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〜

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Chapter 97

Side: Ayaka

“Come on already, just give up and come out, will you? Hurry up…?”

I could feel Urabe slowly edging closer, dragging his feet as he crept toward us.

“…If he rushed in carelessly, I could’ve used the cover of this marble table to snatch the gun from him… But that guy’s prepared for that too. He’s sticking to the one absolute rule where a gun guarantees victory—making sure he never loses control of that advantage…”

Takahashi’s grip on my wrist tightened.

He was probably running through countless options in his head, using that overwhelming combat sense of his to figure out how to break through this situation.

(But… I can tell.)

A dull ache spread through my chest.

If it were Takahashi alone, then even against someone like Urabe with a gun… he might’ve handled it without much trouble.

He could’ve used the darkness, closed the distance with inhuman speed, and shut down Urabe’s gunfire completely—

He probably had a way to do it.

But he didn’t.

No—he couldn’t.

(Because of me.)

Realizing that hurt.

Everything Takahashi was doing right now—his top priority was protecting me.

That marble table was proof of it.

So I wouldn’t get hit by a stray bullet, he had stopped attacking and switched entirely to defense.

And because of me—this “burden”—

Whether it was attacking, defending, or even escaping…

All of his options had been drastically limited.

(Damn it… how long am I going to keep being nothing but a burden…?)

I almost cursed myself.

I felt like I was about to break down.

But… even if I did, it wouldn’t change anything.

My feelings—

They didn’t matter right now.

What mattered was… what I could do.

With that in mind, I turned my eyes to one of the gang members lying nearby.

It was the same one Urabe had thrown at Takahashi earlier.

I reached out and touched his body.

As I searched through his clothes, Takahashi asked, “What are you doing?”

I answered.

“When I regained consciousness earlier, I remembered what the yakuza said. ‘Didn’t even need to pull out the guns. We all had them on us, but if we started firing, it would’ve caused trouble.’”

“What?”

“In other words… there should be a chance for us to turn this around.”

I checked his pockets, then slipped my hand inside his suit.

And then—there it was.

A holster.

From it, I pulled out cold steel.

(Just like I thought… they were carrying one… a gun!)

I swallowed hard… then gave Takahashi a small smile.

“Takahashi, thank you for coming to save me.”

“Ayaka…?”

“Now it’s my turn to save you.”

I gripped the gun with both hands.

I held it in my right hand, my finger resting on the trigger—

And steadied it with my left.

“Ayaka… you… do you even know how to use a gun?”

Takahashi must’ve figured it out just from how I was holding it.

“Yeah. The Kirishima conglomerate is involved in the military industry too. Because of that, I’ve been handling guns since I was little. I’ve learned the basics.”

By the way, my older brothers stopped going to the shooting range as they grew up.

For people in a conglomerate, what mattered was management and connections in the political and business world.

In other words, they never handled weapons themselves.

And they didn’t need to.

That was how they thought.

But I believed that was wrong.

Only focusing on management without understanding what happens on the ground—that kind of thinking was arrogant.

Sooner or later, that kind of disconnect would lead to a fatal mistake.

I… wanted to work in a field tied to national security.

That’s why I wanted to be someone who understood the front lines.

So whether it was martial arts or shooting practice, I always pushed myself to improve.

…Well, I thought I had noble reasons back then, but looking at it now, maybe I just wanted a way to vent all my bottled-up frustration.

(Still… maybe I was training with a gun for this very moment.)

That’s right.

Everything… led to this.

To protect Takahashi.

Some people might say it’s overstepping—

A woman trying to protect a man.

But I…

I didn’t want to be the kind of woman who just stays behind the man who risked his life for her.

That’s why…

“Please… stop shaking… just stop…”

I whispered it like a prayer, but the tremor in my hands holding the gun wouldn’t go away.

Of course it wouldn’t.

I had never pointed a gun at someone and pulled the trigger before.

I had never gone through real combat training.

And on top of that, the rifles I’d used before were modern Japanese models—

The gun in my hands now was an old handgun, probably from around World War II.

How was I even supposed to fire it properly?

Even that—I wasn’t sure.

“Damn…! Damn it…! What was all that training for…? This… it was all useless…! Even now… am I still just useless…!?”

Just then, I realized—Urabe had already moved.

Using the marble table to block our line of fire, he had circled around and was almost right beside us.

“—Don’t know what the hell you’re mumbling about, but if you’re not coming out… I’ll come to you.”

“Gh…”

Please… give me strength.

I have to shoot Urabe.

I have to shoot him and protect Takahashi.

So stop shaking…

Stop shaking…

Just for now—please stop…!

Right now—

And then…

At that moment—

A gentle warmth spread over my hand.

