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 47, 48 & 49

Chapter 47

Side: Ririko

After that, just to be absolutely safe, I was sent to the hospital for a full check-up.

Apparently, I was supposed to go by ambulance, but most of them were already busy transporting the students Hirota had injured.

Since I didn’t appear seriously hurt, I was taken straight there in an Aketo family car instead.

“Still… that boy Hirota—what kind of upbringing leads to something like that!? I heard he was the son of the National Police Agency Commissioner, so I trusted him…!”

Mom sat beside me in the back seat, grumbling nonstop, clearly irritated.

Honestly… that surprised me the most.

“What’s with that face, Ririko? You look like you just saw a ghost.”

“O-Oh, sorry… It’s just… I’ve never seen you cry like that before, Mom…”

“Eh?”

I’ve watched Mom closely ever since I was born.

That’s why I can tell.

“Mom, you always had a scary look on your face…”

“W-Wha?”

Now it was her turn to be surprised.

“I-I don’t think I’ve ever been that strict with you though… Ririko was always such a good girl.”

“Ah… When I say ‘scary,’ I don’t mean angry… It’s just…”

“Just…?”

“…You always looked like you were judging people. Like you were measuring their worth. Like you couldn’t really trust anyone but yourself…”

“…………Eh?”

Ah… what have I done.

I said it far too clearly.

I braced myself for what might come next…

But Mom only looked out the window and quietly said—

“I see… So that’s how I looked to you, huh. The version of me you saw…”

For a moment… she looked almost apologetic.

“Earlier, when the police and the school told me everything, I nearly jumped out of my skin. They said threatening letters were being sent to your school? That was the first I’d heard of it… If you had told me from the beginning…”

“Ah… yeah… I’m sorry…”

“—No. Maybe you felt like you couldn’t talk to me. That’s my fault, Ririko.”

There’s a divider between the driver and the back seat in our car, so the driver couldn’t hear us.

It felt like it was just the two of us in that small space.

Maybe that’s why.

Mom started talking about something she had never told me before.

“You’ve grown up now, Ririko. So I’ll tell you. Being the wife of the Aketo family… isn’t easy.”

“Eh…?”

“I married into this family when I was twenty-two. I had just graduated from university. I was just a young, naive girl. Meanwhile, the man I was marrying was the eldest son of the head of the Aketo Conglomerate. He was forty at the time. Yes—your father. The age gap was one thing, but I came from a completely ordinary middle-class family. And on top of that… my own father had disappeared. I was what people call a ‘woman with baggage.’”

After saying that, Mom gave a small, bitter smile.

“—Of course. A woman like me marrying into the Aketo family? The relatives were fiercely against it.”

“R-Really…?”

I’ve met Grandma before, but I’ve never once met Grandpa.

I never really thought about it before… but now that I’m in high school, a little older, I can somewhat understand.

Mom… even though she’s the wife of the next head of the Aketo Conglomerate…

She’s been living a life where she never truly gets to relax.

A lonely life.

Because… I’m her daughter, and I’ve lived with a similar kind of loneliness too.

“So maybe I’ve been forcing myself to stay strong all this time. Never showing weakness. Always trying to survive cleverly in that world… But to you, Ririko, that just looked scary, didn’t it…?”

She gave a small, gentle laugh.

Then she placed her hands lightly on my shoulders and looked straight into my eyes.

“But at least understand this. Even if I’m like this… I truly care about you, Ririko. Maybe I made it hard for you to come to me before. But next time, if something happens, come to me properly, okay?”

“…Mom…”

It was the first time I had ever seen her look this vulnerable.

Not in front of relatives.

Not in front of neighbors.

Not even in front of all those important people at formal parties.

She had never shown this kind of expression before.

Is this… really because she was that worried about me…?

“…Okay. I’m sorry.”

“As long as you understand, that’s enough.”

Looks like I misunderstood her a little.

Maybe I should’ve talked to her more before…

“Alright then. Given everything that happened, let’s cancel tomorrow’s matchmaking meeting.”

“Eh…?”

Ah… I had completely forgotten about that…

“For now, we’ll postpone it until you’ve calmed down. I’ll tell them to reschedule.”

“U-Um…”

“Normally, postponing something like this brings bad luck… but it can’t be helped.”

“M-Mom…”

—Be brave, me.

I already decided. I just realized it a little while ago.

“Hm? What is it, Ririko?”

“…About the matchmaking… I’m sorry, but could we just cancel it entirely?”

“Eh!?”

Mom’s eyes widened. She looked completely stunned.

“H-Hey…! It’s a bit late to say that now… You know who they are? They’re from a branch of the Imperial family! Do you understand how huge that is? No—more importantly, if we suddenly reject a proposal like that from our side, do you know the kind of nasty comments I’ll get at the ladies’ association—”

“I’m sorry, Mom. But…”

“But… what?”

