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〜

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Chapter 20

Side: Yuuji

Yushuu Girls’ Academy—the old school building.

This place had been the very first girls’ school in Japan, founded back in the Meiji era.
At the time, it had been nothing more than a small school building, attended only by refined young ladies from noble families.

As the Taisho, Showa, and Seitei eras passed, the school had gradually opened its doors wider.
The number of students increased, and before long, it transformed into a prestigious girls’ academy famous throughout Japan.

And in recent years, a brand-new school building had also been constructed.

There had once been plans to tear down this old building, but since it had existed for over a hundred years and carried significant historical value, many alumnae had strongly requested its preservation.
Because of that, the demolition plan had been put on hold.

…Still, there was no way the school had ever imagined that male students would one day set foot inside this garden of girls.

Anyway, since it was the old building, the facilities were seriously outdated.
The shoe lockers were made of wood, the toilets were Japanese-style, and there was no air conditioning. (There were electric fans, at least.)

It felt like this place alone had been left behind by the flow of time.

And it wasn’t just the equipment that had been left behind.

In this gal-game version of Japan, school rooftops were normally off-limits nationwide—yet for some reason, students were still allowed to freely come and go up there in this building.

I wasn’t sure whether she’d chosen this place on purpose, but Ririko Aketo called me out—and then said this to me.
She wanted me to help her.

But even with my shaky memory of the original story, I knew one thing for sure.

This event didn’t exist.

At the very least, when I had been playing as the protagonist, Amagaya, I didn’t remember a single rooftop summoning event ever happening.

So then… what exactly was going on here?

Unable to make sense of it, I decided to rewind time a little—to before all of this started.

〇

—Early May.

About a month had passed since my second life as a high schooler had begun.

Right after enrolling, there had been that incident where one of the heroines, Sara Hagoromo, nearly went straight into a bad ending.
But after that, it felt like the peaceful days I’d been hoping for had continued.

Well… I did end up having to act as Sara’s bodyguard.

In that sense, you could say I was busy—but honestly, all we really did was go to the arcade or karaoke with Wakita, the three of us hanging out together.
To put it bluntly, we were basically just playing around.

Or, depending on how you looked at it, I was spending almost every day hanging out with a cute gyaru girl.
That was basically the definition of a “normie win,” wasn’t it?

Maybe I was actually living out a proper youth.

But… the truth was, because my mental age was somewhere in my thirties, I couldn’t see Sara as anything other than someone I needed to look after.
Wakita felt more like an equal, mentally speaking.

So yeah, if I had to be honest, it wasn’t exactly moving or life-changing.
Still, it wasn’t bad either.
Actually, it was pretty fun.

The real problem was studying.

This was a prestigious academy, after all.
You needed solid grades just to get into “Academy SP.”

Mob character Yuuji Takahashi probably had the brains to attend this school according to the setting.
But the real Yuuji Takahashi—meaning me, a former middle-school graduate—was, simply put, an idiot.

Math, chemistry, everything… I was completely falling behind.
At this rate, failing the midterms and getting forced into remedial classes felt pretty much guaranteed.

The other place where I actually had a chance to rack up points was PE—anything that involved using my body.

And then there was one more thing――
The special class that existed only in Yushu Academy SP (Special Police) Department: the SP Course.

The SP Course focused on practical training for protecting a client.
It was the real deal—basically the same kind of training actual professional SPs went through.

When I actually tried it, I had to admit it was pretty educational.

Officially, though, it was framed as “education to train the mind and body, just like judo or kendo.”
Because of that, the true purpose—guarding daughters of the Four Great Conglomerates and maintaining order within the academy—was deliberately kept vague.

Now then, the SP Course also had grades.
And naturally, I wanted to score well in this subject too.

And just so happened, today was my chance.

“—We will now begin the First-Term SP Practical Tournament! Draw lots according to your attendance numbers!”

At that command from the SP Course instructor, Itabashi-sensei, the male students stepped forward one by one and reached into a makeshift lottery box.

The so-called First-Term SP Practical Tournament was basically a tournament-style sparring competition held once per term.
Mats were laid out in the gym, and we fought one-on-one using karate protective gear.

As for the rules, they were far more flexible than standard karate.
Grabs, throws—pretty much anything went.

Ring-outs, clean hits, submission holds that forced a tap-out—the winner was decided entirely by Itabashi-sensei’s judgment as the referee.

“Man… I’m totally losing in the first round for sure…”

Wakita muttered gloomily as he drew his lot.

He did have decent stamina, but in Academy SP, where physical elites were everywhere, he was closer to the bottom of the pack.
He was more of a brains-over-brawn type, after all.

…Alright, go get crushed.

“…Hey. Yuuji, aren’t you enjoying my misfortune a little too much?”

“Not really.”

Saying that, I reached in and drew my own lot.

As the drawing continued, names were written one after another on the board, filling out the matchups.

“Still… doesn’t it feel like everyone’s way too fired up?”

I watched the male students, all of them drawing lots with flared nostrils and barely contained excitement.

Sure, this affected our grades—but what was with this strange level of hype?

