"Nessa, I do not doubt your determination or your love; This is a guess we have yet to verify. I cannot gamble on your lives like this."
Despite his entreaties, his rose-colored empresses shut his trail of thoughts down with a vicious rebuke.
"Yet, you gamble with yours like one who wishes to die. Husband, you are a hypocrite. "
"…"
Silenced by Jei's angry face, Hiro could not come up with a response. It is true that in his desperation the man has been gradually taking more dangerous paths. As he valued not himself, Hiro rarely spared thought about the pain he would need to endure.
Trembling from anger, Raylene hugged Jei as she continued the conversation. "Darling… What Jei meant is just like you, we hold your life and your safety dearly. As we cherish you when you go about harming yourself even if you do not die. It is difficult for us to watch."
When Jei calmed down, Lene left her and embraced her husband's right side like a cat seeking warmth.
"But, I need to do this, I am the most durable among us Lene. If I can survive it, then I can make it safer for all of you. If you girls go first, then you will all incur the risk. I refuse that! I can handle it better! I will endure it for all of us."
Vanessa then hugged Hiro's left arm and held it tighter. "And what happens when you don't? Hiro-sama we all nearly died the last time. If you leave again… I am not strong enough. You are being far too callous and far too selfish."
Jei who approached Hiro embraced him from the front as she spoke. "One of Hearts Dogma's realities is [So long as you need me]. I need you husband. I cannot bear the thought of you disappearing again. Yet I understand your reasoning. But just because I understand doesn't mean I will accept it.
"This is one thing we will never agree on Husband. To you, we are most important. To us, it is the opposite. If our words are not enough to dissuade your suicidal actions. They we will do so with our own."
Hiro felt annoyed and irritated, doesn't his girls understand that he isn't as important as them? Why are they being so difficult? All this hardship, all this suffering he willingly shouldered it for them! Do they think he is incompetent or something?! What use is a man that requires pity from his own family?
The butcher forced them to be empresses so they would gain strength without being in danger. He never really meant for them to fight with him. It was just lip service. What kind of man would wish his women to be injured on the field of battle?
Vanessa, Jade, and Raylene were his most prized treasures. If something happened to them Hiro knew he would break. Why can't they just be obedient and let him love, spoil and take care of them? Why is there a need to argue about all this shit? Do they not trust him? Do they think he is not strong enough?
And now they wish to take the burden on themselves! WHY? Why did he even come back then?! Would anyone choose to do such a thing?! As Hiro started to grow hurt, disappointed, and sad at the implications, he started to question his value as a man.
In marriage, needing to understand and be understood necessitated both parties to give and take. Should this not be learned, the marriage is destined to fail. Hiro's face which warped into anger, frustration, and rage grew more contorted with each passing second.
His body slowly started to heat up from his heightened emotions. The man felt belittled as his wives did nothing but rebuke his sacrifice. One word kept running around Hiro's mind non-stop. 'Why?'
The women knew they were being unreasonable. They knew this would be difficult for their husband. His love for them could be felt from the highest peaks to the lowest valleys. But they could not back down, or they would regret it for the rest of their life.
Yet all three of his wives hugged him tighter as they answered his unspoken questions with four simple words. Their voices were teary and filled with melancholy.
"Because I love you, Hiro." X3
The words disarmed the butcher. Love? How does that matter in this? Still, remaining silent Raylene lovingly placed her head on Hiro's shoulder as she enjoyed his warmth.
"Darling. To me, you are the most important person in my life. My heart breaks when you suffer. If I can carry just a tenth of your load. That would make me so happy. I, who lost everything now gain the world simply because I won your affection. Please let me love you, darling. Don't push me away, let me support you, the man I adore the most."
Vanessa similarly hugged his left arm tighter like a lifeline. The smile on her face had so much affection people would get diabetes from just seeing it.
"Hiro-sama, just like our lives belong to you, so does yours belong to us. To me. I saw your journey, my love, you do not even think you are worth loving due to your faults. But nothing is farther from the truth! I could talk for hours about how wonderful you are. If you cannot love yourself then I spend my days showing you how you appear in my eyes."
Jade then wrapped her arms around Hiro's neck, forcing him to look into her deep blue eyes. Her countenance was absolutely dripping with bliss as she stared at the man she cherished with all her heart.
"Husband. We love you. When you hurt. Our heart aches. Let us fight. For you. Only for you. We will crush anything. Do not misunderstand. We know. Your love. We drown in it every day. But you're being selfish. Let us love you too. Rely on us too. Not Tsugumi. Not the San-Baka. But us, your empresses."
In the time Hiro heard the sweet whispers of his harem, the rage in his heart disappeared. 'Who in their right mind can stay angry when told such things? I am being stupid. It's not that they do not value me. It's the opposite. Just like how I want to protect them, they wish to protect me.'
Most would say that men wish to control their wives and keep them at home. But many fail to see that this is how most men show affection. Keeping your treasure safe is the most basic impulse. And the more men wish to lock up their women the more they cherish them.
Yet, at the same time, men know this is extremely selfish. It keeps the women safe but also makes them dependent on their husbands. When people grow without hardship, it weakens not just their bodies, but also their minds and hearts. Few men have the strength to watch the ones they love suffer without assisting them. This paradox accompanied anyone who has ever been in love.
One's trust can easily be broken; those that are afraid of infidelity, pain, tragedy, and betrayal normally lock their hearts in a box in cowardice. This was what Hiro and most men were afraid of. If his wives die to this decision he would loathe himself till the end of time.
Right now, his wives were being selfish and they knew it. Most men like Hiro feared what they could not control. And his battle harem now requested him to set them free and allow them to soar. Due to knowing how much he loved them, his women understood how difficult it was for their husband.
Yet it needed to be done. Not for just him, but for themselves.
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