Chapter 155: Lovers Day!

Chapter 155: Lovers Day!

At school, I was walking Ana and Kate toward their English class when I caught Kate casting a series of subtle glances right at Jenifer’s gold bracelet. I already knew she had been quietly watching my wives all morning, tracking the way they admired the shiny tokens and felt deeply touched by my personal gesture.

What exactly was the message engraved on Jenifer’s bracelet? It was simply... [Good Mistakes]. It was our private, meaningful memory from back during Remembrance Day.

Stopping right at the door to their classroom, I turned to the two gorgeous actresses and offered a playful grin, "I think you two are going to get an absolute mountain of love confessions today if you don't stay close to your partners. So, good luck fighting off the hordes, ha-ha."

Ana flashed me a brilliant smile, immediately pitching her case to me yet again, "Rick, just don't forget about me, okay? I am officially saving myself just in case you ever happen to need a talented actress at your side for a bit of public publicity. See you in Drama class later."

Kate stood right beside her, giving Ana a severe stink-eye through her signature, half-closed red eyes. She then turned her gaze to me, her expression softening into a warm smile as she spoke, "Well, Rick, we may not officially be lovers, but we are definitely close friends. Because of that, I will be singing a special song just for you tonight at the club. I really am incredibly happy that you are coming out to support me, bye."

Just as she turned around to step through the doorway, I reached out and gently tugged on the fabric of her jacket sleeve, smiling warmly. I reached into my pocket, pulled out a sleek, small jewelry case, and pressed it directly into her palm.

"You said it yourself, Kate," I murmured, keeping my voice low. "We are not lovers, but friends. So because you don't have a specific lover to celebrate with for this Lovers Day, accept this small gift to remind you of our reunion."

Kate blinked in utter surprise, absentmindedly accepting the small container and popping the latch to reveal a heavy, polished gold bracelet nestled inside. I quickly spoke up to clarify my exact meaning before she could overthink the gesture.

"This is absolutely not a love confession," I explained with a chuckle. "But it is something my childhood friend should at least get on a holiday like this, just so you know you are important enough to always be remembered. See you later."

What? I am absolutely not some dense, thick-headed harem protagonist from a cheap web novel. My existing harem already knows full well that Kate and I share a deep, unbreakable connection. I am simply not ready to blindly jump into another complicated relationship just yet. I don't ever want Kate to become just a collectible trophy to add to a list; she is a real person worth truly caring for, and my heart isn't fully at that finish line yet.

As I turned and walked away down the corridor with Jenifer following closely at my heel, Kate remained frozen by the door, staring down at the sharp engraving. Her mouth slowly curled into an amused, deeply touched smile as she muttered to herself.

"If it had said absolutely anything else, I might have actually felt a bit sad," she whispered.

She rubbed a soft finger over the metal, a brilliant smile breaking across her face as her skin traced the letters of the words... [Idiot Girl]

Kate then slid the gold band onto her wrist with a sudden surge of pride, marching into the room to sit right next to Ana. She maintained a massive, shit-eating grin for the entire duration of the lecture.

On the short walk back toward our Business classroom, Jenifer leaned closer to my side, her voice carrying a trace of curiosity.

"Master, when the family traveled to Crimson, you specifically had Mercy stay back at the estate due to the risks of flying and her pregnancy," she noted softly. "So, what exactly does that mean for me at the end of this month?"

I smiled warmly down at the brown-haired cutie, reaching out to wrap my fingers around her hand as we walked.

"Technically speaking, for a perfectly healthy woman, flying is completely safe up until thirty-six weeks of pregnancy," I explained, breaking down the traveling issues for her. "But I personally feel that it is simply not worth the physical risk of the pressurized cabins on your developing womb. If flying were completely unavoidable for our survival, then you would have to risk it. But as the father, I refuse to gamble with our child's long-term health."

The moment Jenifer looked visibly conflicted about the prospect of not being right at my side for the upcoming Long Island trip, and again in April for the massive Central City handover, I squeezed her fingers to reassure her.

