"Okay, knock it off. I'm hungry," Rin said, her eyes beginning to well up.
"Wait, are you actually crying?" Yuzuki asked, caught off guard.
"She always cries when she's hungry," Miss Yurin explained with a knowing smile. "She did the exact same thing when we first met."
"Oh! Well, Akiro and his friends are hungry too," the Queen announced. "Maids! Go and prepare something delicious for us at once!"
The command sent the maids scurrying toward the kitchen to begin dinner.
"B-but, we already cooked a few things..." Ai stammered.
"My apologies," the Queen replied gracefully, "but tonight, you will be dining with us."
Kagatari looked down, a flicker of disappointment crossing her face. "But... we put so much love into what we made."
Seeing their downcast expressions, I stepped in to cheer them up. "Don't worry! I'll eat what you prepared too!"
At that, Ai and Kagatari beamed, their sadness instantly replaced by bright smiles as they thanked me.
Rin looked at me, skeptical. "But... how can you possibly eat that much food all by yourself?"
"Don't worry about it," I said with a wink. "I can handle a little extra for my companions."
"Wow, Yuzuki, your groom is certainly becoming more attentive to his brides!" Tsukiko teased.
Yuzuki's face turned crimson. "Oh, Mom! Just how many girls is he going to marry?!"
"He's going to marry me," the Queen stated flatly.
"What?!" Ame, Kagatari, and Tsukiko shouted in unison, their faces twisting with sudden irritation.
"Hey! Stop this nonsense!" Rin interrupted, putting an end to the bickering.
Meanwhile, Charolina was chatting with the sixth princess, and the fifth princess, Maki, sat upon her throne. I noticed Maki blushing as she looked at the girls, but she quickly looked away when she realized I was watching.
"Hey! What are you all talking about?" Natsumi asked, noticing the group huddled together.
Sachiko tried to play it cool. "Oh, it's nothing, really. Just talking about our lives."
"A good idea! But... I feel like you're hiding something from me," Kaori teased, narrowing her eyes.
"N-no! Why would you think that, Mom?" Kaori protested.
"Alright, let's chat a bit while the maids finish," Ohana suggested. "By the way, how many maids are in this castle?"
"About thirty," the first princess replied.
"Oh my! And..." Miss Yurin's eyes widened as we talked about things from my world—trains, planes, television, and manga. We even showed them some of the items we had in the mansion. They were absolutely floored by our world's "accessories."
Later, when they saw our bathroom, they were eager to try it out, but Miss Yurin stopped them, suggesting they wait until the next day. They reluctantly agreed.
As we headed back to the castle, Sachiko's eyes landed on a pile of laundry. "What are those short cloths? The triangular ones and the ones that look like masks?"
"Where?" Rin asked.
"Ooh! What are they?" Natsumi added, leaning in.
Charolina picked one up with her fingertips. Before she could ask, I blurted out the answer. "That's a bra. It's for... uh... preventing bouncing. It blocks the bounce of a girl's boobs, even though they still move a bit."
The girls stared at the garment, stunned.
"Whoa! And this triangle-shaped one?" Natsumi asked.
"That's a pair of panties," I replied, feeling the heat rise in my neck. "It's... well... for your lower body. That's it."
"Oh! I didn't know that! Does anyone else?" Miss Yurin asked. All the girls shook their heads, their eyes wide with surprise.
"So what the heck is this?!" Akane shouted, holding up another item.
"We just told you! It's what girls wear on their lower bodies!" Rin snapped, her face turning red.
"Oh my... do you have more? We want to try them!" Natsumi exclaimed.
"Yeah! My mom's in this mansion, and she has 150 pairs of undies!" I replied.
The group gasped. "150?!" Tsukiko asked, shocked. "Is that just your mom's?"
"Yes, she loves shopping for them," Ai added.
A few minutes later, Ai emerged from the dressing room. "Here they come!"
They all stepped out, blushing furiously—except for Charolina. We all felt the blood rushing to our noses. The royal curves are incredible! I screamed internally.
"W-huh? Did you say something?" Rin asked, wiping a stray drop of blood from her own nose.
"No," I managed to squeak out.
"Are we looking okay, Akiro-san?" Sachiko asked.
"You look... gorgeous! All eight of you could beat Tsukiko and Rin!"
"Wow! Thank you, Akiro!" Natsumi cheered, running toward me. As she moved, the lack of support was very apparent. I realized something was about to happen—and then it did. She tripped, and I found myself suddenly enveloped in a very tight, very soft hug.
My nose bled for the second time. I'm gonna die! I screamed as my vision blurred and I passed out.
I didn't know how much time had passed. When I finally opened my eyes, my senses slowly returned. I found Miss Yurin and the others sitting around me; I was lying on a bed in the same room where Rin and I had intended to sleep.
"Ahiro! You're awake! Thank God!" the Queen exclaimed, her voice full of relief and affection.
Before I could say anything, a beautiful maid with brown hair and a yellow kimono entered. She bowed toward the Queen. "Queen Natsumi, dinner is ready."
"Oh! Let's go!" Natsumi said, pulling me by the arm.
We all headed back toward the main part of the castle. The maid led us into a massive dining room centered around a table so large it was surrounded by forty chairs. We took our seats, and I prepared myself for a feast.
The spread was truly royal, but there was one problem—there wasn't a single vegetarian dish in sight.
"Oh no!" Natsumi ordered. "Maids, go! Cook something delicious for Ahiro-chan! I forgot he's a vegetarian!"
"Yes, Ma'am!" the head maid of the thirty staff members bowed and prepared to leave.
"Wait!" I stopped her. "Don't! What Ai and the others cooked is enough for me."
"B-but..." Sachiko hesitated.
"I'll eat it tomorrow," I said with a grin. "Bye! I'm heading back to the mansion with the guys."
"Hey, stop!"
I froze on the spot. "What is it, Rin?"
"Don't you know that I'm a vegetarian too?" she asked, crossing her arms.
"Oh! Okay. Let's go..."
I walked away quickly, thinking to myself: Okay, and don't try to think anything—wrong.
I looked at her and smirked. "Guess what my rank was in class during my past life?"
"I think it was under 4, right?" she guessed.
"Wrong. I was the topper of the class," I said proudly.
"Really? Then why didn't your classmates like you?"
I shrugged, looking away. "I really don't know. Maybe they just didn't like the way I talked."
"Really? Well, I don't like you much either," she teased.
We stopped talking after that and drifted off to sleep.
A few moments later, I found myself in a dream. I was surrounded by fifty-four girls—including the maids—all of them wearing those modern undies. They all leaned in at once, whispering in unison, "Ahiro... we... love—"
Suddenly, the dream shattered. My eyes snapped open, and I felt something incredibly soft pressed against my face. As my senses returned, the realization hit me like a lightning bolt.
Wait... these are someone's boobs!
TO BE CONTINUED. ..