“Wait… Rose and Snow are spending the night with Riley?”

Alice asked, blinking as she tilted her head. Her golden eyes flicked to me for clarification.

“But I thought you already gave them plenty of time last night?”

“Oh, that’s a bit embarrassing to admit, sister Alice,”

Liyana giggled, tapping a finger against her lips.

“But darling here focused exclusively on me yesterday. So naturally, he now has to make amends for ignoring the other sisters~ Which means,” she added with a teasing lilt, “you might not get to join tonight’s little night party—unless, of course, the other girls give you permission~”

“She’s still banned,” Rose stated immediately, crossing her arms without hesitation.

“Wha—Why!?” Alice whined, her expression twisting in protest. “I held back quite a lot yesterday, you know!”

“That doesn’t matter,” Rose said flatly. “Riley hasn’t given us any alone time yet. So, you’re still not invited.”

“T-That’s unfair… R-Right, Snow?” Alice turned pleadingly toward her.

Snow hesitated for a moment, but then gave a small, apologetic smile. “I’m sorry, Alice… but I agree with Rose on this one. Please let us have our time with Riley first.”

“B-But…!” Alice’s voice trembled slightly as she looked between the girls and then at me, clearly feeling wronged.

I sighed inwardly, watching the dynamic unfold in front of me like a battlefield of emotions disguised as sisterly banter.

Alice looked at me, her golden eyes filled with a silent plea—as if begging for some divine intervention on her behalf.

But I quietly averted my gaze.

Sorry, my love… but promises are promises.

I knew I could step in and smooth things over, but I’d already given my word to Rose and Snow earlier this morning. I’d promised to give them tonight.

“Sorry, Alice,” I said gently. “But I already promised Snow and Rose I’d give them some love tonight. That said, you’re still welcome to stay in the house—we’ve got plenty of guest rooms available.”

Alice’s hopeful expression faltered. “C-Can’t I just… join in?” she asked, her voice small and hesitant.

“It’d be unfair to your sisters, right?” I replied with a soft smile, trying to be as diplomatic as possible.

“T-That’s…” Alice trailed off with a frustrated sigh before shaking her head in resignation. “Alright, fine. I guess… I do need to be fair to the others too…”

Rose gave her a sidelong glance, a faint smirk playing on her lips. “Hm. I guess your heart’s bigger than you let on.”

“What’s that supposed to mean? My heart has always been generous!”

“Considering how highly and obviously you brag about your time with Riley, I didn’t think that was the case,” Rose replied calmly, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear.

“I—I never exaggerated anything!” Alice huffed, flustered. “A-And it might be boasting, but it’s all true! And Riley is just—!”

“Yes, yes, we get it,” Rose cut her off, her smirk widening. “We’re about to experience it ourselves soon, so be a good, experienced, understanding older girl and wait patiently for your next turn, okay?”

“Fufu~ We might keep him until morning,” Snow chimed in with her usual soft smile. “So please don’t interrupt us too early, alright?”

Alice opened her mouth to protest again—but then just pouted and turned away.

…Was this really friendly banter between girls?

I thought these three had already started getting along, but now I wasn’t so sure.

Then again… maybe this was how they bonded.

Clap!

A crisp clap echoed through the room as Liyana brought her hands together, gently pulling away from Lavine.

The tiny creature yelped—once again caught mid-escape by Snow’s firm but gentle hands.

“Sorry to interrupt, sisters,” Liyana said with a sheepish smile, standing up and brushing her dress down, “but I think I should get going now. It’s getting pretty late, and Papa might get just a teeny bit more worried if I show up even later than I already promised…”

“I see… take care, Liyana. I’ll see you tomorrow,” Snow said kindly, giving her a soft smile as she cradled Lavine.

“Come visit again,” Rose added, glancing at the clock. “Preferably in the evening. You know… when Riley’s most vulnerable.”

“Haha~ See you soon, Liyana!” Alice waved cheerfully.

Liyana giggled and spun slightly on her heel, giving them all a playful wink. “Bye for now, sisters! And Darling—” she turned to me, finger pointed with a teasing grin, “Make sure you give them the same amount of love you gave me, alright? Maybe not more than mine, but just enough~”

“Hey!” Rose interrupted immediately, eyes narrowing in mock offense. “Riley will give us more than what he gave you. That’s his payment for ignoring us yesterday.”

“I don’t really think it works that way…” I mumbled under my breath.

The girls all chuckled—lighthearted, but still competitive in that strange, dangerous way only they knew how to manage. Liyana turned toward the door, her long hair swaying behind her.

But just before she could take a step out—

“Wait.” I reached out and gently took her hand.

She paused and looked back at me with a curious blink. “Hm~? That’s rare of you, Darling… are you trying to be romantic again?”

I gave her a half-smile and scratched the back of my neck. “Yeah, well… I guess I’m not usually the type to give gifts, huh?”

From beside me, I picked up one of the boxes I’d prepared and carefully opened it.

The soft lighting in the room caught the delicate silver of the necklace inside, its small gemstone centerpiece glinting like a captured star.

