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 72

Chapter 72 (1/2)

Side: Yuuji

The next day.

The Karuizawa forest camp had entered its second day.

Man… yesterday was a disaster.

I honestly felt like I hadn’t done a single bad thing, and yet somehow I was the one who suffered the most.

After finishing breakfast, we “Academy SP” guys gathered in front of the girls’ hotel.

Today, I was assigned to guard Sara and Ririko.

After what happened last night, I thought things would be awkward between us…

But—

“Sorry, Yuuji… I slapped you really hard yesterday.”

“And I scratched you like crazy too… seriously, I’m really sorry.”

The two of them suddenly looked full of remorse.

And for some reason, they were clinging to my arms.

What is this sudden emotional turnaround…?

“When it comes to Yuuji, Sara can’t think about anything else.”

“Same here. I’ve never felt myself get this emotional before.”

“O-Oh… right…”

When they said that with teary, watery eyes…

I don’t know why, but somehow it started to feel like I was the one who did something wrong.

“But still! Right in front of your two future wives—and you try to move on to another girl!? What a playboy you are, Yuuji!”

“That only happened because you idiots kept egging things on!!”

I immediately fired back at Wakita, who was acting like this had nothing to do with him.

“Also, what’s with ‘two future wives’? Don’t make me sound like some two-timing scumbag.”

But the moment I said that—

Sara and Ririko both twitched.

“Eh, Yuuji… then which one will you choose? Me or Ririko?”

“Eh?”

“…Do you like Sara-chan more, or do you like me? Honestly, which is it?”

“Eh?”

W-Wait—hold on a second.

Why am I being forced into a two-choice question like this first thing in the morning?

“That indecisive attitude of yours is what drives maidens crazy! Mm-hmm.”

“Shut up, Wakita—…wait, that was Isoyama.”

While we were having that exchange, Sara and Ririko suddenly started acting even stranger.

Both of them had tears welling up in their eyes, and their faces had gone pale.

“Yuuji… If Sara gets abandoned by you, Sara won’t be able to live anymore…”

“H-Hey, Sara…”

“Same here… If there’s something wrong with me, just tell me… I’ll fix it…”

“N-No, Ririko…”

The two of them clung to me even tighter while crying.

“If there’s anything you don’t like, you can hit Sara!”

“Me too… Even if you punch me, I’ll still keep loving only you, Yuuji-kun…”

After hearing those lines, Wakita casually patted my shoulder.

“Wow. Feelings strong enough to endure pain… This must be true love, Yuuji!”

“No, that’s clearly a twisted kind of love! Why am I suddenly being treated like some abusive boyfriend!? And what’s with these two having a weird tolerance for violence!? I’m seriously worried about their future!!”

—Even with exchanges like that going on (heartwarming…? maybe?), time passed peacefully.

Of course, we still had our bodyguard duties.

“…Hmph.”

Nearby, Ayaka had been watching the commotion and let out a small snort.

It caught my attention for a moment, but… well, Imamura and the others were here, so she should be perfectly safe now.

The real problem was—

How the hell I was supposed to survive this battlefield of emotions.

〇

Satsuroukai Headquarters

That same day.

The Satsuroukai headquarters had become unusually busy.

Young members had gathered inside, all waiting for a decision from Ashioka.

“W-What should we do… Boss…!?”

“…Tch. Fine. If it’s really an emergency, then let him in.”

“Y-Yes, sir!”

Soon after, a man stepped out of the elevator that had reached the top floor of headquarters.

He wore a black suit with a white tie.

But his appearance screamed trouble—sharp, hostile eyes, sunglasses, and a shaved head.

No matter how you looked at it, he had the unmistakable presence of someone from that world.

Without showing even the slightest respect, the man casually walked straight into the room where the Satsuroukai executive members were gathered.

“Mind if I cut in, you bunch of street punks?”

His voice was low and rough.

The tone was clearly meant to provoke.

Several yakuza members immediately glared at him.

Seeing that, the man slowly showed a grin, flashing bright white teeth.

“What’s with the staring, punks?”

“Hah?”

“Heh. If you’ve got a problem, come at me. Don’t just stand there with those trashy faces.”

“Wha—!?”

One of the younger members almost took the bait.

But the senior standing beside him smacked him on the head.

“You idiot! Do you want to get arrested for obstructing an officer!?”

“S-Sorry!”

Watching the exchange, the man simply snorted in boredom.

“Tch, what’s with this? The old Satsuroukai would’ve started throwing punches the moment someone teased them. Now it’s harder to arrest you guys since the Ashioka system took over. Yo, Chairman—you’ve trained them pretty well.”

“I’m honored, Detective Miyanishi-san.”

Ashioka simply gave a calm, friendly smile.

Seeing that, Miyanishi, the head of the Organized Crime Division, snorted in annoyance.

“So then, Miyanishi-san. What brings you here today? I’m actually quite busy, believe it or not, so showing up without an appointment is a bit troublesome.”

“Ha! Busy? You’re yakuza. Just being around you guys is already a nuisance. If I really wanted, I could go get a warrant right now. There’s probably a gun hidden somewhere in this headquarters anyway. —But whatever. I just came to ask you something, Chairman.”

With that, Miyanishi dropped heavily onto the guest sofa and put a cigarette in his mouth.

“Hey.”

Ashioka gave a slight nod with his chin, signaling one of the younger members.

The man immediately stepped forward and lit Miyanishi’s cigarette.

Miyanishi accepted it as if it were the most natural thing in the world, took a long drag, blew out a cloud of smoke—

And then got straight to the point.

“Say, Ashioka. Are you actually keeping your men under control?”

“…What exactly do you mean?”

