The New Gate

“You had fun yesterday, didn’t you?”

“You knew?”

The next day, on the way to the blacksmithing competition after the meal, Milt said to Shin.

From her teasing tone, Shin realized that Milt knew what Schnee and Tiera had asked him yesterday.

Milt and Filma were on their way to the arena. Shin’s preliminaries were on the way, so they were walking together when she said this line.

Schnee and the others were out exploring the city, like yesterday. This time, Shibaid was with them, so it was unlikely that they would get into trouble.

“That’s true, wasn’t it? It seems like you were showing off quite a bit. There were some rumors about it.”

“I heard that too. The rumor of a man being served by two beautiful women.”

Filma joined in on the conversation, leaving Shin flustered.

“I don’t know if it’s a rumor, but Sety is the source of the information.”

She hadn’t said it in Shin’s presence, but she wasn’t always with everyone.

Shin thought they had talked about it in the bath, but it seemed that other people besides Sety had really heard about it as rumors.

Now a lot of people heard the rumor. No matter how conspicuous they were, Shin had thought it would only be a one-time thing, so this was an unexpected blow.

“Shall we do it next time?”

“Oh, that would be nice.”

“Please spare me. It was so embarrassing.”

It would be one thing if they were out of sight, but they were in full view of everyone.

Depending on the shops they visited, some people looked at them with expressions that were almost amusing. Shin was used to hostility and murderous intent, but he wasn’t used to those kinds of looks.

If the two people he was with were different people from yesterday, Shin couldn’t imagine what kind of looks he would receive.

“Schnee was in a good mood, wasn’t she?”

“Yeah. It’s been a while since we’ve seen Schnee in such a good mood.”

Just as Milt and the others had said, Schnee was smiling the whole time after returning to the inn. Shin could tell that she was enjoying herself, so he endured his embarrassment.

“That’s a nice date.”

“But Tiera was there too.”

“So it’s like a double date, right?”

“That’s not quite right.”

Shin remembered Tiera laughing at him being embarrassed by Schnee.

It was a slightly annoyed, distant laugh. She didn’t hold back when teasing him, though.

“That can’t be helped. Don’t tell me you don’t know why.”

“Of course I do. But I’ve decided it’s Schnee.”

Shin also understood what Filma was trying to say. He had no intention of pretending not to notice.

Whether the timing was good or bad. Before anyone could say the next thing, the three of them reached a fork in the road. Filma and Milt were heading to the arena, while Shin was heading to the designated blacksmith competition, so they said their goodbyes for now.

“That’s enough about this. Shin, be careful not to overdo it, okay?”

“I know. I know. There are things I want to try, too. You’re the one who should remember to keep things in moderation, okay?

They exchange light-hearted jokes and then part ways.

After seeing Shin off, Filma and Milt also started walking.

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“I wish there was one more person who could have gone with him. Then I could have sent him off without any worries.”

After parting ways with Shin, Filma spoke as if it had just occurred to her as she walked alongside Milt.

“Don’t you think you should go?”

In response to Milt’s question, Filma shrugged with a small smile.

“Everyone is asking the same thing. Okay? My feelings towards Shin are different from those of Schnee and Milt. If I had to say, it’s respect and trust. It might have been different if I was the only one left beside Shin, but fortunately that didn’t happen. I prefer to watch Shin and the others from the side.”

Sometimes I feel like stirring things up, Filma said with a mischievous smile.

“You have a chance, Milt, so do your best.”

Filma said in a voice that made it hard to tell if she was serious or not.

“Even if you say we can return together, they’re monogamous over there. The walls are high.”

“But you can’t give up, can you?”

“…Yeah”

Everyone already shared the story of how Milt ended up returning with Shin.

Even after learning about the situation in the real world, Filma didn’t deny Milt’s feelings.

Filma’s opinion might be because polygamy was not uncommon in this world.

Still, it was a relief for Milt that she wasn’t denied outright. In the real world, she would have had no choice but to give up.

“If that’s the case, you should give it your all. If you’re serious, Schnee will take that into consideration. Or maybe even turn a blind eye.”

“I don’t know. I thought Schnee was quite possessive when we were working together, wasn’t she?”

In a sense, this was probably because they were acting only with their own people. It was not the same as letting one’s guard down, but there were times when one could see a side of everyone that they did not usually show.

“Well, if you’re that in love with someone, you definitely wouldn’t want to give them to anyone else. But, well, when you’re sure you’re number one, you can be a little generous.”

“I can’t believe this is the kind of ‘comfort of a legal wife’ I’ve only seen in manga…!”

Milt exaggerated a little in surprise, thinking that she would have to experience this herself. In reality, it was a battle she had no hope of winning.

“I know I’m going to cause trouble for Shin and the others, but I’ll do my best. This is the first time in my life that I’ve ever loved someone this much.”

“Oh my, so it was your first love. That makes it even more so. Those feelings can’t be suppressed by reason.”

Filma responded to Milt’s words in a quiet tone.

For Filma, Schnee was her top priority. Even Milt, who had only known her for a short time, knew that. Milt thought that Schnee’s priority became a little lower when it was confirmed that Schnee would accompany them back to the other side.

“Just hypothetically, if I were accepted, would that be okay with you, Filma?”

“If Schnee and the others are okay with that, I won’t complain. Besides, I’m not in a position to complain anyway.”

Who will be accepted and who won’t? It’s up to Schnee and Shin to decide. Filma said decisively.

“But he still needs to show he’s worthy of raising a girl who’s fallen in love with him. I heard it’s a completely different world from ours, so Shin needs to do better.”

With a cheerful finale, Filma steps onto the stairs leading to the arena’s entrance. Milt followed behind as they planned their next strategy.

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