Part 1

I took my time to shower and cleanse myself, I stood in the water for several minutes, almost as if expecting it to wash away the sadness in my heart, but also crying whatever tears were left in me as I did not want Liliana to see the absolute miserable state I was in.

After putting on my clothes I sat down and waited for her, a good amount of time had passed and I just realized I hadn't eaten anything since the battle in Kyoto, but I didn't even feel hungry.

After another few minutes had passed a teleportation circle shone in the middle of my room, revealing the figure of Liliana, clad in a dress different from what she was wearing when we left of. I guess she also took the opportunity to clean herself.

Despite the beauty of her dress the expression she wears taints her beautiful features

"Tatseyo! I came as soon as I could, what happened with Ayumu?"

She asks me and I find myself struggling to find the right words, but I guess going straight to the point might work

"Ayumu, she... rejected me."

Liliana's eyes go wide at my answer, her brown furrows and she opens and closes her mouth several times as if deciding what to say

"W-what? Her? W-why? Oh my lord..."

She walks up to me and kneels to stand at the same height as me, who am currently sitting down

Liliana places a hand over mine, the warmth of her skin actually bringing me some comfort

"I'm so sorry Tatseyo, but... why? She was obviously so in love with you... did she even gave you the reason?"

You.

Is what goes through my head, but that's not right, Liliana wasn't the only reason.

Ayumu told me the reasons, blaming it all on Liliana would not only be unfair, it would be wrong

"She said that... she couldn't fight and help me when the {Crimson King} possessed me, said that she felt useless and that she could not back me up..."

I look into Liliana's eyes, a lump in my throat as the words come out

"Ayumu, she said she didn't deserve me..."

I then find out that despite my efforts, I had not exhausted all my tears, as a few strands started to drop down

"She said that she wasn't worthy of being by my side if she was too scared to try and help me when I needed the most... that I should be with someone else."

Liliana's mouth opens a little and she shakes her head

"Oh no..."

She moves in and envelops me in her arms, holding me tight against her

"I'm so sorry...

Unable to resist I also put my arms around her, basking in Liliana's comfort.

"And what did you say to her?"

She asks me while still holding me

"I said that it didn't matter, that as long as she was by my side I'd be fine, that I didn't need her to be all powerful or useful all the time, because I love her..."

"Oh no... and then?"

She asks and I freeze for a moment

Because now it would be impossible to answer without saying the other reason why Ayumu believes she can't be with me.

"Tatseyo?" - My hesitation causes Liliana to pull back, looking into my face again

"What happened?" - She asks, worry stamped across her face

I wipe away the tears walking down my face and swallow my sadness, I need to focus for this.

Taking a deep breath, I say

"She said she can't be with me, because she found out during the battle that there is someone much better for me, someone who can stay by my side and fight with me and for me if necessary and already has feelings for me as well"

A frown comes across Liliana's face

"What? Someone else? Who?"

I look at Liliana, a little shocked at her surprise, does she really not notice it?

Another deep breath, I lift my index finger up

"It's you, Liliana, Ayumu said she wants me to be with you."

I see Liliana's eyes go wide when I finally admit it

"W-what?" - She asks, confusion and bewilderment in her voice

I gulp down in nervouness before explaining to her, my voice feeling like it'll crack at any moment.

"She... said that you were the one who stepped up and fought for me, the one who actually saved me. She said you were the one who should be by my side, that I should be with you."

Liliana's face seems frozen in time for a moment, she opens and closes her mouth a few times as if formulating an answer before finally speaking up

"I don't get it... why would she-"

I nod, interrupting her

"I know but she... she's absolutely sure that you like me, Liliana, and more than just as a friend and then... asked if I have feelings for you as well..."

Liliana stares at me, her eyes wide and her face red

"W-what?"

I sigh and look away, my face feeling hot

"Y-yeah, she said that... if I truly felt nothing for you then she would rethink things through..."

Liliana's hands move to her hair, taking a strand of it and rolling her finger

"W-well..." - She says

"What did you answer then?"

