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 41, 42 & 43

Chapter 41

Side: Ririko

—Amazing.

So my instincts weren’t wrong after all.

Until now, all I’d ever seen was Hirota crushing everyone in his path.
People strong enough to make it into Academy SP were flattened by him.

Isoyama-kun even had his arm broken and was knocked out cold.

But what was I seeing now?

Hirota… was the one being overwhelmed.

And even someone like me, who didn’t know anything about martial arts, could tell—

Takahashi-kun wasn’t even serious yet.

Capoeira… that was the name, right?

There’s no way someone could move like that—jumping, spinning—if they were facing an equal.

Which meant…

The gap between them wasn’t just big.

It was overwhelming.

It wasn’t just technique.

It felt deeper.

Like the way they saw fighting itself was completely different.

Between Takahashi-kun and Hirota—

“Ah… I see.”

Our eyes met.

Takahashi-kun looked like he’d suddenly remembered something important.

“Right. Sorry, sorry. I forgot Ririko’s still tied up. Poor thing—that duct tape must be awful. Guess I don’t have time to keep messing around with Hirota.”

—Eh?

Ah… that’s what he meant?

Y-You don’t have to worry about me. I’m fine.

If you’re going to save me, I don’t care how long it takes.

And… if possible…

I just want you to stay safe too.

But the tape over my mouth swallowed all of that.

“Don’t worry. I’ll knock him down and free you right away.”

“……………………!?”

Thump.

W-What was that just now?

Maybe it was the sunset behind him—

But the way his silhouette cut against the light…

He looked so reliable.

Almost… Cool.

Ah—no, no, no.

What am I even thinking right now!?

Clang…

The sound of metal scraping against the floor made me flinch.

I turned toward the sound and let out a muffled “Mmph!?” through the gag.

—Hirota was holding an iron pipe.

“Ku… kukuku…”

His face twisted with sick excitement.

“This is the end for you, Takahashiii…”

He raised the iron pipe into position.

That stance…

It looked like kendo.

“You know… ever since I was little, my father—being a police officer—was especially strict about kendo. Oh yes… morning to night… morning to night… morning to night… Training so much I thought I’d lose my mind.”

He continued, letting out a warped, unsettling laugh.

“I got sick of it and quit kendo. Switched over to karate and judo instead. But you know… the thing I was really good at… was this.”

That probably wasn’t a bluff.

His presence shifted completely.

His feet slid across the floor—suri-ashi, I think it’s called.

Smooth. Natural.

His balance didn’t waver even slightly.

It was like watching a seasoned master.

A strange tension filled the air, and my heart began pounding in response.

“Man, this takes me back… Back in elementary school, I used to practice against classmates from the same dojo—even middle schoolers and high schoolers. I broke rib after rib, over and over again… Judo and chokeholds are great, sure—but second place definitely goes to a kendo body strike. That crack, crack feeling traveling up the bamboo sword… it was the best…”

—This was bad.

No. This was worse than before.

Even I could sense it.

There was something dark rising behind him.

And more importantly—

There was no way Takahashi-kun, fighting barehanded, could win against someone holding a weapon.

—Takahashi-kun!! No!!

“DIEEEEEEEE!! TAKAHASHIIIIIIII!!!”

But then—

A chill.

Like a freezing wind colder than absolute zero swept through me, and every hair on my body stood on end.

It wasn’t because Hirota had raised the iron pipe.

It was because I looked at Takahashi-kun.

His pupils were wide open.

And yet his face was completely blank—like a Noh mask.

Empty.

That silence was what terrified me the most.

What was that…?

Was that even a human expression…?

THUD!!

After that, everything happened in an instant.

It was too fast for my eyes to follow. I couldn’t even tell what he had done.

One second, the pipe was swinging—

The next, Hirota jerked stiffly, like he had been struck by lightning.

“—Gahhh!?”

I heard his short scream and the wet sound of blood splattering.

Then he collapsed face-first onto the floor.

The pipe slipped from his hand, clattering loudly as it rolled away.

—Just now.

I barely managed to process what Takahashi-kun had done.

He had thrust his fingers straight into Hirota’s neck—without the slightest hesitation.

That must have been a nukite—a spear-hand strike.

The moment it connected, Hirota coughed up blood and dropped.

And Takahashi-kun—

The man, who had just moved like something inhuman—

Went completely still.

Like a puppet whose strings had suddenly been cut.

Chapter 42

Side: Ririko

Hirota lay completely still.

Takahashi-kun stood over him, looking down.

But then—

His expression suddenly changed.

“…Ah, crap!? H-Hey, Hirota!?”

He snapped back to his usual self and rushed over in a panic, checking Hirota’s breathing.

“Fuuu… fuuu… fuuu…”

Hirota was barely breathing, like a faint draft slipping through a narrow crack.

The moment Takahashi-kun confirmed that, he broke into a wide grin, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and said—

“Phew, that’s a relief! Good thing it’s just a crushed throat and some coughing up blood!”

…No, no, no.

“Just” a crushed throat and coughing up blood!?

