Ranking System

The plant girl, whom I recognized, had her hood off. We were alone in her room, talking. Her negative mood was removed once I told her I remembered her.

"How have you been?"

Claire had made a lot of space for me, carrying all her equipment to the side. I had told her I would assist, but she told me to stay here and sit.

"Me? Not much; I'd only destroyed a world, joined a war, and won."

"..."

Yeah, I was bragging. It was nice to tease someone who was an excellent target for it. Claire stared at me and said something outrageous.

"That wasn't much???"

Claire did look like the gullible type, but I think she believed me. Looking at her, she seemed too happy for me to be here.

"What about you? I haven't seen you in a while."

"While mine may not be as great as yours, I learned a lot."

Hearing Claire speak, I could see her shine. She was ecstatic when I asked how she was doing. I couldn't help but look away and see how bright she was.

"I learned a lot from this place. My teacher had taught me the art of poison."

Claire went on a large tangent and had me almost asleep. I felt terrible for stopping her, but at this rate, I might upset her for falling asleep.

"That's great. How about we get something to eat? I'm sure you would get tired from all the talking."

"Don't worry! Something like this won't tire me out."

"..."

Shit! I have to think of a way to make her stop talking. Luckily, I could use many excuses to get her to stop talking.

"Really? Doesn't it get cramped here? Going outside for a walk doesn't hurt, does it?"

"Your right. Having a walk does seem nice."

Guiding her out of the topic, I had successfully gained her interest in getting out. While I wasn't clear on her returning to what she was saying, I could change it completely.

"Everyone. I will be going out with Charles for a bit."

After informing everyone in this room, Claire and I went out. I was surprised that no one tried to stop her from leaving.

"Are you still part of the IUC? The war might have affected your world if you were part of it."

The last time I saw Claire, she was at the party hosted by the IUC. Her world would have participated in the war if that was the case. When I saw her team fight, she should be from the second or third-ranked world.

Claire froze once I started to mention this. Did she not have any contact outside of this hub? It must have slipped out of her mind.

"Do you want to check on your family?"

Claire nodded and went to the nearest communication device in a hurry. I had to pay the fee since she had forgotten to do so. The price wasn't much, so I will let it be for now.

"Mom???"

"It's been a while, Claire. What's got you so worried?"

I knew what the conversation would be like, so I left Claire to her own devices. Claire had taken at least thirty minutes to talk before she came off the call. Looking at her, she was relieved by something.

"Is your place doing ok?"

There was no way I would ask this if her mood was down. Claire didn't seem bothered and proceeded to speak.

"Luckily, our world wasn't a battlefield, so all my friends back home are safe."

"Charles! Please marry me!"

"..."

This was a sudden proposal. How did Claire's conversation with her mother evolve into a marriage proposal? While Reina was my fiancée, she never boldly asked me to marry her. Claire's proposal was a serious one, and I don't know her reason for it.

"Could I ask why?"

"I want you. That's all. Besides, you embarrassed me in front of everyone. Don't you think you should take my shame away?"

For such a simple reason, she wanted to marry me? Looking at her, I felt Claire's eagerness. But isn't she in too much of a hurry for marriage?

"Yeah, about the marriage. I have five women already, and none of them are in marital status. How about we slow it down?"

Before Claire got too ahead of herself, I laid out what I needed to tell her. Claire didn't look surprised by what I said. I could say her body was her type. Other than that, I don't know much about her.

"I already knew you had the cat as your lover, but I didn't expect you to have so much. That won't stop me!"

Her passion overwhelmed me, and she was too pushy on this topic. Marriage was too much for me, so I made an alternative suggestion.

"How about it? Let's do a test run. If you don't like sharing with the others, you can leave. If you want a piece of me, go for it."

Claire said nothing as she looked at me. A wave of people watched this drama, and we were still in public.

Before the crowd could intervene, I had their vision blocked, making us invisible to our eyes. Now that we had disappeared in their eyes, they had moved away.

"So what's your answer? Do you still want to marry me?"

Even if she explained her reason, I doubt she would need me specifically. There were other people happy to have one lover in their life.

"Why would I say no? It's too early to give up."

Claire's eagerness was a big part of her personality. While she was similar to Courtney in some ways, she was more on the positive end of the spectrum.

"I was about to leave this place sooner or later. Charles, it will be a pleasure to stay with you."

Without deciding anything, Claire would live with me. Being overly affectionate, Claire took hold of my arm, and we went around the hub.

"So, how are the other girls you are with?"

"The others?"

Since Claire had decided to come with me, it was better for her to ask this now. When I think of the girls, I can easily tell Claire how they are.

"Then let me tell you about the cat girl who harassed you."

Claire's face twisted when I mentioned Nene. She must have remembered the moments that had happened to her.

"Her name is Nene, and she likes to prey on people that are easy to tease. She is extremely sporadic and would do random things at times."

"Then we have Reina—a girl with white hair and someone who is moody. She may come off as hard to approach, but don't let that stop you."

"Next, we have Rose. Like Nene, she is one of my maids. Out of everyone in the group, she is the most normal person. While she is the most normal person, she is also the most ambitious out of the rest."

"Most normal, yet most ambitious?"

That context didn't fit right, but that is how odd the girls in my harem are. Even if they were weird, they'd still be my weirdos.

"Yep. After Rose, we have Courtney. Courtney is similar to you in some ways but also different. I won't spoil it for you, but she is the least hostile if you were to meet."

"Finally, we have Constance, and she is a nun."

"Is that all you're going to say about her? I sort of feel back if you do."

"Well, I slept with her the most. I have decided to let you know about them yourself."

I have given her some ideas of what the girls were like, but that is all she will get.

"It looks like meeting everyone will be a new surprise. Should I buy them something?"

"Do what you want."

"Then I will get them something from my storage room."

Our walk was nice, if you didn't count the crowd. We returned to the base, where Claire had an announcement to make to her men.

"Everyone! I have decided it is about time I leave."

"Boss. We knew you would leave sooner or later. But we thank you for your help!"

"Thank you, boss!!!"

"THANK YOU, BOSS!!!"

Looking at everyone, I could see that they had expected this to happen. Everyone here thanked Claire for her work, and she was brought to tears, moved by everyone here.

"You guys..."

"Let's have a goodbye party!"

"YEAH!!!"

Before I could get dragged to the party, I left Claire alone with her men. Interfering with their party was weird, considering I was taking her away. Claire knew my intentions and left me alone for the whole night. They got wild as I went to my captured men.

I frowned at the sight I had witnessed as I looked at my captured men. No one here was reflecting as they were playing around. My concern about them had vanished instantly, and I decided to leave them here, taking away their immortality.

"You ready to leave?"

At the peak of midnight, Claire was alone in her room, finding the time to ask. She had everything packed up and nodded.

"I'm ready."

"Aren't you saying your goodbyes?"

"I already did."

With Claire's decision, Claire went to the nearest shuttle and traveled to Earth. I wonder how the girls will react to Claire's presence.