Chapter 20 – The Xmas Epilogue

My first Christmas as king of the universe, thinks Rito. I'm glad I get to spend part of it home.

It's late afternoon on Christmas Eve. Snowflakes fall from the white sky onto Sainan, transforming the quaint town into a winter wonderland.

Rito stands alone at the intersection of a sidewalk, wearing winter clothes and staring up at the sky. Clouds of breath plume from his mouth as he exhales. Then he takes in his surroundings.

This is the same place where he first began the harem project by proposing to Lala and Haruna. And long before that, it's where he first tried to confess to Haruna before Lala appeared. Now he stands alone, remembering how far he's come and grateful for how everything turned out. He closes his eyes and raises his head, letting the snowflakes kiss his face. His eyes become wet, and tears of joy begin to slide down his cheeks. He wipes them away, happy and content with life.

Rito feels a presence. Whoever it is, it zaps all of the joy out of him, and fills his eyes with venomous hate.

He doesn't look at the person next to him. "You're not real."

The one standing next to him…

...is Stem.

...

"And yet you speak to me," he replies.

Rito trudges away, but Stem matches his pace. As he walks, he doesn't leave any footprints in the snow; he really is just a figment of Rito's imagination; a ghost.

"So...off to get a big 'ol Christmas cake for all your whores, huh," jests Stem.

"Go away," hisses Rito.

"Gee, I'd love to," quips Stem. "But YOU brought ME here."

Rito stops and faces him. "What?"

"You heard me," replies Stem. "The reason you've been seeing me these last few days, little worm, the reason I can't just go away…is because there's something you need to say to me. In fact, it's something you WANT to say to me, and until you do, we're stuck together. Oh, and your parting words ain't 'Merry Christmas', I can tell you that."

Rito storms off. "I don't believe this."

Stem follows. "Yeah, closure's a bitch. Speaking of bitches-"

Rito shoots him the iciest of glares.

"I wonder," smirks Stem. "How's the harem doing?"

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Up in Earth's orbit, the Celine II travels around the world.

On the main deck, holiday music plays over the speakers. Haruna stands at the window, her hands pressed against the glass and her eyes marveling at the view of her home planet from above.

"This is so…spectacular," she says.

Standing beside her at the window are her sister-wives and fellow earthlings Yui, Risa and Rin. They're all just as awestruck as she is.

"I could stare at this all day," says Yui.

"I gotta say, being married to the king of the universe definitely has its perks," says Risa.

"Speaking of Rito, I hope he gets back soon," says Rin.

"You and me both, Rin," says a voice from behind.

Haruna and the girls turn around. To their surprise, Momo and Neme stand before them, wearing sexy Santa costumes, which flaunt their cleavage, midriffs and bare legs.

"And he's gonna love his presents," says Momo.

"Momo?" asks Haruna.

"Neme?" asks Rin.

"What in the world are you two wearing?" asks Yui.

"Funny you mention the world since we're floating over it, fufu," says Neme. "And it's what we're ALL wearing to the party."

"WHHHAAATTTT?" shrieks Yui.

"Cool, I'm in," says Risa.

"Come on, come on," urges Momo. "Rito'll be back any second now with the cake. Hurry up and get dressed."

"Oh, there's no need for ALL of us to wear those," says Haruna.

"That's right," says Rin.

"Y-yes," says Yui. "I'm quite comfortable in my own clothes-"

"Neme," says Momo.

"Got it," says Neme.

She transforms her hair into three large hands, and each one grabs one of the girls sans Risa.

"Hey!" says Haruna.

"Neme!" says Rin.

"Put us down!" says Yui.

"Quit being a bunch of prudes," says Neme. "You're gonna love it."

As she carries the three reluctant girls away, Risa willingly follows Momo towards the dressing room.

"Hey, so do they all come in red?" asks Risa.

"We've got a few in green," replies Momo.

"Outstanding," says Risa.

They walk down the high-tech corridor to the dressing room, enjoying the holiday tunes playing through the speakers. Neme is already inside with the other girls.

Momo glances at Risa for a moment, and makes up her mind. "Hey, Risa..."

"Yeah?" asks Risa.

"Maybe, sometime, the two of us...could go to the hot springs together," suggests Momo.

Risa stops walking and faces her. "Really?"

"Yeah," replies Momo. "I mean, it'll be fun. Plus, we're sisters, and we should all be getting along, and I...well, I...I love you."

Risa embraces her. "Thank you, Momo. I would love that. And I love you too."

Momo hugs her back, finally getting over the incident that occurred between them in the shower so long ago.

"Hey, check it out," says Risa. "Mistletoe."

"What?" asks Momo, looking up with worry.

Sure enough, a mistletoe hangs from the ceiling above them. Before Momo can react, Risa plants a sweet, innocent kiss on her cheek, flustering her. Then she runs off into the dressing room.

"Come and help me pick out the sexiest outfit, sis," she says. "I wanna look good for our man."

Momo touches her cheek, shakes her head, and runs into the dressing room with a smile. "You could show up naked, sis, and I'd still look the best, hehe."

