I stepped out of the shower and slipped on a change of clothes I pulled out of my Space Locket. A black T-shirt, and black shorts. Nice and comfortable; perfect for sleeping in. I sighed and went out of the bathroom, assuming that the girls had already fallen asleep already...but they hadn't just yet.

"Hm? You guys haven't slept yet?

" I asked, fixing my hair.

"Nope! We were trying to figure out how we would be sleeping!

" Qing Yue replied excitedly.

"Yeah, there's only two beds...

" Feng Mian added.

"If we pushed them together, we could probably all fit, but it would be kind of hot in there...

"

I glanced at the two Alaskan king-sized beds in the room she was talking about. Since each one could fit about four people with room to spare, combining the two would fit eight. In total, there were eleven of us - Feng Mian, Qing Yue, the Yu sisters, Mei Gui, Xiang Peng, Obsidia, Lan Xiao Su, Flaria, Amane, and I. But since I wasn't about to sleep in the same bed as these girls, I didn't count - that left ten people. If they squished together a bit...I think they could make it work, especially since Qing Yue, Mei Gui, and Flaria have relatively small bodies.

"Well, we only have one room. Unless you want to book another one,

" I said with a shrug.

"Besides, I won't be sleeping inside the bed anyway, so what's the matter if you all squish together a little?

"

"Huh? Wait, you won't?

" Yu An Yan asked.

"Uh...yeah?

" I said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Look, I'm a guy, and you are all girls. Sleeping together at our age is not happening.

"

"Eh...? But why?

" Qing Yue tilted her head.

"I don't mind at all! And I believe none of the other girls dislike the idea of it either, isn't that right?

"

She looked around at the other girls, who merely averted their gazes and didn't respond.

I blinked. Is this for real? They really don't mind me sleeping together with them, in the same bed, under the same covers?

...Okay...the idea is tempting, but no. Too early. I'm still only 14, damn it!

I shook my head.

"Either way - even if you guys don't mind, I do. I'll be sleeping on that couch over there.

"

I pointed at the couch across from the beds.

The girls seemed slightly disappointed, especially Qing Yue, until...

"Master, I will join you,

" Mei Gui proposed confidently.

I flinched.

"H-Huh? What-

"

But before I even realized what she said, she had already plopped down on the couch and went into a lying down position. I blinked.

"H-Hold on Mei Gui, I know you say you need to recharge your energy or whatever by sleeping near me, but isn't being in the same room close enough?

"

She shook her head.

"I must initiate physical contact with Master.

"

"...

" I fell silent, unsure of how to respond to this.

And then, Feng Mian couldn't take it anymore.

"Well, you can wait one night! You don't have to recharge everyday, no?

"

"As a matter of fac-

" Mei Gui began, but was quickly silenced by the other girls.

"Too bad!

" Qing Yue interrupted.

"Grr...if I can't sleep with Big Brother Xuan Kai, no one can!

"

"Oh my, perhaps Xuan Kai prefers the more...mature girls? Like big sister here,

" Xiang Peng winked suggestively, and I cringed, before facepalming.

"N-No way!

" Lan Xiao Su joined in.

"He l-likes the more...um...submissive girls! L-Like me!

"

"No - he likes my body the best!

" Yu An Yan said, blushing furiously while cupping her generous breasts.

"Mm...no...he prefers mine,

" Yu An Xue argued back quietly but fiercely.

"Nya~he likes nyeko girls the best, right?

" Amane asked, getting into a cat-like position and purring softly.

"Er...guys? Can you all just stop arguing and sleep?

" I suggested meekly, but my voice was drowned out by the vicious debate of the girls.

I sighed in resignation.

Ah...am I even going to get any sleep at all today?

And so, that night, the girls continued arguing over who I liked best, completely forgetting I was literally right next to them. In the end, I somehow managed to drifted off to sleep on the couch, Mei Gui in my arms.

How ironic. She was the only one who didn't participate in the argument, yet she was the one to end up sleeping with me...

*****

- The Next Day -

I groggily blinked my eyes open as I got ready for a new day. But what I saw at that moment, was something straight out of a harem anime.

