Beneath Tokyo Tower stood a figure with his hands clasped behind his back.
It was a tall, slender old man dressed in a refined, retro-style black suit.
His silver hair was combed with meticulous precision. His face was handsome, yet carried the weathered melancholy of passing years and a sinister gloom that seemed sunk deep into his bones.
Most unnerving of all were his eyes: a pair of wolf-like vertical pupils that gleamed with cold golden light.
At that moment, those eyes were studying the suddenly arrived Akuto and Asuka Tokunaga in his arms with great interest.
"Sasha Dejanstahl Voban. I believe I warned you not to lay a hand on the people around me."
Akuto's voice was not loud, yet it sounded exceptionally clear amid the roar of thunder.
Strictly speaking, Marquis Voban had indeed not attacked Liliana Kranjčar or Mariya Yuri the way he had in the original plot. He had even helped Akuto greatly accelerate Asuka's capture.
But that did not stop Akuto from taking ruthless action against Marquis Voban.
...
The corners of Marquis Voban's lips curved into an elegant yet cruel smile. His voice was as hoarse as sandpaper scraping together.
"Akuto... the newly crowned King. What astonishing speed. It seems you care quite deeply about these mortal little girls."
His gaze swept over Asuka in Akuto's arms, carrying a trace of amusement and scrutiny.
That inhuman stare made Asuka's entire body go cold, and she instinctively shrank deeper into Akuto's embrace.
Marquis Voban chuckled and gracefully turned slightly to the side.
Not far behind him, dozens of beautiful girls wearing the high school uniform of Private Joka Academy were surrounded by a group of Dead Servants.
That JK girl was none other than Asuka's other close friend: Sawa.
At this moment, Sawa was sitting collapsed on the ground, her eyes filled with fear and shock.
The fear came from the fact that any normal girl would be terrified if surrounded by a group of Dead Servants.
The shock came from how great an impact today's events had had on her. She had never imagined that the world she had always lived in had been a fantastical world with supernatural powers from the very beginning.
And judging from the situation, her classmate Akuto seemed to be one of its top experts?
Before Akuto arrived, Sawa had listened to the old man ramble on for a while, and she had learned that he and Akuto were both Campiones or something like that. In short, they were absurdly powerful, the absolute top-class beings of which only a handful existed in the entire world.
Now Sawa finally understood why Akuto could have a harem.
Laws and the rules of society were basically nothing in front of people like this.
...
Because Akuto had not yet included Asuka's friend Sawa within his capture range, and because Sawa did not have any of Akuto's belongings on her, she naturally did not think of Akuto when she was attacked. When she neared death, she simply broke down on the spot.
Fortunately, although Sawa's face was pale and her eyes were full of fear, she did not appear to be injured.
After glancing at Sawa, who looked toward him with both pleading and searching eyes, Akuto spoke calmly.
"Voban, since I'm here now, your goal has been achieved. It's time to let them go."
"Of course."
Marquis Voban shrugged, looking utterly unconcerned.
"I told you, young man, I think highly of you, so I have given you considerable face. Liliana Kranjčar, Mariya Yuri... those 'collections' that temporarily belong to you, I have not touched. I invited this lovely young lady here only to test whether a junior god-slayer's promise to his senior still held."
As Marquis Voban's words fell, the Dead Servants surrounding Sawa gradually opened a gap.
As if she had been granted amnesty, Sawa scrambled and stumbled toward Akuto and Asuka.
"Sawa!"
Asuka's face filled with joy, and she hurried forward to hug her.
"Asuka!"
Sawa also clutched her hand tightly, her voice thick with tears.
"I was so scared!"
Although Sawa had been trying to keep her emotions under control the entire time, and had appeared fairly calm on the surface, she really had nearly been scared to death.
Fortunately, halfway through the terror, she had heard Akuto's name from Marquis Voban and learned that Marquis Voban had only captured her to make Akuto come sooner. Only then had she relaxed slightly.
"Right, Asuka, you already know about Akuto-kun now, don't you?" Sawa could not help asking.
"Yes. I know Akuto-kun isn't an ordinary person. I also know that what Akuto-kun told me about being able to change the law wasn't a lie." Asuka lightly pressed her red lips together and nodded with a complicated expression.
"Good. In that case, Asuka, do you still intend to... be with Akuto-kun?" Sawa asked the question she cared about most.
"I..."
Asuka was lost for an instant at first, but her gaze soon became firm.
"I think I'm willing."
"Even if it's only so Akuto-kun won't worry about me, even if it's only so I won't become a burden to Akuto-kun, I think I should stay by his side."
Asuka absolutely did not want to be abducted by an enemy like Sawa had been, then wait for Akuto-kun to come rescue her.
To avoid that situation, the best method was to stay by Akuto-kun's side, just like Erica and the others.