I feel my eyes go wide at this answer, was she really going to make me say it?

"Well, I... I'm here, aren't I?"

Liliana pouts and pulls her finger out of her hair

"Mou! You're so dense, Tatseyo!"

"H-huh? What?"

She walks up to me, now only a few inches from where I'm sitting at

"What did you tell Ayumu? Answer me!"

I feel the words caught up in my throat and force them out

"I couldn't lie to her... the truth is that..."

I exhale before letting it out

"I like you, Liliana. More than as a friend, I'm attracted to you, I like to be with you, to hold you, to talk to you, to spend time with you... hell, I think I'm even starting to like being teased by you. And whenever I think about you... about us, I can't help but want us to be... more, sometimes"

Liliana places a hand in front of her mouth, I turn my eyes away from her.

"Don't get me wrong, I love Ayumu, I've loved her for a long time and I'm an idiot for only admiting it now, but I can't lie to her... and I don't know what to do. I know this is unfair but... I really need your help"

When I finally look back at Liliana, her expression changed entirely, from shocked confusion to a straight up beaming smile that triggers a surge of confusion in my brain

"W-what? What did I say?"

Liliana crouches down in my eye level

"My answer... is yes!"

She puts her arms around me and pulls me in a tight hug

"I like you too Tatseyo! I like you a lot! I've also been wanting for us to be more than friends! I'm so happyyyy!"

She says with a cheerful tone

"W-wait? Did you even hear what I said? I love Ayumu! I want to be with her!"

Liliana then breaks the hug, looking at me with a confused expression

"Huh? But you just said you wanted to be with me too?"

I nod, baffled by Liliana's reaction

"Y-yeah, I like you, of course I do, but... I can't do this to Ayumu, Liliana. I'm flattered, I'm happy that you like me as well, but I can't abandon Ayumu like this, you should understand it"

Is she expecting me to just drop Ayumu to go and date her? Doesn't she realize how awkward this would be and that I still love Ayumu?

All these thoughts rush through my head only to meet a brickwall when Liliana furrows her brows, tilts her head and answers

"What do you mean, we'll both be dating you of course!"

I freeze in place for a moment, trying to process what has just been told to me

"W-what? You mean, behind Ayumu's back?"

Liliana furrows her brows

"What? Why behind her back? We'll just became a couple, me, you and Ayumu."

I stare at Liliana with wide eyes as she says this with the most nonchalant attitude in the world

"That'll solve things, right? If Ayumu is worried she isn't worthy of you we can both help her become stronger, if she things I'm good for you then I'll be by your side as well and since you already like both of us we both get to date you, everybody wins!"

She says and I think for a while, this does make sense, but why is she even sugges-

And then it hits me

When you see an entire species as your enemy it's easy to forget that they have their own cultures, likes and dislikes, when you're only seeing them as targets

But I did learn it somewhere that devils are largely polyamorous.

More than a single partner is normal for them, actually it's pretty much the norm for many of the higher class ones.

And, I must admit, for our situation it could work, except that...

I sigh, trying to muster a smile

"I think your solution is good Liliana, trust me, nothing would make me happier than being able to have both of you. Except that Ayumu wasn't raised with the same education as devils, I don't think she'll accept that"

Liliana tilts her head

"Why not? Like I said, this solves all her worries and we all get what we want"

I shake my head, her arguments are solid, but this isn't about making sense or being reasonable.

"I-I know, it's just that... cultural differences, you know? We were raised in monogamous culture, she might not like it... actually it might make her even angrier..."

Liliana smiles and then reaches out her hand to me

"Have you tried asking her?"

"Huh? No, of course not, I hadn't even thought of that untill you said it"

Liliana raises a finger and pokes my cheek

"Well, it's like you said, maybe you should try to give Ayumu's feelings more consideration."

She reaches her hand out

"Let's talk to her, Tatseyo. Both of us."