"Ooh, then maybe I will," says Risa.

"NO!" objects Yui.

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Rito walks the streets of his old home.

Holiday music resonates from the stores and passing cars. People on the sidewalk drop coins and bills into a pot belonging to a man dressed as Santa Clause ringing a bell. Children in the park sing carols, build snowmen, enjoy snowball fights and ride their sleds down the hill. Couples take turns kissing under a mistletoe in the town hall archway. Families in the plaza take photos in front of a hundred-foot Christmas tree.

Rito basks in the heartwarming sight of love and peace filling the town and people during the holidays.

"Beautiful," says Stem, ruining the moment.

"Shut up," says Rito.

"You know, worm, you could get cake from anywhere in the universe," says Stem. "I myself remember this bakery on the planet Jazoon. They sold these delicious strawberry sludge cakes. Good stuff, till the bakers added too much cream one time, and I had to kill them."

"You fucking monster," says Rito.

"What, you mad? What're you gonna do, worm? You can't kill me. Hell, you couldn't even kill me when I was alive," says Stem.

"A choice I'm starting to regret," says Rito.

"Not the only one, I'm sure," says Stem. "Like I said, you're choosing to get an ordinary cake from your favorite bakery here in your hometown on Earth. Pretty boring and plain for the great king, if you ask me," says Stem.

"I didn't," says Rito.

"And not only that," says Stem. "You warped yourself from your ship down to that intersection back there. Why not just teleport straight to the bakery instead of wasting time walking through the freezing snow and seeing the nauseating sights?"

"You wouldn't understand," says Rito.

"You're right, I wouldn't," says Stem. "And honestly, I don't want to. I just figure since we're stuck together, best way to kill time is to get a rise out of you. Seems to be working."

Rito ignores him and focuses on all the new stores lining the streets. Stem follows his gaze, and realizes what's on his mind.

"I know what you're thinking," says Stem.

"I said shut up," says Rito.

"You're thinking you've only been king for a few months," says Stem. "And yet, so much of your old life has already changed. Well, it's only gonna keep changing, worm. But you could stop all that if you wanted to, you know. Again, like I said, you're the king. Just say the word, and this whole measly town can stay exactly the same forever. Or are you just afraid your stupid bakery has been turned into a furniture outlet?"

"It'll be there," says Rito. "And by the way, jerk, just because I CAN do something doesn't mean I SHOULD. Wearing a crown doesn't change that. And speaking of change, yeah, it's hard. But it's inevitable. I can't stop it anymore than you could."

"If I were the one wearing the crown, I'd beg to differ," replies Stem.

"Well, you're not," says Rito. "You lost, Stem. There's nothing left for you here."

"Except your parting words," says Stem.

Rito picks up the pace and rounds a corner. He glances back and much to his relief, Stem is gone. But just as he turns back around, he sees Stem leaning against the wall. Rito sighs and resumes walking, with Stem right behind him.

"Nice try," says Stem. "Anyway, I hope you and your wives enjoy your time while it lasts."

"Just go away," says Rito.

"You've all been doing just fine ruling the universe so far," says Stem. "But it'll all come crashing down soon enough. Like you said, change is inevitable. You can't take care of the universe anymore than you can take care of your own harem."

"You're wrong," replies Rito.

"It'll fail, worm," says Stem. "Fifteen women sharing one man? Maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow. But sooner or later, they'll leave you. And when they do, you won't have the nerve to rule anymore. The universe will suffer because of your failed womanizing."

"Then I'll just have to be strong enough to love all my wives, so that they won't leave me, and the universe won't end up suffering," says Rito. "If you ever loved anyone other than yourself, you'd understand that."

Stem is left angry and speechless by his response.

Rito spots the bakery down the road, and his face fills with relief. "Told ya so."

"Fuck you," replies Stem.

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A few moments later.

Rito exits the bakery with a cake in a box. "Thank you. Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas, dearie," replies the sweet, elderly storeowner.

Rito walks with a bounce in his step down the sidewalk with Stem in tow, much to his dismay.

"Wonder if SHE knows what your parting words are," says Stem.

"For the last time, get lost," says Rito.

"So after cake, then what?" asks Stem. "You gonna make love to all your whores. I can't wait to watch."

Infuriated, Rito spins around and fires a dark matter blast at Stem. Naturally, the blast goes straight through him, and blows up a snowman on the playground.

...

Rito's face freezes with instant regret, and Stem howls with laughter.

"That had to be the ninth or tenth dumbest thing you've ever done, haha!" cackles Stem. "At least, you got a handle on your White Darkness power, haha!"

A little boy and girl rush up to the steaming pile of snow that was once their snowman.

"Oh, you're in trouble now," says Stem.

Rito hurries over to the kids, gets on all fours, and bows to them. "I'm so sorry! Please don't cry. I'll help you build a new one. I-I-"

"That was awesome!" cheers the little girl.

"Huh?" asks Rito.

"What?" asks Stem in disbelief.

"Can you do that again, mister? Please?" asks the little boy.

Rito's not sure what to say, so he just smiles and rubs his nape.

