"By the way, changing the subject a little—if semen is ranked S, how many guards are usually assigned?"
"I'm not sure about S since it's a newly established rank, but for C it's one guard, B is two. That's the standard setup. In the case of Kohaku's grandfather, who had an A rank, he was considered a national treasure—some even called him a treasure of humanity. He had an entire Self-Defense Force platoon assigned to him as bodyguards."
"I see… that's a whole different scale."
The numbers and the scale were just on another level.
"Well, of course they weren't all constantly around him. Usually, three were officially on duty at any given time, not counting the rotation staff."
"Like the hidden part of an iceberg, huh? Just a fraction visible."
"Exactly. Being too stiff and formal wasn't good, especially with guests visiting and such."
"Yeah, too much presence can be overwhelming."
It sounded like a lot to handle, in more ways than one.
"Pregnancies were staggered based on proximity. Once someone started showing or had bad morning sickness, they'd rotate out and switch with someone else."
"That sounds almost dreamlike…"
From an outsider's perspective, it seemed like an ideal job.
"As a kid watching from the sidelines, it looked fun—at least in that sense."
But clearly, it wasn't all sunshine and rainbows.
"Even without ever meeting him in person, there were women who got obsessed and even brought knives sometimes. Some would get overexcited and leap into his arms like a tackle. Foreign 'dignitaries' would drop by unannounced and receive VIP treatment… and with that came the occasional uninvited terrorist. People got hurt in those situations."
"So it wasn't exactly a gentle, peaceful world."
"But when it came to raising kids, it actually seemed pretty relaxed, in its own way."
"Because there were so many people?"
"Pretty much all of the women were recognized as official wives. There were tons of children—both already born and still on the way. That meant there were always others of the same age nearby. Whether it was daycare, kindergarten, or school, adults and kids always had someone to hang out with."
"Yeah, I can imagine there were a lot."
The number of officially acknowledged children—even mixing in rumors and unofficial claims—was said to be in the thousands, not just hundreds.
"Among the adults, some were busy with work, others had free time. So if someone was available, you could leave your kid with them. And since breastfeeding was common, there were tons of literal milk siblings… or rather, milk sisters, I guess."
That correction hinted at something—despite the numbers, there probably weren't any male siblings. A bit harsh, honestly.
"Didn't people get upset about relying on others too much?"
Personally, being born from artificial insemination, my own mother raised me more or less alone. I remember her struggling.
"People supported each other. As long as it wasn't one-sided, it was fine."
"What about child support or allowances from the father?"
Also known as "delivery-wife support" in cases of separate living. I often heard it just ended with some money being sent.
"I think it was around 10,000 yen per person per month."
"That's… pretty cheap."
"There were so many of them, but when you added it up, it became a significant amount."
"Like paying low taxes individually, but it adds up overall."
Considering the number of wives, it made sense.
"From what I heard, Grandpa used to say he earned enough himself, so it could've been even less."
He didn't even need the money? Honestly, if he had A-rank semen and could produce like Hisui does every day, maybe that's true.
Compared to Hisui's near 100% fertilization rate from past sample data, Grandpa was only slightly lower—and still competitive. That kind of quality usually goes for hundreds of thousands of yen per session.
In that case, a few ten-thousand-yen allowances really wouldn't matter.
"In this world, it's said that it's a woman's job to financially support men. If you don't earn a lot, or can't send tens of thousands in support, you're worthless."
"He used to laugh at that. Or maybe he was exasperated… angry? Hm, not sure."
She tilted her head, unsure of the nuance.
"But still, not taking anything from them would also seem odd, you know? So he accepted just enough to keep things tidy, for formality's sake."
"Yeah, it'd feel wrong to receive so much and give nothing in return."
"Well, this is just what I heard when I was a kid—stories from Grandpa's generation. It's over twenty years old now. It's not about Hisui."
"Yeah, that makes sense…"
I sighed, realizing things wouldn't be that convenient now.
"But, one of Hisui's current wives is Yata—she was the head wife back then. She still holds the strongest influence. So to some extent, I think they'll follow the same patterns."
That glimmer of hope made me lift my head.
"So… if I proposed to Hisui?"
The words slipped out before I could stop myself. Was that too forward?
"As long as Hisui says yes, there's no problem."
Her answer came easily, without hesitation.
This was the composure of someone from a lineage of legendary lady-killers, someone born into a true harem dynasty.
Talking to her made it clear—her worldview was on a completely different level.
The things commonly known… were so far from the truth.
It was all pretty mind-blowing.