Strangely, the trembling stopped.

When I looked up—

Takahashi was smiling at me.

“Ayaka… you did well.”

“Takahashi…”

“I’ll take it from here.”

Then, Takahashi took the gun from my hands.

It didn’t feel like he was taking it away—

It felt like he understood what I was trying to do… and accepted it.

Click…!

With smooth, steady movements, Takahashi checked the magazine.

“A Makarov PM, huh. A copy, but barely used. Fully loaded… —That’s more than enough.”

Click…!

He slotted the magazine back in, then—like he’d handled this gun countless times before—released the safety and gripped it firmly with both hands.

The way he held it… the way he moved…

It felt like watching a master.

“Hey, Urabe.”

Lowering his stance, his back against the marble table, Takahashi called out.

“Haaah!?”

“If this were a barehanded fight—you might’ve had… maybe a one percent chance of winning.”

“W-What the hell did you say!?”

Urabe snapped at the provocation, but Takahashi calmly continued—

“But in a fight with guns—”

In the next instant, Takahashi stood up.

He turned—

And aimed the muzzle straight at Urabe.

“Your chances of winning—are zero.”

Bang!!

Urabe fired first.

He aimed straight at Takahashi as he stepped out from cover.

But—

It didn’t hit.

Bang!! Bang!! Bang!!

In the next instant, Takahashi fired three shots.

“GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!”

Urabe screamed—then hit the ground with a heavy thud.

The gunshots rang in my ears, sharp and painful.

Takahashi slowly walked over to where Urabe had fallen.

I cautiously peeked out from behind the marble table.

“What…!?”

The moment I saw it, my body started trembling.

Urabe was lying on his back.

The floor lamp was still lodged in his right shoulder, and under the moonlight, I could see blood pouring from his left hand, his right leg, and his left shin.

Takahashi had shot him.

Out of his four limbs—

He had hit three of them… with perfect precision.

Chapter 98

Side: Ayaka

…Maybe I was witnessing a miracle.

“Ah… gh… gaaah…!”

Urabe groaned in pain.

His body twitched slightly, but there was no way he could stand—

No, he couldn’t even crawl anymore.

“Y-You… bastard…!”

There wasn’t as much blood as I expected.

If anything, the bleeding from the floor lamp still lodged in his right shoulder stood out the most—but since it was stuck in place, it was actually stopping the bleeding.

Meanwhile, the other wounds—

The three spots Takahashi had shot—were all as far from the torso as possible.

They were serious injuries, no doubt… but none of them were fatal.

Even in this dim room, lit only by moonlight—

And firing that fast—

Takahashi had perfectly disabled Urabe, the boss of the Tosa Family, without killing him.

That level of skill… it felt almost unreal.

(Even the retired Japanese military instructor who trained me… could he have done something like this? No… he probably couldn’t.)

Japan’s military hasn’t fought a war in over a hundred years.

In other words, they’ve been that far removed from real combat.

Sure, they can hit targets on a range—

But hitting a moving target…

And not just that—landing precise shots on a person’s limbs without even the slightest miss… could they really do that?

No… even soldiers with real combat experience—could they pull that off?

…I don’t know.

At the very least, someone like me—

Just a student who’s handled a handgun a little—couldn’t even begin to imagine it.

But there was one thing I was certain of—

Takahashi had just pulled off something that could only be called a miracle…

As casually as if he were breathing.

It really made me think.

Even against yakuza, he stayed completely calm.

Even facing a gun, he didn’t waver—he simply moved to suppress his enemy.

That cold precision… that nerve…

(Just… what are you…?)

All I could do was stare blankly at his profile.

“Urabe—this is the end for you.”

Saying that, Takahashi slowly walked toward him.

And for some reason…

The way he held that gun just felt natural. It suited him.

Old guns carry a higher risk of misfiring and are harder to handle compared to modern ones.

And yet—

Takahashi casually slipped his left hand into his pocket, holding the gun loosely in his right as it hung at his side.

To me, he looked like a tamer who had completely subdued a wild beast.

Like he had absolute control over the gun.

(Cool…)

That was the honest thought that came to mind.

At first, I thought it was just admiration—

The kind that came from wanting to be involved in military work someday.

But… it wasn’t just that.

Something deeper in my chest was telling me—

This feeling, this flutter in my heart…

Could it be… as a woman…

“Kukuku…! Kahahahaha…!”

At that moment, Urabe started laughing.

Even in a situation like this.

“…What, you looking down on me, you brat…?”

There wasn’t a trace of fear in his eyes.

How stubborn could this man be…?

“Urabe! Just give up! The police will be here any minute! The Tosa Family… this is the end for you!”