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For the next hour, Rito plays with the kids.

They build several snowmen together. Rito carefully blasts off their heads, much to the kids' enjoyment.

They make snow angels in the ground.

They stick their tongues out, and let the snowflakes land on them.

They enjoy a snowball fight around the jungle gym. Rito gets most of the snowballs thrown at him, not because he's older than the kids or because he's letting them win; he's actually quite terrible at this game, and the kids are hilariously beating him.

All the while, Stem sits on the bench with the box of cake next to him. He watches Rito play with the kids with a pensive expression; it's unclear what's on his mind.

Suddenly, Rito's face-time app on his phone starts ringing, so he answers it. "Hello?"

Nana appears onscreen, wearing just a towel with her hair wet and fury in her eyes. "RITO! WHERE THE HECK ARE YOU?"

"Gah! N-Nana?" he asks, startled by her outburst, and flustered by her appearance.

"You should've been here an hour ago," she says.

"What?" he asks, checking the time. "Oh, no."

"Rito?" asks the little boy.

"Do you have to go now?" asks the little girl.

"Wait, who was that?" asks Nana.

Rito keeps the screen on him, not wanting to show the image of his wife out of the shower to the kids. "I'm s-sorry, Nana. I'll be right there. Promise. I love you."

"Eh?" asks Nana, immediately blushing and smiling. "Oh, well, yeah. I, uh, love you too. S-so just get here already."

"I will. See ya soon," says Rito, hanging up and sighing with relief. "Sorry, guys, but I gotta run."

"Okay," says the little girl.

"We should probably head home too," says the little boy. "Mama's making Christmas ham for dinner."

"Yay!" cheers the little girl.

Rito kneels down in front of the kids. "It was a lot of fun playing with you guys."

"It was fun playing with you too, Rito," says the little boy.

"Can we play again sometime?" asks the little girl.

"I'd like that," says Rito, petting their heads. "Well, I better get going."

"Us too. Bye," says the little boy, running off.

"Bye, Rito. Merry Christmas," says the little girl, following her brother.

"Merry Christmas," says Rito, standing up and waving them off.

As he watches them go, his eyes play a trick on him. For a moment, the boy looks like Rito when he was little, and the girl looks like little Mikan, reminding him of when they used to play together in the snow. Rito blinks a few times, coming back to reality. He doesn't know why that memory just came to him, but it makes him happy.

I hope the next generation enjoys as happy a life as I have, he thinks. As king, I'll make sure they do.

Then he walks to the bench to collect his box. Stem is still sitting down, watching him.

"What?" hisses Rito.

"Nothing," says Stem.

Rito whips out the warp bracelet, activates it, and a portal appears. But before he goes through it, he glares at Stem.

"This is my first Christmas with the women I love," he says. "You will NOT ruin it."

Stem doesn't respond. With that, Rito steps through the portal.

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Moments later, Rito emerges through the other side of the portal, and it disappears.

He's onboard the Celine II, standing in his quarters. While the room bears some semblance to that of a royal king (fancy furniture and carpets), it still has the same vibe as Rito's old bedroom. Out one window, the planet Earth; out another, billions upon billions of stars.

Rito glances around and to his relief, there's no sign of Stem.

Wonder if what I just said to him were my parting words, he thinks. Oh, probably not, which means he could show up again at anytime. Ugh. Wonder if the ghostbusters work Christmas Eve.

Then he takes out his phone, and sends a group text; not to the ghostbusters, but to his family. "Merry Christmas, everyone!"

Not five seconds later, he receives a reply. It's a group selfie of Mikan, Genno, Celine, Ringo and Saibai cheerfully playing charades in the decorated living room. "Merry Christmas, Rito! We love you. Have a fun night."

Rito smiles and texts back. "Same at ya. Love you all too."

Then he sets the box of cake down on his bed, which is massive enough for sixteen people to sleep on. It's only then when he notices another box on the bed; it's a present with a bow and a card. He takes the card and reads it: "Put it on. Meet us in the dome. With Love, Your Harem."

Curious and delighted, he unwraps the present and opens the box. But what he finds inside makes him flush with embarrassment.

"Seriously?"

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An enormous glass dome sits on the top level of the Celine II. The structure is aptly called the Party Dome.

The elevator dings, the doors open, and Rito steps off the lift, holding the box of cake and wearing the most adorable reindeer onesie a young man could wear.

If anyone, especially Stem, saw me wearing this, me, the king of the universe, I'd never live it down, he thinks.

He walks a few feet before stopping in his tracks to take in the dome.

"Whoa."

The floor of the dome is separated into quadrant spaces. In one space, a towering Christmas tree that nearly touches the top of the dome. Nestled at the base of the tree are mountains of presents, ranging from small to big, and a lounge area with several plushy chairs and sofas, all holiday-themed. In another space, tables upon tables of sweets: candies, candy canes, chocolates, hot cocoa, cookies and taiyaki; loads of taiyaki. In the third space, a dance floor and a stage for karaoke. In the fourth space, an ice rink for skating and a photo shoot set for funny photos. The speakers belt out holiday music, switching between modern and classical tunes.

