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 114 & 115

Chapter 114

“Heh, you really do know your stuff.”

Suiran said that while watching Vice President Hargrave and Chouichirou shake hands warmly.

Surrounded by reporters, the two looked completely friendly—hard to believe they were from countries that saw each other as potential enemies.

If I remembered right, in the original, the current U.S. administration was led by the Coexistence Party—a party that promoted cooperative policies toward Japan.

And Chouichirou Kousaki, being strongly pro-American, supported that approach.

“When you think about it, it’s pretty crazy. A U.S. official showing up at Japan’s weapons exhibition.”

“Well, officially, the exhibition is meant to maintain peace, so they invite important figures from various countries. Though… that’s just a convenient excuse. From the U.S. side, they’re probably also here to keep an eye on Japan and make sure it doesn’t expand its influence any further.”

She gave a small, slightly disappointed smile.

“Still… I respect that they’re at least trying to talk. Though honestly, this isn’t exactly the place for it—with all these weapons around.”

In the original, Hargrave’s visit to Japan faced heavy criticism.

Well, showing up in Japan at a time like this definitely took guts.

But the Coexistence Party had strong approval ratings, and with them in power, they had the freedom to push things forward.

That’s probably why Vice President Hargrave chose to go through with the visit, even if it was a bit forceful.

Apparently, he was also seen as the next likely president—so this was probably a way to appeal to his supporters too.

“(Still, you’ve got quite an impressive lineup of weapons here.)”

“(Yes, this is Japan’s proud military strength. What do you think? Care to buy one?)”

With that, Vice President Hargrave and Chouichirou burst out laughing.

…Honestly, that kind of conversation makes me nervous.

“They’re both walking a fine line in diplomacy. That’s how tense things are right now.”

“I see…”

“They’re scheduled to hold a joint press conference later at the ‘Chiba Arlin Stadium.’”

“Hm? Chiba Arlin Stadium?”

“You don’t know it? It’s a track stadium built for the 1940 Tokyo Olympics. It’s hosted world athletics events, and traditionally, meetings with the U.S. are held there. It’s close to Makuhari Messe.”

“Ah… right…”

I tried to play it off, but I’d never heard of it.

In my previous life, the 1940 Tokyo Olympics never even happened because of the war.

So of course, a place like that didn’t exist.

Looks like when history changes, even buildings change with it.

“…Ah.”

At that moment, Suiran’s expression turned serious.

“Alright, Yuu-kun. From here on, it’s our job. —In a way… this could decide Japan’s future.”

Just then, a tall blonde girl standing near Vice President Hargrave noticed us and waved.

Not at me—but at Suiran beside me.

“Sui!”

“Eleanor!”

The two of them ran toward each other and immediately hugged.

—Eleanor Hargrave.

An American of British descent.

And the only daughter of the Vice President.

Also—

Suiran’s closest friend.

“(I’ve been looking forward to today so much!)”

“(Me too! Welcome to Japan!)”

They looked genuinely happy together.

Maybe it was because they were the same age—but they got along incredibly well.

Though… given their positions, part of that closeness might also be something they had to show.

Click. Click.

Flash. Flash.

Cameras went off all around them.

The press had already gathered nearby.

This whole scene was clearly meant to show the world a friendly image.

Originally, the two met through the connection between Vice President Hargrave and Chouichirou—and their friendship was often portrayed as a beautiful bond that crossed national lines.

But honestly…

There was definitely a bit of politics mixed into it.

Still—

“(Sui… who is this…?)”

Eleanor glanced at me with her clear blue eyes, looking slightly nervous as she tugged on Suiran’s sleeve.

Suiran smiled and linked arms with her.

“(Yuuji Takahashi—also known as Yuu! My boyfriend~~♡)” 

Hearing that, Eleanor quietly muttered—

“(Oh my Gosh…)”

Well… that’s how it’s set up, at least…

“(Nice to meet you—just call me Yuu.)”

I offered a handshake, and Eleanor accepted it.

“(I’m Eleanor… pleased to meet you…)”

By the way… she’s pretty shy.

Especially around guys—her face turns red almost instantly.

Then she leaned closer and whispered softly into Suiran’s ear.

“(Sui! That’s not fair! You found a boyfriend before me!?)”

“(Oh? You still don’t have one, Eleanor~?)”

“(Hey! Don’t tease me!)”

Watching the two of them like this was honestly kind of heartwarming.

—Even in the middle of all this complicated political stuff,

I wanted to believe that their friendship was real.

“(Sui!)”

At that moment, Vice President Hargrave stepped forward and offered Suiran a handshake.

“(Sorry, but I’m counting on you to look after my daughter today.)”

“(Of course!)”

Suiran responded with an even brighter smile.