I wanted to show my resolve.

What Urabe had done filled me with anger—

With humiliation.

That’s why I wanted to make him understand.

With my own words.

That this was it—

The Tosa Family was finished.

But—

“Kahahahahahahahahaha…!”

Urabe kept laughing.

“The end…? You think this is the end? Don’t be stupid… Hey, ‘Academy SP’… do you even know who you picked a fight with? The Tosa Family—yakuza, you hear me?”

Urabe’s face twisted into a grotesque grin.

“We live by one thing above all—our ‘honor.’ That’s the code that’s kept us going all this time. The original Tosa bloodline died out long ago, but from the day we were given the sake cup, we’ve carried on that tradition ever since!”

With his limbs unable to move, Urabe lifted only his head as he kept talking.

“Anyone who looked down on us—we dealt with every last one of them. Every single one—killed them! Whether they were yakuza, delinquents… or just ordinary civilians!”

“…What are you trying to say?”

When Takahashi asked calmly, Urabe’s lips twisted into a crooked grin.

“It means you’ve been marked. Hey, Takahashi-kun? The cool ‘Academy SP’ protecting the refined ladies of Yushu Girls’ Academy—Takahashi-kun.”

A chill ran down my spine.

Even though it was just his last name… hearing someone like him say it filled me with dread.

“Kekeke…! Listen up—our Tosa Family hasn’t reported everything to the main house, but we’ve spread countless ‘branches’ throughout the underworld. That delinquent gang, Dragon Chain? That’s just one of the many branches under our control!”

“No way…”

A realization hit me—and a shiver ran through my body.

I understood it.

What they were planning to do—

Something truly horrifying…

“I’ll send them a signal from prison. A special one the cops will never catch. And the moment I do—my ‘branches’ will move all at once… and go after you.”

“…Not just you. Everyone around you too!”

At that moment, Takahashi’s expression twitched ever so slightly.

Seeing that, Urabe burst into laughter like he’d just won.

“Ahyahahahahahahahahahahaha!! Finally got a reaction, huh!? This is how yakuza do things—dirty, nasty, and effective! Ahyahahahahahahahahahahaha!!”

…What a twisted obsession.

“So, who should I go after first~? Maybe those ‘Academy SP’ boys you get along with? Or maybe I’ll have them finish off that glasses guy? When you’re not there—when you can’t protect him—stab him right from behind… nice and deep.”

“U-Urabe!!”

I couldn’t help but shout.

There was no way I could stay silent.

But he only seemed to enjoy it more.

“Hmm, or maybe I should go for someone even closer~? —Like your family.”

“Urabe!!”

“Ahyahahahahahahahahahahaha!!! Hey, Takahashi-kun~? How many people are in your family, huh? What does your dad do~? How old’s your mom~?? Should I have them shoot up his workplace~? Or maybe send some sick bastard who’s into married women to go after your mom~? Ahyahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!”

“Urabe…!!”

I tried to lunge at him.

I couldn’t hold back—I had to hit him.

This guy… this guy especially…!

But then—

Bang!!!

A gunshot rang out, and instantly, Urabe fell silent.

Takahashi was standing there, his gun aimed straight at him.

Looking closely—his cheek was cut, and a bullet was embedded in the floor.

“…Finally quiet now, Urabe.”

Takahashi’s profile… was completely cold.

“Well… I figured it’d come to this. I let you live for a bit, just to see how things played out… but yeah, of course you’d go this route. Trash like you always does.”

At that moment, Urabe’s expression changed.

His face twisted in fear.

“Urabe… why did you think you’d walk out of this alive and end up in prison?”

“W-What… did you just say…?”

Takahashi’s expression hardened even further.

“I’m about to—”

It was mechanical.

Like all warmth had vanished from him—

“…kill everyone from the Tosa Family here—”

Without hesitation.

Without a shred of guilt—

Like he was simply carrying out a job he’d been assigned—

“—wipe every single one of you out anyway.”

◆◆◆

Next— The Tosa Family battle reaches its climax.

Chapter 99

Side: Ayaka

“…Kill them all…?”

At first, I couldn’t understand what Takahashi had just said.

It wasn’t that I didn’t understand the meaning—

It was that those words had come from him.

“T-Takahashi…! I understand why you’re angry, but…”

The anger I had felt toward Urabe, the boss of the Tosa Family, had been burning fiercely just moments ago—

And yet, somehow, it was starting to turn cold.

It wasn’t that my anger at Urabe had disappeared.

It was because I had imagined it—

The future Takahashi would carry… if he really went through with this “killing them all.”

“Y-You don’t have to dirty your hands for people like them!”

