Chapter 202: ~Chapter 69~ Part 3

"… and then the Chief made Pascal take her away, and that's the end of it," Judy concluded her recounting of our encounter with 'Sahi' for my other girlfriend, and the princess seemed to be unexpectedly stumped at the moment.

We were already on our way home, halfway to Elly's place to be precise, and since Snowy decided to hang out with Angie, it left only the three of us. Needless to say, with the way the weather was as of late, the two girls were sticking really close to me for mutual warmth, which actually earned a few interested looks from the usual placeholders. They were definitely evolving.

"So this is what you meant when you talked about harem countermeasures the other day," Elly said in a low voice, earning her a curious glance from Judy in the process.

"You sound disappointed."

"I'm not, I'm just… I expected something more," she told my assistant a little uncertainly. "Normally when you hear the word 'countermeasures', you would think it's some kind of plan you enact in case of an emergency. Based on what you said, Leo just gave the cold shoulder to a girl."

"It was certainly a simple solution, but effective." Apparently Elly still wasn't completely convinced, so my dear assistant proceeded to elaborate. "The first step to avoiding a harem is to make sure other girls don't gain an interest in the Chief. If they do, there is a good chance the narrative would try to add them to his harem—"

"Which I don't actually have, mind you," I interjected, but Judy didn't seem to pay me any heed.

"—and the easiest ways to avoid this is by either making sure they understand that he is already in a relationship, or for him to make it clear that he is not interested in them. We can do the former ourselves, but for the latter, it is entirely dependent on the Chief maintaining his guard."

"And he did," the princess concluded with a grin before she raised a hand and patted me on the back. "You did great. Keep it up."

"… What are you doing?"

My assistant's baffled inquiry was met with a straightforward answer.

"I'm providing positive reinforcement, of course," Elly stated while continuing to administer her very enthusiastic back-pats. "If you want him to feel motivated to stay faithful, you have to give him unconditional support and praise him when he is doing the right thing. I thought we already talked about this?"

"Don't worry about it, princess. She just can't recognize positive feedback anymore because it's been so long she'd last done it, she kind of forgot what it looks like," I obviously joked, but my dear assistant still took umbrage to it.

"That is straight-up slander, Chief. I give you plenty of positive reinforcement."

"You do?" Elly asked with the biting edge that only an innocent question could have.

"Well, maybe not lately…" my dearest assistant conceded more than a bit reluctantly. I thought this was the end of that tangent, but then she suddenly raised her hand put it onto my shoulder. "You did well. Consider yourself praised."

"… That was so transparently forced I don't even know how to react," I remarked, which only made her start rubbing my shoulder in the most awkward fashion imaginable.

"Hush, Chief. I'm trying."

Normally I wouldn't have had any problems with the two of them being touchy-feely like that, but we were in the middle of town at the moment, and so getting my back petted by two girls by the roadside was a tiny bit embarrassing. As such, I cleared my throat and quickened my pace, forcing my girlfriends to detach from me and then hurriedly catch up to my side afterward.

"That was mean," Elly protested the moment she caught up with me, and my other girlfriend immediately nodded in agreement.

"It was, but I understand. The Chief is easily embarrassed when he is getting praised in public. That's why I was holding back on the positive reinforcement."

"Oh please, Dormouse. Don't try to rationalize it post hoc like that; you are better than that."

Judy didn't respond to my words, and instead she pointedly averted her face, followed by a rare and fleeting display of sulkiness. I had nothing more to say either, so in the end it fell onto Elly's shoulders to pick up the thread of the conversation.

"Hey, Judy?" she addressed the other girl, and once she had her attention, she asked a question that had been on my mind for a while, but I never got the opportunity to properly ask it. "Lately you've been really… err… ill tempered? Let's go with that. Is there a problem?"

"No, there isn't," Judy denied with a small shake of her head, but then right after that she added, "I think I just still haven't completely come to terms with our arrangement, that's all."

"So there is a problem," I reckoned, which earned me a flat glance from her, followed by a shallow sigh.

"It's not really a problem. It's just that…" She paused here for several seconds while she was looking for the right words, and Elly and I patiently waited for her to find them. "It's just that sometimes I feel unsatisfied with how we ended up. For example, when you talked with that Arch-Mage girl today and you only acknowledged Elly as your girlfriend. I logically know that it is because she only knew about her, and it is safer for me and my family if they don't know that I'm also going out with you, but it still felt really frustrating. Then I start having these weird thoughts, like that if I was more assertive early on, then I could have you all for myself, but then I start feeling terrible because it would make Elly sad, and then I start feeling even more frustrated. Do you understand what I'm trying to say?"

I… honestly didn't expect her to spill her heart out like this all of a sudden, and for a while I didn't know how I should respond to her. I mean, this really sounded like teen love drama stuff, and I was really bad with that. I mean, the whole reason why I proposed our current OT3 relationship was so that I could avoid this, and while I was really satisfied with the arrangement on my end, apparently Judy still had her reservations.

Still, I couldn't really leave her hanging, and I was just about to formulate a proper response… when the princess beat me to the punch again.

