The Affection Multiplier - Chapter 251: Secretive Shopping. (Patreon)

On Tuesday, Emma, Mia, Anzu and Julia came to your room to, well… do the usual. Only Anzu and Mia were able to stay the night. Then Wednesday is normal until after school. You excuse yourself from your girls, saying your father and your brother needed you to take care of some errands for them which they couldn’t attend to for obvious reasons.

You go back home and while you do some last minute browsing on a few websites, you lament that you can’t ask Monica’s help for this. You’ll be going out to buy the rings. Your chest feels so tight it almost hurts. You don’t want to do this alone, but asking Monica to come with you would mean she’ll know what you buy, and if she ever sees your teachers wearing the rings…

And actually, thinking that buying rings for your teachers would mean giving away the fact that they’re engaged, you searched for alternatives. Turns out giving engagement necklaces is also a thing that’s done. Not commonly, but done. It worries you that they won’t like it and that they’d want a ring, but they’ll probably understand why a necklace is a safer choice.

…Right?

Dammit. Your stomach is starting to hurt as well. This is too nerve-wracking. Enough to even wish Jonathan was here to help. But no, you’re alone and you’ll have to do your best to get good deals, pretty jewelry and hopefully not get scammed.

You leave your room with a shaky step and head downtown. Most jewelry shops are around that area. You wonder if people around notice how nervous you are.

You go into the first shop, and the staff can’t help their odd looks. Despite that, they attend to you with the usual politeness for a customer who’ll potentially spend their money with them.

“Good afternoon, sir. How can I help you?” asks the man behind the glass counter which also functions as a show-window for the jewelry.

“I need a lot of help, sir,” you admit. “I know this will sound strange, but I… I’m planning something big. For eleven people.”

The man raises a curios eyebrow, leaning slightly forward to listen more intently. “Eleven people, sir?”

“Yes,” you swallow. “It’s something like an engagement, but not quite.” You have to remember that, while people may think that you having multiple relationships is normal, it’s still not common. Besides, you’d rather not tell people you’re marrying eleven women and having to explain the whole situation.

“So, if I got this right, you’re looking for eleven engagement rings, sir?” the man asks, trying to hide his disbelief behind his professionalism.

“Yes. However, I need three of those to be necklaces.”

“How much is your budget, sir?”

You tell him how much while keeping it just a little under what you truly have. Mrs. Reed paid you well, and Jonathan gave you about an equal amount. Your budget is not huge by any means, but it would be enough to buy one very expensive ring.

Hearing that, the man gets more cooperative. He now knows he’s not wasting his time and instead actually trying to make a sell. He starts recommending several budget choices, most of which are simple, engravable bands of different metals. If you want to stay on the cheaper side, the choices are titanium and silver. The difference between silver and the cheapest gold is over twice as much money, and titanium just feels… wrong for an engagement ring.

Then there’s the question of, should you get a different ring for every one of them or buy the same? If possible, you’d like to buy something different for each of them, but again, prices become a limitation. Some are more expensive than others, and though you don’t think any of your girls is the type, you don’t want them thinking you love any of them less because their ring was cheaper or because one has a diamond and the other doesn’t. You even ask the man helping you, and he says that, if you buy the same ring, they can give you a discount.

As for necklaces, the man suggests putting a ring on a thin silver chain if wearing it on the finger is a problem, but the real issue is that people shouldn’t make a connection between the rings the students and the nurse are wearing and whatever jewelry the teachers have. The good thing is that necklaces are generally cheaper, even with diamond accents.

At some point, the man can’t suppress his curiosity anymore and has to ask. “Excuse me, sir, I hope I’m not over-stepping my boundaries, but are you really getting engaged to eleven women? You seem very serious about this."

“Oh, I am,” You nod firmly. “I know it’s weird, but it works for us. So much so that I’m not afraid of them saying no,” you chuckle. “I’m afraid of screwing up and what comes after.”

The man gives you a warm smile. “I see. Then allow me to wish you the best. Also, allow me to make a recommendation,” he says, leaning forward a bit and speaking in a low voice. “Be sure to browse through as many shops as you can. I will vouch for the prices and quality of our shop, of course, but there’s always the chance you’ll find just the thing you need somewhere else. Don’t worry, I will remember the jewelry we’ve gone through and have it ready for you should you decide to come back.”