"I still desperately need you at my side, my dear," I told her with a knowing wink. "But you can easily serve my interests remotely from a laptop, silly. I will just take Tina and Miss Kyusho along with me on the journey, especially since Hinata is now an official member of the Fire Birds. Finally, with the Leader, Tina, and myself entirely out of the city, you are the absolute next person in line to act with authority on my behalf. So think of staying behind as my personal, high-priority request."

Jenifer’s eyes cleared up instantly, looking completely convinced by the strategic logic, phew.

Well, Mei didn't want to travel anyway because of her highly sensitive status as a covert spy, as her movement would draw entirely unwanted attention to my operations, and she wasn't a formal member of the Syndicate anyway. The core reason Mei had never officially joined the Fire Birds organization was the strict fact that you have to have your entire background thoroughly vetted and placed on official government files, which was a no-go for her line of work.

"In that case, my Master, I will personally compile a massive file containing everything you will need to know for your Central City trip," Jenifer promised, a determined glint in her eye. "And just like Miss Linda always says... I will listen to you."

As our group finally filtered out of the Business classroom at the end of the block, I quickly called out to remind Victoria and the rest of the girls about our upcoming catered lunch session right back in this exact space later today.

James and Ashley stepped up to walk with me for the remainder of the trek toward the Computer lab. Ashley leaned in slightly, sharing a quick update.

"Rick, for tonight's gathering over at the Velvet Lounge, Akeno, myself, and Monkey will all be joining you guys," she let me know, gesturing toward James. "I hope you don't mind the extra company?"

Shit! I completely forgot that they still had no idea about my relationship with Kim, and she was already scheduled to be there tonight. I quickly brought up a couple of critical points to smooth the waters.

"I personally don't mind the company at all," I replied, choosing my words carefully. "But... just so you know, some other people will be attending the gathering with us."

Ashley let out a knowing grin at my obviously evasive phrasing, asking with a playful tilt of her head, "You mean Teacher Kim Smith, right? Yeah, I already know she will be attending tonight. She is long-time friends with Akeno after all, so..."

James looked between the two of us, his eyebrows shooting up comically as a massive thirst for gossip instantly filled his heart, "Wait, why is Teach Kim even coming out with us?"

Ashley turned her head toward Jim, squinting her eyes into a dangerous glare as she delivered a stone-cold warning, "Monkey, I solemnly promise to twist your nipples incredibly hard if you dare to yell or spill the beans about Teacher Kim to anyone else, do you get me?"

James, obviously highly accustomed to her physical threats, nodded his head rapidly in terror, "Promise! I absolutely never want to feel that agonizing pain ever again."

I shook my head, feeling like I was learning a lot of weird personal details about these two that I didn't actually want to know.

"Teacher Kim is going to the club tonight alongside her fiancé," I added, throwing them a bone.

Yep, these university girls simply cannot keep secrets to save their lives. James looked absolutely stunned by the revelation, his jaw dropping as he processed the news.

"Wait a minute!" the big guy blurted out. "Butterfingers Smith is actually getting married.... OH!"

His eyes opened comically wide as he whirled around to stare straight at me, vividly remembering the way I had passionately defended her honor back at last winter's State Championship tournament. A highly playful, wicked grin instantly spread across his face.

"Damn, Rick, we really wrangled up the entire childhood hospital girlfriends group!" James laughed, nudging my shoulder. "Oh, that is right, you have an absolute fetish for American girls, how could I possibly forget! It was literally one of your favorite adult film genres back in the day!"

Hearing him say that right out loud in front of Ashley actually made me feel a bit embarrassed. To be entirely fair, I genuinely preferred the North American adult film actresses because they weren't overly shy like the typical Eurasian, Japanese, or Chinese women. They genuinely didn't mind having multiple women in bed serving their men. I distinctly recalled watching one video where a single guy had seven women completely serving him, and only the North American and South American women would willingly participate in something like that.

Ashley, hearing Jim’s crass breakdown and seeing my face turn a visible shade of pale, simply smiled wide, finding it thoroughly refreshing that I was a normal young man after all. She instantly scolded Jim on my behalf.

"Monkey, I don't think you should be shaming Rick right in front of me like that, right?" she said, swatting his arm. "Some things should definitely be said in private. Now, whenever I see Rick and Kim together, how am I supposed to not see that Rick is a total pervert?"

