"Have you ever seen a hero in any story who didn't have a few female companions by his side?"
Hearing these words, Erina fell silent.
Indeed, that guy, Hachiman, is a hero. In manga, don't heroes usually have a group of women around them? That's often referred to as a harem, right?
As she thought about the various girls besides herself who were always around Hachiman, Erina's expression became complicated.
Would she also become just one of Hachiman's harem members?
Give up?
That was almost impossible. Like the proverbial frog in warm water, after spending so much time together, her feelings for Hachiman had grown into a constant, gentle stream—far too deep to simply abandon.
Seeing the expression on her daughter's face, Mana sighed inwardly.
In truth, she had already noticed today that Senzaemon seemed to have the idea of having both Erina and Alice marry Hachiman together.
Although she couldn't oppose the head of the Nakiri family's decision, as a mother, she still wanted to help her daughter.
For example, by helping Erina secure her position as the primary wife in the "harem."
Mana understood that Erina's biggest flaw was her thin skin—she often held herself back too much.
As the saying goes, "Those who hesitate, lose; those who push forward, gain."
While it's true that a girl should maintain some modesty, being overly reserved could backfire.
Hachiman was certainly not someone only her daughter had her eyes on. If she hesitated too much while others didn't, wouldn't that mean missing her chance?
"By the time others have everything sorted out, and their kids are old enough to run errands, what's the point of holding onto your modesty?"
At this thought, Mana couldn't help but think of her niece, Alice. With her bold Nordic heritage, Alice was far more daring in certain matters.
If Alice were to secretly get ahead and secure her position, wouldn't that put Erina at a disadvantage?
That was unacceptable. Her daughter should never settle for being second.
With this in mind, Mana spoke up.
"Erina!"
"Ah, yes!"
Erina, who had been lost in thought, snapped back to attention when her mother called her name.
"Mom, is there something you want to say?"
Mana's expression turned serious as she said, "You can't keep delaying this. Since Hachiman is coming over today, you need to handle what needs to be handled."
Outside the room, Hachiman's expression grew a bit strange.
Was this… his future mother-in-law actively helping him out? First, the old man supports the idea of a harem, and now the mother-in-law is pushing her daughter to take action? This felt surreal.
Inside the room, Erina, however, looked confused by her mother's words.
"Handle what? Mom, what exactly do you mean?"
Seeing her daughter's obliviousness, Mana's face twisted into an expression of exasperation.
"Ugh, how could I have raised such a clueless daughter? I mean this!"
As she spoke, Mana raised her hands. With her left hand, she formed a circle using her thumb and index finger, while her right index finger moved back and forth through the circle.
Even someone as dense as Erina immediately understood the implication. Her face turned scarlet in an instant.
"Th-this kind of thing… this kind of thing…!"
"Now's not the time to be shy, Erina!"
Seeing her daughter's shy demeanor, Mana spoke again.
"Let's not talk about others for now—just look at Alice. You saw it yourself today. Her level of closeness with Hachiman is no less than yours. And you know her personality well; she doesn't care much for formalities or rules."
"If she beats you to the punch and handles everything before you do, wouldn't you lose out?"
"Erina, do you really want to lose to Alice?"
"..."
Hearing her mother's words, Erina froze.
It was true. She had witnessed it herself today—Alice and Hachiman seemed quite close. If this kept up, it was entirely possible that Alice might take action before she even realized it.
And if that happened, wouldn't she lose?
Lose to Alice... no, that was unacceptable!
From childhood until now, she had always been the one to win. She had to continue being the victor.
This kind of thing… fine, if it had to be done, it would be done.
After all, she had almost crossed that line in the kitchen earlier.
At worst, she'd just lie down on the bed and let things happen from there.
With that thought, Erina's expression grew resolute.
"I understand, Mom. I won't lose to Alice."
Seeing this, Mana nodded in satisfaction.
"That's the spirit. As long as you take the initiative, I'm confident no one can resist your charm."
Mana had absolute faith in her daughter's allure.
After all, with her stunning figure—ample curves, long legs, and a slender waist—if such a beautiful girl lay before any man, ready and willing, who could possibly resist?
Unless, of course, that man was devoid of all worldly desires.
However, upon hearing her mother's words, a faint blush appeared on Erina's face.
"Temptation? But… I don't know how to do that…"
"Oh, what's so hard about it? You just need to take the initiative, let go of your modesty. Like this… and this… and then like this…"
Mana leaned in and softly shared her advice into her daughter's ear.
As Erina listened to the methods her mother described, her eyes widened with each passing moment, and her face turned an increasingly vivid shade of red.
"D-do I really have to do that? Isn't that way too embarrassing…?"
Seeing her daughter's reaction, Mana quickly realized that with Erina's shy personality, actively seducing someone was unlikely to happen—at least not for now. So, she decided to propose a simpler method.
"There's actually an easier way. Just go to Hachiman's room, take off all your clothes, and leave the rest to him. I refuse to believe that any man could resist you if you did that."
"Take off all my clothes...? Alright, I understand,"
Hearing this suggestion, Erina felt a bit embarrassed but still nodded in agreement.
After all, this approach was much simpler than trying to actively seduce him.
"Good, that's the way," Mana nodded approvingly.
"As long as you take the initiative, I'm confident Hachiman won't turn you down. Even if you can't claim him entirely, you'll at least secure your position as the main wife."
Outside the door, Hachiman raised an eyebrow.
The main wife?
So they've already assumed I'll have a harem?
Tch, why does it feel like what should have been the hardest part has somehow turned out to be the easiest?
In Hachiman's original plans, the Nakiri family was supposed to be the biggest obstacle to his so-called "harem aspirations."
After all, the Nakiris were one of the four most powerful families in Japan. Convincing them to allow their prized daughter—let alone two daughters—to share a husband was no simple task.
And yet, to his surprise, before he even had the chance to bring this up with Erina, her elders—Senzaemon and Mana—had not only given their approval but actively helped move things along.
One openly supported the idea of a harem, while the other was diligently working on her daughter's mindset.
The sheer surrealness of the situation left Hachiman feeling somewhat disconnected from reality.