Huh? What’s with that chair Shirayuki-san’s mother brought in…? And why does it have equipment to hold someone’s arms above their head? What even is that…?

When she came into view, it looked like… no, it’s obvious she was the one who brought it. But that thing just didn’t belong in a large bath at all, and I couldn’t help being bothered by it.

Still, Maria-san suddenly breaking into laughter was even more concerning, so I quickly shifted my gaze back to her.

“Why… are you laughing…?”

“Fufu… I’d been wondering how you planned to solve this, but I never imagined you’d choose to prostrate yourself to me…! And if you’d done it purely to appeal to emotion and shield these two, I absolutely would have punished you. But the fact that you used Hina-chan’s feelings, the thing I value most, that was splendid…!”

Maria-san was laughing, but the way she casually said those words sent a chill straight down my spine.

Apparently, if I had taken even one wrong step, I would’ve ended up facing a hellish punishment.

Well… I knew she wasn’t going to forgive me easily, so my plan was just to reduce her anger as much as possible and hope to be treated a little less harshly. In the end, things somehow turned out in the best possible way, far better than I ever expected.

Even so, seeing Maria-san, who had been absolutely furious just moments ago, suddenly burst out laughing, felt unsettling.

“Fuu… put your clothes back on.”

Having finished laughing, Maria-san picked up Emera’s clothes, which were lying on the floor, and handed them to Emera.

She was still naked, so I couldn’t turn around and look, but hearing the rustle of fabric, it seemed that Emera had thanked Maria-san and immediately started getting dressed.

So, I guess I was forgiven…?

“Now then, you two. Do you understand why I value him so much?”

I wondered if I could stand up now and raised my face slightly when Maria-san asked a question to Emera and Furei.

“…Because he has an unbreakable core… and he’ll never bend when it comes to what he holds dear, and will always face hardship head-on, perhaps…?”

Furei was the first to speak.

Maria-san smiled at that answer.

“That’s also true.”

“Also”, which means there are other reasons.

Maria-san then shifted her gaze to Emera.

It seems she wants Emera to answer next.

“…Because he’s… competent, perhaps…?”

Emera still seems frightened of Maria-san and hesitantly conveys a barely audible answer.

“That’s the bare minimum.”

Maria-san replied as if to say, “Don’t state the obvious,” though she was still smiling.

Even after all the years I’ve known her, I still had no idea what she was thinking at times like this.

“He’s received special training since he was young. So of course he’s capable, and he’s exceptional enough to handle even my unreasonable demands. But that alone wouldn’t be enough for me to give him this level of special treatment.”

Ah… so she’s aware of how unreasonable she is… And she considers this special treatment…?

Or rather, isn’t she just putting me through one unreasonable thing after another…?

I had plenty I wanted to say, but I also knew that if I interrupted here, I’d be hit with a merciless punishment. So I stayed quiet and simply watched the exchange between the Tenjouin mother and daughters.

“The answer is, he has an instinctive sense, a natural intuition that lets him arrive at the correct solution. And when necessary, he can act flexibly without being bound by pride or pointless constraints. That is why I value him.”

Having said so much, Maria-san pauses and looks back and forth between Emera and Furei.

“You two couldn’t do it, could you? You can’t bow your heads for the sake of someone who should be your enemy, nor can you find a way out when you’re driven into a corner.”

Lowering one’s head to an opponent you should be hostile towards is something that shouldn’t happen normally.

And in most cases, there’s no reason to ever do such a thing. It’s the kind of act that makes you want to ask: under what circumstances would someone ever do that?

But just now, what I did was exactly that.

Even if I used Hina as a reason, ultimately, what I sought was to save Emera and Furei.

So… is that what she means by being able to adapt to any situation?

Finding a way out when you’re cornered. That, too, applied to what happened just now. The three of us had been pushed to the point where it felt like our lives might genuinely be taken, and yet thanks to my actions, Maria-san chose to forgive us.

That’s what she means, but it’s purely coincidental that I managed to get through it.

Well…maybe that’s what you call instinct or intuition.

Of course, with this alone, Furei might be convinced, but Emera definitely won’t be.

She didn’t say it out loud, but her expression clearly read, “I don’t understand why there would even be a reason to do that.”

“You’re thinking ‘there’s no reason to’ or ‘I don’t understand,’ aren’t you? He himself didn’t calculate things that far, but, between abandoning you instantly or earning a huge favor from you, isn’t it obvious which one benefits him more?”

“Ah…”

Hearing her say that much, Emera seemed to finally understand, letting out a small sound.

Somehow, it reminded me of the conversations I used to have with Maria-san back then.

“Well, I suppose it’s not surprising you couldn’t understand. After all, I’ve always taught you two to crush your opponents completely. I never believed you’d be capable of turning an enemy into an ally. In fact, I thought it far more likely you’d end up having the ground swept out from under you if you tried. But with him, I felt he might be able to do something like that, and that he wouldn’t leave any openings for someone to trip him up. At that point, the difference between the two of you and him was already enormous.”

Maria-san explained it in detail, breaking it down for them—acting just like, or rather exactly like, a mentor guiding her pupils.

I understood she was praising me, but honestly, it made me feel a little itchy with embarrassment, and I couldn’t shake the feeling that she was overestimating me.

And for Emera, who has a strong sense of pride, having to accept that she was inferior to me must have been an unbearable humiliation.

“Well, there are still many things I want to say, but let’s get to the main topic.”

She had definitely noticed how her daughters looked, but chose to ignore it, wearing a lovely smile.

“…The main topic?”

Just then, Maria-san suddenly clapped her hands together with a sharp snap, and with that deliberate preface, she left not only me, but also Emera and Furei unable to hide our confusion.

Up until now, from our perspective, it had felt like we were walking a tightrope where our lives were on the line. If that hadn’t even been the main issue, then just what sort of unreasonable demand was she about to drop on us…? All three of us were, without question, terrified of the answer.

And then Maria-san said—

“Since the plan has already been ruined, I’ll be moving everything forward. Starting today, Emera and Furei will be engaged to Eito-kun. When you graduate from high school, whichever one Eito-kun chooses will become the official heir of the Tenjouin conglomerate. This is non-negotiable.”

—something completely unreasonable, far beyond merely unexpected, something that no one could have possibly predicted.