The morning sun, which Rito usually found comforting, now felt like a harsh interrogation lamp.
He walked into the kitchen, his body humming with a pleasant, exhausted ache, his mind replaying the night's events in a vivid, blush-inducing loop.
He was so lost in the memory that he almost didn't notice Run — who had woken up an hour before him, "too excited to sleep" — come up behind him.
She didn't just say good morning. She wrapped her arms around his waist from behind, pressing her front flush against his back, and kissed the nape of his neck.
"Good morning, Rito-kun~♡" she chirped, her voice giddy.
Lala, already at the table eating a piece of dangerously glowing toast, clapped her hands. "Yay! Good morning, Wife #2!"
The sound of a metal spatula clanging against a cast-iron skillet echoed from the stove.
Mikan didn't turn around. Her shoulders were rigid.
"Rito." she said, her voice dangerously calm. "I see you and Run-san... talked... properly."
Rito took a deep breath. There was no point in lying, not with the Golden Heart Seal that was almost certainly glowing with residual affection on Run's stomach, and not with the "Harem Plan" out in the open.
"Yeah, Mikan. We did." Rito said, his voice steady, even as he untangled himself from Run's embrace.
Run, emboldened by her new status, just giggled and grabbed a plate. As she reached up for a cup, her t-shirt, one of Rito's old ones she'd "borrowed" from his closet, rode up, revealing the new, faint golden heart pulsing on her lower abdomen.
Mikan, who had finally turned around, saw it.
Her eyes, cold and sharp, locked onto the mark. Her knuckles, gripping the spatula, were white.
She looked from the seal on Run's skin to Rito's face.
"I see." Mikan said, her voice flat. "So that's... the 'proof'. Another one. You're... collecting them now, Rito."
The quiet, simmering jealousy in her voice was so thick Rito could almost taste it.
"Mikan…" Rito started, his new "brave" persona fumbling.
"Just... eat your breakfast." Mikan snapped, turning back to the stove. "You're going to be late. You wouldn't want to keep your... wives... waiting, would you?"
…
At Sainan High School.
The gossip about the drone attack and Rito's "trophy" heroics was the talk of the school, but Run was determined to replace it with something bigger.
At lunch, she grabbed Rito's hand, and Lala's, and marched them directly to the table where Haruna, Yui, Risa, and Mio were sitting.
"H-Hi, Yuuki-kun, Lala-san, Run-chan…" Haruna stammered, her face already pink, her eyes darting between the three of them.
"Yuuki Rito!" Yui snapped, her clipboard already out. "Your blatant destruction of school property yesterday was—"
"He's my boyfriend now, too!"
Run announced, her voice bright and clear, cutting through the courtyard noise.
Silence.
Yui froze, her pen hovering over the paper. Haruna's face, which had been pink, went pale.
Risa's jaw dropped. "Wait... 'too'?"
Mio leaned in, her eyes gleaming. "Lala-san, are you okay with this? Is this, like, an open relationship?"
Yui finally found her voice. "'Too'?! W-what do you mean, 'too'?! Yuuki, Lala is your fiancée! This is... this is bigamy! It's... it's illegal! It's the height of SHAMELESSNESS!"
Lala, who had been happily eating a strange, purple-colored sandwich, finally looked up.
"Oh, that's okay, Yui-chan!" Lala said, as if explaining something obvious. "Earth's rules are so old-fashioned! Rito is my husband, which means he's going to be the King of the Galaxy! And the King of Deviluke is supposed to have lots and lots of wives to spread love all over the universe!"
Lala beamed, patting Rito's back. "This is the Harem Plan! Run-chan is officially Wife #2! I'm so happy for them!"
The information bomb landed.
Yui's entire worldview, built on the rigid, unshakeable rules of Japanese society, shattered into a million pieces. "H-H-Harem... P-Plan...?" she stammers, her body trembling. "King... of the... Galaxy...?"
Risa and Mio were ecstatic. "A real harem?"
Risa shrieked, her eyes sparkling. "Like, for real?"
Mio was already calculating.
"So... Rito-kun... are applications for 'Wife #3' open? Or is there, like, a waiting list?"
"RISA! MIO!"
Rito shouted, his face supernova-red.
But his shout was drowned out by Yui, who finally hit her limit.
"P-POLYGAMY... IN MY SCHOOL...?!" she shrieked, her eyes rolling back in her head. "IN... DE... CENT...!"