Rito sets the box down on one of the tables. While the sight of the dome is wondrous, it seems to be missing something.

"Hello?" he asks aloud. "Anybody here? Sorry, I'm late. I, uh, brought the cake. Hello?"

Just then, the speakers play a catchy, Christmas dance tune. Soon as they do, several of the large presents begin to shake, which startles Rito into tripping backwards onto the floor.

"Ow," he says, nursing his butt. "What the?"

The presents shift violently, like eggs ready to hatch or bombs ready to explode. Rito can only watch in fear, bracing himself for the anomaly to come.

...

Someone bursts out of the first present, with glitter and confetti erupting out alongside her; it's Lala, wearing a sexy Santa costume.

"Surprise! Merry Christmas, Rito!" she cheers.

"Lala?" he asks, confused and flustered.

The present next to Lala bursts open, but with less flair; it's Haruna, wearing her own sexy Santa costume, and looking every bit as shy because of it.

"M-merry Christmas, Rito," she says.

"Haruna?" he asks, standing up.

One by one, the other presents burst open; it's all of Rito's wives, all wearing sexy Santa outfits (half wearing red, the other half wearing green). Some of them match Lala's excitement while the others share Haruna's embarrassment over their costumes.

"Merry Christmas, Rito!" cheers all of his wives.

Rito stares at them, flustered and slightly aroused. But more than that, he's overjoyed to have so many people who'd go out of their way to show their love for him, and to celebrate the happiest time of the year with him. He feels his eyes welling up again, but he wipes them away, refusing to cry.

"Merry Christmas, everybody!" he cheers.

The girls climb their way out of their presents, and huddle around their shared husband in his onesie.

"Oh, Rito, you look so cute," gushes Momo.

"I'll say," gushes Kyouko.

"Just absolutely darling," gushes Mikado.

"So precious," gushes Run.

"I love it," gushes Tearju.

"Very nice," gushes Neme, snapping a pic of him with her phone.

"Ooh, good idea," says Risa, snapping her own pic of him.

"Th-thanks," he says. "And you all look beautiful."

"W-we do?" asks Yui, still too bashful over her outfit.

"Y-you really think so?" asks Rin, equally bashful.

"Yeah," he replies, which delights Yui, Rin and the rest.

Nana takes Rito by an arm. "Rito, come on already."

Mea takes his other arm. "Let's get this party started."

"R-right," says Rito.

"Hey, Yami," calls out Oshizu.

Everyone turns to see Yami at the tables, already munching on some taiyaki.

"My apologies," she says. "Couldn't wait any longer."

Rito and the other girls trade looks, and then release bouts of laughter.

"Alright," he says. "Let's party!"

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And party they do.

Rito is pulled every which way by his wives, all wanting a turn with him for each activity while "Jingle Bell Rock" plays over the speakers.

Everyone dances with partners on the dance floor. Rito starts with Lala, and cycles his way through the harem, dancing with each wife, and then starting it all over again with Lala.

Everyone works in groups to build their own gingerbread houses; Rito, Momo and Nana work as a group. He's trying to build the house, but keeps running out of sweets, because Momo and Nana are either eating them, or comically feeding them to him.

Mikado pulls Rito and Tearju onto the stage, and the three perform karaoke together. When they finish, Rito gets off the stage, only for Run and Kyouko to pull him back on, and begin another song. He shrugs and just goes with it.

Yami, Mea and Neme take a bunch of photos on the photo shoot set. They wear funny props like hats, sunglasses and masks. Using her hair, Yami pulls Rito into the set with them. He enjoys posing with them for more hilarious photos.

Over at the tables, Rito, Yui and Oshizu talk and laugh as they gorge on all the delicious sweets. Yui gushes over the cat-shaped sugar cookies, and Oshizu freaks out over the dog-shaped ones. Rito quickly hugs Oshizu, which calms her down. Yui becomes jealous, so he brings her in for a three-way hug, which delights her.

In the ice rink, everyone is skating and spinning around without a care in the world. Rito struggles to balance on his skates, and nearly falls over until Risa takes him by the hands. He thanks her, but she mischievously smiles, and twirls him around. She laughs, he screams, and she lets him go. He goes spinning wildly like a top out of control, and bumps into Rin, crashing face-first into her cleavage. He apologizes, but instead of getting mad, she smiles, shakes her head, and teaches him how to skate, much to his joy.

Present time. Everyone digs into the mountain of gifts. Whenever they find a gift, they give it to the recipient. Whenever they find a gift for themselves, they return it to the pile, waiting for someone to give it to them. Tearing and unwrapping through the presents, everyone loves what they receive, and they all hug each other with loving gratitude.

Rito takes a seat next to Haruna, and hands her a present.

"For me?" she asks.

"Mmm-hmm," he replies.

She unwraps the gift, and gasps with elation. It's a handmade scrapbook, filled with various photos of the past year; everything from Run and Kyouko's concert to the wedding and coronation to Thanksgiving just a month prior. Everything they've all experienced, every memory they've shared, all in one book.

Haruna holds the book to her heart. "Thank you, Rito. I'm so happy."