“(She’s always been a bit shy, hasn’t had many friends. So… I truly appreciate you being close to her. From the bottom of my heart—thank you.)”

“(Dad! Stop saying embarrassing things!)”

Eleanor lightly hit him in protest, and Hargrave just laughed.

“(Haha, alright, alright! But really, Japan is a wonderful country. It’s safe, the food is great, and above all, there’s this strong sense of hospitality. …Americans misunderstand the Japanese.)”

Then he flashed a bright, confident smile.

“(For the growth and cooperation of both our nations, I’ll keep giving it my all today as well.)”

Hearing that, Suiran smiled brightly.

Sure, as a politician, he was probably moving through all kinds of negotiations and strategies—but I didn’t think his pro-Japan stance was fake.

Maybe… just maybe—

The peace Japan enjoyed today was being held together by people like Chouichirou Kousaki and Vice President Hargrave.

“(Alright then, Eleanor! I’ll take you to the shopping mall!)”

“(Yeah! I’m really looking forward to it!)”

The two linked arms, getting ready to move.

(Here it comes. So far, everything’s played out almost exactly like in the original.)

This was it.

From here on—

We’d be stepping fully into Suiran’s bad-end scenario.

Just as I braced myself—microphones from the press suddenly pushed toward them.

“Eleanor-san! Hello!”

“Welcome to Japan!”

After throwing out some half-hearted English greetings—they immediately turned their microphones toward Suiran.

“Suiran-san! Good afternoon! What kind of political intentions do you think are behind the U.S. Vice President’s visit this time?”

“Did your grandfather tell you anything about it?”

The press fired off casual, almost disrespectful questions without hesitation.

Suiran simply smiled and gave a polite nod in response.

“Heh, she smiled.”

“‘Suiran smile,’ huh? Lol”

Even with those mocking voices—

Suiran didn’t let her smile drop.

(…So this is what everyday life is like for a Kousaki heiress.)

For better or worse, as the daughter of a conglomerate that held massive influence over Japan’s political and economic world—every little thing she did became news.

But most of it—was criticism.

Lately, with Chouichirou openly leaning more pro-American, people had been calling him opportunistic… even a traitor.

The backlash against the Kousaki conglomerate was stronger than ever.

And now that attention had fully shifted onto Suiran as well.

Sure, her beauty earned her plenty of fans.

But because of that same beauty, she also received even more hate.

Her private life was constantly watched, and if you looked online, there were endless inappropriate comments and harassment aimed at her.

More than anyone could reasonably deal with.

“Please step back! Move back!”

Her professional bodyguards tightened their formation.

But one reporter, clearly ignoring the rules—“Hey, Suiran-san!”—pushed a microphone forward.

It came swinging toward her face—

“Ah—”

But I caught it with a sharp motion before it hit.

“Tch… honestly.”

Dealing with this kind of reckless press was part of my job too.

I casually tossed the microphone aside and, as expected, it caused a bit of chaos.

“Alright, now’s our chance. Let’s go.”

I gave Suiran a light push on the back.

“O-Okay.”

We quickly made our way out of the venue.

After things settled down a bit, Suiran thanked me.

“…It’s a tough time, isn’t it.”

She smiled, but there was a hint of resignation in it.

“Even if we talk about peace and cooperation, all we get back are insults. And if we try to get along with America, we’re labeled as traitors… it’s complicated.”

It was the first time I’d seen Suiran show that kind of vulnerability.

Right—the reason Japan managed to avoid World War II in this world was said to be thanks to Shouichi Kousaki—Suiran’s ancestor. (Chouichirou’s grandfather.)

Back then, public opinion in Japan was strongly anti-West, so suppressing that sentiment and avoiding war with the U.S. and Britain took incredible influence and skill.

But at the same time—that’s when the heavy backlash against the Kousaki conglomerate began.

“Coward.”

“Spineless.”

“You weakened the country.”

The man known as the “hero who prevented war”—was remembered in this world as a “traitor who sold out his nation.”

…Yeah.

It really is complicated.

“I believe what my grandfather is doing is right. No matter the reason, war is wrong. I… want to keep working so that the world can always hold on to that belief.”

Suiran gave a slightly shy smile.

That had always been her path—for peace, for Japan.

Even at just fifteen, she carried all of that on her shoulders, doing everything she could.

Honestly… it was admirable.

Back when I first learned this in the original story—

I remembered being genuinely moved.

“Me too—”

“Huh?”

“I think what the Kousaki family is doing is right too. And what you’re doing, Suiran… it’s admirable. It really means something.”

Suiran’s eyes widened.

There was a faint tremble in them.

“I want you to keep moving forward, just like that. Don’t lose that.”

“Yuu-kun…”

Yeah.

There was only one thing I needed to do.

Clean up the trash—the ones trying to change things through violence.