She crumpled to the ground in a dead faint, her clipboard clattering beside her.
Haruna just stared at Rito, her eyes wide and glistening, her heart audibly breaking. Before Rito could say a word, she grabbed her bag and ran, disappearing into the school building.
Rito watched her go, a sharp pang of guilt cutting through his "Harem Plan" confidence.
'Oh. Right. The plan... it's... it's going to hurt people, isn't it?'
Lala just patted his shoulder. "Don't worry, Rito. She'll understand eventually! She'll probably be Wife #3!"
…
"Sairenji!" Rito called out, taking a step to follow her, his heart twisting with guilt.
"Don't worry, Rito, I got this!" Risa said, already scooping up Yui's clipboard. "Mio and I will take Kote-cchi to the nurse's office. You go... console your future third wife!"
"That's not—! Ugh!" Rito groaned, his face in his hands. His "plan" had seemed so simple in his head, but the reality of it, the emotions, was like a minefield.
"Rito-kun?" Run said, her voice small. The victory from her announcement was gone, replaced by confusion. "Did... did I do something wrong?"
"No, Run-chan, you were great!" Lala insisted, pulling them both into a hug. "She's just shy! We'll add her to the plan later!"
Before Rito could even begin to process this, a new voice — smooth, professional, and amplified by a small megaphone — cut through the courtyard chatter.
"Excuse me, students of Sainan High! May I have your attention, please!"
A woman Rito had never seen before was standing near the school gate. She was sharp, dressed in a sleek business suit, with sunglasses pushed up on her head. She looked completely out of place, and she was flanked by two men holding camera equipment.
"My name is Ms. Shitori, and I am a talent scout for Galaxy Star Productions." the woman announced. The entire courtyard, which had been buzzing about Rito's harem, went silent.
'Galaxy Star Productions?' Rito thought.
'Wait... this is...'
His meta-knowledge clicked. This wasn't just a school club. This was the real deal.
"We are holding impromptu, open auditions right now for Sainan's hidden gems!"
Ms. Shitori continued.
"We are looking for the next great idol! If you have what it takes, if you have a voice that can move the stars, step right up!"
A small, excited crowd of girls began to form.
Rito felt a tug on his sleeve. He looked down. Run was staring at the scout, her hot pink eyes wide with a new, dawning realization.
"Rito-kun…" she whispered, her voice trembling. "An… an idol…"
This was it. Rito knew it. This was Run's dream. "Run?" he said, his voice soft.
"On the roof… at the sports day…" she mumbled, her hands clenching at her sides. "I… I said I wanted to be famous… for you."
She looked up at him, her face a mask of sudden, fierce determination. "Rito-kun, this is it! If I become an idol... I can sing my love for you to the whole galaxy!"
Lala bounced, her tail swishing. "That's a great idea, Run-chan! You can be the Harem Plan's official spokesperson!"
"Lala, maybe not that last part." Rito said quickly. He gently squeezed Run's hand. "Run... you should do it. I know you can."
He'd known, from his "dreams", that this was her path. But seeing her choose it, right here, right now, for him... it made his heart swell with a strange pride.
"O-Okay!" Run said, her face set. She let go of his hand, took a deep breath, and marched straight toward the talent scout.
"Excuse me!" Run called out.
Ms. Shitori turned, raising an eyebrow at the green-haired girl. "Yes? Can I help you?"
"I… I want to audition! My name is Run Elsie Jewelria!"
The scout looked her up and down, her expression unreadable. "Jewelria? From Memorze? Well... that's a pedigree. But can you sing, princess?"
Run, now the center of attention of the entire courtyard, took a deep breath. She didn't ask for a microphone. She didn't need one.
She closed her eyes, thought of Rito's face, of their night together, of the Golden Heart Seal that was a warm, secret weight on her stomach.
And she sang.
It wasn't a pop song. It was a simple, clear, achingly beautiful melody. Her voice, no longer split by Ren's harshness, was pure, powerful, and filled with a raw, undeniable emotion — a desperate, joyful longing that echoed across the silent courtyard.
Rito felt a shiver go down his spine. She was... incredible.
When the last note faded, the courtyard was dead silent.
Ms. Shitori slowly, deliberately, pushed her sunglasses down from her head and onto her nose, her professional mask cracking into a slow, wide, predatory smile.
"...Well…" the scout said, her voice dripping with sudden, intense interest. "It seems we've found our gem. Run Elsie Jewelria... how would you like to be a star?"
*****
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