After Reaching the Happy Ending, I Was Locked up by the Extremely Possessive Heroines I Had Conquered - Chapter 2: Trapped by the Heroines

Chapter 2: Trapped by the Heroines?

—Early the next morning, two hours before the ferry’s departure.

I left the house with the bare minimum packed. My backpack held two days’ worth of clothes, a map of Kochi Prefecture I found at home, and my wallet stuffed with all the money I had. Once off the island, I’d look for a train and figure out a route to Tokyo.

I planned to return the same day, but just in case I missed the ferry, I prepared enough to stay overnight.

Not wanting to worry Mahiru, I left a note on the living room table: “Going on a trip. Back soon.”

With my little adventure about to begin, I started walking along the coastal road, my heart swelling with anticipation.

“Good morning,” a calm, emotionless voice called from behind.

Turning around, I saw Satori Jindaiji. Clad in a white shrine maiden outfit, her distinctive silver hair fluttered as she fixed her clear, emerald-like eyes on me.

Her silent stare made me uneasy, so I spoke up. “Good morning. You’re up early, Satori.”

“You’re up early too, Akira,” she replied.

“No plans at night, so I sleep early and rise early,” I said.

“…Me too,” she answered briefly. Her gaze flickered to my backpack for a moment. “Where… are you going?”

“Just a short walk,” I said.

“Then what’s with the backpack? A picnic?”

“…Something like that.”

Of course, my flimsy excuse didn’t fool her. She gave me a suspicious, narrowed-eyed look. Unable to bear her piercing stare, I said, “Well, I’m off,” and took a step to escape.

Naturally, she followed, and then she began speaking. “This is a traditional tale passed down on Black Tide Island.”

“Oh?” I responded.

Satori loved telling stories, often sharing whatever came to mind. Last time, it was about an ant drowning in a cola pond. Curious what it’d be this time, I listened.

“Long ago, a snake god has protected the people of this island. That’s why we rarely get sick or catch colds. We’re very healthy,” she said, clenching her fist in a small, cute gesture of triumph. Her storytelling, complete with expressive gestures, was well-liked in the neighborhood.

But she could also get overly emotional… “The snake god is our guardian. But it’s merciless to those who leave the island,” she continued, her voice suddenly low and flat.

“Leaving the island is like betraying the snake god’s kindness. That’s unforgivable. So, misfortune always strikes those who try. Their ships might sink, or they might be attacked by bad people at their destination. Terrible things happen.”

She paused for a breath, then went on. “It’s all the snake god’s curse.”

“…”

“That’s why leaving the island is a bad thing. A really bad thing,” she said, leaning in close.

Her silver hair swayed in the sea breeze, and the sweet scent of her shampoo wafted toward me. Her face was so close our noses nearly touched. She repeated, as if to drive it home, “Leaving the island is a bad thing.”

“Yeah, maybe it’s not a good idea,” I said.

“Yes. A really bad idea,” she agreed.

I understood it was a bad idea, but I hadn’t expected her to bring up this story right when I was about to leave. What a coincidence, I thought.

“But that story sounds familiar…” I said.

“It’s my first time telling it,” she insisted.

“Not exactly, but it’s just the opposite of another story you told…”

“First time!” she said, cutting me off.

I decided to let it slide; arguing was too much hassle. Still, the snake god’s curse, huh? In the original game, that was just a fabricated tale by the three ruling families. Shipwrecks, attacks by bad people—all orchestrated by them.

In this world, most evils tied back to the three families. The heroines’ bad endings, the rule of choosing only one heroine—all their fault. They were so villainous, you could just blame them and call it a day.

“A really bad idea,” Satori repeated.

“I get it, I get it. By the way, with that shrine maiden outfit, you’ve got practice today, right? Is it okay to be slacking off here?”

“…It’s fine. Some things take priority,” she said.

I wasn’t sure what she was prioritizing, but she kept walking beside me. We were almost at the ferry dock. How was I supposed to shake her off?

With hardly any tourists around at this hour, blending into a crowd wasn’t an option. In Tokyo, it’d be easy…

“Satori-san?” I said.

“Why the honorifics?” she asked.