I hesitantly reach out for her hand, Liliana squeezes it before giving me a reassuring smile

"What if she-"

She places one finger on her lips

"No 'ifs' now, c'mon. This is what you want, right?"

I look at her, lost for a moment before an image comes to my mind

Me, Ayumu and Liliana...

Nothing would make me happier at the moment...

"Yes, definitely"

I squeeze her hand back and follow behind Liliana as we make our way back to Ayumu's room

Part 2

She lightly taps into the door and a few moments pass before a faint voice comes from the other side

"Tachan...?"

Liliana looks at the door with a concerned expression, likely hearing the sadness in Ayumu's voice

"You weren't joking..." - She whispers before answering

"It's me, Liliana. Tatseyo's with me, can we talk?"

A few moments of silence pass before Ayumu answers

"L-Liliana? W-what are you doing here..."

"I'll tell you but I'd much rather have this conversation without a door between us, do you mind?"

She asks and after a few seconds the door opens and we can see Ayumu's face, her eyes looks more bloodshot than before, it's clear that she cried after I left...

"Oh dear..."

Liliana mutters in shock before she and I walk in

Ayumu steps to the side, rubbing her arm while avoiding looking directly at us

"So... Tatseyo spoke to me"

Ayumu's eyes go wide at this revelation, but she does not say anything

"It seems that you both want the same thing... but you think something else is better for Tatseyo?"

"N-no! I mean... yes, but..."

Ayumu glares at me, her face extremely red

"I can't believe you told her everything!"

I put my hands up

"What was I supposed to do?! You weren't listening to me and I'm not giving up on you!"

Her eyes widen like two saucers and she just stares at me speechless

"Awww! That's so kyute!"

Liliana hops in my direction and hugs my arm

"C'mon Ayumu! You're not going to reject him now, are you? Tachan is literally bearing his heart out here~"

Ayumu puts a hand to her forehead while blushing furiously

"I... I know you are better for Tachan than I am"

She fidgets for a moment before sighing and continuing

"The truth is... when I met you, Liliana, I wasn't really fond of you. I didn't trust you and thought that Tachan was being too trusting. I was scared you'd take him away from me, I was convinced I knew better, but... after what you did."

A sad smile comes across her face

"I know that there's no way I can hold up to what you can do."

Small tears start gathering around her eyes

"I'm not dumb, I see how you look at him, I know you like Tachan. And... I like him too, but... I want to see him happy. And right now, I know you're the best person to be by his side"

Liliana's face drops and it looks like she's about to cry

"Ayumu, I..."

But before she can continue, Ayumu interrupts

"And I know you two just met a few months ago and these things take time, God knows how long it took us." - She states with a quick laugh

"But you two are great for each other, so please... Liliana..."

Tears start flowing through her eyes again

"Make Tatseyo happy for me, will you?"

I motion to stop Ayumu, but Liliana suddenly springs into movement, rushing towards Ayumu and embracing her

"W-what?!" - My friend jumps up in surprise as Liliana puts her arms around her

"W-what are you doing? Liliana!"

Ayumu looks utterly confused

"You're wrong, Ayumu..." - Liliana speaks up, not letting go off her.

"Wrong?" - Ayumu asks, her confusion only pilling up

"You are the best person in the world to be by Tatseyo's side."

Ayumu's eyes go wide as she hears this

"N-no, I'm not... I'm not strong like you, I'm not smart like you, I couldn't even stand by Tachan's side when he needed me the most! I'm not-"

"But you are trying!"

Liliana says and Ayumu freezes midsentence

"You are trying Ayumu! You are so dedicated and loving! There is no way you aren't worthy of Tatseyo's love!"

"W-what?"

Liliana breaks the hug, still holding Ayumu by the sides of her arms

"You want to be there for Tatseyo, don't you? You want to be there for him to support him and be together through thick and thin, right?"

Ayumu hesitates for a moment, before looking back at me and nodding

"Y-yes, but-"

Without letting her finish, Liliana looks at me

"And you want the same thing, right, Tatseyo?"

