Academy SP 〜An Ex-Mercenary Reincarnated as a Mob in a Gal Game. I Ditched My Bodyguard Job to Enjoy High School Life, but When the Ultra-Rich Heroines Were About to Get Killed, I Stepped In… and Somehow Built a Harem Powerful Enough to Control Japan〜 - Chapter 04

Chapter 04

Since the game progressed entirely in first-person, there were hardly any chances to actually see the protagonist from the player’s point of view.

Maybe that was why—I was honestly surprised by how good-looking this guy was.

The game description had called him a “plain protagonist,” and yet here he was.

Well, I guess if the same illustrator handled everyone, of course the main character would end up handsome too…

Still, it made me painfully aware of one unfair truth of this world: in the end, being popular probably came down to having a good face.

“Alright then.”

Amagaya lowered himself into his seat.

I mean, even his name sounded cool and perfectly protagonist-like.

But putting that aside—

Basically, this academy—no, this entire world—might as well exist for Shirou Amagaya, the protagonist of this gal game.

Which meant that if I wanted to enjoy a peaceful, fun youth, worrying about the ultra-rich heroines or public opinion came second.

What really mattered was keeping a close eye on this guy.

Which heroine route was he going to choose…?

I needed to figure that out—and make sure I never ended up on his bad side.

If I remembered correctly, what came next was… ah, right.

—The Wakita sitting next to me was about to strike up a conversation with Amagaya, the protagonist.

This guy Wakita had an uncanny nose for things—almost animal-like.

To begin with, Amagaya came from an ordinary household. His parents were completely average people.

Because of that, compared to the other Academy SP students and the girls, he was treated as “poor,” and sure enough, there was a whole setup where people looked down on him.

But—

Amagaya was the strongest man among all the Academy SP students.

He had trained in all kinds of martial arts since childhood.

He was naturally gifted physically, and back in middle school, he had fought delinquent groups, street thugs, and even yakuza types, sharpening his skills in real street fights.

Honestly, his strength alone was the reason he had been accepted into this school.

To be fair, that ridiculous background existed mostly because trouble kept finding him, like some delinquent manga protagonist.

His actual personality, though, was dead serious and straightforward.

That was why no one noticed his true strength—

Except Wakita.

With intuition sharp enough to call it insight, Wakita saw right through Amagaya.

He figured, “If I stick with this guy, good things will come my way.”

And so, he boldly approached him on his own.

In every route where the protagonist ended up with a heroine, Wakita always benefited on the side and lived a pretty happy life himself.

In short—

This guy was about to go up to Amagaya and say something like, “Yo, my best buddy!”, trying to worm his way in with that natural smooth-talker personality of his.

Well… after this, I probably wouldn’t be hearing from this glasses-wearing side character much anymore.

After all, he had found someone far more important than a mob like me.

“So, come to think of it, I still haven’t heard your name! I’m Wakita! Nice to meet you!”

“Uh, oh? I’m Yuuji Takahashi.”

“Ohh! Then Yuuji it is! You can call me Wakita, Wacky, whatever you like—best buddy!”

“…Hah?”

What was with this guy…?

Why was he saying stuff like that to me?

It was like he was trying to befriend me.

Me—a plain mob—when the gal-game protagonist was sitting right next to us?

“I mean, you see, I’m the type who chooses my best friends based on calculation!”

Wakita nodded seriously as he said it.

No, seriously—he just straight-up admitted that.

“My intuition is telling me this! —Yuuji! You’re hiding some incredible power! You and I could become the strongest duo!”

—What the hell was this guy talking about…?

Wait a second.

Wasn’t this a line Wakita was supposed to say to Amagaya in the game…?

What was going on here?

“H-Hey, are you sure about that? Isn’t there another guy here with ridiculous hidden potential? Like—say, the guy sitting to your right.”

Wakita glanced over for a moment, then gave a suspicious smile and leaned close to my ear.

“…So you know too. About Shirou Amagaya. His family isn’t exactly rich, but back in middle school, he left behind a legend—undefeated in fights.”

That caught me off guard.

Had Wakita already looked into the protagonist beforehand…?

“As you know, Academy SP talks a lot about family background and dignity—but in reality, the most important thing is… power. The kind of power that could make those ultra-rich young ladies fall for you.”

“Power…”

“Public opinion is tearing into those families pretty hard these days. Over the next three years, something is definitely going to happen. And when it does, what matters is having the strength to crush whatever danger comes their way. Girls tend to fall for strong guys, after all.”

—He wasn’t wrong.

At least when it came to clearing routes in this gal game, Wakita’s logic was spot-on.

“But sadly, I don’t have that kind of power. My athletic ability is pretty average. So I decided I should move in whatever way improves my future the most.”

“Your future?”

“Yeah. I’m the third son of a small IT company owner. My older brother’s going to inherit the business, and honestly, I’m fine with that. But if I can help the company grow even a little more, getting close to the daughters of those ultra-rich families as classmates isn’t a bad strategy, right? That’s why I willingly joined Academy SP.”

…Yeah, this part had been explained in the game—but wow, he was being incredibly honest about it.

“But I’m not planning to be the one protecting them on the front lines. I’ll leave that to someone stronger. I’ll support from the sidelines and reap the benefits. —That’s the strategy I’ve decided on.”

Wakita let out a quiet chuckle.

I see… so he had a pretty scheming side to him too.

I hadn’t realized he’d thought things through this far.

But honestly, I didn’t find it unpleasant.

Mercenaries were the same way.

Unlike regular soldiers who fought for patriotism, mercenaries fought for money.

Well… in my case, maybe there had been things like pride or honor mixed in too—but still.

So working based on calculation, or building relationships for personal gain, was only natural.

If anything, the fact that he was laying it all out so openly made me feel a strange sense of respect toward him.

“Well, that’s how it is. So if you ever don’t understand something, come ask me. I’ll do my best to help you figure it out!”

Wakita gave me a thumbs-up.

Still… something didn’t quite sit right with me.

“If you’re after power… wouldn’t Amagaya next to you be the better choice? He’s probably the strongest among the Academy SP students, right?”

This time, Wakita didn’t even glance at Amagaya.

“What are you talking about? The strongest among our classmates is—”

He looked straight at me and smiled.

“You, obviously.”

He said it like it was the most natural thing in the world.

“I could tell the moment I saw you. You’re not ordinary. You’re far stronger than Amagaya. That’s why I want to get close to you.”

“………………”

Heh…

This guy was saying something outrageous with a perfectly calm smile.

“Well then, I’m counting on you! Best buddy!”

And just as Wakita gave my shoulder a friendly pat—

The headmaster stepped up to the podium.