That was obviously serious, wasn’t it!?

How could he wipe his sweat and go, “phew, all good”?

“Well, still. You’re the one who suddenly swung that thing at me, okay? Honestly. We were in the middle of a barehanded one-on-one and you pull out a weapon? My body just reacted on instinct and I almost seriously killed—ahem, ahem!”

Halfway through, he seemed to remember I was still there and coughed awkwardly.

—Wait… wasn’t he about to say he almost killed him?

This person was definitely strange.

Honestly… he was scary.

Especially that expression from earlier.

That inhuman look.

But—

“Sorry to keep you waiting.”

I don’t think he even realized it, but the way he spoke to me was unbelievably gentle—completely different from the tone he used with Hirota.

“I’ll get you out of this right now.”

In no time at all, he tore off the duct tape binding me and freed me.

The moment I was released, all the strength drained from my body at once.

And then—

To my surprise, Takahashi-kun apologized.

“I’m sorry.”

“Eh…?”

“I accepted the job of protecting you… and still let you go through something this scary.”

That’s not…

I was the one who asked him in the first place.

I never realized he was carrying that much responsibility over it…

What was this feeling?

It was strange.

We were the same age, and yet… somehow he felt so much more like an adult.

Maybe that was why—

Like a child clinging to someone dependable, I threw myself straight into his chest.

“…Takahashi-kun…!”

“O-Oh…?”

He was probably embarrassed.

But I couldn’t let go.

I’d been so scared… so alone this entire time.

“Haah… haah… haah… Man, I ran a lot today… Seriously though, everyone outside is wiped out. It’s a complete mess out there… Oh, even Isoyama-kun got beaten up.”

At that moment, I heard someone catching his breath near the entrance.

“Yoo-hoo, Yuuji! Did you find Ririko-san—wait, why are you two hugginggg!?”

Ah.

It was Takahashi-kun’s glasses-wearing friend.

He had walked in at the exact moment I was clinging to him…

My face instantly burned red.

I tried to pull away, but the glasses guy said—

“Oh no, no, you’re good! Stay like that, stay like that! Hmm… sunset in a ruined factory… handsome guy and beautiful girl embracing…”

He shaped his fingers into a camera frame and peered at us through an imaginary lens.

“Hmmm. Nope. Yuuji’s face is way too background-character to make a good picture☆”

“I’ll smash both that lens and your glasses, Wakita.”

“Tehe!” Wakita stuck out his tongue.

Takahashi-kun looked genuinely annoyed.

—They might actually be a comedy duo.

The thought made me let out a small laugh.

“Ah! Ririko-san laughed! Our love-comedy act worked, Yuuji♡”

“Don’t say gross things!”

“Think we could break into Kansai with this act?”

He even switched to a fake Kansai accent.

I couldn’t help laughing again.

“…Nope. Real Kansai comedians are on a completely different level. You’d need way more training.”

“Oh dear, that’s harsh! Guess we’ll just have to keep polishing our comedy skills together forever, Yuuji!”

“Yeah. You can polish them solo as a one-man act.”

—They really were a good duo.

That’s what I was thinking when, without meaning to…

I glanced at Hirota.

—Our eyes met.

Since when—

Even while lying on the ground, his eyes were wide open, staring at us.

Like a cursed doll, his gaze was filled with hatred.

—I screamed.

“…That bastard Hirota. Still conscious? He’s seriously tough.”

It seemed Takahashi-kun had noticed before I even screamed.

“Whoa… The strongest guy in Academy SP is covered in blood. That was you, Yuuji, right?”

“Yeah, more or less. …I don’t think he can move anymore though.”

The glasses guy let out a relieved sigh.

For a moment, it had felt like something straight out of a horror movie—

But looking at him now, in that condition, there was no way Hirota could do anything.

“Hirota! Sorry, but I already told the police exactly where you are! I also called an ambulance—for Isoyama-kun and the other students you beat up. So you should stop resisting now!”

The glasses guy said it firmly, like hammering the final nail into a coffin.

Honestly… he might be pretty capable.

He’d already contacted the police and ambulance without being told.

Either way, it was over now.

I didn’t have to tremble in front of my shoe locker because of threatening letters anymore.

No one would get hurt because of me again.

My life… my future…

They were safe now.

I was finally free—

From that madman named Hirota—

—Or so I thought.

“Gggg… gggg…! Ggyaa…! Ggya… ggya-ggya-ggya-ggya-ggya-ggya-ggya-ggya-ggya…!!”

A laugh I had never heard before echoed through the factory.

It came from Hirota.

His crushed throat made it horribly hoarse.

He was coughing up blood as he laughed.

And he was staring at me the entire time—

That smile looked like something straight out of a nightmare.

Pure terror shot through me, and I grabbed Takahashi-kun’s shirt tightly.

“Y-You’re really s-showing off in f-front of me, huh… Ririko…!!”

Chapter 43

Hirota glared at me with bloodshot eyes.

That look—

It was pure hatred.

Why? What did I ever do to you…?

