When I awoke, Smith was looking down at me with a smirk.

" Can I go back to unconsciousness now?" I asked grumblingly.

"How dare you wound me, Aki-kun!" Smith sulked, her voice mockingly hurt, "I expected a better response to the wonderful agent who saved your life."

"I don't see how I could know that," I complained, seated on the couch. Huh, it looks like I'm back in the house. Kuruso is groaning across from me on the couch. "What happened to you?" I asked.

"Smith-san shot me with three Tranq darts," he mumbled as if about to vomit.

Tossing her long black hair to the side, Smith explained, "I didn't expect you to run in front of them like that." "You seem fine, though," she added.

"Kuruso grunted, "I'm not fine."

"Also, could you not tell anyone about this accident, by the way?" Smith asked all smiles. "I would be in trouble if my superiors knew about this little incident."

In response, Kuruso groaned, judging by her emphatic thumbs-up, which Smith interpreted as a "yes."

Kuruso sat up slowly and inquired, "Where are the girls?" "I thought they would be worrying about us..."

We turned as Smith pointed toward the door, and Kuruso and I saw three nervous-looking heads peering through.

"We're not mad at you guys," I called out to them. "You can come out."

Honestly, I was irritated, but it was clear that the girls were already beating themselves up over it. They did not need me to make them feel worse.

As the three shuffled into the living room, Miia whimpered, "But it's our fault you both got hurt... "A-and Darling almost died..."

She felt more guilty about the person she did not knock out...

"Papi sobbed, "We're sorry."

"What we did was utterly shameful," Centorea admitted, staring at the ground with her eyes fixed on the floor.

"So that's why-!" Miia began before I interrupted.

"Are you going to stop going overboard?" I interrupted.

After being caught off guard by me, Miia blinked at me and gave me a firm nod. "That's right! I'll stop getting so excited about things..." she said.

"So that's the plan?" I asked before anyone else had an opportunity to comment on that. "You're gonna stop being passionate," I pointed at Papi, "You're gonna stop playing around," then to Centorea, "And you're gonna stop protecting Kuruso-san?" That's when you stop being yourselves.

"Bando-sama, I don't believe you understand," Centorea began, "Our fighting directly led to your injuries, and Master got shot, and ..."

"Cerea, I think Bando-san has a point," Kuruso said surprisingly. He stood up and faced them directly. Feeling obliged to follow his example, I did the same. "I agree that you should not fight or hurt Bando-san, but Smith-san was to blame in my case."

After spitting out her coffee, Smith protested, "You ran out in front of me!"

"And besides, I knew the risks before I agreed," I replied. Probably better than anyone in this damn house had. Smith gave me a look that said, "But I didn't explain shit." I ignored her. "I already accepted that there would be a bit of rough-housing."

As Kuruso nodded at my words, he continued. The two of us are both aware of the fact that there is always going to be trouble... That's to be expected since we come from different cultures and are bound to have misunderstandings and issues." He smiled at them. "Besides, we all live together in the same house, right? That means that we are a family. Right? Bando-san?"

After being caught off guard by the question, I hastily answered, "Uh, yeah!" My real family was a universe away in a world without monsters. I hadn't been here for a day, so how could he expect me to answer this question?

Ah, yes, he was the all-loving harem hero. Well... quite obviously, he had good intentions.

"So, girls, please, be yourselves with us!" Kuruso's smile expanded. "We wouldn't have it any other way!"

Ehhhhh...

Wow, that made me feel like a dick.

I think that's perfect!" Smith exclaimed.

And here we go.

Kuruso's face turned red as the agent explained the proposed Interspecies Marriage Article. With each word, dread mounted on his face. He was already sweating, and when Smith announced that she wanted him to marry one of the girls, he looked as though he was about to collapse.

"Unfortunately, Aki-kun is exempt from this since he is not the actual host, so all the pressure is on you, Darling-kun!" Smith concluded.

Thank you so much, sweet Jesus. I almost fell to the ground when I felt relief.

"Well, if that's that-"

"NO!" Kuruso shouted at her, "You can't just ask me to get married on the spot like that! How... how... how would I even be able to do that?"

Every time he said something, the girls' expressions got progressively sadder. Centorea couldn't even look at the guy anymore. This was where the misunderstanding began.

"I must be off!" Smith said, clearly eager to leave. "Well, try your best!" she replied.

"WHAT?!"

"In addition to Centorea-chan's papers, I have some business to attend to, so...."

Now that I think about it, she's already leaving. My goodness, that happened a lot faster than I thought. It's excellent timing...

As she walked away, I called after her, "the full moon.". "You should probably mention that before you leave."

With confusion, Kuruso turned to look at me after temporarily forgetting his rage.

"Aha! I knew I had forgotten something!" Smith giggled, gently tapping her head with her fist, "I'm surprised you knew about it, Aki-kun."

My response was, "I finished my research," I let her know. It wasn't technically a lie... if you substitute the word "research" with "watching Ecchi Harem anime," it was for my survival, so whatever—as well as Kuruso's.

Smith rounded on him and said, "I see. Darling, the full moon can be a perfect time for certain liminal species to act out their most primitive instincts. It is a prime time for them when the moon is high in the sky, so they don't have all their inhibitions. And it's tonight! So prepare accordingly~."

Smith left, leaving behind an intentionally ominous note. I glared at the space she'd left in her wake. If she would act that way, I could've explained it myself!

A sense of suspicion crept into Kuruso's voice as he repeated, "Prepare accordingly?"." What does she mean by that, Bando-san?"

Taking a deep breath before speaking, I replied, "It means that they'll do all they can to get what they want tonight." I paused and looked at him. "With all this talk of marriage, I don't think you need to wonder exactly what that might be."