I look back her, wide eyed at the question

"O-of course!"

Liliana beams at me and then looks back to Ayumu

"See? The only thing stopping you two being together is your mentality!"

Ayumu looks panicked and glances back at Liliana

"B-but about you? Don't you feel anything for Tachan as well?"

Liliana nods

"Of course I do, I..."

She looks back at me, her face with a heavy blush to it

"I love Tatseyo too"

I feel my body freeze in place as she says this, what do I do now?!

"B-but what about you then, if we get together then you won't be able to be with him!"

Liliana shakes her head and points at me

"Me and Tatseyo already talked about it. You know Ayumu, in devil society, it's actually quite normal for people to have multiple spouses..."

Ayumu frowns and tilts her head for a moment, then her eyes widen as she must have reached the realization

"Y-y-you're talking about... the two of us... and Tatseyo... huh?!"

Ayumu's face turns bright red as she keeps pointing between herself, Liliana and me alternatively, causing Liliana to giggle and nod

"Yes! That would solve everything, right? Tatseyo would get all the support he needs and the two of us would be able to support you into becoming the version of yourself you want to see!"

"Wha? But... the two of us... Tatseyo..."

Ayumu looks as if Liliana's words fried the circuits of her brain, looking between the two of us thinking about what to say

Liliana looks back at me with an expectant look on her face

I open my mouth to protest, but then I close it.

She's right, this is what I want.

I love Liliana.

I love Ayumu.

I don't want to lose either of them, I don't want to choose between one or the other.

So I may as well take this chance.

I walk towards the two of them and take Ayumu's hand into mine

"Ayumu, I... I want the three of us to be together. I know you think you're unworthy of being by my side now, but I can't think of anyone else that I want to spend my life with, except for..."

I take Liliana's hand as well

"You are right, I also want Liliana to be with me. This might sound selfish but... would you please consider? I promise I'll make you both happy! I love the two of you!"

Ayumu stares me, wide eyed and slack jawed. She looks back at Liliana, who nods back at her

"So, Ayumu, what's your answer?"

My redhead friend gulps down and looks at me before nodding

"This is so weird, but... if that's how it works then... yes, I accept it."

She looks up at me and says

"I will be your girlfriend, Tachan!"

A warm feeling spreads around my body, I feel so happy I can barely control myself

"Yes!"

I put my arms around Ayumu and Liliana, pulling them into a tight hug

"Hey! Aren't you skipping a step?" - Liliana questions me, I pull back, confused for a moment, before it comes to me

"Oh, yeah. Sorry." - We just got started and I'm already making blunders, fantastic...

I grab Liliana's hands and look at her golden eyes staring directly at me

"Liliana, will you be my girlfriend as well?"

"YES!" - I barely finished the question before Liliana jumps into my arms and almost knocks me backwards.

"Wow!"

I exclaim as she kicks up in the air and pulls me tightly into her

"I want to be with both of you as well!"

She says, finally stepping down and holding my hand

"Well, Tatseyo..." - She says with an impish smile

"W-what?"

Whenever she makes this face is a sign she's up to something

"It's time to seal the deal"

I frown, what does that... oh...

"S-seal the deal?" - I ask, hesitant to say what just came to my mind

"Of course" - She points to Ayumu and then to herself

"So, who'll be first?"

"First?" - Ayumu asks, a clueless look on her face

"The first kiss, obviously!"

Liliana states matter of factly and Ayumu's face goes deep red in an instant

"F-first kiss! Isn't it a little early for that?! I mean he just-"

Liliana sighs and places a hand to her forehead

"Too early?! You've known each other for 10 years! You know what, Tatseyo? I'll go first then!"

"W-wait? What?" - I say, utterly taken by surprise as Liliana places her arms around the back of my head and pulls me close

"If Ayumu thinks it's too early, then you'll have to satisfy yourself with me for a while~"

She says while my body feels frozen and stuck to the floor, I don't think I'd be able to resist her if I wanted to, but just when her face starts to get closer to mine...

