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 54.5, 55 & 56

Chapter 54.5: Interlude – Looking Back at the Cast Before the Next Arc

Narrator: Wakita

※This is Wakita’s side story, where he introduces the characters!
It’s just a bit of playful nonsense, but I hope you enjoy it!

Alright, alright—hello everyone! Wakita here!

So, “Academy SP” has officially reached the halfway mark!
Seriously, thank you all so much!

And since quite a few of you asked, I’ll take this opportunity to introduce the characters we’ve met so far!
(Yes, I’ll be going full meta mode!)

Yuuji Takahashi (15)
Previous life – Died at 33

In his previous life, he didn’t get along with his family, couldn’t make friends at school, and eventually stopped attending altogether.

At eighteen, determined to “change his pathetic, stagnant self,” he flew alone to France and joined the French Foreign Legion.

After gaining real combat experience there—landing operations and the like—he apparently thought: “I want to push my training even further!”

So he became a mercenary in the Middle East.

Seriously… this guy was practically born for the battlefield.
How did his life even end up like that?

Later on, parts of his past will be revealed.
Those events are directly tied to his motivations, so you definitely won’t want to miss it!

Sara Hagoromo (15)

The daughter of the chairman of the Hagoromo Conglomerate, which essentially dominates the entire Kanto region!

It’s never explicitly mentioned in the story, but she actually has an older brother! And apparently, he’s extremely capable. Their parents placed enormous expectations on him.

Maybe that’s why Sara sometimes felt a little lonely… who knows.

Even so, she shortened her skirt, boldly revealed her E-cup neckline, and embraced the full gal look—
And honestly? Respect. That took guts.

After meeting Yuuji, though, it seems she awakened some… unusual preferences.
Which means she might start making some very dangerous requests from now on.

Still… I kind of wish she’d yell at me more.

“Haah? Wakita, that’s so gross!”

I’d love to hear her say that in the harshest tone possible.

Ririko Aketo (15)

The granddaughter of the eldest son—the next head—of the Aketo Conglomerate, which controls the entire Kansai region!

She also has two younger brothers.

That pure, refined beauty paired with Kansai dialect?
Absolute perfection.

Also… her mom is only 38.
A married woman with three kids, yet still that elegant?
Truly impressive.

After the incident with Hirota, she seems to have leaned slightly toward the intense, somewhat possessive side.

But according to her mother, at heart she’s actually the submissive type.

Personally… I’d love for Ririko-san to look at me with complete disdain.

“…Wakita-kun, please don’t speak to me anymore. You’re disgusting.”

If she said that with half-lidded, icy eyes—
That alone would be enough for me.

…Enough!!

Ayaka Kirishima (15)

Alright! The main heroine of the next arc is finally here!

If you trace the roots of the Kirishima Conglomerate, they lead back to Kagoshima—essentially old Satsuma.

Because of that heritage, they’re especially strong in military-related fields. Compared to the Hagoromo and Aketo Conglomerates, they’re… a little different. You could even say they’re the most unconventional of the group.

There are even rumors of connections to certain underground organizations—
But that will be revealed later. Please be patient!

Suiran Kousaki (15)

Next up—the girl who ranked first on the entrance exam at Yushu Girls’ Academy.

Beautiful, brilliant, talented… and yes, the G-cup heroine herself.

She won’t appear for a while yet, but trust me—she has a very strong personality. Definitely not your typical character.

By the way, the Kousaki family is known for something the other conglomerates rarely do: they actively send members of their own bloodline into politics. Because of that, they’re probably the most disliked family among the general public.

Yeah… sounds like some huge trouble is coming.

Huge—just like those G-cups!

But hey, that just makes things more exciting, right?
Stay tuned!

Azusa Tatekawa (30)

She works in the Public Safety Division—basically one of the officers handling daily incidents and crime prevention.

She’s the one who has been closely monitoring Yuuji’s extreme level of violence.

Kind at heart… yet unwaveringly strict when it comes to the law.

(That said, she casually chain-smokes right in front of minors. So… yeah.)

It feels like she harbors some complicated feelings toward the conglomerates.
Maybe we’ll learn about her past later.

But more importantly—
That ass.

Can a person’s butt really stick up like that!?
She looks like she could outrun anyone without breaking a sweat.

As for me, I’m not particularly fixated on that sort of thing or anything.

But if she ever pinned me down with that ass on my face during an arrest?
…I might not resist.

Isoyama (15)

A member of the “Aketo Conglomerate faction” within Academy SP.

He used to greatly admire Hirota… but after everything that happened, who knows what he’ll do next?

