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Chapter 306: Can You Take Care of Your Nine Wives?
🕑 Added 2025-04-24 14:22:42 +0000 UTCAzusagawa Sakuta liked to think he had seen his fair share of crazy things.
He believed that at this point, nothing could really surprise him anymore.
But after hearing what Futaba Rio had just said, Sakuta realized he had definitely overestimated himself. Because...
"Counting you, that makes nine girlfriends?"
He sucked in a sharp breath.
This wasn't just a problem.
This was a ridiculously massive problem.
Nine girlfriends and the craziest part?
After hearing his reaction, Futaba Rio didn't seem to think there was anything wrong with it.
In fact, she even frowned slightly and asked him in return, "What's wrong?"
"Wait... what?"
Sakuta was dumbfounded.
Normally, his personality would have him making some kind of sarcastic comment right about now.
But the fact that Futaba Rio remained so calm threw him off so much that he was left speechless.
Especially since she didn't seem the slightest bit bothered by it.
For a moment, he wasn't sure if he was overreacting or if Futaba was just being way too nonchalant.
Sakuta shook his head.
At this point, he didn't want to get lost in the details.
So instead, he stood up and said bluntly—
"That's nine girlfriends we're talking about, Futaba."
"Yeah, that's why I said it's a problem, but not a particularly big one."
Futaba responded calmly, deep in thought as she waited for Sakuta's reply.
But even after three or four minutes, he still didn't say a word.
That made her tilt her head in confusion and look at him.
"What's wrong?"
She glanced at him curiously.
"...No, nothing. I just suddenly feel really jealous of Minami-san."
Sakuta finally spoke up.
Nine girlfriends.
Even if a few of them were slightly less attractive than Futaba Rio—
That was still insanely over-the-top.
"Jealous of Minami-kun...?"
Futaba gave him a sidelong glance, probably guessing exactly what he was thinking.
But instead of explaining further, she simply added, "You don't know all the details yet, Sakuta. The real issue is... I want to get along well with the others. What do you think I should do?"
"You want to get along with the others...?"
Sakuta's expression became even more bizarre.
It was often said that love was like a battlefield—
A warring states era where it was kill or be killed.
There was no room for compromise.
Getting along with rivals in love?
That was outright impossible.
Unless—
The other eight girls all happened to think the same way as Futaba Rio.
Otherwise, this whole situation just didn't make sense.
Sensing Sakuta's thoughts, Futaba continued her explanation.
"Actually, the situation is much simpler than you think. I believe they also want to get along with me and accept each other. The only thing I don't quite understand is what exactly counts as an 'appropriate' way to do that."
Yeah.
After experiencing two different dreams, Futaba Rio had already realized something.
The other eight girls were already accepting each other.
But when it came to human relationships, Futaba wasn't as skilled as Sakuta.
Which was why she had come to him for advice today.
"How to get along with eight others..."
To be honest, Sakuta was at a complete loss for words.
Nine girlfriends and instead of tearing each other apart like in some drama or rom-com.
They actually wanted to get along and accept each other?
Was there anything more ridiculous than this?
If there was, It would probably be running into a beautiful girl in a bunny suit while wandering around the National Library.
He shook his head.
But still, he gave Futaba Rio his best advice.
"If you all truly want to accept each other, then communication won't be that difficult. The only advice I can give is—'Be honest with yourself.'"
In any human relationship—
The most important thing was sincerity.
That didn't mean revealing every little thing, but it did mean opening up and communicating genuinely. That was the very skill that had allowed Sakuta to become friends with the socially awkward Futaba Rio in the first place.
"Be honest with myself...?"
Futaba repeated his words softly.
Then she looked up.
"Thanks, Sakuta. I think I understand what I should do now."
She expressed her gratitude.
Then slowly got up from her seat, ready to leave.
But just as she was about to stand up completely—
She heard Sakuta's voice again.
"Wait, Futaba. Actually, there's something I want to ask you, too."
