Tokyo Soft Rice King.

"Hehe, it seems that someone is even less self-reflective than Tsukimi Rii."

"Oh my, my brother's first time was also mine~"

"..."

"I even recorded my confession. Do you want to listen to it? I'll send it to you. No need to thank me. Listen to it tonight and have sweet dreams."

"Anri Hitomi!!! Go to hell!!!"

Ziyin couldn't take it anymore and pounced on Tong, wrestling with her, pulling her hair, scratching her mouth, and tearing her clothes. The two top beauties fought like elementary school kids, completely lacking any ladylike manners.

The two women, who had just seemed so dignified, suddenly became incredibly childish.

What's the point of this verbal sparring? Pulling hair is even more pointless...

If it were the previous Lan Yi, she might have thought this way.

But Lan Yi, who had also been stubborn many times before, now understood their feelings.

Everyone hopes to be a unique presence in Akira Kuroba's heart.

I don't want to be outdone by others.

However, this should not lead to trampling on the feelings between them and him.

Akira Kuroba and the others also had their own stories.

'You didn't do anything wrong, you just arrived too late.'

Ziyin's words echoed in Lanyi's mind once again.

Yes, but we arrived too late...

Before he did, they had already been by his side and expressed their love.

Tsukimi Ryoui realized this with crystal clarity once again.

……

In short, the "pro-female trial" was thus declared closed.

Lan Yi is guilty, but will be treated leniently, since it was only an attempt and she didn't actually do anything.

These women are already quite adept at 'prevention is better than cure'. It's probably because of the commotion caused by their younger sister, Ameyu Hikari, that they were all knocked unconscious, making Tsukimi Rii, who was awake, the only beneficiary. So, after returning, they immediately set about further improving their intelligence network.

He must rush to the scene immediately if there is any disturbance around Kuroba Akira and nip the crisis in the bud.

Tsukimi Ryoui was one of the reasons this system was established, and unfortunately became the first 'subject'.

Ziyin and Tong were still bickering. They only acted so carelessly and unrestrainedly when they were in bed or when Kuroba Akira wasn't around.

But if you look closely, you'll see that the two of them didn't actually hurt each other's faces; they were quite careful with their actions.

What is this... tacit hostility? Lan Yi rolled her eyes.

So they probably dislike each other so much because of the order in which they arrived.

Lan Yi had heard Kuroba Akira say that before moving to the shrine, he lived with Murasaki Shion, but judging from their argument just now, it was Anri Hitomi who took all of Kuroba Akira's firsts.

It's likely that Hitomi Anri sensed a strong sense of crisis from Shion Murasaki, which is why she struck first. However, Akira Kuroba already had feelings for Shion at the time, so neither side was able to completely end the match.

Then, a stunning woman like Shinyakoto barged in, and other women who admired Kuroba Akira didn't give up either... Kuroba Akira was thus bound together by the red thread.

Now that she has a deeper understanding of the situation, Lan Yi suddenly feels that the fact that he was bound by the red thread may not have much to do with Hei Yuming himself. At most, he was a bit of a womanizer, a bit of a flirt, and a bit indecisive, but he was actually much more normal than these women (that's what Lan Yi thought).

So ultimately, the reason things have turned out this way is because of these women.

Lan Yi had no idea that she was already making excuses for Hei Yuming and improving his image in her eyes... commonly known as self-conquest, getting deeper and deeper into it.

She also understood why these two kept bringing up old grievances.

For Ziyin, if she had met Kuroba Akira first, then Anri Hitomi would have had nothing to do with it.

The same applies to Hitomi. If Shion hadn't been living with Kuroba Akira, she wouldn't have needed to rush to steal 1 HP. She could have slowly developed feelings for Kuroba Akira, and everything would have taken its natural course.

So, Lan Yi couldn't help but think, what if she had been the first to meet Kuroba Akira... and her fantasies just wouldn't stop.

She would marry Akira Kuroba, find Kikuri sooner, bring her home, and have many, many children with Akira Kuroba. Kikuri would be surrounded by her and Akira Kuroba's children, a kind smile on her face, while Akira Kuroba would watch this scene from a short distance away, his arm around her shoulder...

That way... I'd be very happy... probably.

"If... ha..."

In the end, it all turned into a sigh of despair.

　Because she knew there was no such "what if".

At this moment, the gentle Qingxia comforted Lanyi.

“Tsukimi-kun, everyone has thought about what if… I have too, because I actually met Kuroba-kun half a year earlier than Hitomi.”