Also, Otani-kun and Sasaki from the same Aketo faction will be appearing here and there from now on.

And now—

The final character introduction is, of course—
Me!

Kenzo Wakita (15)

Everyone—my name is Kenzo, okay?
Did you remember that?

No, you absolutely didn’t!

My grades? Average.
Athletic ability? Also average.
My face? —Actually more handsome than Yuuji. (Fufu!)

Well… maybe just slightly more handsome than Yuuji.
But that still counts as a win, right? So I win!

I’m the third son in my family, so it’s already decided that I won’t inherit the company.

Honestly? That’s perfect. All the troublesome responsibilities go to my older brothers.

Funeral head duties? Not me.
Inheritance disputes? Not me.

Man, being the youngest really is the easiest position.

At the very least, I figured I should contribute somehow, so I enrolled in “Academy SP” to build connections with conglomerate heiresses.

But you know what?
This school is actually pretty fun.

So I’ve decided—I’m going to enjoy all three years here.
Even if this is a dating-sim version of Japan with terrible public safety!

And that concludes our character recap!
If there’s anything you’re confused about, feel free to ask!

Your narrator for this introduction has been the ever-reliable supporting character—Wakita!

◆◆◆

Author here.

So that’s our little character review! (lol)

Back when I used to read web novels, there was a rom-com I loved where the characters introduced themselves like this. I thought it was such a fun concept at the time, so I tried recreating that vibe here…

And well… this is what came out. (lol)

If it made you chuckle even a little, I’ll consider that a success.

Please continue enjoying “Academy SP”!!

Chapter 55

Side: Yuuji

“…Sigh. Honestly, it’s hard to stay motivated after watching the higher-ups panic like that.”

Azusa Tatekawa-san from the Public Safety Division was in full grumpy mode, cigarette in hand.

We were sitting on a park bench.

Even though she held a portable ashtray, she was still smoking right in front of me—a minor.

Well… thinking about it, this world is based on a game that came out when I was in middle school. Back then, cigarette regulations were a lot looser.

“Sorry about this. I just can’t get in the mood to work without one of these.”

“No, no. Take your time…”

She wasn’t wearing any makeup, yet her features were naturally sharp and well-defined.

The cigarette resting between her pale pink lips somehow looked… strangely cool.

—More importantly, a cigarette, huh… gulp.

Back on the battlefield, where there was zero entertainment, tobacco had been practically essential.

I used to smoke like a chimney.

When supplies ran out, we’d pass a single cigarette around, taking turns as if it were treasure.

Watching Azusa-san smoke now almost made me want to ask, “Mind if I take one drag?”

For the record, my favorite brand was Hi-Lite.

Now then, what was she smoking—

Lucky Strike, huh.

…That name doesn’t exactly inspire confidence.

And that’s quite a bold, no-nonsense choice.

I didn’t expect her to go with something that strong.

“…What’s with that look? You’re staring like you want something. Don’t tell me you’ve been secretly smoking?”

“N-No way!”

To be fair, ever since I reincarnated, I hadn’t touched a single cigarette.

Strangely enough, I didn’t even feel the urge to. That part didn’t bother me.

Still… watching her smoke so effortlessly just made me feel a little nostalgic. 

That was all.

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to start venting. That’s not even why I called you out here today.”

“No, no… feel free to say whatever you want.”

I rubbed my hands together in a shamelessly small-time gesture, trying to stay on Tatekawa-san’s good side.

As you can probably guess, she was the one who called me out to this park.

At first I thought, What now—another interrogation!?

But apparently, that wasn’t it.

Long story short, she wanted to ask about my school life—

No, more specifically, about “Academy SP.”

She had sent a notification to my phone out of nowhere.

I did think, This is kind of a hassle…

But she also mentioned that, within reason, she might share some information about the recent movements of the conglomerates.

So I agreed to cooperate.

At this point, the story had already drifted quite far from the original game.

If more trouble connected to “Academy SP” was going to happen—and the chances were high—it would be better to prepare in advance.

Which was exactly why I was meeting her here now.

“So… how are things? It’s been about three weeks since the Manabu Hirota incident. Has anything changed at school?”

Tatekawa-san asked calmly, and I tilted my head slightly.

“Hmm. Well, around me, a few things changed… but overall? Not really. Things are mostly the same.”

“I see… After an incident that big caused such a public uproar… and yet nothing changes?”

Yeah.

At first, it really felt like “Academy SP” was on the verge of being shut down.

And honestly, that would’ve made sense.