“No, it’s just… aren’t you bumping into me to steer me off course? I want to go straight, but you’re pushing me toward the right, into the woods.”

“What are you talking about?” she said, feigning ignorance.

“Come on, you can’t play dumb.”

She kept bumping into me, forcefully guiding me toward the woods. Her voice was calm and expressionless, but her collisions were intense, like a rugby player’s tackle.

Still, her slender frame could only throw me off balance, not change my path.

“Hey! Hey!” she shouted, adding sound effects.

“You’re not even hiding it anymore,” I said.

With sound effects, there was no denying it. I was dumbfounded.

Wait a second. Was she trying to keep me away from the ferry dock?

I thought to ask, but we reached the destination before I could.

The ferry dock, after just half a day, had a peculiar atmosphere. Unlike yesterday’s calm, the man at the counter looked uneasy, gripping his newspaper tightly. Our eyes met briefly, but he quickly looked down when he saw Satori beside me.

Something was up.

Feeling anxious, I pulled my wallet from my backpack to check my ferry ticket. I was sure I’d put it with my cash last night.

But no matter how much I searched—it wasn’t there!?

“What?” I gasped.

“Akira, are you planning to take the ferry?” Satori’s voice was calm, like a still sea, yet sharp, ringing in my ear.

It felt like I was being cornered. Desperately, I looked around for help.

Then, my gaze landed on a girl in the waiting area, sitting daintily on a lobby chair, clutching something carefully in her right hand.

It was a ticket—identical to the one I bought yesterday.

“What!?” I exclaimed.

The girl reacted to my voice, turning her gaze toward me. Slowly, she called my name. “—Big brother.”

It was… Mahiru, approaching with the ticket. Her black hair swayed softly, her indigo eyes fixed on me. Unlike her usual charming demeanor, her eyes lacked light.

“Mahiru!? Why do you have that ticket…?”

“It was lying in your wallet,” she said.

“That’s not what ‘lying around’ means!”

“…”

“Hey, don’t look away!”

“More importantly, big brother!” Mahiru leaned in close. “Why did you buy a ferry ticket?”

Her tone was cold, like an interrogation.

“Akira, why?” Satori chimed in.

This was bad. Really bad. They were teaming up to corner me. One was tough enough, but two? No way I could shake them off. My adventure was about to be ruined.

“Big brother!” Mahiru stepped closer.

“Akira, explain,” Satori said, blocking my path as I tried to dodge.

“…”

This was bad.

Sweating coldly, I backed away, trying to leave the ferry dock when—

“Senpai!” a voice called out.

Suddenly, my vision was blocked. I didn’t need to turn to know it was Toa. Her soft hands covered my eyes, pulling my head against her breasts.

The soft sensation brushed the back of my head as she peered into my eyes from above, pinning me in place.

“Why are you at the ferry dock?” she asked, her usual cunning distance replaced by bold actions, leaving me unable to move.

“…”

Two were already too much, but a third? Escape was hopeless.

As if to crush my resigned mood, a mechanical announcement blared from the port’s speakers: “Due to unforeseen circumstances, all ferries today are canceled. The next operation is TBD. Please take care.”

My heart froze at the words.

Canceled? For “unforeseen circumstances”?

“…”

What kind of circumstances? At least say it’s bad weather or something believable.

But I had no room to protest, cornered by three heroines.

“Big brother, why did you buy a ferry ticket?”

“Why were you trying to get on a boat?”

“Senpai, explain yourself.”

Surrounded on all sides, I was trapped with nowhere to run.

“Akira,” Satori said, stepping closer and gently taking my hand. Her touch was cold, yet her smile was warm, like one meant to comfort a child. “If you leave the island, misfortune will strike. It’s good the ferry was canceled, isn’t it?”

Wasn’t staying on the island the real misfortune?

That’s all I could think, but saying it aloud would clearly bring more trouble, so I could only manage a bitter smile.

“Let’s go home, Akira.”

“Let’s go home, big brother.”

“Let’s go, senpai.”

“…Okay,” I said.

How did it come to this?

I reflected on my actions.

If there was one cause, it was probably my approach.

To change the terrible fate of having to choose just one heroine, I took drastic measures.

—That was love, affection.