Chapter 43 Acceptance

"Sigh… I figured this might be it," Tsubaki muttered, exhaling deeply. She had noticed the way Akeno had been looking at her boyfriend. She was familiar with that gaze—after all, it was the same way she and Yasaka looked at him.

Someone who was completely in love.

When Kousuke had woken her up, saying he had something important to tell her, she hadn't expected it to be about another girl falling for him. Especially not Akeno, considering they hardly interacted outside of club matters—at least, as far as she knew. Yet somehow, even that little interaction had been enough to charm Rias's Queen.

'Maybe I should lock him up somewhere. Somewhere untouched by sunlight, away from everyone—maybe then he'd belong solely to me.'

Her eyes briefly flickered with something dark as she stared at Kousuke, who visibly trembled under her gaze. Yasaka let out a melodious chuckle, seeming to take the news far more calmly—at least outwardly. That illusion, however, was betrayed by how tightly her arms wrapped around his.

"Looks like our little charmer has too much charm," Yasaka said with a smirk. "What say you, Your Honour?"

"…We should chain him in the basement or something," Tsubaki replied flatly.

"Hold on, don't go full yandere—I mean, that's hot, but still!"

"A fair judgment, Your Honour. And luckily, my basement's unused. A little cleaning should do."

"…Chat, I think I'm cooked," Kousuke muttered, staring into the distance in defeat. "Please inform my family they need to delete my browsing history."

"…Who are you talking to?"

"My nonexistent viewers. Right, chat?" He pointed dramatically at the air beside him.

"Enough joking around," Tsubaki said with a sigh. "Tell me what you think of her."

"Before I say anything, let me explain myself. Issei's propaganda has been a bad influence on me," Kousuke muttered.

"Issei's propaganda? You mean his dream of becoming a Harem King?" Tsubaki asked, raising a brow.

"Oh my, dreaming of something like that in this day and age… As expected of the Red Dragon Emperor's host," Yasaka chuckled.

"Yes, ma'am." Kousuke gave a sheepish salute before his gaze dropped to the floor. He went quiet for a moment, then said, "If it were the old me, I'd be satisfied with just one girlfriend. I mean, I was just a normal high schooler…"

"But I've changed. Maybe I'm a scumbag, but I've gotten a little greedy," he admitted, looking up to meet their eyes. "I wanted to monopolize both of you… and yesterday, when Akeno confessed to me, I was honestly over the moon."

"It felt like… after everything I went through in the Other World—all that suffering—it's like maybe I deserve a little selfishness."

He hesitated, then added, "Of course, I wouldn't accept just any confession. I'm not that much of a scumbag—you can trust me on that."

He raised both hands, gently caressing their cheeks. "I'm sorry. If you want to leave me because of this, I won't complain. I understand how difficult this is—"

"You liar. Your eyes look like you'd fall apart if we left you," Tsubaki said, tightening her grip on his hand against her cheek. She could feel it—how much it would truly hurt him if she did exactly that.

For once, he looked like a normal high schooler. Not some otherworldly warrior who had defeated a failed half-dragon with ease.

"Mmh… You're such a bad liar," Yasaka added softly. As the oldest one here, she had a different perspective on polyamory. So long as Kousuke truly loved her—and her daughter—she could accept it.

But things might not be so simple for Tsubaki.

Tsubaki sat in silence, her gaze lowering, eyes cast in shadow beneath her bangs. She wasn't angry—at least, not in the way Kousuke feared. But her heart was tight with a storm of emotions she didn't know how to put into words.

"I know I'm not perfect," she finally said, her voice low. "I can be cold. I get jealous easily. And maybe I'm a little too used to keeping everything under control."

Kousuke remained quiet, watching her, letting her speak.

"But when I fell for you… I thought it would be just you and me." Her voice trembled just slightly. "I imagined a simple love. Something that would be mine and only mine, after everything I've been through. I wanted to be selfish, too."

She looked up at him then, her eyes shimmering with unspoken emotion. "But now I realize… I'm not the only one who sees you the way I do. And I hate that it hurts."

Kousuke gently cupped her face, brushing his thumb across her cheek. "Tsubaki… I don't love you any less because someone else loves me too. That's not how love works for me."

She didn't pull away, even as fresh heat rose to her cheeks.

"I didn't expect this. I didn't plan for it. But being with you… with Yasaka… it made me realize something," he continued, his tone softer than she'd ever heard it. "When I was in the Other World, I didn't think I deserved anything. I fought. I suffered. I lost so many people."

His voice cracked faintly, but he kept going.

"Now, every time I wake up next to you… hearing your laughter at my jokes… or catching you smiling at me when you think I'm not looking… it feels like I'm alive. Like I'm finally allowed to want something."

He pressed his forehead to hers.

"I don't want to lose that. I don't want to lose you."

Tsubaki's breath caught in her throat. Her hands clenched his shirt, fingers trembling.

"You're really not fair sometimes," she whispered. "Saying all the right things like that…"

"I mean every word."

A long silence fell between them, broken only by the soft hum of morning outside the windows. Finally, she closed her eyes and exhaled slowly, leaning into his touch.

"I'm scared," she admitted. "But… I still love you. And if loving you means learning to accept this part of you too…" She opened her eyes again and met his gaze, calm and resolute now.

"Then I'll try."

Kousuke stared at her, stunned. Then he smiled—not his usual teasing grin, but something gentler. Warmer.

"Thank you."

Tsubaki flushed and quickly looked away. "But don't think this means you're off the hook. If you ever make me cry over this—just once—I'll ask Yasaka for her unused basement and chain you up."

Yasaka giggled behind them. "I'll have my subordinates clean the basement just in case."

"You two are scaring me now," Kousuke murmured, though there was a smile on his face. "But if we ever cross that bridge one day, then maybe I do deserve that treatment."

"…However, please be gentle." This earned him a jab to the ribs. Tsubaki rolled her eyes, but there was no malice in it. She rested her head against his shoulder with a tired sigh. "Idiot."

But this time, she didn't let go of his hand.