Agung rubbed his temples, his mind racing through the biological impossibility of the timeline. He looked at the groups of children—the clear clusters of ages—and realized the "Deadbeat" hadn't just been absent; he had been a victim of a glitching reality.
"Aoi is five," Agung murmured, his eyes scanning the room. "The next wave is four, and the youngest are three. If I've been gone for three years, the math only works if that bratty 'Operator' was running three different versions of the 'Deadbeat' simultaneously across Tokyo, Numazu, and Hong Kong before the 2026 'glitch' merged them all back into me."
It was the only explanation. The "Deadbeat" hadn't just been a failure; he'd been a fragmented existence, a man living three lives in parallel timelines that had finally collapsed into a single, overwhelming present.
"That operator is going to have a lot to answer for when I find them," Agung growled under his breath. He then looked at the twenty-one women, who were watching him piece together the "Temporal Stupidity" of his own history.
"Whatever the math was," Agung said, raising his voice to address the Grand Hall, "the result is standing right here. Sixteen children who exist because of a glitch, but who are going to live like royalty because of the man I am now."
To prevent the "Civil War" that Dia's expression promised, Agung didn't just manifest a table. He manifested a **Circular Celestial Banquet**. No one was at the "head," and everyone had equal proximity to him.
As the enchanted plates filled with a fusion of Indonesian Snack and high-end Japanese Kaiseki, the eleven girls began to swarm Agung, their eyes wide with "Princess" expectations.
"Papa! I want a castle!" one of the younger girls cried, tugging at his jacket.
"I want a pony that glows!" another added.
Agung looked at the twenty-one mothers. The silence was heavy. They weren't helping; they were testing him. They wanted to see if the man who could "water" three gardens in a night could handle the emotional chaos of sixteen children at a dinner table.
"Alright, alright!" Agung laughed, raising his hands. A shower of golden sparks erupted from his fingertips, manifesting sixteen small, glowing "Guardian Charms" that floated toward each child. "Castles and ponies come tomorrow. Tonight, we eat as a family."
He turned his gaze to the mothers. "As for the 24-hour rotation... we aren't doing a 'line.' We are a coalition. I have Infinite Stamina, but I also have the wealth to build a lifestyle where none of you have to wait for 'your turn' to be a priority. As we'll be live in one roof together"
Maki took a sip of her tea, her eyes softening just a fraction. "One roof? You realize that's either the bravest or the stupidest thing you've said all day, right?"
"Probably both, Maki," Agung replied, catching her gaze. "But I've survived rooftops and 'monster girls.' I think I can survive a dinner with the women I love."