“That’s obvious, isn’t it!?”

Wakita said that while grinning like an idiot, pointing beside us with a c’mon, look gesture.

On the other side of the ball-proof net—set up to stop volleyballs—there stood a group of beautiful female students, fidgeting as they peeked over at us.

“Looks like Class 1-C and 1-D have a joint volleyball lesson today! Ahhh… think we’ll get to see their boobs bounce!?”

I see.

So it wasn’t just this idiot with glasses—having girls in the same space had everyone fired up.
On top of that, they probably wanted to show off and, if possible, score some points with the girls.

Right now, the girls were playing volleyball, but anyone not in a match was standing around watching.
Because of that, more than half of the girls were sending glances our way, creating a situation no guy could possibly ignore.

“I’m going to win. Win. WINNN!”

“That noble young lady I’ve always had my eye on is watching…! This is my chance!”

“If I win this tournament… I’ll confess to Itou-san from that major food company!!”

Everyone seemed to be pouring their own dreams into this tournament.

For students in Academy SP, building connections with daughters of the Four Great Conglomerates was a huge goal—but there were also daughters of noble families and famous corporations here.
Because of that, plenty of guys were clearly aiming for those girls as potential partners instead.

In a way, this event was basically a showcase—
A chance to appeal and prove how strong you were.

“C’mon, Yuuji, you’ve gotta show them your good side too!”

Wakita said that with a wink, pointing ahead.

And there—among Class 1-D—was Sara Hagoromo.

She had an intrigued look on her face, gripping the ball-stop net, her eyes sparkling as she stared over at us—like a curious little puppy watching something exciting.

“Since we’re the Hagoromo Conglomerate faction, we can’t afford to lose, right!? Well, I’ll probably get knocked out in round one, but Yuuji, you should aim for the championship!”

“The championship, huh…”

Just then, Sara and I happened to lock eyes.

She raised one hand and called out, “Do your best!”

Even with so many girls around, I had to admit—her beauty really stood out.
No surprise there. She was one of the main heroines of this gal game world.

I could understand why getting cheered on by a beauty like that would fire someone up—if I were still the high schooler I used to be.

—Sorry, but I needed to avoid standing out.

Here in Academy SP, strength was basically treated as justice.
And those who were strong were fated to shoulder responsibilities that matched that strength.

For example, Manabu Hirota—the guy known as the strongest in Academy SP—was also serving as class representative, and he looked ridiculously busy acting as the organizer for everything.
To be fair, he took on that role willingly, which honestly made him impressive.

From my point of view, though, I couldn’t help but be amazed that someone could handle all of that so smoothly.

Back when I’d been in the French Foreign Legion, I’d been promoted and served as a corporal once… and I never wanted to do that again.

Leading people from different nationalities, cultures, and values had been brutally exhausting.
That was when I truly realized that fighting alone as a regular soldier suited me far better.

So, to put it simply—

If I wanted to avoid unnecessary trouble, there was no way I could go all out in this tournament.

“…My goal is simple—lose in the second round.”

“Huh? Yuuji, didn’t you just set the lowest goal imaginable?”

“Not really. Anyway, you just focus on doing your best and winning.”

After that, the tournament draw wrapped up… and the matches finally began.

Chapter 21

“—Gwoooaaargh!?”
“Valid hit! That’s enough!!”

Itabashi-sensei raised the red flag.

The one letting out that pathetic groan was Wakita, clad in white protective gear.
Barely one minute after the match started, he went down with a clean KO.

“Yesss!!”

The one shouting in victory was the winner in red gear—Isoyama.

“Man, you’re fired up, Isoyama.”

“Obviously! Like hell I’d lose to some guy with glasses!”

Saying that, Isoyama high-fived his buddies with a loud “Yeah!”

He belonged to the Aketo Conglomerate faction—in other words, Manabu Hirota’s group.
If I remembered right, he was a karate black belt and even strong enough to aim for the Olympics.

“Owww… seriously… Isoyama-kun didn’t hold back at all…”

Clutching his stomach, Wakita plopped down next to me.

Man, this guy was weak.

“The Aketo Conglomerate faction is really hyped up. Well, the Kirishima faction too—and the Kousaki faction as well. This is starting to feel like a contest over which faction is the strongest.”

“Good grief… this is turning into some weird team competition.”

“Guh…! The Hagoromo Conglomerate faction is just you and me, Yuuji… In that case, you have to win the whole thing and show everyone our faction’s pride!”

“Don’t be stupid…”

Thinking that, I finally stood up—it was my turn.

But at that moment, the gym suddenly stirred.

The direction everyone was looking wasn’t me…
It was beyond the net.

“—Ah, that’s Ririko Aketo-san.”

“Whoa… she’s insanely cute…”

“She’s totally number one in the pure-and-elegant category…”

Even though they’d been busy fighting over factions, the moment a girl appeared, everyone crossed those lines without hesitation and became completely absorbed.

Men really were idiots.

That said, even in her gym clothes, it was obvious how slender and well-proportioned she was.
Her skin was lightly damp, her cheeks faintly flushed—and somehow, that gave her a subtle, alluring charm.