"Me too," he replies.

The moment gets the better of them, and they share a passionate kiss.

"Hey, no fair!" yells Run.

Rito and Haruna flush with embarrassment.

"You know the rules," says Nana.

"If Rito kisses one of us, he has to kiss all of us, fufu," says Neme.

"That's right," says Mea.

"I want a kiss too," says Oshizu.

All of the women approach Rito.

"Gah, wait, everyone, uh," he says.

Momo claps her hands, getting everyone's attention. "Calm down, ladies. Everyone will get their kiss. After all...we still have to give Rito his last present."

All of the girls' faces turn red. Some giggle, agreeing with Momo. Some tremble, hesitant about what's to come.

"S-she's right," says Haruna. "Besides, we all already agreed."

"Y-yes, I suppose we did," says Yami.

Yui, Rin, Tearju, Oshizu and the other nervous girls nod in acceptance.

"Uh, what're you girls talking about?" asks Rito.

"Hmm-hmm," says Momo, blushing with dreamy eyes.

Rito stares at her, and gulps as his cheeks shine rosy red. "Oh."

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Several hours later.

The Celine II continues flying around Earth.

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Rito's eyes flutter open. He's greeted to the beautiful sight of Haruna's sleeping face.

For a second, he just watches her rest. Then he looks down, and becomes flustered. Not just Haruna, but all fifteen of his wives are naked and asleep in his massive bed with him. There's no blanket covering any of them, because there's no need for one.

I've never seen anything so precious and wonderful, he thinks. Wow, I just made myself sound like a total pervert. Then again, I did just make love to fifteen women at the same time. But that wasn't my idea, and besides, it was my first time doing so. Then again, it's not like I don't wanna do it again. Maybe next Christmas. Or my birthday...wow. I AM a total pervert.

Rito laughs at himself, and feels the urge to stretch his legs. He gently lifts Haruna's arm off his shoulder, Yui's off his side and Run's off his hip. Then he slides his legs out from under the arms of Nana, Risa, Mikado and Yami. And as carefully as he can, he crawls over his naked wives, and steps out of bed. Soon as he fastens a robe around his nude body, he feels someone tugging at his arm.

"Momo?" he whispers.

"Hey," she whispers with a smile, half-awake. "Did you like your present?"

Rito smiles, bends down and kisses her forehead. "Very much. I'm just gonna get some air. Go back to sleep."

"Okay," she says, letting him go. "Rito..."

He stops in the doorway, and looks at her. "Yes?"

...

"I love you," she says.

...

"I love you too. I always will," he replies.

With that, Momo smiles, shuts her eyes, and goes back to sleep.

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On the main deck, Rito stands at the window, enjoying the sight of his blue planet with a cup of hot cocoa.

"My king," says an AI voice operating the ship.

"Go ahead, Lune," replies Rito.

"Just wanted to let you know, it's midnight Japan-time," says Lune.

"Thank you," replies Rito. "Merry Christmas, Lune."

"Merry Christmas, Rito," says Lune, returning to sleep mode.

Rito walks away from the window, and approaches the other one. He gazes at the mesmerizing abyss of outer space, dreaming of the wonders beyond the stars.

...

...

...

"Did you watch us?" asks Rito.

Stem stands next to him, gazing out the window.

Rito keeps his eyes on the stars. "My wives and I together?"

...

"No," says Stem.

...

"Thank you," says Rito.

Stem turns to Rito with wide eyes, doubting the words that just came out of his mouth. "These are the end times."

"I figured it out," says Rito. "Those are supposed to be my parting words."

"Thank you?" asks Stem. "For not peeping on your little Christmas orgy?"

"I hate you," says Rito. "I will always hate you. I hope you burn forever. But despite everything you did...you helped make the life I have now. I never imagined I'd be where I am today. You did that."

"So in other words...you needed me," says Stem.

Rito doesn't respond and still doesn't look at him. He'd never admit it, but Stem's right.

"Well, I guess that's something," says Stem. "And I guess I should thank you too."

He notices Rito's puzzled expression reflecting off the window.

"I killed you, Rito," he says. "I ripped your heart out, and crushed it with my bare hands. But you still came back, and ended up destroying my own heart. You came back, and I didn't. And I never understood why...until what you said to me earlier."

...

"You were right," continues Stem. "I don't know the first thing about love. If I had, maybe things would've turned out differently. That's all it was. Love. That's how you came back. That's why you won. And that's why...you're gonna make a great king."

...

"Yeah," says Rito. "I will."

...

...

...

Rito finally turns to look at Stem. But when he does, Stem is gone. For good.

Sighing with relief, Rito takes a sip of his lukewarm cocoa, satisfied the nightmare is over.

The speakers softly play a romantic Christmas song. Then Rito notices someone standing in the doorway.

She walks barefoot into view, wearing a nightgown, and radiating with divine beauty. It's his queen, his wife, and his love. It's Lala.

Rito smiles, sets his mug of cocoa down at the window, and holds out his hand. Lala smiles back, takes his hand, and they snuggle next to each other.