Swallowing and giving a heartfelt thanks to the man, you leave and start asking the same questions in other shops. Some are more expensive, yet prettier; some are more expensive and not nearly as nice as the first shop. Maybe it’s because you saw them first, but some of those rings and necklaces really made an impression on you. Besides, that clerk has been the nicest so far.

But as you’re having a price-talk with the clerk of another shop, a not very familiar voice, but still one you know, calls behind you.

“There you are, Mr. David.”

You flinch, look behind you and see the last person you’d expect. The refined, elegant blonde woman that is Mrs. Clara Reed, Lilian’s mother.

“M-Mrs. Reed? W-What are you doing here?” you ask, feeling like you’ve been caught red-handed.

“I’m here specifically looking for you,” she says with a grin.

“M-Me? But why?”

“I came to the area to see a friend of mine who owns a jewelry shop,” she says, walking up to you. “He told me an interesting story about a young man looking to buy eleven engagement rings, and I really only know one person with that many relationships.”

You swallow. There’s a huge knot in your throat. She knows too much! That you’re buying engagement rings and that they’re more than the relationships she’s aware of. Of all the luck, why did she have to come see her friend today?

“You and I, mister, are going to have a talk. Follow me.”

Her tone leaves no room to argue, so you follow her. She takes you to a coffee shop, where the two of you sit at the corner, away from prying ears. She orders a coffee for herself, and though she allows you to order whatever you want, you end up going for a black coffee as well.

“You’re too restrained,” she says, “but I suppose that doesn’t go for everything, does it?” she grins.

“I-I suppose not.”

“Mr. David, we had such a good talk the other day. Why are you so nervous now?”

Your eyebrow twitches at that, and you let out a mix of a sigh and a groan.

“You know very well why.”

“Okay. I won’t tease you anymore, but in return you’ll be franc with me. What’s this about proposing to your girlfriends? To Lilian, even, despite the fact you’ve been dating for no more than a month?”

“Think of it as a promise to always be together,” you answer easily and resolute. If you’re already caught, there’s no use denying that. “I’m serious about it, so even if we can’t legally get married, I want to look at this proposal as if we could. I’d like you to believe I’ve thought this through.”

“Let me guess. You’re proposing now but leaving the… ‘ceremony’ for a few years in the future?”

You sigh, resigned. “Just so.”

“You’re rushing it.”

“I wish I could explain, but I’m sure that no matter what I say, I’ll just sound like an infatuated brat who doesn’t know about life. Only a week passed before I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life with my first girlfriend, and that feeling hasn’t gone away or weakened in the slightest. It won’t happen with Lilian, Jessica or Olivia, either. This is the only thing I can be 100% sure of.”

“Who are the mystery three?” she asks.

“…”

“Answer me. If you’re ‘proposing’ to my daughter, I have the right to know.”

“I thought you said she didn’t need your approval and wouldn’t be met with opposition.”

“That was before I realized she’d found a potentially great match. Don’t soil the image I have of you, Mr. David Walker. Who are the other three?” she repeats.

You click your tongue. It’s either telling her or risking getting on her bad side. You desperately want to check the AMA to see her score, which you never paid attention to, but taking out your phone will undoubtedly piss her off. Lying to her is also out of the questions. She could demand meeting them, and refusing will, again, make you get on her bad side. Could you refuse to say it and just cancel the proposal? It seems like the safest option, but it’ll make you look extremely suspicious. Unlike Olivia’s dad, Mrs. Reed doesn’t seem like a mother who’ll listen to her daughter if she thinks what she’s doing is good for her.

You take a deep, deep breath.

“Ms. Emma Campbell, Ms. Mia Owens and Ms. Julia Miller.”

“…Your teachers?” she asks, blinking and with her mouth half-opened.

“Yup.”