She’d probably been sweating from just finishing a volleyball match.

Looks like her turn was over, so she came over to watch.

“Ririko-sama is watching our matches…!”

“No way I’m losing now!”

“Let’s lock down the top four ourselves!”

With the princess’s arrival, the guys from the Aketo Conglomerate faction were fired up like never before.
Their morale was easily number one.

“Next—Match Four! Both fighters, step forward!”

Itabashi-sensei had just called that out when—

“—Yuuji! Do your best!!”

The voice that rang straight through me belonged to Sara.

She had her hands clasped together, looking like she was about to cry.

What is this, some kind of championship finals?

“Match Four—Yuuji Takahashi versus—”

Man… this was a pain.

I was planning to win the first round, sure, but—

“—Manabu Hirota!”

…Of all people, I had to run into this guy in the very first match.

“YES SIR!!”

Hirota answered with a loud shout—so loud that even the girls who had been playing volleyball turned to look.

His eyes were sharp, and you could practically see his fighting spirit radiating from his back.

—Huh. That was unexpected.

I thought he was the calm type, but it looked like even he was fired up with Ririko Aketo watching.

“Go, Hirota-kun!”

“Take that guy out in one hit!”

“If you’re gonna surrender, do it now! Mob-face, lol!”

Tch. Damn kids… running their mouths with those cheap taunts.

“Alright—both fighters… Begin!”

Itabashi-sensei swung the flag down.

I’d heard Hirota was well-versed in multiple martial arts, but his base style seemed to be karate.

At first, he took a calm, steady stance.

But then—

“CHERIAAAAAAA!!”

He stepped forward off his left foot and launched himself into the air in one smooth motion.

His body, driven by momentum, came straight at me—then twisted backward midair.

All the power he’d built up surged into his right leg as it flew straight toward my neck.

—A flying sokutou-geri (leg blade kick), huh.

BAM!

Bam, bam!!

My body was blown backward, slamming into the ground as I rolled away.

And then—out of bounds.

Silence.

The area fell completely still.

He had unleashed a spectacular finishing move, sending me flying straight out of the ring.

A flawless, overwhelming victory.

And the very next moment—

The crowd erupted into thunderous cheers.

“Thaaaat’s insane!! He lost by ring-out!!”

“He really took him down in one hit!!”

“Wait, did Takahashi just die? Lol”

The atmosphere felt like a hero’s triumphant return.

The girls, too, let out excited squeals—

“He’s amazing!”

“So wonderful…”

“So cool♡”

Manabu Hirota had proven his strength—not just to Academy SP, but to the entire grade.

“H-Hey! Yuuji, are you okay!?”

Wakita came running over, and I motioned for him to give me a hand.

After telling Itabashi-sensei that I was heading to the infirmary, I started walking with Wakita supporting me.

As he slung my arm over his shoulder, Wakita whispered into my ear.

“That was choreographed fall, right? Beautiful defeat. Your acting was way too good.”

Wakita gave me a mocking grin.

Yeah, figured he’d notice.

“Seriously though, that sounded rough. You okay?”

“Yeah. I jumped back to absorb the impact. But…”

I lightly touched my neck.

“I didn’t expect him to aim straight for a spot without any armor.”

“Hirota-kun probably wanted to look good.”

Wakita nodded his chin in that direction.

When I looked over, I saw Manabu Hirota bowing his head to Ririko Aketo—he looked like a samurai reporting his battlefield achievements.

Ririko gave a small nod in return.

Seeing that exchange, her friends squealed, “Kyaa—what a perfect pair♡”

“Hirota-kun is really popular, huh. Ririko-san must be pretty proud to have someone that strong as her exclusive Academy SP, right?”

“Hmph. So I ended up being nothing more than a good punching bag for Hirota.”

“Still, losing like that is going to disappoint Sara-san, you know, Yuuji.”

“Heh, I don’t mind.”

Honestly, that was part of the plan.

One reason I’d let Hirota shine like that was exactly this.

If Sara got disappointed and said, “I didn’t know you were this weak. Goodbye,” and walked away, that would be perfect for me.

I was already sick of playing babysitter for a kid.

Alright—now Sara would wake up and—

“Yuuji!!”

…Or so I thought, but Sara came running over with a face like she was about to burst into tears.

“Are you okay!? That sounded really bad…! M-Maybe you should go to a hospital instead of the infirmary!? S-Sara will call the Hagoromo Conglomerate’s personal doctor right now!!”

“N-No, I’m fine. Put the phone away…”

I never would’ve imagined she’d worry about me this seriously.

Was she still having some weird fantasy about me? I—I needed to snap her out of it, fast…

“S-Sorry. I lost to Hirota.”

“Huh?”

“I-I mean, this is all I’ve got. Pretty pathetic for your SP, right…”

“………………”

Come on—dump me already.

Forget this useless guy and go find another Academy SP, Sara!

…But instead, her cheeks slowly turned red.

“It’s fine. Fufu… Yuuji has a pretty cute side too.”

“…Eh?”