139 Vol. 3 pt. 9 Patch 2.0: Babies and Burgers (1/2)

Dealing with Cassandra and Aiko fighting over his arms is easy once they all make it outside, but even more embarrassing as everybody on the street is interested at the sight of one boy and four girls. Most polyamorous relationships and harems in general usually only involve the rich or members of fringe religions that somehow managed to survive falling out of the public's interest. While such relationships are legal, they are far from common and associated with important status. Relationships involving just a single member of one of the genders, such as a guy with multiple girls like with Ryouta's situation, are especially rare.

So, despite Ryouta being a fairly average guy who is a bit shorter than average, having a thin build with little muscle, and not exactly coming off as wealthy, successful, nor a sex god, most passersby look at him to try and determine if he's somebody famous that they know of. After all, why else would he have four girls with him? The girls make it obvious that they're not just friends, too. Between two of them clinging to his arms, the shortest of the bunch teasing him, and the girl in the wheelchair that he's pushing taking loving looks back at him, it is beyond obvious there is more to friendship going on.

Most of the random people they walk by would never believe him if he said he met three of them through gaming and is just childhood friends with the fourth.

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”Hey! Do I know you from somewhere? Oh! You're uh, you're from that one thing, right?” a random girl asks after running up to them and stopping in front of Alice, looking at Ryouta.

Ryouta just sort of looks at her with a confused expression, having no idea what she could be talking about.

Cassandra's glare scares her away.

”S-sorry!” the girl says before running off.

A few minutes later and a man walks up to them. ”Hey there bro, how about saving some for the rest of u—” he tries saying but stops when he sees Cassandra and Aiko glaring at him. Aiko's glare is especially terrifying at the moment.

Needless to say, the man gets scared off even faster than the girl from earlier was.

”You seem rather popular, my hero,” Alice says. ”I wonder why that is?” she asks with a giggle.

”I have no idea what was with that first girl, but I guess that guy was just jealous,” Ryouta answers.

”Of course he's jealous!” Aiko declares. ”Why wouldn't he be? You're perfect! You were way better looking than him, and you're smarter and cooler than him, and he was just some pathetic little insect who would be better off getting crushed underneath your foot!”

Any nearby men who could hear Aiko's words stop looking at the group, instead hurrying to walk past them.

”I don't know about that, but uhh, thanks I guess,” Ryouta replies.

Cassandra's competitive spirit gets triggered by Aiko once more. ”Ye-yeah, you're so much bet—…be-better than… other guys…” she says, each word quieter than the last with her head hanging lower and lower.

Ryouta rewards her attempt at complimenting him with a kiss on the top of her head, making her cheeks burn bright and half-squeak from surprise.

”Hey! Why don't I get kisses for praising you?” Aiko pouts and whines, throwing a miniature temper tantrum by stomping her feet and shaking the arm of his that she's holding onto. She even headbutts his arm to get his attention and then leans up on her toes so that the top of her head is right in front of him.

But alas, she does not get a kiss. What she does get is him playfully headbutting her back. ”That's for headbutting me,” he teases.

”That's not what I want! Hmph! But, it is a headbutt from my Ryouta… okay, I'll accept it, but next time I want a kiss!”

”We'll see about that.”

He has to be careful with what he tells her. He knows that he was probably too romantic towards Alice back when they first met – before they were dating, and so he wants to avoid that. Even if he used to know Aiko as a kid, he can't just treat her like she's one of his girlfriends right after coming back into his life and when he already has three girlfriends.

Serra stops and points across the street.

A sign with a large man shouting and holding up burgers hangs above a building across the busy street.

Others are already waiting at the crosswalk to cross, and he knows that accidents involving vehicles are extremely rare in this city with maybe one happening every couple of months that is always caused by human error rather than the vehicles themselves, but having to cross a street still scares him.

It reminds him of running into the street to save Aiko.

He must not be the only one nervous of this as he feels Aiko hug his arm against her tighter than before. Her usual outgoing and playful attitude has been replaced by one of silence and nervousness.

Serra breaks them up. Forcing herself between them, she loops her arm around Ryouta's and holds Aiko's hand. The soft warmth that she provides them, giving support as Ryouta's girlfriend and as Aiko's best friend, is enough to relax them each.

The group waits for the crosswalk sign to signal that they can cross.

It turns green and shows a sign of people walking.

And so, they cross the road. While such a thing is of no big deal to everybody else around, it is something that has caused fear within Ryouta's and Aiko's minds since that dreaded day as children.