Looking at the girls in question, he gulped. "Um, is that true?" he asked.

"As they said," Centorea confirmed, "the full moon is historically a difficult time if adequate measures aren't taken."

As she waved her hands frantically, Miia promised, "But we can control ourselves!" She wasn't sure if she was sure, though. Although Papi and Centorea gave half-hearted nods, it was apparent that they were still thinking about the marriage news. Kuruso was still trying to figure out what Smith had ordered him to do.

As far as tonight goes, it will be similar to canon unless I change the direction in which it goes.

Trying to shake him from his thoughts, I elbowed him. "What's the plan, Kuruso-san?"

"Eh?"

Do I have to hold your hand? "You need to be honest with them about the marriage thing. They are full of doubt, and the full moon will only compound the problem."

A sigh escaped Kuruso's lips with a slight pause as he scratched the back of his head. "But, I mean... marriage? I've never even thought about it!..." he murmured.

I'll have to lay it all out to get to this guy. Wrapping my arm around his neck, I whispered: "Well, if you don't, I can guarantee you one thing: they'll fuck you to death."

"Ehhhhhhh?!"

That's my response, too.

" They'll fuck you to death," I repeated. "Because they're so worried you don't want to marry them, they'll aggressively try to seal the deal as quickly as possible. Because of that, they won't be able to hold back their strength..."

In the end, I let his imagination do the rest, and thankfully, it worked, as his face turned a pale hue associated with the dead.

Kuruso sighed and paused, thinking hard. "I understand your point, but how did you learn all that?" he inquired.

"As I mentioned, I researched liminals before moving in."

That was accepted with a shaky nod. "Okay. Okay. I think I know what to say now."

Having patted him on the back, I let him go. "Go get 'em, tiger." Excellent job. Kuruso will now tell them that he is willing to date them all because he likes them all equally (which is still a bullshit answer because it only prolongs the inevitable and seems unfair to the girls). The girls seem satisfied with that answer well enough in canon, so there shouldn't be any problems...

" Hey, everyone!" Kuruso began, smiling happily for the girls, "I know today has been quite hectic, and we have a lot to process. Let's all sleep on it, okay? I'll decide what to do tomorrow, so please don't worry."

What the eff was that weak shit?!

"All three of you are important to me, so I'll make the best decision I can," he continued with a thumbs-up, "I need some alone time to be sure everyone will be happy. Is that okay? "

"Y-Yes..."

"Oh..."

"If you say so, Master."

They can only be satisfied with that if they have total idiotic minds. Please, Kuruso, say something more intelligent than what you just said.

With hands on his hips, Kuruso reached the door and yawned. "Well, time to go to bed. Sleep well, everyone!"

Does this dumbass have some destiny almost to get killed tonight?

My eyes had been filled with rage as I watched his retreating back, hesitating between the decision to call it a night and leave it to destiny. I had done all I could to prevent another repeat of canon, so it would be unfair to blame me if I walked away from this.

"Uh, Romance Master?" meekly inquired the voice behind me.

Ultimately, I could spare as much time as possible to converse with people in need. I turned to see Miia, Papi, and Centorea, all in varying states of distress. My heart sank at seeing the sight; they loved this clueless idiot, didn't they? Please tell me whether or not this story is heartwarming or rage-inducing.

"Yes, Miia?"

"That advice would be helpful right now," she said nervously, fidgeting and shuffling.

It looked like I would run damage control now, better than when the girls were unstoppable balls of lust and superhuman strength. "Yeah... no kidding," I sighed, nodding in agreement. "The topic is complex for me to comprehend at the moment, and honestly, I don't think you guys should be bothered with this crap just because Smith-san asked you to. It should come naturally, not based on a government test."

As tears ran down her cheeks, Miia answered shakily, "I don't care about all that. I want to be with Darling."

I said, "Yeah, I get that," I was not getting that. "But Kuruso got thrown off, you know? A guy would do the same if told to choose and marry one of his favorite girls." I did not know how much he liked them, which accounted for part of the problem, "So the best thing the three of you can do is give him some space." Before someone could reply, I added, "And that's Romance Master advice!"

Miia could continue to use that title no matter what my misgivings are as long as it makes her feel better.

At least she seemed to be considering what I said, so I was grateful. Centorea, the most logical among the three, appeared to take what I said to heart, judging by her nodding head and solemn expression. As for Papi... it was challenging to figure out. I couldn't tell if the blue-haired harpy understood what I meant or if she was still trying to figure out what I'd said.

Fortunately, I had another plan if my words didn't stick. "Anyway, it seems as though Kuruso-san won't be cooking tonight, and there are still a few hours of daylight left, so I guess let's try going out."

Oh shit, phrasing!

"To eat together," I hastily clarified, "As friends!"

This elicited Papi's cheer. "Yay, friends! Let's eat!" she chanted. Miia and Centorea seemed less confident.

"My heart is heavy as I leave Master while he's in such pain..." Centorea said, gazing longingly toward the direction he had gone.

"When Darling chooses, I just want to stand by his side," Miia imitated.

"The outcome will be better if you just take a step back and relax," I consoled them. "I know it's important for you to act now, but I guarantee you'll get better results if you take a step back. "I might also be able to provide some advice over dinner, but so far, it looks like Papi is getting all of it."

She rushed to my side, almost knocking me over as she wrapped her wings around my stomach. "Thanks, assistant boss!" she said.

"Oh my god, that's not fair!"

" Indeed, I am seeking this advice as well!"

I thought we'd averted a crisis. However, I couldn't shake the feeling that things weren't over as we left the house.

To be continued...