[Stage 5-3] Love, Prayers, and a Present
……What in the world is this situation?
I’m surrounded by Mashiro and the others at the entrance hall.
“Nooo~! I will stay at the mansion~!”
I watch as Celishia, trying to escape from the carriage, is held back by Mother.
After reporting the arrival of the Demon Dragon to the Vellet territory, Father and Mother discussed the matter and decided to return to the empire immediately, taking Celishia with them.
Mother and Father concluded that the empire would be safer for Celishia .
Besides, with the battle against Flone drawing near, there was no other choice.
It’s a shame that Celishia and Mother had to return to the empire right after coming here, but…
Father also left for the royal capital yesterday to report the Demon Dragon’s existence to His Majesty, leaving only us in the mansion.
……And now, here we are.
After seeing off my family, I step through the entrance—only to be surrounded by Mashiro and the others.
For some reason, they all smell freshly bathed, carrying a pleasant fragrance.
As they close in on me, the sweet scent tickles my nose, growing stronger and more intoxicating.
This is bad…! Starting the morning like this is very bad…!
I have no idea what they want from me as they stare silently with fiery gazes.
“……What’s wrong, everyone?”
“Ouga-kun……”
“Y-Yeah?”
“Here! Take this!”
What Mashiro thrusts toward me with great enthusiasm is…… a bracelet?
But unlike an ordinary one, the fragments of stones strung on the cord are irregular in shape.
Some resemble rings, others are shaped like leaves… Wait, is that a feather? There’s also an envelope-like piece… and the last one, I can’t even tell what it is.
But each fragment seems deeply tied to Mashiro and the others’ pasts.
Every piece is slightly rough, nothing like the polished goods sold at market stalls. Yet, their awkward shapes don’t come from carelessness—rather, you can tell they were made with great effort.
As the eldest son of a ducal family, I at least have enough aesthetic sense to recognize that.
“……Did you… make these yourselves?”
Mashiro’s face instantly blooms into a radiant smile.
Looks like I guessed right.
“I knew Ouga-kun would understand!”
Overcome with joy, Mashiro hugs me tightly.
Wait—not just Mashiro. Behind her, Karen is fidgeting eagerly, so when I spread my arms, she immediately jumps in.
Mashiro gets squished between Karen’s chest and mine, but judging by the happy noises she’s making, she’s fine.
With that, I glance at the older girls for an explanation.
“Actually, we all decided to give Ouga-kun a present… Since a fierce battle awaits you, we wanted to do whatever we could to help.”
“So we gathered items that symbolized the bonds between us and Ouga-sama, then recreated them with Yueri’s help.”
“In the end, I only gave them a few pointers—they did all the work themselves. They barely even slept.”
Yueri lets out a big yawn.
No wonder they all look like they just got out of the bath, even though it’s so early.
“We know you have an important promise to keep later, Ouga-kun, so we wanted to give this to you before then… Did our feelings reach you?”
“……Yeah. With this, there’s no way I could lose.”
I clench the bracelet resting in my palm.
With this, I feel like I could take on a hundred—no, a thousand enemies. I could defeat anyone.
“Right. Since we’re at it, why doesn’t someone put it on me? Might bring me even more luck that way.”
“Me, me! I’ll do it!”
A cheerful voice and arm suddenly emerge from between me and Karen.
“……Well, Mashiro was the one who started this. I’ll let her have this one.”
“I suppose we have no choice.”
“Ehehe, thank you! Okay, Ouga-kun, let me borrow this for a sec?”
Mashiro takes the bracelet from my hand and cradles it gently, as if handling a treasure.
Her posture is almost like she’s offering a prayer.
“……There, all set…… Would everyone else like to pour their feelings into it too?”
No one here would refuse Mashiro’s suggestion.
One by one, they each clasp the bracelet in their palms just like she did.
Maybe because we’ve all been holding back our feelings for so long, lately, we’ve been more open with physical contact—without embarrassment.