The ten girls were spread all around me, each latching on to some part of my body. Qing Yue was hugging me from the front, practically riding me, while the Yu sisters were on either side of me, clutching my arms as if it were their lifeline. Amane was all curled up into a ball, nesting within my lap as Qing Yue used her as a seat, almost. Feng Mian leaned against my legs, while Mei Gui sat behind me, straddling my neck. Xiang Peng and Obsidia weren't directly touching me, but they were also on the ground nearby. The only ones in the actual beds were Lan Xiao Su and Flaria.

What the hell happened last night....? How did it end up like this?!

I couldn't even move. I was completely tied down by the combined weight of all these girls latching onto my body. Hell, I could barely breathe.

Guess I'll just have to wait until they wake up...what a pain.

I didn't want to wake them up forcefully, so this was the only option. Ah, how noble I am - sacrificing my own comfort for someone else's. Well, that, and...even if I tried waking these girls up, I doubted it would actually work. Humans, both male and female, are creatures who naturally despise waking up in the mornings, after all.

Luckily, I didn't have to wait too long, as a couple of minutes later, the doorbell to our room rang. This caused the girls to slowly awaken from the noise, and I found myself staring straight into Qing Yue's eyes.

"Hm...oh, Big Brother Xuan Kai,

" she murmured quietly, still in a daze-like state.

"Good morning...

"

Despite waking up, however, she still seemed to show no sign of getting off of me.

"Er...good morning,

" I replied hesitantly.

"Are you going to get off of me, or...?

"

At first, I thought she didn't hear me, but after a little staring at me with dreamy eyes, she finally reluctantly got off of me.

The Yu sisters began stirring from my left and right as well, slowly waking up.

"Huh...huh?!

" Yu An Yan exclaimed as soon as her eyes were open, and immediately let go of my arm.

"U-Uh, this isn't what it looks like!

"

"...

" I merely looked at her pitifully, without saying anything.

But alas, her loud voice caused the rest of the girls in the room to wake up completely as well. Some of them were embarrassed like Feng Mian and Yu An Yan, while others were more or less nonchalant, such as Mei Gui and Qing Yue.

In any case, as soon as they got off of me, I wiggled my arms around and did a few stretches to ease the pain. Then, I went to unlock the door. On the other side was Old Man Leng's wife.

"Oh good, you're up,

" she said once she saw me.

"Well, technically I was already up like half an hour ago, but...never mind, long story,

" I replied.

"Anyway, you've come here to pick us up, I assume?

"

"That's right,

" she said.

"I'll give you half an hour starting now to do your thing and get ready for the day. Meet me in the hotel lobby when you're done. Oh, and don't be late.

"

...Or else. That part was omitted.

With that, she closed the door and left. I sighed, and turned back to the girls.

"Listen up. We only got half an hour to get ready. Go shower in the same order you went last night - I'll go last.

"

The girls nodded, confirming they had received my instructions, and Feng Mian, who had been the first to go last night - or rather, morning, since time was practically reversed here - went into the bathroom.

It was then that I realized - there was still one person who still has yet to awaken - Flaria.

Before long, all of us had noticed this.

"She's still asleep...?

" Yu An Yan remarked thoughtfully.

"No way...

" I muttered.

"She's been sleeping since we finished the paintball fight yesterday...that's abnormal.

"

It was then that Obsidia stepped in.

"Worry not, human. This is natural for phoenixes.

"

I turned to her.

"What?

"

She sighed, and began explaining what she meant.

"Phoenixes have a yearly period of hibernation. The exact time and duration for this varies from individual to individual, but for the most part, it will last around a month or so. During this time, the phoenix will appear to be sleeping, and remain that way until the hibernation ends.

"

"I see...but what's the point of this hibernation thing?

" I asked.

"Every time a phoenix goes through hibernation, they become stronger. Think of it like a natural 'leveling up' process. So, Flaria hibernating is good for you as well,

" Obsidia explained.

"You should leave her somewhere safe and quiet, where she can hibernate peacefully. This hotel is a good place.

"

I nodded.

"Got it. I'll talk to Mrs. Leng about this when we go down.

"