"So you are feeling frustrated because you want to have Leo for yourself?" Judy paused for a long second, followed by a tentative nod, yet it only made the princess tilt her head in incomprehension.  "I really don't get it. I mean, you already do, don't you? We both do!"

"That is a paradox," my dearest assistant retorted in a much firmer voice that was still infinitely approaching two dimensions, but the princess didn't seem to agree with her sentiment.

"No, it's not. I mean, Leo is super-considerate! I for one never felt that I was 'sharing' him in any way! If anything, having you around as well only makes things more fun. Wasn't it the same for you?"

"I can't say I ever felt left out, but…" Judy tried to explain herself, but somewhere halfway through her words trailed into silence, so Elly took the opportunity to continue espousing her perspective.

"We are having so much fun all the time, aren't we?"

"Well, not all the time…" I tried to point out, but my voice was drowned out by the princess's enthusiasm.

"We are hanging out, and having kinship, and now we even have this whole mystery to solve about the narrative and how the universe works and everything! It's so exciting and so different from mundane, everyday life! I wouldn't exchange this for anything!"

For a moment I was really tempted to ask how being a super-rich half-dragon chased by an ancient order of knights constituted as 'mundane life', but I managed to swallow my objection down, and probably for the better.

"Does that mean that if you could have the Chief for yourself, all alone, you wouldn't take him?" my other girlfriend leveled a loaded question at her, and for a moment she faltered as she considered her answer.

"As in… you mean like a thought experiment? As in, if you never existed and I could have him for myself? I suppose I would like to, but to be honest with you, I don't see how it would be more fun or fulfilling than our current relationship."

"… I really don't know how to argue with you when you say things like that," Judy responded to her words with an air of defeat around her. In the meantime, the princess continued to beam an affectionate smile at her, which apparently only made her look even more dejected, so I decided it was my boyfriendly duty to return her previous gesture and reassuringly pat her on the back.

"Here, here. No need to feel upset."

"I'm not upset, I'm just… fine, maybe I'm upset," she corrected me (except not really), and then after a short sigh she explained herself. "I'm always feeling so conflicted over being selfish, or needy, or jealous, and in the meantime she just skips all that mental anguish and is having the time of her life. And the worst part? I can't even be mad at her because she is such a lovable airhead."

"Whoa there, Dormouse. There's no need to be rude. She's not an airhead, she just has her own pace," I chided her, and she subtly rolled her eyes, which I interpreted as agreement and a lesson well learned. However, before I could say anything else, Elly made her way behind us and caught both of our waists in a bear-hug.

"You heard that, Leo? She just called me lovable! She is coming around!"

My dear assistant promptly rolled her eyes again, and I couldn't help but stifle a chuckle as well.

"I'm glad you are happy, princess, but if you don't let us go, we'll never get to your mansion. We will have all the time in the world to cuddle after dinner."

"I'll hold you to your word on that," she told me as she finally let us go, and she was soon echoed by my other girlfriend.

"So will I. Unless you picked another cheesy romance movie for the evening, in which case I will withhold my cuddles until sufficiently appeased."

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"If that happens, you can still cuddle with me," Elly offered with a smirk, much to our surprise, but Judy quickly shook her head.

"I’m still not swinging that way, but I appreciate the sentiment."

"I don't see how that is a problem; we can just have platonic snuggles!" The princess declared, followed by a series of soft giggles, and while I wasn't sure how the conversation ended up this way, seeing the two of them getting closer definitely wasn't a bad thing.

That said, we were already within spitting distance of the Dracis mansion, so after some prodding, I managed to get my girlfriends to start moving again, if only so that we would actually get there before the sun completely set.

"Welcome back milady, miss Judy, future young master," a certain familiar maid greeted us the moment we arrived at the gates and, after a quick curtsy, ushered us inside.

"Hello, Melinda. Long time no see," I returned the courtesies to the braided young woman, and she acknowledged my existence with a small nod. Apparently she still didn't completely approve of me, but to be perfectly honest, I didn't really mind. Her reaction was still more reasonable than the unconditional acceptance the rest of the family showed, even if them doing so made my life much easier. Oh, speak of the devil…

"Leo!"

I was greeted by the lady of the house, and quite loudly if I may add, the moment we passed through the front entrance. She was currently wearing an oversized beige cardigan over a white blouse and matching white trousers, complete with season-appropriate knee-high boots (as for why she was wearing the latter while indoors, I had no idea), and the moment our eyes met, she broke into a full-speed dash that covered the large foyer of the mansion in under a second.

If not for my inexplicable yet trustworthy sixth sense for danger, I would have probably tried to reflexively dodge out of the way of her tackle, but instead I gently pushed the two girls aside so that they wouldn't be swept up in the enormous bear hug the Dracis matriarch subjected me to not a second later. Like mother like daughter, eh?

"Are you all right, pumpkin? I've heard your hand is injured! Does it hurt? Do you need help?"

"Erm… Thank you for your concern, but I'm fine." My response didn't seem to make her want to detach from me any time soon, so I also added, "You can let me go now, mom-in-law. If you keep hugging me like that, the girls are going to get jealous."