Urabe… after everything he’s done, I truly believed he deserved to die a thousand times over.

He had fallen lower than a beast.

A punishment fitting for that was only natural.

But… even someone like him—

If Takahashi killed him, then Takahashi would carry that burden too.

Not a legal punishment.

But something far heavier—

The weight of having killed someone, something that would cling to him forever as a human being.

…At least, that’s what I believed.

That’s why… I wanted to stop him.

But—

“Sorry, Ayaka… this is the only way now.”

Takahashi’s voice was calm.

But behind it, I could feel an unshakable resolve.

“I had a feeling from the start. The way these yakuza obsess over things… And after facing this guy, I’m sure of it. People with those rotten eyes… with twisted minds like that… in the end, all they do is petty lashing out—petty revenge.”

Keeping the gun aimed at Urabe, Takahashi continued.

“If this goes on, it won’t just be me. The damage will reach the people around me too. This isn’t just my problem anymore. At the very least… I don’t want my parents getting dragged into this.”

So—

Still aiming the gun at Urabe, he spoke.

“In the end, this is the only sure way. Wipe out the Tosa Family—every last one of you. Right? Isn’t that how it is, Urabe?”

“Y-You…!”

“That ‘branch’ network you brag about—at the end of the day, it’s just a pack of stray dogs you’ve chained down with fear, isn’t it? Sure, if you were still alive and eventually got out, they’d be scared of your retaliation. They’d follow your orders, even attacking me or the people around me from behind bars.”

“…!”

“But if you’re dead, that’s a different story.”

“If you die, those dogs get freed from your leash. They’ll just go off and enjoy their freedom. That gang—Dragon Chain or whatever—you think they’d go out of their way to avenge you? No way. They’re not that loyal.”

Hearing Takahashi cut straight through the truth, Urabe ground his teeth.

And without lowering the cold muzzle of the gun—

Takahashi… continued.

“Then it’s faster to just kill you. And it’s certain. Leaving you alive only increases the chance that the people around me get hurt. Wiping you all out—ends everything cleanly.”

He said it in that same cold tone.

For some reason, it felt like he was drifting farther and farther away… into a world separate from mine.

“Hehehe…”

At that moment, Urabe laughed.

“You really gonna do it? Kill everyone? You actually think you can?”

Showing his teeth, his eyes gleamed wildly.

“Even if you’re a minor, killing seven members of the Tosa Family? You won’t get off easy. No way you walk free. Your fun, precious youth—gone just like that.”

Why could this man still revel in madness, even now…?

I couldn’t understand it.

But he kept going.

“And you know what? Killing people isn’t so simple. Every night, the ones you killed will show up at your bedside. Covered in blood, staring down at you. And they’ll whisper—‘We curse you~’ Heh… hyahahahahaha…”

That eerie laugh sent a chill down my spine.

“You’ll live like that for the rest of your life. Every single night~ We’ll come back to haunt you. The grudge of the Tosa Family—will tear your mind apart until you end up killing yourself~ Hehehehehehehehehehehehehehehe!”

Maybe… Urabe, just like Kojima, was suffering from that kind of “symptom”?

That thought crossed my mind—because his words carried a strange kind of weight.

(Takahashi…)

I looked at his profile.

And then—

He was smiling.

Then—another gunshot rang out.

Blood burst out. Flesh scattered.

Urabe’s ear—was blown off.

“UGAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!?”

As Urabe screamed, Takahashi shoved the muzzle of the gun straight into his mouth.

“That’s a cheap threat.”

“Ughhh!?”

“Urabe… you already knew, didn’t you? That threats like that won’t work on me. Killing just seven of you here—”

“…!”

“—isn’t enough to break me.”

“Ugh—”

“I didn’t want to kill. Not in this life… But it can’t be helped. Let’s go to hell together.”

Takahashi placed his finger on the trigger.

At that moment, I shouted at the top of my lungs.

“Wait! Takahashi!!”

He turned toward me.

This was my last chance—

And I poured everything I had into trying to stop him.

“Stop…! Don’t dirty your hands for people like them! Takahashi! You—and your family—will be protected by the Kirishima conglomerate! No matter what it takes, no matter what power I have to use—I’ll protect you!!”

For some reason, tears spilled from my eyes.

This wasn’t the time to cry.

And yet, even as I cried out, I kept pleading.

“So please… please just stop!!”

But—

When I opened my eyes again, Takahashi was smiling.

“Thank you, Ayaka. But… sorry. I’ve already made up my mind.”

“Takahashi…!”

“I… if it’s for the people who care about me… I’m willing to give up this life—this future—without hesitation.”

With that calm expression, I saw it—

His finger tightening on the trigger.

“STOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOP!!”