I gripped the edge of my skirt tightly.

I took a deep breath to steady my racing heart—

And finally voiced the feelings I had been hiding.

“—There’s someone I like.”

“—Eh?”

Mom’s entire body froze at my words.

“W-Who do you like…?”

Alright… be brave… say it.

“T-The one from… ‘Academy SP’… Y-Yuuji Takahashi-kun…”

The moment I said his name—

Mom screamed.

“Wha!? F-From ‘Academy SP’…!? That Yuuji Takahashi-kun!? —————————————— WHO!?”

ヽ(・ω・)/ｽﾞｺｰ ← Ririko

Chapter 48

Side: Ririko

“H-Hey! Stop acting like this is some comedy skit and explain properly! Who is this Yuuji Takahashi-kun!?”

“…Ah, right. Sorry.”

I cleared my throat and began explaining.

“He’s the one who saved me. You know—the person who stopped me right before I got into the car…”

“Stopped you? …Ah.”

Yes, it was just before I got into Mom’s car.

—“Ririko!”

At that moment, Takahashi-kun had called out to me.

I wondered what it was about… and then he said—

—“You went through something scary because of Hirota… but if anything like that happens again, just talk to me, okay?”

He looked a little embarrassed.

But at the same time… like he felt responsible.

That’s when I finally realized it clearly.

I… like Takahashi-kun.

“W-Wait… huh…? Takahashi-kun…? That… that boy?”

Mom looked more flustered than I had ever seen her.

She was sweating profusely and fanning herself frantically.

“Forgive me for asking, but… what kind of family does that boy come from?”

“…Muu!”

That question irritated me a little.

“I don’t know what kind of family he comes from. But if he made it into ‘Academy SP,’ he must be capable at the very least.”

“B-But still… You’re the daughter of the Aketo Conglomerate, you know? Surely there are better options? I mean… his face isn’t exactly striking either…”

“Muuuu…!”

I knew Mom could be blunt, but insulting Takahashi-kun like that? 

I couldn’t just stay quiet!

“That’s not true! Takahashi-kun is cool! I didn’t choose him because of his looks or his family background! I like everything about him—who he is as a person and all of it!!”

The words burst out of me before I could stop them, and once I started, I couldn’t hold back.

“He was originally assigned to protect another conglomerate heiress. But I selfishly asked him to protect me instead. Even so, he agreed… and he even felt responsible that I went through something so terrifying because of Hirota. That’s the kind of man he is—he’s a real man.”

“A real man…”

“Yes… I always thought I wasn’t good with men. They seemed rough, careless, loud. But… when it truly mattered, he was reliable. He carried all the responsibility on his own shoulders. And he protected me. That… that’s what being a real man is.”

Even now, I could still feel the sensation from when I hugged Takahashi-kun.

Even through his uniform shirt, I could tell—his solid, well-built body. His warmth.

The faint smell of sweat from a man who had just been fighting…

Why is it… that I can’t forget that scent?

I want to smell it again…

I want to hug him again—

W-What kind of strange thoughts am I having!?

“…Staaare.”

“Hya!?”

Mom had been staring at me the whole time, and my face instantly burned bright red.

“A-Anyway…! I… I like Takahashi-kun! If I already have someone I like, there’s no way I can go through with a matchmaking meeting with someone else! It wouldn’t be fair to the other person, and more than anything—I don’t want to! I don’t want to be with any man other than Takahashi-kun!”

I squeezed my eyes shut and poured out everything in my heart.

It was probably the first time in my life that I had openly defied Mom.

But I didn’t regret it.

Even if she got angry at me—!

“Pfft…!”

But then—

“Ahahahahahahaha!!”

Mom burst out laughing.

“Honestly. If you already had a boy you liked, you should’ve just told me. I’m not some kind of demon, you know. I even went through the trouble of bringing you such a good proposal…”

“B-But… I only just realized I liked him… like, literally just now…”

“Yes, yes, I understand. I’ll contact them and decline properly. I’ll endure the snide remarks at the ladies’ association for the sake of my precious daughter.”

“H-Hey, don’t make it sound like this is all my fault. You were the one who pushed the whole thing in the first place…”

“Pushed? That’s a bit harsh… But well, I did overstep. Sorry about that. Unlike you, I grew up with only one parent, so I’ve always had a bit of a complex about family background… Still, I shouldn’t have forced those values onto you.”

“Mom…”

“And besides, you take after him a little—you’ve got that slightly airheaded side. I was worried, you know. Like, ‘Will this girl even manage to get married?’”

“Him…? You mean Dad? I’m really that similar?”

“Yes, yes. Very similar.”

…This feels strange.

Talking with Mom so casually like this.

Teasing each other.

