Chapter 19

As the price for destroying the ancient weapon, I completely lost my magic power and remained unconscious for several days.

When I finally woke up, I found myself on a bed in the guild’s infirmary.

At my side were Silvia, Lunaria, Fiona, and Eleanor, all wearing utterly haggard expressions.

“Yuuto! You’re awake!”

Silvia called my name, and tears immediately welled up in her eyes.

I tried to sit up, but I had no strength. And above all, I was struck by a strange sensation.

That vast magic power that had always swirled in the depths of my body had completely and utterly vanished.

My magic power… it’s gone…?

Lunaria examined my body. Her expression was grave.

“Yuuto-san… your internal magic circuits have completely closed. I can’t sense any magic power at all.”

The heroines couldn’t hide their shock at that diagnosis.

I myself was crushed by despair.

My inexhaustible magic power had been my only redeeming quality. Without it, I was truly just useless.

However, at the same time, part of me felt relief from the bottom of my heart that everyone was safe.

“I see… but I’m glad everyone’s okay…”

When I smiled weakly, Silvia buried her face in my chest and began sobbing.

“Idiot…! You complete idiot! Why did you do something so reckless…! If you had died, I… I…!”

Silvia choked on her words, only letting out choked sobs.

This was the first time I’d seen Silvia display her emotions so openly.

She had truly feared losing me from the bottom of her heart.

Silvia raised her face and stared at me intently with crimson eyes wet with tears.

“Yuuto… I can’t go on without you… I can’t imagine a world where you don’t exist…!”

It was an unmistakable confession of love.

The first time she, always so arrogant and haughty, had shown her honest feelings.

I was moved by Silvia’s pure affection.

Even without magic power, I wanted to be by her side. I wanted to support her. I wished for that strongly.

Silvia gently placed a tender kiss on my lips.

It wasn’t for magic supply—it was a warm kiss meant only to convey her love.

Strangely, the moment I received that kiss, something within my body responded ever so slightly, truly faintly.

Lunaria, Fiona, and Eleanor also visited me one after another, telling me that their feelings for me wouldn’t change whether I had magic power or not.

“I’m so relieved you’re safe, Yuuto-san. Even without magic power, you’re still you. I’ll always be by your side to support you.”

“That’s right, Yuuto-kun! With or without magic power, you’re someone precious to me! So cheer up!”

“Yuuto Minakata. Your courageous actions fill me with pride as a knight. The presence or absence of magic power is a trivial matter. You are our irreplaceable comrade.”

They each encouraged me in their own way and gave me gentle kisses.

Wrapped in that warm affection, I began to regain hope for living.

And with each kiss I received from them, I started to sense that my magic circuits, which should have been closed, were regenerating, truly little by little.

Could it be… their kisses are restoring my magic power…?

It might be too convenient a miracle.

But I definitely felt it.

The power of love was trying to awaken my lost magic power in a new form.

The key to Yuuto’s magic power recovery might be the heroines’ “kisses of love.”

Chapter 20

Though I had supposedly lost all my magic power in the battle with the ancient weapon, a miracle was about to occur through the heroines’ devoted care and, above all, their “kisses of love.”

Silvia, Lunaria, Fiona, and Eleanor—as if they’d coordinated it—took turns visiting me every day and, under the pretense of “promoting magic power recovery,” showered me with incredibly passionate kisses.

I was bewildered at first, but their earnest gazes and the pure feelings they held for me came through, so I accepted those kisses head-on.

Everyone’s feelings are so warm…

With each kiss I received from them, I felt the spring of magic power that should have run completely dry gradually regaining moisture within my body.

Then, several days later, Lunaria’s re-examination revealed an astonishing fact.

“I can’t believe it… Yuuto-san’s magic circuits are beginning to regenerate…! What’s more, they appear to be changing into a structure that’s even more efficient than before, producing magic power of higher purity!”

Lunaria announced this excitedly.

As expected, everyone’s kisses had caused a miracle.

My magic power is being revived by everyone’s love… this is like some serious shoujo manga development…

However, though my magic circuits had begun regenerating, my magic power hadn’t fully returned yet.

According to Lunaria, one final step was needed to completely restore my magic power.

“To fully awaken Yuuto-san’s magic power… we’ll likely need a simultaneous magic power supply with maximum affection from all the women who love Yuuto-san… in other words, kisses.”

Simultaneous kisses from all the heroines!?

What an absurd treatment method.

But having come this far, it felt like anything goes.

Silvia, Lunaria, Fiona, and Eleanor exchanged glances, then nodded to each other with expressions full of resolve.

That night, the four heroines gathered in my hospital room.

They surrounded my bed, each gripping my hands or touching my cheek while whispering their love for me.

“Yuuto… without you, I…”

“Yuuto-san, please accept our love…”

“Yuuto-kun, I love you…!”

“Yuuto Minakata… I pour my feelings for you into this kiss…!”

Then, all four lips pressed against mine simultaneously.

Silvia’s passionate kiss, Lunaria’s gentle, enveloping kiss, Fiona’s sweet and aggressive kiss, Eleanor’s clumsy but sincere kiss.

Four different forms of love melted into one within me.

In that moment, golden light overflowed from my body and enveloped the entire room.

My closed magic circuits opened completely, and I felt magic power—even more powerful and pure than before—coursing through my entire body.

My magic power had fully recovered. No, it had evolved into something even stronger than before.

“We did it…! Yuuto’s magic power is back!”

Silvia cried out in jubilation.

The heroines embraced each other in joy, then bestowed congratulatory kisses on me once more.

Emotion, the miracle of love, and a sense of unity with the heroines. I was wrapped in indescribable happiness.

My fully recovered magic power was easier to control than before, and the amplification effect on others had improved dramatically.

Now I could be helpful to everyone again.

However, barely had we finished celebrating my recovery when an atmosphere suggesting a new “Battle for Yuuto (a.k.a. the battle to demand kisses)” was about to resume among the heroines.

“Yuuto, don’t forget your awareness as my exclusive magic power supply source, got it?”

“Yuuto-san, from now on you’ll need regular ‘maintenance kisses,’ won’t you?”

“Yuuto-kun, should I beg for an extra-sweet recovery celebration kiss?”

“Yuuto Minakata, um… I’d be happy if you’d continue the ‘reward kisses’ after training…”

So ultimately, daily life hasn’t changed… no, I guess this is my daily life.

I smiled wryly while sincerely wishing for these lively, love-filled days to continue.

We had no way of knowing yet about the existence of the true mastermind creating distortions in the world, but for now, I just wanted to savor this fleeting peace and happiness.

The story of the heroines and me—Act Two—thus closed with these new bonds.

And after a brief period of peaceful days, the shadow of a new threat creeping closer would reveal itself before us.