It’s a little embarrassing, sure, but the warmth of affection easily overpowers it. I guess this is what people mean by “lovebirds.”
Finally, the bracelet is passed back from Yueri to Mashiro, then safely fastened around my left wrist.
“It’s a bracelet packed full of our love! We all prayed for Ouga-kun to come back safely… So take good care of it, okay?”
“With this, I know I’ll make it back. Thank you, everyone.”
I gently stroke the new treasure on my wrist.
It still carries the faint warmth of their hands, proof of how much love they poured into it.
“Oh, right.”
Just as I take a breath, Reina steps closer, as if remembering something.
“Ouga-kun, there’s one more thing I forgot to give you.”
“Huh? There’s more?”
“Yes. A very important charm.”
Saying this, she takes my hand and presses her lips against the bracelet.
Chu. A soft sound.
The action was so natural that it took me a full ten seconds to process what just happened.
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“Re-Reina!?”
“Fufu~ Now the bracelet’s first kiss belongs to me. That makes its power ten times stronger.”
“I-I mean, maybe! But—!”
Behind her, the other girls are radiating anger—wait, what?
At a time like this, I’d expect Mashiro to be puffing up her cheeks in protest… but she’s not here.
When I glance around, I see her leaning against Karen, fast asleep.
“Mashiro has been waking up early and working nonstop. She pulled an all-nighter, so her energy’s completely drained.”
Reina giggles at my panicked reaction.
Seems like she planned this all along.
Knowing the Reina from before, I’m just happy to see her laughing. Still, I can’t just let her have the last laugh—that’s not like me.
……If she’s playing this game, then I’ll play too.
“Reina.”
“Sorry, I might’ve teased you a little too—eep!”
The moment I call her name, her face turns toward me in surprise.
Taking advantage of the opening, I plant a kiss on her cheek.
Reina slowly traces the spot with her fingers… and her face turns beet red.
“Huh? Reina, are you blushing~?”
“……Ouga-kun, could you… step back a little?”
“I’ll move if you show me that embarrassed face of yours.”
“……N-Not now… Please…”
She desperately tries to hide her face, pushing me away weakly.
But her flustered strength is no match for me.
“Ah… D-Don’t look…”
Her ears burning red and eyes teary, Reina wears an expression that stirs something mischievous inside me.
……This is getting dangerous! I feel like I’m about to cross a line!
Normally, someone would interrupt us at this point.
But our feelings—and our resolve—have grown stronger than before. I was the only one who hadn’t fully realized it.
“……Next is me, right?”
“Karen!?”
“Because… I want to kiss Ouga too! We’re going to be married soon, so it’s fine, right?”
“W-Well… Yeah.”
Instead of outright refusing, I consider her words carefully… and she’s right.
There’s no rule in this world saying we can’t kiss before marriage.
Besides, after kissing Reina, it wouldn’t be fair to refuse Karen and the others.
I already made up my mind, didn’t I?
Not dividing a hundred loves into four—but giving each of them a hundred loves of their own.
“Alright… Here goes.”
“Mm…!”
I tilt Karen’s chin up and lean in.
She squeezes her eyes shut, her shoulders tense with nervousness.
……Seeing her this flustered only makes her more endearing… What an uncharacteristic thought. I press a kiss to her cheek.
“～～～～っ!”
“……Was that okay, Karen?”
“Hnn! Hnn!”
She frantically hides her face behind her hair, but her crimson cheeks are still visible—
especially with her hair being red too.
“Okay, okay! Next is me, I think!”
“M-Mashiro!? Weren’t you just asleep!?”
“I have a built-in sensor for kiss vibes! C’mon, hurry! I’m waiting!”
Awakened by some mysterious function, Mashiro charges forward with energy unbecoming of someone who just woke up.
But before she can reach me, Alice cuts in.
“O-Ouga-sama! I’ve heard it’s tradition for wives to kiss their husbands before they depart! S-Since I’ll be your bride too, I need to practice…!”
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