My self-imposed mother-in-law let out an unexpectedly girlish giggle in response to my comment and finally ceased trying to squeeze the breath out of me, just in time for the Dracis patriarch to show up from another door… and make a beeline right at me.

"Leo! Are you all right, son!? I've heard you were injured!"

Yep, Elly's family was overbearing as always, but I was getting used to it. I quickly explained my situation to Abram, and once he learned that I wasn't going to keel over from a hand injury, the both of them let out a long, relieved sigh.

"Thank goodness. Sebastian made it sound much worse," Emese said with a delighted smile, and her husband also nodded in agreement.

"Yes! He even made me contact one of the professional healers we know right away! But don't worry, son! Even if your hand cannot be healed, not all is lost! We just have to cut it off and then replace it with an artificial limb! The Arch-Mage of New Orleans owes me a favor anyway, so if push comes to shove, we can have him make you a draconic arm that could knead steel like it was bread dough!"

"… While that sounds great, if at all possible, I would like to keep my hand, thank you very much."

The Dracis patriarch only let out a jovial belly-laugh at my not particularly delicate refusal, and this time it was mama Dracis who grabbed hold of the reins of the conversation.

"We understand, but remember that it is always an option, so don't worry too much. Whatever happens, we are going to help you deal with it."

"Well, um… Thanks?"

"You are welcome, son!" Abram exclaimed and hit me so hard on the back I almost toppled forward, yet before I could issue a complaint, he reached into his breast pocket and handed me an envelope. "Before I forget it, take this!"

I received it without any hassle and opened it up, and as expected, I found a familiar key along with a piece of paper in it.

"So you have found which bank the key belongs to, I presume," I said as I fumbled a little to get the contents out.

"It's actually not a bank, but a private company providing specialized storage space for a yearly fee," Emese corrected me while also helping me to take out the key in question. "The address is on this paper, and only you can access it, personally."

"It wasn't easy to find it, let me tell you!" Abram commented with a proud grin. "I had to put half a dozen men on the case, but we found it in the end! Do you want to go and see what's inside after dinner?"

"Maybe later, I already have plans for today," I responded while pocketing the key. "Are they open on the weekends?"

"It should be written on the page!"

"It actually is," I muttered as I unfolded said page and took a quick look. The actual address wasn't in Timaeus, but one of the smaller towns on the island, and they seemed to be open 24/7. "I should visit them on Saturday, I suppose."

"Let's go together!" Abram proposed, and seeing my skeptical reaction, he hastily added, "Isn't it about time we had a bonding adventure, just with the two of us?"

"I don't know how much of an adventure this would be…"

"He's just curious about what's inside your deposit box," the Dracis matriarch pointed out, making her husband flush red right away.

"Honey, please don't undermine me!"

While they talked, I considered the option and figured that getting more familiar with my overly friendly, self-ascribed future father-in-law probably wasn't a bad idea. It would also be a good opportunity to bounce a few future business ideas off him. I mean, Elly really wanted me to make more money, so I figured I might as well try to hit the iron while it was hot and bring up the idea of creating a video-sharing platform and monopolize the market while it was still budding. I would call it TheeCylinder or something equally tongue-in-cheek.

"In that case, how about Saturday, two in the afternoon?" I proposed, and it took a long second for papa Dracis to realize what I was talking about, at which point he let out another window-shaking belly laugh.

"Of course! I will free up my schedule right away!"

And with that, the parental duo proceeded to usher us towards the dining room, and it was only at this point that I realized that Elly looked unusually absent-minded.

"Hey, princess? Is everything all right?"

She blinked at me in surprise, then after a moment of hesitation her brows descended into a determined frown and she pointed a finger at me, followed by a less determined "P-Pumpkin!"

"… What?"

"I'm going to call you that from now on!" she declared with her ears getting steadily redder by the second. "Mom called you that, and I realized that I really wanted to call you that too, so from now on, I will also call you pumpkin!"

"I get it, but do you really have to?" I tried to object, but Elly suddenly received unexpected support from my assistant.

"Face it Chief, with the way you are giving embarrassing nicknames to everyone, it was only a matter of time before all that karma came back to you."

"I don't think nicknames have karma, but more importantly, I'm not against Elly giving me a pet name, but 'pumpkin' sounds a little off to me."

"So if it's something other than that, you would accept it?" Judy pressed on, and against my better judgment, I gave her a curt nod.

"Fine, but we can discuss this later!" Elly cut me off and subsequently linked her arm with mine. "Let's not make mom and dad wait for us!"

Saying so, she began to pull me along, and I soon realized I had no choice in the matter of my pet name. I mean, I was afraid that this day would come, but I didn't think it would be so soon, and… why pumpkin of all things?

While I kept dwelling on the issue, we arrived at the dining all, with the princess and Dormouse holding me in each arm, mom-in-law and dad-in-law already next to the table and talking with the incognito dragon butler and the braided maid and… and now I was suddenly worried. What if Judy was right and 'nickname karma' was a thing after all? I was pretty much a chief offender at this point, and I left the method of retribution in the hands of my girlfriends.

"Well, crap," I whispered as cold sweat ran down my back. "I'm doomed, aren't I?"

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