───● An Astute Manager’s Advice ●○●
It’s been about 10 months since I was reincarnated into this world.
Thanks to Aika-san taking in a guy like me, I’d been able to live my life just like I did in my old world.
I’m attending the university I originally planned on.
I’m striking a good balance between campus life and my part-time job.
I honestly thought I’d be able to live a completely normal life, even in this slightly unusual world.
However, The past few months have been a harsh reminder of how wrong I was.
“Haaa…”
Letting out a heavy sigh, I threw myself onto the bed in my room.
Glancing at the digital clock on the nightstand, I saw it was just about time for the date to change.
I’d picked up an extra shift at the boy’s bar today, but I couldn’t focus at all and got sent home early.
I immediately took a shower, and now here I am.
I knew exactly why I was so distracted.
It was because the girls I’d grown close to had been confessing their feelings to me, one after another.
Recently, even Shiori-chan, who I thought was the only one who didn’t harbor romantic feelings for me, had…
“High school girls sure are forward…”
Though, maybe it was just Shiori-chan.
Thinking about it calmly, the books and games Shiori-chan had recommended to me were pretty extreme, so I guess it shouldn’t have come as a surprise.
I guess it’s my fault for not considering that.
I sat on the edge of the bed… and then lay back to stare at the ceiling.
Honestly, I’m happy to have their affection.
But I don’t want to just leave things ambiguous without making a decision.
Actually, I can’t.
But what should I do?
Aren’t Yuka and Shiori-chan a bit too young for me anyway? Or…
Since Seira-san is a customer, isn’t dating her a bad idea? Or…
Ethically speaking, how could I possibly date both Koumi and Mizuho at the same time? Things like that.
But as I thought about all this, the worst realization of all hit me.
“I don’t… want to reject a single one of them…”
I reflexively covered my face with my arm at my own depravity.
I know their good sides. I’ve seen all these different facets of them and grown close to them.
There isn’t a single girl among them that I dislike. No, to cast aside all shame and reputation, I love them all.
That’s why it’s so incredibly difficult to give an answer.
…*Knock, knock.* The sound of someone rapping on the front door reached my ears.
A visitor at this hour… There was only one person it could be.
I hauled my heavy body up and walked to the door, where I heard exactly the voice I expected.
“Masato, are you still awake?”
“Aika-san, what’s wrong? Did I forget something?”
“No, it’s not that. I told you before, didn’t I? That we needed to talk.”
“Ah, right, you did.”
“I’m not here to scold you or anything. Can I come in?”
“Yes!”
I opened the door and welcomed Aika-san inside.
I don’t have that much stuff in my room, and I’m the type to clean up fairly often, so I can always invite someone in on short notice. It’s a minor point of pride for me.
I unfolded my collapsible table and laid out a floor cushion.
“You had some tea and stuff, right? I’m gonna borrow your kitchen.”
“I do! But I should be the one—”
“There’s no need to be so formal with me, you know. Honestly, you never change.”
Aika-san always says that, but she’s my savior, after all…
If it weren’t for her, I wouldn’t be here right now.
A short while later, Aika-san returned from the kitchen carrying two mugs of black tea.
I watched her sit down before taking a sip from my mug.
…Yeah, it’s delicious. Even if it is just a tea bag.
“So? I’m guessing the reason you’ve been spacing out is girl trouble, right?”
“Ugh… Well, yeah.”
She hit the nail right on the head, leaving me with no choice but to offer a wry smile.
I explained the whole situation to Aika-san. Including the fact that even Shiori-chan, who I thought was the only one who didn’t see me in that light, had confessed to me.
“Well, I knew it from the moment I met you… You’re way too defenseless, Masato. It’s only natural you’d be targeted.”
“I don’t mean to be defenseless, though…”
I didn’t really think I was particularly unguarded in that regard.
The older guys at the bar were probably the same way, I thought…
“Hmm. Then, hypothetically speaking,”
Aika-san placed her mug on the table.
“What if I had put sleeping pills in your tea just now?”
“Huh?”
My thought process ground to a halt for a second.
The look in Aika-san’s eyes as she sat across from me was dead serious. The atmosphere wasn’t one where I could just laugh it off.
“N-No way. You wouldn’t do something like that, Aika-san.”
“Are you sure? You never know. It hasn’t even been a year since we met, Masato. What if the only reason I’ve taken such good care of you is because I liked your looks? What if I made you work at the bar just so everyone could see how wonderful you are, all so I could enjoy you for myself later?”
…It frustrated me that I couldn’t completely deny it.
It was true that I hadn’t known Aika-san for very long, but I should have known she wasn’t the type to do something like that.
Considering my naivety was what caused this situation in the first place, I didn’t even know if it was okay to say something so optimistic.