For a few moments, they watch the stars together.

...

Lala turns to face Rito.

He turns to face her.

...

They lean in close, hug one another, and kiss like the star-crossed lovers they've always been destined to be.

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A blank word document on a laptop screen.

The following words appear as they're typed on the screen.

The Love Trouble Series. Volume 21. By Haruna Yuki. Chapter One.

The following words are typed while the voice of Haruna fills our ears.

It's hard to believe it's been ten years.

Haruna Yuki types away at the laptop in her study. She's aged a decade, and has only grown more beautiful. She wears an ugly Christmas sweater featuring a hilarious image of Santa falling off his sleigh mid-flight while the oblivious reindeer keep flying. A cup of hot cocoa with marshmallows at her side, she takes a sip as she gazes out the window, watching the evening snowfall.

Her study is impeccably neat. Pristine carpets, wooden furniture, a family portrait on the wall above the mantelpiece, and bookshelves filled to the brim with books. In the center of one shelf is a row of volumes: the "Love Trouble" series, volumes 1 through 20, by Haruna Yuki.

She sets her mug down, and resumes typing.

Rito Yuki was just an ordinary high school student. He wasn't the brightest kid in class, and he had his clumsy accidents from time to time. But his warmth and kindness never wavered, not once during all the hardships he faced. I still remember when I first fell in love with him back in middle school, but I was too scared to tell him. I feared the worst, and worried about hurting my most cherished friend, Princess Lala Deviluke. But together, we braved the storm that is high school, and we all came to love each other equally.

By graduation, Rito, the not-so bright student, graduated with flying colors and attended university, majoring in world politics so as to better prepare himself for his new role. It was kind of bizarre having the king of the universe attending an ordinary college on Earth, hmm-hmm. And now, he's still happily married to myself, and my fourteen, precious sister-wives. What's more...

A voice interrupts Haruna's writing process.

"Mom," says the voice.

"Yes, Hime?" replies Haruna.

A purple-haired, little girl wearing the most adorable outfit (ugly Christmas sweater, holiday leggings, pink boots) enters the study.

"I can't find my mittens," says Hime.

"Oh, my. Well then, let's go find them together," says Haruna, closing her laptop and rising from the chair.

"Kay!" cheers Hime, taking her mother's hand.

Haruna notices the clock on her mantelpiece. "Oh, shoot. I lost track of time. We better hurry, Hime. We don't wanna be late for the party."

"Yay! I can't wait to see Daddy," says Hime.

"Hmm-hmm, me too, honey," replies Haruna. "Me too."

000000

As mother and daughter go laughing and running down the hallway together, they pass a myriad of framed photographs on the walls depicting the fates of the characters, which Haruna included in her books.

The first photo is a selfie of Gid and Rito in space following their first fight. They both look worse for wear, but Gid gives a wide grin and tightly hugs Rito with one arm while he takes the photo with the other. Rito looks exhausted and miserable, but puts on a smile for the sake of his father-in-law.

Our father, the former king Gid, got his wish, and occasionally sparred with Rito from time to time. To this day, Rito still spars with him to maintain his strength. Also, to this day, we've no idea who won that first fight.

A photo of Gid and Sephie in swimsuits lounging in chairs on a sunny beach, enjoying icy beverages.

And when Gid isn't sparring, he and our mother Sephie are enjoying their much-deserved retirement.

A photo of Rito and Yui, hugging each other while holding Celine together, standing and smiling in front of an adoption services building.

After recovering from his fight with Gid, Rito signed the adoption forms, and he and Yui became parents to Celine, much to everyone's delight. They even took his name, and became Yui and Celine Yuki.

A photo of Yui in a hospital bed, lovingly cradling a newborn baby boy. Rito stands beside her, gazing at their son, doing his best not to cry.

Yui also got her wish, and became the first to bear Rito's child; a beautiful baby boy named Yuji.

A photo of adult Yui, adult Rito, kid Celine and kid Yuji playing with a dozen cats in a cat café. Yuu comically sneezes in the background, going through a box of tissues while a litter of kittens paws at his legs.

Now Yui runs a quaint, but busy cat café in Tokyo. And, hmm-hmm, her brother is still allergic.

A photo of Run and Rito pushing a stroller through the park; a baby girl, the spitting image of Run, laughs in the stroller.

Run was the next of us to be blessed, giving birth to a little bundle of joy named Remy.

A photo of an adult Run overseeing her planet of Memorze. Only now, instead of dust and sand, the planet is flourishing with green forests and blue seas.

As queen, Run's currently working on the restoration of her home planet, terraforming it into a second Earth and preparing it for colonization. For political reasons, she and her daughter Remy kept the name Jewelria. Oh, and she still works her idol career as a side gig.

A photo of Yami and Rito feeding small pieces of taiyaki to their infant daughter.

Then it was Yami's turn. She and Rito were blessed with a cheerful baby girl who they adorably named…Mikan.

A photo of adult Yami, her kid daughter Mikan and her adult sister Mikan celebrating the grand opening of a culinary school. Little Mikan cuts the red ribbon with her hair blades; she has the same abilities as her mother.