Even though it wasn’t disclosed publicly, the entire department had been created to “protect” the daughters of the Four Great Conglomerates. And yet, one of the very students admitted for that purpose had tried to attack one of those heiresses.

On top of that, Manabu Hirota had prior offenses.

Naturally, the parents were furious. They questioned how the academy even screened its students in the first place.

After all, they had carefully raised their precious daughters and enrolled them in a prestigious girls’ academy for safety and a bright future.

And then suddenly, a group of boys transferred in and disrupted that protected environment.

Even if that wasn’t the whole truth, you couldn’t really blame people for seeing it that way.

I’d heard rumors that quite a few students had already transferred to other schools. Honestly, that wasn’t surprising.

For Yushu Girls’ Academy, the girls should have been the top priority.

And yet—

Despite all that, the academy chose to continue the “Academy SP” system.

“The head of Yushu Girls’ Academy, Toshizou Fukumoto—if I recall correctly, he only assumed the position after his father, the former headmaster, passed away suddenly. So he’s more of an emergency successor than a long-standing leader… isn’t he? And according to rumors, there was strong pressure—from both inside and outside the school—saying, ‘This is absolutely necessary to protect the daughters of the Four Great Conglomerates and the students.’ So he couldn’t refuse and ended up approving it… is that correct?”

“Yeah. Basically, he’s the type who avoids conflict whenever possible.”

“I see… Which means the creation of ‘Academy SP’ wasn’t driven solely by his own will…”

Tatekawa-san put out her cigarette and neatly placed it into her portable ashtray.

“It’s possible that the continuation of ‘Academy SP’ wasn’t truly the academy’s own decision either… but something imposed on them through outside pressure.”

She snapped the ashtray shut with a soft click.

“So the real question is—where is that pressure coming from? Do you know anything?”

“N-No, I’m completely out of my depth with that kind of thing…”

Pressure, huh…

Under normal circumstances, it should be coming from the conglomerates.

But after what happened with Hirota, wouldn’t they view us—the ‘Academy SP’ students—as a liability? If anything, keeping us near their daughters seems even more dangerous.

So would they really push to keep the system in place?

Could another power be involved…?

Or maybe there’s some hidden objective behind all of this?

In the original game, I don’t remember any deep political background being explained.

That dating sim focused on going on dates with the heroines, raising the protagonist Shirou Amagaya, and clearing those little “battle” mini-games.

The behind-the-scenes politics? None of that was ever shown.

The more I think about it… “Academy SP” is filled with mysteries.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t be more helpful.”

When I apologized, she simply shook her head and gave a faint smile.

“No. What I’m doing is nothing more than meddling. I’m acting because I’m personally concerned. That’s all.”

“Concerned?”

“Yes. —I believe that every life is equal. No exceptions. But if this system operates under the assumption that it’s acceptable for you ‘Academy SP’ boys to be put in danger—or even sacrificed—to protect conglomerate heiresses… then that’s utterly absurd.”

“…But the students themselves seem pretty motivated. The guys in ‘Academy SP,’ I mean.”

“That doesn’t make it right. Just because the students are motivated doesn’t justify it. You’re minors. At an age where mature judgment is still developing. To encourage dangerous actions by dressing them up with sweet words like ‘future’ and ‘prospects’… that’s something adults should never do.”

…She wasn’t wrong.

“But even after saying that, the conglomerate daughters themselves aren’t at fault. If anything, they’ve suffered too. Sara Hagoromo-san experienced a terrifying mob incident. Ririko Aketo-san had her life targeted for completely unreasonable reasons. …The real issue is this country’s environment—where overwhelming conglomerate power distorts everything around it. In the end, it’s society itself.”

At that moment, Tatekawa-san quietly clenched her fist.

It felt like… she held something personal against the idea of “conglomerates.”

Not just mild criticism. There was a clear resistance in her tone, as if she simply couldn’t accept the system as it stood.

Well… everyone has their own reasons. She probably had her own history tied to it.

Anyway, there was something I needed to ask her.

“By the way… Tatekawa-san.”

“Yes?”

“About my… release. Why did the police let me go so quickly?”

I paused for a moment, then decided to be direct.

“…No, let me put it clearly.”

I looked at her again.

“Whose order were they following?”

Chapter 56

“You’re asking quite directly, aren’t you?”

“Yes. I can’t help being curious about what kind of conspiracy might have been involved.”

—If I had somehow drawn the attention of the wrong people, then I really needed to stop throwing myself headfirst into more trouble.

“Well… you do have the right to know. I can’t go into internal organizational details, so I’ll keep it broad. But I’ll explain what I can.”

After saying that, Tatekawa-san calmly crossed her firm, well-toned legs again.

“You’re aware that a successor was recently appointed to replace Manabu Hirota’s father as Commissioner of the National Police Agency, correct?”

“Ah, I saw something about it on the news. Didn’t catch the name, though.”

“Actually, the new commissioner is quite an interesting figure. He graduated from Shuitsu University.”

“Shuitsu—”

Ah. I’d heard that name in the original game.

That place was essentially the co-ed counterpart to Yushu Girls’ Academy.

It had divisions ranging from elementary school all the way through university. Aristocrats, former noble families, and wealthy elites commonly enrolled their children there starting from elementary school.

In terms of prestige, Shuitsu Academy was said to rank even higher—mainly due to its longer history.

“So that means someone from a highly prestigious background became the new Commissioner of the National Police Agency? But why call him an unusual choice?”

“The Japanese police place tremendous value on academic pedigree—career background. Traditionally, the Commissioner comes from the top elite universities, namely Tokyo Imperial University or Kyoto Imperial University. That’s been the custom for a long time. But this time, that tradition was finally broken.”

“But if he graduated from Shuitsu University and has excellent credentials, isn’t that fine? What’s the issue with appointing him?”

“On paper, yes. But public perception is another matter.”

“Why? What’s the issue?”

“It’s his surname.”

“…His surname?”

Tatekawa-san lifted her face and looked at me directly.

“The new Commissioner’s name is—Shigenobu Kousaki.”

“…Wait. Kousaki…? Don’t tell me…”

She gave a small nod.

“He comes from the political branch of the Kousaki Conglomerate family. If someone like him became Commissioner, it’s highly likely that the Kousaki Conglomerate secured the necessary backing behind the scenes.”

“Then… does that mean my release was decided by… the Kousaki Conglomerate?”

“That would be the safest assumption. It appears they acted more quickly than the Aketo Conglomerate.”

—The name that surfaced in my mind was Suiran Kousaki.

The breathtaking beauty who ranked first in our year at Yushu Girls’ Academy.

And yes… the G-cup heroine.

The one I liked most in the original “Academy SP” game.

Could it be… that she helped me?

But it’s been nearly two months since enrollment, and I haven’t even spoken to her once.

“Well, this is only my personal speculation, but rather than protecting Yuuji Takahashi specifically, it might be more accurate to say they were protecting ‘Academy SP’ itself.”

That made sense.

“Basically, they wanted to resolve things quickly so the scandal surrounding ‘Academy SP’ wouldn’t become public, right?”

“Most likely. The media framed the incident as ‘A Crime Committed by the Commissioner’s Son,’ which was sensational enough to steer public opinion. Meanwhile, the core issue—‘Academy SP’—has been largely overlooked. In fact, it feels less like it was ignored and more like it was quietly suppressed by some unseen force.”

“An unseen force… You think that’s also the Kousaki Conglomerate?”

“I don’t know. Truly powerful forces remain invisible to people like us. But regardless… I can’t shake the feeling that ‘Academy SP’ and the Kousaki Conglomerate are connected somehow.”

“The Kousaki Conglomerate…?”

Hey, hey. That was definitely not part of the original game.

I played through Suiran Kousaki’s route plenty of times.

What on earth is happening in this world…?

“Yuuji Takahashi-san.”

“Y-Yes?”

She called my name again, and I looked up.

Then she gave me a quiet warning.

“Please be careful. I’m genuinely worried about you.”

Huh? Do I really look that fragile?

Well, okay, my face does scream mob character.

Still, she had been showing concern for me for a while now.

Honestly, she was overthinking it.

“Thanks. But I’m actually pretty strong, you know.”

I tried to laugh it off.

But Tatekawa-san slowly shook her head.

“What I’m worried about… is your heart.”

“…Eh?”

That wasn’t what I expected at all.

I found myself asking her to repeat it.

“My heart…?”

“Yes. I’m not a licensed psychological counselor, so I can’t make definitive claims. But your excessive use of violence follows a certain pattern.”

“A pattern…?”

“Yes. To put it simply, you display an extreme fear of someone dying right in front of you. That fear… I believe it’s what drives that level of violence. It’s almost compulsive. Something close to obsession.”

“……………………”

“For you to react like that, something must have happened in your past. …Something where you couldn’t save someone. That trauma—”

THUMP.

For some reason, my heart made a loud, unpleasant sound.

—〇〇〇〇!!

I could still hear the voice calling my name.

A girl with sun-kissed skin and black hair…

Her eyes were like pearls that never lost their shine, even on the battlefield.

She was standing there—

Waving at me.