It almost feels like we’re just girlfriends chatting.

“But honestly… the look on your face earlier when you were talking about Takahashi-kun… fufu.”

“W-What…?”

“You had such a… completely feminine expression.”

“———!!”

She tried to hide her mouth with her folding fan, but I could clearly see the smug grin on her face.

My own face felt so hot it was like steam might rise from it.

Still… since we were already talking like this, I decided to ask her for advice.

“B-But, Mom…”

“Hm? What is it?”

“Takahashi-kun… he’s assigned as the bodyguard for a girl from the Hagoromo Conglomerate.”

“Oh? The eastern conglomerate, huh… So does that mean you’re the one at a disadvantage?”

“Y-Yeah… And I think Hagoromo-san might… like Takahashi-kun too…”

Back during the SP tournament, when Takahashi-kun got blown away by Hirota—

She rushed to him in a panic and personally took him to the infirmary.

That didn’t feel like something you’d do just because he was her assigned SP.

And not just because they were friends either.

It felt more like—

As a woman… she liked him. And her body moved on its own.

He’s that kind of guy.

There’s no way other girls would just leave him alone…

When I told Mom all that, she gave me an unexpected response.

“By the way, are that Takahashi-kun and Hagoromo-san actually dating?”

“Eh…? U-Um… I don’t know… I’ve never heard anything about that…”

“Well, either way, it doesn’t really matter.”

“W-What do you mean it doesn’t matter!?”

Mom snapped her fan shut with a sharp clack.

Her expression turned completely serious.

“Listen carefully. Once you fall in love with a man, a woman has to go all the way.”

“Eh…? B-But… if Takahashi-kun and Hagoromo-san are already dating, then it’s basically—”

“Ririko… in situations like that—”

She gave me a sly grin.

“—You take him.”

The moment she said something so outrageous, my entire body jolted upright.

Chapter 49

Side: Ririko

“Y-You mean… just take him…?”

T-That sounds like stealing someone’s boyfriend—

N-No, no, that’s not what she means!

Why did my brain immediately go somewhere so inappropriate!?

“Hohoho… Maybe that part is hereditary.”

“Eh? Hereditary…?”

“Yes. After all, I’m a woman who successfully stole her husband♡”

“…………Eh? EHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!?”

I screamed so loudly the car actually shook.

“M-M-Mom… you’re serious…?”

“Of course. He was the heir of the Aketo Conglomerate, you know? There were plenty of rivals. And he already had a woman he was dating back then.”

“W-W-What!?”

Hearing about my parents’ love story like this felt… strangely real.

But… I wanted to know more. I really did!

“B-But… how did you win Dad over…?”

“Hohoho… I was young back then. I used every possible method. As a woman… every possible method ♡”

“W-W-What does that even mean!?”

“Oh my, Ririko, you’re awfully curious. Fine then. I’ll teach you—my top-secret techniques for winning a man’s heart.”

“Eh? Teach me…?”

At that moment… Mom’s eyes changed.

For a second, she didn’t look like a mother at all—

She looked like a sleek panther targeting the leader of the pack.

“M-M-Mom…? Your face is a little too cl—”

“Oh hush, Ririko. Think of this as make-up bonding time. Just relax and leave yourself to your mother.”

“Leave myself to you…? …Ah.”

After that… Mom personally taught me her “secret techniques.”

They were absolutely not something I could ever repeat to anyone—

And all I could do was sit there, my face burning bright red like a boiled octopus.

“And after all that overflowing passion, desire, and love—boom! That’s how Ririko was born.”

“W-Wait!! Don’t end the story like that!”

“What? You’ll walk that same path someday!”

“Geez…”

I let out a long sigh.

Sure, I learned a lot…

But there’s no way I could actually copy any of that.

At this rate… will Takahashi-kun never choose me…?

I don’t want that…

“Ririko.”

At that moment, the soft scent of an adult woman’s perfume drifted through the air.

Mom gently pulled me into a hug.

“It’s okay. You’re cute. Have confidence.”

“Mom…”

“I said a lot, but in the end, what matters most is whether you can love the person you care about more than anyone else.”

That made me pause.

It was simple… maybe difficult…

But she was right.

That’s the one thing only I can do.

“And one more thing—you need obsession.”

“O-Obsession…?”

Just hearing that word made my heart pound.

“Yes. Decide that you’ll do whatever it takes until you win the man you love. Wait for him no matter how long it takes. —That’s the level of obsession you need.”

“…Is that really okay?”

“It’s fine, it’s fine. If a guy stalks a girl, that’s a problem. But if a cute girl stalks a guy? No one’s going to throw her in jail!”

“…………”

“I’m joking, of course. But you get the idea. If you push yourself with that kind of determination—hm, Ririko?”

At that moment, Mom had no idea.