As for the other Mikan, who all the kids lovingly call Aunty Mikan, she and Yami founded a culinary school together. They teach students from all across the universe how to cook their favorite dishes, with Yami's still being taiyaki, of course.

A wedding photo of Mikan and Genno kissing at the altar.

Speaking of Aunty Mikan, she got tired of waiting for Uncle Genno to propose, so she proposed to him instead. It all worked out, and he too teaches at the culinary school.

A photo of Momo, Rito and their toddler son playing in the cyber garden.

Around that time, Rito was blessed with another son, who he and Momo named Kazuma.

An incredible photo of adults Momo, Lala and Nana sitting on their thrones as queens of the universe.

Taking a page out of Run's book, Momo, her sisters and their respective children kept the name Deviluke for political purposes. The three princesses became the three queens, and along with Rito, they oversee the fruitful development and peaceful expansion of plant life, animal life and technological advancements to third-world planets.

A funny photo of an overworked Momo slouching at her desk, surrounded by scribbled notepads, marked calendars, bright laptop screens and empty cans of coffee. Despite her exhaustion, she's meekly smiling at the camera whilst giving a thumbs-up.

Momo retains her position as the harem manager. She does an amazing job organizing the schedule for when each of us gets to spend time with Rito, and establishing the...well...the rules regarding what we do in the...the bedroom. Though there isn't much need for rules, since the girls and I only ever make love to Rito and not each other-no! Too embarrassing! Moving on!

A touching photo of Lala and Haruna lying in two hospital beds that have been pushed together. Lala cradles a baby boy whereas Haruna cradles her baby daughter Hime.

And then came quite possibly the happiest day of my life. By some miracle, Lala and I both gave birth to Rito's children at the same time; a handsome boy named Rolo, and my little angel Hime.

A photo of Rin, Rito and their toddler son taking a nap in bed together.

After that, it wasn't long before Rin gave birth to a strong, but gentle boy named Shino. And like me, she also took the name Yuki.

A photo of an adult Rin instructing the art of kendo to a class full of human and alien kids. Her toddler son Shino trains among the students.

A few years later, Rin opened her own kendo dojo. Incredibly, between her job and duties as a wife and mother, she still makes the time working as Saki's bodyguard.

A wedding photo of Saki and Zastin dancing together.

Oh, and speaking of Saki, her dream of marrying Zastin finally came true. Last I heard, they were vacationing on Venus.

A photo of Ren down on one knee, offering a diamond ring to a surprised Aya set against the backdrop of a tropical waterfall.

Even Aya found her own prince charming. I'm so happy for her and Ren.

A photo of Nana and Mea flying through the clouds, teaching their toddler children how to fly themselves.

Let's see, oh, right. The double baby miracle struck again. Nana had a son named Izumi at the same time Mea had a daughter named Ruby.

A triumphant photo of adults Mea and Neme leading the Devilukean armada through outer space.

All three Kurosaki sisters, and their children, took the Yuki name. And aside from being great mothers, Mea and Neme became gallant commanders of the army. They quickly respond to and quell conflicts throughout the universe as peacefully as possible. Although around this time, Neme wouldn't give birth to her child just yet.

A photo of Kyouko cradling a newborn baby while singing a lullaby.

Instead, it was Kyouko who gave birth to a darling little girl named Tio. She, like her mother, has the most beautiful voice. Oh, and they both go by Yuki as well.

A photo of adults Kyouko and Run performing a concert on stage.

With her show "Magical Kyouko" ending after twelve successful seasons, Kyouko continued her singing career, and became the most famous, intergalactic pop star in the universe. Now she uses her fame and influence for philanthropy and humanitarian purposes. Also, she asks Run to join as her special guest at events every now and then.

A funny photo of Risa taking a selfie with her toddler son, who's covered head to toe in flour. Behind them, there's spilled flour all over the kitchen floor.

And then, Risa became Risa Yuki, and her son Lee turned out to be just as much a troublemaker as his mother.

A photo of adult Risa in runner's clothes standing on a platform with a gold medal around her neck.

And when the Space Olympics, that series of games featuring human and alien competitors, was formed, Risa found her calling as an Olympic runner. She's currently training for her fifth gold medal.

A photo of Neme (dressed like a witch), Rito (dressed like Frankenstein's monster) and their baby girl (dressed like a mummy) enjoying candy-coated apples.

Eventually, Neme became a mother on Halloween of all days. And I swear I'm not making this up, but her daughter Arise's first word was "Boo!"

A photo of Oshizu happy-crying in Mikado's arms.

And speaking of boos, thanks to the wonders of science and the brilliance of our sister Dr. Ryouko, our ghost sister Oshizu was given a new physical body, and continues living her life as an ordinary human to this day.

A take-your-kid-to-work-day photo of adult Oshizu showing her kid daughter around the office where she works. Her daughter holds a stuffed animal, which happens to be a dog. But Oshizu appears calm, perhaps finally over her fear of dogs.

