The Aspirations of Princess and Knight
"His heart has grown colder."
In Advanced Nurturing High School, within Class D, Ayanokouji Kiyotaka clapped his hands with great interest, a curious smile playing on his lips, looking quite satisfied. "To show no mercy when ruthlessness is required—now that you've grasped this point, you're becoming more and more delectable."
He resembled an orchardist looking at the most delicious apple, utterly entranced and captivated.
However, there was also a touch of frustration... Hikigaya Hachiman's intellect and emotional intelligence were already formidable, and now he was willing to pull problems up by the roots. Ayanokouji truly worried that if Hachiman continued to grow, he might actually lose.
"I can't afford to slack off either, heh. If he leaves me behind and I don't have the strength to be his rival, things would get quite dull."
For the others in the classroom, the vibe was bizarre... Hirata, who had happened to read a certain type of manga before, felt that the current Ayanokouji looked like a man who had found his ideal partner.
It was terrifying—truly terrifying.
If Ayanokouji had targeted someone else, Hirata might have offered a silent prayer for them. But after watching the other world for so long, Hirata felt a stir of anticipation... If the opponent was Hikigaya Hachiman, perhaps Ayanokouji might actually taste defeat!
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「"Um, Emilia."」
「Having finished the other trivialities on the eve of the Knighting Ceremony, Hikigaya Hachiman was struggling with how to handle his relationship with Emilia. "That day... did you really want to have a baby with me?"」
「"Eh? You're asking about that?" Emilia nodded in surprise. "Do you want to make up for it now? Um, sure, if it's Hachiman. But I don't understand these things very well, so..."」
「"No, no, I don't have that intention—at least not right now." Cold sweat poured down Hachiman's forehead. "I just wanted to... well, you know what having a baby entails, right, Emilia?"」
「Even though he knew Emilia couldn't be that naive, his mind was a mess, and he was just making conversation as a psychological buffer.」
「"Hmm... don't underestimate me. Puck taught me—a person can only have a baby with one person in their whole life, right?"」
「Feeling slighted, Emilia puffed out her cheeks. "If that's the case, then I hope that person is Hachiman. That's what I think. Ah, in common terms, it should be... Like? Yes, I like Hachiman!"」
「Hikigaya Hachiman froze slightly. Though he had grown much more confident, he still felt overwhelmed—and somewhat somber—facing such a direct confession from such a gentle, beautiful girl.」
「"But I like Rem."」
「Emilia tilted her head cutely, asking innocently: "But Hachiman should like me a lot too, right?"」
「"I know that Hachiman always stays quietly with Rem alone, crying sometimes and laughing sometimes. I can see how much Hachiman values Rem."」
「"But Puck taught me, and I also... since Hachiman and Rem don't have a baby yet, it shouldn't matter, right? I'll work hard—work hard to make Hachiman want to have a baby with me, not with Rem. Yes, that's how it is."」
「After speaking, Emilia nodded vigorously like a chick pecking at grain. In her cognition, there was no thought of coexistence with Rem. It was either her or Rem; her concept of a man and a woman having a baby was very clear, leaving no room for a third party.」
「This made Hachiman feel relieved, yet his male subconscious couldn't help but feel a fleeting sense of disappointment.」
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"Well done, Lia!"
On the streets of the Royal Capital, Puck gave a thumbs-up, making Emilia a bit embarrassed... In truth, as someone who originally knew nothing of sex or romance, her future self's words were just copies of Puck's education. She was quite ignorant.
To others, it might look like she was "snatching" a man, but only Emilia knew that her future self didn't have that concept; she simply wanted to be Hachiman's "Number One."
Only now, after watching the future for so long and seeing the actions of Rem and Anastasia, did she have a clear, concrete understanding of these matters.
Before this, her views were very primitive.
On the road to the Royal Capital, Ram, with an unkind look in her eyes, barked out: "Hmph... Vixen!"
She felt unsatisfied even after scolding two of her sisters' rivals at once. Rem didn't stop her; although she knew this day would come, seeing it still made her unhappy.
...Though if Hachiman wanted it, she wouldn't mind being just one of the people he loved, but she would certainly prefer to have him all to herself.
"Go ahead and fight, fight all you want."
On the roof of the manor, Beatrice—who had finally stopped crying—was in high spirits. "In any case, Betty is Hachiman's unique contracted spirit. Whether it's Yukinoshita, Emilia, Anastasia, that little maid, or Crusch... none of them can threaten Betty. Hmph~"
"The more they fight, the more it highlights your stability and happiness, Beatrice." Roswaal pointed out with a smile, genuinely happy for her.
As for his own fate, he didn't say a word. In this regard, he was more philosophical than anyone.
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「"Emilia, you..."」
「Hikigaya Hachiman hesitated, letting out a long sigh... He had realized it too. Emilia didn't have a complete concept of romance or sex; the "like" she spoke of might not be on the exact same frequency as his.」
「But not being on the exact same frequency didn't mean they were completely mismatched.」
「The value, care, protection, and affection this silver-haired girl showed him—that sincere emotion, that incomparable 'Genuine Thing'—he felt it tangibly.」
「"I also... like. I like you too, Emilia."」
「"Mm!" Emilia responded happily.」
「Stroking Emilia's smooth hair, Hachiman sighed inwardly... but he was happy. Truly happy.」
「If it was like this, he wouldn't have to face a choice yet. He wouldn't have to fail Rem, nor would he have to fail Emilia. Even if the day of choosing would eventually come... let that day wait until Rem woke up, and until he had helped Emilia successfully ascend the throne. Let it approach slowly.」
「By then, he would surely be able to make the final choice without suspense or regret.」
「Until then, he had many things to do.」
「Many, many things.」
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