“Don’t tell me you don’t know. About the Satsuroukai bosses who’ve been disappearing one after another lately.”

“……………………”

Yes.

Of course Ashioka already knew about it.

“Yes. The phones at headquarters have been ringing nonstop since this morning because of it. The ones who disappeared are Kondo, Suzuki, and Shimura.”

Hearing that, Miyanishi shot Ashioka a sharp glare.

“Yeah. At first I figured they ran off with their mistresses or something—but apparently that’s not the case. The bosses of the Kondo Family, Suzuki Family, and Shimura Family all vanished at the same time… like they were spirited away or something.”

He leaned forward slightly.

“…So what’s going on here? Don’t tell me there’s some kind of weird internal conflict happening inside your organization.”

Chapter 72 (2/2)

Miyanishi blew out a cloud of cigarette smoke while glaring straight at Ashioka.

“Ever since you became chairman, the Satsuroukai has had a bad atmosphere hanging over it. I’ve been hearing rumors that there might even be an internal split happening.”

“…It’s embarrassing to admit, but it’s true that many bosses are unhappy about me becoming chairman of the Satsuroukai. In the end, it’s because I simply don’t have the charisma needed to unite them.”

“Hmph. There’s nothing more useless to society than the ‘charisma’ of yakuza.”

Snorting with a laugh, Miyanishi took one long drag and smoked the cigarette all the way down to the filter.

“But even that trashy kind of charisma needs to work at least a little.”

He leaned forward slightly.

“Listen, Ashioka. I honestly don’t care whether you keep your position or get kicked out. That’s none of my business. But an internal split? That’s a problem.”

He tapped the cigarette against the ashtray.

“When yakuza start fighting over leadership, it almost always turns into a full-blown gang war. And don’t get the wrong idea. If you bunch of scumbags kill each other, I couldn’t care less.”

He pressed the burning cigarette into the ashtray and slowly ground it out.

“But when your stupid gang wars start dragging innocent civilians into it—that’s when it becomes my problem.”

He shot Ashioka a sharp warning glare.

But the new chairman of the Satsuroukai met his gaze calmly and directly.

“Of course. I will never allow something like an internal split to happen.”

“…You’d better mean that. Lately we’ve been hearing some pretty stupid rumors at the police station. Things like, ‘The Satsuroukai is planning to retaliate against the Kirishima Conglomerate.’”

Even after hearing that, Ashioka’s gaze remained steady.

“Of course not. In the past, the Satsuroukai did cause trouble for ordinary citizens. But as long as I’m the one leading this organization, I swear I will never allow anything like that again. Yes, we do have our own feelings about the Kirishima Conglomerate cutting ties with us… but even so, we have no desire for conflict.”

He placed a hand on his chest as he said it.

And looking into his eyes—it didn’t seem like he was lying.

Miyanishi snorted again.

“Well… I’ll believe those words, at least.”

“Thank you.”

“But don’t get the wrong idea. I don’t trust you.”

He narrowed his eyes.

“Your guts look black as hell.”

“Now that’s harsh. Believe it or not, my selling point is that I’m very serious. Even our business dealings have been mostly clean.”

“Tch. Then go work for a normal company. You used to be some elite guy at a foreign securities firm, speaking fluent English and making tens of millions a year. Being yakuza doesn’t suit you at all.”

—“That’s all I came to say.” With that, Miyanishi simply turned around and left.

Only one detective had barged into the room—but the moment he was gone, every yakuza present let out a long breath at the same time.

“A single detective walks right into Satsuroukai headquarters and acts like that… Man, those Crime cops are still scary. Miyanishi-san hasn’t changed at all.”

Hearing his subordinate say that, Ashioka shrugged.

“Well, every chairman before me used to shrink the moment Miyanishi-san showed up. He’s a veteran of countless battles. —And his instincts are still sharp as ever.”

Ashioka quietly recalled the words Miyanishi had thrown at him earlier.

—“Then go work for a normal company.”

For some reason, those words stuck in his chest.

(Like I could. I became yakuza because I couldn’t work in a normal company.)

With a bitter smile, Ashioka reached for a cigarette.

But before he could light it—

A phone suddenly rang loudly.

“Chairman! We just received a call from the Kikuchi Family!”

“The Kikuchi Family…?”

“A-Apparently, their office was just shot at a few minutes ago!”

“What?”

Ashioka quickly asked for more details.

Thankfully, it seemed no one was injured.

But four bullets had been fired directly into the main office building.

Security cameras had captured a suspicious man riding a motorcycle and firing the shots. However, the shooter was wearing a full-face helmet, so his identity couldn’t be confirmed.

“A raid!?”

“First the bosses disappearing, and now a shooting!? What the hell is going on!?”

“Chairman, what should we do!?”

The younger members started panicking and talking all at once.

Ashioka raised his voice calmly.

“Calm down.”

“If gunshots were heard, the nearby residents will probably report it, and the police will arrive soon. Get rid of anything illegal in the place immediately. Anything that would cause trouble if they find it—dispose of it right now.”

“Yes, sir!”

“As for everything else, we’ve got nothing to hide. Tell them to answer the police questions honestly.”

“Understood!”

After giving the orders, Ashioka rested his hand on his chin and fell into deep thought.

An attack on the Kikuchi Family…

It was something he had never expected.

And in truth, he was the one most shaken by it.

(I have a bad feeling about this…)

At that moment, Ashioka’s instincts kicked in.

He called one of the younger members over.

“Hey.”

“Yes, sir.”

“—Contact the men who were keeping watch on the ‘Tosa Dogs’ immediately.”

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Tomorrow will be an interlude chapter! Please enjoy it as a little breather!