Sakuta Azusagawa called out to Futaba Rio and spoke.
"…What is it?"
Although a little puzzled, Futaba still stopped in her tracks.
"Actually, I'm a bit curious about Minami-san as well."
Sakuta stood up and spoke directly.
Romance was Futaba Rio's personal choice.
But nine girlfriends…
That was a situation chaotic enough for anyone to be concerned about.
As a friend, he couldn't just sit back and ignore it.
At the very least, he wanted to meet Minami and get a sense of what kind of person he was.
That was what he intended to do.
On the other side, Futaba Rio, under his gaze, slightly parted her lips, seemingly about to respond.
The next second—
"Well, what a coincidence. I'm actually a bit curious about you too, Azusagawa-kun."
A voice suddenly sounded right beside him.
At the same time, a black-haired young man appeared in front of him, casually extending his hand.
"Hello, I'm Minami."
"…Huh? Ah… Oh, right. Hello, I'm Azusagawa Sakuta. 'Azusagawa' as in the Azusagawa Service Area, 'Sakuta' with the characters for 'mouth' on the left and 'gate' on the right, and 'Ta' as in 'sun.'"
Caught off guard by Minami's sudden appearance, Sakuta was momentarily at a loss.
But he quickly regained his composure and extended his own hand in return, lifting his brown eyes to meet Minami's gaze.
Damn… he's really good-looking.
Back in class, he'd always thought the girls who gushed about Minami were exaggerating but now that he was seeing him in person, he had to admit, those girls weren't wrong at all.
Minami's features were elegant and refined.
Even compared to his other friend, Kunimi Yuma, Minami's face was more striking, his proportions were well-balanced, and his height was naturally attractive. There was also a certain intellectual aura about him, probably from spending so much time immersed in books.
Simply put, Minami was exactly the kind of guy people would say, "Better keep an eye on your girlfriend around him."
If someone told Sakuta that a male idol had accidentally wandered off a morning drama set and ended up here, he'd probably believe it.
Honestly—
Just based on his looks, it wasn't even that surprising that Minami had nine girlfriends.
At that moment, Futaba Rio finally reacted as well.
"Minami-kun, what are you doing here?"
She took a step or two forward, her tone surprised.
After all, whenever Minami spoke with her, it was usually in two places:
The science prep room at school or LycoReco, the café where she worked part-time.
In those places, Futaba would often brew a cup of coffee for Minami, then rest her chin on her hand and listen as he casually shared all sorts of interesting stories from both inside and outside school, but aside from those locations—
Minami had never involved himself in the rest of her life and that was precisely what Futaba appreciated about him.
Even in their dream world, where they were supposedly married—
As a science-loving homebody, she still had her own routines and hobbies.
She didn't like being controlled by others.
And Minami, to his credit, gave her as much freedom as he possibly could.
So for him to show up here, in her classroom—
To be honest, this was a first.
Of course, Futaba was going to ask about it.
"Ah… I just needed to talk to you about something, Rio."
Hearing Futaba's question, Minami smiled as he answered.
Then, after a brief pause, he glanced over at Sakuta.
"But… it seems I may have interrupted your conversation. My apologies."
"No worries. My conversation with Futaba was already over."
Sakuta waved it off casually, then smiled.
"Rather, I'm actually quite happy to finally meet you, Minami-san."
Sakuta Azusagawa cleared his throat and continued speaking.
"Actually, I just heard something pretty unbelievable from Futaba… So I wanted to confirm it with you, Minami-san."
His voice was as lazy and indifferent as ever, as if nothing in the world could truly excite him. His tone was unusually polite, his gestures calm, and even his expression carried a faint smile.
As the saying goes, one does not strike a smiling face.
Sakuta was showing his respect, so naturally, Minami nodded and replied.
"Please, go ahead, Azusagawa-kun."
"Well, it's like this…"
Given how explosive the topic of Minami's nine girlfriends was, as well as wanting to preserve his dignity, Sakuta didn't just blurt everything out for the entire classroom to hear.