I am taking a massive amount of emotional shame-damage out here in the hallway! Desperate to deflect the topic away from my foreign preferences, I cleared my throat and addressed them both.

"I am also bringing my sword student and Fire Birds member, Hinata Kyusho, along for the night," I informed them. "She was born and raised in the Japan Empire. I don't think Akeno has any active issues with her family, right?"

Ashley pulled out her smartphone, tapping away on the screen for a moment before replying, "I just asked Akeno directly inside the Harem-Chat, and she said her Minamoto family and the Kyusho family are historically very friendly clans. She actually said she would love to meet her tonight."

That was an immense relief to hear. It proved that what Lucy had told me about earning a strong foothold with the Kyusho clan as a powerful vassal was entirely accurate. I nodded in approval, "Then I will also make sure to tell Hinata to be on her absolute best behavior tonight."

James, who was completely unaware of Hinata’s sudden arrival at the estate, looked at me curiously, "Rick, did you seriously add another Japan Empire woman to your official harem?"

I shook my head firmly, dismissing the thought, "No, she is strictly my sword student, and she happens to be my lifelong servant, sigh. I basically won her allegiance in a intense life-and-death duel, though I wasn't explicitly trying to. Her entire family legally became my servants, and she came along as a package deal. I almost feel like I just adopted a high-maintenance pet."

Ashley, coming from the now-destroyed Mountain Temple herself, fully understood the ancient cultural concept of a lifelong martial student. James, however, just stared at me with an intense curiosity.

"So is she basically like another Mei to you?" he asked.

"A personal maid? Absolutely not," I clarified immediately. "She is a dedicated sword servant who is now an integrated part of my Fire Birds team. She is twenty-nine years old. The absolute bottom line is that she is not in my harem."

James gave me a look that screamed he didn't believe a single word coming out of my mouth.

Ashley then waved goodbye, parting ways to enter her own classroom while Jim and I headed the rest of the way down the hall toward the computers.

James looked around carefully, ensuring absolutely no one else was within earshot before whispering discreetly, "Be entirely honest with me, brother. If this Hinata woman was standing completely naked right in front of you, begging for you to take her, would you honestly just turn around and walk away?"

Hearing my best friend lay the scenario out so bluntly made my mind instantly flash to the memory of that older woman. Imagining her striking proportions completely bare with a deeply submissive, obedient look on her face made my brain stall for a second.

"I-I might be a bit tempted," I confessed honestly, clearing my throat. "But she is definitely not a woman of traditional romance. But for just hot and heavy, physical sex? Yeah, I wouldn't push her away more than once, cough."

James felt he got a perfectly honest answer out of me and finally dropped the subject altogether, though he still looked incredibly curious as to what this woman could possibly look like to make my advanced brain slacken like that.

Later that night, all of my ladies had gotten completely ready for a cozy dinner and show to celebrate this Friday night of Lovers Day.

Victoria had her personal drivers come around with two massive luxury limos to take our entire group directly to the event venue. This way, absolutely none of my lovers or security team needed to work a single minute tonight.

Even Jenifer, Mercy, and Mei were wearing lovely, elegant dresses and were completely off-duty for the evening. Victoria was the one who had strictly insisted on the arrangement. Victoria also casually let me know during the ride that she had explicitly invited Lucy to join our table tonight, but Lucy had declined, claiming she was currently sick in bed. Yeah, right, and I was the exact illness that put her there.

Inside the Velvet Lounge...

We occupied a massive, interconnected seating area right in front of the main stage. In the central booth sat Victoria, Mary, Hana, Kim, and myself.

Facing toward the stage, down to the left side sat Linda, Tina, Nichole, and Nadia.

And spanning down to the right side sat Mercy, Mei, Jenifer, and Hinata.

Additionally, on the far right end directly next to them sat James, Akeno, and Ashley.

Finally, lounging on the far left side were Kate and Jean. Kate was scheduled to go up under the lights later tonight for her special five-song vocal set.

