After everyone gathered around to comfort Ooka Momiji for a while, she gradually calmed down.
Fujino could not help breathing a sigh of relief.
Comforting girls was not exactly his strong suit. He knew the theory well enough, but putting it into practice was another matter.
He patted Ooka Momiji on the head and decided it was time to leave. "All right, it's getting late. I should head back."
"If I stay here much longer, it'll be hard to explain, no matter what excuse I come up with."
"Mm." Ooka Momiji nodded obediently. She had no argument with that.
Her relationship with Fujino might have become much like a married couple's, but they were not actually husband and wife yet.
Some things were still best kept out of sight.
Even if they had been newlyweds, being found out would have been terribly embarrassing.
She could hardly imagine how awful it would be to face the fond, knowing smiles of the Nana Sisters and Sister Akemi if they found out.
Just thinking about it made her blush.
As Fujino was about to leave, she suddenly seemed to remember something. "Darling!"
"Hmm?"
Fujino turned back and looked at Momiji's flushed cheeks in confusion.
Ooka Momiji smiled. "Don't worry. I won't make myself miserable over this. You don't have to worry about me. I don't feel bad at all."
"I might be a tiny bit angry inside, but it's completely fine!"
"After all, I'm the woman who's going to be empress!"
She rubbed her fingers together. "And, well, you just need to like me a little more..."
"And you have to let me vet them, too, to see if they really like you."
"And another thing, I haven't even... So don't go fooling around with someone else!"
"..."
Fujino's mouth twitched, and he