To put it simply…

Suiran was about to be assassinated.

She’d be guiding Eleanor, the Vice President’s daughter, with security in place, as part of a formal welcome.

And of course, the media would be covering it.

It wasn’t a secret outing.

And that—was exactly what made it dangerous this time.

In fact, the route they were about to take had already been roughly predicted by terrorists.

There were people planning to take advantage of that—to assassinate both Eleanor, the Vice President’s daughter who leaned toward Japan, and Suiran, the granddaughter of the so-called “traitorous” secretary-general, at the same time.

But that plan would fail.

In the end, Eleanor would survive.

Because Suiran protected her—putting her own body on the line to shield the Vice President’s daughter.

But…

Suiran would die.

If the daughter of a major figure were assassinated on Japanese soil, war would be inevitable.

History had already proven that.

She understood that—which was why she stepped in without hesitation.

She was the kind of person who would do that.

And that’s exactly why I…

“Suiran.”

I called her name, looking straight at her.

Because if I did this—

I could definitely save her.

“I’ll protect you. No matter what.”

“…!”

For a brief moment, her cheeks turned slightly red…

But at the time, I was too focused to notice at all.

Chapter 115

○ Anti-American Patriot Front Office

This happened a little before the present.

After the news broke that the sitting Vice President of the United States would be visiting Japan during the annual Weapons Exhibition and meeting with Chouichirou Kousaki of the Seiyuukai—

“—That damn traitor Kousaki!!”

A young man slammed his fist onto the desk.

His name was Kazuki Touma.

Twenty-two years old, and a recent recruit of the far-right group known as the “Anti-American Patriot Front.”

Their office was located inside an old apartment room that looked decades past its prime.

“Ohh. Full of energy, aren’t you, Touma?”

The one speaking was a man in his sixties, sitting heavily in a chair at the back while smoking a cigarette.

Chikuma—the leader of the Anti-American Patriot Front.

“Of course I am, Chikuma-san! Inviting enemy-state America to a place where we display our nation’s military power!? It’s unforgivable! That Chouichirou Kousaki is obviously an American spy! A complete pro-American sellout!”

In recent years, far-right groups had been struggling with aging members.

Older patriots often complained that young people lacked passion or spirit.

But Touma, who had joined recently, was different.

Despite being young, he was fiercely anti-American.

He’d even left home just to devote himself fully to the movement. 

“The Kousaki conglomerate… that whole family’s practically made up of traitors. Japan started going wrong the moment they got into the center of politics.”

“Exactly. If you think about it, during World War II, Japan should’ve allied with Germany and Italy and fought against Britain and America!”

“And yet Japan threw away that perfect opportunity! As a result, Germany and Italy lost, and the postwar world ended up dominated by America and the Soviet Union! If Japan had joined the war back then… we could’ve beaten America and Britain too! This world should’ve revolved around our country!”

They clenched their fists tightly.

Japan was strong.

It defeated Russia and Qing China in war.

The Japan of the Meiji Restoration had shown the spirit to stand against great powers.

And yet…

To them, the cautious attitude Japan adopted in the Showa era felt pathetic enough to bring tears of frustration.

The so-called patriots gathered here all shared that belief, dedicating themselves day and night to “saving Japan.”

But as time passed, they only grew more impatient.

They felt Japan slowly being swallowed by the overwhelming influence of America.

And they believed—now was the last chance to change that.

“…Do you think it’ll really be impossible for the hardliner Hideo Mayuzumi-san to take power?”

The one who said that was Oumi, who had just turned thirty-three.

Around this time, the Seiyuukai government had been losing stability due to the recession and its ties with the Satsuroukai.

The opposition parties were weak, so a full change in government probably wouldn’t happen—but people expected the ruling party to lose a significant number of seats.

Because of that, rumors had started spreading that the current leader, Hiiragi, would be replaced and a new party president selected.

Chikuma answered Oumi’s question.

“From what I heard through my connections in the Seiyuukai, the next president is practically decided already. It’ll be the dove faction’s Mamoru Senba.”

“…What?”

“Secretary-General Chouichirou Kousaki is personally gathering support for Senba. His faction is the largest in the Seiyuukai. —With numbers like that, there’s no beating him.”

“No way…! Just how corrupt is the Kousaki conglomerate!? Mayuzumi-sensei is the only one who supports the ideals of our Anti-American Patriot Front! He’s the one who should lead Japan through this unstable international situation…! He’s the only one!”

“Yeah. Japan’s collapse might not be far off now. This country, protected by our predecessors ever since the Black Ships arrived… will fall during our generation. …All because of the Kousaki conglomerate!”

Chikuma crushed his cigarette into the ashtray.

His face burned with anger.

No—

It wasn’t just him.

Touma and Oumi had already reached their limit too.

