PART 8 - SHIRO AND CALI

“So, why are we up so early?” Morgan asked with a grumble as the girls were all in the living room, as Martel had requested the previous evening.

Martel smiled. “Well, that’s because I decided we are going to go on a group date to the boardwalk.”

The girls were all happy as he had mentioned it several times, but they had yet to go.

“Should we bring swimsuits?” Miyuki asked.

“No, we will go to the beach on a different day.”

Lucibelle giggled. “I bet that will be a private beach.”

“Yes, our husband is so overprotective and selfish. He wants to keep us all to himself.” Miyuki said with a smile.

Martel could only make a bitter smile. It was then that Shiro and Cali, who were previously whispering to each other, suddenly surprise-tackled him onto the couch. Martel had the wind knocked out of him as he was completely unaware, even though he should’ve noticed. After he composed himself, he turned to look at the two of them propped up on his lap.

“Ring.”

“Martel, Shiro wants a ring too!”

For a moment, Martel flinched before he glanced around the room at his wives. All of them seemed both amused by the situation and thought it adorable. He turned back to the two of them. “Are you sure? If I give you a ring, that means you have to be with me forever.”

“Promise?”

“Shiro wants to be with you forever too!”

Martel gave them a gentle smile as he sat them down before he got on one knee and brought out two cases. “Shiro, Cali, will you marry me?”

“Yes!” Cali replied with a more excited tone than usual.

“Yay!” Shiro said, indirectly giving him a positive response.

Martel smiled as he slipped the ring engraved with ‘My Love, My Sword, My Anything’ on Cali’s finger. While he was focused on that task, Cali snuck in and gave him a quick kiss before she went and bolted off to Freyja.

Martel could only barely shake his head as his defense just seemed to be completely down today. Then, he slipped the ring engraved with ‘My Love, My Apprentice, My Kitty’ on Shiro’s finger. As Martel knew Shiro, he figured she would also go in for a kiss, so his defense was up. He was completely baffled when she still managed to sneak past. He could only make a bitter smile as Shiro looked at the ring.

After looking at the ring for a second, Shiro turned back to Martel. “So, we can make a baby now, right?”

Martel coughed in surprise. “When you’re older.”

Shiro made a sad face. “But Miyuki said, when you give Shiro a ring, we can make a baby.”

Martel set a quick glare and Miyuki’s direction, even though she had already made a hasty escape. Keeping a mental note to punish her thoroughly later, Martel returned to Shiro. “Yes, but you also have to be old enough.”

It was then that Cali got his attention by pulling on his sleeve. “Baby?”

“When you’re older,” Martel replied immediately.

Then, Callie turned into her adult form. “Baby?” She asked again.

“… When… When you’re older.” Martel replied again, obviously with far less resolve.

It was then that everyone broke out into laughter.

“All right, let’s go,” Martel said with a bitter smile. Even though he seemed disheartened, he couldn’t be happier.

REMINISCENCE – SHIRO

Shiro remembers when she was young and wasn’t called Shiro. Mama and Papa used to teach me lots of things. They told Shiro to be strong! So, Shiro became strong! I protected Big Sis from bullies. Big Sis is nice, so you shouldn’t bully her!

When Shiro asked Mama and Papa why Shiro had to be strong, they told me it was so I could protect myself. They also said it was so Shiro could find a strong and kind man who would keep me safe so we could have a strong baby. Shiro was really happy because that meant Shiro would be like Mama. But then, Mama and Papa died.

Bad humans killed Mama and Papa, and Shiro had to run away. Shiro had to scavenge and make a shelter like Mama and Papa told me. Then, more bad humans captured Shiro and took me away. After that, Shiro met Martel.

At first, Shiro thought he was another bad human, but he protected me. It was then I realized that he was the person my Mama and Papa were talking about, so I decided to have his baby.