The individual booths were arranged close enough together that with the privacy dividers moved completely out of the way, we could all talk to one another across the tables with ease. Normally, the lounge keeps heavy curtain dividers drawn up for total privacy, but if Nadia couldn't physically see or talk to me throughout the night, there would be serious issues.

It seemed that Akeno and Hinata were from the exact same generation, and their respective noble families were indeed highly friendly back home. Also, just as I had previously guessed, the Minamoto family was a much bigger deal in the martial world than I had initially anticipated. Because of those connections, those two had been talking nonstop in rapid Japanese since the moment they sat down.

Mary was nestled close on my left side, while Vicky occupied the space on my right. Mary suddenly leaned in, whispering softly directly into my ear.

"Rick, I was honestly surprised by what you chose to write on my bracelet," she murmured, her voice carrying a trace of emotion.

"Why? It is the absolute truth, right?" I replied, turning my head slightly to look at her. "I am not the least bit ashamed of our past history together. You and I share a deep, fundamental bond that others simply cannot understand. That unique connection was exactly why I married you in the first place. Besides, we do not share a single drop of blood, just the unbreakable bonds."

Mary, while gently rubbing her rounded belly with our developing daughter resting inside, just softly felt the smooth surface of her gold bracelet. The inscription read... [My Beloved Sister]

Victoria overheard the soft exchange, smiling warmly as she joked with Mary, "Rick explicitly told me before that he absolutely had to marry you, just so he would never have to let another man step in and take you away from him, fufu."

"Cough. Well, there is definitely a bit more to it than just that," I muttered, clearing my throat. "But back when Steve was constantly snooping around our business, I did worry a bit about the future."

Mary, shifting her curiosity over to her co-wife, asked Victoria, "Vicky, what does yours say?"

"It says, [First Sight Love]," Victoria answered proudly, holding her wrist up to the light.

Mary looked visibly surprised that I had written something so openly romantic, so I quickly explained how I had just pulled my car over without a single second thought that day and took off after her.

Then Mary playfully raised her voice to ask the rest of the girls what their individual engravings said.

Hana proudly showed hers off to the table first... [My Race Queen]

Kim, her face instantly heating up with a heavy blush, showed hers to everyone... [My Cheerleader]

Tina just let out a dramatic sigh, rolling her eyes as she displayed her own gold bracelet... [My Closet Pervert]

Linda, Mei, and Jenifer each held up their wrists next, showing their custom tokens to the admiring circle.

Nadia proudly flashed what hers said to the entire group... [#1 Ricky Detector]

Then, when it finally came around to Mercy’s turn, she blushed a deep crimson and shyly held hers up... [My Shower Goddess]

Finally, when everyone turned their collective gaze to Nichole, she actually blushed heavily in sheer embarrassment. She looked at the surrounding girls and asked, "Can I please just not show it to everyone?"

Nichole gave me a fierce glare, her bright-blue eyes telling me that I was being incredibly cruel to her. No, she had explicitly told me earlier that she absolutely loved the gift, but she just didn't want to display it publicly.

When she finally gave in under the heavy peer pressure and showed it, the engraving clearly read... [Both of our Firsts.]

This was officially the very first time I had ever witnessed a look of true shame in Nichole's eyes, and I instantly managed to snap a quick smartphone picture of the expression to her absolute horror. She growled across the booth.

"Rick Lee-Tang!" she hissed, her eyes narrowing into dangerous slits. "I solemnly swear that if that picture ever makes its way out to anyone else, you and I will go down together in absolute mutual destruction! Try me!"

I quickly showed her the screen, tapping the digital trash icon to show I was deleting it as I said, "There, dear, calm down. It is completely gone now!"

The moment Nichole's face looked thoroughly satisfied, I secretly hit the hidden recovery button to save it to my secure folder.

Then, stupid Kate just couldn't help but want to join the gold bracelet bandwagon. She held up her wrist to display her gift and announced, "Here, look, Rick gave me one as friends!"

Akeno, sitting off to the side and reading the engraving, tilted her head in confusion as she asked, "Why on earth did Rick call you Baka-chan?!"

Kate, hearing her translated words ring out across the table, froze entirely in her seat. She had just realized exactly how bad and insulting the phrase sounded when spoken aloud in other languages.