"Hey! What do you mean by that?! I-I want to... kiss Tachan as well!"

My eyes immediately dart to Ayumu, why are you declaring this so loud?! We are five feet from each other!

A defiant smile appears on Liliana's face, wait, was she expecting this?

She quickly lets go off me and then waves her hand

"Well then, go ahead~" - She says with that same impish smile

Ayumu approaches me slowly, like her legs are filled with lead, before finally stopping in front of me

Her face is crimson red and she's staring at me wide eyed

"I-I don't know how to do this but... I'll do my best, Tachan!"

She swallows hard, I do so as well

I put my hands around Ayumu's shoulders and our faces slowly approach

And finally, our lips meet each other

I expected it to be a quick kiss, but after our lips met, Ayumu did something that caught me completely by surprise

I feel her arms around my head this time, pushing me closer

"Uhh?!" - I could only exclaim in surprise as she pulled me in and deepened our kiss

What was supposed a quick kiss between friends who just confessed to each other suddenly got stronger, deeper, as if Ayumu was desperate to not let me go

I found myself enjoying it, draw to her as our kiss got more passionate and my hands felt draw to her waist, enveloping her and pulling her closer to me.

I can feel her breast pressing against me and I never stopped to think about it, but her waist is thin, it makes me want to squeeze it.

N-no, I shouldn't do that now... should I?

As thoughts about Ayumu's body rushed through my head, We stayed like that for a few seconds, before finally breaking it

"Hah... that was..." - I found myself at a loss for words, my face burning red hot.

When I finally gathered the courage to look at Ayumu I found her reaction was the same, looking away from me

"I... I'm sorry, I just... when we kissed... I don't know what happened, I just wanted to... get closer... AHH! I don't know!"

She says, desperately waving her hands in front of her face

"In the Maou's name, what was that?!"

I hear Liliana exclaiming in a high pitched voice and when I look at her, I see a rare sight

Liliana's face was tinted a faint red color

She was blushing! No doubt about it!

"Why are you blushing?! We were the ones who just kissed in front of you!"

Liliana looks at me with a baffled expression

"I didn't expect Ayumu, the innocent, was going to give a kiss like that for your first time!"

Liliana exclaims wide eyed and walks towards Ayumu, who is now trying to hide her face with her hands

"Uhh! Stop talking about it! Please forget this happened!"

She says, voice loaded with embarassment, but Liliana is not dropping it

"I clearly underestimated you! I'll have to up my game then!"

Up her game?

She then immediately turns to me, same impish smile on her face

"Well, it's my turn now, right~?"

"W-wait, Liliana, I-"

Before I can finish, Liliana has wrapped her arms around me and pulled my head closer to her, our foreheads almost touching

"B-before we do this, can you say it again?"

I furrow my eyebrows, confused and embarassed with the situation

"S-say what?"

Liliana looks down and hesitates

"You know, those three words."

As she says that I realize that Liliana is way more of a maiden than she lets out, huh?

I try to suppress a chuckle and thanks to that I find the courage to put my arms around her shoulders as well

"Liliana Caim, I love you"

I say this and close my eyes, Liliana's lips and mine meet

Liliana's hug gets tighter around me and I find my hands on her back pulling Liliana closer, almost as if we wanted our bodies to merge while we kissed, her breasts pressing against my chest as my brain felt like it had gone haywire as I caressed her back.

I don't know if it was on purpose, but it felt like she wanted to compete with Ayumu's kiss, pulling me close and playing with my hair while she did so.

Eventually we broke the kiss, but still holding to each other, Liliana looking at me with her golden eyes

"D-do you want to do it again?"

What?!

"Hey!" - Before I can answer, Ayumu calls out

"I-I'm still here, okay? Don't start making out and ignore me!"

Liliana gives a muffled chuckle and makes a gesture inviting Ayumu

"Fufufu, does that mean you wanna join us? I mean, I thought it was too soon for a triple way, but if Ayumu-chan wants, then..."

