"You care about her a lot, don't you."

Suse picked up the tongs and flipped over the meat on the grill for her boyfriend, asking nonchalantly.

"Hm?" Kagura Hikaru came to his senses, and did not deny it, "Ai Cheng has been kind of weird lately, even her friends are saying so."

"It'd be great if one could read minds. You'd immediately know what Student Ai Cheng is thinking—I bet that's what you're thinking right now."

Kagura Hikaru's hands abruptly stopped, and his expression changed.

Suse, oblivious, stared at the grill and said, "Well, she might have troubles she can't tell you about. Girls are like that; you've got to get used to it~"

".....Why should I get used to it."

"Uh, Mister Hikaru, do you sometimes forget about me? I'm also a youthful high school girl."

"That's true."

"Ugh, you're doing that on purpose!"

Suse gave a little huff as she put the cooked meat onto Kagura Hikaru's plate, and the slightly strange atmosphere gradually returned to being congenial in the midst of their casual conversation.

"Speaking of which, do you like watching anime, Mister Hikaru?" Suse suddenly brought up the topic.

"I used to like it, but I hardly watch it anymore," Kagura Hikaru replied honestly.

Before his transmigration, he was what people often refer to as a hardcore anime otaku, but now he was gradually losing interest.

He himself couldn't quite say why, just that his interest was waning as he aged.

Unless it was a plot with more depth, then he might be interested in watching; otherwise, he'd rather play video games or play the piano.

"I watch them~" Suse said animatedly, "Especially the new series that are popular recently; I've been following them."

Kagura Hikaru was somewhat surprised: "Is it for social needs?"

Among young people in the Island Nation, anime fandom is surprisingly common, and deliberately keeping up with shows and dramas to have something to talk about with peers is a common way of socializing.

"A part of it is, but I also unexpectedly have some otaku hobbies," said Suse.

She placed raw meat onto the grill again, which hissed immediately as the fat sizzled in the high heat.

Nonchalantly, she said, "You may not believe it, but my gateway was a somewhat risqué harem anime... What do you think about harem shows, Mister Hikaru? Guys should be quite fond of them."

"No, I can't really accept that genre."

Kagura Hikaru answered with an indifferent tone as if making small talk, "Logically speaking, it's impossible for one person to maintain romantic relationships with so many girls, unless the story allows it. Otherwise, their future would definitely be a tragedy."

"Wow, that's a bit harsh."

"Even though I know it's fiction, I can't help but think about the real-life implications."

"Mister Hikaru is quite serious by nature. But, it's not a crime to fantasize once in a while," Suse winked, "Besides me, who else would you want to be in a relationship with at the same time? Please answer within three seconds! Three, two, one—"

"..." Kagura Hikaru looked at her with an inexplicable expression, speechlessly glaring at her.

"Ah, ah, why are you looking at me so seriously? I was just joking," Suse scratched her cheek, visibly feigning innocence.

"Even if it's a joke," Kagura Hikaru quickly had an image flash through his mind, but he soon shook his head to dispel it, "you shouldn't say things like that."

"Really, you're stubborn as a rock, Mister Hikaru. Which era are you from? Your thoughts are as old-fashioned as an elderly person's."

Seeing that Kagura Hikaru didn't respond, Kohinata Suse's eyes sparkled: "Seriously though, if Mister Hikaru said you wanted to date someone else, I wouldn't get mad, as long as we don't break up."

"....?"

Kagura Hikaru had never known Suse to have such a wild idea, and was stunned for a moment, looking at her incredulously with a "what the hell are you talking about?" expression.

"But if we're going to date, it's best to do it with someone we both know well, someone whose background we're fully aware of. Our relationship should improve quickly, and we wouldn't argue often in the future."

Suse continued to talk non-stop about these 'future plans' that sounded like a playful jest, but she became more and more serious as she spoke.

It was as if she had planned it all out a long time ago.

Finally, Kagura Hikaru couldn't take it anymore and slapped his chopsticks down on the table, not too gently but not too harshly.

"What you're trying to say is Kiryu Hina, right?"

Ah, she was found out.

An embarrassed expression flashed across Suse's face momentarily, then she looked around guiltily.

"Exactly." He closed his eyes momentarily, "The reason you parted on bad terms last time was because of this foolish thing, wasn't it?"

"Foolish? I don't think it's foolish at all!" Suse innocently said, "If the three of us were together, everyone's wishes could be fulfilled, and everyone could be happy. At most, there would be some controversy in society, but it wouldn't cause any trouble for anyone. Isn't that nice?"

"Then let me ask you, if your uncle and aunt find out, what would they think of this?"

Kagura Hikaru's words hit the nail on the head, and Suse fell silent.

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From a young age, her parents had spoiled her, but they were certainly not confused enough to overlook their daughter dating a man who was two-timing.

"Likewise, my parents would feel the same, as would Hina's father—before considering society's controversy, think about the real issues first."

Kagura Hikaru spoke with furrowed brows, "And in the end, Hina does not agree with your thoughts, does she?"

"How do you know?"

"She's someone with an excess of self-respect, you and I both know that very well."

He didn't explain much because he knew Suse would understand.

Polygamy is the dregs of old society; not to mention Kiryu Hina, no modern woman who has grown up in modern society would agree with it.

And while men as beneficiaries might think differently, at least Kagura Hikaru wasn't the kind of person who wanted to turn back the wheels of history, just as he had said before, a harem ending was sure to be tragic.

The love of one person cannot be split into many pieces for different people. Is this about raising fish, or is it love? It's nothing more than possessiveness.

"....I know there are countries that allow polygamy." But not sure if she was pretending not to understand deliberately, Suse kept talking to herself.

"Enough, stop it, you need to sober up."

"The one who needs to sober up is you, Mister Hikaru. Do you really want to watch Hina leave us with your own eyes? You know, if we leave her out of this, that's exactly what's going to happen!"

She was getting excited.

Kagura Hikaru was shocked by her naivety, then shook his head, "There are many ways for you to reconcile with her, you don't need to hurt everyone like this."

"This is clearly the happiest ending!"

With her hands clenched around the chopsticks as if she was grasping Kagura Hikaru's hands, Suse pleaded, "Please, Mister Hikaru, I will do my best to convince Hina. You don't have to do anything, just nod in agreement, and in the future, the three of us can live together, just like before, okay, please... just agree, and I am willing to do anything!"

"....How much determination do you have to say something like this."

"Eh?"

"As an ordinary student, can you really handle someone else's life?" Kagura Hikaru's gaze was profound and stern, "'Willing to do anything', such heavy words, don't promise what you can't do."

"But I really—"

"That is happiness for you, please consider my feelings!"

Kagura Hikaru's voice became louder, and he looked at her disappointedly, "You, it's all about yourself in your head, isn't it?"

"..."

In the end, tonight's dinner ended in a hurried and somewhat unpleasant manner.