"You're hopeless . What I mean is… we're becoming a couple."
After a moment, I answered:
"Does that mean you're in love with me?"
"Well, yeah, that's exactly it," she admitted.
"I want to, but only if you—"
"This isn't a negotiation. Do you want us to be a couple or not?" she cut me off, blushing.
Of course I wanted us to be together. That's all I ever wanted. But first, I needed to ask my parents. Then it hit me—I could give them the current mansion, and Aruna and I could buy another one for ourselves. Or maybe the opposite. After a few seconds of thought, I nodded.
She sat down on my bed and declared:"Alright, then I can call you 'my darling' from now on."
I refused, telling her that just Henray—or even Ray—would be enough.
A few minutes later, I went back to the living room with Aruna to announce it to my parents. As they drank their coffee in perfect sync, I told them we weren't just friends anymore. Immediately, they spat their coffee all over us. Disgusted, I wiped myself off and explained that we were officially a couple. They took another sip, only to spit it out again. This time, I grabbed a towel to clean Aruna's dress from the mess.
Hours later, Aruna went home. Once my parents finished cleaning the living room, they sat me down to lecture me about the responsibilities and dangers of being in a relationship. Of course, I pretended to listen, even though I already knew all that—despite never having been in a couple before. Still, it's a strange, overwhelming joy to finally be together with someone. I'd never realized it. Maybe it's because I'd only ever seen married people, but I could feel it deep inside: I won't be the same after marriage. And that wasn't just some theory—it's something everyone feels.
The following week, I suggested to my parents that we move to the Kingdom of Midway. After a full day of thinking it over, they finally agreed. Three days later, a carriage arrived. We set off at seven in the morning, and after three days of travel, we finally arrived. The king welcomed us warmly, along with my aunt and uncle. Saru and Aruna were also there. After a delicious meal, we went straight to the mansion to rest from the long journey.
Later that evening, we returned to the royal castle to speak about my relationship with Aruna. The king and queen offered us ten different mansions to choose from. One in particular caught my attention: four stories tall, twenty-seven bedrooms, two kitchens, and a massive living hall. But when I mentioned the one I really wanted, they nearly punched me. I had pointed to the royal mansion itself—the one where the king, queen, and their children lived. In the end, they offered to build me an exact replica instead. I was overjoyed.
One month later, the house was complete, thanks to magic. In my previous world, even a simple house would have taken at least a year to build. Magic really changes everything.
The day after moving in, a violent storm raged outside. Thankfully, we were safe inside the mansion. While I was playing a mana-console game with Aruna, she suddenly asked:
"Shall we… do it tonight?"
"What are you talking about?" I replied, pretending to be clueless. (But of course, I knew exactly what she meant. I just couldn't admit it, otherwise it would raise suspicions about my intelligence. After all, in my past life, I had an IQ of 196—which is, well… wow.)