After establishing a relationship with Kobeni Higashiyama, Cael didn't bother hiding anything.
He laid everything out plainly to his other three wives.
They weren't naive, so hearing that another "One" had joined naturally stirred some irritation. Still, Cael handled it with patience. He talked things through, appealing to both emotion and reason. On top of that, Kobeni kept a humble and cautious attitude the entire time.
After nearly twenty days of persistence, and after Cael provided what he called "proper compensation," the others finally accepted Kobeni and allowed her a place in the relationship.
So at this point, Cael had four… no, four and a half wives.
Fami had helped him quite a bit, and the time they spent together was enjoyable. Still, he hadn't gone all the way with her, so she was counted as half.
Right now, Cael didn't have the energy to deal with that.
Managing the emotions of four women and keeping things balanced already took a ridiculous amount of effort.
But secrets never stay hidden forever.
Eventually, the situation with Fami came to light.
Asa, Reze, Makima, and Kobeni all made it very clear they were reaching their limit.
Five women.
Even Cael had to admit, that sounded insane.
To them, though, the bigger problem was Cael himself. He had way too much energy, and his charm made things worse. Unless someone genuinely wasn't into men.
One today, another tomorrow.
If this kept going, where would it end?
So the four of them came together and forced an agreement.
From now on, Cael could only be involved with Asa, Reze, Makima, Kobeni, and Fami. No new additions, no exceptions.
Cael agreed without much fuss.
There were plenty of beautiful women in the world, sure, but even he knew there had to be a limit. Besides, he didn't see himself as unfaithful. He wasn't the kind of guy who chased every pretty face he saw.
Each of them meant something to him.
Even Fami, who treated everything like a game, had started to matter after spending enough time together.
March 16th. Sunday.
Ginza District, Tokyo.
Inside Ginza Mitsukoshi, one of the most famous department stores in the city.
10th floor.
Kobeni held Cael's hand tightly while licking an ice cream sundae, trailing behind a young shopping assistant. Her eyes darted around, wide with wonder, like she'd stepped into a completely different world.
"I… I've never seen things like this before. They're all so pretty…" she murmured.
This entire floor was dedicated to baby and toddler supplies.
Cael had brought Kobeni out for two reasons.
First, to let her enjoy herself and make up for parts of her childhood she'd missed.
Second, to prepare for the baby.
Asa would give birth in about two or three months. As the father, Cael intended to handle things properly.
He didn't know much about baby care, so he took a simple approach.
Buy everything.
Clothes, feeding supplies, hygiene products, bedding, monitoring tools. If it seemed useful, he bought it. And since things would wear out or need washing, he bought multiples of each.
The shopping assistant was practically glowing.
Customers like this were a dream.
She didn't hold back, recommending the most expensive items at every turn.
"Sir, ma'am, please take a look over here."
She stopped in front of a sleek stroller and gestured toward it with enthusiasm.
"You've already prepared most of the essentials, but you'll definitely need something for travel. This is a Cybex stroller, imported from Germany. It's known for its excellent craftsmanship and, most importantly, its safety."
She adjusted the seat while explaining, her smile widening.
"This model has an anti-roll system and a five-point safety harness. It's extremely reliable."
Cael rubbed his chin, then glanced at Kobeni, who was still happily working through her ice cream.
"What do you think?"
"Eh… me?" Kobeni blinked, caught off guard. "I… I think everything looks nice…"
Cael nodded.
"Alright. We'll take this one. Five of them. And skip the black color. Kids aren't going to like something that dull."
He figured it was better to be fair.
Only Asa was expecting right now, but who knew about the future. Buying in advance wasn't a problem for him.
Honestly, with his finances, even raising fifty kids wouldn't be an issue.
But that sounded like a nightmare.
He didn't have clones, and he wasn't about to wreck his wives' bodies just because he could.
"F-Five?" The assistant's eyes widened, but she quickly recovered. "Of course. Right this way, please."
She led them toward the checkout with barely contained excitement.
"Let's go," Cael said, pulling Kobeni along.
"Okay…"
On the way, she was still nibbling at her ice cream.
Cael chuckled. "We've gone through multiple floors, and you're still not done with that thing."
Kobeni blushed. "I can't help it… it's really good. I want to enjoy it slowly…"
Her shy expression was ridiculously cute.
Cael stopped walking.
Before she could react, he leaned down and kissed her, catching her completely off guard.
Her eyes widened instantly.
A few moments later, he pulled back with a satisfied grin.
"You had some on your lips. I helped clean it."
"Cael… you're so mean… there are so many people here…" Kobeni covered her face, her cheeks burning.
"So what?" Cael shrugged. "Do I need an audience's permission to kiss my wife?"
The cashier nearby let out a soft laugh.
"You two are really close. I'm jealous."
"How much?" Cael asked, taking out his phone.
The cashier maintained her professional smile.
"With shipping and delivery included, your total is 900,000 Yen."
"Cheap enough."
He paid without hesitation.
The assistant who had been guiding them returned, her smile just as bright.
"Sir, your wife has a great figure. She's not showing at all. It must still be early, right? Though… eating ice cream during pregnancy might not be the best idea."
Kobeni froze, then shook her head quickly, flustered.
"I… I'm not pregnant…"
"Ah?" The staff exchanged confused looks. "Then why buy so much?"
Cael wrapped an arm around Kobeni and answered calmly.
"My other wife is pregnant."
The shop assistants fell silent.