Mushoku Tensei — Chapter 94 - Before the Wedding 2

The days of sleeping apart from my fiancées continued.

Not lonely, exactly... but a little. I'd gotten used to having them close.

Eris's relationship with Sylphiette and Roxy had genuinely improved a lot, though. Eris treated the two of them like older sisters now, asking their advice on all kinds of things.

My earlier thought that Eris hadn't changed at all might have been wrong.

She had changed. She'd become more gentle than before. Though that framing might be off too. Eris had always been obedient with me. It was just that around strangers, she used to show her fangs.

Strangers... that's the wrong word entirely. Every one of them was my fiancée now. Which made them family. So maybe Eris hadn't changed at all, and if some stranger provoked her today, she'd still reach for her sword?

I sat on the living room sofa and watched Eris in the kitchen, asking Sylphiette and Roxy for cooking advice.

Her words for it: a wife's training.

"It's a beautiful sight."

"Yeah..."

"Brother, your expression is really gentle right now."

"Hmm... Huh? Aisha?"

At some point, Aisha had settled in beside me.

"What? Does my showing up bother you, Brother? An extra little sister turning up in a house full of lovers~"

I had no idea why she'd say something like that. I patted her head anyway.

"How could it? Love for a little sister is still love, you know."

"Am I a lover too?"

"Lover... definitely not. But I do love Aisha."

"Mhm~"

Aisha took the opening and settled her head onto my lap. I ran my hand through her hair the way I always did.

I find myself wondering sometimes what a normal sibling relationship is supposed to look like.

Norn was clearly nowhere near as clingy as Aisha. I still couldn't tell whether Aisha's "affection" crossed some line, or whether Norn simply didn't feel as close to me.

No answer for that one. In my previous life I had no siblings at all, and in this life my two younger sisters were complete opposites in personality. No comparison was going to give me a useful result.

"Rudeus, come eat!"

Eris's bright voice rang out from the kitchen.

"Coming."

Better to drop the pointless questions. Aisha liked me, and that was good. Norn's attitude toward me was fine. No reason to tie myself in knots over it.

At the table, two dishes Eris had made sat waiting in front of me.

Eris's cooking was, to put it plainly, terrible. But a month of instruction from Sylphiette and Roxy had pushed it to the level of edible.

I picked up a spoon, scooped a bite, and put it in my mouth.

Eris watched me with total anticipation. It really wasn't that good.

But still.

"It's very good, Eris. You've improved again."

"Wonderful!"

She cheered and snatched the dish right back.

"Wait—"

Before I could finish, she'd eaten the whole thing in one go.

I watched her expression shift and realized I had made a mistake.

"Rudeus! This isn't good at all!"

"The point isn't whether it tastes good. The point is you've improved, isn't it?"

"Is it?"

"It is."

"Ugh... but I want Rudeus to eat food I made... the kind that actually tastes good..."

She said it with the wind taken out of her sails, and honestly, it was adorable.

"Don't worry. Take your time learning. As long as you made it, I'll eat it."

"No way. From now on I'll taste it myself first before I give it to Rudeus."

"Fair enough."

Sylphiette and Roxy smiled through the whole exchange. When it wound down, they carried out several more dishes.

So they had backup ready the whole time...

...

After everyone finished eating, I tapped the table.

"There's something important I need to announce."

Eris, Sylphiette, Roxy, and Aisha all settled back into their seats.

"Ahem... so. I think it's time we decided on a wedding date."

Silence.

Everyone just stared at me.

Huh?

Had they not been expecting this? Or did they think I was the type to drag things out forever and waste the years they'd given me?

I had said we'd marry after curing Zenith, but the treatment had a clear direction now.

And with the notes Orsted had given me, my odds of success were very good.

"Rudeus!"

Eris shouted and launched herself straight at me.

I went down. She had both arms locked around me.

"Rudy, I... I'll look up an auspicious day for the Migurd tribe. If there isn't one coming up soon we can use the human calendar... ah... wait, no, we should find a day that works for humans, elves, and the Migurd tribe all together..."

Roxy was tripping over her own words, her hands moving in small frantic gestures.