The room went quiet.

“Turn around for a second?” I asked.

Liyana’s eyes widened with surprise, but she nodded eagerly and turned her back to me.

Her hair shifted to the side as I gently lifted the necklace over her shoulders and fastened it around her neck, letting my fingers brush softly against her skin.

“Darling… this is…” she whispered, reaching up to touch the pendant.

“I just thought… I never really gave you—or the other girls—anything. I figured it’s about time I changed that. So… do you like it?”

“Of course I like it!” she beamed, immediately turning around and throwing her arms around me. “It’s beautiful, Darling. I love it… and I really, really love you.”

“Y-Yeah…” I stammered slightly.

What the hell? Am I… flustered?

Just seeing her that happy—seeing her eyes sparkle and her smile bloom like that—was enough to make my heart pound louder than I expected.

Sensing the gazes of the other girls silently resting on me—curious, hopeful—I gave them a small smile. “Of course,” I said warmly, “I got necklaces for all of you, too. Your own set.”

There was a collective pause. Relief washed over their faces—genuine and subtle, but there.

Even Liyana, who had just received hers, looked like she was about to say something, but instead stopped herself and simply smiled as I stepped past her.

I made my way over to the others and gently opened the remaining boxes.

One by one, I placed their necklaces around their necks with the same care I gave to Liyana.

A quiet warmth filled the air.

Their expressions shifted as they each touched the center gem on their necklace—colorless, for now, but carefully cut and polished like a drop of starlight.

Of course, I wore mine too.

A set meant to be shared—between all of us.

‘I need to buy Seo the same necklace as well…’

“Riley… this is…” Snow whispered, fingers brushing over the smooth stone, her voice soft with wonder.

“It looks… pretty,” Rose murmured, her eyes not leaving the way the pendant rested against her chest.

“Hehehe~” Meanwhile, Alice was simply giggling—almost like a child given her favorite candy—as she kept poking at hers and letting it swing back and forth.

Different reactions… but somehow, all of them felt the same.

“I was thinking about making each of your necklaces unique,” I admitted, stepping back slightly. “But then I figured… maybe it’d be better if they matched. Something shared, you know?”

The girls all looked at me, listening quietly.

“And also… can you all gather around for a moment?”

They obeyed, stepping closer and forming a small circle around me.

Lavine who were at their clutches could finally breathe in relief…

Once they were close enough, I raised my hand and gently released a small wave of mana into the air.

The colorless gemstones embedded in their necklaces suddenly shimmered—then one by one, they changed.

A soft blue light radiated from each gem, matching the color of my mana.

The glow pulsed faintly, almost like a heartbeat.

“So, the inside was a mana stone?” Rose asked, holding hers up for a closer look.

“Pretty much,” I nodded. “But it’s more than just that. It’s attuned to sync with a specific mana signature. When you think of the person who gave their mana to the stone, it reflects their mana color.”

“In other words,” I added with a soft smile, “your necklaces will glow blue whenever you’re thinking about me.”

The surprise on their faces turned into laughter, smiles, and a mix of playful teasing and genuine emotion.

“I see… so right now, all of us are thinking about you, Darling?” Liyana said with a grin.

“I guess so….” I replied.

Rose arched an eyebrow. “Then isn’t this… quite the convenient device to monitor our hearts?”

“Huh?” I blinked.

The girls all exchanged glances.

A silence passed between them, and then—they nodded. In perfect, unspoken agreement.

“Stay still, Riley,” Snow said suddenly, her expression shifting ever so slightly.

“Wait, Snow? What do you mean by—?”

“Now, girls!” she called.

Before I could react, their hands shot forward in perfect sync, each pressing against my chest or shoulder as they poured mana into the gem at the center of my necklace.

The blue glow flickered—then burst into a kaleidoscope of color.

White, Golds, Silvers, Red—all blending together for an instant before calming into a quiet, glowing warmth that pulsed softly.

“There,” Alice said with a mischievous smile. “Now yours glows with all of us.”

“Heh… I wasn’t expecting that, I guess Riley thinks about us all at the same time hm?”

“Good,” Rose smirked. “Now he won’t forget who’s always thinking about him as well make sure to think about us all the time, okay?”

“Fufu~ this make things a bit more fair, doesn’t it?”

“Fair, and now we’ll know if your necklace ever stops glowing,” Snow added, eyes narrowing playfully. “So… don’t forget about us, Riley.”

“R-Right…” I chuckled nervously.

Great. I’ve basically given them a magical mood ring that reports my emotional fidelity.

Still… as they all smiled around me, laughing and teasing, I couldn’t help but smile too.

They all looked at me and smiled…

“I love you Riley!”

“I love you Darling~”

“I love you!”

“I love you Riley~”

….

…

Fuck… I can’t hold back my smile….

“Yes… I love all of you too”

“Oh he’s blushing!”

“That’s right!”

“Hehe I guess even darling can only put up so much huh~”

….. It was really a surreal feeling being loved like this…..

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep