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 52, 53 & 54

Chapter 52

“…Good morning, Yuuji-kun.”

“O-Oh. Morning…”

Wait.

Why is she standing in front of my house?

“…Sorry for showing up so suddenly. But you saved me, Yuuji-kun. At the very least, I wanted to thank you… So today—just for today—would you ride with me to school?”

Sure enough, behind Ririko stood a sleek black luxury car, with a driver standing perfectly straight beside it.

Still… this is kind of sudden, isn’t it?

“…Let’s go.”

She lightly tugged at my sleeve and looked up at me with wide, pleading eyes—like a little squirrel begging for food.

W-Well… I guess I can accept the offer just this once.

I ended up sitting in the back seat, right next to Ririko.

Come to think of it, I once rode in Sara’s car too.

The softness of the seats, the refined interior, even the faint elegant fragrance—it was clearly a level above my papa’s car.

—Wait.

This sweet scent… is that coming from Ririko?

Huh? Did she put something on?

Looking closer, it even seemed like she was wearing a bit of makeup.

She looked more dressed up than usual…

“…That’s good.”

“Huh?”

“Yuuji-kun, I’m relieved you got out without any punishment.”

I shrugged at her words.

“Yeah, thanks to you, I guess.”

She probably pulled some strings behind the scenes anyway.

“Eh?”

But Ririko just stared at me in surprise.

“Huh…? Wait. You’re telling me you didn’t use your conglomerate power to fix this?”

“…No. Well, I was planning to. I asked my dad to speak with one of his former classmates from Kyoto Imperial University. He’s part of the Kansai elite faction. I asked if they could show a little flexibility in Yuuji-kun’s case.”

“…That’s a disturbingly realistic negotiation route…”

Also, her dad graduated from Kyoto Imperial University?

Man, conglomerate families really don’t mess around when it comes to education. No wonder they’re sharp.

“By the way… is conglomerate influence really that strong? The other side’s a government official, right? You’re not just handing over money or something?”

I asked bluntly—maybe a little too bluntly.

Ririko quietly shook her head.

“…We don’t give money. Because they’re public officials, their real pride lies in promotion. The ultimate goal is climbing higher and higher. So my dad just… helps with that.”

“Helps?”

“…Yeah. Now that Hirota’s father stepped down as Commissioner of the National Police Agency, there’s apparently a fierce internal battle over who’ll take the position next. My dad has connections there. If someone ends up owing the Aketo Conglomerate a favor, that could translate into organized backing when the next commissioner is chosen.”

“I see… So he offered to support the next commissioner.”

“—That’s what we want them to believe. The trick is making the other side act on their own. Dad says if you let them ‘read the room’ and move voluntarily, it leaves no suspicious trail.”

“…Ah… I see…”

Honestly… Ririko’s dad tells his daughter way too much about the dirty side of the adult world.

What kind of elite upbringing is that?

“…And now, here’s the important part. By the time my dad went to negotiate… your immediate release had already been decided.”

“Huh?”

That genuinely surprised me.

Even I thought I was finished.

From Tatekawa-san’s reaction, it definitely looked like pressure had come from somewhere higher up…

“…Maybe some other powerful force acted before we did.”

“Powerful force…?”

“Something that can move this fast? That’s probably conglomerate-level.”

“So you’re saying someone other than the Aketo Conglomerate stepped in to help me? Who would even do that? And why?”

“…That’s what I’d like to know too. Don’t you have any idea, Yuuji-kun? —Maybe Hagoromo-san?”

“Sara?”

Hmm… Did Sara use the Hagoromo Conglomerate’s influence?

But I don’t think she even knew about the situation at that point…

Well, I’ll ask her just in case, but I doubt it.

“…Muu.”

She puffed her cheeks slightly.

“I got beaten to it. I wanted to be the one to protect Yuuji-kun.”

“Hm? Did you say something, Ririko?”

“…Mumble mumble… at this rate… I’ll just keep falling behind… If it comes to that… I’ll have to use force…”

She began mumbling to herself, and I was about to ask what that was supposed to mean—when suddenly…

“…Iyaan, I’m dizzy.”

“Huh?”

“…I think I got carsick.”

She said it in the most monotone voice imaginable—

And then—

Plop.

Ririko leaned against my shoulder.

W-Wait, what?

What do you mean, carsick!?

“…It’s motion sickness.”

“…Motion sickness, huh.”

—Yeah, right.

“…Yuuji-kun.”

“Hm?”

Come to think of it, she’d switched to calling me by my first name without me even noticing…

“…Thank you for saving me.”

“Oh, that. No need to thank me.”

“…Fufu. I knew you’d say that.”

She started lightly swinging her feet back and forth, smiling to herself for some reason.

I don’t really understand what she’s so happy about…

But… she’s more childish than I expected.

Or maybe she’s just really good at acting affectionate.

That’s strange.

Wasn’t Ririko supposed to be the pure, elegant type all the time…?

“And, Yuuji-kun.”

“Hmm?”

“…Be prepared, okay?”

“Eh…? P-Prepared for what?”

“I’m going to show you my mom’s secret ultimate technique.”

…Wait.

Is she challenging me to some kind of duel?

While I was still confused by Ririko’s strange behavior, the car continued heading toward the academy—

Hold on.

I feel like I’m forgetting something important.

“…Alright, let’s go, Yuuji-kun.”

“O-Okay…?”

And then—Ririko suddenly hooked her arm through mine.

Just like that, still linked together, we stepped out of the car.

Ah—wait.

Sara is right there in front of us!

Hold on.

Isn’t this situation… really bad…!?

◆◆◆

We’ve passed 7000★—seriously, thank you so much!!

If you’re enjoying the story even a little, please drop some ★★★!

Let’s aim for ★10000!!

And tomorrow, there’ll be two updates! Around 12 PM and the usual 6 PM!

The “Ririko Aketo Route” concludes, and the “Ayaka Kirishima Route” begins!

Chapter 53

And that’s how I somehow ended up going to school with Ririko.

Arm in arm. Boldly. In plain sight.

“Heeeeh… showing off like that, are we, Yuuji…?”

Sara’s face was twitching.

She was smiling…

Yeah, no. That wasn’t a smile. She was absolutely furious.

“S-Sara, wait, this isn’t what it looks like—there’s a reason—”

This is bad. Seriously bad.

Because from the outside, it completely looks like I switched sides.

Like I dumped Sara from the Hagoromo Conglomerate—the one I’m officially assigned to protect—

And moved over to Ririko of the Aketo Conglomerate.

In Academy SP, that’s a massive taboo.

More than that—switching heroine routes like this isn’t even possible in the original game system!

Who knows what kind of penalty I’d get for this!?

I keep forgetting, but this is still a gal game world!

“So you’re dropping Sara and switching to Aketo-san instead… is that it, Yuuji?”

Crap. She’s furious. Demon-king-level furious.

I need to explain—now.

Also, why does this feel exactly like getting caught cheating!?

“N-No no, Sara! I’m not switching or anything—”

But before I could finish—

Ririko looked up at me again with those wide, pleading eyes.

“…Yuuji-kun, you said it, right?”

“Huh?”

“You said if something ever happens, I should tell you. That I should rely on you.”

“Y-Yeah…”

I definitely did say that.

“…That Ririko belongs to you.”

“Hah?”

I’m pretty sure I never said that.

“…You’ll keep your promise, right?”

“Uhh?”

“…You’ll keep it… right…?”

W-Wait.

Why do Ririko’s eyes suddenly look completely dark inside?

Should I call an eye doctor? This is actually terrifying…

“…If you betray me… I won’t forgive you.”

“Whaaaat!?”

Hold on—why does that sound suspiciously similar to something Hirota would say!?

“…Hey, Glasses-kun!”

At that moment, Ririko shifted her gaze toward the school gate.

And then—

“TOH!”

A single figure came flying through the air.

Look up in the sky!

It’s a bird!

It’s a plane!

No—

It’s Wakita!!

…Seriously, what is this idiot doing now?

He landed smoothly with a soft thud.

“Yes, I am the Glasses-kun. Also known as Wakita.”

“Usually that goes the other way around,” I muttered.

But before I could say anything else, Ririko shot him a sharp look.

“…Wakita-kun. According to you, from now on, you and Yuuji-kun are acting as the ‘Aketo Conglomerate faction’ and will be protecting me, correct?”

“Precisely. From here on, our great commander Yuuji Takahashi and I, the Glasses-kun, shall serve as Ririko-sama’s loyal guards.”

“Hey! What are you saying!?”

I grabbed Wakita by the cheeks and yanked him toward me.

“What are you doing, making decisions on your own!? We’re technically part of the ‘Hagoromo Conglomerate faction,’ remember!? If we switch sides here—!”

“Ffah yuu thhing yuu’re shaying?”

“Hey! I can’t understand a word you’re saying!”

I finally let go of Wakita’s cheeks.

He calmly adjusted his glasses with a sharp click and began explaining.

“You’re the one who’s confused, Yuuji. When did I ever say we were switching sides?”

“W-What?”

“What I’m proposing is simple… a dual assignment.”

“D-Dual assignment!?”

“Well, to put it bluntly… two-timing.”

“…Hah!?”

Is this glasses idiot serious right now!?

Even just switching heroine routes might trigger some unknown, dangerous consequence in this game world…

And now he’s casually suggesting two-timing!?

What, is he telling me to aim for the harem route!?

“D-Don’t say something so stupid! I’m already struggling with just one conglomerate heiress—adding a second one is insane!”

“Calm down, Yuuji. Don’t start acting spineless.”

“W-What did you just say?”

“Let’s get this straight. You personally accepted Ririko-san’s request to protect her, right? On the rooftop of the old school building.”

“Well… yeah, but that was only because there was some dangerous guy inside the ‘Aketo faction’ attacking their own teammates. I said I’d help temporarily until that was resolved—”

“However—”

Wakita smoothly cut me off.

“That ‘Aketo faction’ has practically been wiped out by Hirota. Isoyama and the others are still hospitalized. It’ll take time before they return. In the worst case, they might even drop out, just like Yamashita and the others from the old ‘Hagoromo faction.’”

Then Wakita smiled like a game show host, “Alright, pop quiz.”

“At this moment… who has the duty to protect the ‘Aketo faction’?”

“…D-Don’t tell me… me?”

“Ding ding ding!”

“H-Hold on a second! That makes no sense! It’s not like I have some official obligation to—”

“So you’re going to abandon Ririko-san?”

“Ugh…”

“There’s no other Academy SP student left to protect her. The ‘Kirishima faction’ and the ‘Kousaki faction’ can’t just switch over to the Aketo side now. Politically, that’s impossible. Right now… the only one who can step in is you, Yuuji.”

“Wha—!?”

W-Wait… is that really how this is going to play out!?

Is the story seriously heading in that direction!?

Doesn’t this feel like we skipped a few steps somewhere!?

“Or what is it, Yuuji…”

“Huh?”

“Are you… the kind of man who can’t keep his promises?”

“Ghk!?”

“Are you… the kind of man who abandons his mission halfway through?”

W-What is with that look of pure disappointment!?

Don’t mess with me.

Don’t throw words like that at me… not like that…

Chapter 54

D-Damn it…!

Back when I was a freelance mercenary, I never had trouble finding work.

Why?

Because my client satisfaction rate was insanely high.

And that was all thanks to one thing—my stubbornly serious work ethic!

No matter how difficult the mission, I saw it through. I never ran from an operation. That’s how I survived over ten straight years in conflict zones without a single break.

(Though now that I think about it… after dying, I realized that mercenary life was completely insane.)

And now you expect me to throw away that pride…?

No way. Absolutely not.

“F-Fine… I get it. Of course I’ll keep protecting Sara. And from now on… we’ll protect Ririko too.”

“Yeeees! That’s what I’m talking about, Yuuji!!”

As if he’d been waiting for those exact words, Wakita enthusiastically patted both my shoulders.

Then he gave Ririko a wink and a thumbs-up.

…Ririko awkwardly closed one eye and returned the thumbs-up.

Hold on.

Did you two plan this from the beginning!?

“Well… Ririko-san insisted so strongly, I just couldn’t refuse! Teehee!”

“Don’t ‘teehee’ me! Do you realize what you’ve done!? That means between the two of us, we’re now responsible for half of the Four Great Conglomerates’ daughters!”

“Hey, hey, relax. Think about it…”

Wakita shrugged casually as he continued—

“You’re the one at fault, Yuuji. You’re the one who managed to charm two girls.”

He actually had the nerve to say that.

What are you talking about? I’m supposed to be a background character!

More importantly… are we seriously okay here?

It feels like we’ve drifted way off the original storyline at this point…

Very slowly, I turned to look at Sara and Ririko.

—CRACKLE CRACKLE CRACKLE CRACKLE—!!

E-Excuse me!?

There’s a lit fuse between those two!

They’re glaring at each other like something’s about to explode at any second!

“…Sorry about this, Hagoromo-san. I sort of just stepped in out of nowhere.”

“I-I never expected Aketo-san to pull something like this.”

“…Well, I did compromise a little, you know.”

“Huh?”

“…Since Hagoromo-san was first, I’m showing proper respect. For now, I’ll graciously accept second place.”

“D-Don’t tell me! You like Yuuji too!?”

“Fufufu… It’s not like you two are officially dating, right? So what’s the problem? …Actually, how about we start calling each other by our first names?”

“Hmph. You’ve got quite the personality, don’t you? Fine. If we’re going this far, then let’s settle this fair and square! Ririko!”

“…As expected of you, Sara-chan. You’re such a good girl. If it were me, I wouldn’t forgive a girl who suddenly barged in—no matter what methods I had to use. Fufufufu…”

“Don’t worry. I have no intention of forgiving you either… fufufufu…”

………………

Somehow, before I realized it, Sara and Ririko were shaking hands.

Wakita stood there nodding enthusiastically.

“Yes, yes! Female friendship truly is a beautiful thing! Even though their conglomerates are locked in fierce power struggles in society, here they are—joining hands without being bound by politics! It’s such a beautiful sight, it almost makes me believe world peace is within reach! Don’t you agree, Yuuji!?”

“Uh… if anything, it feels more like a bloody civil war is about to break out…”

“Now, now! The important thing is this! As expected of Yuuji Takahashi! You’ve exceeded even my expectations!”

“Huh?”

Wakita continued, far too excited for his own good.

“East’s Hagoromo. West’s Aketo. —You’ve already secured two conglomerate heiresses! And at the same time!”

“Stop saying ‘secured.’ That sounds shady.”

“Heh heh heh…! In that case, next up is… the ‘South’s Kirishima,’ perhaps?”

“Huh? Kirishima? You mean Ayaka Kirishima!?”

“Of course I do! You can do it! The Hagoromo Conglomerate controls finance! The Aketo Conglomerate dominates real estate! And the Kirishima Conglomerate oversees heavy industry—the military backbone supporting Japan’s national defense! If you manage to win her over too… your future will be absolutely insane!”

“W-Why are you getting so fired up about this?”

“Why wouldn’t I be!? With just Hagoromo and Aketo alone, my company’s future business projections are guaranteed to at least quadruple! Ahhh, this is why having the right friends is everything!!”

This greedy bastard…!

That shameless opportunism of his hasn’t changed one bit since the day we enrolled.

“Tch, you’ve got it easy. Now I have to babysit two heiresses… there’s no way I can relax.”

—Who knows what kind of bad ending might be waiting for me now.

Just imagining it is terrifying.

“…But somehow, I get the feeling you won’t stop at just two, Yuuji.”

“Huh? What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You’re strong, kind, loyal… and a little too soft when someone pushes you. I have a feeling you’ll somehow pull it off. Conquer all four of the Four Great Conglomerates’ daughters…”

Wakita grinned—and left me with one final line.

“A harem big enough to rule Japan itself!”

〇

Act 03

“—We do not need something like ‘Academy SP’!!”

A sharp yet dignified voice rang out across the peaceful woods of Karuizawa.

“This forest study camp in Karuizawa has been a tradition of Yushu Girls’ Academy for over one hundred years! To begin with, the mere presence of boys here is entirely inappropriate!”

Her black ponytail swayed lightly in the breeze.

Sharp brows. Long lashes. Strong, unwavering eyes filled with determination.

Faced with that overwhelming presence… we, the Academy SP squad, could only shrink back.

“B-But… you know… guys can be useful sometimes, right? I mean, having some male strength around… People say it’s dangerous with only girls, so… haha…”

Wakita awkwardly tried to defend our existence.

Unfortunately, that comment hit her nerve perfectly.

“Are you implying that we women are weak and incapable of protecting ourselves?”

“N-Not at all! Absolutely not!”

Wakita immediately threw his hands up in surrender.

She gave a short snort.

“There is no need for concern. If anything were to happen to them…”

Then she declared firmly—

“I will protect them with my life.”

And in that very moment—

“““Kyaaaaaaaahhhhhh♡ Ayaka onee-samaaaaaaa♡♡♡”””

The young ladies standing behind her erupted into high-pitched cheers.

Ayaka Kirishima—

She hates men.

And she hates Academy SP.

“…She might be the most troublesome heroine yet…”

I muttered under my breath so no one else could hear.

And just like that, the curtain rose on what would become the busiest—and most brutal—two nights and three days in Academy SP history: the Karuizawa forest camp.

Next time—

“Ayaka Kirishima Route.”

◆◆◆

Thank you so much for reading this far!

We’ve officially reached the halfway point of the story.

How will Yuuji Takahashi deal with Ayaka Kirishima—a girl who hates men and despises Academy SP?

This time, the enemy is—yakuza.

Our so-called mob character, Yuuji Takahashi, is about to snap like never before.

Stay tuned!

Tomorrow, there will be four updates total: three main chapters plus an interlude titled “Wakita Narrates: Character Introduction.”

Two chapters at 12 PM, then one at 6 PM, and one at 8 PM.

Don’t miss it!