Ayumu's face looks like she could release steam from her ears as she started crossing her arms

"That's not what I meant at all! It's, just... agh!"

She covers her face with her hand, I suppress the urge to chuckle

This whole situation is incredibly embarassing, but I couldn't be happier.

"Ayumu..." - I call out to my childhood friend, who looks at me through the gaps of her fingers as she covers her face

"Come here"

"O-okay..." - I call out and she walks over to me, her hands now hanging by her side, but she's still averting her eyes trying not to like straight at me

Once she comes within an arm's reach I take her chin and slightly pull her face so she's staring at me

"I love you"

I give a quick kiss to her lips before turning to Liliana, her face with a rare flustered expression

"Both of you"

I put my other hand on the side of her face and kiss her again, just for a moment before we part

"I'm gona do my best to make you both happy, I promise"

There's a moment of silence as the two girls look at me with shocked expressions

The sudden shift in atmosphere starts to make me feel uncomfortable

"U-uh? W-what? Did I say something weird?"

A few seconds of silence follow after I say this before Liliana finally exclaims

"Super ballsy!"

She says, playfully punching me in the shoulder

"You took your damn sweet time but when you go for it you really go all out, huh?"

Liliana says with a flustered face while playfully fanning herself

"What you mean, I thought you'd be happy?!"

Liliana chuckles

"Of course I'm happy! It's just-"

Her answer is cut short as there's a sudden jump next to us

"A-Ayumu?"

My beautiful red haired friend gave a quick jump in the air and is now embracing me

"I love you too, Tachan! I'm so happy!"

She says as tears flow down her eyes

Not knowing what else to say I simply embrace her

"I promise I'll make you happy too! I want to be together with you forever!"

She burries her head in my chest, her tears marking my shirt

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry I tried to reject you and push you away!"

Her hug gets tighter, as if she's trying to squeeze the air out of me, I squeeze her in my arms as to reassure her

"It's okay, don't worry. I'm not mad at you, I'm sorry I didn't realize what you were going through..."

This was also my fault in a way, I should have realized what she was feeling, I'm very glad Liliana helped us through this...

Ayumu lifts her face from my chest and looks at Liliana

"A-and Liliana, thank you too. I'm sorry I tried to push you two together and thought you were stealing him away from me."

Liliana looks at Ayumu wide eyed, before a gentle expression takes over her face

"Mou! You two idiots!"

She rushes to us and also embraces Ayumu, who starts to giggle being held by the two of us

"Hahahaha! Thank you! I'll do my best so we can be together!"

Ayumu says with a happy voice between her sobs

These two... I love them. I really hope we can be together, now and forever.

Part 3

After helping Ayumu to clean her face, Liliana checked a strange magical device that she pulled out of her pocket

"Sorry you two, I got get this"

She says, Ayumu is sitting on the bed, her head nestled on my shoulder as we talked about how we'd deal with things from now on

"It's alright, we get it."

Liliana opened the magical device and answered with a melodic voice

"Hello, Mayumi~ I have good news about me and Tatseyo~"

Wait? What?! She's going to announce to everyone just like that?

"Wait! Liliana!"

I raise a hand to stop her, not actually standing up because I don't want to disturb Ayumu

However, Liliana's expression drops as she hears what I assume is an answer from the other side

"W-what? When?"

Another moment of silence as Mayumi on the other side answers

"I was dealing with some things with Tatseyo and Ayumu-chan, I... oh my god... We'll be there right now!"

She then closes it and the mortified expression on her face causes both me and Ayumu to stare back at her in anxiety

"What was that?"

Ayumu asks

"Yeah Liliana, you look terrified, what's going on?"

Liliana looks around as if she's lost for a moment before looking at the two of us and saying a combination of words that makes my head spin

"I think... Kusuo-san was kidnapped by Kuriko"

Afterword: Finally the kiss I was waiting so long for! Sorry for the very late chapter, I have a lot going on right now, hopefully the next one will come out much sooner. Thank you for reading and leaving your comments! It really means a lot!