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[Yuki Household – Late Afternoon]
CLACK!
The door closed behind me with a dry snap, and at that moment, I knew… there was no turning back. Haruna, Asia, and Lala came in right after, giggling softly. The light sound of their footsteps echoed on the wooden floor like the prelude to an inevitable mess. My heart pounded in my chest — thump, thump, thump — like it knew something big was about to happen.
— Mikan! I'm home! — I shouted, trying to sound casual. I failed.
Silence.
But not the calm kind. It was a heavy, loaded silence, as if the air itself was holding its breath with me.
And then, there she was.
My sister was sitting in the living room, legs crossed, game controller in hand, right next to a tall guy in silver armor with a sword almost as long as the couch. Zastin. Lala's bodyguard. Man... that said it all.
— Oh, you're back — Mikan said, not taking her eyes off the screen. She was beating a final boss with such ease it made me feel humiliated. — Guess who came for tea?
Zastin stood up in a motion worthy of space opera theater.
— Greetings, Yuuki Rito! — he announced, bowing slightly. — I hope you're ready for what's coming next.
— M-me? Ready? R-ready for what exactly?
— For the hell that is being Lala-sama's fiancé — he said with the utmost nonchalance, like he was talking about the weather. — Now that the marriage has been made official before King Gid, you've become the legitimate candidate for the imperial throne of the Milky Way.
I blinked. Twice. My head spun like I'd gone three rounds on a rollercoaster and was still trying to understand why anyone thought this was a good idea.
— Wait... official?
— Well — Lala popped up next to me with that carefree smile of hers — Zastin and I told Daddy that you're my fiancé! He was... happy! I think.
— HAPPY?! — I took a step back, looking around frantically. — You guys… you told the galactic emperor?! The guy who controls entire star systems?! And now he wants me to… to…
— To become the next emperor, yes — said Zastin, serious, like he was handing me a glass of water. — And because of that, Lala's other suitors will come. Not out of jealousy... but revenge.
My soul left my body for a moment.
Mikan paused the game and looked at me like you'd look at a pet trying to understand its own paw.
— So… basically, you're the most hated man in the galaxy now. Cool, onii-chan.
Asia, always kind, placed a hand on my arm.
— Don't worry, Rito-kun. God protects those pure of heart.
— Asia... thanks... but... I'm not sure that includes alien attacks with gravitational missiles.
I collapsed on the couch, somewhere between panic and comedic despair, eyes fixed on the ceiling. A normal ceiling, a peaceful ceiling… the last piece of my normal life.
Zastin continued his speech like some intergalactic Greek tragedy narrator:
— Furthermore, Lala-sama's safety is in constant jeopardy. That's why I'll be living here. To protect her. And you, of course.
— Great. The bodyguard's sharing the bathroom with me now. Fantastic.
Lala ran to the video game console.
— Zastin, you gotta see how I beat the final boss with just one button! It's awesome!
She and Mikan started playing together, laughing like two carefree kids. Meanwhile, I — the accidental future emperor — was sweating bullets.
The TV flashed, fight sound effects burst everywhere — PCHOO! ZING! BANG! — and I stared into nothing, trying to grasp how my life went from "average student avoiding public embarrassment" to "alien princess fiancé about to be hunted by half the galaxy."
Haruna was sitting next to Asia, quiet. I glanced at her pensive face. Her eyes were far away. For a moment, the weight of what all this meant truly hit me. I liked Haruna. Always had. And now, out of nowhere, she was watching this whole mess unfold in front of her.
Maybe… maybe I should talk to her. Say that this wasn't what it looked like. That Lala was amazing, sure, but that didn't mean my heart was already set.
But before I could say anything, Zastin spoke with the solemn voice of a herald:
— Yuuki Rito, from now on, your name shall be remembered in the annals of galactic history. Whether as a great leader… or the unluckiest man alive.
Mikan chuckled under her breath. I knew what she was thinking. Something like "My brother's the protagonist of a space rom-com with zero control over his own life."
I sighed, looking at the girls having fun.
— Aren't you guys worried? — I asked, not really expecting an answer.
Lala turned with a sparkle in her eyes and said:
— Of course not! Because we're all together! That makes it all worth it!
And somehow… maybe she was right.
Even if the galaxy wanted to destroy me, even if Lala's suitors chased me with plasma sabers, even if I had to face a galactic emperor with glowing eyes and a menacing mustache…
Maybe, just maybe… I could handle it.
With Asia by my side, Haruna nearby, Lala smiling even when the world was falling apart — and Mikan watching me like she was binging a cosmic reality show — maybe… just maybe I'd be okay.
Maybe being the most hated man in the Milky Way wasn't the end of the world.
…Unless the world got blown up by an interstellar beam.
— Oof… — I groaned, sinking into the couch.
— Ready for dinner, Emperor Rito? — Zastin asked with a solemn smile.
Mikan rolled her eyes.
— You want rice or… laser?
Asia covered her mouth, trying not to laugh.
Lala rushed over and jumped onto my lap like a pink missile.
— Let's survive together, Rito! It'll be fun!
— Fun is... relative — I muttered, staring back at the ceiling.
Outside, a shooting star streaked across the sky.
Or maybe… it was a spaceship coming for me.
Who knows?
(A/N: Now we're going to see a massive entrance from Lala's suitors trying to defeat the MC. It's worth remembering that the MC is super OP, so it won't be a big deal for him. I also can't wait to see the MC just standing still while Darkness attacks him — and it doesn't cause him any damage.)