at the audience.
"Thank you for listening to me and Darling!" she said, happy to have shared that moment with Aiden.
"Onee-chan has a very pretty voice," commented some children who had gathered around her.
Miku nodded with a smile, but when she saw Tohka approaching Aiden, she let him go and prepared to sing alone.
At that moment, Tohka took Aiden's hand and led him to a more secluded spot, away from the curious gazes of the villagers.
"Tohka, did you enjoy the food?" Aiden asked, allowing himself to be led without resistance.
"Yes! The villagers were very kind, they gave me a lot of meat, some sweets, and even vegetables," she replied with a big smile, excitedly telling him everything she had eaten.
Aiden smiled at how happy she was, feeling that joy spreading to him as well.
However, Tohka looked at him shyly before confessing:
"Aiden... it's not just for that that I brought you here. Could you teach me how to dance?" she asked hesitantly.
"Eh? Tohka wants to learn how to dance?" he pretended to be surprised, raising an eyebrow.
She puffed up her cheeks and gave him a small tap on the chest.
"Isn't it okay?" she murmured.
"Haha~. I was just kidding," he replied, laughing softly.
"Will you really teach me?" Tohka insisted, her excitement barely contained.
"Of course, all for my gluttonous princess," Aiden assured her.
"Really? Really?" she repeated, like a broken record, overwhelmed with emotion.
"Yes, right here," he answered, taking her hands as they began to move to the rhythm.
At that moment, Miku's voice rose, soft and enchanting in the distance:
(Music: Trust in you/sweet ARMS).
"I'll never give up on the feelings that are awakening~♫"
Aiden brought his body close to Tohka, placing his hands on her hips as they began to dance together.
"When you talk to me, when you touch me, when you laugh~♫"
Although Tohka was clumsy, Aiden patiently guided her, laughing at how adorable she looked with each hesitant step.
"It's the first time I've been so honest~♫"
Over time, they became immersed in the melody, letting the harmony and rhythm carry them, as Tohka wore a radiant smile.
"I think I want to be by your side since I met you~♫"
"I want to trust you, Date A Live~♫."
When the song ended, they stayed embraced in silence, gazing into each other's eyes under the starry sky.
Aiden gently lifted Tohka's chin and, with a kiss on the lips, sealed that magical moment between them.
"I love you," Aiden whispered as he wrapped his arms around her.
"I love you too..." Tohka hid her face in Aiden's chest, hugging him tightly.
"But I love you more~," he said playfully.
"That's a lie, I love you more!" she protested, determined to compete.
Aiden just laughed softly. "I know."
"B-bastard!" Tohka exclaimed, pretending to be angry and raising a fist to hit him.
He burst out laughing, and, still holding hands, they returned to the other girls.
Miku had just finished her song and was already there with them, smiling as she saw the scene.
Nia, who had been watching quietly, set her gaze on Tohka's slightly swollen lips and commented teasingly:
"And the pervert was me, huh?"
Mukuro nodded without saying anything, but with a knowing smile.
"Sh-shut up!" Tohka protested, embarrassed and wishing she could hit Nia right then.
After bidding farewell to the villagers, Aiden, Mukuro, Nia, Kurumi, Miku, and Tohka returned home through a portal.
[***]
End of chapter.
(•_•)
A/N:
In the next chapter, Aiden will awaken all the <Divine Authorities> along with the Egos.
An army will invade this world, and Aiden will defend it while fulfilling the 100-year pact he made with Yog-Sothoth.
Then, he will finally go to another world.
Although I enjoyed writing Aiden's progress (though I didn't do much), it's not like I'll miss writing about this world.
Anyway, Tohka is very cute.
I said I would post Aiden's level 6 status here, but I created an auxiliary chapter where it's listed, you can go check it out if you want.
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[You can insert waifu images here if you want]←
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Thank you for reading~!