A lot of different things happened, Freyja died, which made me sad. Eventually, Martel went to fight a Red Dragon, which made me worried, but he came back, so it’s all right. Then, Shiro went to Earth with Martel. They had this really delicious food called hamburger... Shiro wants to eat a hamburger now…

More things happened, and Shiro got into some fights. Shiro became really strong, after all! Shiro was really happy when Freyja came back. It meant that Martel could smile again! However, Martel was going to die, so we all went and saved him. After all, Shiro can’t have his baby if he died! So, of course, Shiro saved him.

Then, we all went back to Earth. Martel started to take everyone on dates and gave them a ring. Shiro was confused, so I asked Miyuki why they were doing this. Miyuki made a bad smile before telling me that Martel had to give them a ring before they could make babies. Shiro told Miyuki that Shiro also wanted a ring! Miyuki told Shiro to be patient and wait for Martel to take Shiro on a date too. Shiro and Cali both wanted a ring, so when it didn’t seem like he was going to take us on a date, we pounced on him and asked for one. Finally, he gave Shiro a ring so now we can make a baby! Wait… How do you make a baby?

REMEMBRANCE – CALI

The first thing that I, Cali, remembered was warmth and love, even though I did not know what they were at the time. Then, the warmth and love left, and I became cold. The next thing I remembered, Yggdrasil told me that I was now his daughter. I didn’t know what a daughter was, but Yggdrasil taught me a lot, and I wanted to learn.

It was then that I learned that I was to assist someone. When I asked how I would, I was told that I would transform into anything they wanted. In other words, I was nothing but a tool. A tool did not have emotions; a tool wasn’t alive. I became despondent, but tools don’t get sad, so I could only bury my emotions inside as I continued to learn. Then, the man who I was going to assist appeared.

The man’s name is Martel, and I didn’t like him at first. However, I liked him a lot after our first meeting. He didn’t treat me like a tool, but he treated me like family. He gave me the warmth and love that I had felt before.

Time went by, and I met Freya, Morgan, Shiro, and Caelia. I got to know what it was like to have a family. They were all my big sisters, except Shiro.

When Freyja died, I felt pain in my chest. It seemed as though I was heartbroken, but how could I be heartbroken if I didn’t have a heart? I didn’t understand. All I knew was that Freyja was no longer there; I got to know what death was. I don’t like death.

Then, Martel took us all to Earth. I learned many new things, but I could tell that Martel was really sad. He missed Freyja, just like me. Martel and I were inseparable. I think our presence comforted one another. We enjoyed each other’s company; we comforted one another; we love one another.

Time went by, and Martel brought back more sisters. I could tell they really liked him, even loved him. It made me happy because Martel became less sad. Then, he brought Freyja back. I was delighted because I missed Freyja. But then, he told me something I couldn’t believe. To save Freyja, he had to die. Not only did he have to die, but he wanted me to kill him. I asked him if I could save him, but he said I couldn’t; that I would die. I thought that if I could die instead of him, that was okay, but he wouldn’t let me.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

When Martel left to fight Nidhogg, my chest ached again, even worse than when Freyja died. I could only go and hide. However, my sisters all found me. When they asked me what was wrong, I could only tell them as I began to cry. Even though I did not have tear ducts, I cried. Then, they came up with a way to save him. I had to take it; I’d do anything to save him.

Luckily, we were successful, and no one died. Because of the way we saved him, I became much stronger and could make a human body. A long time ago, I told him I wanted to have his baby. At first, I didn’t understand it. As I learned more, I eventually found out. However, that made me want to have his baby even more because a baby would be a part of me and a part of him that would never separate. I even tried to seduce him by turning into my grown-up form, but he still held back. I was disappointed, but I’ll wait. No matter how much it hurt, I’ll wait.

I may not have a lot of things to say, and I may not say it directly but, Martel, I love you.

