"It seems that Rion and Kotomi agree with my suggestion," Shouzou exclaimed with obvious delight. "Harano-kun, you're willing to accept it as well, right?"

"No... I..."

"I know that you aren't particularly fond of them right now, but this matter if you're just going out with them. After gradually acc.u.mulating feelings for each other, you all can become true lovers, or even partners for life." The elderly man's eyes flashed with an enigmatic light.

"This... although it's not impossible, I still feel that... people should only go out with each other after they begin liking each other first." Seiji could only smile wryly.

"No need to be so conservative, Harano-kun. We're living in the twenty-first century. Young people these days should be more open-minded."

Seiji was rendered speechless.

It felt rather strange for him to hear an elder saying such a sentence!

"Rion and Kotomi are my granddaughters and I'm proud of them. Having beautiful twins like them as your girlfriends will definitely satisfy you! Besides, it'll be something for you to be proud about as well."

'Things are escalating on the weirdness scale! So you didn't ignore the fact that they were two girls, and you even treated it as an advantage for the twins!?'

"This... rather than saying it's something to be proud about, I think it would be more likely to cause controversy..."

"Controversies all stem from jealousy. You can simply treat it as your honor."

'It's not only because of jealousy! Aren't you being too optimistic about things!?'

"Treating controversies as honor, this is..."

"If you don't wish to do so, then just ignore any controversies. Harano-kun, you're not the type of person who particularly cares what other people think about you, right?"

"Er..."

Seiji considered things over, then looked directly into Shouzou's sincere gaze.

"It's not a bad suggestion, Amami-san, but it's a little too sudden, so it's difficult for me to accept." He tried to be as polite and honest as possible. "I believe that both my Senpais are beautiful and excellent girls, and I'd surely be the one greatly benefiting if I went out with them. Honestly, I was moved inside as well! But... I still can't just become someone's boyfriend so simply. I'm delighted that you thought of me so highly, and I'm also happy that my two Senpais were willing to accept me, but my two Senpais and I still don't understand each other very well, and I still feel that... my own level is still insufficient."

"At any rate, thank you so much for your suggestion. To me, it was the highest form of praise! Although I'm delighted, please allow me to politely refuse."

The room fell silent.

Something was flas.h.i.+ng in Shouzou's eyes.

Rion and Kotomi's eyes were also flas.h.i.+ng.

Seiji had a serious expression and a resolute look in his eyes.

"How regrettable..." After a while, the old man finally broke the silence. "I truly believed that it was a good idea of mine. A pity that it was rejected. But, it didn't come as a surprise." He smiled while saying so. "It was indeed too sudden, so it wasn't strange for you to refuse at all."

"My apologies..." Seiji lowered his head slightly.

"Why are you apologizing? Harano-kun, you gave your serious reply, that's good enough for me." Shouzou kept smiling. "Although it's regrettable that my suggestion wasn't taken up on, I'm still quite happy, because I can see all the clearer just what type of person you are, and I'm quite confident that I haven't misjudged you. You're an excellent youngster, Seigo Harano... no, young master Seiji Haruta."

Seiji lifted his head.

Rion and Kotomi showed surprised expressions.

"No matter what you were like in the past, from what I can tell, the current you is an excellent person in both physical appearance and inside as well. You should be more proud of the current you."

Shouzou lowered his head slightly towards him. "It's my honor to meet you, young master Seiji."

Seiji felt that this was... recognition.

At this moment, Shouzou Amami was truly recognizing him as Seiji Haruta, Yui Haruta's younger brother.

"Please don't say that. I said it before, I'm no young master; I wasn't in the past, nor am I one now."

"But you will be one in the future." Shouzou raised his head again. "And I feel that it will be soon."

Seiji remained silent at this.

Rion and Kotomi's eyes were sparkling in curiosity and excitement.

"Grandfather... what exactly is all this?"

"Rion, Kotomi, the two of you should work even harder in the future, and increase your charisma, so that you can be together with young master Seiji." Shouzou explained to them. "Seigo Harano is young master Seiji's alias. His real family name is Haruta, and he's the son of the Haruta family. As for the Haruta family... it's a very powerful family with a long history and incredible status."

A powerful family!

The twins had long since made that inference about him, and now their eyes completely lit up at hearing so.

Everything made sense now!

He had a personal connection with the student council president Natsuya Yoruhana who was from a similarly respectable family background, he had amazing perception and a sense of authority, he had martial prowess far surpa.s.sing ordinary people, and he had a mysteriously powerful hacker friend... everything made sense now to them, because he truly was a young master from a powerful family!

A prince.

Not only was his appearance prince-like, he really was a prince.

Rion and Kotomi looked towards Seigo Harano... no, Seiji Haruta with pa.s.sionate fervor in their eyes.

Their choice was correct after all, surpa.s.sing even their expectations.

It was a pity that he didn't accept them.

But that was no matter. They already knew their goal, and had locked on to their target.

This was just the beginning of their attack!

Seiji noticed the twins' pa.s.sionate gazes and could only smile wryly in his mind.

"Young master Seiji, even if you don't accept the idea of dating my immature granddaughters, it'll be alright to at least be friends with them, right?" Shouzou looked towards Seiji again and spoke with sincerity in his voice.

"...Of course." Seiji agreed to this.

He already refused to go out with them, so if he also refused to be friends with the twins, that would make him seem too... wait a moment.

'Don't tell me that this was Amami-san's true goal all along?'

'No matter what, the suggestion to go out with the twins was too sudden. Even he himself admitted that it was likely that I would refuse.'

'But he still said it so seriously, just why was that?'

'Apart from really wanting to make us go out with each other, the more important part was probably to provide cover for his true motive!'

Becoming friends.

If he started with such a request, there was the possibility that Seiji would refuse.

But first suggesting to go out with each other, getting rejected, and then suggesting that he become friends with the twins would make the chances of Seiji's rejection minimal, and the effect would be much better!

"Rion, Kotomi, from now on you're young master Seiji's friends. Get along well with him and make the most of your opportunity," Shouzou told them kindly.

"Understood, grandfather." Rion and Kotomi answered happily.

'...I did fall for his trap after all, didn't I?'

Seiji could only helplessly think that to himself.

"Young master Seiji, please take good care of us from now on." The twin beauties said that in unison with sincerity in their voices and brilliant smiles.

"Please don't call me like that, just call me as before... please take good care of me, my two Amami-senpais," Seiji responded.

Forget it, after all, becoming friends was still a good thing.

At one time in the past, he had told them that he would be more than happy to "accompany" them whenever they wanted to "play."

He never expected that his statement would come true in this form.

From now onwards, was he really going to have to "accompany" them?

Well, only the G.o.ds would know.