Instead, he lowered his voice and discreetly whispered the whole story into Minami's ear.
"Nine girlfriends… and they all accept each other… is what Rio said...?"
Hearing Sakuta's words, Minami's expression remained completely composed.
Not a hint of embarrassment. Not a trace of hesitation.
"Rio wasn't wrong."
"…Huh?"
Sakuta was caught off guard by how directly Minami admitted it.
He had expected Minami to dodge the question, to at least try and cover things up.
But instead—
Minami acknowledged it without the slightest hesitation.
Sakuta was both confused and surprised.
But before he could say anything else—
"Actually, Azusagawa-kun, there's no need to be so shocked."
Minami's voice remained perfectly steady as he continued.
"Because everything Rio said is true. If I weren't even willing to admit to my own actions, dodging the question instead, I would only be ashamed of myself."
His tone was calm, his gaze unwavering.
And that only made it harder for Sakuta to wrap his head around.
He frowned deeply and followed up.
"But have you really thought about this, Minami-san? Nine different girls all love you… That's not something you can just brush off with a simple excuse. Just handling them on a daily basis must already be a huge challenge, right?"
"To put it bluntly, Minami-san, you're just one person. Do you really think you can take care of all of them properly?"
As an outsider, Sakuta normally wouldn't interfere in other people's love lives.
After all, there's an old Japanese saying—'Those who meddle in others' romances will be kicked to death by a horse', but because Futaba Rio was his close friend, there were things he had to say.
"Isn't taking care of them something I should be doing?"
Minami gave Sakuta a strange look, as if the question itself was baffling.
The truth was, his multiple simulations had already proven that the situation would work out perfectly and the conclusion was simple:
Minami could manage it.
And not only that, he and his nine girlfriends would go on to have a happy married life.
Even without the certainty of the simulations, Minami had no doubts.
After all, if they had already overcome so many obstacles together, why would they fall apart after getting married?
"..."
Sakuta was speechless.
Minami's confidence left him at a loss for words.
There was not a single crack in his composure—not a hint of deception in his expression.
And yet…
Nine girlfriends…
Just hearing that number felt absurd.
Sakuta couldn't help but feel uneasy.
Minami, however, saw right through his concerns.
So he spoke.
"In reality, it's not as simple as you might think, Azusagawa-kun. There are… certain reasons behind it that are difficult to explain."
He paused briefly.
"I know you may not believe me. But all I can do is assure you—I will do everything in my power to take care of each and every one of them."
"…I see."
Minami's words made Futaba Rio's eyes flicker with a strange light.
And they left Sakuta silent.
He wasn't the type to press people aggressively.
And Minami had already given his answer.
Besides, in the end, this was between Minami and Futaba.
As an outsider, he had no right to interfere any further.
So after exchanging a few more words with Minami, Sakuta simply stood up and left without hesitation.
Minami and Futaba remained standing there, watching as Sakuta disappeared down the hallway.
After about thirty seconds—
"Minami-kun, why did you say all that to Sakuta?"
Futaba turned to look at him.
She liked Minami.
And she had spoken with him many times before.
So she understood his personality.
Normally, if someone started interrogating him like they were conducting a background check, Minami wouldn't even entertain the conversation. He'd just walk away.
But today, he had not only stopped to talk—
He had patiently answered every single one of Sakuta's questions.
That confused her.
Why had Minami deliberately taken the time to explain things today?
She was curious, so she asked.
But in reality…
"The answer is pretty simple."
Minami chuckled lightly and reached out his hand.
His fingers gently pinched her soft, pale nose.
Then—
The black-haired young man gave his answer.
"Because Sakuta is your friend."
Futaba fell silent.
She lifted her head.
Her chestnut-colored eyes stared unblinkingly at the young man in front of her, who was smiling ever so slightly.
The reason really was simple.
It was just because Sakuta Azusagawa was her friend.
And that alone was enough for Minami to stop, listen, and answer all his questions.
