By the time their discussion of the school rules, points strategy, and initial action plan came to a pause, night had quietly fallen.
Outside the window, the campus had grown completely silent. Only a few streetlights and the occasional dorm-room window still glimmered faintly.
"Well, it's getting late. You've all worked hard today."
Mazumi Mami glanced at the clock on the wall and spoke gently to the three girls. "You should head back and get some proper rest. We'll have to continue tomorrow."
But instead of the expected goodbyes and departure, nothing happened.
Chisato Nishikigi, Runa Inoue, and Walnut remained in their seats, exchanging subtle glances. None of them moved.
Beneath the warm yellow light, a faint, barely perceptible blush rose on all three girls' fair cheeks. The mood suddenly grew awkward and quiet.
"Hmm?"
Mazumi Mami noticed something was off and looked at them in confusion. "What's wrong? You all look... a little strange."
"Ahem..."
Walnut cleared her throat first. Her eyes darted about as her fingers unconsciously twirled a lock of hair by her temple. Unusually flustered, she said, "Th-this sort of thing... Chisato, you'd be the best one to bring it up."
She quickly passed the hot potato to someone else.
"Exactly," Runa Inoue immediately chimed in. She sat straighter than usual, her violet eyes lowered to her hands, which were clasped tightly in her lap. Her voice was softer than normal.
"Chisato, you're the most outgoing and lively. You probably wouldn't feel too awkward talking about this... so it'd be best if you explained."
Runa Inoue said.
"Hey, you two!"
Chisato Nishikigi's amber eyes widened as she was suddenly put on the spot, and a blush quickly spread across her face. She protested, "I may be a little carefree usually, but I'm sensitive on the inside, you know! I'm a girl too! How could I not feel awkward about this?"
Chisato Nishikigi said.
The three girls kept trying to push the responsibility onto one another. The blush on their faces grew more obvious, and an indescribable air of shyness, anticipation, and nervousness began to fill the room.
Their unusual reaction only made Mazumi Mami more confused. He furrowed his brow slightly and looked from one to the next. "So... what exactly are you talking about? Is something the matter?"
The three girls fell silent for a few more seconds. At last, Chisato Nishikigi took a deep breath, as if steeling herself. She raised her flushed face and looked at Mazumi Mami.
"A-all right... Then... I'll explain."
Her voice trembled at first, but she tried to keep it steady.
"Your Highness, the truth is... the three of us came here not only to help you complete the Empire's covert investigation mission, but also because the palace... the palace gave us another... special assignment."
Chisato Nishikigi's voice grew softer and softer until it was barely a whisper, and she began to avert her eyes.
"A special assignment?"
Something stirred in Mazumi Mami's mind. He had a vague suspicion, but wasn't sure.
"Yes... Before we left, besides training in combat, intelligence gathering, and etiquette, we also... received extra instruction from the palace's senior matrons."
Chisato Nishikigi's face was as red as a ripe apple. She bit her lower lip and spoke so softly he could barely hear her. "It was about... about... spending the night with you..."
"About what?"
Mazumi Mami leaned forward slightly, listening intently.
He had actually heard her, but the sudden revelation made him instinctively want to confirm it.
Chisato Nishikigi thought he hadn't heard. In her embarrassment, a burst of courage—or perhaps the urge to throw caution to the wind—surged through her. She closed her eyes and blurted out loudly:
"It was about how to spend the night with you!"
Her clear, ringing voice echoed through the quiet room.
"..."
A deathly silence fell over the room.
Mazumi Mami was completely stunned. Even with a maturity far beyond that of most boys his age, he was still taken aback by her blunt words, and the tips of his ears began to burn.
Chisato Nishikigi, who had shouted those words, wished she could sink into the floor. She covered her face with both hands, leaving only her watery amber eyes visible between her fingers, so embarrassed she was nearly in tears.
Meanwhile, Runa Inoue had already turned her head away, pretending to study the patterns on the wall. But the empty drink cup in her hand trembled despite her best efforts, and her fingertips had turned white.
From where Mazumi Mami sat, he could see the blush spreading over her profile and down her neck, utterly at odds with her usual composure.
Walnut had buried her entire face behind the laptop in her arms, leaving only her smooth, flaxen hair and two adorable ear tips so red they looked ready to bleed.
Her fingers tapped the keyboard, producing faint, meaningless sounds. She was clearly anything but calm.
An ambiguous, shy, nervous atmosphere—along with a faint hint of anticipation—enveloped the room. Even the air seemed to grow warm and heavy.
"Ahem... cough, cough..."
Mazumi Mami finally came back to his senses and coughed awkwardly a few times, trying to say something to ease the mood. But for a moment, he couldn't think of anything suitable.
After all, he was still only a sixteen-year-old boy. There was no way he could remain unaffected by such a direct topic, one concerning intimacy.
"Why don't we talk about this another time? It's already very late..."
Mazumi Mami tried to change the subject.
"That won't do, Your Highness. This is our assignment."
Runa Inoue said.
"If it's an assignment, you don't have to force yourselves to carry it out."