That single sentence had opened the “Pandora’s box” inside me.

—That’s right. Takahashi-kun… no, I love Yuuji-kun.

And because I love him… I’ll give it everything I have.

I’ll fight with everything I’ve got.

I’ll take him.

I’ll win him.

No matter what… no matter what… no matter what…

Yuuji-kun…

Yuuji-kun, Yuuji-kun, Yuuji-kun…

Yuuji Yuuji Yuuji Yuuji Yuuji Yuuji Yuuji Yuuji Yuuji…

Yuuji Yuuji Yuuji Yuuji Yuuji Yuuji Yuuji Yuuji Yuuji Yuuji Yuuji Yuuji Yuuji Yuuji Yuuji Yuuji Yuuji Yuuji Yuuji Yuuji Yuuji Yuuji Yuuji Yuuji Yuuji Yuuji Yuuji Yuuji Yuuji Yuuji Yuuji Yuuji Yuuji Yuuji Yuuji Yuuji 

Yuuji Yuuji Yuuji Yuuji Yuuji Yuuji Yuuji Yuuji Yuuji Yuuji Yuuji Yuuji Yuuji Yuuji Yuuji Yuuji Yuuji Yuuji Yuuji Yuuji Yuuji Yuuji Yuuji Yuuji Yuuji Yuuji Yuuji Yuuji Yuuji Yuuji Yuuji Yuuji Yuuji Yuuji Yuuji Yuuji 

Yuuji Yuuji Yuuji Yuuji Yuuji Yuuji Yuuji Yuuji Yuuji Yuuji Yuuji Yuuji Yuuji Yuuji Yuuji Yuuji Yuuji Yuuji Yuuji Yuuji Yuuji Yuuji Yuuji Yuuji Yuuji Yuuji Yuuji Yuuji Yuuji Yuuji Yuuji Yuuji Yuuji Yuuji Yuuji Yuuji 

“Mom…”

“W-What is it… Ririko? Why do your eyes suddenly look so dark…? Are you okay?”

“Yeah. More importantly… thank you, Mom.”

“Ririko?”

“I’ll… do my best… hehehe… ahahaha… ahahahahaha…!”

Right then, the car finally arrived at the hospital.

“You’re laughing, but your eyes look pitch black! Are you okay!? Should we go to the eye doctor too!? Ririkoーーーー!?”

〇

Side: Yuuji

“Whoa…?”

A chill ran down my spine.

What’s with this bad feeling?

Did I catch a cold or something…?

Well, this room is pretty cold…

Creeeak…

Just then, the rusty door opened.

“Sorry to keep you waiting, Takahashi-san.”

“No, not at all. It’s fine—Tatekawa-san.”

The beautiful police officer gave a faint smile and sat down directly across from me.

I was in what you’d call a classic interrogation room at the police station.

Last time, when I saved Sara, things somehow ended with a simple verbal warning and I was sent home.

But today… it didn’t look like it would be that easy.

“Thinking back, ever since the first time we met… I’ve always thought one thing about you.”

Tatekawa-san folded her fingers together and rested her chin on them.

For a split second I wondered—

Is this some kind of confession?

Yeah, no way.

“Your mental age… is far too removed from that of a normal high school student.”

…Gulp.

“When I was in university, I studied criminal psychology involving minors. Since then, based on both what I learned back then and years of experience communicating with juvenile offenders as a police officer, I’ve developed my own way of judging people.”

Her eyes sharpened slightly—

“I’ll say this clearly, Yuuji Takahashi-san. Based on my judgment—your behavior is far too abnormal.”

She said it without hesitation.

H-Hold on a second.

All she did was question me briefly before…

Sure, even back then, her gaze felt sharper than the other officers’.

But don’t tell me—she analyzed me that deeply in such a short time?

◆◆◆

Thank you very much for reading this far!

Now that Ririko has safely(?) entered her yandere phase—

I actually wrote a rather spicy and slightly unhinged side story about Ririko and her mom (honestly, I don’t even know who asked for it… it just popped into my head).

But I figured it might be a bit too much for the main story, so I decided to post the full details in the author’s notes instead… m(__)m

※It’s not supporter-only—everyone can read it.

Maybe I should’ve scrapped it entirely…

But I had this “From here on, this is all my selfish desire. Sorry, readers… sorry, Kakuyomu admins… but I just have to try it!” kind of Gon energy. (Yes, I know I’m misusing a legendary line.)

If you’re curious, feel free to check it out.

It’s placed between:

“Academy SP – Early Release Chapter 49” and “Academy SP – Early Release Chapter 50”

Under the title: “Academy SP – Short Story: ‘Ririko Aketo’s Steamy Mom-Taught Techniques’”

Seriously… only if you’re curious!!

(You can skip it entirely—it has no effect on the main plot.)

TLN: Found it.