Nichiji Sumire studied her good friend's gentle expression—the way Sanshokuin Sumireko's fingers absently threaded through Hozuki Nozomi's dark hair as he dozed in her lap, the soft domesticity of it all—and felt something warm bloom behind her ribs.
He looks so peaceful like this. Almost vulnerable.
Her gaze lingered on Nozomi's sleeping face, the sharp line of his jaw relaxed, dark lashes fanned against his cheeks. The kotatsu's warmth wrapped around them like a cocoon, mixing with the faint scent of green tea and Sumireko's perfume—something floral, jasmine maybe.
"He's truly an incredible man," Sumire murmured.
The girl's violet eyes sparkled with mischief as she continued, "Sometimes, I really suspect Hozuki Nozomi is the male protagonist of a light novel, and our entire world is just a game world designed around him."
Sumireko's lips curved, her fingers never pausing their lazy ministrations. "Life is a game, after all."
"Mmm?"
"It's just that we all made choices resonating with our hearts." Her amber gaze softened as she watched Nozomi's chest rise and fall. "And Hozuki Nozomi... he ensured we could make those choices free from external interference. That's what makes him different."
He gave me agency when everyone else wanted to control me.
"That's right." Sumire reached over and poked Nozomi's cheek with her fingertip, feeling the warmth of his skin, the slight stubble beginning to shadow his jaw. "If it weren't for him, I'd still be lying in a hospital bed as a vegetable. Or dead."
The casual way she said it made Yui Yuigahama's stomach clench.
"Hey, you two!" Yui interjected, waving her hands. "Don't just sit there sighing about life—you're only high school students! At least show some of the youthful vigor befitting high school beauties!"
These two are getting way too philosophical. And way too comfortable touching him.
If they continued down this path, the atmosphere would curdle into something unbearably heavy. And besides... both of them liked Hozuki Nozomi. Both of them had his attention, his affection, his—
Just how many beautiful girls does he intend to attract?
Yui gnawed the inside of her cheek. The winter light filtering through the frosted windows painted pale rectangles across the tatami, and she could smell the lingering sweetness of the orange slices someone had cut earlier, mixing with the dry heat radiating from the kotatsu's heating element.
He's definitely a light novel protagonist. There's no other explanation.
Beside her, Misaki Mei sat with her characteristic stillness, her heterochromatic eyes—one red, one concealed behind an eyepatch—fixed on Nozomi's resting form. The doll-like girl's expression revealed nothing, but internally, her thoughts churned.
He saved my life. If he hadn't appeared, I would have died alongside my sister.
But now I'm alive. My sister still exists somewhere, and one day, we'll reunite. Because of him.
The shuffle of slippered feet announced Yukino Yukinoshita's return before she appeared in the doorway.
"Finally," she breathed, stretching her slender legs beneath the heated table. Even going to the restroom had been freezing; the hallway floor was practically glacial.
Her sapphire gaze drifted to Nozomi's sleeping face, and something tender flickered in their depths.
He looks so handsome when he's not teasing me.
She and Shiina Mahiru had been working in secret lately—yarn and needles hidden away in Mahiru's room. Mahiru handled the sweater with her characteristic precision while Yukino tackled the scarf. They were halfway done now. The plan was to finish everything and present them together, a coordinated gift.
It's embarrassing to admit, but...
Her combat power was simply too low. An innate deficiency. Even with recent improvements, she couldn't please her fiancé alone. Not the way he deserved.
And the others are preparing too. Valentine's Day is only a few days away. Chocolates, definitely. But also...
She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, pink dusting her cheeks.
Something more.
Hozuki Nozomi remained blissfully unaware that his women were conspiring to shower him with affection. Had he known, his heart would have swelled to bursting.
Not long after Yukino settled in, Nozomi's eyes fluttered open.
Amber irises, warm as honeyed whiskey, focused slowly. He registered Sumireko's scent first—jasmine and something uniquely her—then the plush give of her thighs beneath his head. With unhurried grace, he lifted himself and sat up straight.
Then he moved.
One fluid motion carried him between Yukino and Sumireko, and before either girl could react, his arms snaked around their waists.
