Gathering Wives with a System-Chapter 61: Emily’s Acceptance, Wingwoman Professor Catherine

He returned to his room.

There he found Emily near the bed, crouched over a sealed package. Her eyes lit up when she saw him.

"Oh, you’re back!" she said, grabbing his hand and pulling him closer. "What is this? A gift? I found it under the bed, I swear I didn’t open the gift itself, but... I couldn’t help it and took it out from the bed!"

The grin on her face was pure excitement.

+1 AP

+1.2 AP

+1.1 AP

The points kept coming.

Isaac blinked. That was the biggest AP surge he’d seen in one go.

She really was that happy.

Isaac forced a smile. "You’ll find out soon."

Emily hugged the box gently and swayed a little. "Can I guess what’s inside? No—don’t tell me. I want it to be a surprise."

He nodded but said nothing more. His throat felt dry.

How was he supposed to tell her? How could he explain to the girl who smiled just from seeing his gift that he wanted to marry someone else too?

He groaned under his breath and turned away for a moment, just to get his thoughts straight.

’I wish I was a shameless bastard,’ he thought. ’If I was, maybe I could say it without hesitating.’

But he wasn’t.

He pulled open the system panel and checked her profile, hoping for some clarity.

Emily Warren

Age: 19 (At time of death)

Rating: 96

Personality: Gentle, kind.

Likes: Seeing Isaac happy, piano music, scent of old books, rain, honest and hardworking people, feeling of nostalgia even if bittersweet.

Dislikes: Loud noises, being forgotten or ignored, cold drafts that make her presence known too easily, the whispers in her mind that aren’t her own.

Status: excited, happy, wants to know what is inside the gift, wants to cuddle you.

Isaac stared at the new "like" that wasn’t there before—"seeing Isaac happy." That said enough.

He closed the screen. His chest felt heavy.

It wasn’t just guilt.

It was the fear of breaking something that had already become precious.

’What am I even supposed to say?’ he wondered. ’Hey, Emily, I know you love me, and I love you too, but I also want to marry someone else?’

He rubbed the back of his neck and exhaled hard.

"Goddamn it," he muttered. "I really wish I was a scumbag."

"Isaac?" Emily tilted her head, her eyes full of gentle confusion.

He snapped out of his thoughts.

"Nothing," he said quickly.

With a breath, he picked up the wrapped package from the bed and peeled back the paper. Inside was the teddy bear.

Its fur was a soft, golden-white. The belly was round, the limbs short and stubby. A green ribbon was tied under its chin, and its small, drooping eyes sat above a grumpy little frown that seemed oddly familiar.

Isaac held it up.

"Since I can’t be there with you at the university," he said, "you can hold this when you sleep. It’ll help you sleep normally."

Emily hugged the teddy bear to her chest. Her eyes lit up as she looked at him.

"Thank you for the gift," she said softly.

+2 AP

Then she giggled.

+1.5 AP

+1.4 AP

Isaac blinked. "What happened?"

Emily smiled. "It looks just like you when you wake up. That same grumpy expression. If I think of it as you, I won’t feel scared sleeping alone anymore."

"Do I really look like that in the morning? I don’t... right?"

Emily laughed instead of answering him.

Later, the two slept together.

The morning sun hadn’t risen yet when Isaac stirred.

His eyes opened to the familiar ceiling, and he reached to slip out of bed, but a pair of arms wrapped around his torso and pulled him closer.

"Sorry," he said, "did I wake you?"

Emily shook her head and tugged him back onto the bed. She shifted, lying on top of him, her face inches from his.

"I don’t like sad Isaac," she said.

"Huh?"

Emily looked at him silently, then shook her head.

"It’s about Alice, isn’t it?"

He blinked, caught off guard.

Before he could reply, she continued. "It was obvious yesterday. The way she looked at you... and the way you looked at her. I figured you were thinking too much about it, so I brought it up first."

She paused, then added quietly, "I don’t mind it."

"...Don’t mind what?"

Emily rested her head against his chest.

"I don’t mind if you propose to Alice. I don’t want to see you sad, Isaac. I want you to be happy. So, if having her by your side makes you happy, then do it."

"Hey, I am happy with you—"

"I know Isaac is happy with me. I know Isaac cares about me. But you are sad when you see Alice being sad just as you see me sad, don’t you?"

Isaac’s lips parted, but no words came out.

"...But," she added.

"But?"

Emily looked up, meeting his eyes with a cheeky grin. "You can propose to her. Just don’t forget that I’m your number one wife."

His stunned expression slowly turned into a smile. A genuine one.

He pulled her into a hug and kissed her forehead. "Of course. You’ll always be my number one."

"Good." Emily smiled back. "If you forget about this, I will haunt you in your dreams."

Isaac laughed, feeling a weight off his chest.

After a moment, he asked, "I thought you were against sharing me. What changed?"

"I had a dream," she said then scratched her cheek as she explained. "My memories before I met Auntie... they’re blurry. But sometimes, I get dreams. Auntie said those dreams are my memories from when I was alive. I’ll remember more over time."

She paused, then added, "Recently, I dreamed about living in a big castle. I had lots of moms, and they were all happy. Papa was always smiling. It was fun. Warm."

Her voice softened. "If you can be as happy as he was then I’m okay with it. I’ll share you, Isaac, and..."

"And?"

"Auntie said men are happy when they have a harem," she said innocently. "So, she told me to tell you that you can propose to Alice."

Isaac stared at her innocent smile.

’...Let’s keep Emily away from Professor Catherine.’