Aika-san stood up and sat down right next to me.
The elegant scent of an adult woman’s perfume wafted over.
Because it was Aika-san, I didn’t find it unpleasant. I just sat there in silence, unable to do anything else.
“With that being said, I’ll be partaking.”
Aika-san’s face drew closer.
She’s done so much for me. I had no right to complain, no matter what she did to me—
I squeezed my eyes shut.
“Ow!”
A sharp pain shot through my forehead.
I opened my eyes to see Aika-san wearing a wicked grin, having just flicked my forehead.
“Just kidding.”
“Please don’t do that! It’s terrible for my heart!”
“Fufufu. But you didn’t really seem to mind, did you?”
“…I mean, after everything you’ve done for me, Aika-san, it didn’t feel right to resist…”
“You’re too kind. If I were ten years younger, I would’ve gladly devoured you without hesitation. Unfortunately, I’ve already decided to raise you into a fine young man.”
Uttering words that didn’t match her appearance with a small grunt, Aika-san returned to her original seat.
“Anyway, back to the topic at hand. You’re a kind boy, so I’m sure you’ll continue to get approached by all sorts of girls. There are two ways to handle that.”
Aika-san held up her index finger.
“The first is to correct your personality and avoid girls as much as possible. Minimize your interactions. Don’t be kind to them. Don’t get involved.”
…She was right. That might be the correct course of action in this world. But I—
“Don’t make that face. I know. I know you could never do that, Masato. Which brings us to the second option.”
As if seeing right through me, Aika-san patted me gently on the head.
Then, she held up a second finger.
“Just hurry up and find a partner. It doesn’t matter if it’s one girl, two girls, or whatever.”
“Eh?”
“At the end of the day, having someone who loves you and is always by your side is the best way to ward off other women. So before your headaches multiply, just go ahead and get yourself a girlfriend.”
…Oddly enough, that matched exactly what I’d been thinking.
Dating someone. Becoming a lover.
The memories of my past experiences with that are still a trauma for me, even now.
But I can’t keep using that as an excuse to run away forever.
“Dating isn’t as bad as you might think. …Besides, wouldn’t it be okay to put your trust in them? Those girls who are telling you they genuinely love you.”
“Put my trust in them, huh…”
It’s true, I’d just been making assumptions on my own.
Since I wasn’t sure if I could treat them specially, I was afraid history would repeat itself.
But if I accepted the affection of the girls around me right now, would it really end up like that?
Maybe I was just being self-conscious, but I couldn’t imagine them getting disillusioned with me that easily.
“You’re… right. I’ll do that.”
“Yeah. That’s for the best. Also, I don’t think it’s a good idea to put it off for too long… Give them an answer by March.”
“Eh?”
It was almost the end of the year.
Considering I’d already received their confessions, it wouldn’t be strange to say that waiting until March was dragging it out too much.
But without a deadline, it was easy to imagine a future where I just kept dragging things out and agonizing over it.
“I-I’ll do my best.”
“Good. That’s the boy I placed my faith in.”
I have to give them an answer by March.
Who will I become lovers with?
It’s arrogant of me to choose, and honestly, they’re all incredibly charming girls. They’re too good for me.
But if I don’t properly convey my feelings, I’ll be putting their bright futures on hold.
I need to make a decision.
“H-Huh?”
Maybe it was because I finally had a clear goal.
A sudden wave of drowsiness washed over me.
…Wait, this suddenly?
“Ah, right. I said I was joking earlier, but I actually did put sleeping pills in your tea.”
“You… what?”
Flashing a sweet smile, Aika-san pulled out an empty vial.
“I call them sleeping pills, but they’re really just over-the-counter sleep aids. Still, I made sure to buy the strongest ones available.”
With that, Aika-san effortlessly scooped up my body and placed me on the bed.
…Is superhuman strength just the default for women in this world…?
“You’ve got terrible bags under your eyes. You’ve been pushing yourself too hard over this. Now that you know what you have to do, just get some good rest tonight.”
She gently pulled the blankets over me, and my consciousness began to melt away, whether I wanted it to or not.
The sensation of my head being stroked felt nice.
Having grown up in an orphanage since birth, I’d never truly felt the warmth of a family.
It was probably too early to think of Aika-san as a mother figure when we hadn’t even known each other for a year, but still.
The fact that I was alive because she was here was an undeniable truth.
I could never thank her enough.
…Who will I become lovers with? I still don’t have an answer.
But I want to stay in this kind of relationship with her forever.
Because I honestly think meeting Aika-san in this world was the luckiest thing that could have happened to me.
“Goodnight, Masato.”
Right before I surrendered my consciousness.
I felt something soft gently touch my forehead, right where that sharp pain had been a moment ago.