Now, Mrs. Oshizu Yuki works with Rito in intergalactic food distribution. Her people from 400 years ago suffered a grave famine, and she refuses to let such a tragedy befall any civilization again. But as busy and noble as her job is, she still spends quality time with her daughter Keiko.

A photo of Mikado cradling and feeding her infant son with a baby bottle. Standing next to her, Tearju cradles her own infant son, who hilariously squirts her in the face with his own bottle.

You know, they say lightning never strikes the same place twice. Well, what about thrice? Mikado and Tearju both gave birth to healthy baby boys on the same day, naming them Ayato Ryouko and Shu Lunatique, respectively.

A photo of Mikado, older and even prettier, applying a band-aid on the arm of an alien child.

Due to her job, Mikado kept her last name and continues working at her practice.

A photo of Tearju, older and even prettier, sitting bashfully behind a school principal's desk.

Tearju also kept her own last name because of her profession. Speaking of, she's now the new, revered principal of our very own Sainan High. And she's not the only one.

A photo of adults Mio and Saruyama standing in front of Sainan First Elementary. They welcome all the new junior students to school. Among the stampede of students cheerfully running into the school are all sixteen of Rito's children, from Celine to Shu.

After tying the knot, Mio and Saruyama became the new heads of the same junior high school that Rito and Mikan attended when they were kids. And since all of Rito's children were born within the same year, they all get to attend the same school together. It's truly wonderful.

A photo of adult Haruna at a book signing event. She happily signs her book, Volume 12 of the "Love Trouble" series, for a young alien couple. The line of fans, both humans and aliens, eagerly waiting for her signature stretches out the building and around the block.

As for me, well, I thought I'd take our crazy adventures, and share them with the rest of the universe. So I became an author, and wrote a series of books called the "Love Trouble" series. While I'm grateful for the best-selling awards I've received, I'm more grateful for how my books have brought all species closer to each other. And for how they've helped everyone better understand Rito as their king.

A photo of a nervous, teenage Rito walking into Sainan High for the entrance ceremony; his first day of high school.

Rito. The love of my life. As promised, he rules the universe in peace and harmony. And he cares for all of us in his harem equally. In the end, he proved Stem wrong; he carried, CARRIES, enough love for his wives, his children, his family, his subjects and his kingdom. Of course, there was a lot of trouble along the way getting all that love to manifest, haha. And I'm sure there's going to be more trouble in the future. I don't know where we'll go from here, but I know that as long as we're altogether, it'll be worthwhile.

The last photo on the wall displays the biggest group photo ever. Rito in the center, surrounded by his wives, his children, his family, his friends and all of the major characters from the To Love-Ru series, all gathered in front of a tall Christmas tree, wearing ugly sweaters and singing "We Wish You a Merry Christmas."

Rito once told me that he used to say, "Man, this harem stuff ain't easy. But it's worth it." And he was right.

Where there's love, anything's worth it.


THE END


Author's Note: And that's that!

Happy Holidays, everybody! Thank you for reading my story. I mean, it's not entirely MY story, but you get the idea, haha. I want to hear everything you have to say, so please, as always, leave a review or PM.

This story took over a year to write. I'm both happy and sad to bring it to an end, but it's always about the journey. And what a journey it's been. I want to thank everyone for their consistent support, with special shout-outs to Temporal King, Jason Griffin and Tomurau No Kishi.

Now, it is with a heavy heart when I say that I will not write anymore To Love-Ru fanfics. As I said, this story alone took a majority of time to create, and I wanna spend time finishing the other stories I have and starting brand new ones of other series.

That being said, I've been receiving a lot of requests to adapt this story. So for anyone interested, you have my permission to do the following. So long as it's not for any monetary or proprietary gain, of course. And if anyone does wish to do one of these, whether on Reddit or another site, just let us know.

1. Publish and share this story on other sites. [Please do. I'd like as many people to read, and reread, this as possible]

2. Draw fan art. [Personally, I'd like to see what all of the first kisses between Rito and the girls look like]

3. Adapt this fanfic into a manga. [Just keep it wholesome, haha]

4. Write their own sequel story. [As long as it doesn't retcon events from this story]

As for this chapter itself, Stem had to come back. Just for a bit, but he had to. He was the primary source of conflict, and I wanted to give closure on his and Rito's rivalry. To be honest, I hadn't planned on Rito playing with the playground kids. The scene just came to me, and I rolled with it; I figured it'd be good foreshadowing for the great father Rito would become. "Jingle Bell Rock" is my personal favorite Christmas song, so that was a given for the party scene (and no, it's not because of "Mean Girls"). As for the harem stuff, again, this was never a lemon story. What Rito and his wives do together, I'll leave that to your carnal imagination, haha.

I will say, I had so much fun coming up with their futures. One of them was bound to become a writer who would tell their story, and I thought Haruna was the ideal candidate. I did my best to address the fates of the characters who mattered the most. As for the others, again, I leave it up to you.

In any case, please share your thoughts. Not just on this chapter, but the entire fanfic overall. I'd very much appreciate it.

Happy Holidays! And here's to another great year of storytelling! Thanks, everybody!

Please don't forget to FAVORITE and LEAVE A REVIEW/PM.