"Besides, there's curfew. It may not forbid girls from staying overnight in the boys' dorm, but it's still best to be careful."
Mazumi Mami said.
"It's not just an assignment. We want to be close to you too, Your Highness."
"As for curfew, don't worry. I can use spatial teleportation to send over whoever you choose."
Though she was still embarrassed, Runa Inoue said it anyway.
"Takina's right, Your Highness. We've looked forward to this moment since we were little. All our training was for you."
"It's not just because of the assignment. It's because of you."
Walnut said.
"That's right, Your Highness. You should choose. We were embarrassed when the palace matrons trained us, but knowing it was for you, we still learned all sorts of things."
"We did it all for this moment."
"You can't back out now, Your Highness. We've been waiting for this for a long time."
Chisato Nishikigi said.
The three of them were clearly serious.
It was obvious they weren't joking.
So after her initial explosion of embarrassment, Chisato Nishikigi seemed to have decided to just go for it.
She lowered her hands. Her cheeks were still scarlet, but her gaze had grown unusually earnest and resolute as she looked straight at Mazumi Mami.
"This is... this is something you must learn and experience as the Empire's heir! So, Your Highness, please choose! Out of the three of us... who will go first tonight?"
Her voice trembled, but her tone was strikingly firm, as though she were fulfilling a solemn duty.
Walnut and Runa Inoue also slowly raised their heads.
Walnut pushed up her glasses. Behind the lenses, her blue eyes shimmered with tears, her shyness matched by a determination not to back down.
Runa Inoue turned back as well and gazed deeply at Mazumi Mami. The blush had not faded from her face, but her posture was even more upright, as though she were waiting for an important command.
Their attitudes made it perfectly clear: this wasn't a joke. It was an "assignment" they had seriously accepted and were prepared to carry out, one that also embodied their long-held feelings and hopes.
Mazumi Mami looked at the three girls who had grown up by his side. They were like family, and yet their relationship was far more than that of master and servant. Nervousness, shyness, determination, and anticipation mingled in their eyes, stirring a complicated warmth and sense of responsibility within him.
He knew this wasn't merely an arrangement from the palace. It was also an expression of their feelings.
After a moment of silence, he took a deep breath and tried to steady his voice.
"All right. I understand."
He spoke slowly, his gaze passing equally over all three. "If it's... a necessary step, then we can't avoid it. As for the order..."
He paused. Under their tense gaze, he continued, "Let's decide in the fairest way—by drawing lots. You're all equally important to me. None of you comes before the others. We'll let fate decide who goes first. How does that sound?"
His suggestion eased the tension a little.
"Hmm... That works too."
Chisato Nishikigi murmured, sounding relieved, though perhaps a little disappointed as well.
"Honestly... I'm relieved."
Walnut said softly, patting her burning cheeks.
"Yeah..."
Runa Inoue nodded slightly, her tense shoulders relaxing.
Although they were as close as sisters, a girl's heart was complicated. It was impossible to avoid a faint, unspoken sense of rivalry between them.
For them, drawing lots—a seemingly random but perfectly fair method—was a way to accept the outcome without directly comparing themselves or facing the awkwardness that would come with it.
"Still," Mazumi Mami said, his tone shifting. A barely noticeable flush appeared on his face too.
"Let's start tomorrow, or some other time. You've all had a long day. You've been gathering intelligence, analyzing things, and discussing plans, so you must be exhausted, both physically and mentally. The first time... should be when we're both rested and in better shape. And..."
For once, he was at a loss for words. He rubbed the back of his neck and gave an awkward, boyish smile.
"To be honest, I need a little time too... to prepare myself. It's all so sudden, and I'm... embarrassed too."
His honest admission of embarrassment eased the girls' nervousness and shyness. They even felt a little more tender toward him, wanting to be considerate of his feelings.
"Hmm... That makes sense."
Chisato Nishikigi nodded, the blush on her face fading a little.
"We really are tired today."
Walnut agreed, her voice returning somewhat to its usual calm.
"Then... let's talk about it tomorrow."
Runa Inoue replied softly. A hint of relief and faint anticipation flickered in her eyes.
All three girls readily accepted the decision.
They also needed time to process and prepare. After all, this would be a profoundly important and unfamiliar first for them too.
The ambiguous, tense atmosphere gradually shifted into a gentler, more restrained intimacy.
After chatting a little longer, the four of them finally reached the point where they truly had to part.
Runa Inoue used her spatial ability to quietly send Walnut and Chisato Nishikigi back to their rooms on the upper floors of the girls' dormitory. She left last.
When Room 601 was finally left with Mazumi Mami alone, he stood by the window, gazed out at the quiet night, and let out a soft breath.
A jumble of thoughts—about the school's cruel rules, the plans for what lay ahead, and the new relationship he was about to enter with the three girls—tangled together in his mind.
On many levels, this night was destined to mark a long and momentous beginning.
And their "daily life" and "special mission" at this unusual school would officially begin with the coming dawn, opening onto a future full of challenges and unknowns.