“…”

“…”

The silence is heavy, but the fact she’s not freaking out is reassuring. Still, what do you do from here? If she goes and tells the school, your teacher will be fired, you’ll be kicked out and everything will suck. But so long as your girls can forgive your screw up, which you really hope they can, it won’t be the end. You’re 18, they can’t legally do anything against your teachers. Your schoolmates and Anzu should be safe if you pretend like you kept that a secret from them as well. Your teachers can find jobs somewhere else, even if it’s not in education. They’re talented in many areas. You can either get into college, albeit without the advantages and preparation Hayes Academy offers, or get a job if necessary. So yeah, even if worse comes to worse, you can start again. It doesn’t mean you’re giving up though.

You keep your eyes on Mrs. Reed, who narrows hers, takes a deep breath, drinks some coffee and finally addresses you again.

“How have you not been caught?” she asks with a subtle tone of disbelief.

No the question you expected, but alright.

“We’re careful, though we’ve had some slipups that thankfully haven’t led to anything bad. At school I’m just a student, and we don’t go out on dates in public. Besides, I’d say they’re more demanding with me with school performance since they try very hard not to play favorites.”

“You’re very calm despite having told me this,” she points out. “Do you think there’s nothing I can do about it?”

“On the contrary. You probably have the power to get us kicked out of the school. We’d try to deny everything, of course, but even then, it’s something we’ve been prepared for. We knew the risks.”

“You’re a fool,” Mrs. Reed sighs, resting her cheek on her hand. “But it’s not like I have any room to criticize you.”

“Uh? How so?”

“I also dated a teacher in school,” she reveals with a nostalgic smile.

“S-Seriously?”

“Yes. We almost got caught and decided that we didn’t want to ruin each other’s future, so we broke up. One of the few regrets I have in life.” She tries to hide her smile behind her cup, but it’s too late.

“So? Will you tell the school?”

“No, I won’t. Not only do I have no right to call you out on it, but I have no business messing with your decisions. I asked because having you hide things from me made me uncomfortable, but knowing they’re the teachers, who I’ve met, leaves me with little to worry about. What’s more, I see you were ready to deal with the consequences of getting caught, and that reassures me again that you’re a good catch for Lilian. She’ll learn from you, I’m sure.”

“So… does that mean I have your approval?” you ask, unable to hide the hopefulness in your voice.

“That, and I’ll help you out. Come on,” Mrs. Reed says, standing up from her seat and calling the waitress to pay for the drinks.

“W-Where are we going?”

“To pick out rings, of course. It’s why you’re here. I know about jewelry and I might be able to get you a discount in my friend’s store.”

And as it turns out, Mrs. Reed’s friend was the clerk from the first store you visited. He was surprised to see you come back with her, but happy nonetheless. He apologized for accidentally revealing the engagement to your future mother-in-law, but it ended up working out somehow.

Really, sometimes you feel like you’re very prepared and it turns out you’re just a very lucky bastard. Or maybe karma is real and you’ve done enough good things in your life to not get screwed over again. And considering the Affection Multiplier came to you when you needed it most, perhaps karma IS real.

Mrs. Reed helps you pick the rings, suggesting that some women get jealous despite themselves and that it’s a safer bet to get the same ring for all of them. It will also give it a sense of unity, she says. For necklaces, the three you get are fairly similar, but they have to be different enough to avoid suspicion. All of them are made of silver and have small diamonds in them, but one’s shaped like a teardrop, one like a circle and one like, well, a diamond. For rings, you settle on a shiny silver band with diamond accents. You thankfully have the right sizes for having tried to give a cheap ring to Emma once and fucking up the size. That gave you an excuse to ask the girls for their ring sizes to avoid that screw up in the future, which is now the present.

You leave the order, and the owner tells you the rings will be ready in two days. That means they’ll be ready before you leave on your trip. Still, you’ve never been more nervous for paying for anything in your life. Not even buying traits feels as nerve-wracking as this.

With all your money gone, Mrs. Reed’s approval and a light head, you return home by 10:00 pm. You swear to god, if these girls say no for some reason you’re cutting your left nut.

And before you go back home, you give in to temptation and check Mrs. Reed score in your phone.

-Reed, Clara-
Affection Score: 57 (+20)

Well, Mrs. Reed is very clearly on your side. It seems that she really appreciates the fact that you’re serious about her daughter.

Available points: 690 Friendship points / 650 Love points / 690 Lust points