"W-what are you—"
He pulled them close, palms settling against the soft curves of their hips. Yukino's cardigan bunched beneath his fingers; Sumireko's pleated skirt rode up slightly where his hand rested.
"Yukino, Sumireko," he said, voice husky from sleep, "it's still a bit cold. This is much warmer, don't you think?"
His grip tightened fractionally, thumbs tracing slow circles against their sides through the fabric.
"If only we had a blanket right now. I could stay like this all day and never move."
Yukino's face flushed crimson. "You—"
She wanted to roll her eyes, wanted to scold him, but the words died in her throat when his hand slid lower, fingertips grazing the curve of her hip where her skirt met her thigh.
He's doing this in front of everyone.
But Sumireko wasn't struggling. The other girl had simply leaned into Nozomi's side, her head tilting to rest against his shoulder, a satisfied smile playing on her lips.
If she's not going to fight... then I won't either.
Yukino exhaled shakily and allowed herself to sink into his warmth. She could feel the solid heat of his chest through their layers, the steady thrum of his heartbeat.
Across the kotatsu, Yui Yuigahama's jaw dropped.
Are you not even pretending anymore?!
"Yui? What's wrong?"
Nozomi's voice cut through her stupor. He was looking directly at her, one eyebrow raised, a half-smile curling his lips. The expression was infuriatingly knowing.
"Ah? N-nothing! Nothing at all!"
She whipped her head away so fast her pink hair flew, but she couldn't hide the scarlet flooding her cheeks, the tips of her ears.
Oh god oh god oh god—
Nozomi chuckled, low and warm. He didn't press further.
By now, concealing his relationship with Yukino and the others seemed pointless. He had always been honest about his feelings. Deception wasn't his style.
Still, he restrained himself. For Yukino and Sumireko's sake—and because Yui and Asuna were watching—he didn't push too far. After holding the girls close for a few more stolen minutes, savoring the softness of their bodies against his, the faint hitch in Yukino's breath when his thumb brushed the bare skin at the hem of her sweater, he released them.
Later, his lingering gaze promised.
Both girls understood perfectly.
---
[Streets of Chiba | Afternoon | Temperature: 2°C]
The afternoon bled grey and bitter.
Nozomi told Yukino to head back to Sakura Dormitory with Sumireko and the others while he made his way to another school. Shino Asada needed picking up.
Once she transfers to Soubu High, this won't be such a hassle.
His breath misted in the frigid air as he walked, the scent of exhaust and frost mixing on the wind. Somewhere distant, a train horn wailed.
Meanwhile, the group of girls arrived at Sakura Dormitory's entrance just as a beautiful, long-haired woman approached from the opposite direction.
She was tall—taller than Yukino remembered—with flowing dark hair cascading past her shoulders. Her features had matured, softening into something elegant, almost regal. A tailored wool coat hugged curves that hadn't existed three years ago.
The woman spotted them and paused, a shy smile blooming.
"Yukino, Mahiru, Sumireko, Yuki... hello." She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Let me introduce myself properly. I'm Miyamizu Mitsuha."
Yukino's sapphire eyes flew wide.
"You... you're Mitsuha?"
She's completely different. Three years ago, she was our age, awkward and uncertain. Now she's...
"That's right, it's me!" Mitsuha laughed, the sound bright despite her nervousness. "The me from three years ago—thank you all for taking care of me back then."
For a moment, Yukino stood frozen. Then she lurched forward, grabbing Mitsuha's arm, and the others swarmed in.
"Inside, now! You have so much to explain!"
They pulled Mitsuha through the dormitory doors, chattering over each other, asking a dozen questions at once. The entryway smelled of polished wood and dried flowers, warmth enveloping them after the bitter cold.
Occasionally, Yukino's gaze strayed to Mitsuha's chest.
...Oh, you Mitsuha.
The woman had developed magnificently. Where she'd once been modest, now she filled out her sweater with enviable fullness, the soft curves pressing against cashmere.
You quietly transformed into a mature older sister while I've barely changed at all.
Yukino suppressed a twinge of envy.
Unfair.
Over tea and snacks, Mitsuha explained everything—the time displacement, her memories fragmenting and reassembling, the comet, the town, and finally, finding herself here, three years older but somehow returned.