Ashley, showing her quick wit, saved the day to break poor Kate away from her sudden character slip.

"Actually, both Akeno and I did the exact same thing in reverse," Ashley chimed in, deflecting the attention. "We got Monkey a custom necklace. Show them, dear."

Under everyone's curious gaze, and carrying a thoroughly sad smile on his face, Jim reached inside his shirt and pulled out a thick gold chain with a heavy tag that read... [Monkey King]

While I desperately tried to hold in my exploding laughter, Ashley gave me a swift thumbs-up from across the booth. She knew full well that on their actual wedding day, he was going to completely flip out like an insane monkey.

Jean then broke into the circle, tapping Kate on the shoulder to remind her that it was officially time for her to perform her songs. Taking the sudden lifeline with absolute gratitude, Kate dashed away from the table toward the main stage.

James and I excused ourselves to head off to the luxury restrooms together. When I finally walked back to our section alone, I was immediately approached by a waiting Hinata.

"Master, may I ask a highly presumptuous question?" she asked, her posture straight.

"Sure, you may ask me absolutely anything," I replied, leaning against the booth framework.

"I had noticed that every single one of the women who came along tonight, including the stage singer, received a gold bracelet from you," she noted, her red eyes serious. "I was absolutely not expecting one myself, but could it be because of our recent duel? I hope I am not hated or viewed as entirely untrustworthy within your household?"

I scratched my chin thoughtfully, because the truth was that I actually had an extra one custom-made just in case, but...

"I did have one made," I confessed honestly. "But I don't even know if you are currently married, single, or have a lover back home. So I was simply not sure if receiving a gift like that would offend your sensibilities."

I saw a sudden look of sharp realization dawn in her red eyes. She realized that she had indeed shared very little personal information about herself all week, leaving us as relative strangers after all. Hinata offered a small bow.

"Forgive me, Master," Hinata said softly. "I have never once been in a physical relationship with a man. My old childhood engagement was permanently canceled the exact moment my family left for Eurasia."

Hearing her honest words, I reached deep into my suit pocket, pulled out the remaining gold chain, and handed it directly to her.

"I wasn't entirely sure what to engrave on it," I explained with a small shrug. "But a random thought from my past led me to this specific name, so I hope it is fine with you."

When I was young in my first life, my dad had bought our family a loyal dog that I absolutely loved. She was a massive mastiff named Precious. The strict, subservient way her mother talked about punishing and training her made me think of a fiercely loyal hound, and my old pet's name had just naturally resurfaced in my mind.

"Thank you, Master," Hinata murmured, her fingers tracing the polished gold. "I think this name [Precious] is absolutely beautiful. It is highly customary for a traditional Sensei to give his disciple a physical gift, so this will be it. Please, would you put it on my wrist?"

As I leaned down to secure the clasp around her wrist, I could almost vividly imagine a furry tail wagging happily behind her if she were one of those wolf-women from a fantasy anime. Thankfully, she kept our interaction incredibly quiet. Plus, the main lights of the venue were finally dimming down to signal the start of Kate's show.

I sat back down comfortably among my wives, and we spent the remainder of the evening listening to Kate's incredible, sweeping singing voice. Sitting there in the warmth of the room, I realized just how wonderful and deeply fulfilling my life truly was.

When the show concluded and we were all packing up our things to head back to the limos, Mei caught sight of the expression on my face and asked me quietly, "Rick, why exactly are you looking at me like that?"

"Mei, no matter how many lives I ultimately end up living across time," I told her, my voice thick with emotion. "I can tell deep within my heart that this current one is and always will be my happiest one ever. I want to thoroughly enjoy every single moment with you all, for just as long as this world will let me stay."

Mei, fully understanding the cosmic weight of what I meant, allowed a rare, beautiful smile to blossom across her face. She leaned in to press a deep kiss against my lips, her voice firm with affection.

"I will make absolutely sure that you miss me very much in your next life," she affirmed softly. "And the lingering memories of me will make you work ten times harder in the future, until we one day meet again."

My heart trembled violently inside my chest, feeling the sheer depth of her emotions washing over me.

I hope to all the Heavens above that I will meet every single one of their souls again in my other lives.