PART 9 - THOUGHTS OF MARTEL

I, Martel, remember when I was young in vivid detail. This was thanks to my blessing, my talent, my curse. I have a photographic memory, far more pronounced than anyone I was aware of. It seemed as if I could never forget. So long as I read something, and I could find the memory, I could remember it perfectly.

Because of my memory, I was often called a genius. I tended to disagree. I had a lot of information that I could access, like someone who had access to the Internet. Additionally, I could not be called wise, only more mature. This was because I tended to be surrounded by those older than me, specifically in school from jumping grades, and the older girls who always pestered me.

I was happy growing up. I had caring parents and a younger sister who I doted on. I wanted them to be proud of me for more than just my intelligence. So, I took to heart what they taught me. Plus, being the older brother, I had to protect my sister; protect women. That wasn’t too to demean women but was a conscious choice in how I decided to live my life. Then, the unthinkable happened.

I lost my family in an accident. My heart, quite literally, broke. I only survived because my dying sister gave me her heart. It took me years to eventually overcome my depression. Yutsuki was the driving force behind my recovery, and I loved her for it. However, I was never quite the same.

Perhaps, like bone, my heart became stronger after it broke. Perhaps I wanted to escape my depression by caring for others. Or, perhaps, I was just starved for love. Whatever the reason, I had a hard time coming to terms with the concept of loving one woman, especially when others showed me their affection. I can understand being faithful to one, but not only love them. Perhaps, this was for the better as it meant that I could spend the rest of my life making the women I love, my wives, happy for the rest of their lives.

ABOUT FREYJA

The first time I met Freyja, I was quite surprised by her beautiful appearance. However, I was never one to dwell on such things for long. I was amazed when the heir to the throne turned out to be such a humble person capable of such empathy. If not for the subtle changes in her demeanor in the public’s eye, I would think she to be wholly inappropriate to become a monarch. However, she was quite a capable woman, and I knew she would be quite a capable ruler.

As time passed, we spent more time together, and I could not help but fall in love with her. However, given our differences in positions and the fact that I was unwilling to marry a monarch and planned to go home, I could only keep those feelings buried. However, they would not remain there.

Freyja was willing to give up the throne just to be with me. It was then I decided that I would marry her. I did not have anything holding me back on Earth, so maybe staying with her wouldn’t be so bad. However, Fate seemed to deem us impossible.

I blamed myself for so long after she died. Even thinking back, I noticed no signs or remotely thought of the possibility, but that did not make it any easier. I could only try and remain strong for the other girls who needed my support.

When Yggdrasil gave me the deal to save Freyja, I got extremely angry. I was angry at my own weakness; I was angry at how little I had gotten over her loss. I knew I would hate myself for the rest of my life if I didn’t do this. Even though I didn’t want to die, even though I didn’t want to leave the other girls, I had to do this.

It broke my heart to lie to Freyja after I brought her back. I knew she only wanted to be with me, and I wouldn’t be there for her. Luckily, they saved me.

To me, Freyja is irreplaceable. No one in this world knows me as well as her.

Freyja, My Goddess, I love you.

ABOUT MIYUKI AND KUROMI

Thinking about Miyuki and Kuromi, our relationships are complicated. I did not have my memories as Shiba when I met them and loved them, not to say that I don’t love them immensely now.

I don’t know when I started to love either of them. I was together with them for so long, but they became an integral part of my life that I never wanted to separate.

Miyuki was always mischievous. Her shameless declarations of her care and love for me made it impossible for me to refuse her.

Miyuki, my Snow Miko, I love you.

Kuromi was always silent and did not let her emotions show, but I could tell her care for me exceeded that of a subordinate. She dedicated her life and love to me. I only realized too late that I loved her. Luckily, I would get a second chance to make up for my regret.

Kuromi, My Shadow, I love you.

ABOUT CAELIA

My sweet Caelia. I often joke that you are most beautiful during a full moon, but that isn’t true. Your true beauty isn’t external, but your kind and forgiving heart. I kept the truth from you, harmed you, and was unfair to you. Yet, despite that, you silently supported me, cared for me, and loved me all the same. You made me a better person, and you make me want to be a better person. I hope you know how much you mean to me.

