Breakfast out of bed

Sunlight began to fill the room and get into Kouji's eyes. Reluctantly, he opened them up as he awoken. There was an emptiness in front of him, as the girl he was sleeping next to seemed to have vanished. Did she leave already? Obviously not, so perhaps she had made a trip for the toilet? That answer seemed more likely as he gently got out of the entanglement that was the other girls.

Silently, the boy left his room to go look for Yuma. The others seemed to be sleeping peacefully, so he didn't want to wake any of them up. Plus he really wanted to spend a little more alone time with her, since she was the one that had the least amount of time with him so far. However, there was no light coming from the hallway bathroom, so unless she was the type of pee in the dark, it was empty.

As he headed towards the stairs, Kouji heard the sizzling and cracking of food on the pan. He walked down to see her diligently working in the kitchen to prepare breakfast for all of them.

"Good morning." He said to draw her attention. She had been so focused on cooking that she hadn't noticed him walking into the kitchen. "I see you've been up early."

"Good morning." She responded. "I'm just… Making fried rice." It wasn't only that. The girl had also gotten some toast made with strawberry jam spread across the top. There also appeared to be something inside the oven being baked as well.

"Is that pie?"

"You had some... Leftover fruit." She confirmed his suspicions. "It looked like... They had been there… For a while... So I hope you don't mind…"

"If it's you cooking, then use whatever you like." He laughed. If she really became his wife, then he knew that there would never be a single wasted meal made by her. Considering all the other girls, Anastasia included, none of them appeared able to cook. Certainly not as well as Yuma.

"It should be... Done soon…" She informed him. "Perhaps… The others?" When it was ready, surely the others would love a bite to eat in the morning.

"Maybe just a little longer." He knew that when they were awake, everyone was going to be occupying his time. Right now, the boy wanted to spend a little bit of alone time with Yuma. Not with anything lewd as they were in the kitchen. Instead, he wanted to have a good conversation with her, even if she was really slow with words.

"You wish… To talk to me?"

"Of course. I mean, this whole situation is so crazy." He pointed towards the harem. Even after some time to process it, as well as a good night with everyone. Kouji still felt like this was all some kind of strange dream he should be waking up from. "I just can't believe you all are in love with me."

"It's no… Surprise." She responded. "You're a real… Special boy." To her, she would've been shocked if only one of them held any feelings. There were plenty of alluring traits to him. His heart cared for those around him, even if he had to suffer for it. There was also his pride that kept him reluctant to accept any financial gain from them. That meant a lot to girl that were wealthy thanks to their parents. None of them had to be concerned about him being after their money.

Of course, there was also his rather attractive body. Himawari, Teru, and Waa would most likely deny it, but even when none of them loved him. They all believed him to be a handsome boy. The word hot might even be used to describe him. After all, there was a reason that Yuma planned up the sauna idea beyond just trying to convince him to stay.

"I guess you could say my room is special then." He meant his statement in a self deprecating fashion. "It's small, but it's one of our only ways to not have to worry about being caught."

"It is… A shame." She replied. "Personally… I don't mind..."

"Yeah, it's just what it is. I mean..." He paused when he saw her mouth opening again. It became clear that he had been impatient and didn't want for her to finish her thought.

"N-no…" She slowly cut him off. "I mean… I don't mind… If everyone knew…"

"What?" Kouji didn't expect this coming from her. "But, a lot of people would talk about it."

"...I don't care." She declared. "I only care… About loving you." The boy stood speechless at how bold she was being. Her speech didn't end there either. "And… I know that she… Anastasia loves you too." They were all blindsided by her reveal of being engaged. So much so, that Yuma didn't really believe it. What was told to her that night when they played idol had to have been the truth. Why else would that girl have told her those things?

"Whether she loves me or loves me not, it doesn't matter now." He argued. "She's got someone she's promised to marry. Even if she met me and started to see me more than a friend, it doesn't negate that."

"True..." She conceded his point. "...But… Is that why… You are hesitant?" Coming from her, it was hard to argue against her taking note of his emotional state. She really was a lot more perceptive than she seemed.

"I already have all of you." He admitted his problem. Was he really so selfish to come between an engaged couple? The boy already had four other girls that loved him. Some people were lucky just to get one, so what made him so special? The worst part was that none of them were able to be open about it. Partially because of their own pride, but also because of his worry about outsiders judging them. Was it really to protect their reputations given their positions, or was it really because he didn't want to be judged as well?

The last words that Anastasia said to him echoed in his mind. 'You shouldn't let them hide away their feelings'. That was exactly what he was doing to all of them. Love like theirs… It can't flourish if it has to remain in the confines of his room. That's what she was trying to tell him.

"I think that… You've figured it out." Yuma smiled, sensing the change in him. "So… Maybe skip breakfast?"

***

"Ahh…" Teru yawned as they all headed down the stairs. "That was a nice sleep."

"Speak for yourself." Himawari complained. "How anyone can get rest on the cold, hard floor is beyond me." She tried to rub her back in a futile attempt to massage away the pain.

"I had such a hard time falling to sleep." Being able to touch Kouji the way she did, as well as all view to be enjoyed from him. Waa was feeling a little bit of an itch. "When I get back home, I gotta do some exploring."

"Exploring what?" Teru asked.

"Hey, where's Kouji?" Himawari asked as they reached the bottom of the steps. The only person in the kitchen was Yuma, who had plated up all the food neatly for them. Since they had passed the bathroom, they all knew he was there.

"He had… Something important…" Yuma answered.

***

The place that Kouji found himself in was the lobby of Anastasia's apartment once again. This time, he stood quietly alone for a while, trying to hype himself up for the confrontation. What he was going to say to her were going to be the most important words in his life.

"Hello." Finally, he approached the person running the lobby. "I'm here to see Anastasia."

"Sorry, but you can't." This was the first time that person had rejected him from doing so. Especially after what was told to him yesterday.

"Look, I know it's early in the morning." Kouji pleaded his case. Surely it was because of the timing that probably caused some concern. "But it's really important."

"Sir."

"No, please listen." He continued on. "Soon she'll be married off. I can't let that happen."

"Please listen to me."

"And it sounds crazy, but I just don't think that she's in love with the guy."

"Can you please listen?"

"He looks really nice, her whole family does. So that's why it's hard for me-"

"She's not here!" The person got impatient from having to hear this speech he didn't care for.

"She's not? But, it's so early." Someone her age would typically not have anywhere to go at this time of day. "When's she coming back."

"Not for at least a few weeks." They told him. "Her family came and they left for their flight back to Russia."