“I-I’ll n-never forgive you…!! S-Someday… I’ll kill you…!!”

Why…? What exactly had I done…?

“H-Hey! Hirota! That’s enough! This is just ridiculous resentment! Stop it and let the police handle you already!”

The glasses guy spoke up, even though he was clearly shaken by Hirota’s madness.

He said exactly what I wanted to say.

But Hirota only let out a broken, unsettling laugh.

“Gah… gah…! P-Police? You really think I’m g-going to end up relying on the p-police?”

“W-What are you talking about? You’ve got a long list of crimes—”

“Sure. I’ve c-committed assault before. But that’s all. I’m still a minor. Under juvenile law, at worst I’ll be sent to a reform school. I’ll be out soon.”

“Y-You…!”

“O-Of course… my family will probably cut ties with me. But I don’t care. I hated that fake home anyway…! So the only thing I have left… is revenge. Revenge on Ririko… who turned my life into this…!”

Those words—

That hatred crawling up from somewhere like hell itself—

Made my whole body tremble.

I was too scared to even speak.

“S-Stop talking nonsense! That means you’re declaring war on the Aketo Conglomerate! She’ll have bodyguards around her at all times! Your plan will never succeed!”

“Buha… buhabahaa…!! N-No, I’ll m-make it succeed! Even if it takes years… decades…! After Ririko graduates high school… after she finishes university… even after she becomes a working adult…!! I’ll keep chasing you… forever… and I’ll kill you!!”

“Guh…! Hirota, you…!”

The glasses guy frowned behind his lenses.

But he looked like he had run out of arguments.

He was right.

In a twisted way, Hirota was untouchable right now.

Hiding behind juvenile law.

Openly declaring his next crime to my face.

There was…

No real way to stop that.

And someone like him—

He might actually do it.

Someday… he might really—

“Ggyaggyaggyaggyaggyagya…!! That’s a good face, Ririko! Yes… that’s my curse! The punishment for looking down on my feelings…! I’ll make you pay for the rest of your life!!”

“Uu… uu…”

All I could do was turn my face away.

“Ggyaggyaggyaggyagya…!! I’ll kill you!! I’ll kill you, Ririko… no—before I kill you, I’ll rape you! I’ll choke you, tear your skin, use your body over and over before I kill you! I’ll rape you! I’ll rape you! I’ll rape you! I’ll rape you! I’ll rape you! I’ll rape you! I’ll rape you!!”

“N-No… stop…”

His filthy words made me shrink in on myself, covering my ears.

No…

After everything—after Takahashi-kun and the others came to save me—

Was I still going to be trapped?

Not just by the label of being the Aketo Conglomerate’s daughter—

But by Hirota too?

Was I supposed to live the rest of my life afraid of this man’s shadow chasing me?

It was a curse…

It really was.

At the very end… he had placed something this horrible on me.

A curse from Hirota—

Something no one… not even the law… could truly stop.

Pat…

Something warm touched my shoulder.

When I looked up, Takahashi-kun was gently holding it.

“Yeah. Leave it to me.”

“T-Takahashi… kun…?”

“For now, I’ll just do what I can.”

The faint smile he gave me then—

To me, it looked like the last ray of hope.

After that, he slowly stood and walked toward Hirota, who was still sprawled on the ground.

“W-What now, Takahashi…? It’s too late… Ggyagya…!”

Hirota was laughing.

At this point, winning or losing against Takahashi-kun probably didn’t matter to him anymore.

He looked completely satisfied just knowing he had planted that “curse” on me.

If anything, he seemed to think he had already won.

“W-What can you even do now…? T-There’s no way to stop my curse…! No matter how s-strong you are…!”

“Yeah. You’re right.”

Takahashi-kun let out a small, almost regretful sigh.

“There’s not much I can do—”

Hirota burst into loud laughter.

“Ggyaggyaggyagya!! That’s right, isn’t it!? There’s nothing you can—”

“The only thing I can really do… is make sure you’ll never be able to rape anyone for the rest of your life. Sigh…”

“Ggyagya—gya—gya—gya—huh?”

The moment Hirota made that confused sound—

Takahashi-kun lifted his leg.

“Alright. Here we go.”

“W-Wait!! W-Wait, Takahashi—!”

Ignoring Hirota’s desperate pleas—

As casually as if he were crushing an ant—

He brought his foot down… straight between Hirota’s legs.

Snap.

“GRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

Along with the sickening sound of something bursting—

Even with his crushed throat, Hirota let out the loudest scream of the entire day.

It echoed through the abandoned factory as the sun dipped below the horizon.

◆◆◆

Next time — The Hirota fight reaches its climax!

And also!

Kakuyomu Contest 11 —

1st place (Weekly) in Modern Action / Supernatural Battle!!

2nd place (Weekly) Overall!!

Kakuyomu Overall Rankings —

1st place (Daily)!! 2nd place (Weekly)!!

Thank you so muuuuch!!

Since we’ve come this far… maybe we can aim for 1st place overall weekly too (*ﾉωﾉ)

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