Understanding dawned.
The atmosphere softened, and soon the girls were laughing together, exchanging stories as if no time had passed. Mitsuha fit seamlessly into their dynamic, her gentle warmth complementing their varied personalities.
Before parting, she and Yukino exchanged phone numbers.
"For easy contact," Mitsuha said, her smile shy but genuine.
Harmony prevailed, as it always did in Sakura Dormitory.
---
[Yuigahama Residence | Evening | Lamp-lit Living Room]
Yui Yuigahama sat on the sofa, knees drawn up, her expression a tangle of conflicting emotions.
What am I supposed to do?
The lamplight cast amber shadows across the room, and the faint scent of the chicken curry her mother had made for dinner still hung in the air. On the floor, Sable—her dachshund—dozed in a warm patch near the heater, snoring softly.
Footsteps.
A woman appeared from the kitchen—beautiful, with chestnut hair styled in a gentle housewife's braid. Her hazel eyes radiated maternal warmth, and an apron was still tied around her slender waist.
Asuna—or rather, Yuigahama Asuna—approached her daughter.
"Yui? What's wrong?" She settled onto the sofa beside her. "Did something unpleasant happen?"
"Mmm..." Yui sighed, hugging her knees tighter. "Mom, I'm just... conflicted."
"Conflicted about what?" Asuna reached out, fingers threading gently through Yui's coral-pink hair. "Mom is happy to listen. You know that."
"Mom is the best!"
Yui threw herself into her mother's embrace, burying her face against the soft swell of Asuna's chest, rubbing her cheek against the familiar warmth.
She always smells like vanilla and comfort.
Asuna smiled, stroking her daughter's back. "Now you can tell me. What's making my precious daughter so troubled?"
Yui was her adopted daughter—had been since Asuna fled her old life and reinvented herself under a new surname. To maintain their cover, to keep living in this peaceful world, Asuna had severed all ties to her past. Because work demanded her attention, she'd bought Yui a dog for company.
Sable lifted her head briefly, ears perked, then settled back down.
Yui took a steadying breath. Pulled back just enough to meet her mother's gaze.
"Mom... I have a friend."
Here goes.
"This friend fell in love with a boy. A handsome boy. Cool, incredibly talented, the kind of person who makes everyone around him feel... seen."
Asuna listened, expression neutral.
"But he already has girlfriends. Not just one. Multiple." Yui's voice wavered. "And it's like... it's like he stepped out of a light novel. His girlfriends don't fight over him. They actually get along, support each other. It's—"
She swallowed hard.
"—it's crazy. And impossible. And real."
*I watched him hold two girls at once today. They were happy. They wanted him.*
"Mom... what should my friend do?" Yui's voice cracked. "Should she give up on that boy? Or should she... choose to join them?"
Asuna's lips twitched. What friend? This is clearly about Yui herself.
But her daughter needed guidance, not teasing. And the situation was more complicated than typical teenage drama. Her daughter had fallen for someone unconventional—a man who loved openly, publicly, without shame.
A player? Or something else entirely?
"Yui." Asuna's voice turned serious. "Does that boy like your friend?"
"...He should." Yui bit her lip. "He... he's touched her. Not in a bad way! But... in a way that made her feel special. Like she mattered."
The leg thing. He definitely did that on purpose.
Asuna was quiet for a long moment. The radiator hummed. Sable's snores punctuated the silence.
Then she spoke.
"If he truly likes her... if he can manage the relationships between his girlfriends without cruelty or neglect... then perhaps your friend should consider joining them."
Yui's breath caught.
"Yui." Asuna cupped her daughter's face, thumbs brushing away tears that hadn't yet fallen. "We encounter many choices in life. Some are easy. Most are not. But the hardest thing—the thing that wounds us deepest—is leaving words unspoken and feelings unexpressed."
Her hazel eyes shimmered with old pain, old regret.
"Don't let yourself become a person drowning in 'what-ifs.' Don't leave irreversible regrets carved into your heart."
I did that once. I won't let my daughter repeat my mistakes.
"This is my advice to you, sweetheart."