“You boys are prepared for this, right?”

Chikuma asked, as if confirming their resolve.

They nodded.

There wasn’t even a trace of hesitation.

“Since the day the Anti-American Patriot Front was founded, we’ve believed that if it’s for fixing this country, we can’t be afraid to use force. —And now, that time has finally come.”

At Chikuma’s signal, Touma brought over a suitcase from the back room.

The moment he opened it—everyone froze.

At the sight of the cold black metal inside.

“…Handguns… and bombs…”

Oumi swallowed hard before turning to Touma.

“You got all this yourself? Back in the day, the Satsuroukai used to secretly pass us copied firearms, but after Ashioka became chairman, that stopped. It couldn’t have been easy gathering weapons like these.”

“Yeah. The yakuza route was impossible. So instead… I used my own connections!”

“Your own connections…?”

This time, Chikuma answered.

“His family runs a trading company. Apparently, he knows a way to smuggle weapons in from overseas without attracting government attention.”

“I-I see…”

In this world, civilians in Japan weren’t allowed to carry guns freely—but at licensed training facilities, firearms like pistols could legally be handled.

And the Anti-American Patriot Front required its members to train with firearms after joining, along with martial arts and studying Japanese history.

So most people here at least knew how to use guns—but this was the first time they’d ever held real ones outside a training range.

“Good. Everyone’s got one now.”

Chikuma picked up a handgun himself—his expression completely changing as he spoke.

“The targets are Eleanor, the daughter of the American Vice President… and Suiran Kousaki, granddaughter of Chouichirou Kousaki.”

Everyone nodded.

This had already been decided from the start.

Vice President Hargrave and Chouichirou Kousaki themselves were too heavily protected.

Even if everyone in the Anti-American Patriot Front rushed them at once, the chances of success were low.

But their daughter and granddaughter—

That was a different story.

Every year, the media showed off their close relationship, and even their planned visit to the shopping mall was publicly listed in the schedule.

In a crowded place like that, an attack would be much easier.

“A nation comes before individuals. For the sake of the country, this cleansing is necessary. The invaders trying to win over Japan with smiles… and the corrupt conglomerates willing to accept that invasion—

if left alone, they’ll spread and wither every other flower around them.

—We must cut the weeds out from the root.”

That was their sense of justice.

Even if it meant assassinating young girls—

As long as it led to Japan’s future, they believed it was worth it.

At their leader’s words, everyone nodded.

“We’ll make this succeed, no matter what, Chikuma-san! Everyone!”

The one shouting louder than anyone else, burning with obsession over the plan, was Touma.

Without him gathering the weapons, this assassination plot probably would never have even been considered.

“Now is the time to deliver divine punishment to the traitorous Kousaki conglomerate!”

Only seven of the seventeen members of the Anti-American Patriot Front—including the executives and Touma—knew about the assassination plan.

And among them, the actual attack team had been narrowed down to four people, including Touma and Oumi.

“Review your positions carefully. Especially you, Oumi.”

Called out directly by Chikuma, Oumi immediately straightened his posture.

“This entire operation depends on your first strike. Don’t mess it up.”

“Yes, sir!”

And just like that, their assassination plan was set into motion.

The Anti-American Patriot Front was no longer being closely monitored by Public Security, so nobody expected them to attempt a terrorist attack like this.

—Except for one person.

〇

Side: Yuuji

Time passed, and eventually—the day of the assassination attempt arrived.

(Alright… they should be starting to move soon. The Anti-American Patriot Front.)

This was while we were heading toward the shopping mall.

More and more people had gathered around us before we knew it—all because of the famous Suiran Kousaki and Eleanor, the visiting Vice President’s daughter.

“Suiran-saaan!!”

Some were passionate fans cheering for her.

“Down with the Kousaki conglomerate!!”

Others were the exact opposite—furious anti-fans shouting abuse.

(And somewhere in this crowd… are the rotten bastards planning to assassinate them.)

In the original story, after Suiran’s assassination took place, the incident details were explained in narration—and that’s where the name “Anti-American Patriot Front” first appeared.

So I understood their motives very well.

Even so—

I still thought they were a bunch of delusional idiots hiding behind their own twisted sense of justice.

At first, I considered storming their office and beating the hell out of them beforehand—but if events changed too much from the original, they might completely rewrite the assassination plan.

And if that happened, protecting Suiran perfectly would become a lot harder.

So instead, it was safer to let the plan move forward exactly like in the original.

Because then—with my knowledge of what was coming, I could stop them right before it happened.

Sure, Suiran and the others would still have to go through a frightening situation—but this was the most reliable way to protect them.

(Come now… show yourselves already.)

My guard was higher than it had ever been as I scanned the crowd.

The terrorists’ planned attack time was—

13:40.