Chapter 110: The Truth About Anastasia
"Kouji…" She was in awe at what he just said. "I was not expecting this at all." To most girls, his outburst was very much random. If there was anything the boy would've said to her, she believed it to be a good farewell, since she hadn't done that with all of them. "You really just said all of that?"
"Yes." He replied. "All of that was true. I really do love you, even if I have those feelings with everyone else." Kouji sighed and hung his head down. If she wanted to hate him for that, then he would accept those feelings as well. "But please, none of us want you to get married. Even if you think I'm the scum of the earth, just don't get yourself married like this."
"Oh…" a tear ran down her cheek as the weight of his confession hit her. "I cannot believe that you would pour your heart out like this." Things were different than before. Something about the way he spoke changed her reaction. Perhaps it was telling her the truth about the others?
"So, what's your answer?" He was filled with anxiety, waiting for the response he was looking for. Despite how moved she was by his performance, it was entirely possible that the girl would still reject him. For even if she was in love with him, would that be enough to break such a long engagement? "Are you going to… Call off the wedding? And maybe… Accept my feelings?"
"Of course I will." She embraced him tightly as she answered. He felt his legs feeling weak, his relief of her answer was nearly too much for him. Kouji would've hugged her back, but he was also confused by her response.
"Y-you will?" He said when they separated. "But… Why the change from before? And how can you just say that you'd call off the wedding in front of everyone like so easily?"
"The truth is that… There was never going to be a wedding." Anastasia gingerly admitted to him. "It was only supposed to be… A joke."
"A joke!?" How could she come up with a prank like that? This seemed more like it was up Waa's alley.
"You see, I was going to return to Japan on April 1st, and that is known as April fools' day, yes?" So her plan was to make them think she was going to be wed off, only to surprise them when the day came. The girl never expected any of this to happen at all. When he confessed to her the first time, she could say no to keep up the charade since no one was around. Though on the inside, she was screaming on the inside to hear that the boy she liked confessed to her.
"Then, these people?"
"They are my parents." She pointed over to them, who were still a little weirded out about him mentioning his harem. "And Alexander has been a good friend to me since we were children. But we are only good friends."
"I hope you liked my acting." He said.
"It was all right." Kouji tried to act cool about it, but inside he was still fuming a bit about that kissing act that boy pulled. "We were all fooled by it, so good job there."
"I wasn't planning on all this though." She nervously looked over at his parents in regards to his confession.
"Wait, were you not aware about me and… Everyone else?"
"No, I can tell when a girl is in love." She giggled to hide away the pain she felt seeing it happen. "I actually thought that you… Did not like me in that way. Even though I held those feelings inside, I assumed that you did not see me in that way."
"That's not true at all." He took her hands and clasped them together with his. "I've always thought you were a beautiful girl. It's just that life kind of… Threw me a curve ball." Perhaps if he never went to the academy, then maybe things could turned out differently for them.
"I am sorry, but what is this about your harem?" Her mom asked, somewhat ruining the moment between them.
"They are the girls you all met last night." She answered. "I guess you could say that all of us are friends… And lovers." Even Anastasia was worried about how her family would take this news. For her personally, she would've been more than happy to be together with Kouji and everyone else in it. After all, they were not only her friends, but she also considered them as family outside of family.
"I suppose you wish to ask our permission now about this, right?" Her dad asked.
"Hm? You want their input about your relationship?"
"Yes." She answered both of their questions. "The reason I have not confessed to you… I wished for my parents to meet you so that I could ask them if I could continue to pursue you." He was a little shocked to hear this coming from her. She was a lot more traditional than he first figured her to be. "So this prank was also for the opportunity."
"It is strange for us to consider allowing her to join a boy who… Does cannot give her his full attention." Kouji felt himself tense up from the fear of their rejection. Why did he have to pour out his heart and tell them all the truth like this. He had completely misunderstood her intentions as it turned out.
"Wait! Please don't…" Suddenly a voice interrupted them. It was Himawari who had hopped out of her family limo in an attempt to prevent Anastasia's family from boarding their plan. "Oh, you're already here." Shortly after this, the others got out of the vehicle. They were hoping to arrive to delay the trip so that he would have a chance of making it in time.
"How'd you get here before us?" Teru asked. "There's no way you ran here that fast."
"I took a cab." He answered.
"I thought you-"
"It was miserable."
"So these girls are your… Harem?" Her father asked. This led to all the girl feelings rather, worried that their secret was revealed. "I'm a little surprised about this."
"They…" He wanted to answer properly. It was no longer the time for lies or hiding away. "They are." Kouji answered. "And I know it might sound silly, or maybe it might look like I'm taking advantage of all of them, but I'm not. I love every single one of them and I know that I'll love your daughter just the same." Just as he was with his confession, he stood strong to them, showcasing his resolve. "Please, I wish that you'll accept me."
"She does care about you a lot." Her mom said. "And everyone around you seems rather nice."
"We'll… Accept it." Her dad finally gave them a concrete answer. Kouji breathed one major sigh of relief from their response as Anastasia happily took him into a big bear hug. All the while, tears fell from her cheeks onto his shoulder.
"It's all right." He consoled her, placing a hand over her luscious hair. "They accepted me, so don't be sad." Her tears were not of joy. The boy could sense the sorrow within them as they landed onto his arm.
"I am happy that they will allow this." She said through her sobbing. "But I am sad because… I still need to return to Russia." They were going to have to wait a few weeks before enjoying the fruits of this harvest.
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