That way, whether she worked together with Erica and the rest, or learned and developed knowledge of the other side of the world from Akuto-kun, she could at least cause Akuto-kun fewer problems and avoid becoming a burden that held him back.
"I see."
Hearing this, Sawa licked her slightly dry red lips and showed an expression that said, "Just as I thought."
"In that case, Asuka, would you mind if I joined too?" Sawa said something shocking.
"..."
"Huh?"
"Miyama, what did you just say?" Asuka's mind could not quite keep up.
"Asuka, you should understand what I'm saying."
"That's right. I actually like Akuto-kun too. I just never made a move."
Sawa did not lack courage like Asuka, nor was she overly bold like Miyama, bold enough to scheme around Asuka.
Although she did like Akuto, she had never had any particular insistence on being with him.
She simply wanted to stay with Asuka and Miyama.
And now, since Asuka and Miyama had already fallen too deep to turn back, and Akuto really did possess the power to ignore the rules of the world, Sawa was also willing to join them.
In her view, this was the solution that best suited her own wishes and best preserved the friendship between the three of them.
Of course, the current Asuka did not know what Sawa was thinking.
All she knew was that, aside from Miyama, her other close friend also liked Akuto-kun.
What was this supposed to be? Three high school best friends falling for the same man? Something this fantastical could actually happen?
Well... it seemed the world she lived in was itself a fantastical world.
Because her original worldview had collapsed, Asuka's acceptance of multiple women sharing one husband had risen considerably compared to before.
In addition, Asuka truly did value the friendship between the three of them. Otherwise, she would not have been stopped in her tracks by the matter of "Miyama preparing to confess to Akuto."
So in the end, Asuka only sighed.
"So Sawa, you and Miyama both never confessed to Akuto-kun because you were worried about me?" Asuka's expression was extremely helpless.
She had thought it was strange. Supposedly, three-quarters of the girls in the entire school had given Akuto love letters, so how had none of the three of them ever given one to Akuto? The odds of one in sixty-four were far too low.
Now it seemed the reason Sawa and Miyama had never acted was all because of her.
If not for her, Sawa and Miyama probably would have told Akuto-kun their feelings long ago, right?
They might not necessarily have been accepted, but at least they would not have had to suppress themselves for so long.
"All right. If you're willing, Sawa... then I'm willing to go with you too."
In the end, Asuka smiled brightly and took the initiative to extend her fair hand toward Sawa.
"Yes. Thank you, Asuka."
Sawa reached out with her clean white hand and clasped Asuka's.
At that moment, the two close friends underwent another evolution.
Both of them knew very clearly that, one day, they might reveal the most beautiful side of themselves as girls before the same man.
But there was nothing wrong with that.
They had already prepared themselves mentally. It was merely that, on top of showing their entire selves to Akuto, they would also be adding one of their closest friends. It was nothing more than turning "best friends forever" into "best friends forever" in another sense.
...
If this allowed them not only to be with the person they liked, but also to continue preserving the friendship between the three of them, then it seemed they had no reason to refuse.
"Next, only Miyama is left." The moment Sawa thought of how Miyama had once tried to use the friendship between herself and Asuka to restrain Asuka's actions, her head began to ache.
...
At the same time Sawa's words fell, several sounds of rushing wind arrived.
Saint Raphael was the first to arrive, her black high ponytail streaming behind her. In the violent wind, the gallant Latina female knight drew two magic swords at once.
Erica Blandelli landed on the platform like a flame. Her golden hair flew in the gale, and she held Cuore di Leone in hand, her eyes sharp.
Next came Liliana Kranjčar. Her silver hair fluttered, and she held Il Maestro, her ice-blue eyes fixed warily on Voban.
After that, Seishuuin Ena landed beside them in her usual carefree manner, carrying the evolved Ama no Murakumo no Tsurugi over her shoulder.
Mariya Yuri followed close behind, worry written across her face.
"Your Majesty!"
Erica, Liliana, and the others saluted at the same time.
"Yes. You're here." Akuto nodded, then looked toward Miyama behind the girls.
...
That was right. Miyama was also among Erica's group.
Ever since she had fully confessed everything to Akuto and promised that she would definitely apologize to Asuka, Akuto had also told Miyama his information.
After learning about Akuto, Miyama's feelings, aside from shock, were mostly relief.
Relief that, if it was this Akuto-kun, he would surely be able to make the three best friends happy.
As for why it was the three best friends, rather than just her and Asuka?
Of course, it was because Miyama had known from the very beginning that Sawa also liked Akuto.
It was precisely because of Sawa's feelings for Akuto that Miyama had acted ahead of them.
Because she really did not want to keep waiting any longer. All three of them refusing to confess because they were concerned about their friends' feelings was simply too ridiculous and too sad. So Miyama decided that she would play the villain and break the chain that had left the three of them restraining each other.
(End of Chapter)
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