Caelia, my My Moon, I love you.

ABOUT LUCIBELLE

I don’t know when this mischievous and lazy little devil slipped into my heart. Perhaps my enjoyment of a bit of romance brought us to a common ground, but maybe it was the fact that we were first friends; friends that quickly turned into more. I was impressed at her positive attitude, and her pursuit of peace even with both sides desired war. Her selflessness when she asked for my help but did not force me even in her desperation moved me. She showed his strength to continue on, even when the odds were against her. In our appreciation of each other, our feelings developed.

Lucibelle, My Temptation, I love you.

ABOUT SHALGANA

Shalgana has always had a special place in my heart. Her dreams and aspirations and how she chased them were so passionate that they drew me in. Her unwillingness to be shackled, to be free, was something that I sympathized with. Later, when I asked her why she was willing to officially marry me, she told me that what she wanted was to marry me. I gave her more freedom; more happiness; more love than she could have ever hoped. She was proud to be my wife.

Shalgana, My Trophy Wife, I love you.

ABOUT MORGAN

I’m unsure what my feelings for Morgan started, but it may have even been before Freyja. Morgan always had two faces. There was the face she showed to the public, and the face she showed to the people she cared about. Though she was quick to anger and a bit violent, she treated me openly, and I couldn’t hate her for it. Our antagonistic relationship was something I wouldn’t give up.

Morgan’s talent with magic, her insecurities, her happiness, everything about her was enjoyable for me, and I wanted her all to myself.

Morgan, My Goldie, I love you.

ABOUT YUTSUKI

Yutsuki was there for me in my time of darkness; when I was all alone. I could tell she was worried about me and cared for me even though we were complete strangers. However, I was not in the mood to accept others’ good feelings, but this did not mean I do not appreciate it.

After I saved her from kidnappers, I realized something fundamental. I should not let those I’ve lost detract me from those who were there for me, which will help me deal with Freyja’s loss in the future.

Our relationship grew into something beautiful. We were like friends, like family, and quickly turning into something more. If not for the fact that I went to Camelot and met Freyja, I definitely would have pursued Yutsuki.

When we ended up summoned to the same world, I was delighted. Our relationship that had been put on hold due to life could now continue, and I realized just how much I missed her, and she meant to me.

I was apprehensive about how she would take my living with so many women, but the way she interacted with Lucibelle gave me hope. However, I was never expecting her to persist with her feelings and even be willing to share me.

I felt such relief when she indirectly agreed that I realized just how much she meant to me. Like an arrow, she inserted herself into my heart so long ago.

Yutsuki, My Cupid, I love you.

ABOUT ANGELICA

Mine and Angelica’s relationship is confusing at best. We had only spent a day together, yet we were to be married in what was effectively a political marriage. However, there was no way I could refuse her.

We had been through life-and-death together, and I could already tell that our feelings for each other had proliferated. She is an amazing and smart woman who fell into my life. Her desperation to save her mother struck a chord with me, so I helped her. Her unwillingness to leave me even when it would result in her death touched me. Perhaps I acted more on impulse, not out of love, but desire, when I agreed to our marriage. However, I can now say this with certainty.

Angelica, My Fallen Angel, I love you.

ABOUT SHIRO

I love Shiro very much, and I’m not ashamed to say that. My love for her is very pure, just like her smile that brightens up my day. I want to be there for her to support her in everything she wants to do…

Shiro, My Apprentice, I love you.

ABOUT CALI

Cali and I are inseparable. I have a tough time imagining life without her. She’s almost like a body part; something I’ve grown accustomed to, taken for granted, and could not do without. I just wish I wouldn’t turn stupid whenever I saw her adult form. I can’t imagine my life without her.

Cali, My Anything, I love you.