"Of course, if Rudy doesn't mind, tomorrow would work just—"

"That's a bit rushed, isn't it? Teacher, there's no need to rush... we should still pick the date properly..."

I hadn't finished the sentence before Roxy threw herself onto me too, pressing her face against my chest.

"It's all Rudy's fault! Making us wait this long!"

"I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize! I'm really happy, okay."

I really had made them wait too long.

I reached out and stroked Roxy's head.

Pinned under two people, I tilted my head back to look at Sylphiette. She was just smiling, warm and quiet.

"Rudy."

"Yeah! Go ahead! Pile on, Sylphiette! I can take it!"

"What are you talking about. Eris, Roxy, up you get."

One sentence from Sylphiette and they both climbed off without a word.

Huh... so among my future wives, Sylphiette was the big sister figure.

Even though she was apparently the youngest.

"Tomorrow, let's have Father Paul and Mother Lilia come over and work out the date together. But for tonight..."

Sylphiette glanced at Aisha. Aisha seemed to understand immediately, and quietly slipped away from the table.

"Rudy, don't you think there's something we should take care of before the wedding?"

"Hmm? Send letters to family and friends first?"

"That's not it."

Sylphiette looked at me with a smile that was almost a smirk.

"Rudy did it with Eris before. If Eris hadn't told me, I never would have known."

I turned to look at Eris. She was already red-faced, eyes pointed somewhere else entirely.

"I always thought Rudy was the type who wouldn't do that sort of thing before marriage. Turns out that's not quite right..."

Roxy said it lightly, and reached out to run her hand over me.

Something about this feeling...

Like I was prey.

"Rudy, we're going to go bathe."

"Hmm... Huh?"

"Wait for us in the room, Rudy~"

"What about me? Do I not need to wash?"

"No~ we like your scent."

Sylphiette rested one finger against her chin, and her voice carried just a trace of invitation.

I watched the three of them walk to the bathroom hand in hand. Then I made my way to the bedroom, a little dazed.

I lay on the bed and let my imagination run.

This is normal, right? Thinking about it? Even though in a moment I was about to actually,

But still. I had no experience from my previous life, and in this life the only time was that one time with Eris.

So being nervous right now was completely normal. Right?!

Lost somewhere in that thought, I heard the bedroom door open.

The three of them, in nightgowns.

Nightgowns? Somewhat translucent, just barely, you could almost make out—

These were nightgowns?! This world had clothes like that?

"Rudy, staring is impolite, you know."

Sylphiette said it with a smile, leading Eris and Roxy toward me.

They sat on either side of me. Eris and Roxy came at me from the left and right, and Sylphiette settled behind me, her hands moving slowly across my back.

From behind, gentle and unhurried. They had all just bathed, and a scent drifted to me, body warmth or perfume, I couldn't tell which.

"Rudy, relax."

Roxy said it softly, and began peeling away my clothes, one piece at a time, until there was nothing left.

"Wait... hold on... I think this kind of thing... maybe we should ease into it. Like we could talk first, catch up, have a little wine to set the mood..."

My mouth was saying all of that. The rest of me was already reacting.

I hadn't touched anyone in all these years. I...

"Keep going, Rudy."

Roxy said it evenly. Her hands didn't stop.

"So what I'm saying is... I think..."

"I didn't know Rudy could be this cute."

Roxy said it, and kissed him.

Was that so?

Is it really normal to be this skilled?!

Where did she even learn that?

"It's all your fault, Rudy. Making us hold back for so long. You knew exactly what we wanted."

"Is... is there... any wine, or..."

I opened my mouth to say something more, and Eris sealed it with hers.

Years of longing, restless and fierce, moving through the kiss.

"Rudy, we don't need a dazed, half-there version of you. Look at us. Right now. Okay?"

Sylphiette's hand came up to rest against my cheek.

Gradually, I stopped holding onto rational thought.

Not that I lost the ability to think.

It was just that my body had gone soft and warm, melting past anything that felt like control.

"Rudy, are you ready?"

And so, the night took us.

➤ Next: Before Marriage 3