"Huh? Does that mean you were the first one here?"

"That's right, but I failed to seize the opportunity and was unable to form a deeper relationship with Kuroba-kun. We weren't even friends, which is why I only started taking care of Kuroba-kun as a priestess serving the gods much later on."

"what……"

Is that why she's the disciplinary committee member in Kuroba Akira's palace?

It wasn't that she wanted to be in that position, but it was the only one left for her.

It was clearly the earliest one... what a pity.

So it seems that whether it's early or not doesn't really matter.

Most importantly, when an opportunity arises, you must seize it.

Yes, I actually knew it all along... because this is the thread of fate.

Even if it's just a chance to meet once, as long as you seize the opportunity, that fragile thread can grow thicker and stronger, connecting you for a lifetime, and even death cannot sever it, allowing you to meet again in the next life.

"Tsukimi-san, everyone has regrets, so the important thing is not to repeat the same mistakes and go down the path that you will regret again."

"I know...it seems you all really enjoy lecturing."

"Hehe, it's not really a lecture, just a piece of advice. Whether you listen or not is up to you. You were only able to continue your relationship with Kuroba-kun because Hikaru cut off two of your fingers, right?"

"Ah."

"So all of this is the reward and compensation you deserve, but there is a limit to it."

"..."

Even a sycophant, after getting nothing in return, will leave disheartened.

But Kuroba Akira licked himself...?

Not at all.

That guy doesn't just not spend money on women, he's practically being kept by them...

It is precisely because he treats himself no differently than he treats ordinary people that it is so easy and comfortable to get along with him.

It was rare for a man not to try to please her on their first meeting... Although she didn't think he was an 'interesting man' because of it, it certainly distinguished him from 'other men'.

So, when Qingxia mentioned the reward cap, she probably meant that Kuroba Akira would only help her this once.

"Of course, the limit is not in Kuroba-kun; he will help you unconditionally from now on."

"Huh? Will he still help me? I even threatened him..."

Given this incident, it wouldn't be surprising if Kuroba Akira canceled the engagement.

It was supposed to be a fake marriage, but now they want to use this marriage certificate to bind him for life...

After the darkness dissipated, even Lan Yi felt that she had gone a bit too far.

"Kuroba-kun 'accepting your threat' means he'll still help you, right? He has other options, but because of you, he didn't choose any others... He cares about you a lot."

Ziyin also enlightened her in the same way.

Fine beads of sweat appeared on the back of Lan Yi's neck, her fingertips trembled slightly, and she covered her face with one hand, her palm touching her burning skin.

Why am I only feeling shy now...?

No, is it really just 'shyness'?

She felt as if she had a lively rabbit jumping around in her chest, the pounding of her heartbeat making her eardrums ache. Hot liquid surged up from her chest, flowing through her veins to her limbs and bones. A small patch of flushed skin was exposed at her collarbone through the loosened collar that Ziyin had just grabbed.

Her ears were probably bright red too.

Oh no... I'm a little happy... no... I'm super happy?

The thought that Kuroba Akira probably liked him made his body more honest than his mouth, directly expressing his inner joy through his heartbeat and skin.

"But others will be jealous of you, thinking you've gotten too much, because they'll think, 'Just by breaking two strands, you can get so many benefits...'"

Looking back now, even if Tianyu Guang had really cut off their hands and feet, they wouldn't have been afraid to beg for mercy.

They might even fanatically accept the arrangement of being reborn through the womb of a younger sister, even if it requires killing each other.

If they too had experienced that surge of intense emotion... then they would indeed become fearless.

"...I'm not afraid of them at all."

"I know you're not afraid, but recklessness isn't courage. You must have experienced a lot of backstabbing and intrigue in the entertainment industry, right? Or is it because of your looks and status that you can ignore those tactics?"

"...It's the latter."

"Is that so? Then you need to change your mindset as soon as possible. After all, here, you don't have any advantages that give you an edge over others."

“You are not special, everyone is the same. There is only one special person, and that is Kuroba-kun.”

"Does that mean you don't want me to make too many enemies?"

"Yes, after all, you can't gain anything by being the target of public criticism... and it would be a 'waste' to just treat other people as rivals in love."

"Ok?"

"Look, even someone as aloof as you, like Shion-chan, can find a partner here who matches her..."

"...Can that really be considered a partner?"

"A formidable writing rival, but a reading partner? Hehe."

"..."